A PC in your entertainment center

TiVo and its brethren get credit for introducing the average consumer to the concept of the digital video recorder (DVR) and opening the door to bigger and better things. The Home Theater PC (HTPC) is the computer enthusiast's answer to all the things that a DVR generally does, with the potential to do everything a full-fledged computer does. The concept had a bit of a slow start until Microsoft's release of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005, which gave the very familiar Windows a living room interface and the hardware support that HTPCs needed.

No matter what operating system you use for your HTPC, the same general concepts exist: recording and time-shifting TV are the device's most basic functions; playback and recording of DVD and Blu-ray are secondary but (perhaps) no less critical, followed by distribution of audio content and, in more ambitious setups, serving up digital media in its capacity as the whole home network's media storage center. And don't forget the ability to do mundane things like browsing the web from ten feet away on a shiny new 1080p HDTV.

The newest evolution in the HTPC is the continuing development of HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). HDMI allows a protected connection that carries both audio and video over a single cable, and in the current version, 1.3a, HDMI is finally established enough that it now just works. . . most of the time. When the last update was published, HDMI for content-protected video was working fairly well in the HTPC arena, but HDMI for content-protected audio was not yet working very well. That has changed in the past few months, as AMD, NVIDIA, and Intel have all made substantial improvements in getting full-blown HDMI working. Things are now solid enough to make HDMI a vital part of the HD-capable HTPC.

It has been over three and a half years since the HTPC has gone mainstream. Today, the HTPC front-end is fairly well established, with a slick interface and a compact, living-room-friendly form factor, and it's reliable enough that you rarely notice it's there. Toss in working HDMI for both audio/video signals, and it's possible to fit an HTPC in your entertainment center with even fewer cables strewn about than ever before.

Going beyond the DVR

Though it has made great strides in the past few years, the HTPC is still fundamentally a geek endeavor. An off-the-shelf DVR is almost certainly going to be cheaper, use less power, and be easier to setup than an HTPC. Using an Xbox 360, PS3, AppleTV, or something else as a Media Center Extender to get content to your TV will also be cheaper (and probably easier). If you can skip recording and just playback recorded content, the Western Digital WD TV is cheap and effective. As Mythtv.org points out, lots of solutions exist, almost all of them cheaper than building your own HTPC.

You get lots of potential for additional capability with an HTPC, capabilities like massive amounts of storage space: There's nothing stopping you from building an HTPC with a few terabytes of hard disk space, assuming you're willing to deal with the cost and power consumption. You won't find that in an off-the-shelf DVR. (Of course, with an off-the-shelf DVR, you can call technical support when it breaks; or, more appropriately, when your family's DVR breaks and they live 300 miles away, they can call tech support so you can continue watching The Office, uninterrupted.)

Have a standard-definition DVR already and want to go high-definition (HD)? Sure, it would be cheaper to buy an HD-capable DVR, but what if you want Blu-ray, too? A Sony PlayStation 3 might be able to do the Blu-ray part, but with only 80GB max, it's severely lacking in space. Hence, for those with needs desires beyond the average DVR user, the HTPC starts to make sense.

The fact that you can do it all in one box with an HTPC is the real reason for building one. The HTPC can handle DVR duties, HD playback, and even gaming (now that finding fast yet quiet video cards for 1920x1080 gaming is no longer the chore it once was).

Evolution in the HTPC: proper HDMI support

The biggest change since the last update is the ability to implement the fully protected content path in an HTPC necessary to play HD content (both audio and video).

On the video hardware side, HDCP (high-bandwidth digital content protection), AACS (Advanced Access Content System), and the other mechanisms for the Protected Video Path have worked for the last generation or two of computer hardware. To get full-resolution protected content output on your monitor or TV, both the video source (the video card in your HTPC) and the display (monitor/TV) must support HDCP. Today, most do.

