Nexus 5: Google announces the Nexus 5 with Android 4.4, on sale today for $349 (hands-on video)

It's about time. The Google-backed and LG-manufactured Nexus 5 is now really a reality, after countless rumors and leaks (a few of them coming from Google itself). The new device, which predictably boasts the latest and greatest version of Android known as KitKat (or 4.4, if you're so inclined), takes its place in the spotlight in place of the Nexus 4. And, despite coming out at a slightly higher price point than last year's Nexus, it still takes the cake in terms of features, components and other specs. Now that it's ready for the public, let's take a deeper look at the Nexus 5, which will be available on the Play Store today, in both white and black, starting at $349 for AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint (sorry Verizon customers). 

The Nexus 5 leaked ahead of time, and almost all of them have proven to be true. Under the hood is a 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 and 2GB of RAM, pushing pixels to a glorious 5-inch 1080p display. LG has also seen fit to include wireless charging again, so you won't have to wear out that micro-USB port keeping the 2,300 mAh battery juiced, you can use it to power a TV over Slimport instead. You'll also find LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi and NFC on board -- basically if there is a method of connecting to another device, the Nexus 5 has it.

All The 'Live With Kelly And Michael' Halloween Costumes: Michonne, 'Sharknado,' Miley Cyrus, 'Breaking Bad' & More

"Live With Kelly and Michael" celebrated Halloween in style with "Live's Best Halloween Show Ever" and we've got all the costumes from the TV event.

Miley Cyrus, Kate Middleton, "Gravity," Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and many more made appearances on the nationally-syndicated talk show.

Michael Strahan as "The Walking Dead's" resident zombie-killing badass Michonne.  

Miley Cyrus (Kelly Ripa) is joined by Robin Thicke (Michael Strahan, right) and his stand-in, Robin Thicker (Art Moore, left).

 

"Live" crew as the cast of "Duck Dynasty."

 

The show’s annual Halloween extravaganza returned and featured more than 50 costumes throughout the one hour show, including Kelly Ripa as Miley Cyrus and Michael Strahan as Robin Thicke.

24 last-minute Halloween costumes for kids

Red Sox: Red Sox Rout Cardinals to Win World Series

In a World Series notable for strong pitching and strange blunders, the Red Sox earned the third jewel 

in their championship crown over the last 10 years, and their eighth over all.

Boston Red Sox were a symbol of frustration and pain for an entire region. As popular as they were in their corner of the nation, either they were good enough to lose in agonizing fashion on baseball’s grandest stage, or they were just plain bad.

Stephen Drew homering in the fourth to give Boston a 4-0 lead. Drew entered the game batting .080 in the postseason.

But that all changed in 2004 when the Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought, and now their fortunes have shifted so dramatically that winning titles has become commonplace.

The latest victory came Wednesday night, when the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, in Game 6 of the World Series and earned the third jewel in their championship crown over the last 10 years, their eighth over all.

Happy Halloween: Happy Halloween! Liam Payne Shows Off Pumpkin Carving Effort After Emotional Australian Tour Finale

It’s Halloween, which means it’s time for alleged adults to abscond with what used to be a simple holiday for kids.

In that spirit, here’s a video from Google GOOG -0.37% that shows how to make a zombie jack-o-lantern. Or, for the carving-challenged like me, it shows how I have no chance in hell of making a zombie jack-o-lantern.

And in case you’re wondering what this has to do with tech or ads or anything like that, uh, yeah, it’s a stretch. But it was made by the Google Glass team, shot entirely with–wait for it–Google Glass. So, that makes it an ad for Google Glass.

Which you can’t buy yet. Sorry. Enjoy your kid’s candy.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out Google’s doodle today. 

