Celebrities Who Never Finished High School

Celebrities Who Never Finished High School

Education is very important, and everyone reading this should stay in school and say no to drugs and eat your vegetables and follow your dreams. But sometimes people choose not to finish high school and things work out pretty well for them. Obviously they don’t represent what happens to every high school dropout, and it’s valuable to have an education whether you become rich and famous or not.

But it might surprise you that, while celebs like Emma Watson are graduating from college, other well-established stars never even graduated high school. Some of them set out to pursue their careers, while others already had careers in the making and decided to devote their time to it more fully. here are some  celebrities who chose not to stay in school.

Cameron Diaz:

Cameron wasn’t the best student a teacher could ask for, but they didn’t have to ask for her at all after she received a modeling contract.

Daniel Radcliffe:

I already mentioned how Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger, lived up to her character’s studiousness and graduated college. But her co-star Daniel Radcliffe hasn’t even finished high school. He worked on the Harry Potter films starting at age 10, which made schooling difficult, and he also faced bullying, so he dropped out at 17.

Eminem:

Eminem, born Marshall Mathers, had to repeat the ninth grade three times because of poor grades and attendance. Eventually he just decided to drop out completely. He didn’t have an easy time of it after that, but his worked his way up in the rap industry and became a success.

Johnny Depp:

Johnny Depp has one of the most classic dropping out of high school stories you could imagine. He quit school at age 15 to become a rock star. He’s obviously since become more well-known for acting,

 Avril Lavigne:

she didn’t drop out until she already had a record deal.

Jim Carrey:

Jim’s reason for dropping out was not due to poor grades or a desire to pursue a career, but rather because he had to find a full-time job to support his family (including his ill mother) during tough times in Canada. Thankfully he was still able to make his goal of being a comedian come true.

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Meet Onionshare, the File Sharing App the Next Snowden Will Use

Meet Onionshare, the File Sharing App the Next Snowden Will Use:

Kate Knibbs

Gizmodo

A small software app called Onionshare offers the most secure file sharing available. So why hasn't anyone heard of it? Well, mostly because it was released with just a tweet from its creator, and you have to go to Github to download it. But don't let its underground status fool you—this is a very important app.

Technologist Micah Lee debuted his peer-to-peer file sharing service with little fanfare, but what it does is big: Onionshare lets users share files securely and anonymously, without middlemen. Lee created it after reading about the trouble journalist Glenn Greenwald had accepting the NSA files from Edward Snowden. Now Lee works at The Interceptwith Greenwald, where the staff is already putting Onionshare to good use.
Right now, it's still software in development, but Lee told Gizmodo he's readying a version to directly download for OS and Windows that should be ready later this week. Onionshare is available for free on GitHub now, and if you have OS X or higher you can test out the upcoming version on Lee's website.
However you get it, you'll have to download Tor, a free-to-use network that lets you anonymously use the internet. It's one of the best privacy tools available. With Onionshare, you can send a file of any size to anyone (even someone who doesn't use Onionshare)—without sending it to a third party.
When a user wants to send a file, Onionshare creates a temporary, password-protected website for it, and the user gives their intended recipient that URL and password. When someone opens a file they receive on Onionshare, they create a direct link between the sending and receiving computer. Once the file is downloaded, users can cancel the website, erasing any trace of a transfer. Encrypt everything along the way for added security.

Why It Matters

EFF activist Parker Higgins explains why peer-to-peer services like Lee's are so important in an opinion piece for Wired:
"The qualities that the copyright lobby dislike about peer-to-peer are precisely the ones that make it a powerful choice for defenders of press freedom and personal privacy. Namely, peer-to-peer offers no convenient mechanism for centralized surveillance or censorship. By design, there's usually no middleman that can easily record metadata about transfers—who uploaded and downloaded what, when, and from where—or block those transfers. With some peer-to-peer implementations (though not Lee's) that information may be publicly accessible. But recording all of it would require a dragnet effort, not a simple request for a log file from a centralized service provider."
Lee has big goals for his small app. "I do want it to be a widespread tool. I think that right now it's kind of a hard problem to send someone a large file across the Internet without it getting spied on. This is a very simple way around that," he told Gizmodo. "I would like a lot of people to use it, and for it to become a new standard way for people to send big files. It will make the Internet more secure."
Though Onionshare is in its infancy, the potential impact it could have on security should interest even seasoned privacy advocates—and normal internet users dismayed by the current state of online privacy.