To play protected audio has been a bit more difficult until very recently, as no current video or sound card (no matter which hardware it has) supports the Protected Audio Path needed to get compressed multichannel audio (Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA) from your Blu-ray to your speakers via HDMI. The fix, as Anandtech and others discovered, is to let your HTPC decompress the multichannel audio, and send it over HDMI as uncompressed 8-channel LPCM. The hangup then became that hardware did not incorporate enough bandwidth to accommodate uncompressed 8-channel audio over HDMI, or if it did, the drivers or something else didn't work.

Redemption (or at least a workable fix) finally arrived in summer, 2008. AMD's Radeon HD 4000-series graphics cards, NVIDIA's GeForce 8200/8300 chipset, and Intel's G45 chipset all support 8-channel LPCM and actually work. Technically, Intel's G965 and G35 chipsets also support 8-channel LPCM, but the drivers never made it a pleasant experience.

ASUS's brand-new soundcard, the Xonar HDAV 1.3 would also work if you really needed to get an existing system with only video-over-HDMI to contain audio, but one look at the price of the Xonar HDAV 1.3 (almost $200), plus the thought of cramming another card into an already-crowded HTPC case, makes it a less than ideal solution for a new build.

Anandtech has considerable discussion on this in several recent articles, including one on 8-channel LPCM over HDMI and two more on chipsets with integrated video.

True Blood Hotties Top List of TV's Best Nude Scenes

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20 Stunning Rock Formations

Stephen Regenold

LAUNCH SLIDESHOW

©

Nature's most amazing rocky sights

It was day four on a backpacking trip through Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument when I came upon a field of stone spheres sitting in the sun. "Moqui marbles!" my guide shouted, stooping to inspect one of the tens of thousands of rock balls strewn randomly ahead.

At our feet, exposed but untouched in the sand, was a field stocked with one of nature's most bizarre geologic creations: Born in bedrock, moqui marbles are symmetrical iron oxide concretions that range from pea-size to spheres as big as softballs. The natural phenomena—also called shaman stones or thunder balls—erode over time out of solid stone, breaking free after eons entombed underground to roll into the light of day.

Rare rock formations like moqui marbles can stop a hiker in mid-stride. Indeed, you don't have to be a geologist to pause and appreciate the natural artwork of a skyscraping cliff or a tight canyon of multicolored stone.

See our slideshow of 20 Stunning Rock Formations.

For this story—"Stunning Rock Formations"—we highlight 20 geologic sites across the globe. From Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick to the famous chalk arches of Etretat in Normandy, France, these wonders represent some of the world's most famous geology—igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic or otherwise.

In Grand Staircase-Escalante, where slot canyons, hoodoos, cliffs and sandstone arches fill a 1.9-million-acre preserve, the bare land tumbles out of view like an art gallery designed by gods. "In the American West you can see the bare bones of the Earth," said Steve Kasper, a guide with REI Adventures who led the Grand Staircase trek.

Kasper, a veteran guide and lifelong geology buff from Truckee, Calif., travels to rocky corners of the West year-round for REI Adventures, bringing groups to hike, backpack and climb from Lake Tahoe to the deserts of Death Valley. He grew up in the East but was changed forever at the sight of Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during college. "There was something elemental and simple, something that connected with me, when I saw that geology," he said of the 14,505-foot mountain.

One day during my Utah trip, I followed Kasper into a slot canyon near the Escalante River. We hiked a dry tributary streambed then squeezed through a gap in sandstone 100 feet deep but almost too narrow for my hips to fit, a sliver of sunlight falling into the tight stone.

See our slideshow of 20 Stunning Rock Formations.

The geologic world we see today—from rock canyons to moqui marbles—is billions of years in the making. For time incomprehensible, magma flowed and rocks took form. Minerals aggregated. Floods cut earth to shape basins and canyons, now carved artwork of dirt and crumbling stone.

At sites like Mono Lake, an alkaline body of water in northern California, calcium carbonate deposits called tufa towers stand erect like arms reaching to the sky. The lake is among hundreds of sites in the West where travelers come with a primary purpose of looking at rocks.

