woodenness bluing: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Ultra-stretchy battery to power bionic life

An experimental type of tiny lithium-based batteries promised to wirelessly charge wearable gadgets, implantable brain-wave monitors, or other bionic devices.

By Tia Ghose,?LiveScience / February 26, 2013

Our cyborg future may not be far off.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

An ultra-stretchy battery could one day be used to power bionic eyeballs, brain-wave monitoring devices and robotic skins, new research suggests.

The new device, which embeds tiny lithium-based batteries in a silicone sheet, can stretch up to three times its initial length and could be recharged wirelessly, Yonggang Huang, study co-author and a mechanical engineer at Northwestern University, wrote to LiveScience in an email.

The new battery is described today (Feb. 26) in the journal Nature Communications.

Powering devices

For decades, science-fiction writers have envisioned dystopian worlds in which humans and machines are seamlessly integrated with bionic implants. But powering the?cyborg?future requires a way to conform power sources to these futuristic devices. [9 Cyborg Enhancements Available Right Now]

Other researchers have developed stretchy and?paper-thin batteries?before, but most didn't deform much or have the ability to recharge wirelessly, Huang wrote.

Toward that end, Huang and his colleagues embedded tiny lithium-ion batteries in a framework of conducting wires arranged in a repeating S-shaped pattern that, like a fractal, looks similar at several scales. The whole arrangement is printed onto a stretchable silicone sheet. The wires themselves are brittle, but uncoil like a spring, allowing the whole device to be flexible without forcing the delicate lithium-ion batteries to break.

To demonstrate that the concept actually worked, the team powered a red light-emitting diode (LED) while stretching and twisting the battery.

The researchers envision the battery being used for?wearable gadgets, implantable brain-wave monitors, or other bionic devices.

While the new design is incredibly innovative, it wouldn't produce enough power to keep a laptop, or even a large light bulb, running, said Gao Liu, a chemist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who is developing stretchable batteries for transportation systems, but who was not involved in the study. That means it mainly would be useful for a few narrow applications, such as biological implants that don't require very much power, Liu said.

"It's for a niche market," Liu told LiveScience. "You really need to find a market where you don't really need much energy, but you need to deliver the energy on the spot, where you couldn't use a wire."

Follow LiveScience on Twitter?@livescience. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/EzL9OFehwk8/Ultra-stretchy-battery-to-power-bionic-life

911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike september 11 2001 september 11 2001 blake lively

A Love Story: Devices and Cloud ? Perfect Together | Cloud ...

Cloud Expo Authors: Liz McMillan, Maureen O'Gara, Cloud Ventures, Haishi Bai, Pat Romanski

Related Topics: Cloud Expo, Wireless, SOA & WOA, .NET, Web 2.0, iPhone, Big Data Journal

Cloud Expo: Article

A Love Story: Devices and Cloud ? Perfect Together

Cloud is highly available, which means it remains ?indifferent? regardless of where, when, or who is using the service

By Haishi Bai	Article Rating:
February 27, 2013 02:14 PM EST	Reads:	593

We've heard about Google Glasses. And we've heard about Apple iWatch. And yes, we've heard about people embedding cellphones into shoes [1]. Once again, the term "wearable computing" is becoming a hot topic in news and literatures. Some have even announced that the age of wearable technology is here [2]. The world is surely changing fast. Aren't we still debating who makes the best smartphones and the best tablets? What's going on here?

The foreseeable booming of wearable computing is just another chapter of the unstoppable fusion process between cyber space and reality. Eventually, machine computing will become ubiquitous, and the boundary between human bodies and devices will fade away. This is a vision shared by many scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs and Hollywood writers. It's becoming a reality faster than we might have expected. Devices will no longer be just peripheral augmentations, but be inextricably intertwined with human lives.

Then, what's stopping mobile phones and tablets to play such roles? It turns out to be something simple - it's because we are "using" these devices. And because we are "using" the devices, we are unconsciously rejecting these devices from being part of ourselves. After all, "using" tools is not a foreign concept to us, and we intuitively know that tools are not part of us. However, the way we interact with a wristwatch is rather different. First, we rarely think "let me use my watch to look up time." We simply think, "Let me look up time (by looking at my watch)." The difference is subtle, however, a significant one in the way that we are not engaging an explicit "use" action, but a natural "look" action, which is an rudimentary function of our body. Second, we have to look out for battery consumption of mobile devices to keep them operational. Just as we don't consciously manage our body parts, the simple fact that we have to care about availability of these extra capabilities reminds us of the alien nature of these devices. On the other hand, we never turn off our watches, nor do our watches go into sleep mode by themselves. The functionalities provided by our watches are always available to us, making them natural augmentations of our own capabilities.

A wearable device is not a brand-new concept [3]; however, the term gets a new twist at the dawn of cloud computing. In this new word, wearable devices are connected devices. The characteristics of cloud and devices make them a perfect match: Cloud extends the capability of devices by providing infinite processing power, unlimited storage, and unparalleled opportunities for collaboration among devices. On the other hand, devices supplement cloud by bringing contextual relevancy, data collection, and everywhere access to the table.

Cloud is highly available, which means it remains "indifferent" regardless of where, when, or who is using the service. A search for "the best Italian restaurants" around the globe is rarely useful. However, when you issue the same search from your device, the search criteria can be enriched by contextual information - is the restaurant nearby based on your geo-location? Is the restaurant currently open based on current day and time? Is it within your price range based on your spending history? The list goes on and on, and you automatically get much more fine-tuned, personalized results simply because of the personal attachment provided by the device. In other words, devices make cloud services relevant to real lives.

Devices are up close and personal, which means they are seriously "tunnel-visioned." For example, a thermometer reports only temperature readings. Without cross references with other data such as location and time, the reading is barely useful by itself - 40 ?C in a teapot and 40 ?C on a forehead have very different implications. Even with more powerful devices such as mobile phones, social attributes of their owners can't be captured by the devices alone. Humans are social animals. Being able to reflect on the rich social contexts is a very important capability of mobile phones acquired only when they are connected to cloud. Let's go back to the restaurant example: with the assistance of cloud, your mobile phones are able to tell you how others think about the restaurant; You'll be able to query if the restaurant has enough seating capacity for your party; you may reserve seats or place your orders directly; and you can take a picture of your dish and show it off to your friends.

At the business level, devices and cloud have interleaved connections as well. Cloud services follow a very different business model compared with what is for traditional software. Traditional software is a high-margin industry, while cloud services are a high-volume-low-margin industry. For cloud platform to really prosper, it has to build up the critical mass. The scale of this critical mass exceeds all the scales traditional software vendors can ever imagine. Cloud services need to reach out to a large number of clients simply to keep the business model viable. Here we are not talking about numbers in hundreds or thousands. Instead, we are looking at the scale of millions or even billions. How to reach this number? Cloud platform vendors need to look beyond PCs, beyond tablets, and beyond smartphones. They need to make cloud ubiquitous. They need to reach out to every aspects of human lives. Hence, they will be the deciding force that finally merge the cyber space and reality together.

Just as I won't be surprised if Google makes a Google Jacket, or Apple makes an iCollar for dogs, I won't be surprised if your refrigerator automatically orders some meatballs for you because it thinks you are probably going to make pasta tonight. I can easily imagine your water bottle follows you around when you jog through the park. Devices and cloud are perfect together, and their love story has just began.