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Easy Summer Hairstyles:

 Easy Summer Hairstyles:

Braided Crown

Braidy Bunch:

Move over traditional three-pronged braid! A slightly disheveled fishtail version looks far more 

difficult to create then it actually is—it's a total cinch. Halve the ponytail vertically. Take a piece of hair no thicker than your pinky finger­ from the outside of the left section and bring it to the inside of the right section. Next, take an equally small portion of hair from the outside of the right section and bring it to the inside of the left section. Repeat the process, alternating between left and right, until you reach the ends of your hair, then secure with a clear elastic.

Pony Up:

When hot sticky weather rolls into town, it’s time to pull out the secret weapon, a posh ponytail. It's the easiest—and speediest—way to sweep the hair off the back of your neck. This season, we like it low slung, with a center part and just ever so slightly tousled. Finish the look by pulling a generous piece of hair around the elastic and securing it into place with a bobby pin.

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Inside Ford’s virtual reality prototyping lab: Why make full-size clay cars when VR will do?

Inside Ford’s virtual reality prototyping lab: Why make full-size clay cars when VR will do?

When Ford engineer Elizabeth Baron (pictured) dons 3D goggles and walks through a virtually empty room at Ford’s virtual reality lab in Michigan, she sees the most recent design changes to cars such as the company’s just-announced Ford Edge. The lab lets designers and engineers walk around and examine the virtual car, then hop inside and repeat the process for the cockpit.

Proposed changes can be visualized as soon as algorithms describing the modifications are created. It cuts out the cost of many, not all, of the cockpit mockups. It lets Ford make fewer full-size clay models – several hundred thousand dollars and a week or more in the modeling shop for each – mostly later in the design process. Ford says it’s the first automaker to be making such extensive use of 3D visualization technology. (There’s a video of full-size clay modeling at the end of the story.)

Ford immersive Vehicle Evaluation Lab

All this happens at the Ford immersive Vehicle Evaluation (FiVE) Lab at the sprawling Ford Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford has been involved in VR for several years, with facilities in the US and Australia and collaborative satellite (viewing) facilities in Brazil, China, Germany, India and Mexico. The newest VR chamber added by Ford, in Dearborn, is the size of a deep two-car garage, painted and carpeted gray-black.

The tester’s stereoscopic VR goggles are SXGA resolution, 1280×1024, connected by a long tether to the rendering workstations. A 15-foot-wide screen along one wall driven at 4K resolution lets others see in 2D what the tester sees. Ten near-infrared cameras (pictured above and right) track the movement and direction of the tester and a wand/flashlight (similar to how an external camera tracks infrared LEDs on the Oculus Rift). The virtual environment is rendered by PC workstations running a customized version of Autodesk VRED 3D visualization software. Depending on the complexity of the model, the image refreshes at 10 to 30 frames per second.

“We put on the headset, walk around the [virtual] car, and then get inside and assess the craft and quality of the vehicles,” says Baron, Ford’s virtual reality and advanced visualization technical specialist. Getting in the cockpit entails sitting down in the lone fixture in the room other than the electronics: a Ford bucket seat.

“We’re realizing a lot of efficiencies; we’re checking out a lot of designs ahead of time. We track thousands and thousands of points on the car during development,” Baron says.

Shining a light on fit and finish

When Baron or another lab tester dons the VR headset, there’s an accompanying flashlight-size cylinder with four ping pong-size balls radiating outward (pictured top). Those spheres help the 10 IR cameras locate the cylinder and the direction it’s pointing at. Flick a button and the cylinder is a virtual flashlight that illuminates fit and finish of the LED fog lamps in the bumper, the look and feel of the grain on the door trim or, pictured above, the center stack. Scenes from Detroit, New York and other areas show through the virtual windshield. The software makes shiny dash trim reflective and even shows the veiling glare when sunlight hits on the glossy trim or chrome brightwork. [Read: On the (very bumpy) road with Ford’s robotic almost-self-driving test track truck.]