Another site, Devils Tower, a 1,000-foot-high monolith of columnar basalt, stands like an immense tree truck against the Wyoming sky. Climbers reach and jam on the hundreds of cracks that lace the Tower's exterior, ascending for hours while hikers watch below.

Around the world, formations like Wave Rock in Western Australia are renowned tourist destinations. The 50-foot-tall wall of granite curls as a crashing wave, sacred to Aboriginal natives and a main attraction for travelers passing through the agricultural town of Hyden.

In Northern Ireland, Giant's Causeway is a seaside grouping with tens of thousands of interlocking basalt columns. Visitors photograph the innumerable hexagonal posts, which tumble like stair steps into the sea.

Click to the slideshow to see the stunning photos of tall mountains and tight canyons, from Utah to Northern Ireland—a journey through space and geologic time.

See our slideshow of 20 Stunning Rock Formations.

Dr Pepper crashes Guns N' Roses' album party

Posted by Steven Musil

A Dr Pepper promotion revolving around Guns N' Roses' new album has gone flat--and the band is getting the misdirected static.

The soda pop maker launched a marketing campaign in March that promised a free soda to "everyone in America" if the rock band released its long-awaited Chinese Democracy album this year. After a 17-year wait, the band finally released the album--and Dr Pepper gave fans 24 hours to go to its Web site to print a coupon for their free soda.

But apparently fans' thirst was greater than Dr Pepper predicted--or prepared for. The crush of visitors to the site crashed the site's servers, leading to a lot of angry fans, some of whom mistakenly blamed the band for their lack of liquid refreshment. Now frontman Axl Rose and his bandmates are ready to pop.

"When you go on the blogs and you read the responses from the fans, they associated Axl with this promotion...and blame him for the fact that they didn't get their free soda," Laurie Soriano, the band's lawyer, told CNN. "We've gone public with the fact that we are not involved but are trying to clean up the mess."

Dr Pepper told CNN that it had "taken great steps" to keep its part of the deal and that it had extended the window for the giveaway from 24 to 42 hours. The drink maker also set up a toll-free line to handle consumer requests for the coupons. All of those measures have since expired.

Despite those measures, the band is still waiting for its apology.

"The door to a lawsuit being filed is always open until the fans are taken care of and Dr Pepper has done the right thing," Soriano told CNN.

The Top 7 "Q" Gadgets (That Never Made It Out of The Lab)

By Dave Banks

Sitting through Quantum of Solace, I was disappointed at the lack of a Q (or R) presence in the movie. Sure, Bond still had great toys to play with, but where were the brains behind them? As a kid - and later as an adult - I loved Bond movies. The guns ... the girls ... the gadgets! In a series as formulaic as the Bond movies, oftentimes the most exciting part was when Q came into a scene with his impressive arsenal of camouflaged carnage creations and high-tech gadgetry.

The most impressive toys were stars in their own right, getting lots of screen time and playing pivotal roles in helping Bond escape or capture important information. But hidden between the Aston Martins and Rolex Submariners were Q inventions that never made it out of the lab -- clever killing conceptions the director used as wallpaper to illustrate the Q branch's creativity.

So, as a tribute to the absence of the Q branch's lab in the last two films, let's step inside Universal Exports and take a look at the 007 best Q gadgets that never made it out of the lab:

7. Goldeneye - Phone booth trap with airbag. Part of the reason some of these inventions must've stayed in the lab was that they were just too cartoony. Can anyone really imagine Goldfinger being trapped in this? (Actually, the idea of that is pretty funny.)

Check out the rest after the jump ...

6. Octopussy - Sprung Spike Door. Pity the Q branch mannequins. With a drop of the door knocker, this dummy was diminished to dust as the door slammed open, smashing him against the wall with its many spikes. I need one of these at my house to keep the door-to-door magazine and cookie sales at bay.

5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Radioactive Lint. Before we ever saw the inside of the Q branch lab, Q appears in M's office with a box of lint. The lint's radioactive properties act as a homing device and also are capable of "anti-personnel" qualities. M is unimpressed. Wouldn't a sheet of Cling Free defeat this device?