References:

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/video?videoid=275a3b9a-165b-7ede-...
http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/PersonalTech-Updates/Age-of-wea...
Mann, Steven (1998): Humanistic computing: "WearComp" as a new framework and application for intelligent signal processing. In Proceedings of the IEEE, 86 (11) pp. 2123-2151

Haishi Bai is a Windows Azure Technical Evangelist at Microsoft. Ever since he wrote his first program when he was 12, the world for him has always been all about software and services. In his 16 years of professional life, he?s been engaged in various areas ranging from finance to public safety, and he?s taken on different roles such as architect, development lead, and project manager. He?s also a passionate educator who loves to share his knowledge. He runs a technical blog at http://blog.haishibai.com that focus on cloud technologies. The site attracts over 60,000 views monthly. His Twitter handle is @HaishiBai2010.

Cloud Expo Breaking News

By Liz McMillan

Feb. 27, 2013 10:15 PM EST ?Reads: 6,727

By Pat Romanski

Feb. 27, 2013 12:04 PM EST ?Reads: 866

By Liz McMillan

SYS-CON Events announced today that Fpweb.net, a leading provider of managed, private hosting solutions for Microsoft SharePoint, has been named ?Bronze Sponsor? of SYS-CON's 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10?13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York. Since SharePoint's inception, Fpweb.net, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has been a leading SharePoint hosting provider, including being the very first to host the Microsoft? platform in 1999. Fpwe...

Feb. 27, 2013 12:00 PM EST ?Reads: 1,462

By Liz McMillan

Feb. 27, 2013 11:00 AM EST ?Reads: 1,518

By Elizabeth White

Feb. 27, 2013 11:00 AM EST ?Reads: 2,265

By Elizabeth White

Feb. 27, 2013 09:00 AM EST ?Reads: 3,620

By Liz McMillan

Feb. 27, 2013 09:00 AM EST ?Reads: 1,077

By Elizabeth White

Feb. 26, 2013 12:00 PM EST ?Reads: 1,948

By Pat Romanski

Feb. 26, 2013 10:00 AM EST ?Reads: 1,846

By Elizabeth White

SYS-CON Events announced today that McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation, has been named ?Gold Sponsor? of SYS-CON's 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10?13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York. McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), empowers businesses, the public sector, and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. The company delivers proactive and proven security solutions and ...

Feb. 26, 2013 09:30 AM EST ?Reads: 1,464

Source: http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/2558051

Kerri Strug Ledecky Nadia Comaneci Rebecca Soni Snoop Lion London 2012 Table Tennis badminton

Inbound Marketing Campaign Requires Patience | Internet ...

Inbound marketing is all the rage at the moment. It is the notion that you get customers to come to you, rather than you go out and find them. That has been a ?holy grail? for business for decades. Indeed, one of my favourite books is ?Getting Business To Come To You? which was published before much of this Internet malarkey had been invented. Wouldn?t it be marvellous if people just discovered your business, that you did not have to go out and promote yourself?

Just think of it ? no more cold calls, no more trudging round door-to-door, no more dreary networking meetings, no more stale exhibition halls. Instead, you just sit at your desk and the phone rings and the online cash register keeps on going ?ka-ching?.? It sounds a dream world, yet many online businesses are discovering that you can certainly reduce your marketing efforts if you use ?inbound marketing?, which means people come to you because they already know about you. But how?

The answer to inbound marketing is simply adding content to your web presence. The more web content you add, the more frequently you do it, then the greater the chances of people stumbling across your stuff as they wander the web. But each time I talk to businesses about that they say ?tried that, but it doesn?t really work?.

Yet, I can show them examples of businesses who have turned their marketing department into an online publishing business and who have seen significant growth as a result. I can give them links? to business blogs in tiny niche areas which have become the principal source of new business leads for those firms. Even so, business leaders still say to me ?tried it, but it didn?t work for us?.

However, new research from the folks at HubSpot now reveals why businesses think like that. The study involved over 5,000 companies who use the Internet to market their products and services, so it is substantial information. The research also includes input from over 250 business marketing experts, so the data is significant. And this is what it tells us:

Inbound Marketing Takes Six Months To Work

That?s right ? you are not going to start to see the benefits from any inbound marketing activity for around six months. True, the study did show that 17% of companies did get more traffic to their website in a few weeks, but for 68% of firms it was 7 months before anything happened. That?s over 200 days of relentless, continual adding content before most firms see anything happen in terms of additional interest in their online business.

Inbound Marketing Delays

Few business leaders want to wait that long. They are fuelled with the ?instant? online world we live in and expect to see additional traffic and new lead generation within weeks, if not days. They want to see a return on their investment in content production far sooner than the back end of the year.

The reason why so many businesses are saying ?we tried that, but it didn?t work? is because they are giving up too soon.

To be fair to HubSpot, they have always said that inbound marketing is a ?slow burn? ? indeed, they say they are surprised by the data, because it does show that some people do indeed get a rapid benefit from inbound marketing. The company has always preached patience.

So, what do you need to do in order to get business to come to you online?

Firstly, as the HubSpot research shows, the biggest benefit comes from blogging. And the companies who receive the most benefit blog EVERY DAY or MORE. So get your scribbling pens out?!

Secondly, the research confirms that you need regular ?calls to action? in order to benefit from inbound marketing.

So, if you don?t know how to organise them, please contact me?! Oh whoops ? there?s a call to action for you?!

But whatever you do ? be patient?! As this study shows, for the vast majority of people to benefit from inbound marketing it takes six or seven months. Inbound marketing is NOT a quick fix. But it certainly does lead business to come to you.

Source: http://www.grahamjones.co.uk/2013/blog/internet-marketing/inbound-marketing-campaign-requires-patience.html

extremely loud and incredibly close south carolina primary squirrel appreciation day billy beane road conditions newt gingrich wives at last

West wary, Iran upbeat after nuclear talks

Stanislav Filippov / AFP - Getty Images

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili speaks at a press conference after the talks on Iran's nuclear program in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Wednesday.

By Ali Arouzi, Correspondent, NBC News

ALMATY, Kazakhstan ? Another round of talks between six world powers and Iran over Tehran?s nuclear program ended Wednesday. And like the air in fog-engulfed Almaty, the Kazakh city where the meetings were held, nothing was very clear at the conclusion of the latest negotiations.

The only thing both sides seemed able to agree on was that they would meet again: The next high-level talks will be held on April 5 and 6, again in Almaty.

It is hard to know what exactly has been offered and rejected by Iran and the six powers ? France, Germany, the United States, China Russia and Britain ? because the negotiations are opaque by nature.

NBC's Ali Arouzi reports from Almaty, Kazakhstan, on the nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, that have ended with no tangible agreements other than to meet again in April.

While Tehran maintains it is not seeking nuclear weapons, both sides seemed just as far away from an agreement to resolve the dispute that could lead to military conflict in the Middle East.

Israel has hinted that it could strike Iran's nuclear sites if current diplomatic efforts failed to stop its enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade. Israel is thought to be the only country in the region with a nuclear arsenal.