This is what the center stack of the new Edge will look like, above (VR) and right (photo from the actual car). It also shows that Ford has finally heard the voice of the customer on ease-of-use when it comes to Ford Sync and the touchscreen version, MyFord Touch: They prefer physical buttons over higher-tech capacitive touch switches and sliders.

Will VR help Ford be competitive on model updates?

The first generation Ford Edge went into production in 2006 as a 2007 model. Production and delivery of the new Edge will be in earlier 2015, a long time between models. Some Asian automakers have model lifecycles down to three or four years. Ford says it was satisfied with Edge sales since they kept up well over its eight years of life, selling well above competitors such as Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, and the ill-fated sweptback Honda Crosstour. It’s unlikely the second-generation Edge will remain the same basic design through 2022. VR gives Ford the option to push for shorter new-product cycles or, at the least, to get more work done in a shorter period once it has locked in the design basics.

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BioWare is reinventing save games for the Xbox One and PS4

BioWare is reinventing save games for the Xbox One and PS4

Now that the Xbox One and PS4 are on store shelves, the development team at BioWare has a serious problem to solve for the upcoming release of Dragon Age: Inquisition. In the two previous games in the franchise, players could make decisions that directly impact the state of the world of Thedas. If players continue to play on the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC, their save files will import easily with relatively little fuss, however players moving to the current-gen consoles need a way to import their world state. Instead of rigging up a complicated syncing solution, BioWare decided to launch a simple tool called “Dragon Age Keep” to solve the problem.

Dragon Age Keep is an online service that allows habitual Dragon Age players to tailor the state of the world to their preferences — essentially by ticking boxes for each decision that they might’ve made while playing. Whether or not these players have save files generated by the first two games, the Keep will allow anyone to jump into a perfectly configured world when Dragon Age: Inquisition launches later this year. The customized save games can be automatically imported to your Xbox One, PS4, or PC via Origin — or downloaded and transferred via USB, if your console is offline.

Admittedly, a series of checkboxes on a website might not sound like a big deal, but it actually solves a number of substantial problems that have been plaguing BioWare-style RPGs for years. In this article, I’ll touch on four major hurdles that the Dragon Age Keep effectively sidesteps for this upcoming release, and explain why this simple solution is BioWare’s best way forward.

Local save game loss

Hard drives die. It’s inevitable that the drives holding your precious data will eventually cease to function properly. Even some of the brightest among us have been bitten by drive failure, and files much more important than game saves have been lost permanently. If you’re relying on a drive to keep your saves safe for eight or nine years between console generations, you’re just asking for trouble. [Read our full backup masterclass to make sure you never lose data ever again.]

Most of the time, losing old save files isn’t a big deal. After all, most people aren’t going to bother loading up an old save for Madden 07 or Call of Duty 4. However, BioWare-style RPGs build off of the decisions made in each game, so that old save game from 2009 holds the key to the world you built.

If you read through a few Dragon Age threads across the internet, you’ll quickly see that a non-trivial number of people have lost their original save files. To rectify this issue, players either slog through dozens of hours of gameplay again, or use third-party tools to generate save files. These solutions certainly aren’t perfect (especially for console players), but they were the only options available until BioWare announced the Dragon Age Keep.

Cloud problems

If local saves are so fragile, surely cloud saves are the solution, right? Well, partially. Keeping off-site backups is always a good idea, and it will certainly reduce the risk from drive failure, but cloud saves aren’t perfect. Valve, Sony, and Microsoft have had cloud-based solutions for years now, and problems still crop up frequently.

Syncing has long been a problematic issue, and cloud saves are no exception. Inaccurate timestamps, accidental overwrites, and other technical issues still cause hiccups — even on modern systems. I’ve lost numerous saves through Steam, and my PS4 regularly refuses to automatically upload saves because of a bug in the firmware. Cloud saves are undoubtedly a useful tool, but they don’t solve every problem, and can even introduce new problems in some cases. With a system like the Keep, you can sidestep the issue of two-way sync completely. Generate a world state on a server, and download it to your console just once — no need for a complex syncing mechanism for this use case.

