শুক্রবার, ৩১ মে, ২০১৩

Heat's Birdman suspended for Saturday's Game 6

Official Marc Davis (8) and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra restrain Heat's Chris Andersen during the first half of Game 5 in the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Miami. Andersen was charged with a flagrant foul. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Official Marc Davis (8) and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra restrain Heat's Chris Andersen during the first half of Game 5 in the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Miami. Andersen was charged with a flagrant foul. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat forward Chris Andersen (11) is restrained by official Marc Davis as coach Erik Spoelstra yells at him during the first half of Game 5 in the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Miami. Andersen was charged with a flagrant foul. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Heat forward Chris Andersen reacts after blocking a shot by Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough during the first half of Game 5 in the NBA basketball playoffs Eastern Conference finals, Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

(AP) ? Chris Andersen was suspended Friday by the NBA for his altercation with Tyler Hansbrough, leaving the Miami Heat without one of their best big men as they try to finish off the Indiana Pacers in Game 6.

The league also upgraded Andersen's foul to a Flagrant 2, which would have meant an automatic ejection had it been called at the time.

Andersen knocked Hansbrough to the floor from behind with 9:02 left in the second quarter Thursday, then shoved him backward after Hansbrough got up. Andersen still wouldn't back away when a referee stepped in, and the league said in a statement that he "resisted efforts to bring the altercation to an end."

Andersen has made all 15 shots from the field in the series, and the Heat could miss the Birdman's size Saturday against the bigger Indiana front line.

Though referees reviewed the play and upgraded it from a common foul to a flagrant, they chose not to make it a Flagrant 2 and throw Andersen out of the game.

But NBA Commissioner David Stern, speaking Friday in taped interview with NBC Sports Radio, said he thought Andersen should have been ejected.

"I don't know what he was doing," Stern said, according to a transcript provided by the network. "A serious review of his activities is called for."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-31-BKN-Heat-Andersen/id-746a6c07be7a4a8fa4922ed66538b086

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Evacuations called off as fire north of LA calms

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) ? A wildfire that broke out near a power station and utility lines north of Los Angeles burned out of control Thursday, but improved firefighting conditions after nightfall slowed its growth and residents were allowed to return to homes they had evacuated, officials said.

The fire in the Angeles National Forest surged to 1,000 acres and sent out big clouds of black smoke amid afternoon temperatures in the high 80s and winds gusting at more than 20 mph.

Homes in the mountain community of Green Valley were evacuated, but the order was canceled about five hours later as temperatures and winds dipped and the fire largely laid down, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. It's not clear how many homes were affected, but about 1,000 people live in the area.

But there was still no containment of the blaze that had plenty of fuel to consume.

"The growth potential of this fire is great," said Forest Service spokeswoman Sherry Rollman. "It's burning medium to thick brush on steep slopes."

About 500 firefighters were assigned to the scene.

Both Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said the fire was threatening their facilities and they were monitoring the blaze for potential problems, though none had been reported.

The lines that were in danger were transmission lines not distribution lines, and major outages were unlikely, LADWP officials said.

The blaze broke out at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, just north of Powerhouse No. 1, a hydroelectric plant near the LA aqueduct that has been operating for nearly a century.

One structure has burned but it was not immediately clear what it was.

Further north near Santa Barbara, a fire that burned nearly 2,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest and forced the evacuation of thousands of campers when it broke out on Memorial Day was fully contained Thursday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/evacuations-called-off-fire-north-la-calms-050919190.html

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Scientists Revived 400-Year-Old Plants That Could Help Us Live on Mars

Scientists Revived 400-Year-Old Plants That Could Help Us Live on Mars

A recently uncovered, perfectly preserved, 400-year-old plant specimen might be the answer to our increasingly important colonization of other planets?and the preservation of the human race as a whole.

You probably already know that human stem cells hold a vast, wildly exciting potential?both in terms of furthering our understanding of the human body and in saving countless lives. But did you know plants have their very own version of the industrious little cells, called bryophytes, that could prove just as important in saving humanity? That's exactly what scientists have found, and what's gotten them so excited.

Lead by Catherine La Farge, a team of researchers from the University of Alberta was exploring mosses around the Teardrop Glacier in the Canadian arctic archipelago when they discovered that portions of the (now rapidly receding) glacier were tinted an incongruous green. After taking the sample plant material back to her lab, the team ground up the specimens, placed them in potting soil, and watched with awe as they successfully regenerated from their 400-year-old parent material.

Scientists Revived 400-Year-Old Plants That Could Help Us Live on Mars

As the glacier recedes at an astonishing rate of 3 to 4 meters per year since 2004, scientists have gained access to an increasing amount of centuries-old plant life frozen in time. Every discovery up until now, though, has been flora of the vascular variety. But it's this non-vascular sort that, though often overlooked, holds the key to understanding our past and our future.

What's a Bryophyte?

Vascular plants are primarily defined by the existence of a xylem and a phloem, or in other words, the parts that suck up water and nutrients and send them shooting throughout the rest of the plant. Non-vascular plants, as all you keen observers may have already guessed, don't have this system?they're a far more simple breed. Made to freeze and dry out, they're able to survive in conditions that vascular plants, what with their fancy leaf and stem tissue needing "water" and "food" all the time, could only dream of.

Scientists Revived 400-Year-Old Plants That Could Help Us Live on Mars

Bryophytes, which fall into this latter category, have to reproduce asexually since they often don't have access to water, which is key to fertilization. And because of this, depending on its environment, a single bryophyte cell can essentially reprogram itself to grow as an entirely different plant. But that's not even the exciting part. As La Farge explained:

This has been known forever by biologists who deal with bryophytes. Because if a moose goes through a forest, it might pick up moss in its toes and carry that material somewhere else. So when the plant tissue drops, it will be able to reestablish itself in its new environment and thrive.

It's as if you could drop a lion in the ocean and have it grow gills.

So... What's the Big Deal?

