Bill Haas made the long walk across a makeshift bridge and under the grandstands to the 18th green for the trophy presentation, high-fiving kids along the railing and raising his cap to thousands of fans who cheered as they saw him coming.
His victory Sunday in the AT&T National was even sweeter when he compared it with all the times he failed."As many times as I've choked and hit bad shots and I've been nervous and it hasn't worked out - I was feeling all those things today - and to hit good, quality golf shots down the stretch is such a good feeling," Haas said. "I wish I could explain it. It's amazing."
His golf spoke volumes.Haas pulled away from a crowd of contenders with three straight birdies, two good pars and one good hop. It led to a 5-under 66, giving him a three-shot win at Congressional over Roberto Castro and putting him into distinguished company on two levels.
Haas has won at least one PGA Tour event in each of the last four years, joining Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose. And he kept the pedigree of champions at the AT&T National on a day when a half-dozen players were trying to win their first PGA Tour event. In the seven-year history of the tournament, Rose was the lowest-ranked player to win. He was No. 35 when he won at Aronimink in 2010. Haas started the week at No. 29.
Haas is honest to fault, which explains why he is too hard on himself. He talked about how he "threw up on myself" at Riviera when he lost a three-shot lead in the final round, and he twice used the word "choke" in describing past failures.
"That's terrible to say that 'I choke' and 'I throw up on myself,' but I'm just honest that I did that," he said. "But go from there. How do you get better? Don't do it again, you know? That's my best smart card. Just don't do that again. Today, I didn't do it. I think it makes it that much sweeter, too, when you can remember the times you stunk."
He made only one bogey, making good on his pledge Saturday to clean up his card after a third round that included a triple bogey on the 11th hole.
As many as six players had a share of the lead at some point until Haas rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8. Worried about a splotch of mud on his ball, he hit his approach to just inside 12 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth, and then hit a 5-iron to 10 feet for another birdie on the 10th.
Haas led by at least two shots the entire back nine, though he never allowed himself to think about winning until he stood over a 3-foot par putt on the 18th hole and realized he had three putts to win."I just kept the ball in front of me," Haas said. "Nothing too crazy."
The 31-year-old won for the fifth time in his career, and this was the first one with Tiger Woods on the property - not to play, but to hand out the trophy. Woods sat out this week with an elbow injury and won't play again until the British Open, though he was impressed with what he saw."He played beautifully today," Woods said. "He handled his business through the tougher stretch of holes and pulled away."
Castro, part of a four-way tie for the lead at the start of the final round, made Haas work for it."He didn't make any mistakes, and the birdies on 9 and 10 were big," Castro said after his 69.The other leaders fell away. Andres Romero had a double bogey on the fourth hole and shot 75. James Driscoll didn't make a birdie in his round of 74.
Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old from Texas who needs a win to become a PGA Tour member and be eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs, started his day by holing out from a fairway bunker for eagle and chipping in for birdie to tie for the lead. He dropped a shot at No. 11 - the hardest hole at Congressional - about the time Haas was on his critical run of birdies. Spieth had a 69 and finished sixth, pushing his earnings for the year over $1.1 million.
Castro bogeyed the opening hole, and that was his only mistake. He was one shot out of the lead at the turn, couldn't match birdies with Haas at the par-3 10th, and then stuck with him the rest of the day."It helped that Roberto played so well," Haas said.
Haas, who finished on 12-under 272, never allowed himself to think about winning, even after he seized control around the turn. Congressional wouldn't let him. Even though he made 15 birdies on the weekend, he remembered the triple bogey on the 11th hole Saturday that temporarily derailed him.This time, he found the fairway, hit onto the green, took two putts for par and exhaled.
Haas saved par from a bunker on the par-3 13th with a 6-foot putt that swirled 360 degrees around the cup before falling, and then picked up an unlikely birdie on the 14th when his 9-iron was drifting toward a mound covered with shaggy rough to the right of the green. It hopped off the mound to about 10 feet, and he went from a possible bogey to a birdie when he made the putt.
He made one more birdie with a wedge that checked up a foot from hole on the par-5 16th, and Haas was on his way.The biggest struggle after that was hoisting the silver trophy of the U.S. Capitol over his head in the stifling heat of the closing ceremony on the 18th green.
Haas was still smarting over losing a three-shot lead in the final round at Riviera, making five bogeys in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of his round. He had the 36-hole lead at the Memorial until a 76-71 weekend.He was solid on Sunday at Congressional, and the win moved him to No. 7 in the FedEx Cup standings with the playoffs about two months away. That's important to Haas, who won the FedEx Cup in 2011 and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship last year.
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Unboxing and early impressions
After today's news that many retailers had quickly sold out of the "revolutionary" Ouya, it seems that I was one of the lucky ones to get my hands on this cheap little gizmo that has high hopes of tackling the big boys on the block, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. For those of you interested in the console, but still on the fence about getting one, or if your local Target store managed to sell out before you could grab one, below you'll find some of my first impressions on this new console.
Sliding off the Ouya's cardboard sheathe and decorative bit of orange plastic bearing the words "and so begins the revolution," the first thing that strikes you is just how tiny this console is. At about 2 cubic inches, you can easily hold this thing in the palm of your hand, and it's perhaps the first system that's both outweighed and outsized by the controller. There are AC adapters bigger than this thing. It's definitely a sleek little thing, all sharp edges and shiney bits of dark plastic. I'm hopeful that the old addage "good things come in small packages" holds true with this.
The controller has a decent weight to it, but seems a bit bulkier than what I'm used to. The bottoms of the controller's "handles" don't taper off to an as smooth finish quite as quickly as the 360 or PS3 controllers. More "stubby," really. It sports fairly tight analong sticks, and has the exact same shape layout as a 360 controller, but easy enough for most gamers to pick up and figure out. There's almost a valley of sorts created by the angle of the shoulder buttons, which will probably take some getting used to.
Instead of offering a battery pack or wire to keep the controller going, the Ouya controller has an interesting spot to hid the batteries. The left and right handles can be easily pried off, and it's there that your double A's belong, no spring loaded covers seen in so many toys or TV remotes.
By no means am I a tech guy, so I loathe the idea of fiddling about due to an inherent fear that if I screw it up, I probably won't be able to fix it. That was one thing I loved about the HDMI option for the 360 or PS3, it required an easy change to your TV/monitor's video settings, and a single plug, and you're all set up. Upon unboxing the Ouya, I was happy to see that an HDMI cord came standard. I think most gamers have made the jump to higher end televisions, and most TV's today support HDMI, so points for that.
But the cable itself is only a miserable 3 feet long, making your desired placement for this thing somewhat impractical at times. With certain tv's (such as my own), the HDMI input is on the side, and God help you if your tv is set up in such a way where the wall outlet, power strip, or whatever you used is on the other side. The power cord for the Ouya isn't much longer, so the chances are good you'll have some wires criss-crossed over other wires. A small complaint, but an issue nonetheless.
Installing the Ouya is a breeze. It seems a bit lengthy, but awful memory retention give me no real basis for comparison, so I could just be talking out of my butt. Besides, there's a nice bit of entertainment as you're entertained by humorous messages in place of the standard "loading," phrases like: preparing to televise the Revolution, tasting rainbows, being awesome in space, bending genres, etc.
The video signal had a tendency of dropping out randomly, but the issue seemed to go away once I used a different HDMI port. I suppose it was a problem on my end, but looking at various message boards, it seems as though other owners are reporting having similar issues.
My biggest issue I had with the Ouya is that I had to monkey around a bit with the settings of my TV in order to get sound from the games. Initially, the only time I could get any sound was when I selected some of the basic tones from the default notifications menu. Again, this seems to be a problem that others are experiencing, and the same methods I took didn't always work. Even after fixing the issue, there still seems to be a bit of an audio delay. This is a big strike against the system, as playing something like Dub Wars, folks are seriously losing out. Suggested audio settings in the game's manual would be a big help for this, but are not provided. From my limited experience, I will say that the audio seems to work fine, provided your TV's is not set for "Game Mode." Go figure...
There was also a small issue connecting to my online network, but it was quickly resolved. Again, this is crucial as an online connection is basically the only way to do much of anything, provided you'd rather just transfer files back and forth from a SD card.
I'd be willing to look the other way on some of these issues if this was a real "working out of the garage," kind of deal, but if you recall, the Ouya set a Kickstarter record, managing to not only make their original $950,000 goal in the campaign's first 24 hours, but an additional $50,000 on top of that by the end of the day. By the time the campaign was over, they had brought in over $8 million, so they certainly had the capital to figure this out before launching. Still, it's early yet, and the kinks could likely be ironed out with an online update.
This is supposedly one of the Ouya's biggest strengths, as every game the system has to offer is either free, or has a demo available. But at the same time, that's also one of its weaknesses. With the Ouya still in its infancy, a lot of the games aren't quite as polished as perhaps they would be had they been developed to bigger name consoles. Upon starting up certain games, you begin with the BUY NOW prompt already selected, meaning you can rack up a big bill very quickly if you're not careful. This isn't the fault of the Ouya team, but rather, the game's developers, so be careful.
A great number of games/apps offered by the console are ones you've no doubt seen on Facebook, Vector and Chrono Blade spring to mind. I've only jumped into a few of the games that greet you after following the main menu's "Discover" prompt, and played some noteworthy titles, but none of them have yet to really grab me. The Xboxes have their Halos, and Nintendo its Marios, but there's yet to be a true exclusive for the Ouya. Square Enix put out a remastered version of Final Fantasy III, but that's about as close as it gets.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Sliding off the Ouya's cardboard sheathe and decorative bit of orange plastic bearing the words "and so begins the revolution," the first thing that strikes you is just how tiny this console is. At about 2 cubic inches, you can easily hold this thing in the palm of your hand, and it's perhaps the first system that's both outweighed and outsized by the controller. There are AC adapters bigger than this thing. It's definitely a sleek little thing, all sharp edges and shiney bits of dark plastic. I'm hopeful that the old addage "good things come in small packages" holds true with this.
The controller has a decent weight to it, but seems a bit bulkier than what I'm used to. The bottoms of the controller's "handles" don't taper off to an as smooth finish quite as quickly as the 360 or PS3 controllers. More "stubby," really. It sports fairly tight analong sticks, and has the exact same shape layout as a 360 controller, but easy enough for most gamers to pick up and figure out. There's almost a valley of sorts created by the angle of the shoulder buttons, which will probably take some getting used to.
Instead of offering a battery pack or wire to keep the controller going, the Ouya controller has an interesting spot to hid the batteries. The left and right handles can be easily pried off, and it's there that your double A's belong, no spring loaded covers seen in so many toys or TV remotes.
By no means am I a tech guy, so I loathe the idea of fiddling about due to an inherent fear that if I screw it up, I probably won't be able to fix it. That was one thing I loved about the HDMI option for the 360 or PS3, it required an easy change to your TV/monitor's video settings, and a single plug, and you're all set up. Upon unboxing the Ouya, I was happy to see that an HDMI cord came standard. I think most gamers have made the jump to higher end televisions, and most TV's today support HDMI, so points for that.
But the cable itself is only a miserable 3 feet long, making your desired placement for this thing somewhat impractical at times. With certain tv's (such as my own), the HDMI input is on the side, and God help you if your tv is set up in such a way where the wall outlet, power strip, or whatever you used is on the other side. The power cord for the Ouya isn't much longer, so the chances are good you'll have some wires criss-crossed over other wires. A small complaint, but an issue nonetheless.
Installing the Ouya is a breeze. It seems a bit lengthy, but awful memory retention give me no real basis for comparison, so I could just be talking out of my butt. Besides, there's a nice bit of entertainment as you're entertained by humorous messages in place of the standard "loading," phrases like: preparing to televise the Revolution, tasting rainbows, being awesome in space, bending genres, etc.
The video signal had a tendency of dropping out randomly, but the issue seemed to go away once I used a different HDMI port. I suppose it was a problem on my end, but looking at various message boards, it seems as though other owners are reporting having similar issues.
My biggest issue I had with the Ouya is that I had to monkey around a bit with the settings of my TV in order to get sound from the games. Initially, the only time I could get any sound was when I selected some of the basic tones from the default notifications menu. Again, this seems to be a problem that others are experiencing, and the same methods I took didn't always work. Even after fixing the issue, there still seems to be a bit of an audio delay. This is a big strike against the system, as playing something like Dub Wars, folks are seriously losing out. Suggested audio settings in the game's manual would be a big help for this, but are not provided. From my limited experience, I will say that the audio seems to work fine, provided your TV's is not set for "Game Mode." Go figure...
There was also a small issue connecting to my online network, but it was quickly resolved. Again, this is crucial as an online connection is basically the only way to do much of anything, provided you'd rather just transfer files back and forth from a SD card.
I'd be willing to look the other way on some of these issues if this was a real "working out of the garage," kind of deal, but if you recall, the Ouya set a Kickstarter record, managing to not only make their original $950,000 goal in the campaign's first 24 hours, but an additional $50,000 on top of that by the end of the day. By the time the campaign was over, they had brought in over $8 million, so they certainly had the capital to figure this out before launching. Still, it's early yet, and the kinks could likely be ironed out with an online update.
This is supposedly one of the Ouya's biggest strengths, as every game the system has to offer is either free, or has a demo available. But at the same time, that's also one of its weaknesses. With the Ouya still in its infancy, a lot of the games aren't quite as polished as perhaps they would be had they been developed to bigger name consoles. Upon starting up certain games, you begin with the BUY NOW prompt already selected, meaning you can rack up a big bill very quickly if you're not careful. This isn't the fault of the Ouya team, but rather, the game's developers, so be careful.
A great number of games/apps offered by the console are ones you've no doubt seen on Facebook, Vector and Chrono Blade spring to mind. I've only jumped into a few of the games that greet you after following the main menu's "Discover" prompt, and played some noteworthy titles, but none of them have yet to really grab me. The Xboxes have their Halos, and Nintendo its Marios, but there's yet to be a true exclusive for the Ouya. Square Enix put out a remastered version of Final Fantasy III, but that's about as close as it gets.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Learning to love the ‘mobile wallet’
But today the proliferation of media channels means brands have more options for making their loyalty schemes available to consumers in the places that are most convenient for them.
At loyalty brand Nectar, marketing director James Frost says: “We have seen the user base of our Nectar mobile app grow by 70 per cent in the past year, 40 per cent of the statements we send out are electronic and we believe loyalty is going to be critical to companies that want to win the mobile wallet war.”
He says the brand’s aim is to create an experience for the customer whereby “they can live out the Nectar journey end to end on a mobile device”. The main features involved in achieving this include paperless coupons and location-based targeting.
In the case of the former, a coupon is sent via the Nectar mobile app and the customer is prompted to accept it; having done so they will automatically have it applied to the purchase the next time they use their Nectar membership when shopping. Nectar’s location-based communications, meanwhile, work by reminding consumers of live offers in nearby stores that are Nectar partners.
In both cases the customer benefits from being freed from the constraints of a physical voucher, while Nectar benefits from being able to use personalised ‘push’ marketing that, in theory at least, is seen as helpful by the recipient.
Similarly, Game’s new director of insight and loyalty Fred Prego recently told Marketing Week (MW 13 June) that the video game retailer’s app is now fundamental to its reward programme, for example offering a store locator function and the recently launched ‘accolades’ initiative. Accolades are awarded for carrying out actions such as trading in a game for the first time.
But that’s not all the app does. Prego adds: “Not only does it add tools for the customer, it also helps us gain an insight into each customer and how they are using the app, through which we are listening, monitoring and talking to them, and launching new functionalities they need and have been asking us for.”
Mobile devices are now crucial to loyalty, according to Mark Stevenson, managing director of mobile network O2’s Priority loyalty scheme. He calls them “the remote control to our customers’ lives, which allows us to have two-way conversations encouraging engagement and building loyalty with an ongoing interaction”.
As with Nectar, one of the O2 Priority scheme’s main selling points is location-specific offers, or Priority Moments, which the brand has developed with strategic agency Cherry London. They include exclusive deals on retail vouchers, cinema tickets and music gigs.
Stevenson explains: “We knew when we launched Priority Moments it was ‘go big or go home’ – O2 had to offer its customers something they couldn’t get anywhere else. At the heart of Priority Moments is location-based technology and valuable customer insights, as well as the sequencing of relevant experiences and rewards, which enable us to reach and excite over 23 million customers, wherever they may be.”
Mobile, then, is clearly the key way many brands’ loyalty programmes are evolving. But it is not the only one. The full list of channels that O2 Priority uses to communicate is long and varied, according to Stevenson. As well as mobile communication via the app, instant messaging and text messages, Priority also connects with consumers through email, 460 high street retail stores, contact centres with around 3,500 staff and brand experiences such as O2 ‘angels’, who give out free lunches from Upper Crust kiosks at train stations.
According to founder Chris Boyd, hotel booking site PointsHound negotiates both with loyalty programmes and companies selling hotel room inventory to offer deals; but it is the ability to earn more loyalty points than usual on their favoured scheme that is PointsHound’s main attraction.
Boyd explains: “The selling rate is going to be the same you see on any other online travel agent because we compete based on the points offer we’re passing through.”
If the site has negotiated a deep discount on a room price it will still mark this up to the general market rate and instead pass the discount on to consumers in the form of loyalty points.
The most crucial change in the evolution of loyalty marketing has barely begun to take effect, though. Again it relates to mobile, and more specifically the growth of mobile payment services. ‘Mobile wallets’ developed by banks and credit card providers, as well as internet players such as Google and PayPal, are shifting the point-of-sale from the checkout to the mobile screen while offering that space as a new point of engagement for brands and their loyalty schemes.
