Thursday, January 31, 2013

How to lock down your Android, lock out malware

7 hrs.

Have you?ever thought about all the personal information stored on your smartphone or tablet?

I mean, really thought about everything you save so that it's always at your fingertips??

Then think about how well protected that information is.

You may not care if your list of favorite wines goes public, but what if someone were to copy your spouse?s driver?s license and Social Security numbers?

Millions of people have such data stored in their smartphones or tablets. Because mobile devices are so easy to lose or have stolen, all data on them is at substantial risk.

With Android devices, there's additional danger. They've been plagued by shoddy security and malicious apps.

Cybercrooks are getting bolder and more creative with those apps every day. Just as you think you're one step ahead of the crooks, they come up with a new way to steal your personal information.

That?s why it's vital for every Android user to learn how to lock down and protect his or her device.

Keep out the digital thieves
Right now, malicious apps, which often pretend to be cheaper versions of popular apps or games, are the No. 1 risk for Android devices.

"Malicious applications targeted for Android devices [have] increased between 400 to 1,000 percent in the past 18 to 24 months," said Jerry Irvine, chief information officer of Prescient Solutions in Schaumburg, Ill.

"These malicious applications perform multiple tasks, but share one common goal ? to attain the personal information on these mobile devices and push it out to criminal entities."

Malware can also be installed on an Android device in other ways, such as through websites, emails, text messages or even NFC (near-field communication) file transfers.

To best protect your phone from malware, Irvine said, download anti-virus and malware-scanning apps designed for Android devices.

Most of the better known anti-virus software companies have security apps available. Chances are you can stick with the brand you like best.

Be sure to upgrade the anti-virus software when prompted, since new malware is being released every day.

[10 Tips to Keep Your Android Phone Safe]

And the human ones
But malware isn't the only threat to the personal data on your smartphone or tablet. If the device is lost or stolen, the data's in someone else's hands.

You should consider installing a security product that regularly backs up the data on your device to a cloud-storage service ? and also has a location detector and the ability to remotely wipe personal data if the device is gone for good.

The first line of defense, however, is to protect your device with a PIN, password or pattern lock. That way, no one can randomly pick it up and start checking your email.

"Passwords and PIN configurations on mobile devices can be configured to entirely wipe the device if the password is not entered correctly within a specific number of times," Irvine said.

"The security should be configured.? Strong passwords of eight or more characters should be used because they make it much harder to crack the password."

Keep your password, PIN or lock pattern truly secret by regularly wiping your device's screen clean. Repeated finger gestures will smear the glass, leaving smudge patterns that can tip off a thief.

Theft of smartphones and tablets is on the rise. Thieves have been known to swipe phones out of the hands of users who were still talking.

While these thieves may be primarily interested in the street value of the device, your unprotected data is always going to be at risk.

Considering how we use our smartphones and tablets (and got rid of address books and other tools that held our vital numbers), it's futile to recommend keeping all personally identifiable information off our gadgets.

Instead, keep the amount of such information on your device to a minimum, and make sure your phone has multiple layers of security.

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

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/how-lock-down-your-android-lock-out-malware-1B8179555

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Raw results: The Rock brings the reign and Brock Lesnar brings the pain on Raw Roulette night

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-01-28/wwe-raw-results

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Olympus unveils Stylus XZ-10 with f/1.8-2.7 zoom, smartphone sharing app

Olympus unveils 12megapixel compact Stylus XZ10  with f1827 zoom, smartphone sharing app

Olympus is carrying on the recent compact camera trend of fast-ish zoom lenses and wireless sharing capability with the launch of the 12-megapixel Stylus XZ-10. The new model follows in the footsteps of the company's top compact dog XZ-2 model, sporting a slightly smaller 1/2.3-inch sensor and a wider range 5x optical zoom with a similar f/1.8-2.7 iris. Otherwise, it's aimed more at the casual carry-around crowd with a 40 percent smaller body, touch-screen focus selection, control ring exposure adjustment, a 3-inch 920k dot TFT LCD, art filters (in the smartphone app), image (or film) stabilization and 1080P 30 fps HD video. Olympus is also trumpeting its smartphone OI.Share capability, allowing images to be sent wirelessly to an iOS or Android device and edited with the included app -- provided you have the optional Toshiba FlashAir card. It'll be arriving in March in black, brown or white at a rather steep-sounding £349, which equates to $550, though exact US pricing hasn't been revealed yet. See the PR after the break for more nitty-gritty.

Show full PR text

Announcing the OLYMPUS STYLUS XZ-10 compact digital camera, equipped with the new PHOTO STORY function for new photographic possibilities

Olympus Imaging (Haruo Ogawa, president) is proud to announce the OLYMPUS STYLUS XZ-10, on sale from Late February, 2013. This model packs a high speed, high-quality i.ZUIKO DIGITAL 5x optical zoom lens, and versatile functions such as the new PHOTO STORY for expanding photographic expression, all in a lightweight and compact camera body.

Main Features

With the 26mm - 130mm (35mm film camera equivalent) f/1.8 - 2.7, high speed 5x optical, high-quality i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens, and the inclusion of iHS Technology, high-quality images with beautifully defocused backgrounds and shots under dim light are possible.

The OLYMPUS STYLUS X series is a lineup of compact digital cameras that offer superb image quality and expressive power, and is the first compact digital camera equipped with a lens bearing the ZUIKO name. The ZUIKO lens was first included on the Semi Olympus I; the first-ever Olympus camera in 1936. The ZUIKO has been used for the past 77 years, continuing its tradition as a high-performance lens. In January 2011, the OLYMPUS XZ-1 was announced as the first model in the X series, and in September 2012, the STYLUS XZ-2 was announced as the X series flagship model. Both models are equipped with a high speed f/1.8-2.5 lens which is bright from wide-angle to telephoto, achieving acclaim as capturing high-quality images that rival SLR cameras.

The STYLUS XZ-10 brings the superb image quality of the X series to a high-end compact that can be enjoyed on a daily basis due to its advanced portability, functionality, and performance. A refined, solid design is used for the slim camera body with the pursuit of a compact, and lightweight form. The control ring and Touch AF Shutter made popular on the XZ-2 are still available on the XZ-10, providing spectacular performance and the ability to capture every photo opportunity. For those who want to capture everyday scenes as special memories, rich in personality, PHOTO STORY has been added to Art Filters. This function captures multiple viewpoints in a single image and puts them together for an artistic creation. With the OI.Share smartphone application, users can quickly and easily share images and post them to social networking services. Keeping up with the times, Olympus has crammed new ways to enjoy photos into a small package.
Main Functions - Details

1-1. 26mm-130mm Focal Length (conversion) f/1.8-2.5 iZUIKO Zoom Lens
The lens on the STYLUS XZ-10 is a 5x optical zoom that covers a focal range from 26-130mm (35mm film camera equivalent). The XZ-10 boasts an f/1.8-2.7, high speed lens, with the brightest aperture value in its class at f/2.7 on the telephoto end over 100mm, making beautifully defocused images and high-quality images under dim light condition possible at telephoto settings. This bright lens is also perfect for capturing moving subjects. This lens is a combination of Olympus's superb lens technology, and the spare-no-expense design process by including DSA (Dual Super Aspherical) and EDA (Extra-low Dispersion Aspherical) lenses in the lens group, for the high depictive quality equal to that of Olympus interchangeable SLR ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses. Additionally, to thoroughly eliminate ghosting and lens flares, reflectivity was kept to half of the previous value at a wavelength of 450 to 650 nm, thanks to the lens surface treated with the Olympus-original ZERO (ZUIKO Extra-low Reflection Optical) coating. These measures ensure highly clear depictive performance with a sense of transparency, even in backlit or other unfavorable conditions.