Liam Payne shows off the fruits of his labour (Twitter)
Read more at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/131047/Happy-Halloween-Liam-Payne-Shows-Off-Pumpkin-Carving-Effort-After-Emotional-Australian-Tour-Finale-PHOTO#werViWiGDKwr0ivs.99

Liam Payne shows off the fruits of his labour (Twitter)
Read more at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/131047/Happy-Halloween-Liam-Payne-Shows-Off-Pumpkin-Carving-Effort-After-Emotional-Australian-Tour-Finale-PHOTO#werViWiGDKwr0ivs.99

David Ortiz: Where David Ortiz's Epic World Series Ranks Among the Best of All Time

David Ortiz

Baseball Player

David Américo Ortiz Arias, nicknamed "Big Papi", "Señor Octubre" and "Cooperstown", is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. 

Born: November 18, 1975 (age 37), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Height: 1.93 m

Spouse: Tiffany Ortiz (m. 2002)

Salary: 14 million USD (2013)

Current team: Boston Red Sox (#34 / Designated hitter)

Children: Jessica Ortiz, Alexandra Ortiz, D'Angelo Ortiz

Where David Ortiz's Epic World Series Ranks Among the Best of All Time

The Boston Red Sox have won their third World Series in 10 years after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in six games. While the entire offense finally came alive in the clinching game, there is no doubt David Ortiz was the story of the Fall Classic. 

To the surprise of no one, Ortiz was named MVP of the 2013 World Series. There was some competition from teammate Jon Lester, but his two games couldn't compare to the game-to-game brilliance of Big Papi.

Ranking Top 5 World Series Performances

Player	Team, Season
1. Barry Bonds	San Francisco Giants, 2002
2. David Ortiz	Boston Red Sox, 2013
3. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson	Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
4. Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers, 1965
5. Reggie Jackson	New York Yankees, 1977
6. Hideki Matsui	New York Yankees, 2009

 

Giraffe Riddle Answer: Giraffe Riddle Goes Viral on Facebook: Do You Know the Answer?

If you've been noticing that people on your Facebook feed—your mom, your aunt, that one kid from middle school you don't even know why you're Facebook friends with—have turned into giraffes, here's why: 

They're all bad at riddles.

A new trend on Facebook asks users to answer a simple riddle, and if they answer incorrectly, they must change their profile picture to a giraffe for three days. Here is the riddle—now, are you a giraffe?

It's 3 a.m., the doorbell rings and you wake up. Unexpected visitors! It's your parents and they are here for breakfast. You have strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread and cheese. What is the first thing you open?

The viral game was apparently started by YouTuber Andrew Stugnell, who explained in a video that if you get the answer wrong you must post this message to your Facebook page with your new picture: 

I've changed my profile to a giraffe. I tried to answer a riddle and got it wrong. Try the great giraffe challenge!

X Men Days Of Future Past: 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' trailer: A Deep Dive

X-Men: Days of Future Past;2014 Film

X-Men: Days of Future Past is an upcoming American science fiction superhero film co-written, produced and directed by Bryan Singer and featuring the X-Men characters appearing in Marvel Comics. 

Initial release: May 23, 2014 (USA)

Director: Bryan Singer

Characters: Wolverine, Magneto, Mystique, Professor X, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Rogue, Colossus, Iceman, Blink, Warpath

Prequels: X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class

Screenplay: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, Simon Kinberg

 

 

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' trailer: A Deep Dive

The Great Superhero War of 2014 officially began this week. Mere days after the Marvel Studios assembly line released the trailer for next year’s intriguing Captain America sequel-slash-SHIELD spinoff, 20th Century Fox just debuted the first complete teaser for X-Men: Days of Future Past, the franchise-binding sequel-prequel. Running just a little over two minutes, the Future Past trailer features the return of pretty much every X-actor whose name doesn’t rhyme with Mames Jarsden, while also spotlighting some new faces. The result looks like it could either be the Ocean’s Eleven of superhero movies or the Love Actually of superhero movies, both of which sound much better than whatever X-Men: The Last Stand was.

Since Future Past combines various strands of the 13-year-old movie franchise, and weaves in ambient bits of X-Men lore from the past half-century, the film’s trailer may induce a feeling of cultural vertigo. Let’s dive in and try to sort things out, shall we?

