agnes murmuring: 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

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Monday, December 17, 2012

Bodum's New Bistro Stand Mixer Has Me Itching to Bake

Bodum makes really great accessories for the kitchen, and it's just expanded that selection with the Bistro Electric stand mixer $400. Huh, suddenly I have the urge to make a giant batch of cookies. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wO-WefMryY8/bodums-new-bistro-stand-mixer-has-me-itching-to-bake

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Your Cellphone Is Spying on You - Reason.com

Big Brother has been outsourced. The police can find out where you are, where you?ve been, even where you?re going. All thanks to that handy little human tracking device in your pocket: your cellphone.?

Shootings rant tied to Morgan Freeman is hoax

Justin Lane / EPA file

By Bruna Nessif, E! Online

Many people -- including celebrities?-- have spoken out on the horrific tragedy that struck Newtown, Conn., on Friday, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire and killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

However, Morgan Freeman is not one of those people. The actor has not released a comment on the incident that took place a few days ago, despite numerous stories?reporting otherwise.?

The lengthy quote attributed to Freeman is indeed a hoax.

President Obama tears up when addressing Connecticut shooting

"Morgan neither made statements or posted those statements. We are trying to find out who did, but they did not originate from him," the actor's rep told E! News.

So what did the Oscar winner allegedly say?

Celebrity response to Sandy Hook shooting: gun control demands, outrage toward NRA

The remark floating around online that was said to be from Freeman stated the following: "You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why. It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody."

"Dark Knight Rises: shooting: Aftermath of a tragedy

The falsely-attributed quote continued, "CNN's article says that if the body count 'holds up,' this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next. You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

-- Reporting by Marcus Mulick

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/12/17/15967201-morgan-freeman-did-not-blame-the-media-for-newtown-shootings?lite

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Free Printable Gift Wrap Designs

Free Printable Gift Wrap Designs We've covered how to make custom printable gift wrap before but if you like the idea but need a source for geeky or holiday-themed gift wrap designs weblog Mini Eco has you covered.

Right now there are two series of printable papers?the black and white has less holiday themes in lieu of using Pac-Man ghosts, raindrops, and lightning bolts which are great for your geeky friends or those who don't like the holiday theme. The gray and white "cross stitch" series has traditional reindeer, snowflake, and crown designs all made to look like pixel cross stitches along with a Space Invaders cross stitch design.

These may or may not be to your taste but if you need a quick wrap for a last-minute gift they're certainly better than running out for commercial giftwrap.

Cross stitch wrap {printable} | Mini Eco via Apartment Therapy

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/CXT3W5HNu8Q/free-printable-gift-wrap-designs

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Saturday, December 8, 2012

Yellow Fever Outbreak Africa's Worst in Decades: WHO

Since September 2, there have been 732 suspected yellow fever cases in Darfur, including 165 deaths, said a separate report from WHO and Sudan's health ministry.

Outbreaks in other countries have been smaller because their routine vaccination programmes have started to include yellow fever, whereas Darfur had never had vaccinations for the virus until last month, Banerjee said.

That has left the population with no immunity.

"Anyone would be at risk," he said.

Source-AFP

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/9erQ2MCpUk0/yellow-fever-outbreak-africas-worst-in-decades-who-111095-1.htm

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Obama accepting corporate cash for inaugural

After the most expensive campaign in U.S. history, President Obama is dropping his principled objection to some forms of political fundraising to help pay for the post-election party.

ABC News has learned that the Presidential Inaugural Committee will accept unlimited corporate donations to help fund Obama's inauguration festivities next month, reversing a voluntary ban on the money he imposed on the inaugural four years ago and during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Obama will also allow individuals to contribute up to the legal maximum for the 2013 inauguration - $250,000 - lifting a $50,000 cap he voluntarily imposed in 2008, sources said.

The shift appeared to be driven by fundraising challenges in the wake of a multi-billion dollar campaign. Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney each raised north of $1 billion for the election cycle - historic highs - according to Federal Election Commission filings released Thursday.

Obama's 2009 inaugural celebration cost $47 million.

Officials said cost considerations for the 2013 festivities would mean less elaborate events than four years ago. There will not be a star-studded concert on the National Mall, for example, and there will be fewer inaugural balls.

A spokeswoman for the committee said Obama will still not accept donations from lobbyists or PACs, or allow any individuals or corporations to formally sponsor specific inaugural events, such as the parade.

"Our goal is to make sure that we will meet the fundraising requirements for this civic event after the most expensive presidential campaign in history," said Addie Whisenant. "To ensure continued transparency, all names of donors will be posted to a regularly updated website."

Whisenant told ABC News that the Inaugural Committee will "fully vet" all individual and corporate donors and that "contributions from those not meeting the vetting standard will not be accepted." Among those barred by law are foreign nationals and corporations; the committee says it will also reject funds from companies that have outstanding TARP payments.

Obama's reversal is not the first time he has dropped self-imposed campaign financing rules meant to "change business as usual in Washington." Earlier this year, Obama dropped his long-standing opposition to super PACs, giving his approval for top aides to support Priorities USA Action. During the 2008 campaign, he broke a standing promise to accept public financing for the general election.

The Inaugural weekend will kick off on Saturday, Jan. 19, with a National Day of Service that will include participation from the First Family, Vice President Biden, and members of the Cabinet - a tradition started by the Obamas in 2009.

On Jan. 20, as is constitutionally required, Obama will be sworn in during a private ceremony. A public-swearing in, parade and inaugural balls will take place on Monday, Jan. 21.

Leading the fundraising effort for inauguration are four of Obama's most loyal surrogates and financiers: Former ambassador Matt Barzun, the Obama campaign's national finance chair and a top bundler; actress Eva Longoria, an Obama campaign co-chair and bundler; Jane Stetson, finance chairwoman of the DNC; and businessman Frank White.