An American diplomat speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity said that Iran was offered minor sanctions relief if Tehran was willing to scale back certain elements of its nuclear program. It is generally accepted that neither side wants a complete breakdown in talks.

Iran?s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili was upbeat and smiling after the talks concluded, and said that the offers made by the world powers was more realist than previous ones.

"In this round of talks we have witnessed that despite all the attitudes during the last eight months, they tried to get closer to our viewpoints," he told journalists.

He also said Western powers had made no demands that Iran shut down a uranium enrichment facility in Fordow, which is hidden deep inside a mountain.

Jalili concluded by saying that Iran had made massive achievements since the last round of talks and that it would not give up its rights.

One Western diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that that halting enriching uranium to 20 percent fissile purity ? a short technical step from weapons grade ??shipping out current stockpiles and shutting Fordow was still a prerequisite for world powers.

Speaking to journalists for the six powers, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said that she was glad that the Iranians saw this as a positive meeting.

"I hope the Iranian side is looking positively on the proposal we put forward," she said.

"We have to see what happens next,? she added, striking a cautious tone.

She only took three questions from journalists, replying with very short answers.

Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, one thing that the Iranian team has to look forward to is the approaching Persian New Year.? This, the most important holiday on the calendar, is a time for shopping, buying presents for family and friends and decorations for the festive season.

The sense that a deal is on the horizon could strengthen the Iranian currency, which has been in free-fall under pressure from Western sanctions.? A strengthened rial would give ordinary Iranians more purchasing power, and the government more breathing space.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

'Why Almaty?' Journalists at Iran nuclear talks wonder

Iran widens use of clandestine tanker fleet to bust oil sanctions, international officials say

Iran conducts tests to bring down 'hypothetical' drones

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/27/17118643-west-wary-iran-upbeat-after-nuclear-talks?lite

south carolina primary results betty white ed reed football schedule jo paterno dead south carolina tuskegee airmen

Which 80 Prominent Republicans Just Signed a Legal Brief ...

This story has been updated.

As the gay marriage debate continues to heat up, prominent Republicans ? and some surprising names at that ? are emerging to voice their support for same-sex unions. Following a blistering loss in the 2012 presidential election, discussion about social issues, particularly gay rights, has emerged as a potentially-problematic area for right-of-center politicians. And in an era colored by increasing support for homosexual marriage, the pressure is mounting.

This week, more than 80 ?prominent Republicans, including top advisers to President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress signed a legal brief that proclaims gay people have the right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. The document will be submitted to the Supreme Court this week, where it is purportedly intended to add to the voices that will be heard during two upcoming gay rights cases, The New York Times reports.

80 Prominent Republicans Sign Legal Brief Proclaiming Gay Marriage Is a Constitutional Right | Supreme Court

Photo Credit: AP?

Next month, the High Court will hear a battle over Proposition 8, California?s controversial law banning same-sex unions. Additionally, a separate case concerning the Defense of Marriage Act will be argued.?The legal brief could have an impact on conservative justices who support traditional marriage, but who are also sympathetic?to gay marriage arguments surrounding equal rights.

Many of the names on the document argue that legalizing same-sex unions advances conservative values by expanding personal freedom and supporting family structures.?The Times has more about some of the?surprising?names who are accepting this view:

Among them are Meg Whitman, who supported Proposition 8 when she ran for California governor; Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida and Richard Hanna of New York; Stephen J. Hadley, a Bush national security adviser; Carlos Gutierrez, a commerce secretary to Mr. Bush; James B. Comey, a top Bush Justice Department official; David A. Stockman, President Ronald Reagan?s first budget director; and Deborah Pryce, a former member of the House Republican leadership from Ohio who is retired from Congress.

Ms. Pryce said Monday: ?Like a lot of the country, my views have evolved on this from the first day I set foot in Congress. I think it?s just the right thing, and I think it?s on solid legal footing, too.?

Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor, who favored civil unions but opposed same-sex marriage during his 2012 presidential bid, also signed. Last week, Mr. Huntsman announced his new position in?an article?titled ?Marriage Equality Is a Conservative Cause,? a sign that the 2016 Republican presidential candidates could be divided on the issue for the first time.

Photo Credit: AP

Here?s a portion of how Huntsman framed his new-found views on the matter:

Today we have an opportunity to do more: conservatives should start to lead again and push their states to join the nine others that allow all their citizens to marry. I?ve been married for 29 years. My marriage has been the greatest joy of my life. There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge that same relationship with the person they love.

All Americans should be treated equally by the law, whether they marry in a church, another religious institution, or a town hall. This does not mean that any religious group would be forced by the state to recognize relationships that run counter to their conscience. Civil equality is compatible with, and indeed promotes, freedom of conscience.

Last week, former First Lady Laura Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Sec. of State Colin Powell made headlines after past interviews they gave on the subject of gay marriage were used in an ad for??The Respect for Marriage Coalition, a group favoring same-sex nuptials. As of Monday, the Times reports that these individuals were not yet signed onto the brief (you can see more of the names who did sign on board here).

Interestingly, in making the argument that gay marriage should be legal and that Proposition 8 deserves to be overturned, past Supreme Court cases that are near and dear to conservatives? hearts are cited. The Times claims that the document notes the Citizens United case, which focused upon campaign finance restrictions, and a Second Amendment case in which the Washington D.C. handgun ban was overturned.

Photo Credit: AP

This brief brings the stark divide within the Republican Party over gay marriage out into the open. With House of Representatives leadership?continuing?the tout the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as existing only between one man and one woman, it?s evident that the split is only growing.

With the American public increasingly?becoming?supportive of gay marriage, questions over how this dynamic will impact the Republican Party?s future are ongoing. Recent trends are certainly showcasing increased support for same-sex unions ? and even homosexuality more generally.

LifeWay Research?conducted a survey back in November?? the results of which were released last month. The organization asked respondents, ?Do you believe homosexual behavior is a sin???Forty-five percent of the American public said that it is not, with 37 percent answering affirmatively, and an additional 17 percent?saying?that it did not know which side to select.

For better or for worse (and that depends on whom you?re talking to), it?s clear that the tides are turning.

UPDATE: The current list of Republicans, as presented by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, is below:

Ken Mehlman,?Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
Tim Adams,?Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2005-2007
David D. Aufhauser,?General Counsel, Department of Treasury, 2001-2003
Cliff S. Asness,?Businessman, Philanthropist, and Author
John B. Bellinger III,?Legal Adviser to the Department of State, 2005-2009
Katie Biber,?General Counsel, Romney for President, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
Mary Bono Mack, Member of Congress, 1998-2013
William A. Burck, Deputy Staff Secretary, Special Counsel and Deputy Counsel to the President, 2005-2009
Alex Castellanos, Republican Media Advisor
Paul Cellucci,?Governor of Massachusetts, 1997-2001, and Ambassador to Canada, 2001-2005
Mary Cheney, Director of Vice Presidential Operations, Bush-Cheney 2004
Jim Cicconi, Assistant to the President & Deputy to the Chief of Staff, 1989-1990
James B. Comey, United States Deputy Attorney General, 2003-2005
R. Clarke Cooper,?U.S. Alternative Representative, United Nations Security Council, 2007-2009
Julie Cram,?Deputy Assistant to the President and Director White House Office of Public Liaison, 2007-2009
Michele Davis,?Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Director of Policy Planning, Department of the Treasury, 2006-2009
Kenneth M. Duberstein,?White House Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President, 1981-1984 and 1987-1989
Lew Eisenberg,?Finance Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2002-2004
Elizabeth Noyer Feld,?Public Affairs Specialist, White House Office of Management and Budget, 1984-1987
David Frum,?Special Assistant to the President, 2001-2002
Richard Galen,?Communications Director, Speaker?s Political Office, 1996-1997
Mark Gerson,?Chairman, Gerson Lehrman Group and Author of?The Neoconservative Vision: From the Cold War to the Culture Wars?and?In the Classroom: Dispatches from an Inner-City School that Works
Benjamin Ginsberg,?General Counsel, Bush-Cheney 2000 & 2004
Adrian Gray,?Director of Strategy, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
Richard Grenell,?Spokesman, U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations, 2001-2008
Patrick Guerriero,?Mayor, Melrose Massachusetts and member of Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1993-2001
Carlos Gutierrez,?Secretary of Commerce, 2005-2009
Stephen Hadley,?Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, 2005-2009
Richard Hanna,?Member of Congress, 2011-Present
Israel Hernandez,?Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, 2005-2009
Margaret Hoover,?Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, 2005-2006
Michael Huffington,?Member of Congress, 1993-1995
Jon Huntsman,?Governor of Utah, 2005-2009
David A. Javdan,?General Counsel, United States Small Business Administration, 2002-2006
Reuben Jeffery,?Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, 2007-2009
Greg Jenkins,?Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Advance, 2003-2004
Coddy Johnson,?National Field Director, Bush-Cheney 2004
Gary Johnson,?Governor of New Mexico, 1995-2003
Robert Kabel,?Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, 1982-1985
Theodore W. Kassinger,?Deputy Secretary of Commerce, 2004-2005
Jonathan Kislak,?Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for Small Community and Rural Development, 1989-1991
David Kochel,?Senior Advisor to Mitt Romney?s Iowa Campaign, 2007-2008 and 2011-2012
James Kolbe,?Member of Congress, 1985-2007
Jeffrey Kupfer,?Acting Deputy Secretary of Energy, 2008-2009
Kathryn Lehman,?Chief of Staff, House Republican Conference, 2003-2005
Daniel Loeb,?Businessman and Philanthropist
Alex Lundry,?Director of Data Science, Romney for President, 2012
Greg Mankiw,?Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
Catherine Martin,?Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Communications Director for Policy & Planning, 2005-2007
Kevin Martin,?Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2005-2009
David McCormick,?Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 2007-2009
Mark McKinnon,?Republican Media Advisor
Bruce P. Mehlman,?Assistant Secretary of Commerce, 2001-2003
Connie Morella,?Member of Congress, 1987-2003 and U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003-2007
Michael E. Murphy,?Republican Political Consultant
Michael Napolitano,?White House Office of Political Affairs, 2001-2003
Ana Navarro,?National Hispanic Co-Chair for Senator John McCain?s Presidential Campaign, 2008
Noam Neusner,?Special Assistant to the President for Economic Speechwriting, 2002-2005
Nancy Pfotenhauer,?Economist, Presidential Transition Team, 1988 and President?s Council on Competitiveness, 1990
J. Stanley Pottinger,?Assistant U.S. Attorney General (Civil Rights Division), 1973-1977
Michael Powell,?Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, 2001-2005
Deborah Pryce,?Member of Congress, 1993-2009
John Reagan,?New Hampshire State Senator, 2012-Present
Kelley Robertson,?Chief of Staff, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,?Member of Congress, 1989-Present
Harvey S. Rosen,?Member and Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, 2003-2005
Lee Rudofsky,?Deputy General Counsel, Romney for President, 2012
Patrick Ruffini,?eCampaign Director, Republican National Committee, 2005-2007
Steve Schmidt,?Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Vice President, 2004-2006
Ken Spain,?Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee, 2009-2010
Robert Steel,?Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, 2006-2008
David Stockman,?Director, Office of Management and Budget, 1981-1985
Jane Swift,?Governor of Massachusetts, 2001-2003
Michael E. Toner, Chairman and Commissioner, Federal Election Commission, 2002-2007
Michael Turk,?eCampaign Director for Bush-Cheney 2004
Mark Wallace,?U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Representative for UN Management and Reform, 2006-2008
Nicolle Wallace,?Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director, 2005-2008
William F. Weld,?Governor of Massachusetts, 1991-1997, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General (Criminal Division), 1986-1988
Christine Todd Whitman,?Governor of New Jersey, 1994-2001, and Administrator of the EPA, 2001-2003
Meg Whitman,?Republican Nominee for Governor of California, 2010
Robert Wickers,?Republican Political Consultant
Dan Zwonitzer,?Wyoming State Representative, 2005-present

(H/T: New York Times)

new hope baptist church associated press foster friess new orleans hornets ghost rider spirit of vengeance hornets prince johan friso

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Imperial H1 up 14 pct, sees challenging market ahead

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African logistics group Imperial Holdings reported a 14 percent rise in first-half profit on Wednesday as debt-led consumer spending lifted its auto unit and offset a weak logistic market.

Imperial, which runs car rentals, dealerships and logistics businesses, said headline earnings per share totalled 829 cents in the six months to end-December compared with 727 cents a year ago.

Headline EPS, the primary profit gauge in South Africa, strips out certain one-off items.

Imperial, the nation's biggest owner of car showrooms, is benefiting from decades-low interest rates and above-inflation wage increases that have helped underpin car sales while its logistics business at home is struggling due to a tentative economic recovery.

Revenue was 18 percent higher at 45.3 billion rand.

Imperial and other car showroom operators sold 9.2 percent more cars in 2012, a solid year despite slowing economic growth and job losses.

The company said trading conditions in the South African logistics market and in the car rental and tourism industries would remain challenging, while its international logistics business would be impacted by a slowing German economy.

"We expect subdued growth in the 2013 financial year," it said, but added that its balance sheet was strong and the company was well positioned to take advantage of any attractive growth and acquisition opportunities as they arise.

The company declared an interim dividend of 380 cents, up 27 percent on the previous year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/imperial-h1-14-pct-sees-challenging-market-ahead-061159111--finance.html

madonna half time m.i.a super bowl coin toss best superbowl commercials madonna super bowl halftime kelly clarkson super bowl giants super bowl 2012

For Autodesk, a Step Into a Nanoscale World - NYTimes.com

Autodesk, a quirky software start-up in Marin County, north of San Francisco, rose to prominence in the early 1980s because of AutoCAD, its computer-aided design program that was intended for use on personal computers. Over the next decade, AutoCAD became the standard design tool for architects and engineers.

This week at the TED conference in Long Beach, Calif., the company will take the first public step toward translating its computer design approach, which has since spilled over from Hollywood to the Maker movement, into the emerging nanoscale world of synthetic biology and materials.

For the last two years, a small group of software engineers and molecular biologists have been developing a software system for designing at the molecular level at the company?s research laboratory in downtown San Francisco. At the TED conference, Autodesk will introduce ?Project Cyborg,? a Web-based software platform for delivering a range of services like molecular modeling and simulation.

The company has quietly begun working with a small group of molecular biologists in the last year. It has not announced when it will commercialize the technology, but it envisions that scientists, engineers and even students and ?citizen scientists? will soon be able to use the system on individual projects.