1-2. iHS Technology
iHS stands for "intelligence", "high-speed", and "high-sensitivity". With a 1/2.3 type, 12.0 megapixel,*2 high-speed, high-sensitivity, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, and the TruePic image processing engine designed for the OLYMPUS PEN, users will always be able to capture the subject they want, beautifully, and without missing a shot. In addition, the XZ-10 also inherits Fast AF from the OLYMPUS PEN.

2. Compact, Lightweight Body and Slim, Solid Design
When compared to the XZ-2, the XZ-10 is slimmer with a 40% smaller volume. With this smaller design, high-quality images can be enjoyed in a camera with high mobility. A built-in lens barrier and fixed grip have been included in answer to many requests, improving portability and operability. With three colors to choose from including black, white, and brown, users can select one that best fits their lifestyle.

3-1. New Function: PHOTO STORY
The new function, PHOTO STORY, is included on the XZ-10 to bring out users' artistic abilities and powers of expression when shooting. By capturing a scene from multiple viewpoints and then combining them into a single image, everyday scenes and memorable scenes can be recorded in various ways. Users simply turn the mode dial to PHOTO STORY, choose a favorite theme (Standard, Speed, Zoom In/Out, Fun Frame), and touch inside the frame to use Touch AF Shutter and easily complete their artistic shots. At the same time, it is easy to create images with style and personality by combining the type, effect, frame aspect ratio, and number of images according to the selected theme. The finished image can be checked in Live View and users can continue shooting various types of images. Because multiple viewpoints are included in a single image, recreating the story of the scene is possible, making it easier to put yourself in that captured scene.
Selectable PHOTO STORY Themes (4 types)
Standard: Simple type with split images
Speed: Slide a finger to shoot continuously (Finger can be slid to split multiple images)
Zoom In/Out: Combines both close-up and pull-back effects
Fun Frame: Film formats or Instant camera formats where the date can be added

3-2. Art Filter
With 11 Art Filters and 5 Art Effects, users can create more stand-out pictures for users to enjoy.

4-1. Touch AF Shutter
The Touch AF Shutter function allows users to instantly select the exact location they want to focus on simply by touching the screen on the rear of the camera. By including the FAST AF system, which is the crystallization of years of Olympus AF technology, and the easy controls of the touch screen, subjects throughout the screen can easily be focused on, whether in the center, background, or edges, allowing users to snap the shutter at just the right moment. Touch screen operations also include Live Guide settings, AF position selection, magnified playback, and browsing of images. With these features, a truly comfortable photo experience is achieved.

4-2. Control Ring
Just as with the XZ-2, a function can be selected for each shooting mode and assigned to the control ring. Because settings such as the aperture value or exposure compensation can be quickly adjusted with a twist of the control ring, users can capture photos exactly the way they want without missing a shot. These features realize an optimum control scheme for artistic expression.

4-3. Fn (Function) Button
The Fn (Function) button has been placed on the back of the camera for assigning frequently used functions. Users can choose multiple functions out of 16 options to assign based on their shooting style or convenience. Users can easily call up or switch between functions assigned to the Fn (Function) button and control ring and change setting values as needed, allowing them to quickly set up their preferred style.

5. Smartphone Application: OI.Share
OI.Share is a free iPhone and Android smartphone application used for easily sharing high-quality images. When used together with a Toshiba-brand FlashAirTM*1 card (equipped with an internal wireless LAN), images can easily be sent using a smartphone. Because communication settings can be made from within a dedicated menu on the camera, by connecting to a smartphone, it is easy to send images without ever using a computer. After importing images, OI.Share can be used to apply Art Filters or link to social networking apps to share photos and communicate through images. A one-time password can also be issued for connecting to multiple smartphones simultaneously to share images with friends and family on the spot.

Effective number of pixels: 12 million*2
Zoom factor: 5x optical zoom, 10x super resolution zoom
Wide: 26mm wide-angle (35mm film camera equivalent)
Image stabilization: DUAL IS
(CMOS shift type & high-sensitivity shooting, Multi-motion Movie IS)
Rear display 3.0 type, 920,000 dots, TFT color LCD
Movie shooting: Full High-definition movies (MOV/H.264)
Other Features

Handheld Night shooting mode with the flash can be used to beautifully capture night scenes and people
Advanced iAUTO function with 29 automatically detectable scenes
Dual IS - Cutting-edge image stabilization technology for reducing subject blur
Multi Motion image stabilization support for movies compensates for slow, strong camera shake that occurs when breathing or walking
High-Speed Movie for slow-motion playback of quickly moving subjects
Electric auto pop-up flash
Intuitive GUI linked with the control ring
Equipped with an ND filter for controlling exposure in 3 steps, for beautifully defocused shots even in bright condition
Super Macro shooting for distances up to a minimum of 1 cm
4 aspect ratios for matching the framing needs of any subject
Supported media: Memory cards, (SD, SDHC, SDXC, UHS-1 compatible), Eye-Fi cards, FlashAirTM

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/SzBxNXufRNQ/

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Sandy Bill Passes Senate, Measure Heads To White House For Obama Signature

  • Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy

    LONG BEACH, NY - NOVEMBER 09: A man walks past a destroyed section of the boardwalk at the base of Lincoln Boulevard as Long Islanders continue their clean up efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Long Beach, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and business caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

  • Storm-Damaged Communities On East Coast Hit By Nor'Easter

    NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 08: Alex Vila, 2, carries a box of cereal after visiting an aid station for people affected by Superstorm Sandy on November 8, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Household supplies and groceries were distributed to Red Hook neighborhood residents by Catholic Charities at the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church. Meanwhile a nor'easter storm plunged temperatures to below freezing, bringing more misery to many Red Hook residents still without power, heat nor running water in their public housing apartments. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