As glaciers retreat and a greater variety of plant life surfaces, it's essentially like peeling a blanket back over a perfectly preserved portion of the past. Dormant, yes?but alive nonetheless. And that's what makes this discovery so incredible. The knowledge that it's even possible for plant life to survive in such extreme conditions opens the door to a deeper understanding of this robust group's cell biology. Which in turn, could very well pave the way towards us figuring out how the hell we're going to grow plants on other planets?oh, say Mars, for instance.

Because unquestionably, before we can even begin to fantasize about sending people into the red abyss, we're going to need to test whether or not plants can survive in those kinds of conditions?harsh light, dryness, freezing, etc. And now it seems like we may have found just the plant for the job. Eschews water? Check. Ability to reproduce simply and all by its lonesome? Check. Doesn't mind the cold? Double check. Not to mention the fact that it can morph into other plants.

Scientists Revived 400-Year-Old Plants That Could Help Us Live on Mars

Which is part of the reason why bryophytes represent the second largest lineage of land plants in terms of diversity?10,000 different species diverse, to be exact. And various, disparate strains will happily live side-by-side; they don't compete in the way vascular plants do. Rather, they bunch as close together as possible, which allows them to retain the moisture that facilitates their entire biological life cycle. So there's a reason you'll always see moss growing in tufts. And though they might be virtually microscopic as single organisms, there's still plenty about them to find fascinating?especially if you're a bryophyte enthusiast like La Farge. As she explained to us:

It's mind boggling, because normally you walk through a forest, and you see green moss on a rock. So you might think oh, that's a nice moss and move on. But you never stop to think about what that green actually represents. How diverse is it? How many species are we really considering here? I mean, when you're up in the high arctic, if you pick up just a small packet, say a letter envelope size, you can often get 15 different species of bryophytes in one letter-size collection. It's pretty amazing.

The Next Stage

There's still many other organisms that could be lying peacefully under the still-frozen glacier. Scientists knew that fungi, yeast, and bacteria were all able to survive in ice, and they also knew that both vascular plants and mosses could live on the top of a glacier. But this is the first time we've really considered the possibility that the stuff peeking out from underneath the glacier just might be alive. Frozen specimens, then, won't necessarily be considered dead on arrival, leaving researchers with plenty of work ahead of them.

La Farge is particularly interested in moving into the lower latitudes, where the even more rapidly shrinking icecaps are exposing even older glimpses of past life. And all of this will only enhance our newly illuminated understanding of basic life systems?something we're going to need when we start planting biodomes on other planets.

Of course, tests like that may still be quite a ways off. But at least now, we have plenty of reason to hope. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States]

Images via Catherine La Farge

Source: http://gizmodo.com/scientists-revived-400-year-old-plants-that-could-help-510691491

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McDonald's CEO Insists: We Don't Sell Junk Food

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/mcdonalds-ceo-insists-we-dont-sell-junk-food/

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London's V&A Museum names Sophia George as first-ever Game Designer in Residence

DNP  London's V&A Museum names Sophie George as firstever Game Designer in Residence

Considering that video games are the focus of many an exhibit these days, the following news shouldn't be too shocking. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has appointed Swallowtail Games founder Sophia George as its first-ever Game Designer in Residence. George, who won a BAFTA for her iOS title Tick Tock Toys, will be tasked with creating an interactive game for museum visitors. The first six months of the residency will involve researching the V&A Museum's extensive collection of 16th- to 20th-century art, and game production will kick off in mid-2014 at Abertay University. You know it's only a matter of time before the Met commissions a digital interpretation of its own massive sculpture gallery.

[Photo credit: Paul Farmer]

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Comments

Via: Eurogamer.net

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MNCyJA5MEIw/

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ৩০ মে, ২০১৩

Business Highlights

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Cover songs: Homage or irksome marketing ploy?

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There are about 600 versions of Adele's Oscar-winning song "Skyfall" on the Spotify subscription music service. Not one of them features Adele.

Adele's label, XL Recordings, keeps her music off of all-you-can-listen subscription plans until download sales peter out. In the meantime, copycat artists fill the void, racking up royalty revenue, often before customers realize they've been listening to someone else.

Thousands of cover songs crowd digital music services such as Spotify and Rhapsody and listeners are getting annoyed. The phenomenon threatens the growth of these services ?which have millions of paying subscribers? and could hold back the tepid recovery of a music industry still reeling from the decline of the CD.

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US economy grew at modest 2.4 percent rate in Q1

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. economy grew at a modest 2.4 percent annual rate from January through March, slightly slower than initially estimated. Consumer spending was stronger than first thought, but businesses restocked more slowly and state and local government spending cuts were deeper.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that economic growth in the first quarter was only marginally below the 2.5 percent annual rate the government had estimated last month. That's still much faster than the 0.4 percent growth during the October-December quarter.

Most economists think growth is slowing to around a 2 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter as the economy adjusts to federal spending cuts, higher taxes and further global weakness. Still, many say the decline may not be as severe as once thought. That's because solid hiring, surging home prices and record stock gains should keep consumers spending.

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Microsoft aims to simplify with Windows 8.1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Microsoft is trying to fix what it got wrong with its radical makeover of Windows. It's making the operating system easier to navigate and enabling users to set up the software so it starts in a more familiar format designed for personal computers.

The revisions to Windows 8 will be released later this year. The free update, called Windows 8.1, represents Microsoft's concessions to long-time customers taken aback by the dramatic changes to an operating system that had become a staple in households and offices around the world during the past 20 years. Research group IDC has blamed Windows 8 for accelerating a decline in PC sales.

With the release of Windows 8 seven months ago, Microsoft introduced a startup screen displaying applications in a mosaic of interactive tiles instead of static icons. The shift agitated many users who wanted the option to launch the operating system in a mode that resembled the old setup. That choice will be provided in Windows 8.1.

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Presence of explosive chemicals often kept secret

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fears of terrorism have made it harder than ever for citizens to find out what dangerous chemicals lurk in their backyards, The Associated Press has found. Secrecy and shoddy record-keeping have kept the public and emergency workers in the dark about stockpiles of explosive material.

A monthlong reporting effort by the AP, drawing upon public records in 28 states, found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the sick. But how many others exist nationwide is a mystery, as other states refused to provide data.