As Nectar’s Frost notes, “If you make a mobile wallet just an easier way to pay, that’s fine and some people will want it, but we believe bringing loyalty and offers into a mobile wallet will accelerate the journey. A slick experience would be: as you pay, loyalty points are awarded and offers for your next shop appear in your wallet.”
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
At loyalty brand Nectar, marketing director James Frost says: “We have seen the user base of our Nectar mobile app grow by 70 per cent in the past year, 40 per cent of the statements we send out are electronic and we believe loyalty is going to be critical to companies that want to win the mobile wallet war.”
He says the brand’s aim is to create an experience for the customer whereby “they can live out the Nectar journey end to end on a mobile device”. The main features involved in achieving this include paperless coupons and location-based targeting.
In the case of the former, a coupon is sent via the Nectar mobile app and the customer is prompted to accept it; having done so they will automatically have it applied to the purchase the next time they use their Nectar membership when shopping. Nectar’s location-based communications, meanwhile, work by reminding consumers of live offers in nearby stores that are Nectar partners.
In both cases the customer benefits from being freed from the constraints of a physical voucher, while Nectar benefits from being able to use personalised ‘push’ marketing that, in theory at least, is seen as helpful by the recipient.
Similarly, Game’s new director of insight and loyalty Fred Prego recently told Marketing Week (MW 13 June) that the video game retailer’s app is now fundamental to its reward programme, for example offering a store locator function and the recently launched ‘accolades’ initiative. Accolades are awarded for carrying out actions such as trading in a game for the first time.
But that’s not all the app does. Prego adds: “Not only does it add tools for the customer, it also helps us gain an insight into each customer and how they are using the app, through which we are listening, monitoring and talking to them, and launching new functionalities they need and have been asking us for.”
Mobile devices are now crucial to loyalty, according to Mark Stevenson, managing director of mobile network O2’s Priority loyalty scheme. He calls them “the remote control to our customers’ lives, which allows us to have two-way conversations encouraging engagement and building loyalty with an ongoing interaction”.
As with Nectar, one of the O2 Priority scheme’s main selling points is location-specific offers, or Priority Moments, which the brand has developed with strategic agency Cherry London. They include exclusive deals on retail vouchers, cinema tickets and music gigs.
Stevenson explains: “We knew when we launched Priority Moments it was ‘go big or go home’ – O2 had to offer its customers something they couldn’t get anywhere else. At the heart of Priority Moments is location-based technology and valuable customer insights, as well as the sequencing of relevant experiences and rewards, which enable us to reach and excite over 23 million customers, wherever they may be.”
Mobile, then, is clearly the key way many brands’ loyalty programmes are evolving. But it is not the only one. The full list of channels that O2 Priority uses to communicate is long and varied, according to Stevenson. As well as mobile communication via the app, instant messaging and text messages, Priority also connects with consumers through email, 460 high street retail stores, contact centres with around 3,500 staff and brand experiences such as O2 ‘angels’, who give out free lunches from Upper Crust kiosks at train stations.
According to founder Chris Boyd, hotel booking site PointsHound negotiates both with loyalty programmes and companies selling hotel room inventory to offer deals; but it is the ability to earn more loyalty points than usual on their favoured scheme that is PointsHound’s main attraction.
Boyd explains: “The selling rate is going to be the same you see on any other online travel agent because we compete based on the points offer we’re passing through.”
If the site has negotiated a deep discount on a room price it will still mark this up to the general market rate and instead pass the discount on to consumers in the form of loyalty points.
The most crucial change in the evolution of loyalty marketing has barely begun to take effect, though. Again it relates to mobile, and more specifically the growth of mobile payment services. ‘Mobile wallets’ developed by banks and credit card providers, as well as internet players such as Google and PayPal, are shifting the point-of-sale from the checkout to the mobile screen while offering that space as a new point of engagement for brands and their loyalty schemes.
As Nectar’s Frost notes, “If you make a mobile wallet just an easier way to pay, that’s fine and some people will want it, but we believe bringing loyalty and offers into a mobile wallet will accelerate the journey. A slick experience would be: as you pay, loyalty points are awarded and offers for your next shop appear in your wallet.”
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Get region-free Blu-ray software for free
“Is there any region free Blu-ray player software that I can use on any Blu-ray drive and the player can do the rest?” For Blu-ray movie buffs, this problem might be a big obstacle, as the region-code restrictions of Blu-ray disc players would make them unable to play Blu-ray discs with different region codes.
Just like region codes for DVDs, Blu-ray disc players sold in a specific geographical region are designed to play only the discs authorized by the content provider for that region. The Blu-ray disc region coding scheme divides the whole world into three regions: A, B, and C.
According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, “all Blu-ray disc players … [and] Blu-ray disc-equipped computer systems are required to support regional coding.” However, “Use of region playback codes is optional for content providers. …” Most movie studios have released many of their Blu-ray discs region-free, such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures. This means you can play and enjoy most Blu-ray discs on various Blu-ray discs players. However, for people who use Blu-ray disc drives to watch Blu-ray movies on their IC card, the best and safest way for them to watch Blu-ray discs from various regions is still to make use of region-free Blu-ray discs players.
But Leawo Software has a solution for you: free Blu-ray player software. We have just launched our region-free Blu-ray Player Software Giveaway, providing free Windows Blu-ray software so you can watch your Blu-ray discs from any region. Blu-ray movies fans could pay a visit to the giveaway page to get this region-free Blu-ray player software.
Leawo Blu-ray Player also works as DVD player to play any DVD movies or a video player and audio player to play videos and audios in various formats — at all no additional cost. You can also adjust subtitles and audio and video settings for a quality, lossless Blu-ray movie experience. You can also use Leawo Blu-ray Player to load external subtitles. As for its audio support, Leawo Blu-ray Player plays DTS-HD Master audio and DTS-5.1 audio for lossless audio output. Meanwhile, just like any other professional media players, Leawo Blu-ray Player provides easy-to-use full media playback navigation and control for movie fans.
However, any kind of region-free Blu-ray player software program can only play Blu-ray discs of all region codes when equipped with a Blu-ray drive and connected to the Internet. For smoother program running, recommended requirements for your computer include a 1 GHz or above Intel/AMD processor with at least 512MB RAM and a graphics card such as an ATI Radeon HD 4000 or NVIDIA GeForce 8-Series or newer or integrated Intel G45 or higher.
“Fans will feel as though this place is catering to them. The venue is set up nicely to host cards big and small, and the people associated with Revel are smart, hardworking individuals. I’m happy to be working with my good friend, Revel executive Bernie Dillon, whom I had the pleasure of doing business with when I was with the New Jersey State Athletic commission. I can’t wait to work with him and his staff. The event itself will be incredible,” Shaw continued.
Shaw’s excitement is warranted, after all the main event stands alone as a much anticipated showdown in the middleweight division and fight fans are hopeful that this showdown will produce genuine fireworks.
“This is Daniel Geale’s first time competing in the states and U.S. fans that aren’t familiar with him are in for a big treat. Daniel is a quality fighter and I think he could be the best middleweight in the division right now. He isn’t just talented; he is a fighter’s kind of fighter with intentions of making hardnosed type of dog fights. His opponent’s style meshes well and we feel like this is not just a meaningful fight in the division, but also one that fight fans can really get behind as it will be not only competitive but will set up the next big fight in the middleweight division,” Shaw said.
Geale has spoken for a couple of years about fighting in the U.S. and now he is finally making good on that promise as he gets the chance to compete on U.S. soil in front of a major television audience.
“I’m excited to be on HBO because you can’t mention boxing without HBO. I will be exposed to many U.S. fight fans for the first time in my career thanks to my promoter Gary Shaw and Grange Old School Boxing. The feeling is overwhelming. I’m excited to perform in a city that has hosted so many legends such as Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Diego Corrales just to name a few. I will do my part to live up to what past legends have accomplished,” Geale said.
The 12-round fight will be contested at 152 pounds with both men's super welterweight/junior middleweight titles on the line — Mayweather's WBA super welterweight "super" championship, and Alvarez's WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super welterweight championships.
The bout, expected to be a monstrous draw on pay-per-view for Showtime, also just might satisfy many fans who had been wishing during the last several years for Mayweather to take on Manny Pacquiao.
"In every sport, there are certain rare occasions when you have the best fighting the best," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports. "The Super Bowl, Final Four, the college football national championship. Sept. 14 will be one of those occasions — the two biggest stars in the sport, the two biggest fan bases.
"We have America's No. 1 fighter versus Mexico's No. 1 fighter. We have the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport versus the No. 1 new star in the sport."
There remains some dispute over who set the 152-pound catch weight, with Mayweather's camp saying Alvarez's people brought it up first. Alvarez, however, insisted it was Mayweather who decided on having both fight at 152 pounds instead of 154.
"It wasn't me," Alvarez told reporters before the news conference. "I don't want to fight 2 pounds below my weight class."
There was also some contention between the two because Alvarez chose to headline his own fight card against Trout rather than be included on the undercard of Mayweather-Guerrero card. But both fighters agreed that this is a matchup that needed to happen.
Just like region codes for DVDs, Blu-ray disc players sold in a specific geographical region are designed to play only the discs authorized by the content provider for that region. The Blu-ray disc region coding scheme divides the whole world into three regions: A, B, and C.
According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, “all Blu-ray disc players … [and] Blu-ray disc-equipped computer systems are required to support regional coding.” However, “Use of region playback codes is optional for content providers. …” Most movie studios have released many of their Blu-ray discs region-free, such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures. This means you can play and enjoy most Blu-ray discs on various Blu-ray discs players. However, for people who use Blu-ray disc drives to watch Blu-ray movies on their IC card, the best and safest way for them to watch Blu-ray discs from various regions is still to make use of region-free Blu-ray discs players.
But Leawo Software has a solution for you: free Blu-ray player software. We have just launched our region-free Blu-ray Player Software Giveaway, providing free Windows Blu-ray software so you can watch your Blu-ray discs from any region. Blu-ray movies fans could pay a visit to the giveaway page to get this region-free Blu-ray player software.
Leawo Blu-ray Player also works as DVD player to play any DVD movies or a video player and audio player to play videos and audios in various formats — at all no additional cost. You can also adjust subtitles and audio and video settings for a quality, lossless Blu-ray movie experience. You can also use Leawo Blu-ray Player to load external subtitles. As for its audio support, Leawo Blu-ray Player plays DTS-HD Master audio and DTS-5.1 audio for lossless audio output. Meanwhile, just like any other professional media players, Leawo Blu-ray Player provides easy-to-use full media playback navigation and control for movie fans.
However, any kind of region-free Blu-ray player software program can only play Blu-ray discs of all region codes when equipped with a Blu-ray drive and connected to the Internet. For smoother program running, recommended requirements for your computer include a 1 GHz or above Intel/AMD processor with at least 512MB RAM and a graphics card such as an ATI Radeon HD 4000 or NVIDIA GeForce 8-Series or newer or integrated Intel G45 or higher.
“Fans will feel as though this place is catering to them. The venue is set up nicely to host cards big and small, and the people associated with Revel are smart, hardworking individuals. I’m happy to be working with my good friend, Revel executive Bernie Dillon, whom I had the pleasure of doing business with when I was with the New Jersey State Athletic commission. I can’t wait to work with him and his staff. The event itself will be incredible,” Shaw continued.
Shaw’s excitement is warranted, after all the main event stands alone as a much anticipated showdown in the middleweight division and fight fans are hopeful that this showdown will produce genuine fireworks.
“This is Daniel Geale’s first time competing in the states and U.S. fans that aren’t familiar with him are in for a big treat. Daniel is a quality fighter and I think he could be the best middleweight in the division right now. He isn’t just talented; he is a fighter’s kind of fighter with intentions of making hardnosed type of dog fights. His opponent’s style meshes well and we feel like this is not just a meaningful fight in the division, but also one that fight fans can really get behind as it will be not only competitive but will set up the next big fight in the middleweight division,” Shaw said.
Geale has spoken for a couple of years about fighting in the U.S. and now he is finally making good on that promise as he gets the chance to compete on U.S. soil in front of a major television audience.
“I’m excited to be on HBO because you can’t mention boxing without HBO. I will be exposed to many U.S. fight fans for the first time in my career thanks to my promoter Gary Shaw and Grange Old School Boxing. The feeling is overwhelming. I’m excited to perform in a city that has hosted so many legends such as Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Diego Corrales just to name a few. I will do my part to live up to what past legends have accomplished,” Geale said.
The 12-round fight will be contested at 152 pounds with both men's super welterweight/junior middleweight titles on the line — Mayweather's WBA super welterweight "super" championship, and Alvarez's WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super welterweight championships.
The bout, expected to be a monstrous draw on pay-per-view for Showtime, also just might satisfy many fans who had been wishing during the last several years for Mayweather to take on Manny Pacquiao.
"In every sport, there are certain rare occasions when you have the best fighting the best," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports. "The Super Bowl, Final Four, the college football national championship. Sept. 14 will be one of those occasions — the two biggest stars in the sport, the two biggest fan bases.
"We have America's No. 1 fighter versus Mexico's No. 1 fighter. We have the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport versus the No. 1 new star in the sport."
There remains some dispute over who set the 152-pound catch weight, with Mayweather's camp saying Alvarez's people brought it up first. Alvarez, however, insisted it was Mayweather who decided on having both fight at 152 pounds instead of 154.
"It wasn't me," Alvarez told reporters before the news conference. "I don't want to fight 2 pounds below my weight class."
There was also some contention between the two because Alvarez chose to headline his own fight card against Trout rather than be included on the undercard of Mayweather-Guerrero card. But both fighters agreed that this is a matchup that needed to happen.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Inexpensive or top dollar?
Do you pay a little or a lot for your sunglasses? As with most things in a free enterprise system, there are items that run the gamut of price points and feature sets — and sunglasses are no exception. So, with this mission in mind, the Daily News took to the streets in the long days of the sun, to see what some Midland residents look for in their sunglasses purchases.
Bonnie Gregg said she prefers to buy what she considers moderately priced sunglasses. The pair she had with her as she played cards with friends at the Midland Mall food court were purchased from Elder-Beerman. In between hands of pinochle, Gregg pointed to a large potted plant that stood near the food court. A lone pair of sunglasses sat unnoticed on the rim of the planter with no owner in sight. “That is why I don’t spend a lot on sunglasses. I would lose them,” she said with a laugh. “I would probably pay more for sunglasses if they were prescription, though.”
“You can buy a pair and a spare,” said Midland resident and fellow card player Vicki Leigeb of the inexpensive sunglasses vendors she sees on her trips to Florida. “I can leave a pair in every vehicle if I want. You can’t do that with expensive pairs of sunglasses.”
Although Leigeb golfs a couple of times a week no matter her locale, she feels little need for sunglasses when out on the fairway. “I have golfed for 40 years,” Leigeb said, “and I have never worn sunglasses while golfing.” She said that a visor is all of the protection she needs, but she does wear sunglasses while driving.
Rebecca Eimers of Clio was visiting a friend in Midland and enjoying the nice sunny day, and offered her philosophy on sunglasses purchasing. “I buy cheap ones,” the 20-something said with a laugh. “I break them all of the time. But I lose them more than I break them.” Eimers said her spending limit on a pair of sunglasses is “no more than $10.” Besides the replacement value she puts on a pair of sunglasses, Eimers had a valid point on why she limits her spending ceiling on the accessory. “If you buy cheaper sunglasses, you can buy more pairs to go with what you are wearing,” Eimers said.
Friend Haleigh Bentsen of Midland agreed with Eimers’ philosophy. “I buy mostly cheap ones, too,” Bentsen said. “These are more expensive than I would normally buy,” she said, pointing to the mirrored aviator style sunglasses holding back her hair. “I generally lose them,” she said, “so I don’t pay a lot for them.”
Friends Jake Vickery and Kyle Koerner said that they both own a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Vickery recently replaced a broken pair of the same brand, and Koerner said that he would do the same. “I wear them for baseball and I would buy them again,” he said. Oakley eyewear can range from $110 to well over $300 a pair.
Mindy Murphy has an interesting perspective on sunglasses, their cost and the benefits realized from purchasing a more expensive brand. Murphy sells eyeglasses and sunglasses for a living as the store manager at Traverse Vision in the Midland Mall. With over eight years experience helping customers see and look better, Murphy has a definite opinion on how people should look at investments in their eyewear. “In my opinion, you definitely get what you pay for when it comes to sunglasses,” Murphy said. “Nicer sunglasses are serviceable. You can replace parts that break or wear on most brands. The more inexpensive kind are disposable.” Another feature that favors the nicer brands of sunglasses is that they can often be fitted with prescription lenses.
Murphy went on to say that she finally made the leap to a more expensive pair a couple of years ago, in this case, a pair of black Liz Claiborne’s. “I treat them better because I know they cost me more. But if you are a person who loses their expensive smart phone all the time, you probably don’t want to pay a lot for sunglasses,” she said with a laugh. Murphy added that most customers who invest in expensive sunglasses usually treat them with more respect than the those on the lower end of the price spectrum. “I have had customers buy their first pair of really nice sunglasses from us and they tell me they treat them more carefully,” she said.
“You don’t need to spend $300 on a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes,” said Scott M. Buckingham, OD of Mid-Michigan Eye Care. Buckingham said that although expensive sunglasses are usually nicer than their cheaper alternatives, they offer more than just pride of ownership. “You will get better optical quality from nicer lenses and better frame materials,” Buckingham said.
