Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Cloze


Let's not call Cloze a social media aggregator, even though you could easily mistake it for one, because what it does is much smarter than just putting a lot of disparate conversations onto one page. Rather, the Web app Cloze takes a three-step approach to sifting through your online relationships to highlight people who are most relevant to you and bring greater context to their digital communication. ?

Here's how the three-step approach plays out: First, Cloze collects communication from various channels: LinkedIn, email, Twitter, and Facebook. Second, Cloze aggregates all those tweets and messages per person by day, letting you see, for example, every status update and LinkedIn post a client or your boss wrote today. Third, Cloze displays the per-person list of activity in a prioritized order based on that person's importance to you. This last part relies on a Cloze score, which is loosely similar to a Klout score. You can override the algorithm and mark anyone you want as a "key" contact to make sure you see their updates.

The system succeeds in adding context to online communication, which would be otherwise lost in just about any similar tool, such as HootSuite and the now unsupported but not quite dead Tweetdeck. Those two tools perform several functions that Cloze does not, however, so they aren't direct competitors. Both Tweetdeck and HootSuite let you keep an eye on messages directed right at you, whereas Cloze focuses on activity from important people regardless of whether they're trying to get your attention. But as with Tweetdeck and HootSuite, Cloze does let you "talk back" or respond to the activity you see from within the interface. A clean selection of response modes changes based on whether you're reading a tweet, Facebook status update, LinkedIn post, or email message. As much as I definitely see the value in using Cloze, I think it could be even better if it stole?er, "borrowed" some features from social media aggregators.

How Cloze Works
From the website Cloze.com you can sign up for a free Cloze account and authenticate access to your various social networks and email accounts. While you can connect multiple email accounts, and even multiple accounts from the same provider (e.g., two Gmail accounts), you can only connect one of each kind of social network, i.e., one Facebook account, one Twitter, one LinkedIn.

Cloze then analyzes all the communication you've had with various people across the systems you've initialized and assigns each of your contacts a score indicating the person's importance to you. People with the highest scores become your Key People, although you can customize who is and isn't among these VIPs. Cloze discloses a lot of information about its scoring algorithm, saying it takes into account dormancy (which measures the last time you and the person communicated), frequency (how often you two communicate), responsiveness (how quickly you respond to one another), privacy (how many of your conversations are private versus public), freshness (how often conversations cover new topics versus use the same language over and over), and balance (that is to say, two-way relationships).

Scores update daily, and you can see readouts of each person's score. It includes the breakdown of the score across the various factors, as well as information about whether the total score has increased or decreased since the prior day. A graph plotted over time even shows whether the person's monthly average score has shifted.

From the home page, Cloze shows you a summary of all the communication activity for the day by person. Key people rank highest, so you'll see their emails, tweets, and other social interactions first. The site is easy to navigate and very clearly arranged. A mute button lets you remove a person from this feed, which I found helpful for silencing people who post very frequently on Twitter in particular.

You can also interact with the updates coming from your network directly from the Cloze home page. A little wheel of options pops into view when you click to interact with someone, and the choices (such as reply, like, mark as favorite) change based on what kind of communication you're viewing. Cloze also has a check mark option for noting when you have already interacted with some activity and want to now remove it from the feed.

Hits the Nail on the Head
Between the customization options for adjusting Key People and the ability to interact right from my Cloze account, I felt like Cloze really did hit the nail on the head for increasing the relevancy and context of activity from my social network. Before using Cloze, I didn't even realize how much of this context and relevancy was lost on me. It's often extremely useful to be able to see someone's latest tweet paired next to her latest Facebook update and latest comment she made on someone else's update.

Although Cloze isn't a social media aggregator in the same way that Tweetdeck and HootSuite are, I think it would easily become my social media app of choice if it added a few features found in those app, such as the ability to schedule posts and tweets and get alerts of mentions and incoming message. It's a wonderful app designed for anyone who uses social media as part of their job, or who has a rich social life online.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/xtzoeGWRNz4/0,2817,2418290,00.asp

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Samsung butchers 'Gangnam Style' for Indian Galaxy S4 launch

"If you like the S3 then this phone is even better / It has an HD screen and is just a lot slimmer."

Samsung has earned something of a reputation for putting on unique and often rather cheesy live events to launch its new products. An example would be the Broadway-themed Galaxy S4 launch event in New York City. A recent effort from the phone's Indian launch, however, takes things to a whole new level.

At the event in Mumbai, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh took to the stage to perform a soul-crushingly embarrassing rendition of Psy's 2012 hit "Gangnam Style," re-worded with lyrics all about Samsung's new smartphone. These include such gems as "441ppi is not just a number / Look at this clarity it's brighter" and "If you like the S3 then this phone is even better / It has an HD screen and is just a lot slimmer." Yes, it's that bad.

Hit the embed above to see for yourself. You're welcome.

Source: YouTube via The Next Web, India Today

    


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

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Key Egyptian negotiator with IMF quits

By Paul Taylor

CAIRO (Reuters) - A key Egyptian negotiator with the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday he has resigned as first deputy finance minister, in a potential blow to Cairo's prospects of an early IMF deal.

Hany Kadry Dimian has been the crucial point man in Egypt's protracted and so far fruitless negotiations to obtain a $4.8 billion loan needed to help combat a severe economic crisis.

"The only comment I can make for the time being is that yes, my term ends on April 30 according to my resignation, which I submitted in December," Kadry told Reuters by telephone.

"My next move is not decided."

A senior technocrat appointed in 2007, Kadry survived five finance ministers in office since the 2011 uprising that overthrew former autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.

Kadry gave no explanation for his decision to quit, first reported on the Egyptian dissident Rebel Economy blog, saying he would say more on Tuesday.

A senior European diplomat said his departure was not a good omen for Egypt's hopes of wrapping up a deal on the long delayed IMF loan next month, as the government has said it aims to do.