There are still many open questions that nanotechnology needs to surmount, ranging from viability to safety. Autodesk executives and the designers of Project Cyborg believe, however, that they can recreate the thriving commercial ecosystems that the company has now evolved in engineering design at a Lilliputian scale. They foresee nanorobots that will be able to attack cancers and other diseases and a new world of molecular materials, as well as a visualization system for an entire universe beyond the range of the unaided human eye.

?People are only now being introduced to the fact that this form of science is in fact design, and it has the same paradigms and patterns as designing a factory or designing a car, with different nouns and verbs,? said Jeff Kowalski, Autodesk?s chief technology officer. ?That?s our objective ? to understand how to take 30 years of technology to transform how design is done in the inert world and empower those who are designing in the living world.?

The company will introduce its new nanodesign software vision in two talks to be given by scientists who have been working with the Autodesk research lab. One will be delivered by Skylar Tibbits, an M.I.T. architect and computer scientist who is to discuss biomolecular self-assembly on Tuesday. Jessica Green, a University of Oregon ecologist, is to speak on Thursday about design at the molecular scale.

Autodesk took its first commercial step into biological design last year with a partnership with Organovo Holdings, a San Diego start-up that aims to manufacture human tissues and organs. Autodesk software will be used to control a so-called bioprinter being developed by Organovo. It will initially have pharmaceutical testing applications.

Autodesk is not alone in seeking to build nanoscale design tools, nor the first to try to commercialize molecular design.
Thomas Knight, an M.I.T electrical engineer, introduced the concept of biobricks in 2003. The idea has been to create a library of standard biological parts derived from specific DNA sequences. Ideally they would share a common ?interface,? making it possible to use them to construct new biological systems.

A striking example of the potential of molecular design was announced in February 2012 by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. Two scientists at the institute designed a robotic device from DNA that was intended to seek out specific cells and deliver anticancer therapeutics with remarkable precision. The nanoscale robot is shaped like a clamshell and designed to open when it reaches its target, releasing a specific molecule.

The Autodesk researchers acknowledge they are far from being able to sell commercially robust engineering tools for the nano world. ?Right now we don?t even have the notion of digital prototyping in any mature way in biology,? said Carlos Olguin, head of the Autodesk Bio/Nano/Programmable Matter Group. ?People really do all of this by trial and error.?

But the company is placing a significant bet that that will not always be the case. If Autodesk is right, it will be a tremendous vindication for K. Eric Drexler, an M.I.T.-trained engineer who in the 1970s began forecasting the emergence of a world engineered by nanoscale machines.

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/for-autodesk-a-step-into-a-nanoscale-world/

acura nsx all star weekend 2012 giada de laurentiis howard hughes nationwide race wanderlust gone

Hell's Kitchen Season 11 Cast: Revealed!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/hells-kitchen-season-11-cast-revealed/

dwts sean hannity bobby petrino fired buffett rule lollapalooza lineup joss whedon ronnie montrose

The Convenience of getting Your Home fitness equipment ...

Acquire your special exercise coupon codes in addition to earn discount your own workout program. Acquiring it challenging to bring your own self at usual pace? Them hardly matters the amount you for earn if you cannot reside healthy daily life. A smart way to modify your true self and instill healthy living routine is to subscribe and health clubs. The own fitness at home is definitely gain. Distance Fitness could be a great place to shop for equipment. The treadmill is a fantastic fitness equipment today because doing so offers great side effects for your actual physical stature together with a pretty ideal exercise for your cardio exercise. This will also help you keep an eye on your sons or daughters at home while physical exercise. Rogue Fitness Coupon from top sellers. Looking for a good and even affordable is not more a troublesome task. Search online coupon shops and collect interesting coupon codes presenting great deals and even discount on a variety of fitness provider. Locate your fitness deals from on the internet coupon stores in addition to avail special lower price on fitness deals. Want to know the best part concerning the overall health cubs draught beer provide reliability to our physical fitness regimen and even maintain the person encouraged to achieve his or her fitness goal. Physical fitness and health isn?t just concerning toned body nonetheless it may be the a sense of quality, agility and also fitness that produce people joyful and content. Towards counter the negative effect of discrepancy lifestyle it is strongly recommended that you follow a new consistent fitness program several good to remain your physique fit as well as fine. If the customer can see every one of the skin care course providers at one place, they are able to themselves find the better product or a plan. A leading way to obtain online bonus coupon codes, no cost coupons, discounts, publicity coupons over online websites online. It gives you Attractiveness, Fitness plans / products coupon codes and promotions involving both branded and generic stores out of around the world in one single area and helps often the consumers to generate a wise choice following their needs. everywhere thousands of deals.

Which can help you actually stay fit devoid of all the complications is an exersice trainer. This equipment will allow you to stay fit without having to shell out much electrical power, so that you can are good to travel for do the job after you work out. Rather then playing games or watching television with all your kids whenever you get home, take them out in to the backyard and have an activity of field hockey going. For instance , you?re using loads of your muscle mass for softball, for instance your tricep muscles, abs, bras, pectorals and gastrocnemius. The larger you works by using the muscles, the particular stronger they might acquire. Additionally, it is an incredibly secure and efficient exercising device as there is low-impact motion involved in working the tools. Most people always desire to present well, proper? muscle and strength coupons actions granted under. These types of machines will let you greatly enhance motion, stay away from injuries, it will at the same time help you appreciate your daily things to do. It creates you are feeling and look better and helps you get physically and mentally healthier throughout a single day. Together with Horizon Fitness online coupons, you could have your own personal home exercise equipment and you will also save more money along with discounts. Extending can also get a circulation planning, which is certainly suitable for your cardiovascular system. Stretching is actually a piece of cake for many who to use a receptionist counter all day every day. Besides staring at your laptop or job the whole day, transfer your neck on the left and then to the correct for half a minute at any given time. No matter the method of work that you do, there can be always ways to incorporate stretches into your day by day routine. These kind of discount coupons are issued by restaurants as part of most of their advertising models. This type of coupons, , however, are generally not completely new. Thanks to modern tools, printable restaurant coupons can be acquired from the Online world these days. The coupons typically could possibly be redeemed with certain drinks or simply ingredients. There are methods for you to take to get them on-line.

Next make full use of into the vitamin and mineral shoppe coupon discounts. Get good quality web pages with membership which usually allows you to consult health related things from the medical care team connected with experts. While mountain biking is among the most most in-demand outdoor recreation around the world, one can find things to think about before embracing it as a pastime. There are actually company?s medical care centers that are fitted with individual special areas of practice based on wide range of health concerns. Number of services health tools are available to eliminate your risks of affecting through certain diseases and also avoiding health issues, reducing your weight, and much other health and fitness vitamin shoppe promotion. com site, for newly released and updated Wellness coupons. Industry nowadays will be boiling develop hot promotions, schemes and that smart marketers and global businesses are recruiting. longer time period vitamin shoppe coupon At the moment, when we check the market movements, we may study in which marketers are exhibiting extra concern with regards to the consumers wellbeing and features. Have free coupons as well as vouchers using the acquiring a merchandise just what we take note of constantly, in addition to yes, such innovative to line of promotional deals and vouchers can be purchased in discount today. For this reason the most effective vitamins shoppe coupon promotions are more to the limelight at present than the dinner deals. That?s who has encouraged the particular promoters to consider Vitamin and mineral shoppe coupon voucher codes, offering perfect vitamin shoppe token deals in the market. Currently, the concept of Privilege Card is highly valued. Additionally, its is suggested on the people that if youre opting for the newest offers, then opt to avail the item such as Right Card. Reason is ? the advantages paired develop the advertising cards are comparatively more and with firm validity time period. By Gikiuope defimixi

Source: http://sflalegalnews.com/the-convenience-of-getting-your-home-fitness-equipment

Justin Bieber cancer lil wayne Mockingbird Lane peyton manning sf giants gold rush gold rush

Connecting the (quantum) dots: First viable high-speed quantum computer moves closer

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Recent research offers a new spin on using nanoscale semiconductor structures to build faster computers and electronics. Literally.

