Just as LG’s first dual-core handset denoted its power with the Optimus 2X name, so will the manufacturer’s first quad-core phone, PocketNow reports. The phone rumored as the LG X3, which is said to feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, will honor the four magnitudes of power provided by its Tegra 3 processor when it launches as the LG Optimus 4X HD. The name seems like a no-brainer when taking LG’s previous releases into account.

References to a T-Mobile G4X have recently been spotted, suggesting that the sequel to the Optimus 2X will also make its way to that network. The T-Mobile G2X was the carrier’s branding for last year’s model.

LG has been busy announcing a few of their handsets, including the Optimus 3D Max and Optimus 3D Cube, ahead of Mobile World Congress, but we suspect they will keep their biggest new addition under cover until their press conference in Barcelona this Sunday.

[via PocketNow]

Bill Koch celebrates his 1992 yachting win. He claims yachting will be destroyed by offshore wind.

by Michael Conathan

This doesn’t qualify as much of a news flash, but just in case you were curious, hypocrisy is alive and well in the Koch family. And this time it’s going to cost one of them half a million dollars.

After a lengthy series of lawsuits he filed against his better known brothers, Bill Koch has often been described as the “black sheep” of his family. And while Bill’s public and messy falling out with his $50 billion brothers has led to only a slightly less lucrative career as founder of the dirty energy conglomerate Oxbow Carbon, he has largely steered clear of his siblings extreme climate denial and political wrangling. Except when it comes to one pet peeve: offshore wind.

Earlier this year, Cape Wind became the first offshore wind farm to receive the green light from federal regulators despite Koch’s funneling over $1.5 million dollars to a nonprofit group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, formed to combat Cape Wind. The site where the project will be built just happens to be visible from backyard of Koch’s mansion on a private island country club community in Osterville, MA. One of the favorite arguments used by Koch and the Alliance is that the project was the beneficiary of a “sweetheart, no-bid deal.”

Apparently, Koch only likes sweetheart no-bid deals for his own operations. Last week, Gunnison Energy, a subsidiary of Oxbow Carbon, was slapped by the Justice Department with a $550,000 fine “related to an agreement not to compete in bidding for four natural gas leases sold at auction by the U.S. Department of Interior.”

According to the complaint, [Gunnison Energy] and [co-conspirator SG Interests VII Ltd.] were separately developing natural gas resources in Western Colorado. In 2005, GEC and SGI entered into a written agreement under which they agreed that only SGI would bid at the auctions and then assign an interest in the acquired leases to GEC…. As a result of the agreement between GEC and SGI, the United States received less revenue from the sale of the four leases than it would have had SGI and GEC competed at the auctions.

Not, of course, that Bill Koch has ever been interested in allowing the federal government to get its fair share. His run to capture the America’s Cup yachting trophy in 1992 was fueled by tax breaks from donating his own money to a foundation set up to fund his pursuit of the prize. The donations saved him “a couple million dollars” on his taxes.

It should come as no surprise that a dirty energy magnate with a history of bilking the federal government might try to pull a fast one on federal regulators. Let’s just make sure we remember this one next time he accuses a clean energy company of working the system.

Michael Conathan is the Director of Ocean Policy at American Progress.

You’ve seen how abandoned buildings are taken over by vines and spiderwebs and can look really creepy? Daniele Del Nero recreates that feeling in miniature with his buildings covered in natural mold.

Grown over several days, the mould used to create these stunning models then dies after two weeks leaving a layer of dust akin to a spider’s web which gives the miniature houses their creepy and mesmerising look. “I’ve always been fascinated by old ruined buildings,” says Del Nero, in an interview. “We are used to imagining our cities as permanent and definitive, but it’s amazing how little time it takes for nature to reclaim its spaces.”

See more of Del Nero’s creations at Urban Ghosts. Link

(Image credit: Daniel Del Nero)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of the Republicans incensed by Obama’s plan. When CNN’s Piers Morgan asked last night what he thought about Buffett, Christie responded by saying he “wasn’t going to get into this class warfare business,” then told Buffett to “write a check and shut up”:

MORGAN: You know where I’m going at with that. Warren Buffett keeps screaming to be taxed more.

CHRISTIE: Yeah, well he should just write a check and shut up. Really. And just contribute. The fact of the matter is that I’m tired of hearing about it. If he wants to give the government more money, he’s got the ability to write a check. Go ahead and write it.

Watch it:

Buffett, perhaps unbeknownst to Christie, has offered to write a check to the government — as soon as any of the Republicans who have called on him to do so write one first. In January, Buffett told Time Magazine he’d match dollar-for-dollar any voluntary contribution made by Republicans. “And I’ll even go three-for-one for McConnell,” he added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Thus far, Buffett has had to match just one Republican — Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA). The rest of the GOP has chosen to ignore inequities in the tax code and rising income inequality, choosing instead to balance the budget solely through spending cuts to vital programs that help the Americans most in need of help.