Kadry was the one expert in the ministry who fully understood the IMF program and was able to deal with the global lender professionally, the diplomat said.

The daily El-Watan said on its website that Kadry had been under increasing pressure from the ruling Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, and in conflict with Abdallah Shehata, the FJP economic adviser to Finance Minister Al-Mursi Al-Sayed Hegazy.

Abdel Shakour Shalaan, Middle East representative on the IMF board, told Al Hayat television channel he hoped Egypt could complete the loan deal within four to five weeks.

"I hope it will be completed within a month or five weeks, the end of May or the beginning June," he said.

Separately, the head of Egypt's bourse, Mohamed Omran, told Prime Minister Hisham Kandil he would like to leave his position at the end of his term on July 1, the state news agency MENA reported, citing an unnamed official stock exchange source.

The report did not give a reason for Omran's request, but said he had told the prime minister in August he wanted to leave the post. Kandil had asked him to stay until the end of his term, MENA said.

(Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Jon Hemming and Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/key-egyptian-negotiator-imf-quits-191627035.html

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Rumford wins playoff to take Ballantine's title

(AP) ? Australia's Brett Rumford eagled the first hole of a three-way playoff to win the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea on Sunday.

Rumford was leading by two shots when he double-bogeyed No. 17. He holed a 10-foot par putt at the last to finish at 11-under 277 and force a playoff with Marcus Fraser of Australia and Peter Whiteford of Scotland.

Rumford then holed a 4-foot eagle to earn the victory.

"I battled today with my driver constantly as I was leaking a few drives right, including the whole back nine when I was feeling stuck, so I had a quick word to Pete (coach Peter Cowen) and then hit about five or six balls off the first tee, and that did the trick ... it's a funny game because it was an absolute roller-coaster ride of emotions out there this afternoon," said Rumford.

"Of course, what happened at 17 made my work a whole lot more difficult but I'm really pleased with my result."

Rumford is the first Australian to win on the European Tour in two years and he drew on the inspiration of Adam Scott who became the first Australian to win the Masters earlier this month.

"Scotty's win was a huge inspiration to all of us," he said. "It's just good on the European Tour side of things as we needed to make a shift and get a few runs on the board because the Aussie guys in the U.S. have been doing a great job."

Rumford started his final round in sizzling manner with six birdies in his opening nine holes including four in succession from the sixth hole.

Whiteford let slip a maiden European Tour win in his 142nd event when he missed a five-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

South African Louis Oosthuizen, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 7, shot a final-round 69 to finish three strokes behind the leaders in a share of fifth place.

However, for a second day running the former Open champion came unstuck at the par-three No. 13, recording a double bogey and a day after walking off the same hole with a triple bogey.

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee produced the lowest final-round score of 65 to finish among five players tied in sixth at 7 under.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-28-European%20Tour/id-364cacd61bd84dbf83cfdbd68903854c

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Kosovo: 3 get jail time in organ trafficking case

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) ? A court in Kosovo found two citizens guilty of human trafficking and organized crime Monday in a major trial against seven people suspected of running an international organ trafficking ring that took kidneys from poor donors lured by financial promises.

A panel of two European Union judges and one Kosovo judge sentenced urologist Lutfi Dervishi to eight years in prison and his son Arban Dervishi to seven years and three months. Both also received fines, while Lutfi Dervishi was barred from practicing urology for two years.

A third defendant, Sokol Hajdini, was sentenced to three years in jail for causing grievous bodily harm. Two others received suspended sentences, while two were freed. The defendants can appeal the verdicts.

Organ transplantation is illegal in Kosovo. The trial began in December 2011 and included more than 100 witnesses. All the donors and recipients were foreign nationals.

Seven donors who testified were from Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey. They described how they were flown into Kosovo from Istanbul and then quickly wheeled into surgery in a medical facility named "Medicus" on the outskirts of Kosovo's capital, Pristina.

The victims were promised $10,000 to $12,000 in return for their kidneys, but many said they were never paid.

"At least two were cheated out of the entire amount and went home with no money and only one kidney," the court said in its reasoning.

The donors' kidneys were removed for transplantation into people who paid up to 130,000 euros for the procedure. The recipients were mostly wealthy patients from places such as Israel, Poland, Canada, the U.S. and Germany.

The court ordered that Lutfi and Arban Dervishi pay partial compensation of 15,000 euros to each of the seven victims who testified during the proceedings. The victims may later seek additional compensation in court, the panel said in its reasoning.

At least 24 kidney transplants, involving 48 donors and recipients, were carried out between 2008 and 2009, the period the case covered.

The donors "were alone, did not speak the language, uncertain of what they were doing and had no one to protect their interest," the court's reasoning read. "Some donors had severe second thoughts at the clinic, but were given no opportunity to back out and were psychologically pressured into going forward with the surgery."

Most of the names of donors and recipients were traced through documents seized during a police raid into the clinic in 2008 acting to verify a statement by a Turkish man that his kidney was removed. The man caught police's attention when he collapsed at the Pristina airport.

The defendants are believed to have profited $1 million from the transplants. It's unclear how many total donors and recipients there were.

"In every sense this was the cruel harvest of the poor and weak in our society," Jonathan Ratel, a Canadian prosecutor who brought the charges as part of European Union's rule of law mission in Kosovo, said after the verdicts.

He alleged that the sole motive of the defendants was "obscene profit and human greed." But the defendants claimed they were not guilty, arguing that the donors came to Kosovo voluntarily and that the surgeries saved lives.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kosovo-3-jail-time-organ-trafficking-case-180335330.html

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Algerian president in France for medical tests after minor stroke

By Lamine Chikhi

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been transferred to France for further medical tests after suffering a minor stroke on Saturday, Algeria's official news agency said.

The APS agency said late on Saturday that Bouteflika, 76, was in Paris at the recommendation of his doctors.

