Woman Attacked By Cheetahs as Husband Takes Pictures

A British woman was attacked by cheetahs while her was  husband busy in taking pictures at holiday safari park in South Africa.

Violet D'Mello was attacked by the cats, but the quick-thinking British holidaymaker played dead to avoid being mauled to death by supposedly tame cheetahs.

Mrs D'Mello, who was rushed to hospital after the incident, said: 'It was terrifying and happened so quickly.
'One minute I was in the enclosure with the cheetahs and the next it was biting at my head."

A guide at the game park in the Indian Ocean town of Port Elizabeth managed to pulled the second cat off Mrs D'Mello, but even as he did so, the first cheetah rejoined the fray, pining the Scot to the ground and biting and gouging her legs.

It was only when a group of park visitors worked together to pull the two animals off her that Mrs D'Mello was able to make a dash for the petting pen's gate.

Elephant Plays Tunes on Harmonica

An elephant named Shanthi at the Smithsonian's National Zoo plays a harmonica with her trunk and appears to love doing it.

Video released Wednesday by the zoo in Washington shows the 36-year-old Asian elephant has a harmonica attached to her stall and plays tunes even when no humans are within view.

Elephant keeper Debbie Flinkman said Shanthi is "musically inclined," playing her own songs that always have a big crescendo at the end. Shanthi also likes to tap things, flap her ears against objects to make noise and rub her leg up and down shrubs to repeat noises.

My Appearance on The Week's "Waves of Tech" - Episode 134

I filled in on this week's "Waves of Tech". Episode 134 with Steve and Dave.

We discussed this week's tech news, how gaming will help the Department of Defense and a new app where you can report your TSA experiences.

Have a listen here:

http://netcaststudio.com/ttsa-tech-new-and-gaming-meets-national-defense/

BB&T Atlanta Open Individual Session Tickets Now On Sale

Individual session tickets to the BB&T Atlanta Open are now available for purchase. The BB&T Atlanta Open will be held July 14 – 22 at Atlantic Station, in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Tickets are available for purchase in each of the 11 sessions from qualifying weekend July 14-15 through the two finals on Sunday, July 22. Weeklong Ticket Packages, Weekend Ticket Packages, and Individual Session Tickets are available at http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com.

The BB&T Atlanta Open is the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Several of the world’s top players have committed to play in the tournament: Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick, Top 10 player John Isner, Top 40 players Kei Nishikori and Kevin Anderson, and reigning US Open mixed doubles champ Jack Sock. 

Ticket options this year include Champagne Suites, Courtside Seats and Platinum seats all of which include VIP lounge access and other Weeklong Ticket Packages benefits. The Weekend Ticket Packages are also new for the tournament, allowing fans to purchase the last four sessions including the quarterfinal through final matches.  Weeklong Ticket Packages feature the same seat for all matches and the greatest discount off individual prices.

The BB&T Atlanta Open will be moving from previous suburban Atlanta locations to the heart of Midtown Atlanta for the first year of a multi-year partnership with Atlantic Station as the new host site. The tournament will be played on three new competition courts and three new practice courts being built on the site. The 3,600-seat stadium court will be visible from I-75/I-85, offering an outstanding view of the Atlanta skyline. This is one of the few outdoor tournaments ever to be held in the middle of a city on the entire ATP World Tour. Atlantic Station is a mixed-use development featuring 12 restaurants, 30 retailers and a movie theater complex.

“No tennis fan could have more fun at any other tournament in the world with all we have to offer this year,” stated Bob Bryant, tournament director. “The focus is on great tennis, a fun festival-like environment, fan friendly features and convenience. The BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station will be the single most talked about event of the year.”

A study by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the BB&T Atlanta Open economic impact on the city to exceed $10.3 million. The tournament is broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, as well as globally via several international broadcasters. American Mardy Fish, a top 10 ATP World Tour player, has won the last two Atlanta tournaments facing Isner in the final both times. The tournament has also featured collegiate players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.

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I spoke with Bob Bryant, Tournament Director of the BB&T Atlanta Open on my "The Tech of Sports" radio show in late April.  He talks about what it takes to put on an ATP-250 event and gives us a behind the scenes tour of what to expect this July.

Listen here:

http://netcaststudio.com/bob-bryant-tournament-director/

With Upcoming IPO, Facebook Worth $95 Billion

How much is Facebook worth?

Facebook, the company that turned the social Web into a cultural and business phenomenon, is worth as much as $95 billion, according to the price range for its upcoming initial public offering of stock.

Facebook's IPO, expected in a couple of weeks, would be the biggest ever for an Internet company. Facebook disclosed the price range of $28 to $35 per share in a regulatory filing Thursday.

With the IPO, Facebook and its current shareholders could raise as much as $13.58 billion - far more than the $1.9 billion raised in the 2004 offering for current Internet IPO record-holder Google Inc. The IPO valued the company at $23 billion. Google is now worth about $200 billion.

Facebook Inc.'s IPO has been highly anticipated, not just because of how much money it will raise but because Facebook itself is so popular. The world's largest online social network has more than 900 million users.