  • US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY

    Boats and docks damaged by Hurricane Sandy are seen at the Mansion Marinia on the shores of the Great Kills community November 7, 2012 on Staten Island, New York. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday announced a limited evacuation of some neighborhoods ahead of harsh weather barreling toward a city still recovering from superstorm Sandy. The national weather service forecast heavy rain and likely snow on Wednesday and Thursday, accompanied by gale force winds gusting as high as 43 mph (69 kmh). Though barely half the strength of Sandy, the autumn storm will lash already damaged buildings and bring lower temperatures for tens of thousands of people still struggling without electricity. Bloomberg told a news conference that parks and beaches would close. The worst-hit patches of waterfront neighborhoods, including Rockaways in the Queens borough, and in Staten Island, were being asked to evacuate again. AFP PHOTO/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Storm-Damaged Communities On East Coast Hit By Nor'Easter

    LONG BRANCH, NJ - NOVEMBER 08: Debris from Superstorm Sandy is seen on a beach November 8, 2012 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Meanwhile a nor'easter storm plunged temperatures to below freezing, bringing more misery to many residents throughout New York and New Jersey still without power. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

  • Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy

    OCEANSIDE, NY - NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) James Vouloukos and William Ferris sort through donated clothes at a site maintained by the Town of Hempstead in cooperation with FEMA at Oceanside Park during in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Oceanside, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and businesses caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

  • Funeral Held in Brooklyn For Two Young Brothers Killed During Superstorm Sandy

    NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 09: New York sanitation department workers watch as a hearse arrives with a casket carrying the bodies of two brothers killed during Superstorm Sandy for a funeral at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic church on November 9, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Brandon Moore, 2, and Connor Moore, 4, were swept away from the arms of their mother Glenda Moore as she fled Superstorm Sandy floodwaters in New York's Staten Island borough to seek safety with family in Brooklyn. She is married to New York Sanitation worker Damian Moore, and dozens of workers and officials from the sanitation department attended the funeral ceremony. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

  • Long Island Residents, Many Still Without Power, Continue To Clean Up After Superstorm Sandy

    ISLAND PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 09: (L-R) Residents Paul and Donald Zezulinski and their dog 'Plywood' of Island Park show their appreciation to first responders during their clean up efforts in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy on November 9, 2012 in Island Park, New York. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said that the economic loss and damage to homes and business caused by Sandy could total $33 billion in New York, according to published reports. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

  • FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, people stand next to a house collapsed from Superstorm Sandy in East Haven, Conn. While Connecticut was spared the destruction seen in New York and New Jersey, many communities along the shoreline, including some of the wealthiest towns in America, were struggling with one of the most severe storms in generations. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

  • Meg Dolan holds her dog "Nellie" during Sunday mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. With overnight temperatures sinking into the 30s and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still without electricity six days after Sandy howled through, people piled on layers of clothes, and New York City officials handed out blankets and urged victims to go to overnight shelters or daytime warming centers. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

  • A representative of the Salvation Army walks past homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in Breezy Point, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. The beachfront neighborhood heavy populated by firefighters and police officers was devastated during the storm when a fire pushed by Sandy's raging winds destroyed 100 or more homes and buildings. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

  • Ginny Flanagan, right, and her sister go through photographs and mementos that were recovered from Flanagan's flooded bungalow in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. The beachfront enclave heavy populated by firefighters and police officers was devastated during the storm when a fire pushed by Sandy's raging winds destroyed 100 or more homes and buildings. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

  • US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY-MARATHON

    Runner Jonathan who would have run the ING New York City Marathon, spend the afternoon volunteering by unloading and organizing emergency supplies near Midland Beach as New York recovers from Hurricane Sandy on November 4, 2012 in Staten Island, New York. AFP PHOTO / Mehdi Taamallah (Photo credit should read MEHDI TAAMALLAH/AFP/Getty Images)

  • A woman with her groceries passes a group of National Guardsmen as they march up 1st Avenue towards the 69th Regiment Armory, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in New York. National Guardsmen remain in Manhattan as the city begins to move towards normalcy following Superstorm Sandy earlier in the week. (AP Photo/ John Minchillo)

  • Patrons on foot carrying gas canisters line up for gasoline at a Hess station in the New Dorp section of the Staten Island borough of New York, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. Those on foot reported waits up to 40 minutes while motorists lined up for two hours as Staten Islanders fueled up to run their generators and automobiles in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Eileen AJ Connelly)

  • Girls hold hands during Sunday mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Breezy Point, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in New York. With overnight temperatures sinking into the 30s and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still without electricity six days after Sandy howled through, people piled on layers of clothes, and New York City officials handed out blankets and urged victims to go to overnight shelters or daytime warming centers. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

  • Many streets in the Silver Lake section of Belmar, N.J., remain underwater Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, Neighbors and volunteers clean out homes Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Belmar, N.J., five days after the storm surge by superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Ben Nukols)

  • Water from superstorm Sandy is pumped from a flooded basement of an office building near New York's Battery Park, Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. The massive storm that started out as Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast and morphed into a huge and problematic system, killing at least 96 people in the United States. The cost of the storm could exceed $18 billion in New York alone. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

  • Cars that were uprighted and submerged by Superstorm Sandy remain at the entrance of a subterranean parking garage in New York's Financial District, as the water is pumped out, Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. . The cost of the storm could exceed $18 billion in New York alone. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

  • National Guard in Lower Manhattan

    The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • National Guard in Lower Manhattan

    The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Grand Central Terminal, New York City

    People walk through Grand Central Terminal as the sun rises during a subdued morning rush on Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Some trains are back up and running into Grand Central following shutdowns in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Subway train service in the city is back in a limited capacity, but with much of lower Manhattan still with out power, trains are not running there and busses are replacing them.

  • Seaside Heights, N.J.

    A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean after the Fun Town pier it sat on was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.

  • National Guard in Lower Manhattan

    The National Guard 827th Engineer Company helps hand out MREs to Lower Manhattan residents at the Alfred Smith Playground on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Charging Station Provided By AT&T

    Phillip Melly charges the phones of Hurricane Sandy victims at Kimlau Square in Lower Manhattan on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The generators used were brought in by AT&T to help out the residents of Lower Manhattan in New York City who currently have no power. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Stocking Up On Ice

    United City Ice Cube Company workers who refer to themselves as "Icemen" take in a shipment of ice into their 45th and 10th ave. store on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The workers who asked not to be identified by name said there had been a run on ice purchases due to Hurricane Sandy and they were stocking up in anticipation of more demand in the coming days. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Car Crash Due To Power Outage

    The power outage in Lower Manhattan due to Hurricane Sandy has created a gauntlet of dangerous street intersections as can be seen by this car accident at the Houston and Varick Street crossing on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Car Crash Due To Power Outage

    The power outage in Lower Manhattan due to Hurricane Sandy has created a gauntlet of dangerous street intersections as can be seen by this car accident at the Houston and Varick Street crossing on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Clean Drinking Water

    Pedestrians fill up on water at a drinking station that had been setup at the corner of Centre and Canal Streets in Chinatown on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. The stations use water from fire hydrants and have been erected due to the blackout caused by Hurricane Sandy in Lower Manhattan. (Damon Dahlen, AOL)

  • Trash Picking In Chinatown

    A pedestrian looks through discarded food near a supermarket located at Henry and Market Streets in Chinatown New York on Friday Nov. 2, 2012.