He went on to say that ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection is offered at some level in most sunglasses sold today. “It used to be that cheap sunglasses would offer little UV protection, but in this country all sunglasses, even the cheap ones, are required to have a certain level of UV protection in them,” he said. “Even the pair that can come in a Happy Meal are required to have that protection.” Buckingham said that long term exposure to UV could cause cataracts, retina damage or other vision-related diseases. Simply put, if you are outside, you should wear sunglasses, Buckingham said.
Choosing a pair of sunglasses can be a difficult operation for some. The sunglasses must afford proper ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection, they may offer some eye protection from foreign debris, they must be comfortable and, above all else, they must look cool. Not surprisingly, this is usually the criteria for the proper selection of perhaps the most vital summer clothing component.
Sunglasses styles follow trends like anything else. One popular trend for eyewear for the ladies is the oversized, dark framed style that covers up much of the wearer’s face. Popularized by the likes of Paris Hilton, Snooky and countless other ladies, this style of sunglasses seems to be a requirement for any diva, whether she be professional or just make-believe.
“It’s weird because sunglasses trends usually last around a year, but this style has been hanging on for a while,” said Mindy Murphy, manager of Traverse Vision, located in the Midland Mall. Murphy has seen many trends in eyewear for both men and women, but she said the larger style for ladies has not outlived its service life just yet. “The styles are going bigger and larger. More bolder styles with big plastic frames and big bows,” Murphy said. She said that manufacturers like Liz Claiborne, Kate Spade, Marc By Marc Jones and Juicy Couture offer that type of style with no shortage of customers.
Murphy said that in her experience, men seem to be a bit more conservative with their sunglasses purchases. “Guys usually stay with the classics, but they are also buying a lot of Maui Jim’s,” she said. The brand offers many classic and contemporary styles, but Murphy said the company offers much more than meets the eye. “These are probably our best buy in the shop,” she said, adding that their combination of lens polarization and wrap around frame styles are popular with outdoor sports people who need the most out of their sunglasses. In the simplest terms, polarization in eye glass lenses is a process that allows the wearer to better see through the glare or sheen of surfaces like snow, water or even glass.
Although styles continue to evolve in to the latest iterations, it is the classic, proven styles that always survives. Whether it can be considered flattery or flat-out imitation, there are styles of sunglasses that endure no matter what the generation or style climate of the time. The Ray-Ban Wayfarer model and its clones is one such example.
Ray-Ban became a company in the late 1920s when the then U.S. Army Air Force, the precursor to the current Air Force, needed a way to increase the vision comfort levels of its pilots on missions. A pair of lightweight sunglasses with green lenses were created by Bausch & Lomb and after some tweaking, the classic Aviator style was born around 1936. Based on the success of its product, Bausch & Lomb created a separate division to make sunglasses, its new product line. Thus, Ray-Ban was born.
Although its Aviator line of sunglasses continues to remain quite popular, another iconic model from the company has been the Wayfarer. Created in the mid 1950s, this model of sunglasses differs significantly from the Aviator with its heavier plastic frame and a footprint that reminds many of they style of eyeglasses worn by the likes of Buddy Holly. The silhouette of the Wayfarers and its legion of copies remain a quickly recognizable artifact of generations gone by, only to be discovered again by the latest group of fashionable eyewear seekers.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Bonnie Gregg said she prefers to buy what she considers moderately priced sunglasses. The pair she had with her as she played cards with friends at the Midland Mall food court were purchased from Elder-Beerman. In between hands of pinochle, Gregg pointed to a large potted plant that stood near the food court. A lone pair of sunglasses sat unnoticed on the rim of the planter with no owner in sight. “That is why I don’t spend a lot on sunglasses. I would lose them,” she said with a laugh. “I would probably pay more for sunglasses if they were prescription, though.”
“You can buy a pair and a spare,” said Midland resident and fellow card player Vicki Leigeb of the inexpensive sunglasses vendors she sees on her trips to Florida. “I can leave a pair in every vehicle if I want. You can’t do that with expensive pairs of sunglasses.”
Although Leigeb golfs a couple of times a week no matter her locale, she feels little need for sunglasses when out on the fairway. “I have golfed for 40 years,” Leigeb said, “and I have never worn sunglasses while golfing.” She said that a visor is all of the protection she needs, but she does wear sunglasses while driving.
Rebecca Eimers of Clio was visiting a friend in Midland and enjoying the nice sunny day, and offered her philosophy on sunglasses purchasing. “I buy cheap ones,” the 20-something said with a laugh. “I break them all of the time. But I lose them more than I break them.” Eimers said her spending limit on a pair of sunglasses is “no more than $10.” Besides the replacement value she puts on a pair of sunglasses, Eimers had a valid point on why she limits her spending ceiling on the accessory. “If you buy cheaper sunglasses, you can buy more pairs to go with what you are wearing,” Eimers said.
Friend Haleigh Bentsen of Midland agreed with Eimers’ philosophy. “I buy mostly cheap ones, too,” Bentsen said. “These are more expensive than I would normally buy,” she said, pointing to the mirrored aviator style sunglasses holding back her hair. “I generally lose them,” she said, “so I don’t pay a lot for them.”
Friends Jake Vickery and Kyle Koerner said that they both own a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Vickery recently replaced a broken pair of the same brand, and Koerner said that he would do the same. “I wear them for baseball and I would buy them again,” he said. Oakley eyewear can range from $110 to well over $300 a pair.
Mindy Murphy has an interesting perspective on sunglasses, their cost and the benefits realized from purchasing a more expensive brand. Murphy sells eyeglasses and sunglasses for a living as the store manager at Traverse Vision in the Midland Mall. With over eight years experience helping customers see and look better, Murphy has a definite opinion on how people should look at investments in their eyewear. “In my opinion, you definitely get what you pay for when it comes to sunglasses,” Murphy said. “Nicer sunglasses are serviceable. You can replace parts that break or wear on most brands. The more inexpensive kind are disposable.” Another feature that favors the nicer brands of sunglasses is that they can often be fitted with prescription lenses.
Murphy went on to say that she finally made the leap to a more expensive pair a couple of years ago, in this case, a pair of black Liz Claiborne’s. “I treat them better because I know they cost me more. But if you are a person who loses their expensive smart phone all the time, you probably don’t want to pay a lot for sunglasses,” she said with a laugh. Murphy added that most customers who invest in expensive sunglasses usually treat them with more respect than the those on the lower end of the price spectrum. “I have had customers buy their first pair of really nice sunglasses from us and they tell me they treat them more carefully,” she said.
“You don’t need to spend $300 on a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes,” said Scott M. Buckingham, OD of Mid-Michigan Eye Care. Buckingham said that although expensive sunglasses are usually nicer than their cheaper alternatives, they offer more than just pride of ownership. “You will get better optical quality from nicer lenses and better frame materials,” Buckingham said.
He went on to say that ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection is offered at some level in most sunglasses sold today. “It used to be that cheap sunglasses would offer little UV protection, but in this country all sunglasses, even the cheap ones, are required to have a certain level of UV protection in them,” he said. “Even the pair that can come in a Happy Meal are required to have that protection.” Buckingham said that long term exposure to UV could cause cataracts, retina damage or other vision-related diseases. Simply put, if you are outside, you should wear sunglasses, Buckingham said.
Choosing a pair of sunglasses can be a difficult operation for some. The sunglasses must afford proper ultraviolet radiation (UV) protection, they may offer some eye protection from foreign debris, they must be comfortable and, above all else, they must look cool. Not surprisingly, this is usually the criteria for the proper selection of perhaps the most vital summer clothing component.
Sunglasses styles follow trends like anything else. One popular trend for eyewear for the ladies is the oversized, dark framed style that covers up much of the wearer’s face. Popularized by the likes of Paris Hilton, Snooky and countless other ladies, this style of sunglasses seems to be a requirement for any diva, whether she be professional or just make-believe.
“It’s weird because sunglasses trends usually last around a year, but this style has been hanging on for a while,” said Mindy Murphy, manager of Traverse Vision, located in the Midland Mall. Murphy has seen many trends in eyewear for both men and women, but she said the larger style for ladies has not outlived its service life just yet. “The styles are going bigger and larger. More bolder styles with big plastic frames and big bows,” Murphy said. She said that manufacturers like Liz Claiborne, Kate Spade, Marc By Marc Jones and Juicy Couture offer that type of style with no shortage of customers.
Murphy said that in her experience, men seem to be a bit more conservative with their sunglasses purchases. “Guys usually stay with the classics, but they are also buying a lot of Maui Jim’s,” she said. The brand offers many classic and contemporary styles, but Murphy said the company offers much more than meets the eye. “These are probably our best buy in the shop,” she said, adding that their combination of lens polarization and wrap around frame styles are popular with outdoor sports people who need the most out of their sunglasses. In the simplest terms, polarization in eye glass lenses is a process that allows the wearer to better see through the glare or sheen of surfaces like snow, water or even glass.
Although styles continue to evolve in to the latest iterations, it is the classic, proven styles that always survives. Whether it can be considered flattery or flat-out imitation, there are styles of sunglasses that endure no matter what the generation or style climate of the time. The Ray-Ban Wayfarer model and its clones is one such example.
Ray-Ban became a company in the late 1920s when the then U.S. Army Air Force, the precursor to the current Air Force, needed a way to increase the vision comfort levels of its pilots on missions. A pair of lightweight sunglasses with green lenses were created by Bausch & Lomb and after some tweaking, the classic Aviator style was born around 1936. Based on the success of its product, Bausch & Lomb created a separate division to make sunglasses, its new product line. Thus, Ray-Ban was born.
Although its Aviator line of sunglasses continues to remain quite popular, another iconic model from the company has been the Wayfarer. Created in the mid 1950s, this model of sunglasses differs significantly from the Aviator with its heavier plastic frame and a footprint that reminds many of they style of eyeglasses worn by the likes of Buddy Holly. The silhouette of the Wayfarers and its legion of copies remain a quickly recognizable artifact of generations gone by, only to be discovered again by the latest group of fashionable eyewear seekers.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Protect your personal data from spying
But given the revelations spilling out into the media recently, there hardly seems a single aspect of daily life that isn't somehow subject to spying or surveillance by someone.
Experts say there are steps anyone can take to improve privacy, but they only go so far.
Using anonymity services and encryption "simply make it harder, but not impossible," said Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy and security researcher. "Someone can always find you -- just depends on how motivated they are."
Emails sent across the web are like postcards. In some cases, they're readable by anyone standing between you and its recipient. That can include your webmail company, your Internet service provider and whoever is tapped into the fiber optic cable passing your message around the globe - not to mention a parallel set of observers on the recipient's side of the world.
Experts recommend encryption, which scrambles messages in transit, so they're unreadable to anyone trying to intercept them. Techniques vary, but a popular one is called PGP, short for "Pretty Good Privacy." PGP is effective enough that the U.S. government tried to block its export in the mid-1990s, arguing that it was so powerful it should be classed as a weapon.
Like emails, your travels around the Internet can easily be tracked by anyone standing between you and the site you're trying to reach. TOR, short for "The Onion Router," helps make your traffic anonymous by bouncing it through a network of routers before spitting it back out on the other side. Each trip through a router provides another layer of protection, thus the onion reference.
Originally developed by the US military, TOR is believed to work pretty well if you want to hide your traffic from, let's say, eavesdropping by your local Internet service provider. And criminals' use of TOR has so frustrated Japanese police that experts there recently recommended restricting its use. But it's worth noting that TOR may be ineffective against governments equipped with the powers of global surveillance.
Your everyday cellphone has all kinds of privacy problems. In Britain, cellphone safety was so poor that crooked journalists made a cottage industry out of eavesdropping on their victims' voicemails. In general, proprietary software, lousy encryption, hard-to-delete data and other security issues make a cellphone a bad bet for storing information you'd rather not share.
An even bigger issue is that cellphones almost always follow their owners around, carefully logging the location of every call, something which could effectively give governments a daily digest of your everyday life. Security researcher Jacob Appelbaum has described cellphones as tracking devices that also happen to make phone calls. If you're not happy with the idea of an intelligence agency following your footsteps across town, leave the phone at home.
Your everyday cellphone has all kinds of privacy problems. In Britain, cellphone safety was so poor that crooked journalists made a cottage industry out of eavesdropping on their victims' voicemails. In general, proprietary software, lousy encryption, hard-to-delete data and other security issues make a cellphone a bad bet for storing information you'd rather not share.
An even bigger issue is that cellphones almost always follow their owners around, carefully logging the location of every call, something which could effectively give governments a daily digest of your everyday life. Security researcher Jacob Appelbaum has described cellphones as tracking devices that also happen to make phone calls. If you're not happy with the idea of an intelligence agency following your footsteps across town, leave the phone at home.
Former officials don't appear to contradict him. Ex-NSA chief Michael Hayden described it as "commuting to where the information is stored and extracting the information from the adversaries' network." In a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, he boasted that "we are the best at doing it. Period."
Malicious software used by hackers can be extremely hard to spot. But installing an antivirus program, avoiding attachments, frequently changing passwords, dodging suspicious websites, creating a firewall, and always making sure your software is up to date is a good start.
If Funk’s arrest were a single incident, it still would be of concern. But, according to a website set up to track arrests of journalists in recent years who were reporting on the Occupy movement, in the year ending in September 2012, “more than 90 journalists have been arrested in 12 cities around the United States while covering Occupy protests and civil unrest.” Add in a sizeable number of arrests in recent years of photographers for taking pictures at the scene of police actions and traffic incidents and there’s more reason to worry.
The rights to assemble, peaceably petition the government for change and to raise one’s voice in doing so, are all protected freedoms under the First Amendment — along with the right of a free press to gather and report the news without government sanction or disruption.
If police are arresting demonstrators for what they say and do out of legitimate concerns for public safety or for trespassing or such, having an independent news media there to accurately observe and report is a plus for officials and for our society. Ignoring that produces a double negative: doubt over the unreported motives and actions of police and other officials, as well as the trampling of First Amendment rights.
Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, said he deals with such arrest issues involving photojournalists “every day, all across the nation.” He works with police departments to educate officers on the rights of journalists — and the public — to take photos. He said catch and release police actions have no legal foundation, and that the increase in arrests may stem from a “perfect storm” of more cell phone cameras, and easier distribution and more visibility because of the Web.
Certainly, there are times when situations are chaotic and police must act to protect public safety. In such instances, it may be impossible to sort out the protester from the person reporting on the protest. But in Funk’s case, for example, there was no chaos and he visibly — with ID on and notebook in hand — was working as a reporter.
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Experts say there are steps anyone can take to improve privacy, but they only go so far.
Using anonymity services and encryption "simply make it harder, but not impossible," said Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy and security researcher. "Someone can always find you -- just depends on how motivated they are."
Emails sent across the web are like postcards. In some cases, they're readable by anyone standing between you and its recipient. That can include your webmail company, your Internet service provider and whoever is tapped into the fiber optic cable passing your message around the globe - not to mention a parallel set of observers on the recipient's side of the world.
Experts recommend encryption, which scrambles messages in transit, so they're unreadable to anyone trying to intercept them. Techniques vary, but a popular one is called PGP, short for "Pretty Good Privacy." PGP is effective enough that the U.S. government tried to block its export in the mid-1990s, arguing that it was so powerful it should be classed as a weapon.
Like emails, your travels around the Internet can easily be tracked by anyone standing between you and the site you're trying to reach. TOR, short for "The Onion Router," helps make your traffic anonymous by bouncing it through a network of routers before spitting it back out on the other side. Each trip through a router provides another layer of protection, thus the onion reference.
Originally developed by the US military, TOR is believed to work pretty well if you want to hide your traffic from, let's say, eavesdropping by your local Internet service provider. And criminals' use of TOR has so frustrated Japanese police that experts there recently recommended restricting its use. But it's worth noting that TOR may be ineffective against governments equipped with the powers of global surveillance.
Your everyday cellphone has all kinds of privacy problems. In Britain, cellphone safety was so poor that crooked journalists made a cottage industry out of eavesdropping on their victims' voicemails. In general, proprietary software, lousy encryption, hard-to-delete data and other security issues make a cellphone a bad bet for storing information you'd rather not share.
An even bigger issue is that cellphones almost always follow their owners around, carefully logging the location of every call, something which could effectively give governments a daily digest of your everyday life. Security researcher Jacob Appelbaum has described cellphones as tracking devices that also happen to make phone calls. If you're not happy with the idea of an intelligence agency following your footsteps across town, leave the phone at home.
Your everyday cellphone has all kinds of privacy problems. In Britain, cellphone safety was so poor that crooked journalists made a cottage industry out of eavesdropping on their victims' voicemails. In general, proprietary software, lousy encryption, hard-to-delete data and other security issues make a cellphone a bad bet for storing information you'd rather not share.
An even bigger issue is that cellphones almost always follow their owners around, carefully logging the location of every call, something which could effectively give governments a daily digest of your everyday life. Security researcher Jacob Appelbaum has described cellphones as tracking devices that also happen to make phone calls. If you're not happy with the idea of an intelligence agency following your footsteps across town, leave the phone at home.
Former officials don't appear to contradict him. Ex-NSA chief Michael Hayden described it as "commuting to where the information is stored and extracting the information from the adversaries' network." In a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, he boasted that "we are the best at doing it. Period."
Malicious software used by hackers can be extremely hard to spot. But installing an antivirus program, avoiding attachments, frequently changing passwords, dodging suspicious websites, creating a firewall, and always making sure your software is up to date is a good start.
If Funk’s arrest were a single incident, it still would be of concern. But, according to a website set up to track arrests of journalists in recent years who were reporting on the Occupy movement, in the year ending in September 2012, “more than 90 journalists have been arrested in 12 cities around the United States while covering Occupy protests and civil unrest.” Add in a sizeable number of arrests in recent years of photographers for taking pictures at the scene of police actions and traffic incidents and there’s more reason to worry.