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Top 5 Best Android Games For June 2014 Download For Free

Top 5 Best Android Games For June 2014 Download For Free

Asphalt 8: Airborne

Gameloft has been known to emulate PC game principles and bring them to mobile games. But in doing so, they have gathered mixed results. With Asphalt 8: Airborne, that is clearly not the case. This Android game is one of the best in the racing category; it’s amazing that they’ve given this out for free. With its user-friendly controls, gorgeous graphics, new locations and luxury cars, Asphalt 8: Airborne is an obvious winner.

Dungeon Hunter 4

This Android game is a fantasy, role-playing game (RPG) that takes players into a mysterious world packed with strange evil beings, magic, and knights. Dungeon Hunter 4 has been pegged as the “Diablo” of mobile games. With characters such as mage, sentinel, or blade master, you can recruit your friends and use tons of spells and weapons to vanquish all evil forces forever.

Lumosity

Lumosity started out as a web-based game and has moved to the mobile turf with considerable success. It is a brain-training app composed of a collection of mini games designed to stretch all your neurons. In its Google Play listing, it is described as a game “designed by neuroscientists to train memory, attention, and more. With foundations in the study of neuroplasticity.” Claiming to have over 60 million players, the popular game has recently been launched on the Android platform.

Galaxy on Fire 2™ HD

 Prepare your blasters and navigate the vast expanse of the universe to save galaxies. In the Galaxy on Fire 2™ HD game, you will control a high-tech spaceship, travel through space, battle enemies, and even mine for money. This Android game offers an irresistible 10+ hours of gameplay as well as DLC unlockables that awards you with story add-ons and extra missions. Its mouth-watering graphics, accessible flight controls, and amazing plot will give several PC games a run for their money.

Dead Trigger 2

You’ll feel an eerie sense of fulfillment after spending a long train ride killing off a horde of gory,undead beings. In Dead Trigger 2, you need to fight for your life and use different weapons to survive the zombie apocalypse. With its simple mechanics and an addictive, deep crafting system, Dead Trigger 2 is an Android game you must have on your devices.

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Mobilink Deceives its 38 Million Customers with Misleading TVC

Mobilink Deceives its 38 Million Customers with Misleading TVC

We know that mobile phone companies are going through tough times with their balance sheets and retaining their customers, but Mobilink has seemingly become so frustrated that it has started to dodge its customers with deceiving and misleading advertisements.

Aim is clear: Mint as much money as you can.

• Make unlimited calls, round the clock
• Daily charges: Rs. 10 plus tax
• Dial *212# to subscribe and make unlimited calls during the day

However, after looking at Mobilink’s website, the information provided in TVC is absolutely incorrect, rather its misleading. Here’s the correct information about the offer (the real catch one may call it):

• Customers can use 75 Mobilink minutes during one calendar day by subscribing to the offer

Put in other words, Mobilink is luring the customers by falsely claiming that it is offering unlimited calls, while in reality they are offering just 75 Mobilink minutes.

Not to mention, customers – who would subscribe to the offer after watching the TVC – are highly likely to lose their balance after consuming first 75 minutes. And trust me, Mobilink will never refund you a single penny, even if you lose Rs. 100, 200, 500 or even more due to their this misleading TVC.

Ironically, the TVC at the end says: “Kuch Chuppaya Nahi, Sir Jhukaya Nahi”. Yes right,kuch chupaya nahi, bass 75 Minutes ki limit ka bataya nahi!

On a related note, PTA has apparently stopped checking TVCs and packages from cellular companies. My this analogy is based on the fact that it has always turned deaf ears towards whatever cellular companies do with their customers. Reference: Service Charges.

On other hands, Competition Commission Pakistan is known for taking notices against cellular companies after two years of actual events.

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10Pearls Acquires Information Security Firm Gemini Security Solutions

10Pearls has announced the cent percent acquisition of information security firm, Gemini Security Solutions for an undisclosed amount. After this acquisition, Gemini CEO and Founder, Peter Hesse, will assume the role of Chief Security Officer for 10Pearls.

“With the acquisition of the Gemini Security team, we complete the formation of our Five Centers of Excellence Strategy,” said Imran Aftab, the CEO of 10Pearls.

“Gemini’s customer base is synergistic with ours consisting of Fortune 100 companies and funded Startups as well. Peter Hesse is one of the pioneers in PKI technology having co-authored an IETF RFC and developed the original National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference architecture.”

