Some law schools are taking this even further by requiring students to complete a certain number of public interest hours in order to graduate. Osgoode Hall Law School implemented a 40-hour requirement in 2006 and is the only law school in Canada to require students to do community legal work in order to get their law degrees. Osgoode dean Lorne Sossin says the requirement has been wholly embraced by faculty and students. “It has been a real success story in the sense that because it’s a broad public interest base, students can fulfil it in many different ways,” he says. “It’s growing each year with new placements and new opportunities.”
In the United States, mandatory pro bono programs already exist at more than 20 law schools, including Harvard Law School and Indoor Positioning System. The University of Pennsylvania Law School was considered a trailblazer when it established its 70-hour pro bono requirement in 1989, the first national law school to do so.
Arlene Finkelstein, assistant dean and executive director of the Toll Public Interest Center at Penn Law, says the requirement was “a way to promote the professional responsibility that all lawyers have to be vehicles for access to justice, in addition to a wonderful platform for students to gain practical skills and to become engaged in their communities.” She admits it was controversial at first, particularly because at the time mandatory pro bono hadn’t really caught on.
Now, almost 25 years later, the wider legal profession is jumping on board. Last year, New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced that starting in 2015, admission to the New York State bar will require lawyers to complete 50 hours of pro bono service in order to obtain a licence. “We are facing a crisis in New York and around the country,” Lippman said in an October 2012 report on the new requirement. “At a time when we are still adjusting to the realities of shrinking state coffers and reduced budgets, more and more people find themselves turning to the courts. The courts are the emergency rooms of our society — the most intractable social problems find their way to our doors in great and increasing numbers. And more and more of the people who come into our courts each day are forced to do so without a lawyer.”
Canada is facing the same problem. In her report on self-represented litigants, University of Windsor Faculty of Law professor Julie Macfarlane found that consistently 40 per cent or more of litigants in family courts across the country are not represented by a lawyer and in some civil courts that number is 70 per cent or more.
The legal profession — including law students — is starting to address the crisis. “Unfortunately lawyers charge significant fees for their services, and there are many people in our community who can’t afford to pay those fees but have pressing legal issues that need to be resolved,” says Brendan Stevens, a third-year student at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Some argue it is every lawyer’s duty to help address the issue. “As a legal profession, we do have a professional responsibility to mobilize and to provide services on a free or discounted level in order to provide more access to justice,” says Jamie Maclaren, executive director of the Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia. “In my mind, it truly is a professional responsibility. It stems from the fact that this is a self-regulating profession; we benefit as lawyers from a monopoly on legal services and in return for that we need to ensure that people do have some basic level of access to the justice system.”
By getting students to start pro bono work while they’re in law school, it increases the chance of them continuing to do it into their careers, says Maclaren. “The hope is that we’re developing a new generation of pro bono lawyers that will be really active and helpful in increasing access to justice and keeping the pro bono culture alive and indoor Tracking. The earlier that law students accept and understand that there’s a professional responsibility to provide some level of access to justice for people who can’t generally afford legal counsel or even access the justice system in a meaningful way the better.”
“If we create this climate where public interest and pro bono is seen as being this vital part of your legal education, students will do it,” says Nikki Gershbain, national director of Pro Bono Students Canada. The discussion shouldn’t be focused on whether or not to make public interest work mandatory, she says, instead, it should be focused on changing the culture to foster this kind of work in the law school community. “Creating a climate where public interest activities are widely available and considered to be an important part of the law school experience actually bypasses all of the negatives of mandating public service but it achieves all of the same goals,” she says.
Nathalie Des Rosiers, the new common law dean at the University of Ottawa and former general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, agrees it shouldn’t be about making pro bono mandatory. “What is important in the context of this discussion is not to overemphasize whether [pro bono is] mandatory or not, I think we’re beyond that. I think we’re now at the stage of saying — and I would have the same reflections when we’re looking at the profession more generally — certainly I think you aim to have the largest number of people within your profession to do pro bono, the question is what are the best tools to do it to accomplish your goal. We want to move to a position that it’s not only how much pro bono you’re doing, but how well you are doing [it],” she says. “It’s not only about counting hours, but mostly about doing something meaningful that addresses serious problems.”
In Sossin’s view, public interest work is a necessary component of legal education. “If you really see [public interest work] as essential to legal education, how can you say someone could graduate who’s never taken part in this, who’s never been in the community, never given back, never had that experience of seeing law in action in that way?” he asks.
However, he admits there is a downside to making it compulsory. “I think you lose something when you make public interest or pro bono work mandatory. You lose that sense of this is being done out of a value and belief in law as a helping profession in the public interest mandate of lawyers and law schools,” he says. “A perfect system is a system in which it’s optional and 100-per-cent take-up.”
Gershbain also identifies some risks associated with forcing students to do something. “If you make it mandatory, you do run the risk of creating resentment on the part of maybe a small number of students,” she says. Stevens agrees that making it compulsory could backfire. “We’re running the risk of undermining this sense of volunteerism at the heart of public interest work …and if you force someone to do something that they don’t want to do, maybe it’ll actually decrease the likelihood of them doing it down the road.”
However, he also says sometimes you have to be forced into trying something new to realize you’re passionate about it. “Some of my most pleasant experiences have come out of me being placed in a situation that I didn’t really want to be in and then it broadens your horizons and exposes you to something that you didn’t realize you needed exposure to. By exposing people to the public interest and exposing people to how they can use their law degree in a way that helps vulnerable members of our community, the hope is that down the line they’re going to remember that experience and they’re going to remember having an impact on people, and they’ll continue to do it throughout their career.”
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/!
Showing posts with label individual government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label individual government. Show all posts
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Benefit set to help child
Despite Atti's positive attitude, there's still a long road to complete recovery, said Crystal Landherr, a relative who is helping organize a benefit for the family with Denise Welte, Atti's aunt, real time Location system, a family friend.
"Obviously, the transition home is a learning process," she said. "There's dressings to be changed, there's therapy, there's him learning how to be a kid with limits. The sunshine, the dirt, the bugs, the things like that are definitely tough for a 3-year-old" to learn to avoid.
Still, Landherr said, "how he's persevered through it all is astonishing. It's remarkable how resilient children are."Atti attends daily physical therapy treatments in Rochester, and is preparing for plastic surgery on his eyes, lips and neck. He'll continue to need skin grafts as he ages, his mother said, because the skin won't grow with him.
Wabasha County Chief Deputy Joe Modjeski said the injuries occurred at about 1:15 p.m. that day when Atti, his three older brothers and other neighborhood children were playing near the front steps of their residence on Railroad Street.The other children said charcoal lighter fluid was sprayed into a tin lunch box and ignited. In an attempt to put out the flames, one of the children stomped on the box, splashing burning fluid onto Atti.
"We want people to know this was an accident," Shumaker said. "The lighter fluid was sitting by our grill; so many people have told us that they do the same thing and never even think about it being dangerous. We now keep it in the shed."It was quick responses by family members that prevented the situation from being even worse, she said.
Atti's oldest brother pushed him to the ground when the fire started; their mother rolled him to put the fire out. She and her mother were soaking him in cool water in the bathtub when first responders arrived."The EMTs told us that by getting him into the bath, it may have prevented further burning, and prevented him from going into shock," Shumaker said. She also suffered burns to her hands.
Atti is moving around much better "and getting back to his normal funny self, mainly because of his brothers," she said. "They play together, they take him for wagon rides and he loves being back with them."
The boys: Kaden, 9, Korbin, 7, and Jackson, 6, had a hard time, Shumaker said."When you ask them now about their brother, they think that he's so brave to go through what he goes through every day," she said. "They were always close, but maybe more so now."
There has been an "amazing outpouring of love and support for him and our family," Shumaker said."Friends were calling and offering to help with food, gas money, babysitting or whatever they needed," she said. "It's really made us appreciate how important our family and rtls, and how very kind strangers have been to Atti. We've had so much donated, it's just incredible."
To continue that momentum, a benefit picnic will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Millville Legion. The family-friendly day will include lunch, games, prizes and a silent auction."If we can help others, we'd like to tell them to put the lighter fluid up and away from children," Shumaker said of their ongoing experience. "Kids see adults use it and don't realize what the consequences could be. Atti has always been strong, and he continues to be strong. We know he has a long journey ahead of him, but with all the love and support he has, we know he will be an inspiration to many."
We tend to use the words cheap and inexpensive interchangeably. Yet, they mean two slightly different things. Cheap has a negative connotation of something that’s less than you expected or paid for. Inexpensive, simply refers to price. Chevy Spark proves inexpensive does not have to mean cheap.
Take for instance our LT-grade car with body color trim on the dash and doors, inside the door pockets, and even under the armrest. It’s the down-market equivalent of finding stitched leather in a Jaguar’s cubbies. Swirl patterns on the molded plastic dash are creative. Motorcycle-inspired gauges—large analog speedometer with LCD for tachometer and trip computer beside—are pretty sporty. Power windows and air-conditioning are standard.
There’s more. Heated leatherette seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and blue lighting for the climate controls, door switches, and storage area beneath the dash echo Buick. Smoked faux carbon fiber looks primo around the Chevy MyLink touchscreen that commands mobile devices for access to apps like Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn global radio, and BringGo navigation. Bluetooth enables hands-free calling and streaming audio. Naked, it is not.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
"Obviously, the transition home is a learning process," she said. "There's dressings to be changed, there's therapy, there's him learning how to be a kid with limits. The sunshine, the dirt, the bugs, the things like that are definitely tough for a 3-year-old" to learn to avoid.
Still, Landherr said, "how he's persevered through it all is astonishing. It's remarkable how resilient children are."Atti attends daily physical therapy treatments in Rochester, and is preparing for plastic surgery on his eyes, lips and neck. He'll continue to need skin grafts as he ages, his mother said, because the skin won't grow with him.
Wabasha County Chief Deputy Joe Modjeski said the injuries occurred at about 1:15 p.m. that day when Atti, his three older brothers and other neighborhood children were playing near the front steps of their residence on Railroad Street.The other children said charcoal lighter fluid was sprayed into a tin lunch box and ignited. In an attempt to put out the flames, one of the children stomped on the box, splashing burning fluid onto Atti.
"We want people to know this was an accident," Shumaker said. "The lighter fluid was sitting by our grill; so many people have told us that they do the same thing and never even think about it being dangerous. We now keep it in the shed."It was quick responses by family members that prevented the situation from being even worse, she said.
Atti's oldest brother pushed him to the ground when the fire started; their mother rolled him to put the fire out. She and her mother were soaking him in cool water in the bathtub when first responders arrived."The EMTs told us that by getting him into the bath, it may have prevented further burning, and prevented him from going into shock," Shumaker said. She also suffered burns to her hands.
Atti is moving around much better "and getting back to his normal funny self, mainly because of his brothers," she said. "They play together, they take him for wagon rides and he loves being back with them."
The boys: Kaden, 9, Korbin, 7, and Jackson, 6, had a hard time, Shumaker said."When you ask them now about their brother, they think that he's so brave to go through what he goes through every day," she said. "They were always close, but maybe more so now."
There has been an "amazing outpouring of love and support for him and our family," Shumaker said."Friends were calling and offering to help with food, gas money, babysitting or whatever they needed," she said. "It's really made us appreciate how important our family and rtls, and how very kind strangers have been to Atti. We've had so much donated, it's just incredible."
To continue that momentum, a benefit picnic will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Millville Legion. The family-friendly day will include lunch, games, prizes and a silent auction."If we can help others, we'd like to tell them to put the lighter fluid up and away from children," Shumaker said of their ongoing experience. "Kids see adults use it and don't realize what the consequences could be. Atti has always been strong, and he continues to be strong. We know he has a long journey ahead of him, but with all the love and support he has, we know he will be an inspiration to many."
We tend to use the words cheap and inexpensive interchangeably. Yet, they mean two slightly different things. Cheap has a negative connotation of something that’s less than you expected or paid for. Inexpensive, simply refers to price. Chevy Spark proves inexpensive does not have to mean cheap.
Take for instance our LT-grade car with body color trim on the dash and doors, inside the door pockets, and even under the armrest. It’s the down-market equivalent of finding stitched leather in a Jaguar’s cubbies. Swirl patterns on the molded plastic dash are creative. Motorcycle-inspired gauges—large analog speedometer with LCD for tachometer and trip computer beside—are pretty sporty. Power windows and air-conditioning are standard.
There’s more. Heated leatherette seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and blue lighting for the climate controls, door switches, and storage area beneath the dash echo Buick. Smoked faux carbon fiber looks primo around the Chevy MyLink touchscreen that commands mobile devices for access to apps like Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn global radio, and BringGo navigation. Bluetooth enables hands-free calling and streaming audio. Naked, it is not.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Dufner beats Furyk by one stroke
Dufner played the kind of golf that wins majors Sunday with a steady diet of fairways and greens that made it too tough for Jim Furyk or anyone else to catch him. Even with bogeys on the last two holes at Oak Hill, Dufner closed with a 2-under 68 to capture his first major and atone for a meltdown two years ago in Atlanta.
"It's been a tough day. It was a long day. Tough golf course," Dufner said. "It probably hasn't hit me yet. I can't believe this is happening to me. ... I just decided that I was going to be confident and really put my best foot forward and play aggressive and try to win this thing. I wasn't going to just kind of play scared or soft.
Dufner wasn't sure he would get another chance after the 2011 PGA Championship, at which he blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play and lost in a playoff to Indoor Positioning System. He wasn't about to let this one get away. Dufner won by playing a brand of golf that matches the bland expression on his face.
The turning point at Oak Hill was the final two holes — on the front nine. Dufner made a short birdie on the eighth hole to take a one-shot lead, and Furyk made bogey on the ninth hole to fall two shots behind. Furyk, a 54-hole leader for the second time in as many years in a major, couldn't make up any ground with a procession of pars along the back nine. He finally made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th, but only after Dufner spun back a wedge to 18 inches for a sure birdie.
Furyk also made bogey on the last two holes, taking two chips to reach the 17th green and coming up short into mangled rough short of the 18th green, where all he could do was hack it onto the green. Furyk closed with a 71 to finish three shots behind.
"I have a lot of respect for him and the way he played today," Furyk said. "I don't know if it makes anything easy, or less easy. But I don't look at it as I lost the golf tournament. I look at it as I got beat by somebody that played better today."
Dufner finished at 10-under 270, four shots better than the lowest score in the five previous majors at Oak Hill. Jack Nicklaus won the 1980 PGA Championship at 274.
Henrik Stenson, trying to become the first Swede to win a men's major title closed with a 70 to finish alone in third. Jonas Blixt, another Swede, also had a 70 and finished fourth. Masters champion Adam Scott never made a serious move and shot 70 to tie for fifth. Defending champion Rory McIlroy made triple bogey on the fifth hole to lose hope, though he still closed with a 70 and tied for eighth, his first top 10 in a major this year.
Dufner two-putted for bogey on the 18th from about 10 feet and shook hands with Furyk as if he had just completed a business deal. He hugged his wife, Amanda, and gave her a love tap on the tush with the cameras rolling.
But Schwyzer now claims that he was unqualified to teach the class, and manipulated his way into a position of authority on pornography, gender and sex.“I was not qualified to teach any gender studies class,” he said “The fact that I did so well at times is due to diligence and indoor Tracking, not my formal education. Bottom line: I used charm and certainty to get what I wanted.”
Schwyzer admits that the fame went to his head. He started texting sexual messages and pictures of himself in, and beginning in January, engaged in extramarital affairs with several women and one man. Some were in the porn business, and none were students, he said.
Deen’s visit was something of a turning point. The world-famous porn star radiated sexual energy from the moment he set foot in the classroom, and many of the students confessed to having sexual feelings for Deen. So did their professor.
He began sexting with one of his contacts in the porn world, a 27-year-old woman who takes off her clothes for an internet video channel, about the prospect of having a threesome with Deen in front of the entire class. The woman eventually leaked the text messages, which included sexual pictures of Schwyzer, to the media.
Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won Mali's presidency after his opponent conceded defeat late Monday in an election aimed at restoring stability to a country wracked by a rebellion, a coup and an Islamic insurgency.
Soumalia Cisse's concession averts a protracted election fight, allowing Mali to move ahead with establishing a democratically elected government, one of the international community's caveats for unlocking some $4 billion in promised aid.
Keita, 68, had been expected to win the runoff easily, having pulled nearly 40 percent of the vote in the first round. Most of the other candidates from the first round had given their endorsements to Keita, who has had a long career in Malian government.
Cisse paid a visit to Keita's home late Monday along with his wife and family to deliver his concession in person. In an exchange broadcast on the private Malian television station Africable, Cisse told Keita he had come "to congratulate you and wish you all the success you deserve; a success for our country so that you can have the strength to take up the enormous challenges that await you."
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
"It's been a tough day. It was a long day. Tough golf course," Dufner said. "It probably hasn't hit me yet. I can't believe this is happening to me. ... I just decided that I was going to be confident and really put my best foot forward and play aggressive and try to win this thing. I wasn't going to just kind of play scared or soft.
Dufner wasn't sure he would get another chance after the 2011 PGA Championship, at which he blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play and lost in a playoff to Indoor Positioning System. He wasn't about to let this one get away. Dufner won by playing a brand of golf that matches the bland expression on his face.