People living near these facilities who want to know what hazardous materials they store would also have to request the information from state environmental agencies or emergency management offices. County emergency management officials would also have it. The federal government does not have a central database, and while the Homeland Security Department has a list of ammonium nitrate facilities, it does not share it because of security concerns.

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Cheap leases offered to spur electric car sales

DETROIT (AP) -- Auto companies are hoping lower lease prices can put a charge into sluggish electric car sales.

Honda announced Thursday that it's slashing the monthly lease cost of its tiny Fit EV by one third, following similar moves by other automakers. Honda also is throwing in other goodies, such as a free home charging station and unlimited mileage.

Electric vehicles once were billed as the answer to high gas prices and dependence on foreign oil. But U.S. oil production is rising and gasoline supplies are abundant. Pump prices have remained relatively stable the past three years, while gas-powered cars have gotten more efficient, making consumers reluctant to give them up.

There's also the worry that an electric car could run out of juice on longer trips.

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Average US household far from regaining its wealth

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The average U.S. household has a long way to go to recover the wealth it lost to the Great Recession, a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis concluded Thursday.

The typical household has regained less than half its wealth, the analysis found. A separate Federal Reserve report in March calculated that Americans as a whole had regained 91 percent of their losses.

Household wealth plunged $16 trillion from the third quarter of 2007 through the first quarter of 2009. By the final three months of 2012, American households as a group had regained $14.7 billion.

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Applications for US unemployment aid rise to 354,000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose 10,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 354,000. Still, the level of applications is consistent with steady hiring and remains near a five-year low.

The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased from a revised 344,000 the previous week, slightly higher than the 340,000 initially reported.

The gains pushed the less volatile four-week average up 6,750 to 347,250, the third straight increase.

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Signed contracts to buy US homes at 3-year high

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes ticked up in April to the highest level in three years. The increase points to growth in home sales in the coming months.

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that its seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales rose 0.3 percent to 106. That's the highest since April 2010, when a homebuyer tax credit inflated sales.

Signed contracts have jumped 10.3 percent in the past 12 months. There is generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed sale.

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US rate on 30-year mortgage rises to 3.81 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages jumped this week to their highest levels in a year, signaling slightly higher costs for homebuyers. But rates still remain low by historical standards.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for the 30-year loan rose to 3.81 percent, up from 3.59 percent last week. That's still not far from the 3.31 percent rate reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average on the 15-year loan rose to 2.98 percent, up from 2.77 percent last week. The record low of 2.56 percent was reached in early May.

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Petraeus gets job with investment firm KKR

Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus will take a new job with investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. as he attempts to rebuild his reputation after an extramarital affair with a biographer triggered his resignation as CIA director last fall.

Petraeus, 60, will serve as chairman of the New York firm's newly created KKR Global Institute. He was CIA director from September 2011 until last November. Before that, Petraeus served more than 37 years in the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of four-star general.

Petraeus served as commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan and also commanded forces in Iraq in 2007 and 2008, when violence in that country dropped following a surge in military forces.

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By The Associated Press(equals)

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 21.73 points, or 0.1 percent, at 15,324.53 points. The Nasdaq composite index rose 23.78 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,491.30. The Standard & Poor's 500 index 500 rose 6.05 points, or 0.4 percent, at 1,654.41.

Benchmark oil for July delivery rose 48 cents to $93.61 a barrel. Brent crude, a benchmark for many international oil varieties, fell 24 cents to $102.19 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cents to $2.81 a gallon. Heating oil fell 3 cents to $2.84 per gallon. Natural gas shed 16 cents to $4.02 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-highlights-221928528.html

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Decontaminating patients cuts hospital infections

CHICAGO (AP) ? Infections in U.S. hospitals kill tens of thousands of people each year, and many institutions fight back by screening new patients to see if they carry a dangerous germ, and isolating those who do. But a big study suggests a far more effective approach: Decontaminating every patient in intensive care.

Washing everyone with antiseptic wipes and giving them antibiotic nose ointment reduced bloodstream infections dramatically in the study at more than 40 U.S. hospitals.

The practice could prove controversial, because it would involve even uninfected patients and because experts say it could lead to germs becoming more resistant to antibiotics. But it worked better than screening methods, now required in nine states.

The study found that 54 patients would need to be decontaminated to prevent one bloodstream infection.

Nevertheless, the findings are "very dramatic" and will lead to changes in practice and probably new laws, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious-disease specialist who was not involved in the research. Some hospitals are already on board.

The study targeted ICU patients, who tend to be older, sicker, weaker and most likely to be infected with dangerous bacteria, including drug-resistant staph germs.

The decontamination method worked like this: For up to five days, 26,000 ICU patients got a nose swab twice a day with bacteria-fighting ointment, plus once-daily bathing with antiseptic wipes.

Afterward, they were more than 40 percent less likely to get a bloodstream infection of any type than patients who had been screened and isolated for a dangerous germ called MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

In the year before the experiment began, there were 950 bloodstream infections in intensive care patients at the hospitals studied. The results suggest that more than 400 of those could have been prevented if all hospitals had used the decontamination method.

"We've definitively shown that it is better to target high-risk people," not high-risk germs, said lead author Dr. Susan Huang, a researcher and infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, Irvine.

The hospitals in the study are all part of the Hospital Corporation of America system, the nation's largest hospital chain. HCA spokesman Ed Fishbough said the 162-hospital company is adopting universal ICU decontamination.

The study was published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study focused on the MRSA germ. It can live on the skin or in the nose without causing symptoms but can be life-threatening when it reaches the bloodstream or vital organs. It is especially dangerous because it is resistant to many antibiotics.

More than 70,000 ICU patients were randomly selected to get one of three treatments: MRSA screening and isolation; screening, isolation and decontamination of MRSA carriers only; and universal decontamination without screening. Partial decontamination worked better than just screening, and universal decontamination was best.

About a decade ago, hospital-linked invasive MRSA infections sickened more than 90,000 people nationwide each year, leading to roughly 20,000 deaths.