  • Fort Lee, N.J.

    People wait in line for fuel at a Shell Oil station on Nov. 1, 2012 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday's storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.

  • New York City

    Commuters ride the F train Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Limited public transit has returned to New York. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.

  • Toms River, N.J.

    A gas station displays a "No Gas" sign on November 1, 2012 in Toms River, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.

  • Fort Lee, N.J.

    Cars wait in line for fuel at a Gulf gas station on Nov.1, 2012 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday's storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.

  • Brooklyn, N.Y.

    New Yorkers wait in traffic as they head into Manhattan from Brooklyn as the city continues to recover from superstorm Sandy on Nov.1, 2012, in New York, United States. Limited public transit has returned to New York and most major bridges have reopened but will require three occupants in the vehicle to pass. With the death toll currently over 70 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by superstorm Sandy.

  • Hoboken, N.J.

    Mud and debris liiter a street on Nov.1, 2012 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hurricane victims continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey shore, and left parts of the state and the surrounding area flooded and without power.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Firefighters shoot water into a building in the 1200 block of 4th St., NE, near the recently opened Union Market, after responding to a blaze that broke out around 9pm Wednesday night.

  • Seaside Heights, N.J.

    Debris lies on the boardwalk in front of the Casino Pier, which was partially destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on Nov.1, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Superstorm Sandy.

  • Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, N.Y.

    A New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer looks over flood waters at the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery tunnel in New York, U.S., on Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.

  • New York City

    Residents charge their cell phones and computers on the East River esplanade in New York, U.S., on Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.

  • Toms River, N.J.

    An American flag flies in front of a home damaged by Hurricane Sandy on Nov. 1, 2012 in Toms River, New Jersey. With the death toll continuing to rise and millions of homes and businesses without power, the U.S. east coast is attempting to recover from the effects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by superstorm Sandy.

  • Lower Manhattan

    Water is pumped on to the street in lower Manhattan in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The New York region is replacing a rail network built over a century with a patchwork constructed day-by-day to move its 8 million people again as it struggles back to life after Hurricane Sandy.

  • North Bergen, New Jersey

    A woman leaves an Exxon gas station which was out of gas on Nov. 1, 2012 in North Bergen, New Jersey. The US death toll from Hurricane Sandy rose to at least 85 as New York reported a major jump in fatalities caused by Monday's storm. Fuel shortages led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states and the country faced a storm bill of tens of billions of dollars.

  • Manhattan from Hoboken, N.J.

    People board the NY Waterways ferry with the Manhattan skyline in the background Nov.1, 2012 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey shore, left parts of the state and the surrounding area without power including much of lower Manhattan south of 34th Street.

  • South Ferry 1 Train Station, New York City

    Joseph Leader, Metropolitan Tranportation Authority Vice President and Chief Maintenance Officer, shines a flashlight on standing water inside the South Ferry 1 train station in New York, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in the wake of superstorm Sandy. The floodwaters that poured into New York's deepest subway tunnels may pose the biggest obstacle to the city's recovery from the worst natural disaster in the transit system's 108-year history.

  • Seaside Heights, N.J.

    John Okeefe walks on the beach as a rollercoaster that once sat on the Funtown Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., rests in the ocean on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012 after the pier was washed away by superstorm Sandy which made landfall Monday evening.

  • Grand Central Terminal, New York City

    People exit a Metro-North train arriving in Grand Central Terminal during the morning rush on Nov. 1, 2012 in New York City. Some trains are back up and running into Grand Central following shutdowns in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Subway train service in the city is back in a limited capacity, but with much of lower Manhattan still with out power, trains are not running there and busses are replacing them.

  • Brooklyn, N.Y.

    Pedestrians look over a fence at a pile of boats flooded inland at the Varuna Boat Club on Oct. 31, 2012, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses.

  • Queens, N.Y.

    People walk by a destroyed section of the Rockaway boardwalk in the heavily damaged Rockaway section of Queens after the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012 in the Queens borough of New York City. With the death toll currently at 55 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the affects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Hurricane Sandy. JFK airport in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey expect to resume flights on Wednesday morning and the New York Stock Exchange commenced trading after being closed for two days.

  • Queens, N.Y.

    Damage is viewed in the Rockaway neighborhood where the historic boardwalk was washed away during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 31, 2012 in the Queens borough of New York City. With the death toll currently at 55 and millions of homes and businesses without power, the US east coast is attempting to recover from the affects of floods, fires and power outages brought on by Hurricane Sandy. JFK airport in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey expect to resume flights on Wednesday morning and the New York Stock Exchange commenced trading after being closed for two days.

  • Atlantic City, N.J.

    A damaged car is shown in the wake of superstorm Sandy, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Atlantic City, N.J. Sandy was being blamed for at least six deaths across the state plus power outages that at their peak Monday affected 2.7 million residential and commercial customers.

  • Brooklyn, N.Y.

    A worker picks up debris outside of the damaged Tatiana Grill on the Brighton Beach boardwalk, on Oct. 31, 2012, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sandy, the storm that made landfall Monday, caused multiple fatalities, halted mass transit and cut power to more than 6 million homes and businesses.

  • Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/sandy-bill_n_2569312.html

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    Tuesday, January 29, 2013

    New research uncovers the neural mechanism underlying drug cravings

    Tuesday, January 29, 2013

    Addiction may result from abnormal brain circuitry in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls decision-making. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Molecular Imaging Science in Japan collaborating with colleagues from the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University in Canada report today that the lateral and orbital regions of the frontal cortex interact during the response to a drug-related cue and that aberrant interaction between the two frontal regions may underlie addiction. Their results are published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

    Cues such as the sight of drugs can induce cravings and lead to drug-seeking behaviors and drug use. But cravings are also influenced by other factors, such as drug availability and self-control. To investigate the neural mechanisms involved in cue-induced cravings the researchers studied the brain activity of a group of 10 smokers, following exposure to cigarette cues under two different conditions of cigarette availability. In one experiment cigarettes were available immediately and in the other they were not. The researchers combined a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

    The results demonstrate that in smokers the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) tracks the level of craving while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DPFC) is responsible for integrating drug cues and drug availability. Moreover, the DPFC has the ability to suppress activity in the OFC when the cigarette is unavailable. When the DPFC was inactivated using TMS, both craving and craving-related signals in the OFC became independent of drug availability.