He was hospitalized after a minor stroke, according to an earlier state press agency report that quoted the prime minister as saying his condition was "not serious."

The health of Bouteflika is a central factor in the stability of the oil-exporting country of 37 million people that is emerging from a long conflict against Islamist insurgents.

APS said Bouteflika had an "ischemic transitory attack," or mini-stroke, at 12:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) on Saturday.

"A few hours ago, the president felt unwell and he has been hospitalized but his condition is not serious at all," Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal was quoted as saying.

Elected in 1999, Bouteflika is a member of a generation of leaders who have ruled Algeria since winning independence from France in a 1954-62 war.

They also defeated Islamist insurgents in the 1990s and saw off the challenge of Arab Spring protests two years ago, with Bouteflika's government defusing unrest through pay rises and free loans for young people.

Bouteflika has served three terms as president and is thought unlikely to seek a fourth at an election due in 2014. Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables said in 2011 that Bouteflika had been suffering from cancer, but that it was in remission.

It is unknown who might take over Africa's biggest country by land area, an OPEC oil producer that supplies a fifth of Europe's gas imports and cooperates with the West in combating Islamist militancy.

More than 70 percent of Algerians are under 30. About 21 percent of young people are unemployed, the International Monetary Fund says, and many are impatient with the gerontocracy ruling a country where jobs, wages and housing are urgent concerns.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/algerian-president-france-medical-tests-034747376.html

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Russia caught bomb suspect on wiretap

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Russian authorities secretly recorded a telephone conversation in 2011 in which one of the Boston bombing suspects vaguely discussed jihad with his mother, officials said Saturday, days after the U.S. government finally received details about the call.

In another conversation, the mother of now-dead bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was recorded talking to someone in southern Russia who is under FBI investigation in an unrelated case, officials said.

The conversations are significant because, had they been revealed earlier, they might have been enough evidence for the FBI to initiate a more thorough investigation of the Tsarnaev family.

As it was, Russian authorities told the FBI only that they had concerns that Tamerlan and his mother were religious extremists. With no additional information, the FBI conducted a limited inquiry and closed the case in June 2011.

Two years later, authorities say Tamerlan and his brother, Dzhohkar, detonated two homemade bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 260. Tamerlan was killed in a police shootout and Dzhohkar is under arrest.

In the past week, Russian authorities turned over to the United States information it had on Tamerlan and his mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva. The Tsarnaevs are ethnic Chechens who emigrated from southern Russia to the Boston area over the past 11 years.

Even had the FBI received the information from the Russian wiretaps earlier, it's not clear that the government could have prevented the attack.

In early 2011, the Russian FSB internal security service intercepted a conversation between Tamerlan and his mother vaguely discussing jihad, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation with reporters.

The two discussed the possibility of Tamerlan going to Palestine, but he told his mother he didn't speak the language there, according to the officials, who reviewed the information Russia shared with the U.S.

In a second call, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva spoke with a man in the Caucasus region of Russia who was under FBI investigation. Jacqueline Maguire, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington Field Office, where that investigation was based, declined to comment.

There was no information in the conversation that suggested a plot inside the United States, officials said.

It was not immediately clear why Russian authorities didn't share more information at the time. It is not unusual for countries, including the U.S., to be cagey with foreign authorities about what intelligence is being collected.

The FSB said Sunday that it would not comment.

Jim Treacy, the FBI's legal attache in Moscow between 2007 and 2009, said the Russians long asked for U.S. assistance regarding Chechen activity in the United States that might be related to terrorism.

"On any given day, you can get some very good cooperation," Treacy said. "The next you might find yourself totally shut out."

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva has denied that she or her sons were involved in terrorism. She has said she believed her sons have been framed by U.S. authorities.

But Ruslan Tsarni, an uncle of the Tsarnaev brothers and Zubeidat's former brother-in-law, said Saturday he believes the mother had a "big-time influence" as her older son increasingly embraced his Muslim faith and decided to quit boxing and school.

After receiving the narrow tip from Russia in March 2011, the FBI opened a preliminary investigation into Tamerlan and his mother. But the scope was extremely limited under the FBI's internal procedures.

After a few months, they found no evidence Tamerlan or his mother were involved in terrorism.

The FBI asked Russia for more information. After hearing nothing, it closed the case in June 2011.

In the fall of 2011, the FSB contacted the CIA with the same information. Again the FBI asked Russia for more details and never heard back.

At that time, however, the CIA asked that Tamerlan's and his mother's name be entered into a massive U.S. terrorism database.

The CIA declined to comment Saturday.

Authorities have said they've seen no connection between the brothers and a foreign terrorist group. Dzhohkar told FBI interrogators that he and his brother were angry over wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the deaths of Muslim civilians there.

Family members have said Tamerlan was religiously apathetic until 2008 or 2009, when he met a conservative Muslim convert known only to the family as Misha. Misha, they said, steered Tamerlan toward a stricter version of Islam.

Two U.S. officials say investigators believe they have identified Misha. While it was not clear whether the FBI had spoken to him, the officials said they have not found a connection between Misha and the Boston attack or terrorism in general.

___

Associated Press writer Adam Goldman in Washington and Michael Kunzelman in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-caught-bomb-suspect-wiretap-105240857.html

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Thirteen dead, dozens hurt during Mexican prison riot

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed and some 65 injured in a prison riot on Saturday in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, local officials said.

A fight broke out before daybreak among prisoners in a cell block in the La Pila prison in the state capital of San Luis Potosi, and state police re-established control by the morning, officials said.

Concepcion Tovar, head of the state's prison system, told reporters that at least 100 inmates participated in the riot, which she blamed on a gang that had been harassing and robbing other inmates.

State officials said via social media that 13 people were killed and about 65 were injured in the riot. They did not make clear whether all those killed or injured were inmates.

The deaths were caused by sharp objects and other improvised weapons, Tovar said. It was unclear if the violence was linked to drug gangs, whose turf wars and battles over trafficking routes to the United States have spread across Mexico.