The rights to assemble, peaceably petition the government for change and to raise one’s voice in doing so, are all protected freedoms under the First Amendment — along with the right of a free press to gather and report the news without government sanction or disruption.
If police are arresting demonstrators for what they say and do out of legitimate concerns for public safety or for trespassing or such, having an independent news media there to accurately observe and report is a plus for officials and for our society. Ignoring that produces a double negative: doubt over the unreported motives and actions of police and other officials, as well as the trampling of First Amendment rights.
Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association, said he deals with such arrest issues involving photojournalists “every day, all across the nation.” He works with police departments to educate officers on the rights of journalists — and the public — to take photos. He said catch and release police actions have no legal foundation, and that the increase in arrests may stem from a “perfect storm” of more cell phone cameras, and easier distribution and more visibility because of the Web.
Certainly, there are times when situations are chaotic and police must act to protect public safety. In such instances, it may be impossible to sort out the protester from the person reporting on the protest. But in Funk’s case, for example, there was no chaos and he visibly — with ID on and notebook in hand — was working as a reporter.
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Police Say 2 Found Dead At Florida School Were Custodians
West Palm Beach police responded shortly before 6:30 a.m., and authorities later identified the Dreyfoos bodies as Ted Orama and Christopher Marshall, two custodians who worked at the high school, WPTV reports.
While local officials have named the two dead, they declined to provide more information about the circumstances of their deaths and would not specify if there was any indication of foul play.
"It's an open death investigation," West Palm Beach Police spokesman Capt. David Bernhardt told the local NBC affiliate. "That way we're not limiting to ourselves what type of investigation we are doing. It could turn out to be a homicide investigation later on, it could just be a normal death investigation."
However, sources close to the investigation told The Palm Beach Post that police are searching for another school custodian, 53-year-old Javier Burgos, who is considered a suspect in the deaths.
Palm Beach County School District spokesman Jason Shockley said that no students were on campus when the bodies were discovered, according to The Sun Sentinel. After the police arrived at the school, the area was cordoned off, and a SWAT team investigated the scene.
"Everyone throughout the school district is deeply saddened by the events that transpired today at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts," the Palm Beach County School District said in a statement released to local media. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to workers, family, friends, and community members that have been impacted."
I’d always heard that Brazilians were unusually passive when it comes to politics. My friends lament that theirs is a country where soccer and carnival reign and education languishes. There is a sense that once elected, politicians are indifferent to the demands of the public, irresponsible with their money and unaccountable for their actions.
Paulo Maluf, a former mayor of S?o Paulo (the largest city in Latin America) and governor of S?o Paulo (state), wanted by Interpol for conspiracy to commit grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, is currently serving as a federal deputy (an elected representative to the lower chamber of congress). Fernando Collor de Mello, a former president of Brazil who had resigned and was subsequently impeached on corruption charges and banned from politics for eight years, is currently serving as a senator from the Northeastern state of Alagoas. The Federation of State Industries of S?o Paulo, estimates that about 25 billion dollars (US) are embezzled from government coffers every year. Another S?o Paulo federal deputy, Marco Feliciano, who has made disparaging comments against Africans, gays and women, is the recently elected president of the lower chamber’s Commission on Human Rights and Minorities.
For the World Cup in 2014, the government is spending about $15 billion, much of that for building stadiums that are frequently over budget and behind schedule. Multiple stadiums are located in cities, which will never be able to fill the seats once the tournament ends. In addition, the government canceled or pushed back until after the World Cup many of the promised expansions in public transportation for the tournament, expansions which in most cases are desperately needed. In S?o Paulo, the subway trains are unbearably packed during a rush hour that never seems to end, and the trains come to many frequent unplanned stops.
More troubling, economic growth in the country slowed to a growth rate of 0.9% in 2012, coinciding with a decrease in demand for commodities in China. I couldn’t blame my Brazilian friends for their pessimistic take on politics.
But when the city of S?o Paulo raised subway and bus fares by ten cents to $1.60 (the minimum wage in the state is about 375 dollars per month before taxes), the pent up frustration of the city’s residents appeared to burst, at least by Brazilian standards. Three protests occurred in less than a week starting on the sixth of June, and the last had seen at least 10,000 protestors. There were similar protests in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre among other cities.
On June 13th, the planned date of the fourth protest, I decided to attend, curious to see what could have brought so many of the seemingly lethargic paulistanos (as inhabitants of the city are called) out into the streets. Was this na?ve idealism, violent delinquency or something else?
It started out like a rally before a soccer game. Protestors on the steps of the theater shouted slogans, others held up banners and posters, a few beat drums and cymbals. I saw children with mothers, university students, blue class workers, punks, card carrying members of various political parties and a few individuals who appeared to be in their fifties or sixties. Everybody was friendly. It felt like a party.
As the march started, residents cheered from their windows and held up signs of support, a few even tossed white confetti out of their offices. The protestors chanted, “S?o Paulo has awoken.” A few smiling individuals turned around to take pictures with their phones of the mass of people advancing behind them.
I never saw anyone with stones or Molotov cocktails, although I did occasionally detect a whiff of freshly drying spray paint. In general I noticed few acts of destruction. Protestors shouted down an individual who threw a glass bottle on the ground. I did notice many people with flowers and cameras though.
As the protestors headed up a street, they stopped near a gas station. I saw a young man in a yellow shirt talking to a colonel of the military police surrounded by the press. I would later learn that the young man was explaining to the colonel the route of the rest of the protest. The colonel congratulated him on the peacefulness of the protest, and asked the protestors to break for a short time.
About fifteen minutes later, I heard shots fired. The police were using tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and smoke bombs. I couldn’t understand what had happened.
Chaos ensued. Panicking protestors ran in all directions. A few shouted to stick together: smaller groups would make easier targets for the police. Many started to chant “No violence!” My wife and I followed a large group up another street until we noticed a formation of heavily armored and masked policeman coming in the opposite direction. Bar and restaurant owners scrambled to close their doors. We turned. A canister landed not far from us. We headed up an apparently empty street only to encounter more police. Turning back and cutting across streets, we finally managed to reach a metro stop and catch a train away from the action. Others weren’t so lucky.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
While local officials have named the two dead, they declined to provide more information about the circumstances of their deaths and would not specify if there was any indication of foul play.
"It's an open death investigation," West Palm Beach Police spokesman Capt. David Bernhardt told the local NBC affiliate. "That way we're not limiting to ourselves what type of investigation we are doing. It could turn out to be a homicide investigation later on, it could just be a normal death investigation."
However, sources close to the investigation told The Palm Beach Post that police are searching for another school custodian, 53-year-old Javier Burgos, who is considered a suspect in the deaths.
Palm Beach County School District spokesman Jason Shockley said that no students were on campus when the bodies were discovered, according to The Sun Sentinel. After the police arrived at the school, the area was cordoned off, and a SWAT team investigated the scene.
"Everyone throughout the school district is deeply saddened by the events that transpired today at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts," the Palm Beach County School District said in a statement released to local media. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to workers, family, friends, and community members that have been impacted."
I’d always heard that Brazilians were unusually passive when it comes to politics. My friends lament that theirs is a country where soccer and carnival reign and education languishes. There is a sense that once elected, politicians are indifferent to the demands of the public, irresponsible with their money and unaccountable for their actions.
Paulo Maluf, a former mayor of S?o Paulo (the largest city in Latin America) and governor of S?o Paulo (state), wanted by Interpol for conspiracy to commit grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, is currently serving as a federal deputy (an elected representative to the lower chamber of congress). Fernando Collor de Mello, a former president of Brazil who had resigned and was subsequently impeached on corruption charges and banned from politics for eight years, is currently serving as a senator from the Northeastern state of Alagoas. The Federation of State Industries of S?o Paulo, estimates that about 25 billion dollars (US) are embezzled from government coffers every year. Another S?o Paulo federal deputy, Marco Feliciano, who has made disparaging comments against Africans, gays and women, is the recently elected president of the lower chamber’s Commission on Human Rights and Minorities.
For the World Cup in 2014, the government is spending about $15 billion, much of that for building stadiums that are frequently over budget and behind schedule. Multiple stadiums are located in cities, which will never be able to fill the seats once the tournament ends. In addition, the government canceled or pushed back until after the World Cup many of the promised expansions in public transportation for the tournament, expansions which in most cases are desperately needed. In S?o Paulo, the subway trains are unbearably packed during a rush hour that never seems to end, and the trains come to many frequent unplanned stops.
More troubling, economic growth in the country slowed to a growth rate of 0.9% in 2012, coinciding with a decrease in demand for commodities in China. I couldn’t blame my Brazilian friends for their pessimistic take on politics.
But when the city of S?o Paulo raised subway and bus fares by ten cents to $1.60 (the minimum wage in the state is about 375 dollars per month before taxes), the pent up frustration of the city’s residents appeared to burst, at least by Brazilian standards. Three protests occurred in less than a week starting on the sixth of June, and the last had seen at least 10,000 protestors. There were similar protests in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre among other cities.
On June 13th, the planned date of the fourth protest, I decided to attend, curious to see what could have brought so many of the seemingly lethargic paulistanos (as inhabitants of the city are called) out into the streets. Was this na?ve idealism, violent delinquency or something else?
It started out like a rally before a soccer game. Protestors on the steps of the theater shouted slogans, others held up banners and posters, a few beat drums and cymbals. I saw children with mothers, university students, blue class workers, punks, card carrying members of various political parties and a few individuals who appeared to be in their fifties or sixties. Everybody was friendly. It felt like a party.
As the march started, residents cheered from their windows and held up signs of support, a few even tossed white confetti out of their offices. The protestors chanted, “S?o Paulo has awoken.” A few smiling individuals turned around to take pictures with their phones of the mass of people advancing behind them.
I never saw anyone with stones or Molotov cocktails, although I did occasionally detect a whiff of freshly drying spray paint. In general I noticed few acts of destruction. Protestors shouted down an individual who threw a glass bottle on the ground. I did notice many people with flowers and cameras though.
As the protestors headed up a street, they stopped near a gas station. I saw a young man in a yellow shirt talking to a colonel of the military police surrounded by the press. I would later learn that the young man was explaining to the colonel the route of the rest of the protest. The colonel congratulated him on the peacefulness of the protest, and asked the protestors to break for a short time.
About fifteen minutes later, I heard shots fired. The police were using tear gas canisters, rubber bullets and smoke bombs. I couldn’t understand what had happened.
Chaos ensued. Panicking protestors ran in all directions. A few shouted to stick together: smaller groups would make easier targets for the police. Many started to chant “No violence!” My wife and I followed a large group up another street until we noticed a formation of heavily armored and masked policeman coming in the opposite direction. Bar and restaurant owners scrambled to close their doors. We turned. A canister landed not far from us. We headed up an apparently empty street only to encounter more police. Turning back and cutting across streets, we finally managed to reach a metro stop and catch a train away from the action. Others weren’t so lucky.
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Home From College
The sense of pride you get when you watch your child graduate from high school is hard to describe. You smile from ear to ear, thinking about all the sacrifices you made and all the late-night homework sessions you shared with your kid to reach this crowning moment. The feeling is quite exhilarating, but soon after the graduation ceremony is over and you are done patting the graduate on the back, the realization that you will have to pay for your child's education for the next four years is truly a buzzkill.
The only good thing about the new arrangement is that even though the parents are footing the bill for college, the kids are actually out of the house most of the year, but like a bad sequel to a dreadful horror movie, they do come back. It's summertime, folks, and your college-aged kid has returned with a vengeance, bringing dirty laundry and a whole new attitude. He or she has experienced the outside world as a semi-adult, and now you are faced with a brand new assortment of issues with your kid that you did not have before. Here are a few things to look out for in the next three months.
One of the first things you notice is that the food in your refrigerator disappears a lot faster than before. Strangely, you never actually see the food get eaten because it is gone by the time you get home from work. You have to give them credit for leaving the scene of the crime without a trace of evidence.
Leftovers are always the first victims. Of course, there is lunch meat, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, Hot Pockets, and plenty of bread to choose from in the kitchen, but, no, that is not what they want. They want that piece of pizza or hunk of lasagna from the night before that you have been thinking about all day at work. There is nothing worse than coming home with pizza on the mind only to find an empty plastic refrigerator bag where that piece of pizza used to be just sitting there in the fridge, mocking you. It gives me chills of anger just thinking about how many times that has happened to me. I never thought I would see the day where I literally had to tell my kid, "Hey, that (fill in the blank) is mine. Do not touch it!" It is survival of the fittest around here, and I am forced to pull the Dad card. Don't judge me, and I won't judge you for doing the same.
I'm a college graduate myself, so I understand how important the summer break is to a student. College students work hard all year and they just want to kick back and have a good time. Staying out to the wee hours of the night partying with friends and sleeping until the following afternoon may seem like the perfect schedule to the student, but to the average parent, that can turn into a problem real quick. My suggestion is to allow the student a few days to indulge in this type of schedule in the beginning of the summer break. Let your kid have a good time, but at some point, let him or her know that sleeping until two in the afternoon is not acceptable.
Nothing in life is free, and that includes living with your parents. Most parents will not charge their college-aged kids rent; however, that does not mean that those same kids don't pay for their room and board in other ways. In my house, chores are synonymous with paying rent every month. My logic is this: if you don't do your chore, that's the same as not paying your rent. If you are not paying your rent, you will be asked to leave the premises. Sounds harsh, doesn't it? It may be, but I believe it teaches your semi-adult the art of responsibility. I have had a few meetings with my son about this, and each time, he has gotten pretty close to being escorted off the property. The result is he's starting to take his chores a little more seriously now. Bless his heart.
This is not up for discussion in my house. Getting a job is a requirement for several reasons. My job is to cover the basics -- roof over your head, food on the table, you know, the usual stuff. If my kid has the audacity to ask me for drinking money, he is definitely going to get the death stare. Besides that, he needs gas money, club money, date money, clothes money, and the ever popular I-don't-want-to-eat-what-Mom-is-cooking money. All these things are important to a college student; therefore, if he or she plans on having any fun this summer, they are going to have to finance that fun themselves. On top of the financial advantages of having a job, your child might be lucky enough to score an awesome internship that will look great on a resume or could possibly be a steppingstone for a future position with that particular employer.
Okay, we get it. The kid went off to college, lived like a semi-adult in the dorm, and was somewhat independent. I use the term "somewhat" because technically, the kid is still on your payroll because you are paying the tuition plus room and board, but I digress. Here's the thing: when they come home for the summer, they are living in your house. If they are living in your house, they have to follow house rules, plain and simple. However, house rules should probably be age-appropriate. In other words, you can't give a college student an 11 pm curfew. That's not going to work and it isn't practical, but that doesn't mean that some type of curfew is not in order.
The curfew is not just for the parents, as most would probably assume. It is beneficial for the college student as well. I have watched enough hours of the Investigation Discovery channel to know that it is always a good thing to tell someone where you are going to be, how long you are going to be there, and when you plan on coming home. This way, if you come up missing, you at least have someone out there looking for you. My son is 18, so we give him a 2 a.m. curfew, but that may change the older he gets. Ultimately, it's important for parents to negotiate a decent compromise with your college student in regards to curfew.
So, is it possible to coexist in the same house with your kid who is on the cusp of becoming an adult? Sure it is! There's a fine line between making room for your child's independence and keeping things under control in your household. The key, of course, is communication. The best thing to do is have an upfront discussion with your son or daughter about the rules of the house. Be open-minded and flexible without giving up control of your home. Remember, you were once in their shoes. If you keep that in mind, it will be much easier to walk that line successfully. Good luck!
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
The only good thing about the new arrangement is that even though the parents are footing the bill for college, the kids are actually out of the house most of the year, but like a bad sequel to a dreadful horror movie, they do come back. It's summertime, folks, and your college-aged kid has returned with a vengeance, bringing dirty laundry and a whole new attitude. He or she has experienced the outside world as a semi-adult, and now you are faced with a brand new assortment of issues with your kid that you did not have before. Here are a few things to look out for in the next three months.
One of the first things you notice is that the food in your refrigerator disappears a lot faster than before. Strangely, you never actually see the food get eaten because it is gone by the time you get home from work. You have to give them credit for leaving the scene of the crime without a trace of evidence.
Leftovers are always the first victims. Of course, there is lunch meat, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, Hot Pockets, and plenty of bread to choose from in the kitchen, but, no, that is not what they want. They want that piece of pizza or hunk of lasagna from the night before that you have been thinking about all day at work. There is nothing worse than coming home with pizza on the mind only to find an empty plastic refrigerator bag where that piece of pizza used to be just sitting there in the fridge, mocking you. It gives me chills of anger just thinking about how many times that has happened to me. I never thought I would see the day where I literally had to tell my kid, "Hey, that (fill in the blank) is mine. Do not touch it!" It is survival of the fittest around here, and I am forced to pull the Dad card. Don't judge me, and I won't judge you for doing the same.
I'm a college graduate myself, so I understand how important the summer break is to a student. College students work hard all year and they just want to kick back and have a good time. Staying out to the wee hours of the night partying with friends and sleeping until the following afternoon may seem like the perfect schedule to the student, but to the average parent, that can turn into a problem real quick. My suggestion is to allow the student a few days to indulge in this type of schedule in the beginning of the summer break. Let your kid have a good time, but at some point, let him or her know that sleeping until two in the afternoon is not acceptable.