The turning point at Oak Hill was the final two holes — on the front nine. Dufner made a short birdie on the eighth hole to take a one-shot lead, and Furyk made bogey on the ninth hole to fall two shots behind. Furyk, a 54-hole leader for the second time in as many years in a major, couldn't make up any ground with a procession of pars along the back nine. He finally made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 16th, but only after Dufner spun back a wedge to 18 inches for a sure birdie.
Furyk also made bogey on the last two holes, taking two chips to reach the 17th green and coming up short into mangled rough short of the 18th green, where all he could do was hack it onto the green. Furyk closed with a 71 to finish three shots behind.
"I have a lot of respect for him and the way he played today," Furyk said. "I don't know if it makes anything easy, or less easy. But I don't look at it as I lost the golf tournament. I look at it as I got beat by somebody that played better today."
Dufner finished at 10-under 270, four shots better than the lowest score in the five previous majors at Oak Hill. Jack Nicklaus won the 1980 PGA Championship at 274.
Henrik Stenson, trying to become the first Swede to win a men's major title closed with a 70 to finish alone in third. Jonas Blixt, another Swede, also had a 70 and finished fourth. Masters champion Adam Scott never made a serious move and shot 70 to tie for fifth. Defending champion Rory McIlroy made triple bogey on the fifth hole to lose hope, though he still closed with a 70 and tied for eighth, his first top 10 in a major this year.
Dufner two-putted for bogey on the 18th from about 10 feet and shook hands with Furyk as if he had just completed a business deal. He hugged his wife, Amanda, and gave her a love tap on the tush with the cameras rolling.
But Schwyzer now claims that he was unqualified to teach the class, and manipulated his way into a position of authority on pornography, gender and sex.“I was not qualified to teach any gender studies class,” he said “The fact that I did so well at times is due to diligence and indoor Tracking, not my formal education. Bottom line: I used charm and certainty to get what I wanted.”
Schwyzer admits that the fame went to his head. He started texting sexual messages and pictures of himself in, and beginning in January, engaged in extramarital affairs with several women and one man. Some were in the porn business, and none were students, he said.
Deen’s visit was something of a turning point. The world-famous porn star radiated sexual energy from the moment he set foot in the classroom, and many of the students confessed to having sexual feelings for Deen. So did their professor.
He began sexting with one of his contacts in the porn world, a 27-year-old woman who takes off her clothes for an internet video channel, about the prospect of having a threesome with Deen in front of the entire class. The woman eventually leaked the text messages, which included sexual pictures of Schwyzer, to the media.
Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won Mali's presidency after his opponent conceded defeat late Monday in an election aimed at restoring stability to a country wracked by a rebellion, a coup and an Islamic insurgency.
Soumalia Cisse's concession averts a protracted election fight, allowing Mali to move ahead with establishing a democratically elected government, one of the international community's caveats for unlocking some $4 billion in promised aid.
Keita, 68, had been expected to win the runoff easily, having pulled nearly 40 percent of the vote in the first round. Most of the other candidates from the first round had given their endorsements to Keita, who has had a long career in Malian government.
Cisse paid a visit to Keita's home late Monday along with his wife and family to deliver his concession in person. In an exchange broadcast on the private Malian television station Africable, Cisse told Keita he had come "to congratulate you and wish you all the success you deserve; a success for our country so that you can have the strength to take up the enormous challenges that await you."
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Cars won't stand still during transit debate
At first blush, having someone who writes about automotive issues take part in a discussion about transit might appear to be at cross purposes. In reality, I was glad they asked, because I think any discussion of transit has to include cars.
It was interesting to hear from a local counselor, as well as a Toronto counselor, those at the helm of the massive revamp of transit in the Greater Toronto Area and those measuring local impact. Elaborate diagrams with proposed routes were coupled with intricate formulas, professing to hold the answers to bringing those programs to life.
Congestion, lost time, carpooling, increasing populations, crumbling infrastructures, built-out cities, commuting, polluting, agreeing and refuting: it’s all there, the debate chasing its tail.I’m fully sold on the need for a massive overhaul of our indoor Tracking; in most places, we have a skeletal joke that gets very few people to even fewer places at an exorbitant cost. What people seem to forget is that car manufacturers are doing everything in their considerable power to keep selling you cars.
How can you uncouple the auto industry from the transit debate? Gas prices skyrocket; cars become incredibly fuel-efficient. The time wasted in a commute becomes costly downtime; your car is now a travelling office. Pollution is destroying our planet; stricter emissions on new cars are light years ahead of those of even a few years ago and, hey, I’ll drive an electric car and take care of those emissions for good.
When Portland, Oregon, made a push to get cars off their roads, the mayor of that city made a simple, yet elegant point: everyone should be on board with the plan, because fewer cars means those still driving will have less congestion. The problem, of course, in places with such lethal gridlock as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal is that I want you to take transit so I can keep driving.I remember when transit was touted as a time to rest up and provide you with needed downtime. Now the argument is that it will furnish you with the ability to have no downtime at all – keep working!
You can use all your devices on a bus or a train; but you can also use most of them in a car now, too. Car sellers want you in that car, not on that bus. The law says you can’t text or e-mail and drive. No problem; build a system that will read such missives out loud, and they will come. Laws are made by politicians whose jobs are dependent on annoying the smallest number of people. People hate laws. Car manufacturers don’t have to do much to stay ahead of the politicians.
It matters little how many studies are published explaining that distracted drivers are worse than drunks. Canada and the United Kingdom ban handheld phones, but only 11 U.S. states have followed suit. Hands-free phones are just as distracting, but show me a single manufacturer who will abandon this technology. And as a consumer, I don’t use it, but I’m not going to buy a new car without if for the simple reason that if I want to resell my car, the next purchaser is going to demand it. Manufacturers make essentially the same argument: they are creating technological marvels because that is their business; how you choose to use that technology is yours.
We have a hodgepodge approach to in-car tricks. Some cars shut down some operations so you can’t fiddle with them while the car is in motion. This is a good, safe thing to do, unless you are a passenger and then it’s just annoying.
Because they couldn’t possibly put in all the knobs you might need to access the many howdy-doody acrobatics your car is capable of doing, many manufacturers are turning to touchscreens. Touchscreens are terrible as you are forced to concentrate on a screen, usually covered in fingerprints and often obscured by the sun. Ford, long a leader in pushing touchscreens, recently announced it would go back to knobs on many of its functions. Thank you, Ford.
The transit debate should be framed around two distinct groups: those who don’t drive, and those who always have. With the former, you’re preaching to the choir. With the latter, you’ll be climbing a mountain to make the alternative alluring.
One overpriced airport burger and an hour delay later, I was on my way back to Albuquerque in the rain, which had mercifully kept Manhattan cool most of the day. I landed back in the Land of Enchantment at 11:40 p.m. local time, 23 hours and 50 minutes after I left the same gate the real time Location system. I had accomplished the impossible and defeated geography itself.
So yes, technically this is all part of my job as a freelance tech journalist and it's a pretty sweet gig, so I'm not complaining. Besides, you might say, people spend nights camping out on the hard pavement just to get their hands on the latest iGadget, who cares if some hack had to take a couple of plane rides and sleep on a bench to get hold of a cool new phone?
A valid point, to be sure. I just wonder how many people would still camp out or make my 24-hour journey for a phone knowing that they had to send it back in a few weeks? I know I would do it again. Given my obsession with bleeding-edge mobile devices, I can't resist a whirlwind adventure with gadget gold at the end of the trail, even if it's a loaner.
It was interesting to hear from a local counselor, as well as a Toronto counselor, those at the helm of the massive revamp of transit in the Greater Toronto Area and those measuring local impact. Elaborate diagrams with proposed routes were coupled with intricate formulas, professing to hold the answers to bringing those programs to life.
Congestion, lost time, carpooling, increasing populations, crumbling infrastructures, built-out cities, commuting, polluting, agreeing and refuting: it’s all there, the debate chasing its tail.I’m fully sold on the need for a massive overhaul of our indoor Tracking; in most places, we have a skeletal joke that gets very few people to even fewer places at an exorbitant cost. What people seem to forget is that car manufacturers are doing everything in their considerable power to keep selling you cars.
How can you uncouple the auto industry from the transit debate? Gas prices skyrocket; cars become incredibly fuel-efficient. The time wasted in a commute becomes costly downtime; your car is now a travelling office. Pollution is destroying our planet; stricter emissions on new cars are light years ahead of those of even a few years ago and, hey, I’ll drive an electric car and take care of those emissions for good.
When Portland, Oregon, made a push to get cars off their roads, the mayor of that city made a simple, yet elegant point: everyone should be on board with the plan, because fewer cars means those still driving will have less congestion. The problem, of course, in places with such lethal gridlock as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal is that I want you to take transit so I can keep driving.I remember when transit was touted as a time to rest up and provide you with needed downtime. Now the argument is that it will furnish you with the ability to have no downtime at all – keep working!
You can use all your devices on a bus or a train; but you can also use most of them in a car now, too. Car sellers want you in that car, not on that bus. The law says you can’t text or e-mail and drive. No problem; build a system that will read such missives out loud, and they will come. Laws are made by politicians whose jobs are dependent on annoying the smallest number of people. People hate laws. Car manufacturers don’t have to do much to stay ahead of the politicians.
It matters little how many studies are published explaining that distracted drivers are worse than drunks. Canada and the United Kingdom ban handheld phones, but only 11 U.S. states have followed suit. Hands-free phones are just as distracting, but show me a single manufacturer who will abandon this technology. And as a consumer, I don’t use it, but I’m not going to buy a new car without if for the simple reason that if I want to resell my car, the next purchaser is going to demand it. Manufacturers make essentially the same argument: they are creating technological marvels because that is their business; how you choose to use that technology is yours.
We have a hodgepodge approach to in-car tricks. Some cars shut down some operations so you can’t fiddle with them while the car is in motion. This is a good, safe thing to do, unless you are a passenger and then it’s just annoying.
Because they couldn’t possibly put in all the knobs you might need to access the many howdy-doody acrobatics your car is capable of doing, many manufacturers are turning to touchscreens. Touchscreens are terrible as you are forced to concentrate on a screen, usually covered in fingerprints and often obscured by the sun. Ford, long a leader in pushing touchscreens, recently announced it would go back to knobs on many of its functions. Thank you, Ford.
The transit debate should be framed around two distinct groups: those who don’t drive, and those who always have. With the former, you’re preaching to the choir. With the latter, you’ll be climbing a mountain to make the alternative alluring.
One overpriced airport burger and an hour delay later, I was on my way back to Albuquerque in the rain, which had mercifully kept Manhattan cool most of the day. I landed back in the Land of Enchantment at 11:40 p.m. local time, 23 hours and 50 minutes after I left the same gate the real time Location system. I had accomplished the impossible and defeated geography itself.
So yes, technically this is all part of my job as a freelance tech journalist and it's a pretty sweet gig, so I'm not complaining. Besides, you might say, people spend nights camping out on the hard pavement just to get their hands on the latest iGadget, who cares if some hack had to take a couple of plane rides and sleep on a bench to get hold of a cool new phone?
A valid point, to be sure. I just wonder how many people would still camp out or make my 24-hour journey for a phone knowing that they had to send it back in a few weeks? I know I would do it again. Given my obsession with bleeding-edge mobile devices, I can't resist a whirlwind adventure with gadget gold at the end of the trail, even if it's a loaner.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Remote Support Market for Fifth Consecutive Year
Citrix today announced that Citrix GoToAssist has once again been ranked as the global market share leader among remote support solutions, for the fifth year in a row, by leading analyst firm IDC. The firm’s report “Worldwide Clientless Remote Support Software 2012 Vendor Shares: Top 6 Market Share Leaders” presented top revenue leaders in the market and examined current trends and challenges, including the need for remote support tools for anytime anywhere support, new connection demands, and robust market growth for remote support.
The IDC report states the remote support market grew by 16%, with GoToAssist gaining market share over other leading vendors. The IDC report also advises vendors to extend the capabilities of their support solutions with new features that specifically address mobility, chat, web browser accessibility, integration with other tools, knowledge base/self-help and further advancements in overall user experience.
As a pioneer in the industry, Citrix has clearly addressed these emerging trends and is one of the first vendors to introduce an integrated IT toolset that encompasses the full spectrum of remote support, incident logging and tracking, and infrastructure monitoring late last year. The GoToAssist integrated toolset offers a “triple play” combination of three modules, including GoToAssist Remote Support, GoToAssist Service Desk, and GoToAssist Monitoring. By delivering easy access to key support functions from one interface, Citrix is providing support teams the functionality to maintain uptimes and deliver superior service experiences to both internal staff and rtls.
Since its global debut in October 2012, more than 600 customers have purchased the new GoToAssist Service Desk module – either as a standalone product or to complement their existing GoToAssist Remote Support and Monitoring capabilities. The GoToAssist integrated toolset is available for purchase and free trial directly from the Citrix website.
To support mobile business, Citrix also provides comprehensive GoToAssist mobile support to and from devices at no additional cost. The company recently expanded this portfolio to include complete, integrated mobile device support for Citrix XenMobile Enterprise users. The Citrix XenMobile Enterprise edition combines mobile device; app and data management; a unified corporate app store; mobile productivity apps; document sharing, syncing and editing; and now “one-touch” live GoToAssist support in an inclusive solution for mobile business.
The “Worldwide Clientless Remote Support Software 2012 Vendor Shares: Top 6 Market Share Leaders” report is available to subscribing customers on the IDC website. Citrix has also published a blog article noting additional GoToAssist growth highlights.
"With the increasing mobility of today’s workforce, remote support tools have become a necessity for enterprise and small to medium-sized businesses as the IT consumerization momentum demands anytime, anywhere support. Citrix has maintained remote support market leadership by responding to these IT challenges with high-value solutions that simplify IT and bring fast support resolution. Its portfolio of cloud-based, on-demand tools reflect this strategic market approach with expanded solution capabilities such as in-session chat, support to and from mobile devices and access to an integrated support toolset to support both people and technology.”
“The mobile workforce and the explosion of apps and devices have put increased importance on ensuring that people are continually productive with their technology. Consequently, the role of IT support has become more critical than ever. Our Citrix GoToAssist products put essential, efficient tools into the hands of IT support agents, allowing them to step-up to this challenge. Our growth is a result of combining market-leading remote support with next generation service desk and monitoring capabilities for a strategic, cost-effective service that delivers great user experiences. We’re proud to share IDC’s recognition with our customers, partners and employees.”
On the other hand, you may also have heard that US coal exports have increased as its domestic emissions have fallen. America currently has little in the way of gas export facilities but plenty of capacity for shipping coal to Asia, Europe and elsewhere. Those ports have been busy of late and the ripple effects are being felt far and wide. For instance, UK emissions shot up 4.5% last year, partly due to low coal prices made possible by surging US exports. So could it be that rising US gas production has increased the human contribution to global warming, even as American's own emissions have fallen?
This is an important question. There are legitimate and complex debates to be had about potential of natural gas as a 'transition fuel'; and about how gas's huge benefits over coal in terms of carbon emissions and air pollution should be weighed against the methane leaks and water pollution linked to fracking. But in the absence of a global emissions deal, those debates are largely academic unless producing more gas does actually lead to less coal use. So does it?
To explore this issue I propose considering an unfamiliar metric: not carbon emissions but carbon extraction. After all, the climate doesn't care where a unit of carbon is burned; just whether it comes out of the ground and enters the atmosphere. It makes sense to ask, therefore, whether the US is now extracting more or less carbon than it was before the shale gas boom. Has coal production fallen enough to offset rising gas production?
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
The IDC report states the remote support market grew by 16%, with GoToAssist gaining market share over other leading vendors. The IDC report also advises vendors to extend the capabilities of their support solutions with new features that specifically address mobility, chat, web browser accessibility, integration with other tools, knowledge base/self-help and further advancements in overall user experience.
As a pioneer in the industry, Citrix has clearly addressed these emerging trends and is one of the first vendors to introduce an integrated IT toolset that encompasses the full spectrum of remote support, incident logging and tracking, and infrastructure monitoring late last year. The GoToAssist integrated toolset offers a “triple play” combination of three modules, including GoToAssist Remote Support, GoToAssist Service Desk, and GoToAssist Monitoring. By delivering easy access to key support functions from one interface, Citrix is providing support teams the functionality to maintain uptimes and deliver superior service experiences to both internal staff and rtls.
Since its global debut in October 2012, more than 600 customers have purchased the new GoToAssist Service Desk module – either as a standalone product or to complement their existing GoToAssist Remote Support and Monitoring capabilities. The GoToAssist integrated toolset is available for purchase and free trial directly from the Citrix website.
To support mobile business, Citrix also provides comprehensive GoToAssist mobile support to and from devices at no additional cost. The company recently expanded this portfolio to include complete, integrated mobile device support for Citrix XenMobile Enterprise users. The Citrix XenMobile Enterprise edition combines mobile device; app and data management; a unified corporate app store; mobile productivity apps; document sharing, syncing and editing; and now “one-touch” live GoToAssist support in an inclusive solution for mobile business.
The “Worldwide Clientless Remote Support Software 2012 Vendor Shares: Top 6 Market Share Leaders” report is available to subscribing customers on the IDC website. Citrix has also published a blog article noting additional GoToAssist growth highlights.
"With the increasing mobility of today’s workforce, remote support tools have become a necessity for enterprise and small to medium-sized businesses as the IT consumerization momentum demands anytime, anywhere support. Citrix has maintained remote support market leadership by responding to these IT challenges with high-value solutions that simplify IT and bring fast support resolution. Its portfolio of cloud-based, on-demand tools reflect this strategic market approach with expanded solution capabilities such as in-session chat, support to and from mobile devices and access to an integrated support toolset to support both people and technology.”