Deadly riots have repeatedly rocked the country's overcrowded prisons, which house inmates from different gangs.

Killings linked to organized crime fell 14 percent to 4,249 in the first four months of the presidency of Enrique Pena Nieto, who took over in December and vowed to reduce the violence that has marred Latin America's second biggest economy.

Nearly 70,000 people were killed during the 2006-2012 term of former President Felipe Calderon, who sent the military to fight drug cartels. An additional 27,000 are missing, according to official data.

(Reporting by Anahi Rama; Editing by Bill Trott and Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thirteen-dead-dozens-hurt-during-mexican-prison-riot-214613768.html

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Obama: Flight delay fix a 'Band-Aid'

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A United Airlines jet departs in view of the air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday, April 23, 2013, in Seattle. A day after flight delays plagued much of the U.S., air travel is smoother Tuesday. But the government is warning passengers that the situation can change by the hour as it runs the nation's air traffic control system with a smaller staff. Airlines and members of Congress urged the Federal Aviation Administration to find other ways to make mandatory budget cuts besides furloughing controllers. While delays haven't been terrible yet, the airlines are worried about the long-term impact late flights will have on their budgets and on fliers. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

A passenger sits at right in the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger lays on the pavement outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

The control tower stands in the background as a passenger paces while on the phone outside the international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, Friday, April 26, 2013, in Atlanta. Congress easily approved legislation Friday ending furloughs of air traffic controllers that have delayed hundreds of flights daily, infuriating travelers and causing political headaches for lawmakers.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Michael Huerta testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 24, 2013, before the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation hearing on flight delays that are being caused by the FAA's decision to furlough air traffic controllers because of mandatory budget cuts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama says the congressional fix for widespread flight delays is an irresponsible way to govern, but he's prepared to sign the legislation that lawmakers fast-tracked.

He says the bipartisan bill to end furloughs of air traffic controllers is a "Band-Aid" solution rather than a lasting answer to this year's $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester.

The cuts have affected all federal agencies, and flight delays last week left thousands of travelers frustrated and furious and Congress feeling pressured to respond.

"Republicans claimed victory when the sequester first took effect, and now they've decided it was a bad idea all along," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, aired Saturday.

He singled out the GOP even though the bill passed with overwhelming Democratic support in both the House and Senate.

The president scolded lawmakers for helping the Federal Aviation Administration while doing nothing to replace other cuts that he said harm federal employees, unemployed workers and preschoolers in Head Start.

"Maybe because they fly home each weekend, the members of Congress who insisted these cuts take hold finally realized that they actually apply to them, too," Obama said.

Rushed through Congress with remarkable speed, the bill marked a shift for Democrats who had hoped the impact of the cuts would increase pressure on Republicans to reverse the broad cuts.

Republicans have rejected Obama's proposal to replace the spending reductions with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases.

"There are some in the Obama administration who thought inflicting pain on the public would give the president more leverage to avoid making necessary spending cuts, and to impose more tax hikes on the American people," said Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania in the Republican address.

Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the FAA could have averted the flight delays on its own by cutting costs elsewhere and rejiggering work schedules, but chose not to do so.

The bill signed by Obama would let the FAA use up to $253 million from an airport improvement program and other accounts to halt the furloughs through the Sept. 30 end of the government's fiscal year.

Faced with the prospect that emboldened Republicans will push to selectively undo other painful effects of the cuts, the White House said Friday that a piecemeal approach would be impractical, but wouldn't definitely rule out signing other fixes.

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/HouseConference

___

Follow Josh Lederman at https://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-27-Obama/id-c88b7744f98741a593395484027d06d8

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Perry disgusted by cartoon depicting explosion

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Gov. Rick Perry said Friday he's disgusted a California newspaper ran a cartoon that depicts him boasting about booming business in Texas, then shows an explosion, a week after a fertilizer plant explosion killed 14 people in a Texas town.

Perry said he wants an apology from the Sacramento Bee on behalf of the town.

The cartoon in Thursday's edition shows Perry crowing that "Business is Booming," flanked by signs saying "Low Tax!" and "'Low Regs!" It's a play on the Republican's often-repeated mantra that his state's low-regulation, business-friendly climate has its economy humming.

The next panel reads "Boom!" as a blast engulfs the area behind the governor and his signs.

An April 17 explosion in the town of West, which is outside Waco, left a crater more than 90 feet wide and is estimated to have caused more than $100 million in damage. The blast occurred moments after a fire was reported at the West Fertilizer plant.

Ten of the people killed were first responders who rushed to the nighttime blaze.

In a letter to the Bee's editor, Perry said it "was with extreme disgust and disappointment I viewed your recent cartoon."

"While I will always welcome healthy policy debate, I won't stand for someone mocking the tragic deaths of my fellow Texans and our fellow Americans," Perry wrote. "Additionally, publishing this on the very day our state and nation paused to honor and mourn those who died only compounds the pain and suffering of the many Texans who lost family and friends in this disaster."

President Barack Obama was among those who attended a memorial service for the explosion victims Thursday at Baylor University in Waco.

The Bee's editorial page editor, Stuart Leavenworth, responded Friday that the artist, Jack Ohman, "made a strong statement about Gov. Rick Perry's disregard for worker safety, and his attempts to market Texas a place where industries can thrive with few regulations."

"It is unfortunate that Gov. Perry, and some on the blogosphere, have attempted to interpret the cartoon as being disrespectful for the victims of this tragedy," Leavenworth said. "As Ohman has made clear on his blog, he has complete empathy for the victims and people living by the plant.

"What he finds offensive is a governor who would gamble with the lives of families by not pushing for the strongest safety regulations. Perry's letter is an attempt to distract people from that message."

Ohman defended his cartoon with an Internet post, noting that the fertilizer plant "had not been inspected by the state of Texas since 2006" and that many "Texas cities have little or no zoning, resulting in homes being permitted next to sparely inspected businesses that store explosive chemicals."