National Cat Day: National Cat Day Continues: Check Out Some of the Cutest Reader Kittens and Vote for Your Favorite!

I don't want to get all conspiracy-theory about this, but it's getting very clear that the internet is run by cats. First they took over YouTube, then they wrested control of internet meme-production. Now they have their own special day. Yes, in America, if not the world, it is National Cat Day.

How should people celebrate? Well, if you're in New York you could try getting on-demand car service Uber to deliver kittens to your office. For $20 the car service will bring you up 15 minutes of kitten love with all proceeds going to a local animal shelter. In the interests of research I spent an hour trying to get some kittens delivered to my office to no avail. Somebody at Uber needs to realise that, when it comes to kittens, you should never over-promise and under-deliver.

While National Cat Day was officially set up in 2005 with the laudable twin aim of "celebrating the love of cats" and helping find homes for thousands of shelter animals, every day since the birth of social media, is basically cat day. Our feline friends have effectively trounced dogs in the ratings war for most popular animal content online. So how did cats win the internet when most people find dogs more adorable? Nobody quite knows, however a few theories abound.

Well it's official. You're all a bunch of crazy cat ladies (and dudes)!

And we mean that as a compliment, naturally. To celebrate National Cat Day, we asked you to tweet or Instagram us pictures of your cats. We received thousands upon thousands of pics.

We saw old cats and young cats and fat cats and furry cats and one cats and two cats and three cats and more! We saw Tabbys and Bengals, Persians and Siamese. We even saw a few hairless cats and one pink one.

And you go crazy for them! We don't blame you.

NBA: NBA Tip-Off: 6 Business Stories To Watch This Season

National Basketball Association 

League

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. 

Headquarters: New York City, NY, United States of America

Founded: June 6, 1946

CEO: David Stern

 NBA Power Rankings: Superstar era in full swing, and don't forget Heat

The NBA's ad campaign for this season, "BIG," is annoyingly accurate because we're looking at one of the biggest seasons in history. This superstar era is in full swing and the big boys have only gotten better.

The 2013-14 season kicks off Tuesday and here's just some of what we're going to see:

• A free agency period that mirrors if not exceeds the massive world-changing 2010 class in the summer.

• A draft class sparking as much hype as any since 2003.

• All-time great careers (Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili) nearing the end.

And then there is the possibility of a three-peat for the Miami Heat. All of this within a single season -- and we still haven't mentioned emerging stars like Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving ... or Chris Paul's best title chance.

But at the top, as it consistently has been: Miami. This may be the end of the Triad's run. If so, they're likely going out with fireworks. Behind all the intrigue of LeBron James' Decision 2.0 is a team that started off awkward but has learned how to function, excel and dominate. Yet it's a tough road ahead.

Only five NBA teams have achieved a three-peat -- two of them were different versions of Jordan's Bulls with a baseball break in between. Since the ABA merger? Two franchises have achieved it. The last team to make four consecutive Finals? Bird's Celtics in 1987.

What about the Heat's Finals opponent in last spring's classic? In the past 20 years, only eight teams have returned to the conference finals after losing the Finals; only four have reached the Finals. Only two have won.

So yeah, the stakes are high, the competition even higher. Let's begin.

Note: These rankings are not indicative of the order by season's end. It's based on who has the most momentum, talent and reason for confidence heading into the season. 

Dez Bryant: Cowboys' Dez Bryant Unapologetic After Outbursts

                             Dez Bryant

                American football player

Born: November 4, 1988 (age 24), Lufkin, Texas, United States

40 yard dash time: 4.52 seconds

Salary: 1.335 million USD (2012)

Current team: Dallas Cowboys (#88 / Wide receiver)

Parents: Angela Bryant, MacArthur Hatton

Education: Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Lufkin High School

 

Cowboys' Dez Bryant unapologetic after outbursts:

Dez Bryant got a lot of attention on Sunday for his sideline tantrums directed at Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten and wide receivers coach Derek Dooley. Probably too much attention, considering all the amazing moments in Detroit's last-second win over the Dallas Cowboys.