As hospitals improved cleanliness through such measures as better hand-washing and isolating carriers of deadly germs, those numbers dropped by about a third, with fewer than 10,000 deaths in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has been recommending screening and isolation in certain cases. Now it's having experts review the results and help determine whether the agency should revise its recommendations, said the CDC's Dr. John Jernigan.

"It is a very important finding. It advances our understanding of how best to control infections caused by MRSA" and other germs, Jernigan said.

The CDC and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality helped pay for the study. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, who heads the research agency, said the findings have "the potential to influence clinical practice significantly and create a safer environment where patients can heal without harm."

Jernigan said the decontamination approach is much simpler than screening and isolation. But he said its costs need to be studied.

Huang said the five-day nose treatment costs about $35 for brand-name ointment but only $4 for a generic version. The antiseptic wipes cost only about $3 to $5 more per day than usual washing methods, she said. But those costs might be offset by other savings from avoiding widespread screening and isolation, she said.

Intensive care patients are already routinely bathed. The study just swapped soap with wipes containing a common antiseptic. Some study authors have received fees from makers of antiseptic wipes or have done research or unpaid consulting for those companies.

The nose ointment treatment is more controversial because it could cause more germs to become resistant to the antibiotic, Jernigan said.

"That's something we're going to have to very closely monitor if this practice is implemented widely," he said.

An editorial accompanying the study voices similar concerns and notes that research published earlier this year found that using just antiseptic wipes on ICU patients reduced bloodstream infections. Two infection control specialists at Virginia Commonwealth University wrote the editorial.

Editorial co-author Dr. Michael Edmond said his university's hospital is among those that already use antiseptic wipes on ICU patients.

While MRSA screening and isolation is widely accepted, Edmond said that approach "takes a toll on patients." Isolating patients who test positive for MRSA but don't have symptoms makes patients angry and depressed, and studies have shown that isolated patients are visited less often by nurses and tend to have more bedsores and falls, he said.

___

Online:

NEJM: http://www.nejm.org

MRSA: http://www.cdc.gov

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/decontaminating-patients-cuts-hospital-infections-210600160.html

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বুধবার, ২৯ মে, ২০১৩

Galaxy Note III to Pack a Snapdragon 800 Processor

Samsung?s next Galaxy Note smartphone, the long rumored Galaxy Note III, might arrive on shelves with a Snapdragon 800 processor packed inside ? at least in some markets, based on Galaxy S 4?s launch ?, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Apparently, Galaxy Note III is the fourth smartphone currently rumored to be powered by Qualcomm?s upcoming chipset, mobileaks found out. LG Optimus G2, Pantech IM-A880, and the Sony Xperia Honami (i1) should include it as well.

The info comes from zdnet.co.kr, and contradicts previous rumors claiming that Samsung would pack the device with an Exynos 5 Octa CPU. However, the same as Galaxy S 4, the upcoming device might include both processors, depending on the market in which it will be released.

No official confirmation on this has been provided as of now, but Samsung might make a formal announcement on it soon, so stay tuned.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Galaxy-Note-III-to-Pack-a-Snapdragon-800-Processor-356554.shtml

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Accessory Turns iPhone Into High-Tech Lab

A new biosensing tool puts the power of a high tech laboratory in the pockets of researchers in the field. This iPhone-enabled device could be used in pop-up clinics, waste management sites, refugee camps and anywhere else the mobile testing of biological materials such as blood is necessary.

Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the tool consists of an iPhone cradle and an accompanying app. Although the cradle only holds about $200 worth of optical components, it performs as accurately as a $50,000 spectrophotometer.

The wedge-shaped cradle keeps the iPhone's camera aligned with a series of lenses and filaments, which are used to measure light. And at the heart of the device's biosensing capabilities is a simple microscope slide coated with a photonic material, which reflects only one wavelength of light and allows the rest of the spectrum to pass through the slide.

When a biological substance ? like protein or DNA ? attaches itself to the photonic crystal slide, the color that is reflected will shift from a shorter to longer wavelength. The size of this shift depends on the amount of the substance present on the slide.

So to test for the presence of a protein, for example, researchers would first prime the slide with the protein they want to test for, insert the slide into the cradle and then use the app to measure the length of the protein's reflected wavelength. This gives them a base measurement.

They can then expose the slide to a field sample containing the protein and remeasure the wavelength. The shift in the reflected wavelength tells the researchers how much of the protein is present in the sample.

The test takes only a few minutes to complete, and the app walks the user through the entire process. This means that samples that once had to be sent back to a lab for analysis can now be tested on-the-spot in a matter of minutes.

Researchers have high hopes for this device as a viable option for doctors, nurses, scientists and others in need of efficient, affordable biological testing on the go. They think it could be particularly useful in developing countries, where resources are limited and laboratories are scarce.

With help from the iPhone's GPS tool, the device could even be used to track groundwater contamination, map the spread of pathogens or monitor contaminant checks in the food processing and distribution chain, according to researchers.

"We're interested in biodetection that needs to be performed outside of the laboratory," said Brian Cunningham, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. "Smartphones are making a big impact on our society- the way we get our information, the way we communicate. And they have really powerful computing capability and imaging."

The team is now working on a similar cradle and app solution to provide mobile testing on Android devices.

And a recent grant from the National Science Foundation is enabling researchers to expand the range of biological experiments that can be performed with the tool, including tests that will detect toxins in harvested corn and soybeans, as well as tests to detect pathogens in food and water.

The use of smartphones as a platform for detecting environmental phenomena seems to be a growing trend, not only among researchers, but consumers as well.

In the past year, a number of smartphone-enabled tools and accompanying apps have come on the market that measure everything from the "organic-ness" of fruits to the temperature of soil in a vegetable garden.

Lapka, an iPhone device that includes a Geiger counter and electromagnetic sensors, is marketed as a tool for better understanding and exploring the environment. This high tech toy is turning heads as it takes science out of the lab and puts it in the hands of the everyday consumer.

Cunningham and his team believe that their device can also be used by individuals, not for analyzing their personal space, but for monitoring their health.