"My job, as I understand it, is to be provocative," Ohman wrote. "I provoke, you decide. I don't dictate, I put out my opinion along with everyone else. I sign my name. I own it. In my opinion, I could have gone further. Much further."

California has seen Perry's touting of his state's pro-business prowess firsthand. In February, a public-private Texas marketing firm ran radio ads featuring Perry denigrating California's taxes and regulation, and then Perry traveled there to recruit jobs. He made a similar trip ? this time backed by a print-media ad buy ? to Chicago this past week.

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, also a Republican, called for Ohman to be fired.

"I think it's reprehensible for a member of the media to sit in safety and mock such a profound tragedy regardless of any 'point' he is trying to make," Dewhurst said.

Perry, meanwhile, wrote that the newspaper "owes the community of West, Texas, an immediate apology for your detestable attempt at satire."

Ohman posted that he had received "varying levels of concern about the cartoon depicting Gov. Rick Perry's marketing of Texas' loose regulations, juxtaposed with the explosion of the fertilizer plant in West, Texas," but that he would draw the cartoon again without thinking twice.

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Williams in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/perry-disgusted-cartoon-depicting-explosion-230054109.html

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Movement of pyrrole molecules defy 'classical' physics

Apr. 26, 2013 ? New research shows that movement of the ring-like molecule pyrrole over a metal surface runs counter to the centuries-old laws of 'classical' physics that govern our everyday world.

Using uniquely sensitive experimental techniques, scientists have found that laws of quantum physics -- believed primarily to influence at only sub-atomic levels -- can actually impact on a molecular level.

Researchers at Cambridge's Chemistry Department and Cavendish Laboratory say they have evidence that, in the case of pyrrole, quantum laws affecting the internal motions of the molecule change the "very nature of the energy landscape" -- making this 'quantum motion' essential to understanding the distribution of the whole molecule.

The study, a collaboration between scientists from Cambridge and Rutgers universities, appeared in the German chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie earlier this month.

A pyrrole molecule's centre consists of a "flat pentagram" of five atoms, four carbon and one nitrogen. Each of these atoms has an additional hydrogen atom attached, sticking out like spokes.

Following experiments performed by Barbara Lechner at the Cavendish Laboratory to determine the energy required for movement of pyrrole across a copper surface, the team discovered a discrepancy that led them down a 'quantum' road to an unusual discovery.

In previous work on simpler molecules, the scientists were able to accurately calculate the 'activation barrier' -- the energy required to loosen a molecule's bond to a surface, allowing movement -- using 'density functional theory', a method that treats the electrons which bind the atoms according to quantum mechanics but, crucially, deals with atomic nuclei using a 'classical' physics approach.

Surprisingly, with pyrrole the predicted 'activation barriers' were way out, with calculations "less than a third of the measured value." After much head scratching, puzzled scientists turned to a purely quantum phenomenon called 'zero-point energy'.

In classical physics, an object losing energy can continue to do so until it can be thought of as sitting perfectly still. In the quantum world, this is never the case: everything always retains some form of residual -- even undetectable -- energy, known as 'zero-point energy'.

While 'zero-point energy' is well known to be associated with motion of the atoms contained in molecules, it was previously believed that such tiny amounts of energy simply don't affect the molecule as a whole to any measurable extent, unless the molecule broke apart.

But now, the researchers have discovered that the "quantum nature" of the molecule's internal motion actually does affect the molecule as a whole as it moves across the surface, defying the 'classical' laws that it's simply too big to feel quantum effects.

'Zero-point energy' moving within a pyrrole molecule is unexpectedly sensitive to the exact site occupied by the molecule on the surface. In moving from one site to another, the 'activation energy' must include a sizeable contribution due to the change in the quantum 'zero-point energy'.

Scientists believe the effect is particularly noticeable in the case of pyrrole because the 'activation energy' needed for diffusion is particularly small, but that many other similar molecules ought to show the same kind of behavior.

"Understanding the nature of molecular diffusion on metal surfaces is of great current interest, due to efforts to manufacture two-dimensional networks of ring-like molecules for use in optical, electronic or spintronic devices," said Dr Stephen Jenkins, who heads up the Surface Science Group in Cambridge's Department of Chemistry.

"The balance between the activation energy and the energy barrier that sticks the molecules to the surface is critical in determining which networks are able to form under different conditions."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Cambridge. The original article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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Journal Reference:

  1. Barbara A. J. Lechner, Holly Hedgeland, John Ellis, William Allison, Marco Sacchi, Stephen J. Jenkins, B. J. Hinch. Quantum Influences in the Diffusive Motion of Pyrrole on Cu(111). Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/anie.201302289

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/RDFpcgJ5_Os/130426115449.htm

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Golden Truth: Is Your Gold Missing?

When it becomes widely known that all of the people who think they own gold in fact don?t own gold, that it?s been hypothecated and re-hypothecated so many times that there are 100 claims for every single ounce of physical gold, that is when the prices of gold and silver will really go berserk to the upside, and at that point the shorts will have serious problems? - John Embry on King World News
?The press pounced all over the massive smack down on gold/silver last week.? Headlines were thrust in everyone's face.? Gold dropped? $200 dollars in two days and the media wanted to make sure everyone knew about it.? Well, guess what?? As I write this, gold has gained back over $100 that drop. But is this being broadcast in flashing marquee lights the way the sell-off was?? Of course not.

In the aftermath of that sell down, a lot of facts have come to light.? But first, the bounce we're seeing is illustrative of the fact that you need to hold on tight in this sector in order to truly benefit from the wealth benefits of investing in physical gold/silver and good mining stocks.? As an example, since late 1999, the mining stocks have suffered two periods in which the mining stocks had severe sell-offs of this magnitude - late 1999 to early 2001 and mid-2008 - Oct 2008 - in response to large manipulated drops in the metals.? But after the sell-off ended, it literally took less than 3 months for the HUI/XAU indexes to double from their bottom and then head to new all-time highs a few years after that.? I feel bad for anyone who was shaken out this time around, but I guarantee you that Wall Street does not harbor the same sympathies...