10Pearls and Gemini had first collaborated on a connected car application for Internet of Things provider Zubie (www.zubiecar.com).

“We are excited to be part of the 10Pearls family,” said Peter Hesse, CEO of Gemini Security Solutions. “As one team, we now provide tremendous value to businesses seeking to build enterprise-grade mobile and software solutions.”

Gemini Security Solutions will bring their security specialization to work as a best-of-breed standalone center of excellence giving our clients the ability to choose from an integrated approach to picking and choosing from any of the 5 centers’ offerings.

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i2i Accelerator Program Calls for Social Entrepreneur to Boost their Ideas into Realities

If you are a social entrepreneur or someone who is working on an impact-oriented startup then the news is that i2i will be closing its application for the the 3^rd accelerator program on July 1st, 2013.

If you are one such person/team then know that i2i offers just the right ecosystem for you to grow your idea or business.

What is i2i Accelerator?

i2i, also known as invest2innovate, is a four-month startup acceleration program that works with impact-oriented startups in Pakistan and offers them the right trainings, tools, resources, access to mentorship and eventually the right amount of capital which can help them scale their business.

Who should apply?

I2i is looking for impact oriented for-profit startups that make use of technology. The entrepreneurs working on this idea must be in it full-time and should be financially sustainable or have outlined plans to become sustainable in the next 3-5 years.

What are some of the success stories?

Saba Gul has managed to raise a significant amount of investment to kickstart her startup – Popinjay. There are other startups from the i2i accelerator program who have represented Pakistan at international summits and events and are actively engaged in the ecosystem to accelerate their startups.

EcoEnergyFinance, Asli Goli, Amal Academy, Raise Dbar and 3restart are some of the interesting alumni from the i2i Accelerator Program.

The i2i Accelerator program kicks off with a community-building retreat, which includes sessions on storytelling, leadership development, and visioning around their businesses. Following the retreat, the next five weekends are focused on customer validation & traction, operations, financials, and getting entrepreneurs ready for investment.

i2i also has a pool of 35+ local and international mentors that are there to help the startups and to support the budding entrepreneurial ecosystem of Pakistan.

Where to Apply?

Deadline for applying online is July 1st, 2014. Go an apply here:http://invest2innovate.com

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Google Announces Android One for Developing Markets

I/O developer 2014 conference in San Francisco revealed that Google wants Android to be a part of your life.

The company announced Android L, the next version of the mobile operating system. Android Wear, a custom version of the OS specifically tailored for smartwatches, Android TV and Android Auto, which allows Android smartphones to project data to the vehicle’s dashboard screen.

Android has now more than 1 billion active users around the globe and the company is aiming to reach out to the next five billion smartphone users.

For the purpose Google has announced “Android One“, which is described as a reference platform to help smartphone manufacturers build affordable devices with much ease. Google’s engineers will identify and design low cost hardware and the OEMs will manufacture it

These low cost devices will be running stock Android, just like Nexus with Google Play. Which means users will get automatic software updates as well as recommended apps from Play Auto-installs.

Google is starting the One program from India with three manufacturers including, Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. The sample device features a 4.5-inch screen, Dual camera, Dual SIM, SD card slot and FM radio.

The details about processor and memory haven’t been revealed but if Google is in the control of both hardware and software, we can expect that these devices will perform much better than other low end smartphones.

There is no word on the expansion of this program to other developing countries including Pakistan. But we wish that it will happen soon as the dilemma of low end smartphone users in Pakistan is that they never get software updates and the performance of these devices is usually terrible.