"A lot of medical conditions might be monitored very inexpensively and non-invasively using mobile platforms like phones," said Cunningham. "[Smartphones] can detect a lot of things, like pathogens, disease biomarkers or DNA, things that are currently only done in big diagnostic labs with lots of expense and large volumes of blood."

One such possible application, according to researchers, is testing children and pregnant women for Vitamin A and iron deficiencies.

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Email asklizzyp@gmail.com?or follow her?@techEpalermo. Follow us @TechNewsDaily, on Facebook or on?Google+.

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/accessory-turns-iphone-high-tech-lab-132955699.html

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মঙ্গলবার, ২৮ মে, ২০১৩

PFT: RG3 would play Week 1 minus preseaosn

Ruben Brown, Marv Levy, Leonard SmithAP

Former Bills coach Marv Levy earned the 17th spot on ESPN.com?s list of the best coaches of all time.

Several members of the Dolphins will be thinking about their family members in the military on Memorial Day.

Former Patriots T Matt Light expects ?stiff competition? at an upcoming ?Cornhole Commotion? event he?s hosting.? [Editor's note:? Beavis just passed out from laughter.]

Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg praised QB Mark Sanchez?s accuracy in OTAs.

Ravens DE Will Pericak is dealing with diabetes as well as trying to make the roster.

Bengals CB Leon Hall doesn?t do much self-promotion.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner says the Browns offense will be in attack mode next season.

OL Ramon Foster isn?t taking a Steelers roster spot for granted.

Colts quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen spent time visiting military personnel overseas this offseason.

Recapping the Jaguars offseason to date while looking at the big questions still facing the team.

Titans coach Mike Munchak shares his thoughts on the start of OTAs.

Said Broncos LB Shaun Phillips of signing in Denver, ?At this point in my career, I?ve made some money. I?ve done that. So it was really just down to do you go to the team that pays you the most money and you have a miserable season? Or do you go to a team that will take care of you and give you a chance to win??

The Chiefs are moving at a faster pace this offseason.

KR Josh Cribbs talks about his first days with the Raiders.

The Chargers? website wraps up the last week of activity around the team.

Former Giants DE and current morning TV host Michael Strahan said the Cowboys would have won a Super Bowl if he played for them.

Giants DB Terrell Thomas said that his oft-injured knee has been holding up well this spring.

Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp is working to turn things around after a poor 2012 for those units.

Don?t ask Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper to compare his knee injury to the one suffered by Redskins QB Robert Griffin III.

Former Bears LB Brian Urlacher ranks his five most memorable games.

Lions DT Ndamukong Suh met up with an octopus at a recent Red Wings game.? [Editor's note:? Hopefully, that won't inspire a new sandwich at Subway.]

Evan Dietrich-Smith has strengthened his hold on the Packers? center job.

The Vikings kick off the next phase of their offseason this week.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan is 27 touchdown passes away from tying the franchise record.

As part of his initiation to life in Charlotte, Panthers DT Star Lotulelei is learning about NASCAR.

Saints WR Kenny Stills helped Feed the Children distribute supplies in Moore, Oklahoma on Sunday.

Five Buccaneers who might be on the hot seat this season.

Cardinals CB Javier Arenas thinks the team?s defense can be very good this season.

Looking at the Rams? running back situation in comparison to their divisional rivals.

A statistical breakdown of the 49ers cornerbacks.

Seahawks S Kam Chancellor hosted a free cookout for kids in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/27/rgiii-feels-comfortable-playing-week-one-without-playing-in-preseason/related/

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বুধবার, ২২ মে, ২০১৩

Wedding dress creator

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Source: http://www.hotgamesforgirls.com/play-wedding-dress-creator.html

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মঙ্গলবার, ২১ মে, ২০১৩

The man who no longer matters

His at-bats used to be riveting; now, nobody's paying attention

Getty Images

This used to be a buzzworthy event. It's not anymore.

By Joe Posnanski

NBCSports.com

updated 10:48 a.m. ET May 20, 2013

The thing that?s strange ? the thing that?s sad ? is how little excitement there is now when he comes to the plate. Let?s go to a moment in Sunday?s Angels-White Sox game. The count is 3-0, and Albert Pujols has the green light. There should be an electrical charge buzzing the air. Only ? really ? there isn?t a buzz. There isn?t a charge. There isn?t anything at all. The thrill-o-meter is at zero.

So strange. So sad. It used to be one of baseball?s great thrills to watch Albert Pujols hit. Whether you were a Cardinals fan or not, you would find yourself marking the pace of games by Albert Pujols' at bats.

Pujols just hit, so he probably won?t come up for another two innings, let?s get a hot dog.

St. Louis is down two, but Pujols is scheduled to hit fourth in the eighth.

Hey, the Cardinals avoiding the double play means Pujols will get up one more time before the game?s over.

Stuff like that. Here are the top five players in baseball history after 10 years in Batting Wins Above Replacement ? so, perhaps, the five best hitters after 10 seasons (the slash statistics are batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage):

Ted Williams: .347/.484/.633 with 366 doubles, 323 homers, 1,261 RBIs, 1,273 runs, 83.7 WAR.

Albert Pujols: .331/.426/.624 with 426 doubles, 408 homers, 1,230 RBIs, 1186 runs, 81.1 WAR.

Babe Ruth: .346/.477/.701 with 271 doubles, 305 homers, 932 RBIs, 969 runs, 78.8 WAR.

Stan Musial: .347/.431/.584 with 373 doubles, 206 homers, 923 RBIs, 1,044 runs, 74 WAR.

Lou Gehrig: .343/.440/.640 with 321 doubles, 267 homers, 1,143 RBIs, 1,075 runs, 65.6 WAR.

Now, Ruth was a pitcher for much of his early career, and Pujols played in a better offensive era than many, but let?s not get too technical about all this. In his first 10 years, Albert Pujols hit more homers than any player ever, and also more doubles.

But the thing that was most striking about Pujols is that he was always exactly as good as he had been the year before. He never had a bad year. He never had anything RESEMBLING a bad year. They called him ?The Machine.? If you take the WORST statistical totals he had those first 10 years ? that is, the lowest batting average he had over those 10 years, the fewest home runs he hit, etc. -- you STILL come up with this season:

.312 average, .394 on-base, .561 slugging, 33 doubles, 34 homers, 117 RBIs, 99 runs.