    The authors of the study conclude that the DLPFC incorporates drug cues and knowledge on drug availability to modulate the value signals it transmits to the OFC, where this information is transformed into drug-seeking action.

    "We demonstrate that in smokers, cravings build up in the OFC upon processing of cigarette cues and availability by the DFPC. What is surprising is that this is a neural circuit involved in decision making and self-control, that normally guides individuals to optimal behaviors in daily life." Explains Dr. Hayashi, from RIKEN, who designed and conducted the fMRI and TMS experiments.

    "This research uncovers the brain circuitry responsible for self-control during reward-seeking choices. It is also consistent with the view that drug addiction is a pathology of decision making." According to Dr. Alain Dagher, a neurologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute.

    These findings will help understand the neural basis of addiction and may contribute to a therapeutic approach for addiction.

    ###

    RIKEN: http://www.riken.jp/engn/

    Thanks to RIKEN 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.

    This press release has been viewed 27 time(s).

    Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126508/New_research_uncovers_the_neural_mechanism_underlying_drug_cravings

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    Yvonna Russell: The Barneys Warehouse Sale Shopping Tips

    The fashionista high-holy week is upon us with the Barneys Warehouse Sale open from February 14th to the 24th of 2013. The sale is temporarily located at the Co-Op store at 255 West 17th Street in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. You'll be near Housing Works on 17th Street, so if you have clothes to donate it's good cause.

    Grab a coffee or tea for the long line outside. This sale is diva warfare, fatigue sets in and it's cold in there. Leave your handbag at home, you'll only have to check it and retrieve upon leaving the store. Wear a jacket or cargo pants with lots of pockets. Best to carry your PDA, credit card(s) and ID if you plan to apply for a Barneys card. Once you are inside and can start the designer sale scavenger hunt, I suggest you pick two zones -- say shoes and coats -- and come back a second day for more shopping.

    The last day is the monster because everything is slashed to rock bottom prices. Take your bestie and work the racks. A team effort always yields more. Skip the sensible purchases of an A-line skit or blouse you can get that anywhere. The exception is the Barney's New York Co-Op collection that has beautiful timeless designs in quality fabrics. Here you might be able to scoop up a coat, shoes or dress for under 50 bucks. This is the place to go wild. Do get the Manolo Blahnik peep-toe sling, studded Christian Louboutin pumps, silk Giuseppe Zanotti stilettos or Prada Rosette sling backs. Splurge on beautiful red-carpet ready gowns and dresses for sale by designers such as Dolce and Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci and Alexander Wang.

    The lingerie is lovely enough for any modern day courtesan. There are great deals on high-end jeans like 7 for All Mankind and James. But know your size -- there are no individual dressing rooms at the sale. Plenty of ladies do strip down and slip on clothes in the designated area, but I wouldn't advise it. Don't forget your guy(s). The men's department has beautiful Charvet, Lanvin and Brioni ties you can get for a song. If you hope to score the status bags of the flagship store's first floor, they never make it to the big sale. Fuhget about it!

    Time to get in the very long checkout line. The temptation to get out of line will be great to find one more thing to buy. Many have made that mistake and they never made it back. Use the time to edit your potential purchases. Be ruthless in your edit. If it needs alterations skip it. Look at your potential purchase ask yourself, "What would Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama, Carine Roitfeld (insert your style icon here) do? If you are going to splurge, make sure the dress, shoe, whatever is fabulous.

    Now you are done. You survived this so you can easily hit Soiffer Haskin featuring individual designer sales weekly. It's not the blood sport of TBWS but good deals. When you're done shopping, its time to replenish over cocktails at Cafeteria or chocolate chunk cookies at City Bakery with your gorgeous spoils of shoe boxes and stuffed shopping bags in hand. Well done!

    ?

    Follow Yvonna Russell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/StilettoFilms

    "; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yvonna-russell/barneys-warehouse-sale-tips_b_2563844.html

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    Focus turns to Brazil club safety after fire

    People march into a tunnel near the Kiss nightclub honoring the victims of early Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

    People march into a tunnel near the Kiss nightclub honoring the victims of early Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

    People march near the Kiss nightclub honoring the victims of early Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

    Ines Fernandes da Silveira, aunt of victim Taise Carolina Vinhas da Silveira, 27, cries in front the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning. (AP Photo/Nabor Goulart)

    People react during a march near the Kiss nightclub honoring the victims of early Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

    People gather outside the Kiss nightclub honoring the victims of early Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

    (AP) ? There was no alarm, no extinguishers, no sprinklers and almost no escape from the nightclub that became a death trap for more than 200 Brazilian college students.

    As investigators began poking through the rubble and families mourned their dead, questions abounded as the university city in southern Brazil tried to understand how the Sunday morning blaze that killed 231 people could have been sparked in the first place, then rage rapidly out of control.

    Why was there only one door available for exit and entry? What was the flammable material in the ceiling that allowed the conflagration to move so quickly? And, more pointedly, why was a band playing at the club allowed to use pyrotechnics inside the building?

    Police were leaning toward the band's pyrotechnics as the cause of the blaze during a party at the Kiss nightclub organized by several academic departments at the Federal University of Santa Maria. Inspector Antonio Firmino, who's part of the team investigating the fire, said it appeared the club's ceiling was covered with an insulating foam made from a combustible material that ignited with the pyrotechnics.

    Firmino said the number and state of the exits is under investigation but that it appeared that a second door was "inadequate," as it was small and protected by bars that wouldn't open.

    The disaster, the worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, also raises questions of whether Brazilian authorities are up to the task of ensuring safety in such venues ahead of it hosting next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

    Some critics have said conditions in many Brazilian bars and clubs are ripe for another deadly blaze. They say that in addition to modernizing sometimes outdated safety codes and ensuring sufficient inspectors, people must change their way of thinking and respect safety regulations.

    Hundreds of people marched peacefully outside the nightclub Monday night to remember the victims, and demand justice. Some carried signs with slogans such as, "May God's justice be carried out."

    "We hope that the justice system, through its competent mechanisms, succeeds in clarifying to the public what happened, and gives the people an explanation," said marcher Eglon Do Canto.

    Brazilian police said they detained three people Monday in connection with the blaze, while the newspaper O Globo said on its website that a fourth person had surrendered to police. Police Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said the detentions were part of the ongoing police probe and those detained can be held for up to five days.

    Vieira declined to identify those detained, but local media has identified them as two co-owners of the club, and two members of the band that was using a spark machine inside the building when the fire erupted.

    According to state safety codes here, clubs should have one fire extinguisher every 1,500 square feet as well as multiple emergency exits. Limits on the number of people admitted are to be strictly respected. None of that appears to have happened at the Santa Maria nightclub.

    "A problem in Brazil is that there is no control of how many people are admitted in a building," said Joao Daniel Nunes, a civil engineer in nearby Porto Alegre. "They never are clearly stated, and nobody controls how many people enter these night clubs."