4. The Living Daylights - Rocket Ghetto Blaster. This shoulder carried radio/weapon was being tested for the Americans (which should be obvious by the very stout Q-branch mannequin). This one definitely goes to 11.

3. For Your Eyes Only - Water Activated Spiked Umbrella. When water hits this open umbrella, spikes shoot out from the end of the umbrella's ribs and the device closes around the neck of its user. Ouch!

2. Die Another Day - Photo-realistic, 3-D Virtual Reality Training Simulation. What's this? Bad guys have taken over MI6 headquarters? M has been taken hostage? Bond shoots her? Nope, as R emerges from behind a wall, it's just a VR training exercise ... albeit a very realistic one. (After this scene, R & Bond step into an old storeroom teeming with old mission gadgets -- the jet pack from Thunderball, the crocodile dummy from Octopussy, the dagger shoe that was in From Russia with Love ...)

1. The World Is Not Enough - Bagpipes with Automatic Rifle and Flamethrower. Really -- what could be more appropriate, in terms of deceptive British weaponry? One minute you're playing Scotland the Brave, the next you're punishing a group of tourists who've stepped way too close to the crown jewels. In his last film, Q really outdid himself.

So what do you think? Did we miss a great Bond gadget? Do you miss Q (or R)? Let us know in the comments.

Darth Vader and the best bowling trick EVER

Human Interaction at its Finest

"That's not my wife."


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Audi’s R8 GT3

How would you fancy one of these on your driveway? Seriously. It’s Audi’s R8 GT3 racer, which was officially launched this week. And to make sure it meets FIA regulations, Audi has to build a few road-going versions. Something about homologation, which sounds complicated, but basically means the race cars have to be based on road cars.

But not just any road cars. The regular, V8-powered R8 wouldn’t be enough – it’s got the wrong engine. The GT3 version uses a V10, see, so they have to make some of those with number plates on.

They probably won’t make many, so get your order in quickly. Expect performance to be slightly diluted from the full-on racer, which has 5.2-litres, 500bhp, a six-speed sequential ’box with tech borrowed from the R10 Le Mans car – good for 0-60mph in under four seconds and go on to break 200mph…

The racing version costs £206,000, so expect the homologation cars to fetch around the same (it’ll be extremely rare, after all).

And if you miss out on one, don’t stress too much – there’ll be an all-new, mass-production R8 V10 by the end of 2009, one you can buy from your dealer, with a few more home comforts.

Until then though, just have a long look at this pic.

The Seed Salon- Can Human Networks help overcome the poor mathematical understanding of complexity

Steven Strogatz + Carlo Ratti

Strogatz mathematically describes how natural and sociocultural complexity resolves into vast webs of order. Ratti uses technology as a tool to create interactive urban environments. In this video Salon, Strogatz and Ratti discuss whether building and analyzing human networks can help us overcome our poor mathematical understanding of complexity.

Top 10 In Car Navigation Systems

Chismillionaire is confounded by the conspicuously absent but terrific systems found in the touchscreen Jaguar XK, as well as the new systems in the Porsche 911 and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti- which responds to the approach of your hand. Perhaps they fell outside the scope of J.D. Powers survey for mainstream manufacturers.


Global marketing service J.D. Power and Associates recently released its annual findings of consumers' favorite factory installed automotive navigational systems. Considering factors like ease of use, system routing, system appearance, voice directions, navigation display screen and speed of system, survey participants ranked the following vehicles and their systems the top 10 for 2008.

-- Los Angeles Times staff writers

#1 -- Mitsubishi Lancer

Navigation System Supplier:
Mitsubishi Electric


#2 -- Infiniti G35 sedan

Navigation System Supplier:
Xanavi


#3 -- Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Navigation System Supplier:
Mitsubishi Electric

#4 -- Acura TL

Navigation System Supplier:
Alpine


# 5 -- Lexus IS 250/350

Navigation System Supplier:
Denso


#6 -- Cadillac CTS

Navigation System Supplier:
Alpine

#7 -- Infiniti EX35

Navigation System Supplier:
Xanavi

#8 -- Infiniti G37 coupe

Navigation System Supplier:
Xanavi

#9 -- Honda Civic

Navigation System Supplier:
Alpine

#10 -- Acura TSX

Navigation System Supplier:
Alpine

Happy Holidays with Bamboo Sheets!