Repeat: Those are his WORST numbers in those first 10 years. The guy was a first-ballot Hall of Famer on his worst day.

And he was thrilling to watch hit. He stood at the plate with that wide stance ? he looked so sturdy and immovable, like he was magnetically connected with the batters? box. He was like a marble statue up there.

The pitcher would throw a ball just off the plate, and Pujols would not only refuse to swing, he would look down and kick at the dirt as if the pitch had never happened, as if it was not even worthy of his disdain. Then, when the right pitch came, his pitch, he would unleash with such ferocity you could almost see the cartoon exclamation points dancing around the collision of bat and ball. Everyone has a Pujols example. He was always one swing away from inspiring awe.

That made him exciting, riveting, one of those athletes who could stop time ? and now it?s just gone. It isn?t just that Albert Pujols is hitting .241, slugging about 200 points below his career average and striking out more than he?s walking again. By now, we must have gotten used to Pujols slow starts.

Through May 3, 2011: .231/.298/.419 with seven homers.

Through May 14, 2012: .197/.255/.275 with one homer.

Through May 19, 2013: .241/.313/.418 with seven homers.

Each of the last two seasons, he hit well enough the last four-plus months of the season to end up with strong numbers. Last year, for instance, after May 14 he hit .312/.374/.589 with 42 doubles and 29 homers. You have to believe that he will start hitting again at some point.

But, even assuming he does again find the range, even assuming he has a few more productive years, the truth is that Pujols has entered a different phase of his career. After years of being the best player in baseball, Pujols is now sort of beside the point.

Look: He is 33 years old, just beginning a $240 million contract, and he?s playing for an overpriced and kind of dreadful team that looks like it was built by a rotisserie baseball beginner who ran out at the last minute and bought three fantasy baseball magazines. He looks hurt. He looks tired. He looks out of place. He looks ? well, truth is, who is even looking anymore?

Miguel Cabrera, who for years had to deal with being kind of a poor-man?s Albert, won the Triple Crown, something Pujols could never quite do. He?s the one who inspires awe now. St. Louis, the team and town he had come to represent, has gone on without him, and the Cardinals have the second-best record in baseball. And Pujols is not even the most exciting or interesting player on his own team.

You tell me: If you are a young Angels fan, who will you associate with and whose jersey will you buy ? Albert Pujols or Mike Trout?

It wasn?t supposed to happen like this. Few players in baseball history have worked as hard as Albert Pujols to achieve greatness. He was doubted every step of his life. He moved to Kansas City from the Dominican Republic when he was young, and everyone always whispered that he was older than he said. As a high schooler, he hit legendary home runs his average topped .500 ? but he was not even on the Kansas City?s Star?s all-metro first team, and he was not drafted. He went to Maple Woods Community College and crushed the ball with such ferocity that no self-respecting scout could possibly miss it ? he hit .461 with 22 homers in 40 games and, according to legend, did not strike out a single time. But scouts did miss it. Pujols was not drafted until the 13th round by the Cardinals.

Eighteen months later, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa got his first good look at Pujols. His mind was utterly blown. Pujols played every day in St. Louis and had one of the greatest rookie years in baseball history. He was better every year after that.

He was driven by the doubters, spurred by the skepticism, galvanized by people?s pessimism. He talked often about his faith and how God awakened and strengthened him. He spent hours swinging bats in the cage. He cut out anything at all that might be a distraction. And he became the best player in baseball. Then, he became the best player in baseball again. Then he became the best player in baseball again.

It was a never-ending cycle for him. They said he was slow ? he stole 16 bases the next year. They said he struck out too much ? he started to annually appear in the Top 10 for fewest strikeouts per at-bat. They said his defense was a liability ? he won two Gold Gloves and almost certainly deserved a few more.

Then, two years ago, he was a free agent and, he did not think the Cardinals respected him enough. Their first offer to him was insultingly low (well, relatively speaking, it was a five-year deal for $130 million). The Cardinals seemed to want him on the cheap (well, relatively speaking, $210 million with a bunch of it deferred). There?s no way to get into Pujols? mind but you suspect he thought that, as the best player in baseball, he deserved the most money in baseball.

He got $240 million. He will be getting an average of almost $28 million a deal for the next eight years. Other than Alex Rodriguez?s insane contracts ? which brought their own pain ? it was the highest baseball deal ever signed.

But, there?s a cost too. And the cost is ? well, back to Sunday?s game. It is Angels and White Sox, a couple of sub-.500 teams, and the count is 3-0. The Angels announcer points out that Pujols does not often swing 3-0, but this is a good time to swing if the pitch is right. Sure. Swing away! The air is warm, meaning the ball will travel if hit right. The Angels re up comfortably. Here is a chance for Albert to break out of a slump, to get a little greedy, to give the fans a thrill.

The pitch is right. Pujols unleashes the swing. There are no cartoon exclamation points. Instead, he pops up to the shortstop, completing his 0-for-4 day. There will be better days, of course. But the big thing, is nobody really seems to notice. Nobody really seems to care. That?s the cost.

Joe Posnanski is the national columnist for NBC Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JPosnanski. Click here to subscribe to Joe's stories.

? 2013 NBC Sports.com? Reprints

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The man who no longer matters

Posnanski: Albert Pujols' at-bats used to be buzzworthy, must-watch events. Now, they're not. Here's the result of his struggles the past few years.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51937226/ns/sports-baseball/

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সোমবার, ২০ মে, ২০১৩

Autism vaccine scare leads to measles epidemic in UK

LONDON (AP) ? More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease.

This year, the U.K. has had more than 1,200 cases of measles, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases last year. The country once recorded only several dozen cases every year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania.

Last month, emergency vaccination clinics were held every weekend in Wales, the epicenter of the outbreak. Immunization drives have also started elsewhere in the country, with officials aiming to reach 1 million children aged 10 to 16.