Nothing in life is free, and that includes living with your parents. Most parents will not charge their college-aged kids rent; however, that does not mean that those same kids don't pay for their room and board in other ways. In my house, chores are synonymous with paying rent every month. My logic is this: if you don't do your chore, that's the same as not paying your rent. If you are not paying your rent, you will be asked to leave the premises. Sounds harsh, doesn't it? It may be, but I believe it teaches your semi-adult the art of responsibility. I have had a few meetings with my son about this, and each time, he has gotten pretty close to being escorted off the property. The result is he's starting to take his chores a little more seriously now. Bless his heart.
This is not up for discussion in my house. Getting a job is a requirement for several reasons. My job is to cover the basics -- roof over your head, food on the table, you know, the usual stuff. If my kid has the audacity to ask me for drinking money, he is definitely going to get the death stare. Besides that, he needs gas money, club money, date money, clothes money, and the ever popular I-don't-want-to-eat-what-Mom-is-cooking money. All these things are important to a college student; therefore, if he or she plans on having any fun this summer, they are going to have to finance that fun themselves. On top of the financial advantages of having a job, your child might be lucky enough to score an awesome internship that will look great on a resume or could possibly be a steppingstone for a future position with that particular employer.
Okay, we get it. The kid went off to college, lived like a semi-adult in the dorm, and was somewhat independent. I use the term "somewhat" because technically, the kid is still on your payroll because you are paying the tuition plus room and board, but I digress. Here's the thing: when they come home for the summer, they are living in your house. If they are living in your house, they have to follow house rules, plain and simple. However, house rules should probably be age-appropriate. In other words, you can't give a college student an 11 pm curfew. That's not going to work and it isn't practical, but that doesn't mean that some type of curfew is not in order.
The curfew is not just for the parents, as most would probably assume. It is beneficial for the college student as well. I have watched enough hours of the Investigation Discovery channel to know that it is always a good thing to tell someone where you are going to be, how long you are going to be there, and when you plan on coming home. This way, if you come up missing, you at least have someone out there looking for you. My son is 18, so we give him a 2 a.m. curfew, but that may change the older he gets. Ultimately, it's important for parents to negotiate a decent compromise with your college student in regards to curfew.
So, is it possible to coexist in the same house with your kid who is on the cusp of becoming an adult? Sure it is! There's a fine line between making room for your child's independence and keeping things under control in your household. The key, of course, is communication. The best thing to do is have an upfront discussion with your son or daughter about the rules of the house. Be open-minded and flexible without giving up control of your home. Remember, you were once in their shoes. If you keep that in mind, it will be much easier to walk that line successfully. Good luck!
Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Waitin’ for the man
The clerk at Video Americain sounded as if he’s fielded plenty of requests for Shirley Clarke’s 1961 movie The Connection. “No. That’s almost impossible to find, and if you do, you’ll have to pay a lot for it,” he said when asked about the mythical and elusive cult film. Only the briefest snippets can be found on YouTube, and VHS copies start at $30 on Amazon.com. Based on Jack Gelber’s play, an off-Broadway hit in New York, the black-and-white picture is set entirely in a Manhattan apartment where eight heroin addicts argue about the junkie code and other philosophical questions as they wait for their dealer, “the connection,” to show up. Four of the addicts are jazz musicians who occasionally wake from their stupor to play first-rate bebop.
The music for the play, as well as the film, was composed and performed by Freddie Redd, a Harlem pianist now living in Baltimore. Redd will reconstruct some of that music when he leads a quartet at the Creative Alliance on Friday. Excerpts from Clarke’s movie will be screened during the show.
When the play first opened in 1959 at the Living Theatre, Gelber and director Judith Malina cast Redd as “1st Musician.” In the film, as in the play, Redd is slouched at an upright piano with an old-fashioned table lamp perched on top. He suddenly sits up and says, “What’s happening? What tune are we blowing? Cowboy back?” The three other musicians—alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, drummer Larry Ritchie, and bassist Michael Mattos—also perk up and start performing a driving hard-bop number. At first it seems that McLean is leading the way with his lyrical sax lines, but it soon becomes obvious that all the cues are coming from Redd, wearing a striped polo shirt and leaning back in a rib-backed chair as he puffs on a cigarette.
The Connection was an unlikely collaboration between white Greenwich Village bohemians and black Harlem jazz musicians. It might never have worked but for Redd’s rare ability to bridge the IC card, for he had a foot in each world. He grew up in Harlem, though he never considered himself a musician until he heard a Charlie Parker record while in the Army: “It was stunning,” Redd remembers. “It was beautiful. I felt at home with that music.” When he got out of the service in 1949, he threw himself into the jazz world and soon became a proficient pianist.
But he was never the kind to be bound by one neighborhood. One day he climbed on the double-decker Seventh Avenue bus and rode it downtown to see what he could discover. He got off at the very last stop, which was Washington Square Park, and Redd was attracted by the “pretty people” congregating around the fountain. He dozed off in the sun, only to be awakened by Harvey Cropper, a local painter. The two men hit it off, and Redd soon found himself in Cropper’s loft, where Redd heard some raucous laughter from across the room. It was Charlie Parker himself. Before long, Redd moved downtown and Parker hired him as his pianist for a gig at the Montmarte in the West Village.
“The Village was integrated in a way that Harlem wasn’t,” he says. “I had friends of all kinds: poets, writers, painters, intellectuals. I thirsted for knowledge, and this was stimulating. It was a dead end for me up in Harlem; the Village offered ideas and a future. When I was living in a loft on Third Avenue, for example, my next-door neighbor Garry Goodrow, an actor-pianist, said, ‘I’m going to be in this play, and we need some jazz musicians; would you be interested?’ I was interested. I’d lost my cabaret card when they’d found some marijuana cigarettes in my pocket, and I couldn’t play in nightclubs in New York. But I didn’t need a cabaret card to perform in a theater. Here was a chance to make a living playing jazz and to write some new music.”
Redd summons up these memories in the lunchroom of the subsidized senior housing he lives in on the edge of Bolton Hill. He turns 85 before the Creative Alliance show, but he is decked out like he’s still a 20-something hipster in mid-’50s New York. Sitting in a plastic cafeteria chair, he wears a black fedora, a black velvet pullover, and shiny black shoes as he leans forward on his dark-blue cane. He gives a sly grin from under his bushy, salt-and-pepper mustache.
“I met Jack Gelber in a bar on Third Avenue,” he continues, “and he told me there’d be one set with these drug addicts waiting around for their connection. My band would have a few lines, but mostly it was a matter of accompanying the dialogue. The dialogue was absolutely realistic. At that time, drugs were everywhere, but most people didn’t know anything about it. It wasn’t like now, when everyone knows all about drugs; back then it was a hot topic. We were onstage the whole time—an integral part of the action, as if we were drug addicts. I knew Jackie was familiar with drugs. The music filled a space in the story, just like the dialogue did. After we played the melody that I felt was appropriate for the scene, we improvised on the structure like we always did.”
In 1960, Blue Note Records released the soundtrack, credited to the Freddie Redd Quartet, featuring McLean, Ritchie, and Mattos. In 1960, a revival of the play featured Redd with trumpeter Howard McGhee, saxophonist Tina Brooks, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson. That lineup released Music from the Connection, credited to McGhee, on Felsted Records.
The play got terrible reviews in New York’s dailies when it first opened in July, but the weekly Village Voice, less than four years old then, gave it a rave review, eventually showering the production with three Obie Awards. It suddenly became the hip, must-see show in town, and Redd remembers the likes of Leonard Bernstein and Shelley Winters squeezing in among the 60 or 70 seats. Redd anchored the New York show for 17 months, then accompanied the production to London and Paris while Cecil Taylor took over the New York piano bench.
“I loved Europe,” Redd says. “I liked the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the ancient culture; it was like going back into a storybook land. The racial situation was much easier there. You met so many kinds of people, and it never seemed to matter. I stayed for several years, but then I got homesick and came back to New York. I got my cabaret card back, and I was working with Art Blakey and Charles Mingus and recording with Art Farmer and Gene Ammons. I got to be friends with Thelonious Monk. He was strange in many ways, but you just had to let him be himself. A lot of times I’d be sitting in a room with Monk, and he wouldn’t say a word; then he’d stand up and start dancing. He once said I got ‘a sound’ out of a piano. That made me feel good.”
Recording was never a top priority for Redd. He didn’t seek out opportunities but waited to be approached. For that reason—and because he disappeared to Europe right after his first big splash—he’s not as well known as his talent deserves. He fought with Blue Note producer Alfred Lion and recorded only sporadically thereafter.
A few years ago, his wife was ill and he was low on money, so he accepted an offer for a free apartment in Baltimore. It turned out to be a terrible situation, but his wife was so sick at that point that they moved in anyway. Redd’s wife died in April of 2012, and he moved to Bolton Hill.
When Brad Linde discovered that Redd was in Baltimore, the Washington saxophonist arranged some live gigs at An die Musik. When those went well, a recording session was set up for this past January with Linde, Brian Settles and Sarah Hughes on saxophone, Michael Formanek on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. The Creative Alliance show was supposed to be a CD-release party, but the mixing and mastering has been delayed. Nonetheless, Linde, Formanek, and drummer Tony Martucci will accompany Redd on both unreleased and older material.
“I can’t retire from music,” Redd says, “and hopefully it won’t retire from me. I wouldn’t know what to do without music. It’s the love of my life. I’m still writing. I’ll sit down at the piano and hit a chord; that will lead to another chord, and soon I’ll have a new composition. I like the element of surprise, and I still surprise myself.”
The music for the play, as well as the film, was composed and performed by Freddie Redd, a Harlem pianist now living in Baltimore. Redd will reconstruct some of that music when he leads a quartet at the Creative Alliance on Friday. Excerpts from Clarke’s movie will be screened during the show.
When the play first opened in 1959 at the Living Theatre, Gelber and director Judith Malina cast Redd as “1st Musician.” In the film, as in the play, Redd is slouched at an upright piano with an old-fashioned table lamp perched on top. He suddenly sits up and says, “What’s happening? What tune are we blowing? Cowboy back?” The three other musicians—alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, drummer Larry Ritchie, and bassist Michael Mattos—also perk up and start performing a driving hard-bop number. At first it seems that McLean is leading the way with his lyrical sax lines, but it soon becomes obvious that all the cues are coming from Redd, wearing a striped polo shirt and leaning back in a rib-backed chair as he puffs on a cigarette.
The Connection was an unlikely collaboration between white Greenwich Village bohemians and black Harlem jazz musicians. It might never have worked but for Redd’s rare ability to bridge the IC card, for he had a foot in each world. He grew up in Harlem, though he never considered himself a musician until he heard a Charlie Parker record while in the Army: “It was stunning,” Redd remembers. “It was beautiful. I felt at home with that music.” When he got out of the service in 1949, he threw himself into the jazz world and soon became a proficient pianist.
But he was never the kind to be bound by one neighborhood. One day he climbed on the double-decker Seventh Avenue bus and rode it downtown to see what he could discover. He got off at the very last stop, which was Washington Square Park, and Redd was attracted by the “pretty people” congregating around the fountain. He dozed off in the sun, only to be awakened by Harvey Cropper, a local painter. The two men hit it off, and Redd soon found himself in Cropper’s loft, where Redd heard some raucous laughter from across the room. It was Charlie Parker himself. Before long, Redd moved downtown and Parker hired him as his pianist for a gig at the Montmarte in the West Village.
“The Village was integrated in a way that Harlem wasn’t,” he says. “I had friends of all kinds: poets, writers, painters, intellectuals. I thirsted for knowledge, and this was stimulating. It was a dead end for me up in Harlem; the Village offered ideas and a future. When I was living in a loft on Third Avenue, for example, my next-door neighbor Garry Goodrow, an actor-pianist, said, ‘I’m going to be in this play, and we need some jazz musicians; would you be interested?’ I was interested. I’d lost my cabaret card when they’d found some marijuana cigarettes in my pocket, and I couldn’t play in nightclubs in New York. But I didn’t need a cabaret card to perform in a theater. Here was a chance to make a living playing jazz and to write some new music.”
Redd summons up these memories in the lunchroom of the subsidized senior housing he lives in on the edge of Bolton Hill. He turns 85 before the Creative Alliance show, but he is decked out like he’s still a 20-something hipster in mid-’50s New York. Sitting in a plastic cafeteria chair, he wears a black fedora, a black velvet pullover, and shiny black shoes as he leans forward on his dark-blue cane. He gives a sly grin from under his bushy, salt-and-pepper mustache.
“I met Jack Gelber in a bar on Third Avenue,” he continues, “and he told me there’d be one set with these drug addicts waiting around for their connection. My band would have a few lines, but mostly it was a matter of accompanying the dialogue. The dialogue was absolutely realistic. At that time, drugs were everywhere, but most people didn’t know anything about it. It wasn’t like now, when everyone knows all about drugs; back then it was a hot topic. We were onstage the whole time—an integral part of the action, as if we were drug addicts. I knew Jackie was familiar with drugs. The music filled a space in the story, just like the dialogue did. After we played the melody that I felt was appropriate for the scene, we improvised on the structure like we always did.”
In 1960, Blue Note Records released the soundtrack, credited to the Freddie Redd Quartet, featuring McLean, Ritchie, and Mattos. In 1960, a revival of the play featured Redd with trumpeter Howard McGhee, saxophonist Tina Brooks, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Osie Johnson. That lineup released Music from the Connection, credited to McGhee, on Felsted Records.
The play got terrible reviews in New York’s dailies when it first opened in July, but the weekly Village Voice, less than four years old then, gave it a rave review, eventually showering the production with three Obie Awards. It suddenly became the hip, must-see show in town, and Redd remembers the likes of Leonard Bernstein and Shelley Winters squeezing in among the 60 or 70 seats. Redd anchored the New York show for 17 months, then accompanied the production to London and Paris while Cecil Taylor took over the New York piano bench.
“I loved Europe,” Redd says. “I liked the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the ancient culture; it was like going back into a storybook land. The racial situation was much easier there. You met so many kinds of people, and it never seemed to matter. I stayed for several years, but then I got homesick and came back to New York. I got my cabaret card back, and I was working with Art Blakey and Charles Mingus and recording with Art Farmer and Gene Ammons. I got to be friends with Thelonious Monk. He was strange in many ways, but you just had to let him be himself. A lot of times I’d be sitting in a room with Monk, and he wouldn’t say a word; then he’d stand up and start dancing. He once said I got ‘a sound’ out of a piano. That made me feel good.”
Recording was never a top priority for Redd. He didn’t seek out opportunities but waited to be approached. For that reason—and because he disappeared to Europe right after his first big splash—he’s not as well known as his talent deserves. He fought with Blue Note producer Alfred Lion and recorded only sporadically thereafter.
A few years ago, his wife was ill and he was low on money, so he accepted an offer for a free apartment in Baltimore. It turned out to be a terrible situation, but his wife was so sick at that point that they moved in anyway. Redd’s wife died in April of 2012, and he moved to Bolton Hill.
When Brad Linde discovered that Redd was in Baltimore, the Washington saxophonist arranged some live gigs at An die Musik. When those went well, a recording session was set up for this past January with Linde, Brian Settles and Sarah Hughes on saxophone, Michael Formanek on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. The Creative Alliance show was supposed to be a CD-release party, but the mixing and mastering has been delayed. Nonetheless, Linde, Formanek, and drummer Tony Martucci will accompany Redd on both unreleased and older material.
“I can’t retire from music,” Redd says, “and hopefully it won’t retire from me. I wouldn’t know what to do without music. It’s the love of my life. I’m still writing. I’ll sit down at the piano and hit a chord; that will lead to another chord, and soon I’ll have a new composition. I like the element of surprise, and I still surprise myself.”
Monday, June 17, 2013
Okonjo-Iweala clears the air, releases more details
Since President Goodluck Jonathan presented his administration’s mid-term report and score card on May 29, many people have continued to ask for more facts and figures to enable them make an objective assessment of the performance of the country’s economy, which the government insists is doing well. In this detailed report, Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, with contribution from the Minister of State, Dr. Yerima Lawan Ngama, provides details of the performance and health of the economy, backing it up with facts and figures. Happy reading.
I want to begin with what it is that the Ministry of Finance does. I want to remind people of our mission. Our mission is to manage the nation’s finances in an open, transparent, accountable and efficient manner that delivers on the country’s development priorities. There are four basic things we do in managing these finances and helping to manage the economy. The first is macroeconomic management. It’s the job of the Ministry of Finance, working with the Central Bank, to have a stable macro-economy. If there’s no stability, if things are moving, exchange rate is volatile, inflation is high – we have experienced it in this country before – what happens? You cannot even begin to think of development of the economy. So, that’s one of our jobs.
The other, of course, is managing the finances and mobilising finances for the real sector of the economy; meaning the other sectors that create jobs can grow. Then we also have the job of supporting enabling reforms that make this economy move. And finally, we have the job of supporting job creation indirectly and directly. So, we’re going to talk about what the Ministry of Finance does and has achieved in those four areas.
Let me start with something that we said during the mid-term report. The first is, on the macro-economy, I want to report that the economy is strong and stable. But of course, it faces challenge of inequality and inclusion; meaning that even though the economy is strong, we have problems with jobs and unemployment. We have problems with working to eradicate poverty. We need to move faster. We need to grow faster in order to tackle these problems. So, we are not saying that everything is solved, or that everything is great, but it’s strong; and that stability provides the platform on which we can use to solve the other problems.
What do I mean? We talked before that if you notice – everybody follows the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira – it has been relatively stable in these past two years at 155 to 160. At least, that is something you can evidence for yourself and attest to. It has been stable because we have also been able to accumulate reserves. People wonder why we are saving these reserves that are now almost $50 billion – we’re at $48 billion now. It’s very important because the reserves are what make the exchange rate stable. When the reserves are going down, that’s when you experience that instability and people can come and attack your currency. So, we have managed, working with the Central Bank – I also want to give them credit for good monetary policy – to be able to grow these reserves, stabilise, so that now, we have an exchange rate that can allow people to plan and allow people to do their work. As the Honourable Minister of Information said, inflation is coming down; from about 12.4% in May 2011, it has slowed to about 9.1% now and these all form the bedrock of this stability.
