lefan:

yeah, this makes me homesick.  wisconsin doesn’t have enough cicadas.

Oops.

Twitter has announced that it is postponing a complete switch to OAuth, dubbed the “OAuthcalypse”, by a month and a half due to the severe load and downtime being caused by the World Cup.

Currently, there are two ways to connect to Twitter apps: basic authentication (where you provide your username and password) and OAuth, which lets users hand out “tokens” for access to applications instead of sensitive account data. Twitter intended to cut off use of basic authentication on June 30th — 12 and a half days away — and even launched a countdown clock for the occasion so that application developers were prepared.

Since then, Twitter’s stability has been compromised due to critical mistakes setting up and maintaining the service’s internal network. It has resulted in constant downtime and fail whales.

With so much happening, Twitter has decided to push back Oauthcalypse to August 16th, a full month after the World Cup ends.

tweeps read more (Mashable)

Thinking today of Mandela, one of the Elders, and his great-granddaughter Zenani. Sorrow attends what should be great joy, just when the eyes of the world are on the nation he struggled so long to build and heal. May they be the eyes of compassion.

By BARRY BEARAK

Published: June 11, 2010

 JOHANNESBURG — Heartbreak intruded on the opening day of the soccer World Cup when Nelson Mandela’s 13-year-old great granddaughter Zenani was killed in an auto accident here early on Friday. In response, Mr. Mandela canceled a much-heralded appearance at a tournament depicted as a triumphant showcase for his country and his continent.

The teenager was returning home from the event’s Thursday night kickoff concert in Soweto, an extravaganza that included stars like Alicia Keys and Shakira and was meant to launch the contest on a joyous note. At its conclusion, the sky lit up with fireworks as happy attendees made way to their parked vehicles.

According to police, Zenani Mandela died in a one-car accident on a Johannesburg highway. The man behind the wheel, who has yet to be named, was accused of drunk driving and may also be charged with culpable homicide, the police said.

read more

Excitement is building for the world’s game, the beautiful game.

inothernews:

GAMER   A boy played with a soccer ball in a Port Elizabeth, South Africa, shantytown Wednesday. (Photo: Robert Ghement / EPA via the Wall St. Journal)