"This is the legacy of the Wakefield scare," said Dr. David Elliman, spokesman for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, referring to a paper published in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues.

That work suggested a link between autism and the combined childhood vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, called the MMR. Several large scientific studies failed to find any connection, the theory was rejected by at least a dozen major U.K. medical groups and the paper was eventually retracted by the journal that published it.

Still, MMR immunization rates plummeted across the U.K. as fearful parents abandoned the vaccine ? from rates over 90 percent to 54 percent.

Nearly 15 years later, the rumors about MMR are still having an impact. Now there's "this group of older children who have never been immunized who are a large pool of infections," Elliman said.

The majority of those getting sick in the U.K. ? including a significant number of older children and teens ? had never been vaccinated. Almost 20 of the more than 100 seriously ill children have been hospitalized and 15 have suffered complications including pneumonia and meningitis. One adult with measles has died, though it's unclear if it was the disease that killed him.

The first measles vaccines were introduced in the 1960s, which dramatically cut cases of the rash-causing illness. Since 2001, measles deaths have dropped by about 70 percent worldwide; Cambodia recently marked more than a year without a single case.

Globally, though, measles is still one of the leading causes of death in children under 5 and kills more than 150,000 people every year, mostly in developing countries. Measles is highly contagious and is spread by coughing, sneezing and close personal contact with infected people; symptoms include a fever, cough, and a rash on the face.

Across the U.K., about 90 percent of children under 5 are vaccinated against measles and have received the necessary two doses of the vaccine. But among children now aged 10 to 16, the vaccination rate is slightly below 50 percent in some regions.

To stop measles outbreaks, more than 95 percent of children need to be fully immunized. In some parts of the U.K., the rate is still below 80 percent.

Unlike in the United States, where most states require children to be vaccinated against measles before starting school, no such regulations exist in Britain. Parents are advised to have their children immunized, but Britain's Department of Health said it had no plans to consider introducing mandatory vaccination.

Last year, there were 55 reported cases of measles in the United States, where the measles vaccination rate is above 90 percent. So far this year, there have been 22 cases, including three that were traced to Britain. In previous years, the U.K. has sometimes exported more cases of measles to the U.S. than some countries in Africa.

Portia Ncube, a health worker at an East London clinic, said the struggle to convince parents to get the MMR shot is being helped by the measles epidemic in Wales.

"They see what's happening in Wales, so some of them are now sensible enough to come in and get their children vaccinated," she said.

Clinic patient Ellen Christensen, mother of an infant son, acknowledged she had previously had some "irrational qualms" about the MMR vaccine.

"But after reading more about it, I know now that immunization is not only good for your own child, it's good for everyone," she said.

___

Online:

Public Health England's Measles website:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/Measles/

AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/measles-surges-uk-years-vaccine-scare-100011003.html

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শনিবার, ১৮ মে, ২০১৩

Book Review : Robot Futures by Illah Reza Nourbakhsh

By Illah Reza Nourbakhsh

Web edition: May 16, 2013
Print edition: June 1, 2013; Vol.183 #11 (p. 30)

A robotics professor ponders the societal implications of living with robots as part of daily life and offers a vision for a harmonious future.

MIT, 2013, 133 p., $24.95

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350516/title/Book_Review__Robot_Futures_by_Illah__Reza_Nourbakhsh

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৬ মে, ২০১৩

Under Armour Armour39 Review: Beast Mode Unlocked

I know what you're thinking and no, this is not another sportswear company entering the wearable tech arena to cash in on all of you suckers. This is different, and that's a good thing.

First revealed back in 2011 at the NFL Combine, the then called E39 was embedded in a shirt that tracked an athlete's heart rate and g force during acceleration, among other things. Fast forward to earlier this year and the consumer debut of the Armour39. It's not an activity tracker, like a FuelBand or Fitbit, but an electronic performance aide that tells you how hard you're working when you're working it out.

Design

Heart rate monitors like the Armour39 (A39) aren't new per se. Polar and Garmin have been making chest-worn monitors for quite a while. Even Motorola makes one for its MotoActiv line. And the A39 is really no different except for the usual (and somewhat obnoxious) in-your-face Under Armour graphics and branding.

That aside, the A39 chest strap is relatively comfortable to wear and rarely slips down the torso once you've figured out the right size. The front of the strap can be a bit stiff at first but it softens after a couple wears.

The module that collects your biometric data is a half-dollar sized, replaceable battery-powered, Bluetooth disc that you insert into the strap before a workout. It even does an Iron Man impression and flashes when you've successfully connected the iOS app before your workout starts, like so.

Under Armour says the module's battery will last dozens upon dozens of hours. And because it's powered by a CR2032 battery, swapping it out is a piece of cake. Just be sure to pop it out of the strap when you're done, so it doesn't drain the battery more than is necessary. And hang dry the strap.

Using It

To start, you'll need to pair the A39 with your iOS device and the app to undergo a 10-minute, five-part assessment, which collects your resting heart rate, max heart rate and other things in between. This baseline data helps UA analyze each workout and whether or not you're hitting your WILLpower goal, which, by the way, is an option you can flick on or off. Like any other chest strap, it needs to be wetted down before it's strapped on.

Your WILLpower score or goal is set by you and measures your level of exertion based on how hard your heart is working. You might sweat a lot when you work out but that doesn't accurately measure whether or not you're working hard enough. If your ticker isn't in the zone?based on your age/gender/etc.?then what's the point of exercising? During your workout, you'll see the below stats in real time. You'll know when you're in the zone when everything that's green?your heart rate?turns to red indicating that you're in an optimal heart rate zone.

When you're done, you'll see this.

Because of the nature of heart rate monitors like this, the A39 wasn't exactly the easiest thing to compare against similar devices. You can't really wear two chest straps at once. I tried. It did not go well. In any event, I used Polar's FT60 as a parallel and found that the data captured was more or less the same. There weren't any noticeable spikes or dips during my usual two mile run and the data captured by both were more or less the same. But it's a lot easier to look at your phone than your wrist and that tiny little display with all the bells whistles that the FT60 comes with.