“The mobile workforce and the explosion of apps and devices have put increased importance on ensuring that people are continually productive with their technology. Consequently, the role of IT support has become more critical than ever. Our Citrix GoToAssist products put essential, efficient tools into the hands of IT support agents, allowing them to step-up to this challenge. Our growth is a result of combining market-leading remote support with next generation service desk and monitoring capabilities for a strategic, cost-effective service that delivers great user experiences. We’re proud to share IDC’s recognition with our customers, partners and employees.”
On the other hand, you may also have heard that US coal exports have increased as its domestic emissions have fallen. America currently has little in the way of gas export facilities but plenty of capacity for shipping coal to Asia, Europe and elsewhere. Those ports have been busy of late and the ripple effects are being felt far and wide. For instance, UK emissions shot up 4.5% last year, partly due to low coal prices made possible by surging US exports. So could it be that rising US gas production has increased the human contribution to global warming, even as American's own emissions have fallen?
This is an important question. There are legitimate and complex debates to be had about potential of natural gas as a 'transition fuel'; and about how gas's huge benefits over coal in terms of carbon emissions and air pollution should be weighed against the methane leaks and water pollution linked to fracking. But in the absence of a global emissions deal, those debates are largely academic unless producing more gas does actually lead to less coal use. So does it?
To explore this issue I propose considering an unfamiliar metric: not carbon emissions but carbon extraction. After all, the climate doesn't care where a unit of carbon is burned; just whether it comes out of the ground and enters the atmosphere. It makes sense to ask, therefore, whether the US is now extracting more or less carbon than it was before the shale gas boom. Has coal production fallen enough to offset rising gas production?
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Park Slope student becomes a ‘Green Girl’
Park Sloper Angelica Chery is a “Green Girl.” Even though the title sounds like she's the heroine in a comic strip, she's not. But she is a heroine of another sort.Angelica, a budding environmentalist, recently took part in the “Green Girls Summer” program sponsored by the City Parks Foundation. It marked the second time she has spent a good portion of her summer vacation learning how to protect the environment. She first joined the program in 2011.
As a result of her most recent foray into environmentalism, Angelica has decided to devote her studies, and eventually her career, to protecting the environment. “Green Girls opened my eyes to look at the world with a different point of view and try my best to be a part of taking care of it,” she said.This summer, Angelica helped other Hands free access their budding interests in the environment when she took part in the Green Girls Summer Institute. “I wanted to help these girls realize that they can’t take the environment for granted. I wanted them to hear about the program and gain a sense of comfort from someone who was in their shoes at the same age,” she said.
The institute focuses on science studies that address environmental justice issues through field trips, community service projects in parks, and citywide exploration.Green Girls enjoy intensive summer experiences in a three-week institute to educate them about New York City’s vast natural and cultural resources. The program also promotes leadership skills.
The curriculum addresses a variety of science subjects, including environmental education, ecology, biology, botany and zoology. Students explore their personal potential and learn about the career opportunities that are available in the sciences.Angelica said she never realized she was an environmentalist until she became a “Green Girl.” As a youngster, she never spent much time outdoors.
But the hands-on activities and trips to natural environments, parks, wildlife refuges and cultural institutions that Green Girls sponsored provided her with new insight into her city and global environment, Angelica said. “Green Girls gave me the chance to experience nature and access to places I didn’t know about. It helped me challenge myself and be a part of something I never thought I would do,” she said.
After her Green Girls experience, Angelica has applied to Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governor’s Island to take part in a program focusing on environmental stewardship. She is currently participating in the school’s Oyster Restoration project. “This project gives us a chance to get our harbor back in shape naturally, using oysters as natural bio-filters to restore it. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? So it’s amazing to go to school and say that I am helping make a change slowly,” Angelica said.
Angelica plans to further develop her experience in Environmental Science and get a Master's degree in the field. The City Parks Foundation introduced the Green Girls internship program in 2012. Angelica said she’s happy she took advantage of the opportunity.
The City Parks Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization that offers park programs throughout the five boroughs, was founded in 1989. The foundation sponsors programs in over 750 parks, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and real time Location system. The foundation also encourages resident s to support their parks on a local level. For more information on the foundation, visit its website.
AVAD’s addition of Klein Tools products, which the distributor will offer at a 10 percent discount in August, enhances the growing lineup of practical tools, connectors and other accessories that are specifically developed for integrators’ use.
Extending the company’s diverse catalog of installation solutions, Klein Tools recently introduced Splinter Guard Fish and Glow Rods, a line of extenders with a proprietary protective coating to keep hands free of fiberglass splinters and other harmful edges while also illuminating the area when pulling wire in walls and other tight spaces.
Klein Tools also won Electrical, Construction & Maintenance‘s 2013 Product of the Year award for the Illuminated Fish Rod Tip, an omni-directional light that illuminates precise work in ceilings and crawl spaces.
“Klein Tools carries a reputation for both reliability and their dedication to making exceptional tools to aid hard working trade professionals,” says Jim Annes, vice president and general manager of AVAD. “A/V integrators are famously versatile in the types of install settings they manage, and Klein Tools are a top choice among the instruments and accessories that professional installers prefer for day to day operations as well as high level electronics, mission critical systems and environments requiring 24/7/365 uptime. They have stood the test of time since their founding in 1857 and continue to evolve product standards.”
An Essex County jury convicted 18-year-old Aaron Deveau, of Haverhill, in June 2012 of motor-vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle while texting in the Feb. 2011 head-on collision that killed one and seriously injured another. A judge sentenced Deveau to 2 ? years in jail, the maximum sentence under the statute, with one year to be served.
It was the first case in the country where a teen was convicted and sentenced to jail time for motor-vehicle homicide and personal injury due to negligent operation as a result of texting, Blodgett said.
More locally, Steffany Barbanti, 25, of Saugus, allegedly told a friend she was texting when she hit an 81-year-old man on Central Street in Saugus and killed him. She then allegedly fled the scene. Police have charged her with leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury or death. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Angela Okonkwo, 37, of Lynn, was charged with motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation; and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk; in a Sept. 2012 accident that killed Dillon McManus and seriously injured Riley McManus, both 20. Police reviewed Okonkwo’s cell phone records and found in the 24-hours preceding the accident “only short periods of time where there was no activity.” They cited driver fatigue in charging Okonkwo. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled for trial on Oct. 7.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
As a result of her most recent foray into environmentalism, Angelica has decided to devote her studies, and eventually her career, to protecting the environment. “Green Girls opened my eyes to look at the world with a different point of view and try my best to be a part of taking care of it,” she said.This summer, Angelica helped other Hands free access their budding interests in the environment when she took part in the Green Girls Summer Institute. “I wanted to help these girls realize that they can’t take the environment for granted. I wanted them to hear about the program and gain a sense of comfort from someone who was in their shoes at the same age,” she said.
The institute focuses on science studies that address environmental justice issues through field trips, community service projects in parks, and citywide exploration.Green Girls enjoy intensive summer experiences in a three-week institute to educate them about New York City’s vast natural and cultural resources. The program also promotes leadership skills.
The curriculum addresses a variety of science subjects, including environmental education, ecology, biology, botany and zoology. Students explore their personal potential and learn about the career opportunities that are available in the sciences.Angelica said she never realized she was an environmentalist until she became a “Green Girl.” As a youngster, she never spent much time outdoors.
But the hands-on activities and trips to natural environments, parks, wildlife refuges and cultural institutions that Green Girls sponsored provided her with new insight into her city and global environment, Angelica said. “Green Girls gave me the chance to experience nature and access to places I didn’t know about. It helped me challenge myself and be a part of something I never thought I would do,” she said.
After her Green Girls experience, Angelica has applied to Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governor’s Island to take part in a program focusing on environmental stewardship. She is currently participating in the school’s Oyster Restoration project. “This project gives us a chance to get our harbor back in shape naturally, using oysters as natural bio-filters to restore it. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? So it’s amazing to go to school and say that I am helping make a change slowly,” Angelica said.
Angelica plans to further develop her experience in Environmental Science and get a Master's degree in the field. The City Parks Foundation introduced the Green Girls internship program in 2012. Angelica said she’s happy she took advantage of the opportunity.
The City Parks Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization that offers park programs throughout the five boroughs, was founded in 1989. The foundation sponsors programs in over 750 parks, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and real time Location system. The foundation also encourages resident s to support their parks on a local level. For more information on the foundation, visit its website.
AVAD’s addition of Klein Tools products, which the distributor will offer at a 10 percent discount in August, enhances the growing lineup of practical tools, connectors and other accessories that are specifically developed for integrators’ use.
Extending the company’s diverse catalog of installation solutions, Klein Tools recently introduced Splinter Guard Fish and Glow Rods, a line of extenders with a proprietary protective coating to keep hands free of fiberglass splinters and other harmful edges while also illuminating the area when pulling wire in walls and other tight spaces.
Klein Tools also won Electrical, Construction & Maintenance‘s 2013 Product of the Year award for the Illuminated Fish Rod Tip, an omni-directional light that illuminates precise work in ceilings and crawl spaces.
“Klein Tools carries a reputation for both reliability and their dedication to making exceptional tools to aid hard working trade professionals,” says Jim Annes, vice president and general manager of AVAD. “A/V integrators are famously versatile in the types of install settings they manage, and Klein Tools are a top choice among the instruments and accessories that professional installers prefer for day to day operations as well as high level electronics, mission critical systems and environments requiring 24/7/365 uptime. They have stood the test of time since their founding in 1857 and continue to evolve product standards.”
An Essex County jury convicted 18-year-old Aaron Deveau, of Haverhill, in June 2012 of motor-vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle while texting in the Feb. 2011 head-on collision that killed one and seriously injured another. A judge sentenced Deveau to 2 ? years in jail, the maximum sentence under the statute, with one year to be served.
It was the first case in the country where a teen was convicted and sentenced to jail time for motor-vehicle homicide and personal injury due to negligent operation as a result of texting, Blodgett said.
More locally, Steffany Barbanti, 25, of Saugus, allegedly told a friend she was texting when she hit an 81-year-old man on Central Street in Saugus and killed him. She then allegedly fled the scene. Police have charged her with leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury or death. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Angela Okonkwo, 37, of Lynn, was charged with motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation; and failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk; in a Sept. 2012 accident that killed Dillon McManus and seriously injured Riley McManus, both 20. Police reviewed Okonkwo’s cell phone records and found in the 24-hours preceding the accident “only short periods of time where there was no activity.” They cited driver fatigue in charging Okonkwo. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled for trial on Oct. 7.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Nvidia Shield is a game geek’s dream device
Nvidia’s Shield gaming device debuts today as the geek’s ultimate gadget. At $299, it’s a steep price, considering you can get a home game console for that much. But this portable gaming device can do a lot, and it goes a long way toward bringing better quality and wider variety games to both handhelds and living room TVs.
Ever since Shield was announced in January, the question at hand has been whether Nvidia is really serious about making Shield into a successful alternative to both traditional gaming handhelds and consoles. For sure, this is a way to get Nvidia’s Tegra mobile processor chips back into gaming, after it was shut out of the game consoles and mobile game players. That’s a ploy that rings of desperation. But Shield is also part of a crafty plan to bring Android into a powerful game handheld, take Steam games into living room TVs, and find a way to extend Nvidia’s cloud gaming technology.
Shield has the backing and credibility of a multibillion company, as Nvidia is the world’s largest maker of stand-alone graphics chips. But when it comes to console alternatives, Shield has a lot of rivals: Ouya, GameStick, Moga, Wikipad, Razer Edge, Green Throttle, GamePop, and others. All of them are aimed at dragging the game industry kicking and screaming into a more open and flexible cross-platform world. The case for Shield is that it offers a high-end gaming experience and full entertainment on the go. At the same time, it gives you a way to widen your gaming options on your television.
Shield plays Android games from the Google Play store, but it also plays TegraZone games that have been optimized to run on Nvidia’s Tegra 4 mobile processor, which just came out and runs at a fast 1.9 gigahertz. You can also use Shield to watch movies, real time Location system, read e-books, read your email, and surf the web. Tegra 4 games can take advantage of features including real-time lighting effects, depth of field, soft shadows, high res textures, real-time smoke and particle simulation, and higher polygon counts. Basically, they look good.
I really loved the sound of Shield’s high-fidelity speakers. It has a good bass sound and a high dynamic range for clear and pounding audio. It also has a 3.5 millimeter stereo headphone/mic jack, and it supports 8-channel PCM audio over an HDMI cable. That came through especially good with a title with lots of explosions like Expendable: Rearmed.
My kids, however, really went crazy over the Shield’s ability to control an AR Drone. It took us just a few minutes to assemble the drone and set it on the grass. We downloaded the free AR Drone control app and fired it up. The system immediately detected the AR Drone. I tapped the screen and it lifted off. We took turns flying it around. The camera on the drone streams video directly back to the Shield’s screen, so you can see what the drone sees. You can do this with an iPad or iPhone too, but it was easier to control with the thumbsticks of the Shield.
Since this is the ultimate nerd machine, we had better include some of the nerd details. It has support for Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. It has 16 gigabytes of built-in flash memory and a slot to expand it with another 64 gigabytes. You can’t use the memory card to add new apps or games to your Shield, but Nvidia says that it will add that functionality in a later update.
It has a three-axis gyro and a 3-axis accelerometer for motion sensing. The dual analog joysticks are shorter than a normal game controller and they’re sunk lower in the unit so that you’ll be able to close the lid. The Bluetooth connection allows you to play multiplayer games such as Virtua Tennis with other Shield users.
Nvidia says the battery lasts for about four to five hours of gameplay for Tegra 4-optimized games and up to 10 hours of gameplay for typical Android games. You can watch high-definition movies for 15 hours and listen to music for 40 hours on a battery charge.
When you’re hunting for rtls, you can get into the TegraZone store with a single touch. You can also drill down into the Shield Store, PC Games, and games that are already installed on the system. Once you download some games, you can find them in the Shield Games section of the user interface. To play a game, you just tap on an icon. It’s all based on familiar Android user interface design.
Not every Android game is going to look great or work well on the Shield. But Nvidia lists more than 130 games that are optimized to work with a controller. If you’re in doubt, check it on the TegraZone web site. Nvidia is promoting games including Arma Tactics, Burn Zombie Burn!, Dead Trigger 2, Hamilton’s Great Adventure, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Real Boxing, Riptide GP 2 HD, Tainted Keep, The Conduit HD, and Zombie Driver HD.
Nvidia has been fairly low key about the launch of the Shield. You haven’t seen it advertised all over the world, and it isn’t yet gearing up for a big worldwide launch beyond its first two territories. That has all of the markings of a cautious game system launch. In an age where being loud matters, Nvidia is launching the Shield in a very quiet way.
Because of that, I was worried about it. But everything I’ve seen of the Shield and its games so far tells me this is a great device for geeks. If those geeks get the word, then Nvidia could have a hit on its hands.
Ever since Shield was announced in January, the question at hand has been whether Nvidia is really serious about making Shield into a successful alternative to both traditional gaming handhelds and consoles. For sure, this is a way to get Nvidia’s Tegra mobile processor chips back into gaming, after it was shut out of the game consoles and mobile game players. That’s a ploy that rings of desperation. But Shield is also part of a crafty plan to bring Android into a powerful game handheld, take Steam games into living room TVs, and find a way to extend Nvidia’s cloud gaming technology.
Shield has the backing and credibility of a multibillion company, as Nvidia is the world’s largest maker of stand-alone graphics chips. But when it comes to console alternatives, Shield has a lot of rivals: Ouya, GameStick, Moga, Wikipad, Razer Edge, Green Throttle, GamePop, and others. All of them are aimed at dragging the game industry kicking and screaming into a more open and flexible cross-platform world. The case for Shield is that it offers a high-end gaming experience and full entertainment on the go. At the same time, it gives you a way to widen your gaming options on your television.
Shield plays Android games from the Google Play store, but it also plays TegraZone games that have been optimized to run on Nvidia’s Tegra 4 mobile processor, which just came out and runs at a fast 1.9 gigahertz. You can also use Shield to watch movies, real time Location system, read e-books, read your email, and surf the web. Tegra 4 games can take advantage of features including real-time lighting effects, depth of field, soft shadows, high res textures, real-time smoke and particle simulation, and higher polygon counts. Basically, they look good.
I really loved the sound of Shield’s high-fidelity speakers. It has a good bass sound and a high dynamic range for clear and pounding audio. It also has a 3.5 millimeter stereo headphone/mic jack, and it supports 8-channel PCM audio over an HDMI cable. That came through especially good with a title with lots of explosions like Expendable: Rearmed.
My kids, however, really went crazy over the Shield’s ability to control an AR Drone. It took us just a few minutes to assemble the drone and set it on the grass. We downloaded the free AR Drone control app and fired it up. The system immediately detected the AR Drone. I tapped the screen and it lifted off. We took turns flying it around. The camera on the drone streams video directly back to the Shield’s screen, so you can see what the drone sees. You can do this with an iPad or iPhone too, but it was easier to control with the thumbsticks of the Shield.
Since this is the ultimate nerd machine, we had better include some of the nerd details. It has support for Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. It has 16 gigabytes of built-in flash memory and a slot to expand it with another 64 gigabytes. You can’t use the memory card to add new apps or games to your Shield, but Nvidia says that it will add that functionality in a later update.