  Bryant was unapologetic after the game. He sees his emotion as a strength.

"My passion is always positive," Bryant said, via ESPN.com. "It's always positive. It's going to remain the same way. I'm not saying anything wrong. I'm not saying anything bad. It's all positive. That's just what it is. I'm the nicest person off the field. When I'm on the field, even when I look angry, it's still all good passion. It's all good passion. I feel like that's what we need. I'm going to remain the same way. I feel like I love this game. I love it. In order to win, you've got to be passionate about this game. You have to be. You've got to let that dog come out and just put it all out there on the line."

We essentially agree. Bryant might learn over time that being so demonstrative puts his teammates in a bad spot in the locker room answering questions, but ultimately his passion is part of what makes him great. This is football. A lot is said on Sundays that is immediately forgotten afterward, except by those of us writing and talking about it.

"That's [the media's] problem, because everybody knows up in this locker room who I am," Bryant said. "It's been that way since Day 1. The day that I got drafted, like I told y'all, don't get it twisted: I love this game. I love my teammates. That's what it is."

 

Lou Reed: Rock legend Lou Reed dies at 71

Lou Reed

Musician

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his solo career, which has spanned several decades. 

Born: March 2, 1942 (age 71), Brooklyn, New York, United States

Height: 1.65 m

Spouse: Laurie Anderson (m. 2008), Sylvia Morales (m. 1980–1994), Betty Reed (m. 1973)

Music group: The Velvet Underground (1965 – 1970)

Lou Reed, lead singer of Velvet Underground, dies aged 71:

Musician and his New York group influenced generations of bands with mixture of European and US styles of sound and art;

Lou Reed, lead singer of the Velvet Underground, veteran chronicler of life's wilder, seamier and more desperate side and one of the most influential and distinctive songwriters of his generation, has died at the age of 71.He had been suffering from liver failure and received a transplant earlier this year.

JonBenet Ramsey: Court papers: Grand jury in 1999 sought to indict JonBenet Ramsey's parents

                                     JonBenét Ramsey 

JonBenét Patricia Ramsey; was an American child beauty pageant queen who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. 

Born: August 6, 1990, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Died: December 25, 1996, Boulder, Colorado, United States

Education: High Peaks Elementary School

Siblings: Burke Ramsey, Elizabeth Pasch Ramsey, John Andrew Ramsey, Melinda Ramsey

Parents: John Bennett Ramsey, Patsy Ramsey

 

Grand jury prepared child abuse indictment against JonBenet Ramsey's parents, newly released documents show:

JonBenet Ramsey poses for a beauty pageant portfolio at a photo studio in 1994.

A Colorado court on Friday released a long-sealed 1999 grand jury indictment of JonBenet Ramsey's parents for child abuse resulting in death, but it gave no specifics and did not accuse them of killing her.

Prosecutors declined to act on the indictment and charge John or Patsy Ramsey at the time, and years later they publicly exonerated the couple and suggested an unknown intruder was the culprit.

Yet the Boulder Police Department — which put the Ramseys under an "umbrella of suspicion" soon after the 6-year-old beauty queen's slaying in 1996 — portrayed the belated document release as a vindication of their investigation.Patricia Ramsey and her husband, John Ramsey, produce a picture of JonBenet during a press conference in Atlanta, where they released the results of an independent lie detector test months after her death in 2000. 

JonBenet Ramsey: Grand jury voted to charge parents in case:

A prosecutor apologised to Patsy and John Ramsey in 2008 after DNA evidence appeared to exonerate them.

The release on Friday of the grand jury indictments came after a lawsuit by the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP).

The 1999 documents show the grand jury moved to charge Mr and Mrs Ramsey with child abuse resulting in death and with being an accessory to a crime.

The documents allege the couple placed their daughter "in a situation which posed a threat of injury to the child's life or health" which led to her death, and then helped the killer evade discovery and prosecution.