At any rate, what's been exposed from this market price correction is the fact that 1) more people now understand why it is important to own physical gold and silver, as evidenced by the fact that the U.S. mint quickly sold out of silver eagles and is on a track to sell a record monthly amount of gold eagles; and 2)? there is a serious problem globally with the amount of gold that is available for physical delivery to the buyers who are demanding actual delivery.

I thought I would go over some statistics from the Comex to illustrate why we know this is the case.? The total gold held on the Comex is 8.5mm ozs, of which 6.3mm is not available for delivery - i.e. it's investor gold being held in Comex vaults.? Stunningly, over 2 million ounces of gold -? roughly 60 tonnes - has been removed from the Comex vaults in the last three months.? Most of it has come from investor accounts.? You have to wonder why all of a sudden big investors have removed their gold from the Comex.

Investor gold is not "eligible" for delivery on futures contracts.? The gold that can be delivered is sitting in "registered"accounts. The amount of registered gold currently is 2.28 million ozs.? The total open interest in futures contracts for gold is 416k contracts, or contracts representing 41.6 million ozs.? Essentially there's 18x more paper gold in the form of futures open interest than there is gold that can be delivered.? The June front month for gold has 255k open contracts, or 25.5mm ozs open.? That's 11x the amount of gold available for delivery.? If even 10% of June gold contract longs held for delivery, the Comex would be completely wiped out of its gold and would have to default on the delivery of some.? But the Comex has a "force majeur" clause in its contract that allows cash settlement.? We won't see that happen in the near future most likely, but it will eventually happen.

In silver the total open interest represents 786.3 million ozs.? That's about 3/4 of global annual production, which includes 257mm ozs of recycled silver.? So, the total open interest on the Comex is about equal the total annual amount of silver mined globally.? There's 39mm ozs of silver available for delivery.? In other words the amount of paper silver on the Comex is 20x the amount of silver the Comex has for delivery.

I think that explains why big investors are removing their gold from the Comex.? The Comex is one giant Ponzi scheme.? Anyone who is going to rely on the Comex as a source of silver, either industrial or investment, is going to be left holding a giant, empty paper bag.? That explains why we are seeing a such frenetic activity - not just in this country but globally - by investors looking to get their hands on gold/silver that can be physically delivered into their possession.? A long-time colleague of mine prepared this caption, which sums up the situation perfectly:


As the severity of the physical gold/silver shortage vs. the paper claims issued (futures, LBMA forwards, OTC derivatives and Central Bank leases and swaps) against that actual amount physically available - as demonstrated by my Comex example, which is only part of the global problem - the price of gold and silver is going to start to go parabolic.? Although most of you are not aware, but from 1974-1976, the price of gold dropped 47%.? But from 1976 to 1980 the price of gold went up 800%.? Given what we know about the massive, unsolvable global financial problems, and the enormous amount of money that will have to be printed to keep the system from collapsing outright, it's a good bet the next extended move in the metals will dwarf the move gold made in the late 1970's.

Source: http://truthingold.blogspot.com/2013/04/is-your-gold-missing.html

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Friday, April 26, 2013

NY City sues BP over Deepwater Horizon spill: Comptroller

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City said on Friday it sued BP Plc for more than $39 million of losses it claims beneficiaries of the city's pension funds sustained due to BP's "misconduct and fraudulent behavior" linked to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

"BP failed to disclose to shareowners the serious risks involved in its offshore drilling operation," Comptroller John Liu said. "After the spill began, it misleadingly attempted to minimize the extent of the damage and the cost to shareowners."

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges BP failed to disclose facts about the dangers involved in offshore drilling operations, the extent of the leak and the estimated cost of the cleanup costs.

BP declined to comment on New York's lawsuit.

"The estimated transactional investment losses to City pension beneficiaries caused by BP's misconduct and fraudulent behavior exceed $39 million," the Comptroller's office said in the news release.

BP's New York-traded stock was down 0.1 percent at $42.2 after the news, about in line with the overall market. The broad based S&P 500 was down 0.2 percent.

The 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 rig workers and spilled 4 million barrels of oil in the worst offshore spill in U.S. history.

BP has estimated it could spend more than $42 billion to cover clean-up, fines and other liabilities. It has been selling a variety of assets to help cover its costs.

A trial for direct damages related to the spill got underway in February. The trial is being held with no jury before Judge Carl Barbier at federal court in New Orleans.

A U.S. civil trial has already been set for August 2014, regarding accusations that BP committed fraud by misleading shareholders before and after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill about its ability to respond to the accident.

(Reporting by Edward Krudy and Hilary Russ; Editing by Vicki Allen, Andre Grenon and Bob burgdorfer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-sues-bp-over-deepwater-horizon-spill-163656872.html

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Paytouch lets your fingerprints make purchases, hopes to expand into Europe and America next year

Paytouch lets your fingerprints make purchases, hopes to expand into Europe and America next year

The business of commerce is alive and well, and while there's far too much noise for anyone to stand on the mobile side, Paytouch is hoping to add a new wrinkle on the conventional end. The Barcelona-based outfit was on hand here at The Next Web Conference, showcasing its biometric payment terminal and setting the stage for what's to come. For those unfamiliar, the Paytouch terminal is currently being used at Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel -- users with a Paytouch account simply link their credit card to their fingerprints, and a two-finger press is all it takes to order another glass of sangria. The benefits are fairly obvious for all parties involved. For the consumer, there's no longer a need to carry a credit card that can be skimmed, lost or stolen; for the retailer, it's able to encourage impulse buying in an entirely new way; for Paytouch, there's a commission paid on each purchase.