Just yesterday, Christie himself unveiled a tax plan that would give 40 percent of its benefits to New Jersey’s richest one percent.

Since a leak back in the summer, we haven’t heard a whole lot about the Gingerbread update for the Motorola CLIQ 2. Moto had had plenty of time to work out the kinks and a post to the manufacturer’s support forums indicates the new software is entering its final phases of testing. Testers are being sought to receive the OS upgrade for the T-Mobile handset early. This soak test, which will be limited to 1,000 users, is typically the last step before a wider rollout (provided no last minute bugs are detected).

It could be any where from a few days to a few weeks before Motorola and T-Mobile push the update to all users, but if you want to throw your hat in for the testing round (if it isn’t already full) head over to the source link below.

[Motorola via DroidDog]

Instructables member abetusk designed a set of cat ears that move under your control, making you both cute and geeky! Several pre-programmed movements are controlled by one button in your pocket. The directions are all there if you want to make your own. Link -Thanks, Karen Howard!

Republican presidential candidates have a few things to learn about the value of our public lands.  A few weeks ago Mitt Romney told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he doesn’t know “what the purpose is” of public lands.  Ron Paul called for eliminating public lands by having “the best parts sold off to private owners.”  Rick Santorum told Idaho residents that public lands should go “back into the hands of the states and even to the private sector.”

In preparation for the Republican debate in Mesa, Arizona tonight, ThinkProgress Green has organized the most important facts about public lands in the state.

- Some of America’s most treasured natural places are located on Arizona public lands. Grand Canyon National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Sonoran Desert National Monument are just a few examples of the dozens of places in Arizona that are protected for all of us to enjoy. Arizona’s 22 national parks saw 10.5 million visitors in 2010. And tourism at the Grand Canyon alone supported more than 6,000 jobs in 2009. [NPS, 2012 and Headwaters Economics, 2011]

-  Arizonans view public lands as essential to their state’s economy. A recent poll from the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project found that 90 percent of voters in Arizona believe that “our national parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas are an essential part of Arizona’s economy.”  [Colorado College, 1/30/12]

-  Arizonans feel that public lands are essential to their quality of life. The Colorado College poll also asked whether voters agreed with the statement that “our national parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas are an essential part of Arizona’s quality of life.”  The response was overwhelming, with 97 percent of Arizonans agreeing. [Colorado College, 1/30/12]

-  Interior Department activities in Arizona leverage $2.4 billion and 29,000 jobs every year.  This includes oil, gas, mining, recreation, timber, grazing, and other uses.  This number does not include lands managed by the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [Interior Department, 6/21/11]

-  Recreation opportunities abound on Arizona’s public lands.  Families living in Tucson can take a day trip and a picnic to Saguaro National Park and the Santa Catalina Mountains located just 30 minutes outside of the city.  City dwellers in the Phoenix area can hit the Tonto National Forest, one of the most visited urban national forests in the U.S.  And sportsmen can take advantage of a variety of wide open spaces across the state, featuring unique animals such as javelinas and Gila trout.  Recreation on Interior Department lands in Arizona provided $1.97 billion in economic benefits in 2010. [Interior Department, 6/21/11]

-  Outdoor recreation – a $5 billion economy in Arizona– often takes place on public lands. Tourists travel to Arizona from around the country and world to experience a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities.  The Outdoor Industry Association found that the active outdoor recreation economy contributes over $5 billion annually to Arizona’s economy and supports 82,000 jobs across the state.  Hiking, climbing, camping, hunting, fishing, and mountain biking are just a few of the outdoor activities enjoyed on public lands. [Outdoor Industry Association, 2006]

-  Hunting and angling—a $1.3 billion economy in Arizona—often take place on public lands. Millions of acres in Arizona are open to hunting for game and waterfowl and to fishing.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department reported that sportsmen in the state spend $958 million every year, which creates $1.34 billion in economic impacts and 17,000 jobs. [Arizona Game and Fish Department]

-  Oil, gas, and minerals from Arizona’s public lands provide $900 million per year in economic impacts. Mining and drilling on Interior Department-managed lands in Arizona create a tremendous amount of economic opportunity. [Interior Department, 6/21/11]

DITTY: There are 23 sexual orientations that fit under this definition and if this bill became law, then what we would be protecting for public employees is not only heterosexuality, bisexuality, pedophilia, transsexuality, transvestitism, I’m not going to read them all. Voyeurism, exhibitionism, feetism, zoophilia, necrophilia, klismaphilia and the list goes on. I teach in the public school system and I wonder if this would impact the public school system. And we have parents who bring their kids to school everyday and expect the school to protect them. And what’s going to protect our children if someone that is a pedophiliac comes in and gets a teaching job, is a bus driver, is a custodian, and they can be people that just want to prey on people and they will be protected with this law.

Watch it:

Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said the measure is still “very much alive,” but faces “a huge challenge to get it through this year.” Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, “covering 44 percent of the United States population.” Sixteen states or 33 percent of the population is covered by a statewide law prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.”