Alex Hunter, the Boulder County district attorney at the time, declined to sign the indictments, effectively dropping the charges.

"I and my prosecutorial team believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time," Alex Hunter, the Boulder County district attorney, said in 1999.

Analysts say it is uncommon for a district attorney not to sign off on a grand jury decision.

Miranda Kerr: Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr separate

                 Miranda Kerr

                     Model 

Miranda May Kerr is an Australian model. Kerr rose to prominence in 2007 as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. She is the first Australian to participate in the Victoria's Secret campaign and also represented Australian fashion chain David Jones. 

Born: April 20, 1983 (age 30), Sydney, Australia

Height: 1.75 m

Spouse: Orlando Bloom (m. 2010)

Siblings: Matthew Kerr

Parents: John Kerr, Therese Kerr

Children: Flynn Christopher Bloom

Orlando Bloom And Miranda Kerr Announce Split

  After a six-year relationship, Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom announced in October 2013 that they decided to formally separate. The couple, who share a son, Flynn, said in a statement that they remain amicable. 

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have split after three years of marriage, it has been confirmed.

The Lord of The Rings actor and Australian model have been together for six years and have a son, Flynn, who was born in 2011.

A representative for the couple said: "Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have announced that they have been amicably separated for the past few months.

"After six years together, they have recently decided to formalise their separation."

The statement continued: "Despite this being the end of their marriage, they love, support and respect each other as both parents of their son and as family."

The British actor, 36, and Victoria's Secret model, 30, began dating in 2007. They were married in July 2010 after announcing their engagement just a month beforehand.

Their relationship has come under scrutiny over the past few months with media speculation that the marriage was over.

Their last public appearance together was at the opening of Romeo and Juliet in New York in September. Bloom is currently starring in the production with Condola Rashad.

Bitstrips: Bitstrips App for iPhone, Android, iOS Surpasses 10M Downloads

Bitstrips Explodes After Mobile Launch: Where Did The Comics App Dominating Your Facebook Feed Come From?

Bitstrips, a new app for Google Play, Android, iOS, the iPhone, and iPod users, shot its way up to the top spot on the free apps section for Google Play and the Apple Store. 

More than 10 million people downloaded it as of Thursday. Its website describes the app as the “the most customizable avatar-creation tool on the Web,” according to the International Business Times. 

The application allows users to share comic-style messages with friends on social networks.

Users can use Bitstrips, which was partially created by Cartoon Network, to design a comic of friends or family. 

It features some 1,000 different and customizable scenes. The app developers say it is “the next step in the evolution of social media.” In July, around 50 million unique cartoons were shared. 

According to Product Reviews, a login error was corrected as was improved sharing and loading times in the latest version.

“Bitstrips is hard to categorize because it’s not a game,” CEO Jacob Blackstock told the Baltimore Sun. “It’s a new way to express yourself and interact with your friends. Instead of posting the same things as everyone else, you can create something that relates to your life.”

For users trying to download it, it’s available here on Facebook, Android,or for iOS. 

Miley Shocks Us With Her Red-Carpet Look

Color us stunned! Miley Cyrus hit the red carpet Tuesday night and she was, well, clothed.

The 20-year-old "Wrecking Ball" singer looked glamorous and sophisticated on the red carpet at the 30th Annual Night of Stars event at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan. She wore a Marc Jacobs dress to present the Superstar Award to the designer. The shimmery green backless gown was floor-length and featured a halter-top.

 

Cyrus rounded out her dazzling look with Saint Laurent shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. Her makeup was minimal — with a clear gloss on her lips — but she added a tiny blast of color with fire-engine red nails.

The star's high-fashion look is a big deal because it's the most we've seen her wearing in a long time. While promoting "Bangerz," she's preferred barely-there ensembles, like the sheer football jersey-style black "poison" dress she wore the night she hosted "Saturday Night Live," the white crop top — with star-shaped nipple covers — and ripped pants she wore to a party at NYC's Planet Hollywood, and the pink lingerie-inspired getup she wore to another party the same night.