It has a three-axis gyro and a 3-axis accelerometer for motion sensing. The dual analog joysticks are shorter than a normal game controller and they’re sunk lower in the unit so that you’ll be able to close the lid. The Bluetooth connection allows you to play multiplayer games such as Virtua Tennis with other Shield users.
Nvidia says the battery lasts for about four to five hours of gameplay for Tegra 4-optimized games and up to 10 hours of gameplay for typical Android games. You can watch high-definition movies for 15 hours and listen to music for 40 hours on a battery charge.
When you’re hunting for rtls, you can get into the TegraZone store with a single touch. You can also drill down into the Shield Store, PC Games, and games that are already installed on the system. Once you download some games, you can find them in the Shield Games section of the user interface. To play a game, you just tap on an icon. It’s all based on familiar Android user interface design.
Not every Android game is going to look great or work well on the Shield. But Nvidia lists more than 130 games that are optimized to work with a controller. If you’re in doubt, check it on the TegraZone web site. Nvidia is promoting games including Arma Tactics, Burn Zombie Burn!, Dead Trigger 2, Hamilton’s Great Adventure, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Real Boxing, Riptide GP 2 HD, Tainted Keep, The Conduit HD, and Zombie Driver HD.
Nvidia has been fairly low key about the launch of the Shield. You haven’t seen it advertised all over the world, and it isn’t yet gearing up for a big worldwide launch beyond its first two territories. That has all of the markings of a cautious game system launch. In an age where being loud matters, Nvidia is launching the Shield in a very quiet way.
Because of that, I was worried about it. But everything I’ve seen of the Shield and its games so far tells me this is a great device for geeks. If those geeks get the word, then Nvidia could have a hit on its hands.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Bach, Kodaly
His Sunday-morning recital in Atherton -- one of the festival's "Carte Blanche" concerts, where headliners are given a free hand to devise their own programs -- was "pleasant" in the deepest sense. "Pleasing" is the better adjective: Quiet contentment reigned in the Menlo School's Stent Family Hall. What a way to spend a Sunday morning; as good as crawling into a cozy nook with a favorite book, warmed by light through a window.
Beginning with Suite No. 3 in C major, Carr played with streaming clarity, bounding and bright. His earthy tone enriched the big splayed chords of the Prelude, the hopping rhythms of the Allemande, the expansive soulfulness of the Sarabande. The music was in his fingers. In fact, one could see Bach's cascading logic -- its physical representation -- in Carr's wily shifts in finger position and variety of bow attacks.
In a 2004 Carte Blanche concert, Carr played all six of the solo suites from memory. It was a memorable traversal of the works, which had been largely forgotten until 1890, when 13-year-old Pablo Casals stumbled on a crumbling copy of the sheet music in a Barcelona music shop.
In Carr's pithier Sunday recital, two suites were plenty. He also performed Bach's Suite No. 5 in C minor, which requires the cellist to change the instrument's tuning. By lowering the top string a whole step from A to G, the player can access additional chords and unleash unusual overtones and resonances, making this suite unique. It is the gravest of the rtls; "pleasant" doesn't do it justice.
Carr's first chord was a timbral explosion, and he took it on from there, flowing through the Prelude's fugue-like sequences, later opening into the painful beauty of the slow Sarabande. Carr's natural sense of phrasing seemed to scrub clean the concluding Gigue: For this listener, Bach's nifty voice leading and implied harmonies have never been easier to follow.
After intermission, Carr again retuned his instrument, this time for Zoltan Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8. It instructs the player to lower the bottom two strings by a half-step, from C to B and from G to F-sharp, making possible more unusual resonances and contributing to the work's essential character.
This year's Menlo festival, titled "From Bach," attempts to spell out the connections between Bach and composers to the present day. Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello (1915) echoes Bach in specific chords and cadences. But Kodaly also was fascinated by Eastern European folk music, which he imitates with keening vocal-like effects and "unbridled slash-and-burn virtuosity," as Carr put it in his program notes.
Dedicating his performance to the late János Starker, who put this piece on the map, Carr rooted into the sonata's raw moans and ululations, shimmering pizzicato chords and volatile bass effects, which rattled the cello -- and the room. It was a terrific blood-and-guts performance that Bach could never have imagined.
“Kays” as they called him was son to a Gushungo who migrated from Serima and my gogo a Muturikwa whose parents possibly migrated from Mrehwa. He was born in 1945, across the river from Prime Minister’s home. Surprisingly that is as far as their similarities go because had he been alive, he would not vote for MDC-T today. This man who forever will be revered as a hero in my memory was disabled. It was not an inborn disability, but something happened to his right lower leg when he was young. Up to the day he died, he had not been able to discuss with me nor my siblings regards to what really happened. All I know is that it was a fire accident.
Kays believed in the revolutionary movement’s focus on policies that improve lives of the common man. He would always urge Zanu (PF) to go back to roots to emphasise on such policies to lure lost votes. “It will be a walkover on these directionless boys” he argued with me on his deathbed at Parerinyatwa. He belonged to a generation who had wanted to participate in liberation struggle but failed because of various reasons. They mobilised students, recruits, provided clothes and other support. Such a class faced wrath of Smith regime accused of being lifeblood to the comrades and withholding information. These professionals played their part but never clamoured for recognition to date.
The fire accident deformed his right leg such that his toes turned towards the heel to form a round like foot developing into a very thin sheen up the leg. So to speak he stepped on the top of his foot. That leg became shorter. At times he used clutches until Jairos Jiri organised a special shoe for him. From Bata shops, he would buy a pair of size 11 but only use the left one. That special shoe could only be repaired but he could not buy a new one. Courtesy of Mugabe’s health policy, more disadvantaged people like him during years after independence could always be treated for free regardless of medical needs. UK has maintained a similar socialist health policy to date. The number of health clinics opened country wide, more medical professionals training, building of toilets in rural areas, access to clean water all pointed to a caring leader in Mugabe.
Just like many, he was frustrated that the Lancaster House Agreement put land redistribution on hold for 10 years. Worse still after that period, Mugabe was frustrated into being unable to fulfil pre-war time period promises to resettle masses from reserves as apportioned by Land Apportionment Act 1930. When farm invasions started in 2000, all Kays said was “Commercial Farmers’ Union have shot themselves in the foot.” CFU never thought farms could be taken away from them. White farmers believed in the Courts which continued to make decisions against land redistribution. To date land redistribution has continued and although chaotic, people’s lives have been changed.
Kays was appointed acting headmaster closer to his home in 1985 but by then he was already involved in running elections. He would later work as presiding officer in charge of polling centres. Talk of Zanu (PF) vote rigging was doing rounds by 1990 elections. Edgar Tekere gave Mugabe a run for his cash and many expected a surprise. Results later indicated that “Two-Boy” Tekere actually lost dismally. I put it to him then about vote rigging and to the day he died, he maintained the answer he gave me 19 years before. He explained the system to me, how each candidate’s representatives verify boxes before they are sealed and sign to agree authenticity. The same happens when opening the boxes and counting the ballots. He believed that in the system run by Mudede, there is no way any rigging can happen. He reminded me that rigging could affect Mugabe as well and as such the system had to be water tight. I believed him and still can argue that it is possible Zanu (PF) has never rigged elections to this day.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Beginning with Suite No. 3 in C major, Carr played with streaming clarity, bounding and bright. His earthy tone enriched the big splayed chords of the Prelude, the hopping rhythms of the Allemande, the expansive soulfulness of the Sarabande. The music was in his fingers. In fact, one could see Bach's cascading logic -- its physical representation -- in Carr's wily shifts in finger position and variety of bow attacks.
In a 2004 Carte Blanche concert, Carr played all six of the solo suites from memory. It was a memorable traversal of the works, which had been largely forgotten until 1890, when 13-year-old Pablo Casals stumbled on a crumbling copy of the sheet music in a Barcelona music shop.
In Carr's pithier Sunday recital, two suites were plenty. He also performed Bach's Suite No. 5 in C minor, which requires the cellist to change the instrument's tuning. By lowering the top string a whole step from A to G, the player can access additional chords and unleash unusual overtones and resonances, making this suite unique. It is the gravest of the rtls; "pleasant" doesn't do it justice.
Carr's first chord was a timbral explosion, and he took it on from there, flowing through the Prelude's fugue-like sequences, later opening into the painful beauty of the slow Sarabande. Carr's natural sense of phrasing seemed to scrub clean the concluding Gigue: For this listener, Bach's nifty voice leading and implied harmonies have never been easier to follow.
After intermission, Carr again retuned his instrument, this time for Zoltan Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8. It instructs the player to lower the bottom two strings by a half-step, from C to B and from G to F-sharp, making possible more unusual resonances and contributing to the work's essential character.
This year's Menlo festival, titled "From Bach," attempts to spell out the connections between Bach and composers to the present day. Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello (1915) echoes Bach in specific chords and cadences. But Kodaly also was fascinated by Eastern European folk music, which he imitates with keening vocal-like effects and "unbridled slash-and-burn virtuosity," as Carr put it in his program notes.
Dedicating his performance to the late János Starker, who put this piece on the map, Carr rooted into the sonata's raw moans and ululations, shimmering pizzicato chords and volatile bass effects, which rattled the cello -- and the room. It was a terrific blood-and-guts performance that Bach could never have imagined.
“Kays” as they called him was son to a Gushungo who migrated from Serima and my gogo a Muturikwa whose parents possibly migrated from Mrehwa. He was born in 1945, across the river from Prime Minister’s home. Surprisingly that is as far as their similarities go because had he been alive, he would not vote for MDC-T today. This man who forever will be revered as a hero in my memory was disabled. It was not an inborn disability, but something happened to his right lower leg when he was young. Up to the day he died, he had not been able to discuss with me nor my siblings regards to what really happened. All I know is that it was a fire accident.
Kays believed in the revolutionary movement’s focus on policies that improve lives of the common man. He would always urge Zanu (PF) to go back to roots to emphasise on such policies to lure lost votes. “It will be a walkover on these directionless boys” he argued with me on his deathbed at Parerinyatwa. He belonged to a generation who had wanted to participate in liberation struggle but failed because of various reasons. They mobilised students, recruits, provided clothes and other support. Such a class faced wrath of Smith regime accused of being lifeblood to the comrades and withholding information. These professionals played their part but never clamoured for recognition to date.
The fire accident deformed his right leg such that his toes turned towards the heel to form a round like foot developing into a very thin sheen up the leg. So to speak he stepped on the top of his foot. That leg became shorter. At times he used clutches until Jairos Jiri organised a special shoe for him. From Bata shops, he would buy a pair of size 11 but only use the left one. That special shoe could only be repaired but he could not buy a new one. Courtesy of Mugabe’s health policy, more disadvantaged people like him during years after independence could always be treated for free regardless of medical needs. UK has maintained a similar socialist health policy to date. The number of health clinics opened country wide, more medical professionals training, building of toilets in rural areas, access to clean water all pointed to a caring leader in Mugabe.
Just like many, he was frustrated that the Lancaster House Agreement put land redistribution on hold for 10 years. Worse still after that period, Mugabe was frustrated into being unable to fulfil pre-war time period promises to resettle masses from reserves as apportioned by Land Apportionment Act 1930. When farm invasions started in 2000, all Kays said was “Commercial Farmers’ Union have shot themselves in the foot.” CFU never thought farms could be taken away from them. White farmers believed in the Courts which continued to make decisions against land redistribution. To date land redistribution has continued and although chaotic, people’s lives have been changed.
Kays was appointed acting headmaster closer to his home in 1985 but by then he was already involved in running elections. He would later work as presiding officer in charge of polling centres. Talk of Zanu (PF) vote rigging was doing rounds by 1990 elections. Edgar Tekere gave Mugabe a run for his cash and many expected a surprise. Results later indicated that “Two-Boy” Tekere actually lost dismally. I put it to him then about vote rigging and to the day he died, he maintained the answer he gave me 19 years before. He explained the system to me, how each candidate’s representatives verify boxes before they are sealed and sign to agree authenticity. The same happens when opening the boxes and counting the ballots. He believed that in the system run by Mudede, there is no way any rigging can happen. He reminded me that rigging could affect Mugabe as well and as such the system had to be water tight. I believed him and still can argue that it is possible Zanu (PF) has never rigged elections to this day.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The feds see no evil as a belligerent strongman
In the early years, the St. Louis biotech giant helped pioneer such leading chemicals as DDT, PCBs and Agent Orange. Unfortunately, these breakthroughs had a tendency to kill stuff. And the torrent of lawsuits that comes from random killing put a crimp on long-term profitability.
It began in the mid-'90s, when Monsanto developed genetically modified (GM) crops such as soybeans, alfalfa, sugar beets and wheat. These Franken-crops were immune to its leading weed killer, Roundup. That meant that farmers no longer had to till the land to kill weeds, as they'd done for hundreds of years. They could simply blast their entire fields with chemicals, leaving GM crops the only thing standing. Problem solved.
The so-called no-till revolution promised greater yields, better profits for the family farm and a heightened ability to feed a growing world. But there was one small problem: Agriculture had placed a belligerent strongman in charge of the buffet line.Monsanto knew that it needed more than genetically modified crops to squeeze out competitors, so it also began buying the biggest seed businesses, spending $12 billion by the time its splurge concluded. The company was cornering agriculture by buying up the best shelf space and indoor Tracking. All its boasting about global benevolence began to look much more like a naked power grab.
Seed prices soared. Between 1995 and 2011, the cost of soybeans increased 325 percent. The price of corn rose 259 percent. And the cost of genetically modified cotton jumped a stunning 516 percent.Instead of feeding the world, Monsanto simply drove prices through the roof, taking the biggest share for itself. A study by Dr. Charles Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University, found that rapidly increasing seed and pesticide costs were lowering farmers' incomes.
To further corner the field, Monsanto offered steep discounts to independent dealers willing to restrict themselves to mostly selling Monsanto products. And the arrangements brought severe punishment if independents ever sold out to a rival.Intel had run a similar campaign within the tech industry, only to be drilled by the European Union with a record $1.45 billion fine for anti-competitive practices. Yet U.S. regulators showed little concern for Monsanto's expanding power.
"It was done in a completely open-sourced way," says Benbrook. "Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture exchanged all sorts of seeds with other scientists and researchers all over the world. This free trade and exchange of plant genetic resources was the foundation of progress in plant breeding. And in less than a decade, it was over."The first crack appeared in 1970, when Congress empowered the USDA to grant exclusive marketing rights to novel strains, with two exceptions: Farmers could replant the seeds if they chose, and patented varieties had to be provided to researchers.
But that wasn't enough. Corporations wanted more control, and they got it with a dramatic, landmark Supreme Court decision in 1980, which allowed the patenting of living organisms. The decision was intended to increase research and innovation. But it had the opposite effect, encouraging market concentration.Monsanto would soon go on its buying spree, gobbling up every rival seed company in sight. It patented the best seeds for genetic engineering, leaving only the inferior for sale as conventional, non-GM brands. (Monsanto declined an interview request for this story.)Biotech giants Syngenta and DuPont both sued, accusing Monsanto of monopolistic practices and a "scorched-earth campaign" in its seed-company contracts. But instead of bringing reform, the companies reached settlements that granted them licenses to use, sell and cross-develop Monsanto products. (Some DuPont suits drag on.)
"They're a pesticide company that's bought up seed firms," says Bill Freese, a scientist at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit public-interest and environmental-advocacy group. "Business-wise, it's a beautiful, really smart strategy. It's just awful for agriculture and the environment."Lineups were a big complaint last year, and while they exist at this year’s fest, wait times aren’t unreasonable. Hands down, the longest queue on the day we visited was for Tacofino, the bright orange taco truck that got its start in Tofino and now has a brick-and-mortar location on East Hastings Street. People waited a good 15 minutes to get their hands on one of its lingcod, yam tempura, black bean, or other tacos.
Feastro the Rolling Bistro features tacos too, with this day’s varieties being smoked salmon, jerk chicken, pulled pork, and red snapper. The last three are topped with a lively and lovely tomato-and-star-anise chutney. The big seller here, though, seemed to be Feastro’s sweet-potato frites, served with a side of smokin’ hot, smoked-chipotle aioli.Perhaps not surprisingly given the heat, the Chili Tank (which serves chilies and soups) wasn’t seeing a lot of action, but then inexplicably neither was E.L.I.’s Serious Sausage, which offers premium, all-natural bratwurst on Schrippen buns and currywurst in a dish with house-made, lip-smacking curry ketchup.
Hormone- and nitrate-free ingredients also make up the wieners at DougieDog Diner Truck, but these are not your typical ballpark franks. From his red-and-white-checkered truck, the owner, who goes by the name Dougie Luv, dishes up monsters like the Charlie Mac Dog, which is topped with bacon and macaroni and cheese, and the DougieDog, which comes with a crazy heap of pastrami, horseradish, melted Cheddar, and Grey Poupon mustard. Dougie makes his own butterscotch root beer, too.A favourite find was Johnny’s Pops, exotic popsicles in funky flavour combinations like raspberry-basil and avocado-lime. (There was also strawberry rhubarb, blueberry mojito, and creamy strawberry lemonade.)