University of Pittsburgh and Delft University of Technology researchers reveal in the Feb. 17 online issue of Nature Nanotechnology a new method that better preserves the units necessary to power lightning-fast electronics, known as qubits (pronounced CUE-bits). Hole spins, rather than electron spins, can keep quantum bits in the same physical state up to 10 times longer than before, the report finds.

"Previously, our group and others have used electron spins, but the problem was that they interacted with spins of nuclei, and therefore it was difficult to preserve the alignment and control of electron spins," said Sergey Frolov, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy within Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, who did the work as a postdoctoral fellow at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Whereas normal computing bits hold mathematical values of zero or one, quantum bits live in a hazy superposition of both states. It is this quality, said Frolov, which allows them to perform multiple calculations at once, offering exponential speed over classical computers. However, maintaining the qubit's state long enough to perform computation remains a long-standing challenge for physicists.

"To create a viable quantum computer, the demonstration of long-lived quantum bits, or qubits, is necessary," said Frolov. "With our work, we have gotten one step closer."

The holes within hole spins, Frolov explained, are literally empty spaces left when electrons are taken out. Using extremely thin filaments called InSb (indium antimonide) nanowires, the researchers created a transistor-like device that could transform the electrons into holes. They then precisely placed one hole in a nanoscale box called "a quantum dot" and controlled the spin of that hole using electric fields. This approach -- featuring nanoscale size and a higher density of devices on an electronic chip -- is far more advantageous than magnetic control, which has been typically employed until now, said Frolov.

"Our research shows that holes, or empty spaces, can make better spin qubits than electrons for future quantum computers."

"Spins are the smallest magnets in our universe. Our vision for a quantum computer is to connect thousands of spins, and now we know how to control a single spin," said Frolov. "In the future, we'd like to scale up this concept to include multiple qubits."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

V. S. Pribiag, S. Nadj-Perge, S. M. Frolov, J. W. G. van den Berg, I. van Weperen, S. R. Plissard, E. P. A. M. Bakkers, L. P. Kouwenhoven. Electrical control of single hole spins in nanowire quantum dots. Nature Nanotechnology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.5

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/yzWo70ni_zA/130226114021.htm

Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Java Gangster Squad school shooting oscar nominations C7 Corvette

BlackBerry launches the Z10 in India for $800

The BB10-toting BlackBerry Z10 has just been unveiled in India, priced at Rs 43,490 ($800) for an unlocked unit. Coinciding with the announcement, the BlackBerry Music Store has also gone live in the country starting today, offering a mix of local and international music. Support for local languages aside, the app offerings have been given an Indian flavor with the inclusion of country-specific goodies spanning various genres including news, banking, travel, entertainment and lifestyle. The subcontinent is quite important for the company formerly known as RIM, and its devices are still popular in the region, despite taking a beating in market share recently (see coverage), courtesy the BBM service that makes them the go-to smartphones for those hooked on to the instant messaging platform. However, the Z10's sticker price puts it in the same league as the 16GB iPhone 5 and HTC's full-HD Butterfly (both costing roughly $50 more), and it remains to be seen how the price-sensitive Indian market will react to the new entrant.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/blackberry-z10-india/

slab city super bowl snacks appleton denver weather super bowl recipes planned parenthood kobayashi

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Glass Ceiling Smashers Show Women The Money | The Next ...

The NextWomen Social Entrepreneurship Theme

?In a world of GLASS CEILING SMASHERS, {Golden Girl finance founders}, Misner and MacDonald are two blondes investing in total architchetical overhaul.?' Dolce Vita Magazine.

In 2010, two women founded GoldenGirlFinance in Winnipeg, Canada. Both women had a passion to change the way women thought about and understood money.

With a social purpose they founded their online financial media site to connect women, media, and money.

Social organizations come in all shapes and sizes, but are united in their passion for change using business to power that change. GoldenGirlFinance is a social driven, for profit business model that rebrands finance with a feminine spin and engages women of all ages. It's been said that it's like an 'unbiased financial education with a feminine twist? and is free.

The company is a leader in financial media for women in Canada. Laura J. McDonald and Susan L. Misner are the Founders. They are the voice of females for Yahoo! Canada, Shaw Media, Chatlainemagazine and Breakfast Television.

Both founders are frequent commentators in the press and media. They reach hundreds of thousands of readers daily with digital, print and television platforms. Best-selling authors of the personal finance guide ?It?s Your Money, Honey: A Girl?s Guide to Saving, Investing, and Building Wealth at Every Age and Life Stage?(John Wiley & Sons, 2012) and upcoming ?10 Ways to Stay Broke Forever??(John Wiley & Sons, Spring 2013).

Why GoldenGirlFinance?

Both founders brought different strengths to the business. Laura is a communications and brand consultant and Susan is an experienced financial adviser. Both women grew tired of seeing capable women remaining fearful of the financial economy, too intimidated to speak up, and educate themselves, and ask the questions they yearn to have answered (but are often too busy to ask).

Laura and Susan identified and realised women need to be reached from a female perspective ?

??One that understands their lingo, would never undervalue their input, and assures them that all questions are valid and worthy of a legitimate response.?

They engage, educate and empower women of all ages to take care of their finances and build lasting wealth.

Has it been challenging to run a social driven business?

Laura says their business has gone through a process. ?First there was a following, then there was acceptance. It's all about messaging. If you're passionate about what you are doing financial success will come. Believe in what you are doing. It does take time.? She continued to emphasize the importance of your messaging and to love what you are doing.

?Be ardent with your messaging.?

How has your social business been financed?

?We've had some great investors that are patient and traditional financing institutions. Get in front of people. Tell your story ? show your passion.?

?We also create opportunties for other organizations to connect with the female demographic through sponsorships,?

says Laura.This funding model allows them to provide free finance media content to subscribors.

Why Women and Money?

?We understood there was a huge disconnect and women didn't understand much about financing. Financing and women were just not connecting. There was a stereotype that women still felt like they should not talk about money. Tradionally, men were the investors and in charge of the money in the family. Overall, women did not seem very satisfied with the financial sector,? Laura says.

So they took media and tied that to women and money and founded GoldenGirlFinance. They were out on a mission to empower and influence the female demographic. They focus not only on personal finance for women, but also investing, the stock market, career and business information.

So does a social driven business result in success? Show me the money, honey?

?Laura says, ?If you are passionate about something - a business, you sometimes have to work for little pay, but if you believe in what you are doing, financial success will come. We are becoming larger that we expected.?