Prince George Christening: Baby Prince George is christened, 7 godparents named

Prince George on his best behaviour as he is christened

Future king manages a wave for the Queen as he is baptised at the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace  

He was, in every sense, the perfect baby. Prince George, who will one day be king and head of the Church of England, was calmness personified throughout his half-hour christening ceremony today. It may have been “the first time he’s been quiet all day”, as his father, the Duke of Cambridge, joked before the ceremony, but the three-month-old Prince showed he has the temperament for the big occasion as he took the whole thing in his stride.

 

Jofi Joseph: The NatSecWonk I Know

The NatSecWonk I Know!

In person, Jofi Joseph, the author of caustic and controversial Tweets, was a mild-mannered wonk who skipped on the snark. A look at the White House staffer who was fired over his anonymous Twitter handle.

White House National Security official fired for criticising colleagues with anonymous Twitter account:

• Jofi Joseph is a director in the non-proliferation section of the National Security Staff at the White House
• In one Twitter rant he called Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett a 'vacuous cipher'
• In other posts he called Sarah Palin and her family 'white trash'

A White House national security adviser is out of the job after it was revealed he was behind a Twitter page popular amongst Washington D.C.'s foreign policy community that he often used to anonymously insult many of his bosses and other powerful D.C. insiders.

Additionally, Jofi Joseph, a director in the non-proliferation section of the National Security Staff at the White House, used the account - with the moniker @natsecwonk - to reveal internal information about the Obama White House for more than two years.

At times, Joseph even used the page to take shots at Jews.

'Is it just me, or with the Jews celebrating Rosh Hashanah tonight, is Twitter much quieter?' he posted on September 4.

Joseph started posting on the account in February 2011 and used it to insult powerful politicians until it was deleted last week, presumably after he'd been shown the door at the White House.

Two administration officials confirmed to the Daily Beast that Joseph was the man behind the account.

Jamie Dornan: '50 Shades of Grey': Jamie Dornan cast as new Christian Grey

Anastasia Steele has finally met her match. Irish actor Jamie Dornan is in final talks to play the billionarie BDSM enthusiast Christian Grey in the adaptation of EL James’ best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey. Focus/Universal, declined to confirm, but an inside source says the deal is in its final stages. The studio, to say nothing of the trilogy’s ardent fans, was thrown into overdrive when the original Christian, Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam, abruptly bowed out of the production two weeks ago. The casting of 31-year-old Dornan alongside Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia will hopefully steady director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s production that is slated to begin shooting mid-November.

Dornan began his career in front of the camera modeling for campaigns like Dior, Armani, and, quite memorably, Calvin Klein underwear. It seems fitting that the man who will play the 28-year-old CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc. was once dubbed “the Golden Torso” by The New York Times. He made his film debut in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 movie Marie Antoinette, and has since gone on to guest star as Sheriff Graham in the ABC series Once Upon a Time and play a serial killer in the BBC miniseries The Fall. The six-foot former rugby player married actress Amelia Warner in 2013 and the couple is reportedly expecting their first child together.

Here is a clip of Dornan looking lovely and brooding and rich, attributes that will come in handy for the franchise that now rests largely on the appeal of his ripped back. Fifty Shades of Grey is scheduled for release on August 1, 2014.

Dornan is in negotiations to replace Charlie Hunnam, as Universal hopes to start production in early November.

World Series: SI.com's experts pick World Series winner, MVP and more

The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have much in common. Both are among the most iconic franchises in baseball history. Both teams won 97 games this year, tops in the majors, and both led their league's in scoring. Both boast a superstar slugger with outstanding October credentials in Boston's David Ortiz and St. Louis' Carlos Beltran. And both have a dominant pitcher or two capable of overpowering opposing hitters: closer Koji Uehara for the Red Sox and starters Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals.
With so many similarities, what will happen in the 109th Fall Classic? Below, SI.com's baseball writers -- Tom Verducci, Albert Chen, Ben Reiter, Joe Lemire, Jay Jaffe, Cliff Corcoran and Joe Sheehan -- make their picks for which team will win the series, who will be named MVP, who the the unlikely Series hero will be and which X-factor could swing the outcome. Game 1 is Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

2013 World Series: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals turn to dominating closers

Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal is only four years removed from being a junior college shortstop, 

but he has been dominant during the postseason for St. Louis.