    Rodrigo Martins, a guitarist for the group Gurizada Fandangueira, told Globo TV network in an interview Monday that the flames broke out minutes after the employment of a pyrotechnic machine that fans out colored sparks, at around 2:30 a.m. local time.

    "I felt that something was falling from the roof and I looked up and I saw the fire was spreading, and I shouted 'Look, it's catching on fire, man, it's catching fire,'" Martins said. "Then the drummer tried to throw water on it, and it looked like the fire spread more then. Then the security guards came with an extinguisher, tried to use it, but it didn't work."

    He added that the club was packed and estimated the crowd at about 1,200-1,300 people.

    "I thought I was going to die there. There was nothing I could do, with the fire spreading and people screaming in front."

    Standing next to the stage when the fire broke out, Rodrigo Rizzi, a first-year nursing student, watched the tragedy unfold.

    "I was right there, so even though I was far from the door, at least I realized something was wrong," he said. "Others, who couldn't see the stage, never had a chance. They never saw it coming."

    As he headed toward the door, the air turned dense and dark with smoke; there was no light, nothing pointing to the single exit. Rizzi found himself clawing through a panicked crowd that surged blindly toward the door.

    "I was halfway across the floor, I could see the door, but the air turned black with this thick smoke," he said. "I couldn't breathe. People started to panic and run toward the door. They were falling, screaming, pulling at each other."

    Witnesses said security guards who didn't know about the blaze initially blocked people from leaving without paying their bills. Brazilian bars routinely make patrons pay their entire tab at the end of the night before they're allowed to leave.

    Inside the club, metal barriers meant to organize the lines of people entering and leaving became traps, corralling desperate patrons within yards of the exit. Bodies piled up against the grates, smothered and broken by the crushing mob.

    About 50 of the victims were found in the club's two bathrooms, where the blinding smoke caused them to believe the doors were exits.

    Martins confirmed that the group's accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other band members made it out safely. Martins said he thought Jacques made it out of the building and later returned to save his accordion.

    The first funeral services were held Monday for the victims, including brothers Pedro and Mercello Salle. Most of the dead were college students 18 to 21 years old, but they also included some minors. Almost all died from smoke inhalation rather than burns.

    National Health Minister Alexandre Padilha cautioned that the death toll could worsen dramatically, telling news media in Santa Maria on Monday that 75 of those injured were in critical condition and could die.

    Santa Maria Mayor Cezar Schirmer declared a 30-day mourning period, and Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, said officials were investigating the cause of the disaster.

    The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

    Sunday's fire also appeared to be the worst at a nightclub anywhere in the world since December 2000, when a welding accident reportedly set off a fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309 people.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Marco Sibaja contributed to this report from Brasilia, Brazil, Stan Lehman and Bradley Brooks contributed from Sao Paulo and Jenny Barchfield contributed from Rio de Janeiro.

    ___

    Associated Press video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M6x0u0Mmtk&list=UU52X5wxOL_s5yw0dQk7NtgA&index=18

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-29-Brazil-Nightclub-Fire/id-6de7cbd6c3a443f49564c826131b9407

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    Monday, January 28, 2013

    Complete list of winners at 19th annual SAG Awards

    LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A complete list of winners at Sunday's 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

    MOVIES:

    Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

    Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

    Supporting actor: Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"

    Supporting actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"

    Cast: "Argo"

    Stunt ensemble: "Skyfall"

    ___

    TELEVISION:

    Actor in a movie or miniseries: Kevin Costner "Hatfields & McCoys"

    Actress in a movie or miniseries: Julianne Moore, "Game Change"

    Actor in a drama series: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

    Actress in a drama series: Claire Danes, "Homeland"

    Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

    Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

    Drama series cast: "Downton Abbey"

    Comedy series cast: "Modern Family"

    Stunt ensemble: "Game of Thrones"

    ___

    Life Achievement: Dick Van Dyke

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/complete-list-winners-19th-annual-sag-awards-030552688.html

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    Facebook app updated with voice messages, video recording, and more

    Facebook app updated with voice messages, video recording, and more

    Facebook for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad has been updated to version 5.2 and among the highlighted features are voice messages, video recording, and a new Nearby tab.

    Voice messages are billed as a way to add audio to your texts for when you have "more to say". Video recording happens right in the Facebook app, so you can get yourself, or anything you care to film, online and shared with your entire graph more conveniently than ever. And, yet, the Nearby tab got a makeover to encourage you to share where you're at.

    As with any Facebook update, it'll be interesting to see which old bugs (and crashes!) get fixed, and which new ones emerge. (Social is hard?).

    If you've updated, let me know how it's working for you, and how the video compares to the built-in Camera App or Google Capture. If you haven't downloaded Facebook for iOS yet, here's your link.



    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/3lC4ovxzIPk/story01.htm

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    Mysteries of spider silk strength unraveled

    Jan. 27, 2013 ? Scientists at ASU are celebrating their recent success on the path to understanding what makes the fiber that spiders spin -- weight for weight -- at least five times as strong as piano wire. They have found a way to obtain a wide variety of elastic properties of the silk of several intact spiders' webs using a sophisticated but non-invasive laser light scattering technique.

    "Spider silk has a unique combination of mechanical strength and elasticity that make it one of the toughest materials we know," said Professor Jeffery Yarger of ASU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and lead researcher of the study. "This work represents the most complete understanding we have of the underlying mechanical properties of spider silks."

    Spider silk is an exceptional biological polymer, related to collagen (the stuff of skin and bones) but much more complex in its structure. The ASU team of chemists is studying its molecular structure in an effort to produce materials ranging from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons.

    The extensive array of elastic and mechanical properties of spider silks in situ, obtained by the ASU team, is the first of its kind and will greatly facilitate future modeling efforts aimed at understanding the interplay of the mechanical properties and the molecular structure of silk used to produce spider webs.

    The team published their results in a recent issue of Nature materials and their paper is titled "Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks."

    "This information should help provide a blueprint for structural engineering of an abundant array of bio-inspired materials, such as precise materials engineering of synthetic fibers to create stronger, stretchier, and more elastic materials," explained Yarger.

    Other members of Yarger's team, in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, included Kristie Koski, at the time a postdoctoral researcher and currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and ASU undergraduate students Paul Akhenblit and Keri McKiernan.

    The Brillouin light scattering technique used an extremely low power laser, less than 3.5 milliwatts, which is significantly less than the average laser pointer. Recording what happened to this laser beam as it passed through the intact spider webs enabled the researchers to spatially map the elastic stiffnesses of each web without deforming or disrupting it. This non-invasive, non-contact measurement produced findings showing variations among discrete fibers, junctions and glue spots.

