SAGD, as well as to run all the upgraders and separators, now comes from natural gas.

NEWYORKER: Unconventional Crude

It exceeded that figure in May with 304, 000 bpd despite planned maintenance work on one of its two upgraders.

FORBES: Suncor or Cenovus: Which Is A Better Buy?

Upgraders might lament the move from miniSD to microSD, but going forward, it's a good thing -- microSD's clearly the standard of choice for phone memory expansion.

ENGADGET: Hands-on with the Sprint Mogul by HTC Mobile

Although upgraders will still want Windows 7 if they need to carry over absolutely everything, tipsters claim that settings can transfer from releases as old as Windows Vista SP1.

ENGADGET: Microsoft reportedly plans Windows 8 upgrades all the way from XP, wants us to just let go of the past

The economy and tablets are once again blamed for making would-be PC upgraders jittery, although this time it may also be the wait for Windows 8 leading some to hold off.

ENGADGET: IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars

The surge of Blackberry Bold 9900 upgraders in Europe during September and early October may have spiked the web traffic by Blackberry owners in Europe to a level the Slough center was unable to cope with.

FORBES: Blackberry Blackout a Second Break for the Windows Camp

Both Mr Obama and Mr Harper made particular mention of carbon capture and sequestration, an unproven and expensive technology that could eventually be used on the coal plants that produce about 70% of American electricity, or on the upgraders and refineries in the tar sands.

ECONOMIST: Stephen Harper looks to Washington, not Alberta

There were brand new Ultrabooks, members of staff unfurling banners, and -- once other customers started to arrive -- there was even a vibe of genuine excitement for today's official launch of Windows 8 in the UK. But whichever aisle I scanned, nowhere was to be found what I had come to buy: a Windows 8 disc for desktop upgraders.

ENGADGET: Windows 8 upgrade diary: the buying experience