Other things to know about the fest: this year, there’s a new admission fee of $2 for adults and a maximum of $5 for families (kids 13 and under get in free). The money goes toward renting the site, plus partial proceeds support A Loving Spoonful, which provides nourishing meals to people living with HIV/AIDS.Vancity members get in free, so remember to have that bank card handy. (There are ATMs onsite if you forget to bring cash.) There’s a market featuring vendors such as Zulu Records, as well as a rotating lineup of DJs, including Flipout and Cherchez La Femme. Kids have access to a bouncy castle and face-painting. Food prices vary, with most items costing between $5 and $9. Lunch for four of us came to $46.
Parking can be somewhat challenging, but there’s a pay lot across the road and some free street parking. Of course, you should be taking transit, walking, or cycling anyway; there’s even a bicycle valet. With so many fabulous trucks serving up generous portions made with passion, it helps if you’ve worked up an appetite.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
It began in the mid-'90s, when Monsanto developed genetically modified (GM) crops such as soybeans, alfalfa, sugar beets and wheat. These Franken-crops were immune to its leading weed killer, Roundup. That meant that farmers no longer had to till the land to kill weeds, as they'd done for hundreds of years. They could simply blast their entire fields with chemicals, leaving GM crops the only thing standing. Problem solved.
The so-called no-till revolution promised greater yields, better profits for the family farm and a heightened ability to feed a growing world. But there was one small problem: Agriculture had placed a belligerent strongman in charge of the buffet line.Monsanto knew that it needed more than genetically modified crops to squeeze out competitors, so it also began buying the biggest seed businesses, spending $12 billion by the time its splurge concluded. The company was cornering agriculture by buying up the best shelf space and indoor Tracking. All its boasting about global benevolence began to look much more like a naked power grab.
Seed prices soared. Between 1995 and 2011, the cost of soybeans increased 325 percent. The price of corn rose 259 percent. And the cost of genetically modified cotton jumped a stunning 516 percent.Instead of feeding the world, Monsanto simply drove prices through the roof, taking the biggest share for itself. A study by Dr. Charles Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University, found that rapidly increasing seed and pesticide costs were lowering farmers' incomes.
To further corner the field, Monsanto offered steep discounts to independent dealers willing to restrict themselves to mostly selling Monsanto products. And the arrangements brought severe punishment if independents ever sold out to a rival.Intel had run a similar campaign within the tech industry, only to be drilled by the European Union with a record $1.45 billion fine for anti-competitive practices. Yet U.S. regulators showed little concern for Monsanto's expanding power.
"It was done in a completely open-sourced way," says Benbrook. "Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture exchanged all sorts of seeds with other scientists and researchers all over the world. This free trade and exchange of plant genetic resources was the foundation of progress in plant breeding. And in less than a decade, it was over."The first crack appeared in 1970, when Congress empowered the USDA to grant exclusive marketing rights to novel strains, with two exceptions: Farmers could replant the seeds if they chose, and patented varieties had to be provided to researchers.
But that wasn't enough. Corporations wanted more control, and they got it with a dramatic, landmark Supreme Court decision in 1980, which allowed the patenting of living organisms. The decision was intended to increase research and innovation. But it had the opposite effect, encouraging market concentration.Monsanto would soon go on its buying spree, gobbling up every rival seed company in sight. It patented the best seeds for genetic engineering, leaving only the inferior for sale as conventional, non-GM brands. (Monsanto declined an interview request for this story.)Biotech giants Syngenta and DuPont both sued, accusing Monsanto of monopolistic practices and a "scorched-earth campaign" in its seed-company contracts. But instead of bringing reform, the companies reached settlements that granted them licenses to use, sell and cross-develop Monsanto products. (Some DuPont suits drag on.)
"They're a pesticide company that's bought up seed firms," says Bill Freese, a scientist at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit public-interest and environmental-advocacy group. "Business-wise, it's a beautiful, really smart strategy. It's just awful for agriculture and the environment."Lineups were a big complaint last year, and while they exist at this year’s fest, wait times aren’t unreasonable. Hands down, the longest queue on the day we visited was for Tacofino, the bright orange taco truck that got its start in Tofino and now has a brick-and-mortar location on East Hastings Street. People waited a good 15 minutes to get their hands on one of its lingcod, yam tempura, black bean, or other tacos.
Feastro the Rolling Bistro features tacos too, with this day’s varieties being smoked salmon, jerk chicken, pulled pork, and red snapper. The last three are topped with a lively and lovely tomato-and-star-anise chutney. The big seller here, though, seemed to be Feastro’s sweet-potato frites, served with a side of smokin’ hot, smoked-chipotle aioli.Perhaps not surprisingly given the heat, the Chili Tank (which serves chilies and soups) wasn’t seeing a lot of action, but then inexplicably neither was E.L.I.’s Serious Sausage, which offers premium, all-natural bratwurst on Schrippen buns and currywurst in a dish with house-made, lip-smacking curry ketchup.
Hormone- and nitrate-free ingredients also make up the wieners at DougieDog Diner Truck, but these are not your typical ballpark franks. From his red-and-white-checkered truck, the owner, who goes by the name Dougie Luv, dishes up monsters like the Charlie Mac Dog, which is topped with bacon and macaroni and cheese, and the DougieDog, which comes with a crazy heap of pastrami, horseradish, melted Cheddar, and Grey Poupon mustard. Dougie makes his own butterscotch root beer, too.A favourite find was Johnny’s Pops, exotic popsicles in funky flavour combinations like raspberry-basil and avocado-lime. (There was also strawberry rhubarb, blueberry mojito, and creamy strawberry lemonade.)
Other things to know about the fest: this year, there’s a new admission fee of $2 for adults and a maximum of $5 for families (kids 13 and under get in free). The money goes toward renting the site, plus partial proceeds support A Loving Spoonful, which provides nourishing meals to people living with HIV/AIDS.Vancity members get in free, so remember to have that bank card handy. (There are ATMs onsite if you forget to bring cash.) There’s a market featuring vendors such as Zulu Records, as well as a rotating lineup of DJs, including Flipout and Cherchez La Femme. Kids have access to a bouncy castle and face-painting. Food prices vary, with most items costing between $5 and $9. Lunch for four of us came to $46.
Parking can be somewhat challenging, but there’s a pay lot across the road and some free street parking. Of course, you should be taking transit, walking, or cycling anyway; there’s even a bicycle valet. With so many fabulous trucks serving up generous portions made with passion, it helps if you’ve worked up an appetite.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
The Writers Workbench
Okay, so you've bought your iPhone, or SmartPhone, or iPod, or whatever the portable device is that you're going to carry with you and entrust so much of your life to. It's now time to protect it. Is that necessary? Well -- not totally. If the sides or back get dinged or scratched, does that really matter? To some people, it does -- the design of the thing, after all, is half the joy of a handheld device. More to the point, a case does offer some protection if it gets dropped. Okay, when it gets dropped. Though don't think you can drop something without impunity, just because there's a case around it. So, there is value in a case. But where protection is a near-necessity is with the screen, since if that gets scratched up, it might render your device too difficult to read. So, we look at a couple of those products here, as well -- with quite interesting results.
Know, too, that although these are all for the iPod touch (which was reviewed her in March), most of these cases will have an equivalent for the iPhone, so if something strikes your Indoor Positioning System, it's worth checking the company websites to see if there's something that matches. I know it's not a perfect solution, but one plays with the cards you have. Perhaps that will change in the future. Updates as they occur...
Griffin has long made a strong line of Apple accessories. The Reveal case is very simple, but it's perhaps my favorite here. At first sight, it's perhaps the least imposing -- a one-piece shell with black, rubber sides and a clear polycarbonate back, only 1.5 mm thin, flexible and very light. What I liked was how little weight was added to the iPod, how easy it was to slip the device in and remove it, and especially how well it retained the designed-appearance of the device.
I did find that dirt and dust could enter a bit easier than with others, which isn't a particular problem, except that because the back is clear plastic, so you might want to remove the case on occasion to dust it off. There isn't as much cushioning as with sturdier, fully-polycarbonate cases, but it's solid protection. The loop hole at the bottom is a little tight and not perfectly centered, which can cause a little drag, but then I suspect like many not everyone uses the loop. One last minor quibble: it appears to be slightly angled, so the protective side ridges don't cover the sides as high as at very bottom. I'd prefer more of a ridge in case you place the device face-down on a surface.
It has wide opening cut-outs for the camera and microphone on back, dock connector and earphone jack at bottom. The rubber covering over volume controls are easy to use without needing extra force, though a bit mushy. It retails for $20, but could be found for $18 onli
As part of its new one-to-one student learning initiative, the St. Clair R-XIII School District is rolling out new email addresses for faculty and staff and eventually will do the same for older students.
The initiative, which will be phased in over the next 18 months, will put a digital device in the hands of every junior and senior high school student and will allow for access of information available at numerous and almost limitless sources besides textbooks through the World Wide Web.The cost to initiate the program — $431,000 — was approved in June by the board of education as part of the 2013-14 budget. The money will be used to purchase 1,400 Google Chromebooks at a cost of about $300 per unit.Google Apps for Education, a cloud-based system, will be used. Superintendent Mike Murphy said the program is more than a search engine. He also said the program has no cost to use.
As part of the initiative, teachers and students will use email more frequently to communicate and assist with the learning process. Since the program is Google based, gmail accounts will be used.“The email transition is a thought process,” Murphy told board of education members during their July meeting last week. “And as a whole, this transitional process is beginning to take shape.”
At least, you’ll need some kind of self-made shade if you happen to show up at the foodie extravaganza during a heat wave. No longer adjacent to the Waldorf Hotel, the worthwhile weekly event, now in its second year, takes place at a reclaimed industrial site just west of the Olympic Village.
The site is huge, flat, and surrounded by a chain-link fence. Where there isn’t gravel or cement on the ground, there are mounds of small rocks. With nary a tree in sight, shade is nonexistent, save for a few white tents with table seating—about hundreds too few on a recent blazing afternoon.
Of course, it’s a good sign that there’s been a shortage of comfortable places to sit: about 5,000 people have shown up every Sunday since late June, according to Daniel Fazio, brand director for the Arrival Agency, which is presenting Food Cart Fest in collaboration with Streetfood Vancouver and Vancity. “We’re adding more tents and seating each week,” Fazio said in a follow-up query.That’s great news, but still, to be safe, for the love of Apollo wear a hat. Then you’ll be ready to fully enjoy this happening gathering of Vancouver’s finest purveyors of street food.
The number and names of carts taking part varies from week to week, but there are always at least 20. Among the mobile eateries we had to choose from were Yolk’s Breakfast (specializing in poached-egg sandwiches with cool add-ons like panko-tempura avocado and truffle-oil-and-lemon hash brown skewers) and Pig on the Street (the pink Westfalia celebrating all things pork in items like the Southern Piggy sandwich, which has double-smoked bacon and bourbon barbecue sauce, and in treats such as a bacon, bourbon, and caramel brownie). Then there were Mangall Kiss Mideast BBQ, which makes super-satisfying Moroccan-spiced meatballs (with a big hunk of yam and another of red potato on the side) and Soho Road Naan Kebab, which stuffs the soft bread with tandoori chicken, butter chicken, or other tantalizing options.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
Know, too, that although these are all for the iPod touch (which was reviewed her in March), most of these cases will have an equivalent for the iPhone, so if something strikes your Indoor Positioning System, it's worth checking the company websites to see if there's something that matches. I know it's not a perfect solution, but one plays with the cards you have. Perhaps that will change in the future. Updates as they occur...
Griffin has long made a strong line of Apple accessories. The Reveal case is very simple, but it's perhaps my favorite here. At first sight, it's perhaps the least imposing -- a one-piece shell with black, rubber sides and a clear polycarbonate back, only 1.5 mm thin, flexible and very light. What I liked was how little weight was added to the iPod, how easy it was to slip the device in and remove it, and especially how well it retained the designed-appearance of the device.
I did find that dirt and dust could enter a bit easier than with others, which isn't a particular problem, except that because the back is clear plastic, so you might want to remove the case on occasion to dust it off. There isn't as much cushioning as with sturdier, fully-polycarbonate cases, but it's solid protection. The loop hole at the bottom is a little tight and not perfectly centered, which can cause a little drag, but then I suspect like many not everyone uses the loop. One last minor quibble: it appears to be slightly angled, so the protective side ridges don't cover the sides as high as at very bottom. I'd prefer more of a ridge in case you place the device face-down on a surface.
It has wide opening cut-outs for the camera and microphone on back, dock connector and earphone jack at bottom. The rubber covering over volume controls are easy to use without needing extra force, though a bit mushy. It retails for $20, but could be found for $18 onli
As part of its new one-to-one student learning initiative, the St. Clair R-XIII School District is rolling out new email addresses for faculty and staff and eventually will do the same for older students.
The initiative, which will be phased in over the next 18 months, will put a digital device in the hands of every junior and senior high school student and will allow for access of information available at numerous and almost limitless sources besides textbooks through the World Wide Web.The cost to initiate the program — $431,000 — was approved in June by the board of education as part of the 2013-14 budget. The money will be used to purchase 1,400 Google Chromebooks at a cost of about $300 per unit.Google Apps for Education, a cloud-based system, will be used. Superintendent Mike Murphy said the program is more than a search engine. He also said the program has no cost to use.
As part of the initiative, teachers and students will use email more frequently to communicate and assist with the learning process. Since the program is Google based, gmail accounts will be used.“The email transition is a thought process,” Murphy told board of education members during their July meeting last week. “And as a whole, this transitional process is beginning to take shape.”
At least, you’ll need some kind of self-made shade if you happen to show up at the foodie extravaganza during a heat wave. No longer adjacent to the Waldorf Hotel, the worthwhile weekly event, now in its second year, takes place at a reclaimed industrial site just west of the Olympic Village.
The site is huge, flat, and surrounded by a chain-link fence. Where there isn’t gravel or cement on the ground, there are mounds of small rocks. With nary a tree in sight, shade is nonexistent, save for a few white tents with table seating—about hundreds too few on a recent blazing afternoon.
Of course, it’s a good sign that there’s been a shortage of comfortable places to sit: about 5,000 people have shown up every Sunday since late June, according to Daniel Fazio, brand director for the Arrival Agency, which is presenting Food Cart Fest in collaboration with Streetfood Vancouver and Vancity. “We’re adding more tents and seating each week,” Fazio said in a follow-up query.That’s great news, but still, to be safe, for the love of Apollo wear a hat. Then you’ll be ready to fully enjoy this happening gathering of Vancouver’s finest purveyors of street food.
The number and names of carts taking part varies from week to week, but there are always at least 20. Among the mobile eateries we had to choose from were Yolk’s Breakfast (specializing in poached-egg sandwiches with cool add-ons like panko-tempura avocado and truffle-oil-and-lemon hash brown skewers) and Pig on the Street (the pink Westfalia celebrating all things pork in items like the Southern Piggy sandwich, which has double-smoked bacon and bourbon barbecue sauce, and in treats such as a bacon, bourbon, and caramel brownie). Then there were Mangall Kiss Mideast BBQ, which makes super-satisfying Moroccan-spiced meatballs (with a big hunk of yam and another of red potato on the side) and Soho Road Naan Kebab, which stuffs the soft bread with tandoori chicken, butter chicken, or other tantalizing options.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Grain of salt needed on China moves
But although the decision by the People's Bank of China to end its mandated floor on lending rates is a noteworthy step in this process, we should treat any claims of "financial liberalisation" with a grain of salt in this case.
Yes, a bit more and cheaper credit will be made available, which is why the Australian dollar and copper prices rose earlier on hopes of stronger demand for commodities. But until the central bank goes after the elephant in the room -- its cap on the rates that banks can pay to depositors -- one could argue that this entrenches the power of the country's four big banks and its state-owned enterprises more than it opens up the financial system.
According to Alberto Ades, co-head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, only 11 per cent of bank loans were charged at below benchmark during the first quarter of the year. This means that a small coterie of borrowers -- nearly all of them large, state-owned enterprises whose implicit government backing lets them obtain funds more cheaply than private-sector firms -- will benefit most from this measure.
As with the surprising hands-off approach that the central bank took to last month's worrying spike in short-term interbank lending rates, the major losers, and likely targets, of this interest rate change are the so-called "shadow banking" providers of "wealth management" products. These outfits had sprung up to fill a burgeoning demand for credit that the more tightly controlled official banking sector was unable to fill. Authorities worried that they were fuelling speculative real estate bubbles and fomenting risky debts.
The solution last month was to squeeze the shadow banking system, which funded itself through the wholesale credit markets, through higher interbank interest rates, a move that was far less of a problem for Indoor Positioning System, given their access to cheap deposits.
A far more important change would be an end to the cap on deposit rates, which have often been set at rates below inflation, because this would seriously challenge the banks' cost structures. The system as it works now is a form of financial repression for China's prodigious household and corporate savers, who stash away about 50 per cent of national income in rainy day funds but have little choice but to put that money in the banks and see it lose purchasing power.
It has been only three years since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act and five years since the 2008 financial crisis, but memories in Washington can be short. Even though we are still emerging from a foreclosure crisis that has affected tens of millions of American families, some in Congress are already pushing to weaken new rules designed to protect taxpayers and keep consumers safe from the faulty mortgage products that wrecked the economy.