We have made savings. Part of our reserves is also the Excess Crude Account savings that we talk about. We have had about $4 billion in May 2011. We grew it to about 9 billion dollars equivalent at the end of 2012, and now we’re about $6 billion. Why are we down? Because the Excess Crude Account helps us to manage the economy and keep growing even when we experience shocks like when oil production comes down because of either oil theft, or leakages from pipelines and so on. You know, the money we have saved enables this country to keep going and we have enough to keep us going even in the face of shocks for another four to five months whilst we try to solve our problems. This is something that Nigeria did not have before and we are very proud of it. In the past, when we experience shocks, what did we do? We would have to go to the IMF or World Bank to go and look for money – the IMF in particular to shore up the economy, to shore up our balance of payments (that’s what economists call it). But now, even through all the ups and downs that we have experienced, have we gone there? No. Because Nigeria has now put itself – with the existence of this Excess Crude Account – in a position where in the event of any shock, we can go there to stabilise ourselves. That’s why Nigerians must support this account, the saving of this money; the Sovereign Wealth Fund. This country like a family must be able to put money aside so that if you experience shock, you don’t go around begging, you can stabilise yourself with your own savings. That’s what we manage to do.
The second thing I want to talk about is about GDP growth. This stability has enabled the economy to grow. Certain sectors are growing – I will come to that. Overall, this economy is growing and growth is projected at 6.75% by us; by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2013. Even the IMF has projected higher growth, but we’re being very cautious. Over there [referring to a slide], you will see how we compare with some other countries; with the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, they are growing at 5.6%, so we are much higher; even the emerging markets, we’re higher than them. And you can see Brazil, China, South Africa – South Africa at 2.8%, we at 6.75% et cetera – so we are doing well!
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
I want to begin with what it is that the Ministry of Finance does. I want to remind people of our mission. Our mission is to manage the nation’s finances in an open, transparent, accountable and efficient manner that delivers on the country’s development priorities. There are four basic things we do in managing these finances and helping to manage the economy. The first is macroeconomic management. It’s the job of the Ministry of Finance, working with the Central Bank, to have a stable macro-economy. If there’s no stability, if things are moving, exchange rate is volatile, inflation is high – we have experienced it in this country before – what happens? You cannot even begin to think of development of the economy. So, that’s one of our jobs.
The other, of course, is managing the finances and mobilising finances for the real sector of the economy; meaning the other sectors that create jobs can grow. Then we also have the job of supporting enabling reforms that make this economy move. And finally, we have the job of supporting job creation indirectly and directly. So, we’re going to talk about what the Ministry of Finance does and has achieved in those four areas.
Let me start with something that we said during the mid-term report. The first is, on the macro-economy, I want to report that the economy is strong and stable. But of course, it faces challenge of inequality and inclusion; meaning that even though the economy is strong, we have problems with jobs and unemployment. We have problems with working to eradicate poverty. We need to move faster. We need to grow faster in order to tackle these problems. So, we are not saying that everything is solved, or that everything is great, but it’s strong; and that stability provides the platform on which we can use to solve the other problems.
What do I mean? We talked before that if you notice – everybody follows the exchange rate between the dollar and the naira – it has been relatively stable in these past two years at 155 to 160. At least, that is something you can evidence for yourself and attest to. It has been stable because we have also been able to accumulate reserves. People wonder why we are saving these reserves that are now almost $50 billion – we’re at $48 billion now. It’s very important because the reserves are what make the exchange rate stable. When the reserves are going down, that’s when you experience that instability and people can come and attack your currency. So, we have managed, working with the Central Bank – I also want to give them credit for good monetary policy – to be able to grow these reserves, stabilise, so that now, we have an exchange rate that can allow people to plan and allow people to do their work. As the Honourable Minister of Information said, inflation is coming down; from about 12.4% in May 2011, it has slowed to about 9.1% now and these all form the bedrock of this stability.
We have made savings. Part of our reserves is also the Excess Crude Account savings that we talk about. We have had about $4 billion in May 2011. We grew it to about 9 billion dollars equivalent at the end of 2012, and now we’re about $6 billion. Why are we down? Because the Excess Crude Account helps us to manage the economy and keep growing even when we experience shocks like when oil production comes down because of either oil theft, or leakages from pipelines and so on. You know, the money we have saved enables this country to keep going and we have enough to keep us going even in the face of shocks for another four to five months whilst we try to solve our problems. This is something that Nigeria did not have before and we are very proud of it. In the past, when we experience shocks, what did we do? We would have to go to the IMF or World Bank to go and look for money – the IMF in particular to shore up the economy, to shore up our balance of payments (that’s what economists call it). But now, even through all the ups and downs that we have experienced, have we gone there? No. Because Nigeria has now put itself – with the existence of this Excess Crude Account – in a position where in the event of any shock, we can go there to stabilise ourselves. That’s why Nigerians must support this account, the saving of this money; the Sovereign Wealth Fund. This country like a family must be able to put money aside so that if you experience shock, you don’t go around begging, you can stabilise yourself with your own savings. That’s what we manage to do.
The second thing I want to talk about is about GDP growth. This stability has enabled the economy to grow. Certain sectors are growing – I will come to that. Overall, this economy is growing and growth is projected at 6.75% by us; by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2013. Even the IMF has projected higher growth, but we’re being very cautious. Over there [referring to a slide], you will see how we compare with some other countries; with the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, they are growing at 5.6%, so we are much higher; even the emerging markets, we’re higher than them. And you can see Brazil, China, South Africa – South Africa at 2.8%, we at 6.75% et cetera – so we are doing well!
Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Why the snobbery over corks?
A scientist might talk about the explosive pop of a wine cork in terms of pressure or elasticity.
But for wine lovers, the distinctive creak and pop means something good is happening. It triggers associations - social intimacy, relaxation, nuanced aromas, celebration - that go far beyond just a slug of alcohol.
The unveiling this week of a new style of cork raises the question of why the traditional kind continues to dominate much of the wine world.
The Helix is opened with just a twist of the hand. No corkscrew is necessary as the top of the bottle has a thread inside.
The glass bottle and cork combination for wine is thought to have started in the 17th Century. But newer materials exist today that some argue are better suited for sealing a bottle than cork.
Screw caps and plastic corks have been embraced by producers fed up with wine becoming "corked" - the unpleasant musty taste, likened to wet dog, which is caused by tainted cork.
Influential US wine critic Robert Parker reckons that during the mid 1990s 7-10% of the wine he tasted was corked. In 2004 he predicted that by 2015 screw caps would dominate the wine industry.
"I'm not remotely embarrassed about opening up a screw cap in front of guests. Why should anyone be ashamed of demonstrating that they really cared for their pleasure in the wine?"
But for the ordinary drinker, cultural expectations - wine snobbery even - might be at play.
It might help to explain why large bottling firm O-I and cork giant Amorim would produce a handscrew cork. After all, the screw cap already exists. The firms cite market research showing that 94% of consumers in the US and 90% in France prefer cork stoppers.
The new cork is similar to those found in whisky or sherry bottles, except without the plastic layer on top.
O-I's European chief executive Eric Bouts says it is aimed at wines in the ￡5-10 ($8-15) market. Customers on a picnic won't need to hunt around for a corkscrew.
The cork fits snuggly back into the bottle unlike plastic stoppers or tougher less spongy corks. But connoisseurs will know that the only way of keeping wine drinkable for the following day is to vacuum pump it.
The makers of the Helix say it will be in European shops within two years, but also hope to grab a piece of the fast growing Chinese market, which has overtaken the UK to become the world's fifth biggest.
The more money you spend, the more ritual you want for your buck. That includes a corkscrew, he believes. "If I was to go out and spend 40 or 50 quid on a nice bottle of Pomerol or St Emilion I'd feel I'd been robbed if I opened it the same way I open a bottle of Coke. The crack of a screw top is not the same as the pop of a wine cork."
The cork has one other trump card. Unlike Stelvins, it grows on trees. It fits with wine's earthiness, of no two bottles being quite the same. The French use the word "terroir" to sum up this almost spiritual sense of local distinctiveness.
Shawn and Natalia Hantke didn’t know any of this was happening when they watched their daughter Polina try — but fail — to stand up in her crib. It was May 2010, and the 9-month-old girl would grip the top of the crib in their Deadwood home. She’d rise up and then she’d quit and lower herself back down to her knees.
Other puzzlements followed. There was the dime-sized lump in her armpit. And Polina’s habit of using her arms to push around her left leg as she took a bath. Then that same leg fell limp “like Jello” when the couple tried to dress her, according to Shawn.
The Hantkes brought up their worries during several doctor visits that year. Nobody could say what was wrong. Their doctor referred the Hantkes to a pediatrician, who referred them to an orthopedic surgeon, who referred them to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.
By the time the doctors slid Polina into a MRI machine in Denver in March 2011, it had been nine months since her parents first noticed the symptoms. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that primarily affects infants and toddlers. Because it mimics the symptoms of more ordinary illnesses, neuroblastoma is usually found only after it has spread.
As Polina entered what would become months of chemotherapy and other treatments, and her parents split time traveling back and forth to Denver to be closer to the hospital, the Hantkes realized their lives would be forever changed. But even with that realization, numerous questions still linger — the same unknowns that plague any family undergoing the devastation, and rare moments of hope, of trying to save a child with an aggressive cancer.Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
But for wine lovers, the distinctive creak and pop means something good is happening. It triggers associations - social intimacy, relaxation, nuanced aromas, celebration - that go far beyond just a slug of alcohol.
The unveiling this week of a new style of cork raises the question of why the traditional kind continues to dominate much of the wine world.
The Helix is opened with just a twist of the hand. No corkscrew is necessary as the top of the bottle has a thread inside.
The glass bottle and cork combination for wine is thought to have started in the 17th Century. But newer materials exist today that some argue are better suited for sealing a bottle than cork.
Screw caps and plastic corks have been embraced by producers fed up with wine becoming "corked" - the unpleasant musty taste, likened to wet dog, which is caused by tainted cork.
Influential US wine critic Robert Parker reckons that during the mid 1990s 7-10% of the wine he tasted was corked. In 2004 he predicted that by 2015 screw caps would dominate the wine industry.
"I'm not remotely embarrassed about opening up a screw cap in front of guests. Why should anyone be ashamed of demonstrating that they really cared for their pleasure in the wine?"
But for the ordinary drinker, cultural expectations - wine snobbery even - might be at play.
It might help to explain why large bottling firm O-I and cork giant Amorim would produce a handscrew cork. After all, the screw cap already exists. The firms cite market research showing that 94% of consumers in the US and 90% in France prefer cork stoppers.
The new cork is similar to those found in whisky or sherry bottles, except without the plastic layer on top.
O-I's European chief executive Eric Bouts says it is aimed at wines in the ￡5-10 ($8-15) market. Customers on a picnic won't need to hunt around for a corkscrew.
The cork fits snuggly back into the bottle unlike plastic stoppers or tougher less spongy corks. But connoisseurs will know that the only way of keeping wine drinkable for the following day is to vacuum pump it.
The makers of the Helix say it will be in European shops within two years, but also hope to grab a piece of the fast growing Chinese market, which has overtaken the UK to become the world's fifth biggest.
The more money you spend, the more ritual you want for your buck. That includes a corkscrew, he believes. "If I was to go out and spend 40 or 50 quid on a nice bottle of Pomerol or St Emilion I'd feel I'd been robbed if I opened it the same way I open a bottle of Coke. The crack of a screw top is not the same as the pop of a wine cork."
The cork has one other trump card. Unlike Stelvins, it grows on trees. It fits with wine's earthiness, of no two bottles being quite the same. The French use the word "terroir" to sum up this almost spiritual sense of local distinctiveness.
Shawn and Natalia Hantke didn’t know any of this was happening when they watched their daughter Polina try — but fail — to stand up in her crib. It was May 2010, and the 9-month-old girl would grip the top of the crib in their Deadwood home. She’d rise up and then she’d quit and lower herself back down to her knees.
Other puzzlements followed. There was the dime-sized lump in her armpit. And Polina’s habit of using her arms to push around her left leg as she took a bath. Then that same leg fell limp “like Jello” when the couple tried to dress her, according to Shawn.
The Hantkes brought up their worries during several doctor visits that year. Nobody could say what was wrong. Their doctor referred the Hantkes to a pediatrician, who referred them to an orthopedic surgeon, who referred them to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.
By the time the doctors slid Polina into a MRI machine in Denver in March 2011, it had been nine months since her parents first noticed the symptoms. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that primarily affects infants and toddlers. Because it mimics the symptoms of more ordinary illnesses, neuroblastoma is usually found only after it has spread.
As Polina entered what would become months of chemotherapy and other treatments, and her parents split time traveling back and forth to Denver to be closer to the hospital, the Hantkes realized their lives would be forever changed. But even with that realization, numerous questions still linger — the same unknowns that plague any family undergoing the devastation, and rare moments of hope, of trying to save a child with an aggressive cancer.Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Wright shows his red-ball prowess
This was the second time in a week that Sussex have batted out the final day for a draw in a position of weakness. But their effort at Lord's outdoes their resistance at home against Nottinghamshire for sheer audacity. At no point in this match were Sussex in control until the final evening when, with a lead of 177, they covered the boundary with fielders and dared Middlesex to dream with 20 overs to go.
That luxury was afforded to them by some late lusty hitting from Luke Wright, who finished with his first class best of 187. Middlesex had a go - shuffling their pack to give Joe Denly, Neil Dexter and Gareth Berg the 178 chase a good go - but at 50 for 3, they gave called it off, with a deep sense of regret.
Wright's show reel may consist exclusively of limited-overs bashing but when his team needed him most, he has played a patient role with great conviction. Whenever the seamers were too full or Ollie Rayner was too short, we were treated to glimpses of his hitting - each blow increasing Sussex's lead and adding to Middlesex's frustration.
The armchair view of Wright is that he's afflicted with a sort of batting Tourette's syndrome but it's simply not the case: "It's not like I'm out there I want to come down and slog it for six," he says. Since returning from the IPL, where "you're going in for 15 or 20 balls", he has been on a training diet of red balls, even when going into one-day matches, and he exploited the elongated conditions to bat for just over nine and a half hours in the match.
His first port of call with Ed Joyce was to see off the new ball - taken immediately - and then making parity, which they achieved that when their partnership reached 154. Joyce in particular looked determined; wearing a short ball from James Harris early on, but on 82 he benefited from another drop from Dexter at first slip after he chased a wide ball from Rayner.
However, on 98, the edge of his bat was found again - this time Rayner taking a smart catch down to his left at second slip, off the bowling of Harris. It was the second time Joyce had fallen two short of a hundred this season - his previous effort being south of the river against Surrey. Wright made no such mistake.
When Ben Brown played a horrible cut to Adam London at point and Chris Jordan got an inside edge on a ball through to the John Simpson, Wright was joined by Will Beer, with whom he batted for 40 overs in Sussex's first innings as they stared an innings defeat in the face.
Today they seemed much more at ease, despite a Middlesex win still the strong favourite. Beer, who has centuries in club cricket to his plastic card, showed good judgment and footwork as he stuck with Wright, who brought up his first Championship century since July 2011.
Curtailing his attacking instincts in both innings, Wright's 77 in the first stands out like a sore thumb on a card where no other Sussex player passed 25. His effort in the second also came in the aftermath of some poor shots from the top order and goes down as one his best ever as he showed just how "proper" a batsman he can be.
That being said, a close lbw shout when he first came to the crease was voided by a no-ball and he was also dropped by Tim Murtagh on 40 - a fairly routine chance at deep square-leg. That was one of five catches that Middlesex put down; Chris Rogers also failed to hold on when he ran back from mid-off to catch a lofted drive that Wright, on 153, didn't get to the pitch of.
He punished them playing a few more shots - including an 11-ball burst in which he scored 24 - which proved to be the difference. Middlesex might have won on points, but it was the Sussex dressing room that harboured the most satisfaction as they remain unbeaten and, more importantly, in pole position.
The drive is set to gather pace to further broaden the service outreach in the first half of 2015. The move comes by way of implementation of the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
It sets the path for migration from eGovernment to mGovernment such that government services will be accessible via mobile phones 24/7 throughout the year.
Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the Board and executive director of the RTA, reiterated RTA’s commitment to translate the directives of Sheikh Mohammed into a reality for the benefit of all customers, enabling them to process various RTA services through their smart-phones without obliging them to visit customer service centres.
“The RTA currently provides 17 services compatible with the most common operating systems (iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows) highlighted by services oriented to public transport users. These include the booking of taxis, enquiring about the balance of Nol cards, arrival time of buses and Dubai Metro, calculating the fare, enquiring about Nol card balance, displaying the locations of Metro stations and bus stops.
That luxury was afforded to them by some late lusty hitting from Luke Wright, who finished with his first class best of 187. Middlesex had a go - shuffling their pack to give Joe Denly, Neil Dexter and Gareth Berg the 178 chase a good go - but at 50 for 3, they gave called it off, with a deep sense of regret.
Wright's show reel may consist exclusively of limited-overs bashing but when his team needed him most, he has played a patient role with great conviction. Whenever the seamers were too full or Ollie Rayner was too short, we were treated to glimpses of his hitting - each blow increasing Sussex's lead and adding to Middlesex's frustration.