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2014 NBA Draft pick-by-pick

2014 NBA Draft pick-by-pick

FOX Sports

Every pick from the first and second rounds of the 2014 NBA Draft:

FIRST ROUND
1. Cleveland: Andrew Wiggins, G, Kansas
2. Milwaukee: Jabari Parker, F, Duke
3. Philadelphia: Joel Embiid, C, Kansas
4. Orlando: Aaron Gordon, F, Arizona
5. Utah: Dante Exum, G, Australia
6. Boston: Marcus Smart, G, Oklahoma State
7. LA Lakers: Julius Randle, F, Kentucky
8. Sacramento: Nik Stauskas, G, Michigan
9. Charlotte (from Detroit): Noah Vonleh, F, Indiana
10. Philadelphia (from New Orleans): Elfrid Payton, G, UL Lafayette (traded to Orlando)
11. Denver: Doug McDermott, F, Creighton (traded to Chicago)
12. Orlando (from New York): Dario Saric, F, Croatia (traded to Philadelphia)
13. Minnesota: Zach Levine, G, UCLA
14. Phoenix: T.J. Warren, F, North Carolina State
15. Atlanta: Adreian Payne, F, Michigan State
16. Chicago: Jusuf Nurkic, C, Bosnia-Herzegovina (traded to Denver)
17. Boston: James Young, G, Kentucky
18. Phoenix: Tyler Ennis, G, Syracuse
19. Chicago: Gary Harris, G, Michigan State (traded to Denver)
20. Toronto: Bruno Caboclo, F, Brazil
21. Oklahoma City: Mitch McGary, F, Michigan
22. Memphis: Jordan Adams, G, UCLA
23. Utah: Rodney Hood, F, Duke
24. Charlotte: Shabazz Napier, G, Connecticut (traded to Miami)
25. Houston: Clint Capela, F, Switzerland
26. Miami: P.J. Hairston, F, NBDL's Texas Legends (traded to Hornets)
27. Phoenix: Bogdan Bogdanovic, G, Serbia
28. LA Clippers: C.J. Wilcox, G, Washington
29. Oklahoma City: Josh Huestis, F, Stanford
30. San Antonio: Ryan Anderson, F, UCLA

SECOND ROUND

31. Milwaukee: Damien Inglis, F, France
32. Philadelphia: K.J. McDaniels, F, Clemson
33. Cleveland: Joe Harris, G, Virginia
34. New York: Cleanthony Early, F, Wichita State
35. Utah: Jarnell Stokes, F, Tennessee (traded to Memphis for 2016 second-round pick)
36. Milwaukee: Johnny O'Bryant, F, LSU
37. Toronto: DeAndre Daniels, F, Connecticut
38. Detroit: Spencer Dinwiddie, G, Colorado
39. Philadelphia: Jerami Grant, F, Syracue
40. Minnesota: Glenn Robinson III, F, Michigan
41. Denver: Nikola Jokic, G, Serbia
42. Houston: Nick Johnson, G, Arizona
43. Atlanta: Walter Tavares, C, Cape Verde
44. Minnesota: Markel Brown, G, Oklahoma State (traded to Nets for cash)
45. Charlotte: Dwight Powell, F, Stanford
46. Washington: Jordan Clarkson, G, Missouri (traded to Los Angeles Lakers for cash)
47. Philadelphia: Russ Smith, G, Louisville (traded to New Orleans for Pierre Jackson)
48. Milwaukee: Lamar Patterson, G, Pittsburgh (traded to Atlanta for future second-round pick)
49. Chicago: Cameron Bairstow, F, New Mexico
50. Phoenix: Alec Brown, C, Green Bay
51. New York: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, F, Greece
52. Philadelphia: Vasilije Micic, G, Serbia
53. Minnesota: Alessandro Gentile, G, Italy
54. Philadelphia: Nemanja Dangubic, F, Serbia
55. Miami: Semaj Christon, G, Xavier
56. Denver: Roy-Devyn Marbel, G, Iowa
57. Indiana: Louis Labeyrie, F, France
58. San Antonio: Jordan McRae, G, Tennessee
59. Toronto: Xavier Thames, G, San Diego State
60. San Antonio: Cory Jefferson, F, Baylor

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US advances to World Cup's 2nd round despite loss

US advances to World Cup's 2nd round despite loss

By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer

Associated Press

RECIFE, Brazil (AP) -- They heard about people back home watching during their lunch breaks, streaming on office computers or playing hooky with fellow fans. And then, as the bus pulled away from the hotel Thursday, the U.S. World Cup team was struck with an unusual sight.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of fans in red, white and blue, walking for miles around stalled cars through nearly hip-high water along flooded streets and highways, making their way to the stadium to cheer them on.
''That kind of passion to root us on is what really helps drive us,'' defender Omar Gonzalez said. ''Now we give them another game to go to.''