The latest danger is H.R. 1077 and its companion bill, S. 949. Deceptively entitled the "Consumer Mortgage Choice Act," the bills seek to undermine Dodd-Frank’s ability-to repay provision. This provision, one of the most direct and important responses to the mortgage crisis, requires lenders to determine whether a borrower can afford a mortgage before they extend a loan. The rule was adopted to prohibit loans that were "designed to fail," a practice that was central to the origination model that brought on the financial crisis. Under the new rule, if lenders offer loans that meet the qualified mortgagestandards provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , they are presumed to have proven the borrower’s ability to repay and are therefore protected from litigation.
One of these standards is a cap on points and fees, the up-front cost of getting a loan, at 3% of the loan amount. H.R. 1077 and S. 949 would create significant exceptions to this, allowing many more high-cost loans to qualify as QM loans.
Specifically, these bills recreate incentives for lenders to steer families into high-risk, high-fee loans they do not understand and cannot afford. In recent investigations, the U.S Department of Justice discovered that, in the lead up to the financial crisis, tens of thousands of borrowers, especially minorities, were sold unsustainable subprime loans even when they qualified for more affordable loans. The mark-up in the cost of those loans led to increased profits for the lenders and also became an indirect form of compensation and dangerous incentive for mortgage brokers. The ability-to-repay rule regulates this indirect compensation by counting it toward the points and fees cap. The new bill, however, would remove indirect compensation from the cap and encourage the same predatory loan companies that dominated the subprime market back into our neighborhoods.
In addition, H.R.1077 and S. 949 would allow additional loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac deem as risky to be counted as QM, and it would remove the cap on fees charged by title companies that are owned by the lender making the loan. The conflict of interest that exists when a title company is owned by the loan issuer can prevent consumers from getting the best prices on title insurance.
It is also very troubling to us that H.R. 1077 and S. 949 undermine the rulemaking authority of the CFPB. The consumer agency has received very positive reviews from industry and consumer groups alike in its work putting in place rules for QM – rules that it has modified several times to address reasonable industry concerns. The CFPB can monitor markets and make changes as conditions warrant, but putting these changes into statute ties the agency’s hands and makes it more difficult to protect consumers. The Senate has finally confirmed Director Richard Cordray, and the CFPB ought to be free to do its work.
Supporters of H.R. 1077 and S.949 claim that these changes will make sure that more safe mortgages pass the QM test and guarantee access to credit for low income Americans. We heard these same arguments in the early 2000s as the industry lobbied against consumer protection, and the result was that needed reforms were not made until after a financial crisis that nearly brought down the economy. The 2008 crisis cost millions of people their jobs, their pensions or their homes, and we should learn from what went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes moving forward.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Yes, a bit more and cheaper credit will be made available, which is why the Australian dollar and copper prices rose earlier on hopes of stronger demand for commodities. But until the central bank goes after the elephant in the room -- its cap on the rates that banks can pay to depositors -- one could argue that this entrenches the power of the country's four big banks and its state-owned enterprises more than it opens up the financial system.
According to Alberto Ades, co-head of global economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, only 11 per cent of bank loans were charged at below benchmark during the first quarter of the year. This means that a small coterie of borrowers -- nearly all of them large, state-owned enterprises whose implicit government backing lets them obtain funds more cheaply than private-sector firms -- will benefit most from this measure.
As with the surprising hands-off approach that the central bank took to last month's worrying spike in short-term interbank lending rates, the major losers, and likely targets, of this interest rate change are the so-called "shadow banking" providers of "wealth management" products. These outfits had sprung up to fill a burgeoning demand for credit that the more tightly controlled official banking sector was unable to fill. Authorities worried that they were fuelling speculative real estate bubbles and fomenting risky debts.
The solution last month was to squeeze the shadow banking system, which funded itself through the wholesale credit markets, through higher interbank interest rates, a move that was far less of a problem for Indoor Positioning System, given their access to cheap deposits.
A far more important change would be an end to the cap on deposit rates, which have often been set at rates below inflation, because this would seriously challenge the banks' cost structures. The system as it works now is a form of financial repression for China's prodigious household and corporate savers, who stash away about 50 per cent of national income in rainy day funds but have little choice but to put that money in the banks and see it lose purchasing power.
It has been only three years since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act and five years since the 2008 financial crisis, but memories in Washington can be short. Even though we are still emerging from a foreclosure crisis that has affected tens of millions of American families, some in Congress are already pushing to weaken new rules designed to protect taxpayers and keep consumers safe from the faulty mortgage products that wrecked the economy.
The latest danger is H.R. 1077 and its companion bill, S. 949. Deceptively entitled the "Consumer Mortgage Choice Act," the bills seek to undermine Dodd-Frank’s ability-to repay provision. This provision, one of the most direct and important responses to the mortgage crisis, requires lenders to determine whether a borrower can afford a mortgage before they extend a loan. The rule was adopted to prohibit loans that were "designed to fail," a practice that was central to the origination model that brought on the financial crisis. Under the new rule, if lenders offer loans that meet the qualified mortgagestandards provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , they are presumed to have proven the borrower’s ability to repay and are therefore protected from litigation.
One of these standards is a cap on points and fees, the up-front cost of getting a loan, at 3% of the loan amount. H.R. 1077 and S. 949 would create significant exceptions to this, allowing many more high-cost loans to qualify as QM loans.
Specifically, these bills recreate incentives for lenders to steer families into high-risk, high-fee loans they do not understand and cannot afford. In recent investigations, the U.S Department of Justice discovered that, in the lead up to the financial crisis, tens of thousands of borrowers, especially minorities, were sold unsustainable subprime loans even when they qualified for more affordable loans. The mark-up in the cost of those loans led to increased profits for the lenders and also became an indirect form of compensation and dangerous incentive for mortgage brokers. The ability-to-repay rule regulates this indirect compensation by counting it toward the points and fees cap. The new bill, however, would remove indirect compensation from the cap and encourage the same predatory loan companies that dominated the subprime market back into our neighborhoods.
In addition, H.R.1077 and S. 949 would allow additional loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac deem as risky to be counted as QM, and it would remove the cap on fees charged by title companies that are owned by the lender making the loan. The conflict of interest that exists when a title company is owned by the loan issuer can prevent consumers from getting the best prices on title insurance.
It is also very troubling to us that H.R. 1077 and S. 949 undermine the rulemaking authority of the CFPB. The consumer agency has received very positive reviews from industry and consumer groups alike in its work putting in place rules for QM – rules that it has modified several times to address reasonable industry concerns. The CFPB can monitor markets and make changes as conditions warrant, but putting these changes into statute ties the agency’s hands and makes it more difficult to protect consumers. The Senate has finally confirmed Director Richard Cordray, and the CFPB ought to be free to do its work.
Supporters of H.R. 1077 and S.949 claim that these changes will make sure that more safe mortgages pass the QM test and guarantee access to credit for low income Americans. We heard these same arguments in the early 2000s as the industry lobbied against consumer protection, and the result was that needed reforms were not made until after a financial crisis that nearly brought down the economy. The 2008 crisis cost millions of people their jobs, their pensions or their homes, and we should learn from what went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes moving forward.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Estimote Creator Talks About Building
Estimote’s first prototype looked like a parrot. They designed it to sit in stores and count the humans entering and leaving the location and could register their paths through the aisles and even added analytics based on sex and purchasing patterns. In all, if you were a store owner, that weird little parrot, eternally connected to the Internet, was a brand new way of doing business.
The parrot is gone but Estimote has just launched out of the latest Y Combinator class and is ready to create an OS for physical locations. Their product, the Beacon, now looks like a lumpen, colored gem and sticks to the wall, reporting on current retail traffic and pushing notifications to shoppers – who have pre-registered for the messages, of course. The promise of the platform is thrilling if you’re in sales and even more interesting if you’re a customer. In short, the environment interacts with you in a manner heretofore unavailable to individual retailers and it does it using your own hands free access.
Originally founded in Krakow, Poland by Jakub Krzych and ?ukasz Kostka, the company ran under the radar in 2012 – the parrot was a preliminary prototype – and is now officially accepting pre-orders. The pair have MSc degrees in computer science and Krzych founded AdTaily, a self-service advertising network.
Estimote is a technology startup that is engaged in building a sensor-based analytics and engagement platform. We developed what we like to call an operating system for physical locations—one that will change how people run businesses in the physical world and how consumers interact with real-world products and venues.
Our primary area of interest at this moment is brick and mortar retail stores. More than 90 percent of transactions worldwide are still made in physical venues. More importantly, more than half of consumers who visit stores have smartphones, and that number is growing rapidly.
Thanks to popular communication technologies such as Bluetooth and WiFi, there are exciting new opportunities to understand how people behave and engage with products in stores.
New data and communication technology can be used to improve customer experience, bringing in new revenue streams for retail stores or cutting their costs. We call this smart retail.
We are currently piloting our solutions with the largest retailers in the United States and Europe. We have also launched preorder sales of our Developer Kits, which consist of sample beacon devices, as well as our SDK, which enables mobile developers and retail consulting agencies to add micro-location context to their mobile apps.
The Internet of Things is pretty broad, and yet it still lacks standards because of competing technologies like Zigbee, NFC, WiFi, and Bluetooth.
We believe there is a winner already, and it is called Bluetooth Low Energy. Major phone manufacturers like Apple, Google, and Nokia have supported it in their latest phones. It means that objects and venues will eventually be connected to the Internet, but through people’s smartphones.
More than a half of shoppers visiting retail stores have smartphones, and brick and mortar stores are still responsible for the vast majority of transactions worldwide. We expect this to continue, at least for a while. Trying, touching, and browsing in the real world is a much better shopping experience that even the best eCommerce can provide.
In order to compete with online shopping, however, physical retailers need to shift toward something we call bricks-and-clicks. This involves getting rid of all the dirty parts, like carts, queues, inventory, swiping cards, bags, etc., and just focusing on providing an outstanding in-store customer experience.
The rest will be performed seamlessly, by technology in the shoppers’ pockets and by sensors in the venue. As a retailer, you don’t have to keep inventory in order to make your customers happy and generate revenue. Amazon and other online retailers have already demonstrated the right way to handle shipping and logistics.
The small beacons we produce broadcast venue-specific data to smartphones that are as far away as 160 feet (50 meters) and as close as 2 inches. They trigger different actions on consumer phones depending on their arrival time and distance from the product, and even precise behavior like trying on clothes or touching the product. The more beacons, the richer the experience, but even a few dozen will be enough to create great micro-location apps in the store. Different mobile apps could talk to the same beacons, and our strategy is to grow the network by delivering basic apps to retailers for their venues, like the in-store analytics or indoor navigation, as well as provide third parties a SDK to develop their own apps.
We are currently piloting our solutions with the largest retailers in the United States and Europe. We are registering millions of beacon-smartphone interactions every day.
We have also launched preorder sales of our Developer Kits, which consist of sample beacon devices, as well as our SDK, which enables mobile developers and retail consulting agencies to add micro-location context to their mobile apps. There is huge interest in our product, and we plan to ship the first batch of beacons later this summer.
There are other retail sensor companies that use, for example, WiFi scanners to register people’s in-store presence and behavior. But we don’t think tracking visitors’ smartphones without their permission is a good idea. We believe the superior approach is to incentivize users to download apps that will enrich their in-store experience by providing indoor navigation, on-demand customer service, and even contact-less payments. Consumers can opt-in if the app is solving their real problems, and most will accept some data collection if they know it will be used to improve their experience.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
The parrot is gone but Estimote has just launched out of the latest Y Combinator class and is ready to create an OS for physical locations. Their product, the Beacon, now looks like a lumpen, colored gem and sticks to the wall, reporting on current retail traffic and pushing notifications to shoppers – who have pre-registered for the messages, of course. The promise of the platform is thrilling if you’re in sales and even more interesting if you’re a customer. In short, the environment interacts with you in a manner heretofore unavailable to individual retailers and it does it using your own hands free access.
Originally founded in Krakow, Poland by Jakub Krzych and ?ukasz Kostka, the company ran under the radar in 2012 – the parrot was a preliminary prototype – and is now officially accepting pre-orders. The pair have MSc degrees in computer science and Krzych founded AdTaily, a self-service advertising network.
Estimote is a technology startup that is engaged in building a sensor-based analytics and engagement platform. We developed what we like to call an operating system for physical locations—one that will change how people run businesses in the physical world and how consumers interact with real-world products and venues.
Our primary area of interest at this moment is brick and mortar retail stores. More than 90 percent of transactions worldwide are still made in physical venues. More importantly, more than half of consumers who visit stores have smartphones, and that number is growing rapidly.
Thanks to popular communication technologies such as Bluetooth and WiFi, there are exciting new opportunities to understand how people behave and engage with products in stores.
New data and communication technology can be used to improve customer experience, bringing in new revenue streams for retail stores or cutting their costs. We call this smart retail.
We are currently piloting our solutions with the largest retailers in the United States and Europe. We have also launched preorder sales of our Developer Kits, which consist of sample beacon devices, as well as our SDK, which enables mobile developers and retail consulting agencies to add micro-location context to their mobile apps.
The Internet of Things is pretty broad, and yet it still lacks standards because of competing technologies like Zigbee, NFC, WiFi, and Bluetooth.
We believe there is a winner already, and it is called Bluetooth Low Energy. Major phone manufacturers like Apple, Google, and Nokia have supported it in their latest phones. It means that objects and venues will eventually be connected to the Internet, but through people’s smartphones.
More than a half of shoppers visiting retail stores have smartphones, and brick and mortar stores are still responsible for the vast majority of transactions worldwide. We expect this to continue, at least for a while. Trying, touching, and browsing in the real world is a much better shopping experience that even the best eCommerce can provide.
In order to compete with online shopping, however, physical retailers need to shift toward something we call bricks-and-clicks. This involves getting rid of all the dirty parts, like carts, queues, inventory, swiping cards, bags, etc., and just focusing on providing an outstanding in-store customer experience.
The rest will be performed seamlessly, by technology in the shoppers’ pockets and by sensors in the venue. As a retailer, you don’t have to keep inventory in order to make your customers happy and generate revenue. Amazon and other online retailers have already demonstrated the right way to handle shipping and logistics.
The small beacons we produce broadcast venue-specific data to smartphones that are as far away as 160 feet (50 meters) and as close as 2 inches. They trigger different actions on consumer phones depending on their arrival time and distance from the product, and even precise behavior like trying on clothes or touching the product. The more beacons, the richer the experience, but even a few dozen will be enough to create great micro-location apps in the store. Different mobile apps could talk to the same beacons, and our strategy is to grow the network by delivering basic apps to retailers for their venues, like the in-store analytics or indoor navigation, as well as provide third parties a SDK to develop their own apps.
We are currently piloting our solutions with the largest retailers in the United States and Europe. We are registering millions of beacon-smartphone interactions every day.
We have also launched preorder sales of our Developer Kits, which consist of sample beacon devices, as well as our SDK, which enables mobile developers and retail consulting agencies to add micro-location context to their mobile apps. There is huge interest in our product, and we plan to ship the first batch of beacons later this summer.
There are other retail sensor companies that use, for example, WiFi scanners to register people’s in-store presence and behavior. But we don’t think tracking visitors’ smartphones without their permission is a good idea. We believe the superior approach is to incentivize users to download apps that will enrich their in-store experience by providing indoor navigation, on-demand customer service, and even contact-less payments. Consumers can opt-in if the app is solving their real problems, and most will accept some data collection if they know it will be used to improve their experience.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Giant Steps
That incredible potential was apparent during his freshman season. So was his significant inexperience when it came to the details of the game. Running, shooting, dunking and blocking shots are stock standards at the college level. Nuances such as proper defensive angles and absorbing contact take far longer to master.
“You’re always harder on yourself,” James told reporters earlier this week. “I feel like I was frustrated. Just a lot of anger, a lot of frustration upon myself knowing I could do a lot more.”For James, the primary obstacle in moving from high school to the college ranks was adjusting to the speed of the game, and not necessarily just the pace on the hardwood.
“In high school, there’s someone there holding your hand,” James said. “In college, you’re on a team full of grown men and you’ve got to figure it out. Yeah, your teammates are there to help you along, but they can’t help you that long because they’ve got to go. It’s a game; you’ve got to play.”
Roy Williams provided James with plenty of opportunities early in the season to make the transition. In his first 23 games (including three starts), James averaged 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per contest. Once UNC went small, however, his minutes plummeted. James played just 22 minutes over the final 13 games of the season, including one minute in UNC”s two NCAA Tournament games.
The toughest part of his short tenure at UNC thus far has come in elevating his mental game to match his physique.“I have the physical tools to be a NBA superstar one day,” James said. “Big person, can run the floor, physical. I like contact. But along with those physical skills, you need to have a mental part of the game as well.”
Williams instructed James during their postseason evaluation to calm down, take his time and be the player the 11th-year UNC head coach recruited. A significant part of that process involves carrying a necessary amount of confidence to move past the nervousness that was gripping at times last season.
“Have you ever heard the saying. ‘Confidence is like deodorant; if you don’t have it on, you stink?’” James said. “That’s what it is. The only thing you can do is build confidence… Confidence comes with the amount of work you put in.”
The West Palm Beach, Fla. product’s ability to work in the gym has been limited, however, due to offseason medical procedures to clean out calcification in both knees. The nagging injuries had plagued him even before arriving in Chapel Hill and were present daily as James felt pain whenever running and jumping.While he’s working his way back into playing shape – he said he had no pain after last Monday’s pickup game – his absence proved to be beneficial for his understanding of the game.
“You get to stop and take a step back and analyze the game from a whole different perspective,” James said, adding that Marvin Williams and Rasheed Wallace have offered insight this summer. “You just see so much you wouldn’t normally see while playing.”