Happy Holidays, bamboo fans.

We have wanted to offer bamboo sheets for a couple of years, but we weren’t happy with the quality we were seeing. That is no longer the case! We now have 320 thread count 100% organic bamboo sheets, and I did not want to get out of bed this morning!

The sheets are luxurious in feel, and have a gorgeous sateen sheen. They are packaged to make great gifts. Pricing and sizes are on the website.

We are still having our Customer Economic Bailout Sale on the website, which means that everything is 20% off (and more for some items). Since you are one of the special people on our list, though, we are offering you and extra 10% off on sheet sets and pillow cases. Use coupon code 320TC when you check out. We did not make large quantities for our first run, so if you miss out, we won’t have them again until February. Remember to choose ‘Free Shipping for orders over $75’ unless you need an expedited shipping option.

Rick Wagoner will complete last leg of D.C. Drive in a Volt

With no private fleet of jets at his disposal, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will be finishing his drive to Washington D.C. tomorrow in a Chevrolet Volt test mule. Although essentially a Volt, the prototype wears Chevrolet Cruze body panels. Prior to his arrival on Capitol Hill, Wagoner will begin the journey in Detroit while piloting a Chevrolet Malibu hybrid to his hotel. If all goes as planned, he'll then jump into the Volt tester where he will meet press and interested parties outside of the Russell Senate Building. A full public speech by the GM chief and several Volt show cars are slated to be on display. If you happen to be in the area, all the commotion is set to begin at 9:30 am tomorrow morning, so stop by. Source: gm-volt.com

The Fisker Karma- It's Italian Bravado, Minus the Price, Sound, Consumption, and Italian

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Look at recent economic history, and karma begins to make sense. Here's the cycle: increased oil demand; record crude prices; record gas prices; consumer panic; a slew of new vehicles poised to solve our oil dependency dilemma. It could be argued that this series of actions were led by karma. Translated from Sanskrit, the word "karma" means "work, action, the law of cause and effect."

Then Fisker introduced its own take on Karma.

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Irvine-based Fisker Automotive offers its four-door Karma electric hybrid as a premium-oriented, environmentally friendly sports sedan. On styling alone, the $87,900 Karma seems a steal. It looks like an Italian GT design study; the headlights are pure Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, while the rest could double for a Maserati GranTurismo or an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, depending on the angle. The proportions fall in line too; the Karma is 1.4-in. longer and 1.0-in. taller than the GranTurismo, and is wider than the 599 by 0.9-in.

Unlike a car like the 599, however, with its ferocious V-12 and flat-plane crank, the Karma will be feature a turbocharged 2.0L engine sourced from General Motors. The Ecotec four-banger produces 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque -- an insulting figure to modern Maranello standards.

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But the engine doesn't send its power directly to the wheels. Instead, much like the E-REV system on GM's coming Volt, it merely serves to charge the lithium-ion battery pack of the Karma's electric drivetrain, one with two electric motors that Fisker says produces a peak output 408 horsepower and an incredulous 959 ft-lb. of torque. Now that's more like it.

Fisker calls the powertrain "Q-Drive" -- and it seems to harbor a distinct two-mode split personality. In friendly, eco-conscious "Stealth" mode, the Karma moves under electric-only power and can travel 50 miles without using the engine. To conserve energy, acceleration and top speed are limited (the latter to 95 mph). When shenanigans are desired, the driver can select "Sport" mode for the full array of power. Here, the Karma can accelerate from zero to 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph. All this while the car behaves like a normal hybrid vehicle complete with regenerative braking, and engine start/stop technology. Fisker estimates the total range at 300 miles.