"We are becoming the voice of females and finance in Canada."

Lana Larder founded Halifax Finance Inc. in 2008 in Nova Scotia, Canada after seeing how difficult it was for business women globally to access financing to open or grow a business. Lana is currently working on founding the first angel fund for women starting up businesses in Canada.

Source: http://www.thenextwomen.com/2013/02/25/glass-ceiling-smashers-show-women-money

palm sunday toure patti smith lottery winners lottery winners april fools day pranks ohio state vs kansas

Win a Samsung Galaxy S4 in 'The World's First Samsung Galaxy S4 Contest'

Win a Samsung Galaxy S4

How would you like to win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4, courtesy of Android Central? In 'The World's First Samsung Galaxy S4 Contest', you can win the device, no strings attached.

Here's how you can submit your entry:

Submit a single comment to this blog post.

That's it.

Pretty easy, right? Leave a comment on this post and you're automatically entered to win. A winner will be announced shortly after the official device announcement on March 14th, and we will ship the device as soon as it becomes available.

Good luck to all!

P.S. Once you've left your comment, head on over to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Forum for more chat, banter and general S4 goodness.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/iSfISu0XrSE/story01.htm

Chris Brown Tattoo Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann Jael Strauss Alison Pill Sam Bacile sprint

Memory strategy may help depressed people remember the good times

Feb. 25, 2013 ? New research highlights a memory strategy that may help people who suffer from depression in recalling positive day-to-day experiences.

The study is published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Previous research has shown that being able to call up concrete, detailed memories that are positive or self-affirming can help to boost positive mood for people with a history of depression. But it's this kind of vivid memory for everyday events that seems to be dampened for people who suffer from depression.

Researcher Tim Dalgleish of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and colleagues hypothesized that a well-known method used to enhance memory -- known as the "method-of-loci" strategy -- might help depressed patients to recall positive memories with greater ease.

The method-of-loci strategy consists of associating vivid memories with physical objects or locations -- buildings you see on your commute to work every day, for instance. To recall the memories, all you have to do is imagine going through your commute.

In the study, depressed patients were asked to come up with 15 positive memories. One group was asked to use the method-of-loci strategy to create associations with their memories, while a control group was asked to use a simple "rehearsal" strategy, grouping memories based on their similarities.

After practicing their techniques, the participants were asked to recall as many of their 15 positive memories as they could.

The two methods were equally effective on the initial memory test conducted in the lab -- both groups were able to recall nearly all of the 15 memories.

But the strategies were not equally effective over time.

After a week's worth of practice at home, the participants received a surprise phone call from the researchers, who asked them to recall the memories one more time.

Participants who used the method-of-loci technique were significantly better at recalling their positive memories when compared to those who used the rehearsal technique.

These data suggest that using the method-of-loci technique to associate vivid, positive memories with physical objects or locations may make it easier for depressed individuals to recall those positive memories, which may help to elevate their mood in the long-term.

In addition to Dalgleish, co-authors on this research include Lauren Navrady, Elinor Bird, Emma Hill, Barnaby Dunn and Ann-Marie Golden, all of the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.

This research was supported by the U.K. Medical Research Council.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

T. Dalgleish, L. Navrady, E. Bird, E. Hill, B. D. Dunn, A.-M. Golden. Method-of-Loci as a Mnemonic Device to Facilitate Access to Self-Affirming Personal Memories for Individuals With Depression. Clinical Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/2167702612468111

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/depression/~3/l9PNtGchdOo/130225122047.htm

tiger woods lakers Real Madrid iOS 6.1 yahoo finance BlackBerry aapl

BlackBerry's response to Samsung's SAFE Knox for enterprise: 'We've been doing that since 1999'

With Samsung stepping on Blackberry's enterprise turf via its SAFE with Knox launch, it's not too surprising the Canadian outfit has a few choice words on the subject. We spoke with mobile computing Executive VP David J. Smith, who finds it "flattering" that Samsung is taking a similar interest in enterprise security, but said it may take awhile to catch up since his own company's been doing it "since 1999." He said that experience means "nothing is more secure" than BB10 smartphones combined with its Balance work/home app and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 (BES). Of course, the latter now supports Android and iOS devices, but Smith added that the main problem with Samsung's approach is Android itself -- which he feels brings its own bag of insecure worms to the enterprise space.

With Samsung touting Knox's ability to separate enterprise functions from a user's "personal space," Smith pointed to the Balance app -- which has been doing that since 2011 -- claiming it's the only solution that "can effectively keep sensitive corporate information secure while keeping an individual's personal information private." In contrast, Smith said Android is still inherently "vulnerable" due to its open nature, while BB engineered its Blackberry OS kernel in-house to be secure and that aspect was "completely understood" by company engineers. He added that programmers are constantly fine-tuning those features for its own BB10 and legacy handsets, adding that it would bring new Android and iOS "containers" and other features later this year to further boost security for those devices. Naturally, the outfit's likely hoping you'll want one of its shiny new devices to swipe or click, but failing that, says that you'll be the most secure under its BES 10 umbrella, regardless of your handset.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Blackberry

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/25/blackberry-response-samsung-knox-balance/

tony parker the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd 2012 nfl draft

'Life of Pi?s' Oscars give limelight to Taiwan

When Ang Lee, who won an Oscar for directing 'Life of Pi,' announced that he couldn?t have done the movie ?without the help of Taiwan,? the island cheered.

By Ralph Jennings,?Correspondent / February 25, 2013

Ang Lee poses with his award for best directing for 'Life of Pi' during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles.

John Shearer, Invision/AP

Enlarge

When the hero of ?Life of Pi? is staring desperately out at the endless, picturesque ocean as a shipwreck castaway somewhere between India and Mexico, he wasn?t actually there.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

And when he and a Bengal tiger reach a palm-lined, white-sand Mexican beach after 227 days at sea without hurting each other, they weren?t actually there, either.

Like most of the film, those scenes were shot in Taiwan. And when Taiwan-born film director Ang Lee won an Oscar for best director Sunday and announced that he couldn?t have made the movie ?without the help of Taiwan,? it brought a much-welcomed limelight to Taiwan, as local governments and the film industry attempt to beef up Taiwan's image as a site for movies.

?When Lee said he particularly thanked Taichung, I was really moved,? Taichung Mayor Jason Hu told reporters Monday in a phone interview. ?Before the awards, Ang Lee had given me a call and said, ?Mayor, if I win I will mention Taichung.? ?

?Life of Pi,? based on a 2001 novel by Yann Martel, is set in spots around the globe: castaway Pi?s homeland of India; the Pacific Ocean, where his family?s ship wrecks while relocating their zoo; Mexico, where he ends up; and Canada where he tells the story.

But Mr. Lee used his homeland to find the some 3,000 crew members and film some 75 percent of the movie. In addition to best director, Life of Pi was awarded Oscars for best cinematography, original score, and visual effects.

Big push to attract foreign film crews

Taiwanese cultural officials have long fought to attract foreign-based film crews, to help drive the economy.

The farming and industrial hub of Taichung put up $1.69 million for use of a defunct airport, including a wave pool that served as the cinematic ocean, a city spokesperson said. Taiwan?s central government added another $10.14 million to help cover the total cost, estimated at $120 million.