Most freshmen post players encounter an offseason workout regiment intent on increasing strength and hands free access, but that hasn’t been the case for James, who has maintained or possibly even dropped his body fat percentage since enrolling at 260 pounds last summer. Gaining or losing weight hasn’t been a topic of conversations during workouts with strength and conditioning coach Jonas Sahratian.
A week after Deen's admission of using racial slurs in the past surfaced in a discrimination lawsuit, pop culture watchers, experts in managing public relations nightmares and civil rights stalwarts who have tried to help other celebrities in her position see a long, bumpy road ahead.
They also see a week full of missteps and believe the queen of comfort food reacted too slowly to her latest controversy at a time when hours count. They say it could take years, if she can make it back at all to the earning power she has enjoyed.
"Paula Deen has, I would say, taken an irreparable hit because she had this appearance of being more or less a nice older woman who cooks food that's bad for you. That in her own way sort of made her lovable," said Janice Min, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter in Los Angeles.
"But this presents a whole other picture of, 'Wow, maybe she's just an old racist white southern woman.' That image is hard to shake off for a large chunk of people," Min added.
So far, what could go wrong pretty much has, said Larry Kopp, president of The TASC Group, a communications firm for sports figures and celebrities with experience in high-profile, racially charged cases. His current clients include the family of black teen Trayvon Martin, whose shooter, George Zimmerman, is on trial for second-degree murder.
Deen, 66, and her brother, Bubba Hiers, are being sued by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of the restaurant they own in Savannah, Ga. Jackson accused them last year of sexual harassment and a hostile environment of innuendo and racial slurs.According to a transcript of Deen's deposition, an attorney for Jackson asked Deen if she has ever used the N-word."Yes, of course," Deen replied, though she added: "It's been a very long time." And she said she doesn't use the word anymore.
She bailed on the "Today" show on Friday, instead posting a series of criticized YouTube apologies. She was dropped by the Food Network the same day.An apology, at this point, isn't enough, said Dara Busch, executive vice president and managing director of Rubenstein Associates in New York, a top PR company.
"It will take years for her to fix how she will be viewed by the African American community. She has to find ways to prove that she's not that way any longer," said Busch.Howard Rubenstein, who founded Busch's firm and is known as a damage control guru, helped facilitate Richards' apologies to the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson after the comedian was caught on video using the N-word and making a lynching reference onstage against a black heckler. Rubenstein declined an interview.
Deen has already surpassed the actor in the apology department, said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League who has met regularly with John Galliano after the fashion designer's inebriated rants about Hitler were caught on video.
"Mel Gibson really never apologized. There's this apology, 'If I offended anybody, I didn't mean it.' That doesn't go anywhere. You have to be specific. What, where, who. Mel Gibson never really stepped up to the plate," Foxman said by telephone Monday while on a trip to Jerusalem.
Galliano, who recently sat down with Charlie Rose for a rare interview, has studied Jewish history with rabbis, owned up to addiction and tried to atone, Foxman said, yet he's struggling as Richards is to make it back professionally.Will Deen follow up with action to back up her apologetic words?
"I want to believe her, that she's not that way anymore," Foxman said. "It used to be very simple rules: You say something that's offensive, that's hurtful and there's a formal apology, an explanation, and depending how severe it is, you do a good deed, you volunteer, whatever. There used to be a clear path. It used to be over. That was before the Internet."
While Galliano was always considered a bad boy on the job, Deen's ability to earn a living depends on a squeaky clean, though cheeky, reputation despite her hiding her diabetes for years, then signing on as a paid endorser of a drug for the condition while continuing to cook up deep-fried everything on TV.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
“You’re always harder on yourself,” James told reporters earlier this week. “I feel like I was frustrated. Just a lot of anger, a lot of frustration upon myself knowing I could do a lot more.”For James, the primary obstacle in moving from high school to the college ranks was adjusting to the speed of the game, and not necessarily just the pace on the hardwood.
“In high school, there’s someone there holding your hand,” James said. “In college, you’re on a team full of grown men and you’ve got to figure it out. Yeah, your teammates are there to help you along, but they can’t help you that long because they’ve got to go. It’s a game; you’ve got to play.”
Roy Williams provided James with plenty of opportunities early in the season to make the transition. In his first 23 games (including three starts), James averaged 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per contest. Once UNC went small, however, his minutes plummeted. James played just 22 minutes over the final 13 games of the season, including one minute in UNC”s two NCAA Tournament games.
The toughest part of his short tenure at UNC thus far has come in elevating his mental game to match his physique.“I have the physical tools to be a NBA superstar one day,” James said. “Big person, can run the floor, physical. I like contact. But along with those physical skills, you need to have a mental part of the game as well.”
Williams instructed James during their postseason evaluation to calm down, take his time and be the player the 11th-year UNC head coach recruited. A significant part of that process involves carrying a necessary amount of confidence to move past the nervousness that was gripping at times last season.
“Have you ever heard the saying. ‘Confidence is like deodorant; if you don’t have it on, you stink?’” James said. “That’s what it is. The only thing you can do is build confidence… Confidence comes with the amount of work you put in.”
The West Palm Beach, Fla. product’s ability to work in the gym has been limited, however, due to offseason medical procedures to clean out calcification in both knees. The nagging injuries had plagued him even before arriving in Chapel Hill and were present daily as James felt pain whenever running and jumping.While he’s working his way back into playing shape – he said he had no pain after last Monday’s pickup game – his absence proved to be beneficial for his understanding of the game.
“You get to stop and take a step back and analyze the game from a whole different perspective,” James said, adding that Marvin Williams and Rasheed Wallace have offered insight this summer. “You just see so much you wouldn’t normally see while playing.”
Most freshmen post players encounter an offseason workout regiment intent on increasing strength and hands free access, but that hasn’t been the case for James, who has maintained or possibly even dropped his body fat percentage since enrolling at 260 pounds last summer. Gaining or losing weight hasn’t been a topic of conversations during workouts with strength and conditioning coach Jonas Sahratian.
A week after Deen's admission of using racial slurs in the past surfaced in a discrimination lawsuit, pop culture watchers, experts in managing public relations nightmares and civil rights stalwarts who have tried to help other celebrities in her position see a long, bumpy road ahead.
They also see a week full of missteps and believe the queen of comfort food reacted too slowly to her latest controversy at a time when hours count. They say it could take years, if she can make it back at all to the earning power she has enjoyed.
"Paula Deen has, I would say, taken an irreparable hit because she had this appearance of being more or less a nice older woman who cooks food that's bad for you. That in her own way sort of made her lovable," said Janice Min, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter in Los Angeles.
"But this presents a whole other picture of, 'Wow, maybe she's just an old racist white southern woman.' That image is hard to shake off for a large chunk of people," Min added.
So far, what could go wrong pretty much has, said Larry Kopp, president of The TASC Group, a communications firm for sports figures and celebrities with experience in high-profile, racially charged cases. His current clients include the family of black teen Trayvon Martin, whose shooter, George Zimmerman, is on trial for second-degree murder.
Deen, 66, and her brother, Bubba Hiers, are being sued by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of the restaurant they own in Savannah, Ga. Jackson accused them last year of sexual harassment and a hostile environment of innuendo and racial slurs.According to a transcript of Deen's deposition, an attorney for Jackson asked Deen if she has ever used the N-word."Yes, of course," Deen replied, though she added: "It's been a very long time." And she said she doesn't use the word anymore.
She bailed on the "Today" show on Friday, instead posting a series of criticized YouTube apologies. She was dropped by the Food Network the same day.An apology, at this point, isn't enough, said Dara Busch, executive vice president and managing director of Rubenstein Associates in New York, a top PR company.
"It will take years for her to fix how she will be viewed by the African American community. She has to find ways to prove that she's not that way any longer," said Busch.Howard Rubenstein, who founded Busch's firm and is known as a damage control guru, helped facilitate Richards' apologies to the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson after the comedian was caught on video using the N-word and making a lynching reference onstage against a black heckler. Rubenstein declined an interview.
Deen has already surpassed the actor in the apology department, said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League who has met regularly with John Galliano after the fashion designer's inebriated rants about Hitler were caught on video.
"Mel Gibson really never apologized. There's this apology, 'If I offended anybody, I didn't mean it.' That doesn't go anywhere. You have to be specific. What, where, who. Mel Gibson never really stepped up to the plate," Foxman said by telephone Monday while on a trip to Jerusalem.
Galliano, who recently sat down with Charlie Rose for a rare interview, has studied Jewish history with rabbis, owned up to addiction and tried to atone, Foxman said, yet he's struggling as Richards is to make it back professionally.Will Deen follow up with action to back up her apologetic words?
"I want to believe her, that she's not that way anymore," Foxman said. "It used to be very simple rules: You say something that's offensive, that's hurtful and there's a formal apology, an explanation, and depending how severe it is, you do a good deed, you volunteer, whatever. There used to be a clear path. It used to be over. That was before the Internet."
While Galliano was always considered a bad boy on the job, Deen's ability to earn a living depends on a squeaky clean, though cheeky, reputation despite her hiding her diabetes for years, then signing on as a paid endorser of a drug for the condition while continuing to cook up deep-fried everything on TV.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Beautiful handset, but performance is lacking
Well, what do we have here? Okay, let's scrap the faux surprise. The recently confirmed Ascend P6 has landed, and Huawei hopes it will stir interest in the hearts of mobile users. Debuting across Europe, China and Australia in late June / early August with a €449 ($600) price tag, it's asking you to take it seriously, and that's what we'll do.
The mobile market is a fickle place, so it doesn't matter where you are right now; it's all about where you're going. Huawei? Well, it's definitely got its sights set on an upward trajectory. The Ascend P6 is the latest rung on the ladder, intended to elevate the company to mobile greatness. But, with competition stiffer than ever, can it really call a device with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 720p display and 8-megapixel camera a flagship? (For its P-series at least?) Huawei's certainly giving it a try, and it's hoping that beauty, not brawn, will win the day.
That size difference is important; crammed into that more diminutive form, it not only offers a greater ppi (312), but also turns an otherwise middle-spec phablet into a much more mass-market device. The specifications are still fairly modest, but the hardware they come in -- plus a few other notable inclusions -- means that this is a completely different proposition than the Mate altogether.
There's a black brushed-metal finish on the rear (there are white and pink versions also) with drilled speaker holes at the bottom, and a brushed-metal band around the edges of the device. The Ascend P6 instantly feels good, solid and, dare we say it, delightful. The chamfered edges that lead into the Gorilla Glass display prove that not only can Huawei do detail, it can also do it very well. Next to Samsung's Galaxy S 4, for example, it makes the Korean flagship look and feel shamefully thrown together. Even the dapper HTC One gets a good run for its money in terms of hands free access, fit and finish. Yes, it's fair to say that Huawei has proven that a well-built phone isn't as much a matter of means as it is intention.
It's not all solid, smooth lines. That metal band is broken up by the occasional port. The micro-USB connection sits at the top, just off-center. The right-hand side houses the power / standby button and volume rocker, plus microSD and micro-SIM card trays. If there was a small negative, it's that these buttons do jiggle slightly in place. Not terribly so, but enough to indicate there's room for a tighter fit. The back cover isn't removable -- hence the trays -- but Huawei has done a good job at keeping them flush with the edges. One related design note -- of mixed success -- is the 3.5mm headphone jack located at the bottom of the left-hand side. You'd be forgiven for missing it, first of all, as it's tightly plugged up. In fact, at first glance, the small circular protrusion looks like an unusual design feature, like a rivet added on at the end to conceal a functional cavity. It's only when you inspect it a little further that you sense something else is going on.
We tinkered around with this curiosity for a few moments, before wondering if the Ascend P6 perhaps came with a stylus, as this small silver disc could have easily been the top end of one. But a little fingernail pulling and gentle wriggling actually revealed the truth: it's a small, concealed pin to help eject the SIM and memory card trays. Genius. Weird genius. The positive being that you never need to worry about whether you have a paperclip or similar nearby, should you wish to remove your SIM (not that paperclips usually work that well). The negative, however, is that every time you want to use your headphones, you have to remove -- and potentially lose -- the pin. In our experience, getting the thing out wasn't exactly a smooth process either. Still, it's a nice idea, and the sort of ingenuity we're loathe to discourage.
One thing we would encourage? More internal storage. We're sorry guys, but 8GB really isn't enough these days, especially when barely any of that (less than 4GB) is accessible. Yes, there is the option to expand (by a further 32GB), but that's more a common courtesy rather than a reasonable solution. So, if you've liked what you've heard so far, then be sure to add a memory card to your shopping list, like, now. The memory issue is compounded by the -- albeit pleasantly surprising -- inclusion of a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Those self-portraits are about to get a serious upgrade, which is all the more reason to get your storage set from the get-go. We'll cover the cameras (including the 8-megapixel main shooter) in more detail later.
Rounding out the hardware side of things are a few significant omissions. First, there's no LTE. It's simply not happening. So if that's a dealbreaker, stop reading now. If it's not -- and there's category 14 HSPA+ (up to 21 Mbps) to keep things moving -- then you'll likely be expecting some returns elsewhere -- such as in the longevity of the non-removable 2,000mAh battery. Again, more on that later. If you got this far and were wondering about NFC, then suffice to say, it's not here either, but you're okay with DLNA sharing and Dolby Digital audio instead, right?
At 4.7 inches across, with a resolution of 1,280 x 720, the Ascend P6 might not be in the (increasingly less) exclusive 1080p club, but the 720p "in-cell" LCD does a good enough job that you likely won't mind. Compared to some of the larger flagships (heck, for some, 4.7 inches is almost "mini"), the P6's display might seem average -- but it really does feel perfectly sized. You can reach your way across it comfortably, and thanks to a minimal bezel, the phone should sit snugly in most hands. We did find that the touchscreen was occasionally less responsive to our pokes and gestures from time to time. Pinching out from the home screen to bring up the zoomed-out view sometimes took two or three attempts to register. Likewise we sometimes found ourselves prodding more than once to get it to realize that we were trying to open an app. There is a "gloves" mode, which increases sensitivity, and we noticed the problem occurred less frequently when this was activated, so you may prefer to keep this switched on.
When you're not thumbing at it, the Ascend's LCD looks bright and crisp, with excellent viewing angles. The screen is dimmer when gazed at from anything other than straight on, and you'll definitely want to keep the brightness set to no less than 50 percent for outdoor viewing. Do that and colors will remain solid and blacks dark, making photo and video viewing on the device a pleasant experience. Also, we noticed that the screen displayed a pleasing resilience to fingerprints -- definitely a plus point.
The mobile market is a fickle place, so it doesn't matter where you are right now; it's all about where you're going. Huawei? Well, it's definitely got its sights set on an upward trajectory. The Ascend P6 is the latest rung on the ladder, intended to elevate the company to mobile greatness. But, with competition stiffer than ever, can it really call a device with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 720p display and 8-megapixel camera a flagship? (For its P-series at least?) Huawei's certainly giving it a try, and it's hoping that beauty, not brawn, will win the day.
That size difference is important; crammed into that more diminutive form, it not only offers a greater ppi (312), but also turns an otherwise middle-spec phablet into a much more mass-market device. The specifications are still fairly modest, but the hardware they come in -- plus a few other notable inclusions -- means that this is a completely different proposition than the Mate altogether.
There's a black brushed-metal finish on the rear (there are white and pink versions also) with drilled speaker holes at the bottom, and a brushed-metal band around the edges of the device. The Ascend P6 instantly feels good, solid and, dare we say it, delightful. The chamfered edges that lead into the Gorilla Glass display prove that not only can Huawei do detail, it can also do it very well. Next to Samsung's Galaxy S 4, for example, it makes the Korean flagship look and feel shamefully thrown together. Even the dapper HTC One gets a good run for its money in terms of hands free access, fit and finish. Yes, it's fair to say that Huawei has proven that a well-built phone isn't as much a matter of means as it is intention.
It's not all solid, smooth lines. That metal band is broken up by the occasional port. The micro-USB connection sits at the top, just off-center. The right-hand side houses the power / standby button and volume rocker, plus microSD and micro-SIM card trays. If there was a small negative, it's that these buttons do jiggle slightly in place. Not terribly so, but enough to indicate there's room for a tighter fit. The back cover isn't removable -- hence the trays -- but Huawei has done a good job at keeping them flush with the edges. One related design note -- of mixed success -- is the 3.5mm headphone jack located at the bottom of the left-hand side. You'd be forgiven for missing it, first of all, as it's tightly plugged up. In fact, at first glance, the small circular protrusion looks like an unusual design feature, like a rivet added on at the end to conceal a functional cavity. It's only when you inspect it a little further that you sense something else is going on.
We tinkered around with this curiosity for a few moments, before wondering if the Ascend P6 perhaps came with a stylus, as this small silver disc could have easily been the top end of one. But a little fingernail pulling and gentle wriggling actually revealed the truth: it's a small, concealed pin to help eject the SIM and memory card trays. Genius. Weird genius. The positive being that you never need to worry about whether you have a paperclip or similar nearby, should you wish to remove your SIM (not that paperclips usually work that well). The negative, however, is that every time you want to use your headphones, you have to remove -- and potentially lose -- the pin. In our experience, getting the thing out wasn't exactly a smooth process either. Still, it's a nice idea, and the sort of ingenuity we're loathe to discourage.