No late goals in this one. Not even a win. But despite a 1-0 loss to Germany, the United States was good enough to advance to the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups for the first time and good enough to hold onto the national attention that soccer has finally grabbed in America.

''I'm getting emails from people who work at companies where the executives have called a three-hour break and put on giant screens,'' U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said. ''All of this ... is pretty extraordinary, and that will build for the next few days.''

Thomas Mueller scored off a rebound in the 55th minute to give Germany first place in Group C with seven points, but the Americans held onto second when Portugal defeated Ghana 2-1 in a game played simultaneously in Brasilia.

Two minutes after Mueller's goal, Ghana's Asamoah Gyan tied the score, leaving his team one goal from matching the U.S. with four points and moving ahead on the second tiebreaker, goals scored. But then Cristiano Ronaldo put the Portuguese back ahead in the 80th, giving the Americans a little margin for error.
On the sideline, U.S. goalkeeper coach Chris Woods used his fingers to signal ''2-1'' to Tim Howard. But Howard was unsure which team was ahead.

''Then Woods gave the thumbs up - in our favor,'' Besler said.

Around the same time, the American fans behind the other goal started cheering, having learned of Ronaldo's goal from whatever electronic device they had brought along.

''Kind of calmed me down the last five minutes a little bit,'' U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.

Portugal opened with a 4-0 loss to Germany and tied the U.S. 2-2 on Sunday with a 95th-minute goal, so the U.S. had an even goal difference while the Portuguese were at minus three.
The Americans advance to a round-of-16 game Tuesday in Salvador against Belgium.

They started celebrating at the final whistle, 30 seconds before the other game ended. The script was similar to that of 2002, when the U.S. opened with a 3-2 win over Portugal, then tied South Korea 1-1 and lost to Poland 3-0. The Americans advanced 12 years ago because South Korea defeated the Portuguese on an 80th-minute goal.

Last weekend's game was seen by 24.7 million viewers on ESPN and Univision, and with online viewers included it was the most-watched soccer match in American history. This game kicked off at noon EDT, and ESPN said its online streaming

application set a record with 1.7 million concurrent users for all programs.

Across America, youngsters and athletes are turning into avid soccer supporters. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum wore a U.S. jersey Wednesday after his no-hitter against San Diego, and Adam Wainwright had the American flag painted on his face when he went out to stretch with his St. Louis Cardinals teammates last weekend. Actor Will Ferrell came to Recife for Thursday's match, and the Empire State Building was illuminated in red, white and blue.

''It translates into more fans, more casual fans, more kids that get turned onto the sport and may turn out to want to play,'' Gulati said.

Because of the heavy rain, the Americans' bus trip to the stadium took 50 minutes, twice the time needed to reach Saturday's training session.

 And because of the tropical downpour, both teams weren't allowed to warm up on the field.

Some of the players' family and friends stayed at their hotel. Others' vehicles couldn't reach Arena Pernambuco, where rain fell throughout much of the game and there were scattered empty red seats.
U.S. captain Clint Dempsey said it was ''in the back of your mind about your family not being able to make it to the game because of the traffic and everything. You just want to make sure that they're safe.''

Germany scored when Mesut Ozil took a short corner kick, received a pass back and crossed to Per Mertesacker. His header was parried by Howard into the path of Mueller, who curled a right-footed shot from 18 yards inside the far post.

Germany had 63 percent possession and nine shots on goal to one for the U.S.

Klinsmann hugged Germany coach Joachim Loew - his assistant on Germany's 2006 World Cup team - and Brad Davis raised both hands after the final whistle and led the applauding U.S. team to the side of the stadium where the majority of American supporters sat.

The outcome was especially satisfying for a pair of U.S. players: Midfielder Jermaine Jones played three games for Germany in 2008 before switching allegiances, and right back Fabian Johnson started for Germany in the 2009 European Under-21 Championship final.

Jones thought back to a Times Square rally last month when former national team players Alexi Lalas and Taylor Twellman, now ESPN broadcasters, predicted the Americans would not advance.

''We showed some people,'' he said, ''people that were talking like we have no chance to come through to the next round.''

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