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Also aiding Q-Drive is a solar roof. Made of formed glass, partitioned into four zones each with 20 cells in series, the roof converts radiated sunlight into electrical energy. This energy can be sent to the electric motors, assist climate controls, or remain stored. A convenient way to add more juice, but this solar roof panel comes at a cost. While no exact specs are mentioned, a solid piece of glass stretching from hood to trunk loaded with solar cells can not be described as feathery in weight.

In total, the Karma weighs 4,650 lbs. despite the use of aluminum materials in the chassis and bodywork. The standard 22-in. wheels can't help, nor can the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, at 245/35R22 in the front, with the rears sized up to 265-mm. Those wheels are attached to a "short long arm" suspension setup with mono-tube shock absorbers. Steering is hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion.

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As for the interior and how the car drives, both remain a mystery. The former will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in early January. The latter we'll find out as the Karma nears production in a year; scheduled deliveries start November 2009 and Fisker expects an impressive annual volume of 15,000 units following the model's freshman year on the market.

But, by then will it be too late? At the time of this writing, Malibu residents are filling their Astons and Alfas with $2.20/gallon premium. Oil cartels have now realized the dangers of being greedy; oil now trades below $60 a barrel and fuel prices have been cut at a staggering rate across the nation. Perhaps the omniscient cause-and-effect-law of karma kicked in before Fisker's own interpretation could arrive.

Big Shakeup Coming at The Department of Energy

Green building goes high tech

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President-elect Barack Obama's pick for energy secretary will likely lead the department through a new era with a sharp focus on renewable energy, but who'll lead a revamped agency is far from clear.

Despite what some may think, the current Department of Energy isn't really about wind or solar power. It's not even about coal, oil or gas. Mainly, the agency is about nuclear - nuclear weapons to be exact.

The new agency is likely to focus on a big push into renewable R&D greater conservation efforts and some role in curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently about $15 billion out of the department's $24 billion dollar budget is spent maintaining the nation's nuclear weapons stockpiles, cleaning up sites used to produce those weapons, or dealing with non-proliferation issues.

Spending on energy programs and research - including nuclear, fossil fuels, renewables, and conservation - totals about $4 billion. Research into renewables alone totals just over $650 million.

"There's a misconception that the prime responsibility of the energy secretary is energy," said Melanie Kenderdine, an associate director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Energy Initiative and a former department head at DOE. "It's really nuclear weapons, cleanup, and proliferation."

The agency will likely retain it's nuclear focus, although that branch has been gaining independence from the energy side since the Clinton Administration.

"Under Obama you're likely to see an energy secretary focus more on energy rather than nuclear weapons," said Paul Bledsoe, strategy director for National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan research group.

Who's it going to be?

Who Obama might pick for the post remains a mystery - The Obama team would not comment. But some names discussed include Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., former NATO commander Wesley Clark, Google's renewable energy guru Dan Reicher, MIT's Ernest Moniz, even the Republican governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bledsoe thinks it's likely to be a governor.

"A well known political figure may make sense," he said. "A lot of transition to a clean energy economy is convincing Americans it's the best thing to do."

Obama has an extensive energy agenda that includes comprehensive urban planning, further raising of fuel efficiency standards, developing clean coal technologies, and requiring utilities to buy a certain percentage of renewable power - to name just a few.

But central to his plan is a proposal to spend $15 billion a year researching and commercializing renewable energy technology. Much of that money would likely be funneled through the DOE, via one of their many national labs that do renewable research.

Money from a massive economic stimulus plan - which many expect will pass shortly after Obama takes office - may flow through DOE as well.

Conservation measures like adding insulation to homes, replacing appliances and light bulbs, and upgrading windows are things that could be done in a hurry and employ lots of laid off construction workers - a key criteria for getting stimulus money. Most of the federal government's conservation programs are currently run out of the energy department.

Greenhouse gasses

Another big role the energy secretary may take on is playing a part in any plan to control carbon dioxide emissions.