    Four different types of spider's webs were studied. They included Nephila clavipes (pictured), A. aurantia ("gilded silver face"-common to the contiguous United States), L. Hesperus the western black widow and P. viridans the green lynx spider, the only spider included that does not build a web for catching prey but has major silk elastic properties similar to those of the other species studied.

    The group also investigated one of the most studied aspects of orb-weaving dragline spider silk, namely supercontraction, a property unique to silk. Spider silk takes up water when exposed to high humidity. Absorbed water leads to shrinkage in an unrestrained fiber up to 50 percent shrinkage with 100 percent humidity in N. clavipes silk.

    Their results are consistent with the hypothesis that supercontraction helps the spider tailor the properties of the silk during spinning. This type of behavior, specifically adjusting mechanical properties by simply adjusting water content, is inspirational from a bio-inspired mechanical structure perspective.

    "This study is unique in that we can extract all the elastic properties of spider silk that cannot and have not been measured with conventional testing," concluded Yarger.

    Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

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    Story Source:

    The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Arizona State University.

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


    Journal Reference:

    1. Kristie J. Koski, Paul Akhenblit, Keri McKiernan, Jeffery L. Yarger. Non-invasive determination of the complete elastic moduli of spider silks. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3549

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

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

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/vTijetqY7Dw/130128104741.htm

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    Sunday, January 27, 2013

    Lawrence brings 'walking pneumonia' to SAG

    By Natalie Finn, E! Online

    Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    Jennifer Lawrence said on the red carpet she has "walking pneumonia."

    That flu Jennifer Lawrence was fighting at the Golden Globes apparently escalated into "walking pneumonia."

    And yet ... the "Silver Linings Playbook" star somehow keeps looking better and better!?

    The 22-year-old thesp, a Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Sunday night for best female actor in a leading role, threw on another Christian Dior confection -- this one a sleek, strapless column gown -- and Chopard jewels and hit the red carpet with her usual poise and sense of humor intact.?

    Pregnant Busy Philipps talks vacay with Michelle Williams and Jason Segel

    "It's highly contagious," Lawrence joked with E! News' Giuliana Rancic, quickly assuring that she's doing fine now.

    As for that stunning gown ("just whatever, just Diorin' it up"), the burgeoning fashionista said it was only recently that she started to come into her own, style-wise.?

    "I had my brothers' hand-me-downs," she told Ranic about being a reluctant tomboy growing up. "I had no choice! I didn't want to be, but my parents wouldn't buy me clothes. I had to wear my brothers' clothes, so I was literally wearing men's clothing.?

    Exclusive: Mark Salling opens up about lawsuit on SAG Awards red carpet?

    "I was mixing and matching, I could get some girl clothes," Lawrence joked.?

    As for awards season, of which the two-time Oscar nominee has become a prominent fixture, Lawrence admitted to being a mix of scared and excited.?

    "I never know what I'm going to say or do, so that's always nerve-wracking for me," she said.?

    And yet that's always so wonderful for us!

    Check out the best quotes from the carpet tonight!?

    Meanwhile, though supporting actor nominee Tommy Lee Jones opted to keep his case of the flu confined to his house tonight (perhaps figuring cold medication might have put him in too good of a mood), Rust and Bone star Marion Cotillard braved the chill and came out with a cold.

    Check out more stars looking stunning on the 2013 SAG Awards red carpet?

    "Don't touch me, I am so sick," Cotillard -- a nominee for lead female actor -- told Rancic, sounding a little stuffed up but looking fabulous. "L.A. doesn't know how to deal with cold weather, I guess ... I never think it's going to be cold!"

    Like Lawrence, Cotillard's secret weapons were Dior Haute Couture and Chopard.?

    Related content:

    ?

    Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/01/27/16727347-jennifer-lawrence-brings-walking-pneumonia-to-sag-awards?lite

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    GOP Senator: We Are the Party of the 47 Percent

    Freshman Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday chided the GOP over its 2012 electoral losses, saying "Republicans are and should be the party of the 47 percent," a clear allusion to the remarks caught on video by presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the campaign.

    Cruz, speaking at the National Review Institute summit in Washington, was quick to say he wasn't criticizing Romney, but that the party lost a messaging battle with the electorate and that comment was just a symptom of the problem.

    "To sum up what went wrong last election, I think it comes down to two words: 47 percent. Now by that I don't mean that ill-fated comment. I think Mitt Romney is a good man. He worked very very hard. He's a decent man of character. Anyone can have a slip of the tongue. What I mean by 47 percent is the narrative of the last election. The narrative of the last election was that 47 percent were dependent on government [and] we don't have to worry about them. ? It buys into the premise that the economic pie is fixed and that it never changes," Cruz said.

    Instead, Republicans should argue that the the economy is a "growing pie" and that Republicans need to shake the perception that they're for big business and rich people, Cruz said.

    Cruz, who spoke without notes and sported black cowboy boots, drew two standing ovations from the conservative crowd. He also said Republicans in Congress should use two "leverage points" to foil President Obama--the continuing resolution that funds the government and the debt ceiling. Notably, he did not include the sequester, the across-the-board budget cuts that are due to take effect in March, as one of the political tools available to the party.

    Cruz won his Senate seat by handily defeating Democrat Paul Sadler in November. The seat opened after Kay Bailey Hutchison retired. Cruz is already being looked to as a leading voice on immigration reform and has been touted as the new and changing face of the party, in the vein of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-senator-party-47-percent-152055162--politics.html

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    'Argo' Wins PGA Award: Ben Affleck Drama Named Best 2012 Film By Producers Guild

    "Argo" took a big step toward becoming only the fourth film in the history of the Academy Awards to win Best Picture without a Best Director nomination as it captured the Producers Guild Award on Saturday night.

    Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the Producers Guild Awards, beating the producers of "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Django Unchained," "Skyfall," "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

    "I'm really surprised. I'm not even in the PGA," Affleck joked while accepting the award. "I am still acting."

    For Oscar experts, the PGA award is a significant Academy Awards precursor: Only seven times in 24 years has the Darryl F. Zanuck winner failed to capture Best Picture at the Oscars. The last five films to take home the PGA award also won on Oscar night.

    "Lincoln" was a presumed favorite for the PGA award, alongside "Silver Linings Playbook." Both films, as well as "Argo," are up for Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which is the SAG equivalent of Best Picture. The SAG awards, another strong precursor, will be handed out on Sunday evening.

    For more winners from the PGA awards, head over to THR.

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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/argo-wins-pga-award_n_2560490.html

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    Small Business Marketing ? From Mind to Mailbox | Direct Mail Experts

    Most small businesses don?t have a large budget to pay marketing teams to develop elaborate advertisements.? They don?t have the kind of money other big businesses do to throw around for everything from magazine ads to television?spots.? A small business is much more practical.? Things like a sensible website, word of mouth, and a few well-placed ads here and there can be enough to get them by. ?