Taiwan has given subsidies to local filmmakers for more than 60 years to develop talent and, in earlier days, advance government views. Few local productions have reached the global acclaim of ?Life of Pi,? though Lee says he hopes to promote tourism in Taiwan through film.

Filmmakers and cultural officials say the next step is to get more films to depict Taiwanese city skylines, so that they become recognizable. ??Life of Pi,? though it was filmed in Taiwan, does not explicitly ?say? Taiwan.

?It?s not like 'Mission Impossible,' where you see someone jump off a landmark skyscraper in Shanghai,? says David Frazier, co-founder of Taiwan-based Urban Nomad Film Fest.

The island is known for varied landscapes and visible displays of traditional Chinese culture, and has a lot to offer filmmakers, say officials.

Taiwan should play up its hospitality toward film crews, says Zoe Tuan, general secretary of the Chinese Cross-Strait Film Association in Taipei.

She points to an example that happened during the filming of ?Life of Pi.? The crew needed 450 fish for an ocean scene, she says, and Taiwanese fishermen quickly complied because they wanted to help, according to local news reports.

?Taiwan has a keen sense of hospitality, and for a director the film set can become a second home,? Ms. Tuan says.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/oxk1pYiEAQ4/Life-of-Pi-s-Oscars-give-limelight-to-Taiwan

food network star British Open 2012 bane Aurora Colorado Rajesh Khanna friday the 13th toy story 4

Monday, February 25, 2013

A Cuba beyond the Castros?

News from Cuba this week that Raul Castro will step down in 2018 is offering fodder for critics of US policy towards Cuba who say Washington is stuck in the Cold War.

By Anya Landau French,?Guest blogger / February 25, 2013

Cuba's leader Fidel Castro and his brother Cuban President Raul Castro talk during the opening session of the National Assemby in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2012.

Ismael Francisco/AP

Enlarge

This past week was uncommonly full of Cuba news.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

At the top of the list has to be this weekend's selection of a new First Vice President in Cuba, Manuel Diaz Canel, age 52, the first person to occupy that post that did not fight in the Revolution. The outgoing First Vice President apparently stepped aside to make room for the next generation of Cuban leaders. Diaz Canel is presumed to be Raul Castro?s successor, a prospect made all the more clear by Raul Castro?s reiteration that this will indeed be his final term in office, as he promised in 2008 when he began his first full term as president.

Castro also endorsed term (and age!) limits for top government officials, and insisted that he will press ahead with his reform agenda. Two of the country?s five vice presidents are now women, and just one leader of the Revolution, Ramiro Valdes, remains.

Interestingly, Fidel Castro, who made a rare appearance at the National Assembly session yesterday and gave a wide-ranging interview to Cuba's Communist Party daily Granma earlier this month, does not exactly seem bowled over by his brother?s big change agenda, referring to the Revolution as the ?change? that matters most. While the elder Castro assures this is all just a bit of fine-tuning, the consistent message to the Cuban people from the younger Castro now in charge is clear: Cuba is changing, it is (slowly) modernizing, and perhaps most important of all, that Raul Castro himself can be trusted to follow through ? however slowly at times ? with the reformist policies he endorses.

While there will no doubt be ingrained skepticism among many Cubans - and Raul Castro himself makes sure not to take it too far, promising no return to capitalism in Cuba, for example ? many Cubans will see the leadership changes that took place this week as a sign that more changes still are on the way.

It?s thus jarring to see how disconnected?US policy is from the changes afoot in Cuba today. As one of the Cuban government?s most vocal critics, blogging sensation Yoani Sanchez (who is now traveling in Brazil, thanks to Raul Castro?s migration reforms), put it: The US embargo of Cuba is ?a fossil of the Cold War that does not have any sense in the modern world in which we live."

Talking about terrorism

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QnN6zVBUgLY/A-Cuba-beyond-the-Castros

john edwards conocophillips octomom dan savage new world trade center kellen moore ryan braun

Egypt's Mursi invites opposition to dialogue on elections

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi invited opposition parties to a meeting on Monday to discuss concerns about upcoming parliamentary elections, which some parties have threatened to boycott, and agree on ways to ensure their fairness.

The invitation was similar to offers Mursi has made previously that were spurned, and the National Salvation Front opposition coalition immediately rejected the offer to meet.

"I tell everyone of all colors of the spectrum, to all dear brothers in different parties across Egypt, I approach them by name, by party, by persons to sit tomorrow and put down guarantees for transparent and fair elections," Mursi said in a recorded appearance on a television talk program on Mehwar channel aired late on Sunday.

Mursi also sought to dispel speculation that there were growing tensions between the army and the presidency. Some Egyptians, frustrated with what they view as Mursi's poor performance over the past seven months, have called for the military again to run Egypt.

Egypt's military has been a central force in politics since army officers staged an overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.

"There could never be disagreement between the armed forces and the presidency because the president and the armed forces are not two factions, they are one, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is extremely professional," Mursi said on the show.

In addition, Mursi said he has a strong relationship with the intelligence apparatus.

"The General Intelligence is directly subject to the presidency of the republic, subject to me...I support, trust, protect and love them, and wish them well because through them Egypt's security is protected internally and externally," he said.

Egypt on Saturday brought forward by five days the start of the elections to April 22 to defuse a dispute with the Christian community, which makes up a tenth of the population, after they said the original schedule would conflict with their Easter celebrations.

TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY

Mursi said the elections could conclude Egypt's turbulent transition to democracy, which began two years ago with the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak by popular protests.

Various opposition groups have said they would boycott the legislative elections, a move that could delegitimize the electoral process, which is due to take place in four stages and culminate with the sitting of the new lower house of parliament in July.

The opposition has said that by deciding to hold elections Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement trivialized the deaths of around 60 people in anti-government protests since January and was only concerned with securing parliamentary seats.

They accused the Brotherhood of seeking to dominate all state institutions and said the electoral constituencies were "tailor-made" for the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and that there were no real guarantees of fair elections.

The National Salvation Front (NSF), which groups a number of parties opposed to the Islamists, is due to decide in the coming week whether to join the boycott as a movement. But it immediately rebuffed Mursi's call for a dialogue on elections.

"It makes me angry. You take the decision (to hold elections) and then say, 'Come to talk to me'," Khaled Dawoud, an NSF spokesman, told Reuters.

Some of the NSF's main parties have individually said they would boycott, including the Dostour party of Mohamed ElBaradei, a former U.N. nuclear agency chief. He drew comparisons with the last parliamentary polls to be held under Mubarak in 2010, a vote that was widely seen as rigged.

Mursi's television comments were aired almost seven hours later than the time the presidency had announced and well past midnight, which provoked dismissive reactions from opponents. Bassem Youssef, a popular satirist who lampoons public figures, wrote on Twitter: "Has anyone seen Mohammed Mursi?"

A joke from political activists that made the rounds on social networking sites ran: "According to which timing is the program being aired? Egypt's, Qatar's or the United States?" referring to the United States' and Qatar's foreign policies, seen as backing the Brotherhood.

(Reporting by Shaimaa Fayed; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-mursi-invites-opposition-dialogue-elections-021205648.html

carole king crystal renn matilda cab calloway melissa gilbert deadliest catch dwts