It's not exactly clear which agencies would have a role in a carbon dioxide law - which hinges on issuing permits to emit greenhouse gasses. It's likely the Environmental Protection Agency would play the part of compliance officer. But it could be EPA or the Departments of Commerce, Treasury or Energy that issue the permits.

"The problem with formulating policy on this is all these issues roll into each other," said one Washington, D.C.-based energy analyst, speaking of energy policy in general.

Gen. James Jones, Obama's pick for national security advisor, has made it clear he wants to deal with energy policy as a national security issue, and some have talked of giving the Pentagon a greater role.

Energy's wide reach is one reason why the Obama team has talked of creating a new office to oversee all the energy and climate change efforts, an energy/climate czar.

Some say an energy secretary won't be picked until the energy/climate czar is announced.

Then there's the hard part - getting all these changes passed even in a Democrat controlled Congress.

'It's going to be more complicated than people think," said the D.C. analyst, noting that a lot of lawmakers are from states reliant on the fossil fuel or automobile industry. "There are a number of Democrats who will vote with their state or region rather than their party

FDIC study Shows banks game the system to generate additional fees at the expense of poorer customers

Chismillionaire is all for open markets but this seems devious and a desperate overreach. An algorithm explicitly designed to take advantage of those not savvy enough to know better. Chismillionaire suggests moving to a lower fee bank or credit union where fees are lower and transactions post in chronological order to minimize the likelihood or bounce fees which can be up to $38 per surcharge!
	HOW BANKS PROCESS TRANSACTIONS Large banks are more likely to clear checks from large to small dollar amounts, often triggering more overdraft fees. Asset size Pct. of banks clearing checks large to small Less than $250 million 20.7% $250 million to less than $1 billion 25.8% More than $1 billion 53.7% All banks 24.7% Source: FDIC survey of 1,171 banks it regulates; 289 banks responded to question about check clearing and dollar amounts

By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY

Overdraft fees are boosting banks' profits at the expense of consumers, especially young and low-income people, finds a new Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. study.

The 18-month survey found that most banks automatically enroll consumers in overdraft programs — some don't allow them to opt out — and then cover overdrawn transactions for a per-item fee of up to $38.

The survey excludes many of the largest banks in the nation, because it covers only FDIC-regulated banks. Still, it's the largest study of overdraft programs by a bank regulator and helps "fill an important universe of information that has not been available to policymakers," says Andrew Gray, agency spokesman.

EARLY CHARGES: Some fees kick in when you use debit card

OUR VIEW: Be fair assessing fees

In recent years, consumer groups have received an increasing amount of complaints about overdraft fees. The Federal Reserve has proposed a rule, which it expects to finalize by year's end, that requires banks to give customers the ability to "opt out" of overdraft programs.

But advocates say the rule doesn't go far enough because banks don't have to obtain explicit permission from customers to pay their checks and debit card transactions. A bill by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., would require banks to sign up consumers for this service.

The FDIC's survey found:

•Most banks that automatically enroll consumers allow them to overdraw by check, ATM or debit card purchases. About half of all overdrafts occur at ATMs or via debit card transactions, which tend to be for smaller dollar amounts.

•Banks surveyed earned $1.97 billion in overdraft-related fees in 2006, representing 74% of their overall $2.66 billion in service charges on deposit accounts. In total, overdraft-related fees bring in $17.5 billion each year to banks and credit unions, estimates advocacy group Center for Responsible Lending.

•Large banks are more likely to process transactions from largest to smallest dollar amount, often triggering more fees.

•Young and low-income consumers are disproportionately affected by overdraft fees. "The most vulnerable consumers are getting hit with these fees," says Chi Chi Wu of the National Consumer Law Center.

Nessa Feddis, senior counsel at the American Bankers Association, says that overdraft fees are avoidable. The FDIC's survey — which showed that only a quarter of consumers pay overdraft fees — confirms ABA's findings, Feddis notes.

Yet Michael Moebs, a bank consultant, says his research shows that nearly half of consumers pay overdraft fees each year.