The armchair view of Wright is that he's afflicted with a sort of batting Tourette's syndrome but it's simply not the case: "It's not like I'm out there I want to come down and slog it for six," he says. Since returning from the IPL, where "you're going in for 15 or 20 balls", he has been on a training diet of red balls, even when going into one-day matches, and he exploited the elongated conditions to bat for just over nine and a half hours in the match.
His first port of call with Ed Joyce was to see off the new ball - taken immediately - and then making parity, which they achieved that when their partnership reached 154. Joyce in particular looked determined; wearing a short ball from James Harris early on, but on 82 he benefited from another drop from Dexter at first slip after he chased a wide ball from Rayner.
However, on 98, the edge of his bat was found again - this time Rayner taking a smart catch down to his left at second slip, off the bowling of Harris. It was the second time Joyce had fallen two short of a hundred this season - his previous effort being south of the river against Surrey. Wright made no such mistake.
When Ben Brown played a horrible cut to Adam London at point and Chris Jordan got an inside edge on a ball through to the John Simpson, Wright was joined by Will Beer, with whom he batted for 40 overs in Sussex's first innings as they stared an innings defeat in the face.
Today they seemed much more at ease, despite a Middlesex win still the strong favourite. Beer, who has centuries in club cricket to his plastic card, showed good judgment and footwork as he stuck with Wright, who brought up his first Championship century since July 2011.
Curtailing his attacking instincts in both innings, Wright's 77 in the first stands out like a sore thumb on a card where no other Sussex player passed 25. His effort in the second also came in the aftermath of some poor shots from the top order and goes down as one his best ever as he showed just how "proper" a batsman he can be.
That being said, a close lbw shout when he first came to the crease was voided by a no-ball and he was also dropped by Tim Murtagh on 40 - a fairly routine chance at deep square-leg. That was one of five catches that Middlesex put down; Chris Rogers also failed to hold on when he ran back from mid-off to catch a lofted drive that Wright, on 153, didn't get to the pitch of.
He punished them playing a few more shots - including an 11-ball burst in which he scored 24 - which proved to be the difference. Middlesex might have won on points, but it was the Sussex dressing room that harboured the most satisfaction as they remain unbeaten and, more importantly, in pole position.
The drive is set to gather pace to further broaden the service outreach in the first half of 2015. The move comes by way of implementation of the initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
It sets the path for migration from eGovernment to mGovernment such that government services will be accessible via mobile phones 24/7 throughout the year.
Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the Board and executive director of the RTA, reiterated RTA’s commitment to translate the directives of Sheikh Mohammed into a reality for the benefit of all customers, enabling them to process various RTA services through their smart-phones without obliging them to visit customer service centres.
“The RTA currently provides 17 services compatible with the most common operating systems (iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows) highlighted by services oriented to public transport users. These include the booking of taxis, enquiring about the balance of Nol cards, arrival time of buses and Dubai Metro, calculating the fare, enquiring about Nol card balance, displaying the locations of Metro stations and bus stops.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Drew Houston's Commencement address
For your first couple decades, success in life has meant jumping through one hoop after another: get these test scores, get into this college. Take these classes, get this degree. Get into this prestigious institution so you can get into the next prestigious institution. All of that ends today.
The hard thing about planning your life is you have no idea where you're going, but you want to get there as soon as possible. Maybe you'll start a company, or cure cancer, or write the great American novel. Or who knows? Maybe things will go horribly wrong. I had no idea.
Being up here in robes and speaking to all of you today wasn't exactly part of my plan seven years ago. In fact, I've never really had a grand plan — and what I realize now is that it's probably impossible to have one after graduation, if ever.
I've thought a lot about what's different about the life you're beginning today. I've thought about what I would do if I had to start all over again. What got you here was basically being smart and working hard. But nobody tells you that after today, the recipe for success changes. So what I want to do is give you a little cheat sheet, the one I would have loved to have had on my graduation day.
If you were to look at my cheat sheet, there wouldn't be a lot on it. There would be a tennis ball, a circle, and the number 30,000. I know this doesn't make any sense right now, but bear with me.
I started my first company in a Chili's when I was 21. My cofounder, Andrew Crick, and I had never done this before. We were wondering if you needed to wear a suit to City Hall, or if you needed to make a company seal for stamping important documents. It turns out you can just go online and fill out a form and be done in about two minutes. It was a little anti-climactic, but we were in business. Over onion strings we decided that our company was going to make a new kind of online course for the SAT. Most kids back then were still using these old-school 800-page books, and the other online prep courses weren't very good. We called it Accolade, an SAT vocab word meaning an award of distinction. Well, actually, we called it "The Accolade Group, LLC" which we thought sounded a lot more impressive.
I stopped at Staples on the way home to pick up some card stock. Clearly, the most important order of business was to Photoshop a logo and print out some business cards that said "Founder" on them. The next order of business was to hand them out at conferences, and tell girls "why yes, I do have a company." It was awesome.
But the best part was learning all kinds of new things. I lived in my fraternity house every summer, and up on the fifth floor there's a ladder that goes up to the roof. I had this green nylon folding chair that I'd drag up there along with armfuls of business books I bought off Amazon and I'd spend every weekend reading about marketing, sales, management and all these other things I knew nothing about. I wasn't planning to get my MBA on the roof of Phi Delta Theta, but that's what happened.
A couple years later, things started going downhill. I felt like I had to paddle harder and harder to make progress, and at some point I just snapped and couldn't deal with any more math questions about parallel lines or the train leaving Memphis at 3:45. I figured something was wrong with me. I felt guilty for being so unproductive. Starting a company had been my dream, and, well, maybe I didn't have what it takes after all.
So I took a little break. Of course, if you're in course 6, sometimes "taking a break" means writing a poker bot. For those of you who don't know what a poker bot is, what happens when you play poker online is first, you sit for hours and click buttons, and then you lose all your money. A poker bot means you can have your computer lose all your money for you.
But it was a fascinating challenge. I was possessed. I would think about it in the shower. I would think about it in the middle of the night. It was like a switch went on — suddenly I was a machine.
In the middle of all this, my mom and dad wanted all of us to come up to New Hampshire to spend a family weekend together. But I really wanted to keep working on my poker bot. So I pull up in my Accord and open the trunk, and next I'm dragging all my computer stuff and all these wires into our little cottage. The dining room table wasn't big enough so I started moving all the pots and pans off the stove to make room for all my monitors. This time it was my mom who thought something was wrong with me. She was convinced I was going to jail.
I was going to say work on what you love, but that's not really it. It's so easy to convince yourself that you love what you're doing — who wants to admit that they don't? When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball: their eyes go a little crazy, the leash snaps and they go bounding off, plowing through whatever gets in the way. I have some other friends who also work hard and get paid well in their jobs, but they complain as if they were shackled to a desk.
The problem is a lot of people don’t find their tennis ball right away. Don't get me wrong — I love a good standardized test as much as the next guy, but being king of SAT prep wasn’t going to be mine. What scares me is that both the poker bot and Dropbox started out as distractions. That little voice in my head was telling me where to go, and the whole time I was telling it to shut up so I could get back to work. Sometimes that little voice knows best.Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
The hard thing about planning your life is you have no idea where you're going, but you want to get there as soon as possible. Maybe you'll start a company, or cure cancer, or write the great American novel. Or who knows? Maybe things will go horribly wrong. I had no idea.
Being up here in robes and speaking to all of you today wasn't exactly part of my plan seven years ago. In fact, I've never really had a grand plan — and what I realize now is that it's probably impossible to have one after graduation, if ever.
I've thought a lot about what's different about the life you're beginning today. I've thought about what I would do if I had to start all over again. What got you here was basically being smart and working hard. But nobody tells you that after today, the recipe for success changes. So what I want to do is give you a little cheat sheet, the one I would have loved to have had on my graduation day.
If you were to look at my cheat sheet, there wouldn't be a lot on it. There would be a tennis ball, a circle, and the number 30,000. I know this doesn't make any sense right now, but bear with me.
I started my first company in a Chili's when I was 21. My cofounder, Andrew Crick, and I had never done this before. We were wondering if you needed to wear a suit to City Hall, or if you needed to make a company seal for stamping important documents. It turns out you can just go online and fill out a form and be done in about two minutes. It was a little anti-climactic, but we were in business. Over onion strings we decided that our company was going to make a new kind of online course for the SAT. Most kids back then were still using these old-school 800-page books, and the other online prep courses weren't very good. We called it Accolade, an SAT vocab word meaning an award of distinction. Well, actually, we called it "The Accolade Group, LLC" which we thought sounded a lot more impressive.
I stopped at Staples on the way home to pick up some card stock. Clearly, the most important order of business was to Photoshop a logo and print out some business cards that said "Founder" on them. The next order of business was to hand them out at conferences, and tell girls "why yes, I do have a company." It was awesome.
But the best part was learning all kinds of new things. I lived in my fraternity house every summer, and up on the fifth floor there's a ladder that goes up to the roof. I had this green nylon folding chair that I'd drag up there along with armfuls of business books I bought off Amazon and I'd spend every weekend reading about marketing, sales, management and all these other things I knew nothing about. I wasn't planning to get my MBA on the roof of Phi Delta Theta, but that's what happened.
A couple years later, things started going downhill. I felt like I had to paddle harder and harder to make progress, and at some point I just snapped and couldn't deal with any more math questions about parallel lines or the train leaving Memphis at 3:45. I figured something was wrong with me. I felt guilty for being so unproductive. Starting a company had been my dream, and, well, maybe I didn't have what it takes after all.
So I took a little break. Of course, if you're in course 6, sometimes "taking a break" means writing a poker bot. For those of you who don't know what a poker bot is, what happens when you play poker online is first, you sit for hours and click buttons, and then you lose all your money. A poker bot means you can have your computer lose all your money for you.
But it was a fascinating challenge. I was possessed. I would think about it in the shower. I would think about it in the middle of the night. It was like a switch went on — suddenly I was a machine.
In the middle of all this, my mom and dad wanted all of us to come up to New Hampshire to spend a family weekend together. But I really wanted to keep working on my poker bot. So I pull up in my Accord and open the trunk, and next I'm dragging all my computer stuff and all these wires into our little cottage. The dining room table wasn't big enough so I started moving all the pots and pans off the stove to make room for all my monitors. This time it was my mom who thought something was wrong with me. She was convinced I was going to jail.
I was going to say work on what you love, but that's not really it. It's so easy to convince yourself that you love what you're doing — who wants to admit that they don't? When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters to them. They remind me of a dog chasing a tennis ball: their eyes go a little crazy, the leash snaps and they go bounding off, plowing through whatever gets in the way. I have some other friends who also work hard and get paid well in their jobs, but they complain as if they were shackled to a desk.
The problem is a lot of people don’t find their tennis ball right away. Don't get me wrong — I love a good standardized test as much as the next guy, but being king of SAT prep wasn’t going to be mine. What scares me is that both the poker bot and Dropbox started out as distractions. That little voice in my head was telling me where to go, and the whole time I was telling it to shut up so I could get back to work. Sometimes that little voice knows best.Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Obama administration raises the ‘social cost’ of CO2
In a little-noticed move, the White House raised the “social cost” estimate for carbon dioxide emissions all federal agencies must use when formulating regulations.
The White House Office of Management and Budget raised the social cost of carbon — a monetary estimate of the damages caused by carbon emissions — from $21 per metric ton to $35 per metric ton, which some experts say could allow the White House to move forward with greenhouse gas limits on power plants.
“The big regulatory action that they’re looking at — that would certainly would be the most costly and have the biggest impact on the economy — are the rules for new and existing power plants,” Jeff Holmstead, air quality chief at the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush, told the Hill.
If the social cost of carbon is raised, it is more likely that the costs of imposing emissions limits on power plants would be lower than the claimed benefits.
“I think the White House is clearly now saying there is a much higher social cost from greenhouse gas emissions than previously acknowledged. That means it really puts the heat on the EPA to move soon and aggressively,” Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, told the Hill.
The rule would effectively ban the construction of coal plants by limiting emissions to 1,000 pounds-per-megawatt-hour — which can only be met by combined-cycle power plants that are powered by natural gas. Coal plants must use carbon capture and sequestration technology in order to comply, which the industry claims is not commercially viable.
“The new regulations attempt to force standards on coal emissions that would not only be incredibly expensive, but impossible to achieve even with advanced technology,” said West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. “Even worse, there would be no benefit from these new regulations.”
Around 5,000 industry professionals descended upon the small Black Forest town of Lossburg, Germany, in March for Arburg’s Technology Days 2013, braving the unseasonably cold weather that covered the factory complex in a dusting of snow (the thermometer dipped to -8°C at times). The three-day event was the injection moulding machinery maker’s chance to showcase all its products simultaneously and inform its current and future customers about its capabilities and competences.
Arburg has been traditionally known as a maker of smaller machines. In the Lossburg factory’s heritage centre, the reason for this is clear. The company was founded in the 19th century and originally produced surgical instruments. In the 1950s it began to build camera flash units for amateur photographers. Finding that the units were sensitive to variations in temperature and humidity – they were reported to go off without warning in hot, humid climates – the company realised the units needed plastic shrouds to encapsulate the delicate wiring. Unable to find an injection moulding machine small enough to make the part, the company developed its own: a simple, hand-operated unit that looked somewhat like an elaborate espresso machine. From 1952 its future direction was clear: as a maker of injection moulding machines. But now Arburg wants to shake off the “small” tag, eager to demonstrate larger machines, such as the hybrid Allrounder 670H with a clamping force of 1,800 kN and a size 1300 injection unit.
Asked if the economic crisis in southern Europe would affect Arburg’s business, Helmut Heinson, managing director of sales, contended: “Well of course, but not to the extent you might expect. In Spain we are keeping sales on previous years. France is fine, the UK is fine.”
Heinson identified the US as Arburg’s biggest foreign market. But he also considered the Far East as having the best potential for growth despite Arburg’s machinery being relatively expensive compared with locally-sourced machinery.
The theme of the Technology Days was “production efficiency” with a dedicated exhibition – the “Efficiency Arena” – highlighting efficiency in all the stages in the process, including design, moulds, machine technology, peripherals, configuration, production planning and automation (process integration and process control).
The Product Design station illustrated the importance of optimising components from the outset. Working with CAD/CAM partner Men at Work, Arburg demonstrated how computer-based design and production, used in conjunction with injection moulding simulation programs and computer tomography, could offer potential savings.
On to Mould Technology, mould-making partner M?nner showed how precision, large production volumes and rapid cycles could be combined in a single concept. This was demonstrated with an electric Allrounder 470 A using a 64-cavity mould with near-contour cooling and hot runner needle shut-off system. Part geometry had been optimised for fast, reliable injection. The companies claim the system could make up to 450 million parts per year with a cycle time of 2.2 seconds.Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
The White House Office of Management and Budget raised the social cost of carbon — a monetary estimate of the damages caused by carbon emissions — from $21 per metric ton to $35 per metric ton, which some experts say could allow the White House to move forward with greenhouse gas limits on power plants.
“The big regulatory action that they’re looking at — that would certainly would be the most costly and have the biggest impact on the economy — are the rules for new and existing power plants,” Jeff Holmstead, air quality chief at the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush, told the Hill.
If the social cost of carbon is raised, it is more likely that the costs of imposing emissions limits on power plants would be lower than the claimed benefits.
“I think the White House is clearly now saying there is a much higher social cost from greenhouse gas emissions than previously acknowledged. That means it really puts the heat on the EPA to move soon and aggressively,” Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, told the Hill.
The rule would effectively ban the construction of coal plants by limiting emissions to 1,000 pounds-per-megawatt-hour — which can only be met by combined-cycle power plants that are powered by natural gas. Coal plants must use carbon capture and sequestration technology in order to comply, which the industry claims is not commercially viable.
“The new regulations attempt to force standards on coal emissions that would not only be incredibly expensive, but impossible to achieve even with advanced technology,” said West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. “Even worse, there would be no benefit from these new regulations.”
Around 5,000 industry professionals descended upon the small Black Forest town of Lossburg, Germany, in March for Arburg’s Technology Days 2013, braving the unseasonably cold weather that covered the factory complex in a dusting of snow (the thermometer dipped to -8°C at times). The three-day event was the injection moulding machinery maker’s chance to showcase all its products simultaneously and inform its current and future customers about its capabilities and competences.
Arburg has been traditionally known as a maker of smaller machines. In the Lossburg factory’s heritage centre, the reason for this is clear. The company was founded in the 19th century and originally produced surgical instruments. In the 1950s it began to build camera flash units for amateur photographers. Finding that the units were sensitive to variations in temperature and humidity – they were reported to go off without warning in hot, humid climates – the company realised the units needed plastic shrouds to encapsulate the delicate wiring. Unable to find an injection moulding machine small enough to make the part, the company developed its own: a simple, hand-operated unit that looked somewhat like an elaborate espresso machine. From 1952 its future direction was clear: as a maker of injection moulding machines. But now Arburg wants to shake off the “small” tag, eager to demonstrate larger machines, such as the hybrid Allrounder 670H with a clamping force of 1,800 kN and a size 1300 injection unit.
Asked if the economic crisis in southern Europe would affect Arburg’s business, Helmut Heinson, managing director of sales, contended: “Well of course, but not to the extent you might expect. In Spain we are keeping sales on previous years. France is fine, the UK is fine.”
Heinson identified the US as Arburg’s biggest foreign market. But he also considered the Far East as having the best potential for growth despite Arburg’s machinery being relatively expensive compared with locally-sourced machinery.
The theme of the Technology Days was “production efficiency” with a dedicated exhibition – the “Efficiency Arena” – highlighting efficiency in all the stages in the process, including design, moulds, machine technology, peripherals, configuration, production planning and automation (process integration and process control).