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Source: Paytouch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/25/paytouch-fingerprints-purchase-terminal-expansion/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Twitter users know there's no better way to keep up with events as they happen than to have them show up right in your Twitter feed. We post to Twitter whenever a story goes live. If you want a quick and easy way to keep up with the latest, follow the @Lifehacker account to get in on the action.

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Qt2UIN0eU-Q/follow-lifehacker-on-twitter-to-get-all-our-stories-as-478639305

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Czechs to send funds to blast-hit Texas town

PRAGUE (AP) ? The Czech Republic plans to donate 4 million koruna (some $200,000) to help the Texas town of West recover from a devastating fertilizer plant explosion.

The government decided to the provide aid in solidarity because a significant number of people in the town of 2,700 have Czech roots. The blast damaged numerous homes in the town.

The Foreign Ministry says Czech Ambassador to the U.S. Petr Gandalovic visited West last week and talked to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, West Mayor Tommy Muska and other officials about how to help.

A ministry statement Wednesday said the money will go toward repairing property in the town.

Thousands of Czechs, mostly from the eastern part known of Moravia, settled in Texas more than 100 years ago.

A housing complex, destroyed by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion, is pictured in the town of West, near Waco, Texas, April 21, 2013. Authorities said the death toll from the explosion on April 17, ... more? A housing complex, destroyed by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion, is pictured in the town of West, near Waco, Texas, April 21, 2013. Authorities said the death toll from the explosion on April 17, 2013 remained at 14 in West, a community of some 2,700 people, with 200 people injured. REUTERS/Michael Ainsworth/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE) less? ?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/czechs-send-funds-blast-hit-texas-town-181551812.html

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Cause of LED efficiency droop finally revealed

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara, in collaboration with colleagues at the ?cole Polytechnique in France, have conclusively identified Auger recombination as the mechanism that causes light emitting diodes (LEDs) to be less efficient at high drive currents.

Until now, scientists had only theorized the cause behind the phenomenon known as LED "droop"?a mysterious drop in the light produced when a higher current is applied. The cost per lumen of LEDs has held the technology back as a viable replacement for incandescent bulbs for all-purpose commercial and residential lighting.

This could all change now that the cause of LED efficiency droop has been explained, according to researchers James Speck and Claude Weisbuch of the Center for Energy Efficient Materials at UCSB, an Energy Frontier Research Center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Knowledge gained from this study is expected to result in new ways to design LEDs that will have significantly higher light emission efficiencies. LEDs have enormous potential for providing long-lived high quality efficient sources of lighting for residential and commercial applications. The U.S. Department of Energy recently estimated that the widespread replacement of incandescent and fluorescent lights by LEDs in the U.S. could save electricity equal to the total output of fifty 1GW power plants.

"Rising to this potential has been contingent upon solving the puzzle of LED efficiency droop," commented Speck, professor of Materials and the Seoul Optodevice Chair in Solid State Lighting at UCSB. "These findings will enable us to design LEDs that minimize the non-radiative recombination and produce higher light output."

"This was a very complex experiment?one that illustrates the benefits of teamwork through both an international collaboration and a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center," commented Weisbuch, distinguished professor of Materials at UCSB. Weisbuch, who is also a faculty member at the ?cole Polytechnique in Paris, enlisted the support of his colleagues Lucio Martinelli and Jacques Peretti. UCSB graduate student Justin Iveland was a key member of the team working both at UCSB and ?cole Polytechnique.

In 2011, UCSB professor Chris van de Walle and colleagues theorized that a complex non-radiative process known as Auger recombination was behind nitride semiconductor LED droop, whereby injected electrons lose energy to heat by collisions with other electrons rather than emitting light.

A definitive measurement of Auger recombination in LEDs has now been accomplished by Speck, Weisbuch, and their research team.

The experiment used an LED with a specially prepared surface that permitted the researchers to directly measure the energy spectrum of electrons emitted from the LED. The results unambiguously showed a signature of energetic electrons produced by the Auger process.

###

University of California - Santa Barbara: http://www.ucsb.edu

Thanks to University of California - Santa Barbara for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127877/Cause_of_LED_efficiency_droop_finally_revealed

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hackers compromise AP Twitter account

(AP) ? Hackers compromised Twitter accounts of The Associated Press on Tuesday, sending out a false tweet about an attack at the White House.

The false tweet said there had been two explosions at the White House and that President Barack Obama was injured. The attack on AP's Twitter account and the AP Mobile Twitter account was preceded by phishing attempts on AP's corporate network.

The AP confirmed that its Twitter account had been suspended following a hack and said it was working to correct the issue. The fake tweet went out shortly after 1 p.m. and briefly sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average sharply lower.

AP spokesman Paul Colford said the news cooperative is working with Twitter to investigate the issue. The AP has disabled its other Twitter accounts following the attack, Colford added. At no time was the AP news wire compromised.

Asked about the incident at a press briefing, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the President is fine.

"I was just with him," Carney said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-04-23-AP%20Twitter%20Hacked/id-da1c5bc1e5194d78ba930a6600ab475d

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Betaworks-Backed Blend.io Lets Musicians Collaborate Without Ever Abandoning Ableton

Screen Shot 2013-04-24 at 10.06.21 AMWe've heard musicians despair over the same issue for a while now: There's great music creation software out there, but nothing that makes it truly easy to collaborate with people who are far away in real time. People have tried to solve this problem, with companies like Vinylmint launching on our Disrupt stage in SF, but these solutions often force musicians to learn a whole new program. Blend.io, a new startup launching out of betaworks and led by co-founders Paul Murphy and hacker-in-residence Aleksandar Kolundzija, looks to change all that.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/0NH8cl9sxIE/

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Meteor shower webcast: Watch outside or onscreen

Tonight's meteor shower can be viewed outside, if you have little light pollution and clear skies. City folk and those with cloudy skies can watch NASA's livestream of the meteor shower.