    But there is one venue that some small businesses haven?t yet realized.? It is affordable, effective, and extremely easy.? It isn?t fleeting like online marketing or easy to dismiss like a television ad.? Rather, this is a physical piece of something ? a sliver of your business sent out to hundreds of individuals to see. ? This is direct mail. ?

    Direct mail is the sending of an ad or informational piece to potential clients in the area.? Not everyone around you will know of your business and what you can offer them.? It?s time to let them know about your services or your products ? or both!? From dental work to automotive repair, there are all sorts of ways you can entice customers to visit your location and become a customer. ??

    You can choose what you want for your piece of mail.? Everything from the design to the information on the postcard or fold over brochure is up to you.? Postcards are a popular choice because of their size and straightforward design.? They are affordable as well, which is why even in today?s digital world it?s no surprise to see a postcard ad appear in the mailbox.? But when it?s for a local business people are much more interested because you never know what you might need ? and it can be much easier discovering a local business through direct mail than searching through the myriad of sites through Google or other search engines. ?

    Remember, you shouldn?t have to sign a contract or do anything you are uncomfortable with when it comes to working with a direct mail company.? A company that offer flat fees and no contract can make for an excellent partner because they understand that your needs may change and you may require different things from them.? Likewise, the right company will offer all sorts of direct mail benefits to help give your business the most for its money.? You want to make your business known ? so all you need is high quality mail.? Let them do the rest and give you the important information you need to make the right adjustments in the future. ??

    Customers who find you through direct mail should be plentiful.? Postcards for businesses can end up tacked on cork boards, stuck to refrigerators, or simply set near the computer for easy discovery later on when they need your information.? You may get some inquiries first before solid customers.? People are curious about making certain choices, especially when it comes to more serious businesses like dental work.? But even something as simple as a phone call means your direct mail is working for you.? And you can continue to expand both your business and your direct mail marketing campaign as time goes by.

    Source: http://www.mudlickmail.com/in-the-news/2013/01/2172/in-the-news/small-business-marketing-from-mind-to-mailbox/

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    Saturday, January 26, 2013

    Samsung puts lid on capex for the first time since financial crisis

    SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co turned cautious on spending for the first time since the global financial crisis, keeping its annual investment plan unchanged at 2012 levels, as demand for computer chips wanes and the smartphone market slows.

    Samsung, one of the industry's most aggressive spenders, has ramped up capital expenditure every year since 2004 except 2009 to meet soaring demand for its array of consumer electronics and mobile devices. It sold a record 700,000 smartphones a day in the last quarter.

    But with the personal computer market shrinking for the first time in 11 years, the global smartphone market growing more slowly, and Apple Inc moving to buy fewer of Samsung's microprocessors used in the iPhone and iPad, the South Korean IT giant is now forced to keep a lid on spending.

    "Overall its earnings momentum remains intact, and smartphone shipments will continue to grow even in the traditionally weak first quarter, as Samsung's got a broader product line-up and Apple appears to be struggling in pushing iPhone volumes aggressively," said Lee Se-chul, a Seoul-based analyst at Meritz Securities.

    Samsung, which reported a record quarterly and annual profit on Friday, said it would keep 2013 capital expenditure unchanged from 2012.

    "The key word for us in investment in 2013 is flexibility. We'll decide as the market demand dictates," Robert Yi, head of Samsung's investor relations, told analysts.

    Data from the company shows Samsung started to slow down planned investment in the last quarter.

    Samsung said it spent 4.4 trillion won in October-December, pushing its 2012 investment to a record 23 trillion won ($21.5 billion). But the company said in October that it was on course to spend 25 trillion won in 2012.

    Analysts had expected a 4-20 percent cut in Samsung's 2013 capital spending.

    By contrast, Taiwanese rival TSMC is planning to raise its capital expenditure to $9 billion this year, aimed in part at winning Apple orders away from Samsung.

    Shares in Samsung fell 2.1 percent as of 0250 GMT, lagging a 1.1 percent decline in the wider market.

    RECORD EARNINGS

    Samsung had poured money into factories to boost production of chips and panels used in Apple products and its Galaxy range devices, pushing its operating profit to 8.84 trillion won in the last quarter. The 89 percent increase from a year earlier was in line with its earlier estimate.

    Profit at its mobile devices division, which makes phones, tablets and cameras, more than doubled to 5.44 trillion won in the quarter from a year earlier, lifted by a broader offering of smartphones - from the very cheap to the very expensive.

    The division accounted for 62 percent of Samsung's overall fourth-quarter profit, up from 55 percent a year earlier.

    Samsung is also seeing strong sales of its Note phablet, which analysts expect to help Samsung get through any seasonal weakness better than rivals.

    Samsung, which doesn't provide a breakdown of smartphone sales, is estimated to have sold around 63 million smartphones in the last quarter, including 15 million Galaxy S IIIs and 7 million Note IIs.

    The company also said 2012 operating profit rose 86 percent to an all-time high of 29 trillion won.

    SAMSUNG VS APPLE

    Samsung sold 213 million smartphones last year and enlarged its share of the global market to 30.4 percent from around 20 percent in 2011, a report by market research firm Strategy Analytics showed on Friday. The sharp increase reflects Samsung's aggressive marketing of its wide product range.

    Apple's share of the market rose slightly to 19.4 percent from 19.0 percent in 2011, according to the report.

    Globally, sales of smartphones surged 42.7 percent last year to 700 million, Strategy Analytics said.

    Samsung said on Friday it expects the global smartphone segment to shrink in January-March from the seasonally strong fourth quarter, and that growth of the overall handset market will slow to the mid single-digits this year.

    The forecast is in line with industry estimates, with signs of a slowdown having already emerged.

    Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in the three months ended December, a record that nonetheless disappointed many analysts accustomed to years of outperformance. The Cupertino, California-based company also missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for a third straight quarter as iPhone sales lagged expectations.

    Apple shares have dropped by more than a third since mid-September as investors fret that its days of hyper growth are over and its devices are no longer as 'must-have' as they were.

    By contrast, shares in Samsung have risen 12 percent in the same period as the company once seen as quick to copy the ideas of others now sets the pace in innovation.

    At the world's biggest electronics show in Las Vegas this month, Samsung unveiled a prototype phone with a flexible display that can be folded almost like paper, and a microchip with eight processing cores, creating a buzz that these may be used in the next Galaxy range.

    "It's very probable to us that the Exynos 5 Octa (processor) will find its way into the Galaxy S4," UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois wrote in a recent note.

    "It also looked as if the curved display is close enough to finished product. We came away even more convinced that displays will provide significant differentiation to Samsung devices, and application processors will materially grow over time," Gaudois said. ($1 = 1066.2000 Korean won)

    (This story corrects 19th paragraph to show Apple's 2012 smartphone market share rose slightly according to Strategy Analytics.)

    (Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Ryan Woo)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-posts-record-profit-000031896--finance.html

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