Colleen Ritzer: Police accuse Danvers student in death of Colleen Ritzer

 
Colleen Ritzer, slain Danvers High School teacher, remembered as passionate, inspirational

As police investigate the killing of a 24-year-old math teacher, her family and students remembered her as passionate about her job, CBS Boston station WBZ-TV reports.

The body of Colleen Ritzer was found in the woods after investigators said they found blood in a second-floor bathroom at Danvers High School.

Philip Chism, 14, stands during his arraignment in Salem District Court in Salem, Mass., Oct. 23, 2013.

/ AP Photo/Boston Herald - Patrick Whittemore

Philip Chism, 14, was charged with her murder and ordered held without bail at his arraignment in Salem District Court Wednesday afternoon.

Ritzer's family released a statement Wednesday afternoon asking for privacy.

"At this time we are mourning the tragic death of our amazing, beautiful daughter and sister," the statement read. "Everyone that knew and loved Colleen knew of her passion for teaching and how she mentored each and every one of her students."

Riley Doyle, 14 and a freshman in Ritzer's geometry class, told CBSNews.com that her teacher "was always really upbeat and positive and excited about math."

"She made every lesson like you wanted to learn it," Riley said. "For the first time, math became one of my favorite classes."

Riley said Ritzer's students thought highly of her.

"She was always very courteous to her students, and she would never talk down to them," Riley said. "She treated them like people."

Riley's sister Regan Doyle, 17 and a senior at the high school, told CBSNews.com that she didn't have Ritzer as a teacher, but she had "never heard one bad thing about her."

"My sister would always come home from school saying how she was her favorite teacher," Regan said.

Regan said Ritzer's death came as a shock to the school.

"It's just a tragedy, and it's so bad because she's so young," Regan said, "and you could tell that she really loved her job and the kids, and it's sad that this had to happen."

Apple Store: Apple App store reaches 1 million apps milestone

Apple's App Store has reportedly reached its 1 million apps mark, more than five years after launching.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook revealed the milestone at the company's latest products launch on Tuesday. According to Mashable, there have been more than 60 billion app downloads to

date and 13 billion dollars paid out to developers and at the same time last year, by

comparison, Apple had only 7,00,000 apps and 30 billion downloads.
However, Apple's App Store is still behind Google's Play Store which passed the one million mark in July this year, the report added.

Apple: Lighter! Thinner! Faster! Cheaper! Apple refreshes its Product Line - But all eyes are on the new iPad Air

Tonight in San Francisco, Apple talked about its latest laptops (Lighter! Thinner! Faster! Cheaper!) and the all-new iPad air. It was a complete refresh of much of its product line.

One eye-catching development was that the Mac OSX software is now completely free for anyone who's bought an Apple computer since 2007. Other software - iMovie, Garageband and the productivity suite iWork which is a rival to Microsoft's Office - were also updated and will now be free with a new Apple Mac. This is a remarkable change, and means that Apple's operating software, like Google's, is now free. But beyond that, all eyes were on the iPad.
The first iPad was released three and a half years ago but the fifth generation model will be crucial to Apple. Rivals like Samsung, Google and Amazon have been eating into Apple's market share. Budget tablets abound, from Tesco, Argos and elsewhere. The iPad is still a big seller (170 million sold and counting) but to attract new users, the company needs to innovate.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and colleagues revealed the new models - full-size and mini - to an audience at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and to journalists in simultaneous broadcasts elsewhere, including London. At first he made jokes about rival companies not knowing where they were heading, which sounded defensive. But he quickly found his stride as the products and updates were announced.