The Product Design station illustrated the importance of optimising components from the outset. Working with CAD/CAM partner Men at Work, Arburg demonstrated how computer-based design and production, used in conjunction with injection moulding simulation programs and computer tomography, could offer potential savings.
On to Mould Technology, mould-making partner M?nner showed how precision, large production volumes and rapid cycles could be combined in a single concept. This was demonstrated with an electric Allrounder 470 A using a 64-cavity mould with near-contour cooling and hot runner needle shut-off system. Part geometry had been optimised for fast, reliable injection. The companies claim the system could make up to 450 million parts per year with a cycle time of 2.2 seconds.Click on their website www.smartcardfactory.com for more information.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Acer C7 Chromebook
Improbably, after an inauspicious start, Google’s Chrome OS is slowly but surely gathering momentum. The Acer C7 is the second Chromebook we’ve seen in as many months, and as with last month’s offering from Samsung, it’s an affordable, likeable product.
As with the Samsung Chromebook, this Acer is a compact, lightweight laptop. The browser-based operating system means it isn’t as flexible as a full-blown Windows 8 system, but the OS’s recently introduced offline capabilities, combined with the huge collection of extensions, games and apps available through the Chrome Web Store, means it’s still a practical proposition.
The C7’s hardware is more than serviceable. There’s nothing that makes you sit up and say “wow” about the design, with nondescript grey plastic cladding the lid and base. But it isn’t ugly, it’s light at 1.32kg, and the 11.6in 1366 x 768 display provides a decent-sized space in which to browse the web and work.
The quality of the display can’t match the sumptuous panels of the best Ultrabooks and tablets, but it’s usable. The maximum brightness of 213cd/m2 is fine indoors, but we wouldn’t want to use it in bright sunlight. This figure is similar to that of the Samsung Chromebook; the main difference is the Acer C7 has a glossy finish, lending movie scenes and photos a fraction more saturation and depth. The downside is more potential for distracting reflections.
When it comes to ergonomics, the Samsung holds a slight advantage, but it’s close once again. The Acer is equipped with a similar Scrabble-tile keyboard and a broad, buttonless, multitouch touchpad, which makes typing and using the mouse largely comfortable. The keys don’t have much travel, but they’re well spaced and we found it easy to get up to a reasonable touch-typing speed. The dedicated Search button doesn’t replace Caps Lock as it does on the Samsung Chromebook, which is another bonus. We can even see ourselves getting used to the tiny cursor keys in time, although our first few days were spent repeatedly hitting the equally small PageUp and RFID tag, located above the left and right cursor keys.
We can't give ourselves too much credit here, but it certainly seems like Sony took our -- and other reviewers' -- critique of the Duo 11 to heart. The device looks and feels sleeker this time around, and indeed, despite a larger 13.3-inch display, the 2.93-pound machine is only a hair heavier than its predecessor (2.87 pounds). This is thanks to a carbon fiber construction, which is lighter than the magnesium alloy used on the older model. We still have painful memories of the Duo 11's jagged edges, so we're happy to report that Sony opted for a more rounded frame this time around. The company also ensured that the display and keyboard base line up perfectly in tablet mode, further reducing the chance that you'll impale your wrists while completing a Bing search.
This is pretty huge: Sony completely revamped its hinge design. The so-called Surf Slider mechanism on the Duo 13 is much easier to activate; we could even pull up the screen with just one hand. The slider mechanism feels much sturdier this time around, too; collapsing the device back into slate mode feels steady and secure rather than wobbly. The hinge also looks a lot better, as the cabling is now tucked behind the hinge rather than exposed (huzzah!).
On the front of the slider, you'll find the expected Windows 8 Start button along with a 2-megapixel front camera and Sony branding. Pulling up the display reveals the VAIO logo on the keyboard (a larger version of this is etched on the hinge itself). All the ports are located on the back edge of the Duo 13, while the left and right sides are completely bare. Sony says this new arrangement allows for a better grip when you're using the device in tablet mode, and it's also a nod to graphic designers, who prefer to keep cables in the back for a cleaner workspace. All told, you get an SD card slot, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and the power connector. High-end configurations that include Windows 8 Pro will also ship with a VGA adapter. Flip the machine over, and you'll find a speaker grille as well as Assist and Volume buttons. Finally, there's an 8MP camera, which sits off to the left rather than dead-center.
By design, sliders have limited keyboard space -- it's how they accommodate the pull-out display. Sony did its best to minimize this inconvenience by moving the screen a bit back on this model. As a result, you get a roomier set of island-style chiclets. The backlit layout definitely feels less cramped than the Duo 11's, and there's more pitch here too, which is greatly appreciated. We wouldn't call the keyboard spacious, per se, but the keys are well-spaced enough to net us a surprisingly low error rate on typing tests.
Tiny though it may be, the touchpad is a welcome addition to the VAIO Duo slider. Sony replaced the optical pointing stick and left- and right-click buttons with a full-fledged Synaptics clicker, which makes scrolling, pinch-to-zoom and other gestures much more fluid. Don't for a second think this is a top-notch tracker, though; its small size makes actions such as copy-and-pasting an ordeal, since it requires a bit of strategy to negotiate the limited space. One note: Sony says its final-production trackpad will offer a slightly firmer button press, though we didn't have any issues with the one on our review unit.
As with the Samsung Chromebook, this Acer is a compact, lightweight laptop. The browser-based operating system means it isn’t as flexible as a full-blown Windows 8 system, but the OS’s recently introduced offline capabilities, combined with the huge collection of extensions, games and apps available through the Chrome Web Store, means it’s still a practical proposition.
The C7’s hardware is more than serviceable. There’s nothing that makes you sit up and say “wow” about the design, with nondescript grey plastic cladding the lid and base. But it isn’t ugly, it’s light at 1.32kg, and the 11.6in 1366 x 768 display provides a decent-sized space in which to browse the web and work.
The quality of the display can’t match the sumptuous panels of the best Ultrabooks and tablets, but it’s usable. The maximum brightness of 213cd/m2 is fine indoors, but we wouldn’t want to use it in bright sunlight. This figure is similar to that of the Samsung Chromebook; the main difference is the Acer C7 has a glossy finish, lending movie scenes and photos a fraction more saturation and depth. The downside is more potential for distracting reflections.
When it comes to ergonomics, the Samsung holds a slight advantage, but it’s close once again. The Acer is equipped with a similar Scrabble-tile keyboard and a broad, buttonless, multitouch touchpad, which makes typing and using the mouse largely comfortable. The keys don’t have much travel, but they’re well spaced and we found it easy to get up to a reasonable touch-typing speed. The dedicated Search button doesn’t replace Caps Lock as it does on the Samsung Chromebook, which is another bonus. We can even see ourselves getting used to the tiny cursor keys in time, although our first few days were spent repeatedly hitting the equally small PageUp and RFID tag, located above the left and right cursor keys.
We can't give ourselves too much credit here, but it certainly seems like Sony took our -- and other reviewers' -- critique of the Duo 11 to heart. The device looks and feels sleeker this time around, and indeed, despite a larger 13.3-inch display, the 2.93-pound machine is only a hair heavier than its predecessor (2.87 pounds). This is thanks to a carbon fiber construction, which is lighter than the magnesium alloy used on the older model. We still have painful memories of the Duo 11's jagged edges, so we're happy to report that Sony opted for a more rounded frame this time around. The company also ensured that the display and keyboard base line up perfectly in tablet mode, further reducing the chance that you'll impale your wrists while completing a Bing search.
This is pretty huge: Sony completely revamped its hinge design. The so-called Surf Slider mechanism on the Duo 13 is much easier to activate; we could even pull up the screen with just one hand. The slider mechanism feels much sturdier this time around, too; collapsing the device back into slate mode feels steady and secure rather than wobbly. The hinge also looks a lot better, as the cabling is now tucked behind the hinge rather than exposed (huzzah!).
On the front of the slider, you'll find the expected Windows 8 Start button along with a 2-megapixel front camera and Sony branding. Pulling up the display reveals the VAIO logo on the keyboard (a larger version of this is etched on the hinge itself). All the ports are located on the back edge of the Duo 13, while the left and right sides are completely bare. Sony says this new arrangement allows for a better grip when you're using the device in tablet mode, and it's also a nod to graphic designers, who prefer to keep cables in the back for a cleaner workspace. All told, you get an SD card slot, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and the power connector. High-end configurations that include Windows 8 Pro will also ship with a VGA adapter. Flip the machine over, and you'll find a speaker grille as well as Assist and Volume buttons. Finally, there's an 8MP camera, which sits off to the left rather than dead-center.
By design, sliders have limited keyboard space -- it's how they accommodate the pull-out display. Sony did its best to minimize this inconvenience by moving the screen a bit back on this model. As a result, you get a roomier set of island-style chiclets. The backlit layout definitely feels less cramped than the Duo 11's, and there's more pitch here too, which is greatly appreciated. We wouldn't call the keyboard spacious, per se, but the keys are well-spaced enough to net us a surprisingly low error rate on typing tests.
Tiny though it may be, the touchpad is a welcome addition to the VAIO Duo slider. Sony replaced the optical pointing stick and left- and right-click buttons with a full-fledged Synaptics clicker, which makes scrolling, pinch-to-zoom and other gestures much more fluid. Don't for a second think this is a top-notch tracker, though; its small size makes actions such as copy-and-pasting an ordeal, since it requires a bit of strategy to negotiate the limited space. One note: Sony says its final-production trackpad will offer a slightly firmer button press, though we didn't have any issues with the one on our review unit.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
CrowdIt Launches Crowdfunding Site with an Incubator
Since March, CrowdIt has amassed around 150 projects in the tech, creative, and nonprofit industries. They range from KC Dream Cars, exotic car rental for Kansas City, to Bioplastics, which wants to eliminate the use of oil in plastic-making, to the Kitty Barn for rescue cats.
CrowdIt is starting out with reward- and donation-based crowdfunding similar to Kickstarter. To contribute, backers have to purchase a virtual currency called “funz.” In the future, they plan to offer the new equity-based crowdfunding made possible by the JOBS Act: non-accredited investors (regular people who don’t meet certain income thresholds) will be allowed to fund projects in exchange for equity (and, potentially, big returns).
CrowdIt charges a 5 percent fee to successful projects and a 10 percent fee to unsuccessful ones (plus credit card processing fees). That’s slightly higher than Indiegogo, which charges 4 and 9 percent, respectively.
Besides offering incubation, CrowdIt hopes to gain traction by crowdfunding the application process, as well: eventually, users will have input into which projects are accepted on the site. If you join CrowdIt early, offer lots of mentoring, or contribute to enough projects, you’ll earn the right to review submitted projects and vote yes or no on them.
The incubator itself is somewhat crowdsourced, too. Industry experts can become mentors, nicknamed “suits,” by submitting qualifications like a post-grad degree or professional certification (such as a CPA). Along with mentorship, project creators also get networking opportunities and access to services like marketing and legal.
When the JOBS Act passed last April, the SEC planned to enact the crowdfunding legislation by December 31. Now, it looks like that won’t happen until late 2013 or early 2014, says CEO Jason Graf. But he’s already preparing to turn CrowdIt into an equity crowdfunding hub. He’s partnered with CrowdCheck, which will help protect investors by judging the legitimacy of projects, and CrowdBouncer, which will verify that backers don’t exceed their yearly investment quotas.
CrowdIt is based in Springfield, Missouri, and their vision is to help small businesses and creators across the country bring their ideas to life. “At CrowdIt, we believe everyone at some point in their life has had a dream that never came true due to a lack of capital,” they say. “Now . . . those dreams can be a reality.”
It's not the most eye-catching tablet we've ever seen, but the Excite Write was far more impressive when we turned it on. The 10.1in display looks stunning. It has a huge 2,560x1,600 resolution and everything looked razor sharp regardless of whether we were web browsing, watching film trailers or scrolling through Android 4.2.1's home screens. The Excite Write is protected by Gorilla Glass 2 as well, so it shouldn't pick up any scratches.
The ten-point touchscreen was very responsive, but the Excite Pure will also be available with Toshiba's keyboard cover. This is a Bluetooth keyboard that doubles up as a carry case and protective cover, but we were a little disappointed with its overall build quality. The smooth corners of its plastic cradle make it very easy to take the tablet in and out, but the flexible rubbery plastic stand that curves round to support the tablet has to bend quite considerably in order to bear its weight, even when the bottom of the cradle was resting in its support groove above the keyboard tray.
It felt quite fragile as a result, particularly since the cradle doesn't magnetically snap into place, and it didn't quite feel sturdy enough to survive a sharp accidental knock. Thankfully, it looks like the keyboard cover will be an optional extra rather than being bundled in with the tablet, so you should be able to attach your own Bluetooth keyboard cover instead.
The Excite Write has a good range of connections. There's a microUSB port, microSD card reader and a micro HDMI output on the side of the tablet and all three are concealed behind a plastic flap. The tablet also has an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 1.2-megapixel camera on the front for video chat.
The Excite Pure is powered by Nvidia's latest Tegra 4 processor and has 2GB of RAM. It completed our SunSpider JavaScript benchmarks in a super fast 567.7ms, making it one of the fastest tablets we've seen. It felt particularly snappy while we were web-browsing, but it also showed itself to be a capable games machine as well. We tried it out with Riptide GP2, a water-based racing game that only runs on Tegra 4, and the graphics looked incredibly smooth.
The Excite Write's final trick up its sleeve is its digitizer stylus pen, which lets you take notes using the touchscreen. Toshiba has also developed its own TruNote note-taking app to go with it and this is meant to be able to convert your handwriting into typed text. The pen felt very smooth and responsive while we were trying it out, but when we tried converting our note into typed text, we only had partial success. Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
CrowdIt is starting out with reward- and donation-based crowdfunding similar to Kickstarter. To contribute, backers have to purchase a virtual currency called “funz.” In the future, they plan to offer the new equity-based crowdfunding made possible by the JOBS Act: non-accredited investors (regular people who don’t meet certain income thresholds) will be allowed to fund projects in exchange for equity (and, potentially, big returns).
CrowdIt charges a 5 percent fee to successful projects and a 10 percent fee to unsuccessful ones (plus credit card processing fees). That’s slightly higher than Indiegogo, which charges 4 and 9 percent, respectively.
Besides offering incubation, CrowdIt hopes to gain traction by crowdfunding the application process, as well: eventually, users will have input into which projects are accepted on the site. If you join CrowdIt early, offer lots of mentoring, or contribute to enough projects, you’ll earn the right to review submitted projects and vote yes or no on them.
The incubator itself is somewhat crowdsourced, too. Industry experts can become mentors, nicknamed “suits,” by submitting qualifications like a post-grad degree or professional certification (such as a CPA). Along with mentorship, project creators also get networking opportunities and access to services like marketing and legal.
When the JOBS Act passed last April, the SEC planned to enact the crowdfunding legislation by December 31. Now, it looks like that won’t happen until late 2013 or early 2014, says CEO Jason Graf. But he’s already preparing to turn CrowdIt into an equity crowdfunding hub. He’s partnered with CrowdCheck, which will help protect investors by judging the legitimacy of projects, and CrowdBouncer, which will verify that backers don’t exceed their yearly investment quotas.
CrowdIt is based in Springfield, Missouri, and their vision is to help small businesses and creators across the country bring their ideas to life. “At CrowdIt, we believe everyone at some point in their life has had a dream that never came true due to a lack of capital,” they say. “Now . . . those dreams can be a reality.”
It's not the most eye-catching tablet we've ever seen, but the Excite Write was far more impressive when we turned it on. The 10.1in display looks stunning. It has a huge 2,560x1,600 resolution and everything looked razor sharp regardless of whether we were web browsing, watching film trailers or scrolling through Android 4.2.1's home screens. The Excite Write is protected by Gorilla Glass 2 as well, so it shouldn't pick up any scratches.
The ten-point touchscreen was very responsive, but the Excite Pure will also be available with Toshiba's keyboard cover. This is a Bluetooth keyboard that doubles up as a carry case and protective cover, but we were a little disappointed with its overall build quality. The smooth corners of its plastic cradle make it very easy to take the tablet in and out, but the flexible rubbery plastic stand that curves round to support the tablet has to bend quite considerably in order to bear its weight, even when the bottom of the cradle was resting in its support groove above the keyboard tray.
It felt quite fragile as a result, particularly since the cradle doesn't magnetically snap into place, and it didn't quite feel sturdy enough to survive a sharp accidental knock. Thankfully, it looks like the keyboard cover will be an optional extra rather than being bundled in with the tablet, so you should be able to attach your own Bluetooth keyboard cover instead.
The Excite Write has a good range of connections. There's a microUSB port, microSD card reader and a micro HDMI output on the side of the tablet and all three are concealed behind a plastic flap. The tablet also has an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 1.2-megapixel camera on the front for video chat.
The Excite Pure is powered by Nvidia's latest Tegra 4 processor and has 2GB of RAM. It completed our SunSpider JavaScript benchmarks in a super fast 567.7ms, making it one of the fastest tablets we've seen. It felt particularly snappy while we were web-browsing, but it also showed itself to be a capable games machine as well. We tried it out with Riptide GP2, a water-based racing game that only runs on Tegra 4, and the graphics looked incredibly smooth.
The Excite Write's final trick up its sleeve is its digitizer stylus pen, which lets you take notes using the touchscreen. Toshiba has also developed its own TruNote note-taking app to go with it and this is meant to be able to convert your handwriting into typed text. The pen felt very smooth and responsive while we were trying it out, but when we tried converting our note into typed text, we only had partial success. Read the full story at www.smartcardfactory.com!
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