By Tariq Malik,?Space.com / April 22, 2013

This sky map shows where to look in the eastern night sky for the 2013 Lyrid meteor shower. Vega (center) is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and Cygnus the Swan (lower left) contains enough bright stars to be easily spotted.

Starry Night Software / Space.com

Enlarge

The annual Lyrid meteor shower may have peaked overnight on Sunday and Monday, but if you missed the celestial fireworks show don't fret. NASA's got you covered.

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Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., will broadcast live images of the Lyrid meteor shower tonight and early Tuesday (April 22 and 23) for stargazers stuck with bad weather or light-polluted night skies. ?

The NASA broadcast will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 April 23) and run throughout the evening. You can watch the Lyrid meteor shower webcast on SPACE.com courtesy of NASA's MSFC feed.

"If you'd like to catch a last look at 2013 Lyrid meteor shower, this is your chance!" MSFC officials said in an announcement today. "Although a bright moon may interfere with viewing, you should still be able to see Lyrid meteors at an anticipated rate of 10-20 meteors per hour."

This year, the Lyrid meteor display runs from April 16 through April 26, though it peaked overnight on April 21 and 22. Because the moon is bright in the evening sky, the best time to look for the Lyrids is in the wee morning hours before dawn, after the moon has set but before the sun rises.

The Lyrid meteor shower occurs each year in mid-April when the Earth passes through a dusty lane of debris left over from Comet Thatcher, which is also known as C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The comet orbits the sun once every 415 years. The Lyrids are created when the comet's dust streaks through Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 110,000 mph (177,027 kph). ?

The Lyrids get their name because they appear to radiate out of the constellation Lyra. Humans have been observing the "shooting stars" display for more than 2,600 years, NASA scientists have said.

Editor's note:?If you snap a great photo Lyrid meteor shower that?you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him?@tariqjmalik?and?Google+.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?and?Google+. Original article on?SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/LISY9xYW2rk/Meteor-shower-webcast-Watch-outside-or-onscreen

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Judge dismisses lawsuit against NYC taxi-hailing app pilot

Judge dismisses lawsuit against NYC taxi-hailing app pilot

Taxi hailing apps have had a rough time getting started in the Big Apple. After the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) put the kibosh on Uber and subsequently blessed e-hailing apps with a 12-month test, the TLC faced a setback of its own: a lawsuit. Filed in March by 10 livery (black car) service outfits against the TLC and New York City, the suit packed seven complaints and temporarily put the pilot on hold. Among the claims were concerns that the program clouds the legal distinction between black cars and yellow medallion taxis, that it puts the elderly at a disadvantage and would enable cab drivers to discriminate by refusing service to certain passengers. Today, a judge dismissed the suit and lifted the order, clearing the way for the year-long trial to progress. There's no word on just when Uber and the likes of other e-hailing apps will be allowed to operate, but with legal hurdles out of the way, that should happen fairly soon.

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Via: The Washington Post

Source: City of New York

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/23/nyc-taxi-e-hailing-pilot-lawsuit-dismissed/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Facebook To Build A $1.5 Billion Data Center In Iowa

new facebook iconFacebook is planning to build a $1.5 billion data center project in Altoona, Iowa, that will cover 1.4 million square feet and serve as what the company says will be “the most advanced data center in the world.” The Des Moines Register, quoting sources in the state legislature, said the data center, code-named “Catapult,” will be built in two $500 million phases. When completed the total cost of the data center will hit the $1.5 billion price tag. As part of the deal, Facebook is also seeking wind energy production tax credits that would require legislative action. The Des Moines Register further reports that “the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board and Altoona?s City Council are expected to consider incentives for the project on Tuesday. State leaders have repeatedly declined to comment about the project. Facebook also has declined to comment.” Iowa has been competing fiercely for it with Nebraska over the past several months. The Register reports that the Facebook facility will be located in what is being called a “data center corridor,” due to its access to an extensive interstate fiber-optic cable system that is already installed within the city and running along Interstate Highway 80. It is in proximity to adequate power and water utilities. Land is affordable and has low natural-disaster risks. It is accessible to interstate highways. Facebook has emerged as a leader for how data centers are developed. Like a lot of Internet-scale companies, Facebook developed its own methods for building out data centers and the servers that go in these massive digital factories. It’s embodied in the Open Compute Project, which Facebook has been driving to get more innovation and efficiencies in data center build outs. This involves everything from heating and cooling to the way racks are designed to hold the server blades. They even had a data center hacking session at its last OpenCompute event. Data centers are also becoming symbolic of the social and political ramifications that come with building out this new form of programmable infrastructure. These data centers are tangible, physical representations of the Internet and the way we use data. And even though they employ relatively few people, their presence provides regions, like the one in Iowa, with ways to transform their economies beyond their farming and industrial roots. Facebook currently has data centers in Oregon and North Carolina. Facebook could not be reached for comment.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LH9XD3A3-Pc/

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Close Your Menu for a More Satisfying Meal

If you agonize over your entree choice at a restaurant until the moment the waiter takes your order, you might not enjoy your meal as much as you should.

Recent research details an experiment that asked participants to choose a piece a chocolate from a variety platter. Participants who closed the platter immediately after choosing a candy expressed greater satisfaction with their choice versus those who left the platter open. The effect was more pronounced as the number of choices increased.

The lesson to take away from this is to make a choice at dinner, and then put the menu away. Spending extra time contemplating your other options will only make you second guess your decision once your food arrives. This is especially true at restaurants with big menus and lots of potential choices. As someone who asks to choose his meal last at the table to get a few more moments to choose a meal, I'll definitely take this advice to heart.

Closing Your Menu After You Order Could Make Your Meal More Satisfying | The Consumerist

Photo by ssuaphotos (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/WukvTsk7kR4/close-your-menu-for-a-more-satisfying-meal-476544615

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