Like

As a performance monitor, the A39 is about as motivating as a personal trainer screaming in your face to get your knees up and not to break form. There's nothing better than seeing your level of intensity and heart rate in real time. There's simply no room for bullshit. You either worked out or dicked off.

You don't always have to have your iOS device on you while working out either. The module will collect up to 16 hours of data before it needs to be offloaded, says Under Armour.

Dislike

As much as I thought WILLpower was going to be a thing. It was a secondary feature to seeing actual biometric feedback. I didn't work out any harder because I wanted to reach my WILLpower score. I wanted to work out harder because I could see that my heart rate wasn't in the zone.

Audible cues would have been a nice 1.0 addition, like in Nike's Running app. Constantly looking at your phone isn't always conducive for certain types of exercise.

No Android app? No Android app.

Should You Buy It?

This is not, I repeat, this is not an activity tracker like the FuelBand, UP or Fitbits of the world. This isn't meant to be worn all day. If you're looking to better measure and tweak your workout sessions, then this is the monitor to get.The A39 as is will set you back $150. But if you don't have an iOS device, then you'll have to shell out an extra $200 for the accompanying watch, which doesn't appear to be live on the company's site just yet. Compare that to Garmin or Polar (depending on the model) and $350 for both isn't all that crazy sounding.

With summer just around the bend, it's time to get that winter body in order and with the A39, you'll get there in no time. [Under Armour]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/under-armour-armour39-review-beast-mode-unlocked-506284006

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Gilles Jacob: Cannes: Film Festival or Festival of Films?

When people with bloodshot eyes meet in one place to screen films, it is the custom to call this gathering a film festival.

Contrary to popular belief, it was not the Lumi?re brothers who invented the cinematograph, but the mathematician Archimedes (287-212 BC).

According to Archimedes, indeed, any film thrown into a festival receives, by the notoriety given to it by this presentation, a thrust equal to:

2013-05-10-formulearchimede.jpeg


The film considered is thus attributed a new surge of glory for its director, revenue for the producer and a ranking in the Guinness book of records for the work itself.

What are the characteristics purporting to justify the denomination "festival film"?

2013-05-10-Platoraphael2.jpgUnlike the works of great directors, a festival film is designed for the sole purpose of being selected for one of these international festivals, of which the Cannes Film Festival is the nec plus ultra, if we are to believe Plato of Athens ( 427-348 BC). The same Plato whose myth of the cave allowed him to claim the invention of the film theater.

The contenders for the title of festival film long believed it was enough to imagine out-of-the- ordinary roles to cause programmers, critics, jurors and spectators of this demented concoction to gape in admiration: between fallen sister and addicted sister, who will therefore prevail, Bette Davis or Joan Crawford, with her contortions and blood and thunder posturing, gesticulations and vehemence? Everything that ostentation -- and even worse, pretention -- can do to be noticed and admired.

That can be the stance of the twisted hunchback, with whom all post-Charles Laughton Quasimodo can identify; it can be a rape in a subway corridor, simulated or not, with the unfortunate Monica Bellucci writhing beneath the vile attacker; it could be Jack Nicholson when he raises his eyebrows the way a flamenco dancer raises her skirt; or finally it could be an articulated shark, whose jerking fins show it has fangs, Oh President Spielberg!

In short, everything that serves to magnify the cardinal virtue of the festival film, starting with exaggeration. Excess in all its forms.

At other times, the festival film quiets down, and the subterfuge takes a different form. Now it's all internalized expressions; sobriety is of the essence, minimalism on show. Meryl Streep's imperceptibly quivering nostril in The Bridges of Madison County just as the peak of emotion is meant to be reached, and the top prize is pre-empted.

Admittedly, a tear sometimes formed in the corner of the selection committee's dry eyes, but we always ended up by finding somebody insensitive enough to shout "Oh no! Not for me..." And the film was not chosen, because it is so true one person's opinion expressed categorically can tip the balance in favor of disfavor.

The snobbery of the "art film" appeared around 1910-1920, then of the "avant-garde film", and so on, from one genre to the next, but by the time we realized they existed, the trend was over, demonstrating once again with Euclid (300 BC) that the sum of prime numbers does continue to infinity, i.e.:

2013-05-10-formuleeuclyde.jpeg


This is why, after so many attempts, the concept of the festival film fell by the wayside and we returned to the practice of making, quite simply, the best films possible.

Which was already not so bad after all.

Translated and cross-posted from the original French on Le Huffington Post.

?

Follow Gilles Jacob on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jajacobbi

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gilles-jacob/cannes-film-festival_b_3273316.html

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Chris Hadfield: Space Chef In Chief

Amid the media phenomenon that is Commander Chris Hadfield, you may have overlooked his turn as the International Space Station's top chef.

The Canadian astronaut, who landed back on Earth Monday along with two other ISS crew members, wasn't just hamming it up during his five months in space. (Although ham it up he did: In the last couple of days, his rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," shot in orbit, has gotten nearly 7 million YouTube views.) While still aboard the space station, Hadfield also took the time to enlighten viewers on the intricacies of meal prep in space.

"In the early days of space exploration," he informs us in one video, "food was mostly squeezed out of tubes and brought up in dehydrated packets. But today, we can have quite a variety of food. ... We just need some minor adaptations."

Such as swapping tortillas for bread when making sandwiches ? mostly, he explains, because bread makes crumbs, and in space, crumbs don't fall, they float away. Apparently, the tortillas that astronauts eat are specially packaged in an oxygen-free environment, which makes them "good for 18 months."

Still, dehydrated foods remain a reality of astronaut menus, as Hadfield demonstrates in another video on prepping spinach (just add water). While it's great to see our space cadets getting in their vegetables, you'd be hard-pressed to call the mushy green concoction that Hadfield displays before the camera appetizing.

So in the scheme of things, perhaps it's a blessing of sorts that in space, astronauts lose their sense of smell ? a key factor in how we experience the flavor of food ? and get a hankering for hot sauce. Faced with that spinach dish, we'd probably reach for the Tabasco, too.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/14/183942357/chris-hadfield-space-chef-in-chief?ft=1&f=1007

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