One thing we would encourage? More internal storage. We're sorry guys, but 8GB really isn't enough these days, especially when barely any of that (less than 4GB) is accessible. Yes, there is the option to expand (by a further 32GB), but that's more a common courtesy rather than a reasonable solution. So, if you've liked what you've heard so far, then be sure to add a memory card to your shopping list, like, now. The memory issue is compounded by the -- albeit pleasantly surprising -- inclusion of a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Those self-portraits are about to get a serious upgrade, which is all the more reason to get your storage set from the get-go. We'll cover the cameras (including the 8-megapixel main shooter) in more detail later.
Rounding out the hardware side of things are a few significant omissions. First, there's no LTE. It's simply not happening. So if that's a dealbreaker, stop reading now. If it's not -- and there's category 14 HSPA+ (up to 21 Mbps) to keep things moving -- then you'll likely be expecting some returns elsewhere -- such as in the longevity of the non-removable 2,000mAh battery. Again, more on that later. If you got this far and were wondering about NFC, then suffice to say, it's not here either, but you're okay with DLNA sharing and Dolby Digital audio instead, right?
At 4.7 inches across, with a resolution of 1,280 x 720, the Ascend P6 might not be in the (increasingly less) exclusive 1080p club, but the 720p "in-cell" LCD does a good enough job that you likely won't mind. Compared to some of the larger flagships (heck, for some, 4.7 inches is almost "mini"), the P6's display might seem average -- but it really does feel perfectly sized. You can reach your way across it comfortably, and thanks to a minimal bezel, the phone should sit snugly in most hands. We did find that the touchscreen was occasionally less responsive to our pokes and gestures from time to time. Pinching out from the home screen to bring up the zoomed-out view sometimes took two or three attempts to register. Likewise we sometimes found ourselves prodding more than once to get it to realize that we were trying to open an app. There is a "gloves" mode, which increases sensitivity, and we noticed the problem occurred less frequently when this was activated, so you may prefer to keep this switched on.
When you're not thumbing at it, the Ascend's LCD looks bright and crisp, with excellent viewing angles. The screen is dimmer when gazed at from anything other than straight on, and you'll definitely want to keep the brightness set to no less than 50 percent for outdoor viewing. Do that and colors will remain solid and blacks dark, making photo and video viewing on the device a pleasant experience. Also, we noticed that the screen displayed a pleasing resilience to fingerprints -- definitely a plus point.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Marion leader hits the Happy Valley
Little has changed in the race for line honors on the 2nd full day of racing in the 2013 Marion Bermuda Race. It is just wait and see… and enjoy the pink beaches and the bright Bermuda sunshine or a round of golf while you’re at it. Today, the Bermuda fitted dinghies are match racing in Mangrove Bay. Monday is a Bermuda holiday— Hero’s Day— and they have fleet races there, too. Many of the Race officials from the US are traveling to Bermuda today. At 1600hrs Sunday in Bermuda, the Yellowbrick tracking site reported that the closest boat to Bermuda was Shindig, Mass Maritime’s Andrews 68 that has led from the start. She was 161 nm out and doing 6.9 knots for the previous hour, well below the record pace she had carried for the first 48 hours. Shindig may finish Monday afternoon while the volunteers and guests are having cocktails at St David’s Lighthouse overlooking the finish line.
Early wind in the Bermuda ocean races often dangles race records like a time carrot in front of the bows of the big boats. But the record is very elusive. When the top of the course has pressure and speed, the system that is producing the wind is already moving out into the North Atlantic.
A high pressure expands from the West and the South of the original windy area. A ‘parking lot’ grows right in the middle of the last 100 miles of the course. Racers call it the “happy Valley. A boat would have to average over 9 knots to break the current record from Marion.
Boats behind Shindig are moving faster now compared to the leader, still carrying the pressure. On corrected time at this stage, two boats have moved ahead of Shindig in Class A. Alibi stands first and Lady B has moved up to 2rd. This trend should continue through Sunday evening until they, too, find their parking place.
Integrity, a Navy 44 skippered by Mario Avila of the USNA, leads Class B. Roust, a Sea Sprite 34 (the smallest boat in the fleet) leads Class C on corrected time. Roust’s Skipper is Ian Gumprecht from Oyster Bay NY. George Cubbon’s Alice Kay from Bermuda has moved up to 2nd in that class.
The second nearest boat to Bermuda was the Class A Lady B, John Madden’s Swan 62 from Newport RI. She was 214 nm out. Kismet was 3rd 253 miles out while the local Bermuda favorite, Spirit of Bermuda, had fallen back to 9th. On YellowBrick boats look like they are piled on top of each other. It is a close race with many more miles to go.
Officials are acting to limit the cost of removing and disposing of contaminated sediment in waterways.They've passed bans in recent years in dozens of cities and counties in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Texas, New York, Maryland and Washington state. Others, in six additional states, have restricted use.
"We're at a tipping point" in the movement against coal tar sealants, says Nick Kelso, owner of Minnesota-based Jet-Black International. His seal-coating company, which has franchises in 13 states, is phasing out its use of them. He's turning to the alternative: asphalt-based products that he says are improving, cost about the same and contain much lower levels of worrisome chemicals.
Major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace and United Hardware have stopped selling coal tar sealants. The product gradually wears off and breaks down into particles that are washed off by rain into streams, blown elsewhere by wind or tracked into homes on the soles of shoes. Some of its toxic compounds evaporate into the air, which is why sealed parking lots give off a strong odor.
In 40 urban lakes nationwide, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found these sealants account for about half of hazardous chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, while vehicle-related sources such as motor oil account for one-fourth. They say the sealants elevate lifetime cancer risks.
"This is controversial science," says Anne LeHuray, executive director of the Pavement Coatings Technology Council, which has lobbied successfully against proposed bans. She says the product has been safely used for decades by applicators who follow industry guidelines. She says her group's repeated requests for detailed data from USGS research have been denied, so it has funded its own studies that raise questions about the federal government's findings.
"We have done rigorous, scientific surveys and analyses showing coal tar sealants are a major sources of PAHs in the environment," says Judy Crane, a water quality scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency who has co-authored USGS research.
Academic studies, including separate ones by the University of New Hampshire and Missouri State University, have also found elevated PAHs in areas adjacent to parking lots covered in coal tar.
"It's been a detective story," says Barbara Mahler, a USGS hydrologist who has co-led the government research. She says many Americans may be surprised to find their blacktops could be a danger: " It's been under our noses, but we've never really thought about it."
Not until a decade ago when officials in Austin suspected something was wrong. They found high PAHs in area waterways and, noting that nearby parking lots were newly coated with coal tar products, they surmised the sealants were the culprit.
Subsequent research by the USGS and other scientists backed that up. It found the PAH concentration in settled house dust in 23 ground-level Austin apartments adjacent to coal-tar-sealed parking lots was 25 times higher than the dust in apartments next to lots without such sealant.Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
Early wind in the Bermuda ocean races often dangles race records like a time carrot in front of the bows of the big boats. But the record is very elusive. When the top of the course has pressure and speed, the system that is producing the wind is already moving out into the North Atlantic.
A high pressure expands from the West and the South of the original windy area. A ‘parking lot’ grows right in the middle of the last 100 miles of the course. Racers call it the “happy Valley. A boat would have to average over 9 knots to break the current record from Marion.
Boats behind Shindig are moving faster now compared to the leader, still carrying the pressure. On corrected time at this stage, two boats have moved ahead of Shindig in Class A. Alibi stands first and Lady B has moved up to 2rd. This trend should continue through Sunday evening until they, too, find their parking place.
Integrity, a Navy 44 skippered by Mario Avila of the USNA, leads Class B. Roust, a Sea Sprite 34 (the smallest boat in the fleet) leads Class C on corrected time. Roust’s Skipper is Ian Gumprecht from Oyster Bay NY. George Cubbon’s Alice Kay from Bermuda has moved up to 2nd in that class.
The second nearest boat to Bermuda was the Class A Lady B, John Madden’s Swan 62 from Newport RI. She was 214 nm out. Kismet was 3rd 253 miles out while the local Bermuda favorite, Spirit of Bermuda, had fallen back to 9th. On YellowBrick boats look like they are piled on top of each other. It is a close race with many more miles to go.
Officials are acting to limit the cost of removing and disposing of contaminated sediment in waterways.They've passed bans in recent years in dozens of cities and counties in Minnesota, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Texas, New York, Maryland and Washington state. Others, in six additional states, have restricted use.
"We're at a tipping point" in the movement against coal tar sealants, says Nick Kelso, owner of Minnesota-based Jet-Black International. His seal-coating company, which has franchises in 13 states, is phasing out its use of them. He's turning to the alternative: asphalt-based products that he says are improving, cost about the same and contain much lower levels of worrisome chemicals.
Major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace and United Hardware have stopped selling coal tar sealants. The product gradually wears off and breaks down into particles that are washed off by rain into streams, blown elsewhere by wind or tracked into homes on the soles of shoes. Some of its toxic compounds evaporate into the air, which is why sealed parking lots give off a strong odor.
In 40 urban lakes nationwide, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found these sealants account for about half of hazardous chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, while vehicle-related sources such as motor oil account for one-fourth. They say the sealants elevate lifetime cancer risks.
"This is controversial science," says Anne LeHuray, executive director of the Pavement Coatings Technology Council, which has lobbied successfully against proposed bans. She says the product has been safely used for decades by applicators who follow industry guidelines. She says her group's repeated requests for detailed data from USGS research have been denied, so it has funded its own studies that raise questions about the federal government's findings.
"We have done rigorous, scientific surveys and analyses showing coal tar sealants are a major sources of PAHs in the environment," says Judy Crane, a water quality scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency who has co-authored USGS research.
Academic studies, including separate ones by the University of New Hampshire and Missouri State University, have also found elevated PAHs in areas adjacent to parking lots covered in coal tar.
"It's been a detective story," says Barbara Mahler, a USGS hydrologist who has co-led the government research. She says many Americans may be surprised to find their blacktops could be a danger: " It's been under our noses, but we've never really thought about it."
Not until a decade ago when officials in Austin suspected something was wrong. They found high PAHs in area waterways and, noting that nearby parking lots were newly coated with coal tar products, they surmised the sealants were the culprit.
Subsequent research by the USGS and other scientists backed that up. It found the PAH concentration in settled house dust in 23 ground-level Austin apartments adjacent to coal-tar-sealed parking lots was 25 times higher than the dust in apartments next to lots without such sealant.Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Obtain a Green Card Now or Wait for Possible Immigration Reform?
There are numerous ways to obtain a green card right now without further delay. Individuals with a pathway to legal status should investigate all of their options. Under the proposed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) undocumented immigrants will have to wait 10 to 13years just to apply for their green cards and then wait 5 more years to be able to apply for citizenship. The proposed bill currently being debated in the House of Representatives provides for an 18-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, three years longer than the 15-year proposal in the Senate path to citizenship. It is important to remember that changes in law take time to pass through Congress and CIR is not even certain to pass. The smart move is to seek other options to legalize status in the U.S. The following examples are just a few options to obtain a green card right now.
One option is cancellation of removal. Cancellation of removal procedure allows qualified individuals to obtain a green card if they have lived in the U.S. for ten years or more, have good moral character and can show that their U.S. citizen, or Legal Permanent Resident parent, spouse or child would suffer a severe hardship, particularly if the qualifying relative is at least 15 years old or has a disability or health problems. Cancellation may only be granted by an immigration judge. Applicants are eligible to obtain employment authorization as soon as their application is filed with the court. With work authorization one may apply for a social security number, work legally and obtain a state issued drivers license.
Applying for a family based immigrant petition is another option for those who have been patiently waiting for Hands free access to pass. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21or parent if the U.S. citizen is over the age of 21) have special immigration priority and do not have to wait in line for a visa number to become available for them to immigrate.
Within the past year, two immigration policies have been instituted by the Obama Administration to allow more undocumented immigrants to apply for immigration benefits. On June 15, 2012 the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “DACA” became a reality for individuals brought into the U.S. as children. Under this directive, immigrant youth are authorized to obtain a temporary two-year work permit. While immigration reform is debated in Congress, as of March 2013 U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services estimate that 268,361 DACA applications have been granted. The immigration service continues to accept and adjudicate DACA applications.
A new waiver called the provisional waiver is another way for individuals to obtain a green card. Applicants who need a waiver of inadmissibility for unlawful presence may apply and obtain a waiver in the United States before they depart for their immigrant visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. This pre-approved waiver avoids getting stuck outside the U.S. This provisional waiver applies to the following categories of undocumented immigrants who: (1) entered the United States without inspection by an immigration officer, (2) came in as crewmen, or (3) entered the United States on a fiancé visa but did not marry their petitioner may currently apply for the provisional waiver.
Waiting for potential reform might not be the best plan for those who already have a viable path to legal status in the U.S. As the CIR debate continues and politics unfold, more than one million individuals obtain legal permanent resident status each year. There are many other option available. We recommend having a consultation with a good immigration lawyer to explore what options may be available for you.
The goal was Carroll’s first in league play this season but the defensive midfielder, who scored the game-winner a week ago in Philly’s US Open Cup win over the Ocean City Nor’easters.
Four minutes later, Carroll got in on the attack again when he flicked a Sebastien Le Toux corner to the back post, where right back Williams was waiting unmarked to volley a shot past goalie Andy Gruenebaum.
Le Toux, who was credited with a secondary assist on Williams’ goal, then added another assist when he forced a turnover, raced untouched down the sideline and played a low cross to Casey, whose diving header made it 3-0 just 31 minutes into the game.
The goal was Casey’s third of the season and the assist was Le Toux’s sixth, which put the Frenchman into the MLS lead.
The Union very nearly made it 4-0 at halftime but Golden Boot leader Jack McInerney’s header destined for goal was blocked by Crew defender Chad Barson.
The Crew, who were playing without key players Jairo Arrieta (international duty), Eddie Gaven (ACL) and Chad Marshall (hamstring), didn’t have many scoring chances of their own in the first half, save for a couple of Dominic Oduro shots.
And despite making a couple of halftime substitutions – replacing Tyson Wahl and Ben Speas with Kevan George and Aaron Schoenfeld – things didn’t get much better after the break for the Crew, who hardly threatened to dent Philly’s lead.
One option is cancellation of removal. Cancellation of removal procedure allows qualified individuals to obtain a green card if they have lived in the U.S. for ten years or more, have good moral character and can show that their U.S. citizen, or Legal Permanent Resident parent, spouse or child would suffer a severe hardship, particularly if the qualifying relative is at least 15 years old or has a disability or health problems. Cancellation may only be granted by an immigration judge. Applicants are eligible to obtain employment authorization as soon as their application is filed with the court. With work authorization one may apply for a social security number, work legally and obtain a state issued drivers license.
Applying for a family based immigrant petition is another option for those who have been patiently waiting for Hands free access to pass. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21or parent if the U.S. citizen is over the age of 21) have special immigration priority and do not have to wait in line for a visa number to become available for them to immigrate.
Within the past year, two immigration policies have been instituted by the Obama Administration to allow more undocumented immigrants to apply for immigration benefits. On June 15, 2012 the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals “DACA” became a reality for individuals brought into the U.S. as children. Under this directive, immigrant youth are authorized to obtain a temporary two-year work permit. While immigration reform is debated in Congress, as of March 2013 U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services estimate that 268,361 DACA applications have been granted. The immigration service continues to accept and adjudicate DACA applications.
A new waiver called the provisional waiver is another way for individuals to obtain a green card. Applicants who need a waiver of inadmissibility for unlawful presence may apply and obtain a waiver in the United States before they depart for their immigrant visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. This pre-approved waiver avoids getting stuck outside the U.S. This provisional waiver applies to the following categories of undocumented immigrants who: (1) entered the United States without inspection by an immigration officer, (2) came in as crewmen, or (3) entered the United States on a fiancé visa but did not marry their petitioner may currently apply for the provisional waiver.
Waiting for potential reform might not be the best plan for those who already have a viable path to legal status in the U.S. As the CIR debate continues and politics unfold, more than one million individuals obtain legal permanent resident status each year. There are many other option available. We recommend having a consultation with a good immigration lawyer to explore what options may be available for you.
The goal was Carroll’s first in league play this season but the defensive midfielder, who scored the game-winner a week ago in Philly’s US Open Cup win over the Ocean City Nor’easters.
Four minutes later, Carroll got in on the attack again when he flicked a Sebastien Le Toux corner to the back post, where right back Williams was waiting unmarked to volley a shot past goalie Andy Gruenebaum.
Le Toux, who was credited with a secondary assist on Williams’ goal, then added another assist when he forced a turnover, raced untouched down the sideline and played a low cross to Casey, whose diving header made it 3-0 just 31 minutes into the game.
The goal was Casey’s third of the season and the assist was Le Toux’s sixth, which put the Frenchman into the MLS lead.
The Union very nearly made it 4-0 at halftime but Golden Boot leader Jack McInerney’s header destined for goal was blocked by Crew defender Chad Barson.
The Crew, who were playing without key players Jairo Arrieta (international duty), Eddie Gaven (ACL) and Chad Marshall (hamstring), didn’t have many scoring chances of their own in the first half, save for a couple of Dominic Oduro shots.
And despite making a couple of halftime substitutions – replacing Tyson Wahl and Ben Speas with Kevan George and Aaron Schoenfeld – things didn’t get much better after the break for the Crew, who hardly threatened to dent Philly’s lead.
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