News of Obama's shift on inaugural financing was first reported by Politico's Donovan Slack.

UPDATE: A nonpartisan government watchdog group, Public Citizen, assailed Obama's decision to accept unlimited corporate funding for his 2013 inauguration, calling the arrangement "Obama Inc."

"The American people have a right to expect something other than an inauguration brought to them by Bank of America," said Public Citizen president Robert Weissman.

"Every corporation's donations create a conflict of interest, because they all have business before the government in one way or the other," he said. "The problem with donations from lobbyists is that they expect something in return for their contribution. The situation is exactly the same with corporate contributors, virtually all of whom employ lobbyists."

Weissman called it doubly disappointing that the "corporate-funded" inaugural activities will fall on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in "Citizens United," which opened the door to unlimited corporate spending in campaigns - a decision Obama has decried.

Public Citizen appealed to Obama last week with a petition of 30,000 signatures to refuse corporate money for the inauguration.

This post has been updated.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Scientists identify genes that predict whether trastuzumab will work for breast cancer patients

ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2012) ? Adding the drug trastuzumab to chemotherapy prevents cancer recurrence and improves survival in a large number of women with early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. But trastuzumab does not stop tumors from returning in about 25 percent of patients -- and oncologists haven't been able to identify these women before treatment. This situation may soon change, according to a Mayo Clinic study being presented at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

A team of U.S. researchers, led by oncologists at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, have discovered 27 genes that are significantly associated with a good outcome with concurrent use of trastuzumab and chemotherapy, as well as five other genes linked to a poor outcome using the same treatment regimen.

Results of their study -- believed to be the first to use gene expression profiling to predict outcome to trastuzumab as part of adjuvant breast cancer therapy -- offer a number of future potential benefits, says Edith Perez, M.D., deputy director at large of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Breast Cancer Translational Genomics Program at Mayo Clinic.

"These findings also are getting us closer to unraveling the biological factors that are relevant to patient outcome, which will help us improve clinical care," Dr. Perez says.

For example, the discovery may help scientists devise a genetic test that can help oncologists select the best treatment for their HER2-positive patients, she says.

Further analysis will illuminate the inner biological workings of individual HER2-positive tumors, which could provide clues for novel treatments, Dr. Perez adds. The researchers have already found that the genes linked to outcome can be grouped into different categories that affect tumor functioning, such as cell cycle, cell death, cell receptor signaling, and gene transcription.

Dr. Perez and her team plan to validate their findings through collaborations with researchers in the United States and Europe who have led other trastuzumab clinical studies.

"We are on our way to developing a predictive test that can define the right treatment for individual patients, and that is very exciting," she says.

The study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and Mayo Clinic, with further support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the 26.2 with Donna Foundation. The N9831 clinical trial was conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group, now part of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. Dr. Perez is a group vice chair for the Alliance.

The study's co-authors include researchers from Mayo Clinic's campuses in Florida, Minnesota and Arizona, Indiana University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the University of Washington, and Ventana Medical Systems-Roche in Tucson, Ariz.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.

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

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/rSn8xIBvy1A/121207225026.htm

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Washington state readies for same-sex marriage

OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A law legalizing same-sex matrimony took effect in Washington state on Thursday, and officials geared up for a flood of marriage-license applications from gay and lesbian couples eager to exchange vows.

Washington made history last month as one of three U.S. states where marriage rights were extended to same-sex couples by popular vote, joining Maryland and Maine in passing ballot initiatives on November 6 recognizing gay nuptials.

Washington became the first of those states to put its law into effect - it became law at the stroke of midnight - and same-sex matrimony is set to go on the books in Maine on December 29 and in Maryland on January 1.

Under Washington state law, all would-be brides and grooms must submit their marriage certificates at least three days in advance. So the first wave of same-sex Washington weddings - expected to number in the hundreds - is scheduled for Sunday.

In Olympia, the state capital, the Thurston County Auditor's Office planned to grant marriage licenses to the 15 same-sex couples who entered a lottery to be served first at midnight. The office was to reopen in the morning to serve others.

"This is an historic occasion," said Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman, a Republican. "Some of these couples have been together for more than 20 or 30 years. It's pretty moving when you hear those stories."

Lisa Brodoff and Lynn Grotsky, partners of nearly 32 years, became the first same-sex couple in Thurston County, and perhaps the state, to receive a marriage license - to the cheers of a crowd of other same-sex couples and supporters.

"We have the greatest feeling of happiness and relief and excitement," said Brodoff, 57, a law professor at Seattle University.

Grotsky, a 56-year-old social worker, said that when she and Brodoff became a couple, they were afraid to tell acquaintances and co-workers that they were lesbians.

"Everything was a fight and a conflict," Grotsky said. "Now it's like we're regular people."

The pair, who hugged and kissed after getting their license, could have tied the knot in one of the six states where same-sex marriage was already legal, but wanted to wait until they could marry in their home state.

SAVING THAT DATE

In Seattle, about 150 same-sex couples lined up outside county offices shortly before midnight, waiting in a festive atmosphere for the doors to open to obtain marriage licenses. Some sat in lawn chairs and others brought late-night picnics.

While heterosexual couples face difficulties enough picking an ideal time and place for their nuptials, the fraught politics of same-sex marriage in Washington state made it even trickier for gay and lesbian couples to plan ahead.

The Democratic-controlled state legislature passed a bill to legalize gay marriage in February, and Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire swiftly signed it into law.

But opponents collected enough signatures to temporarily block the measure from taking effect and force the issue onto the state ballot in November. Voters passed it by 54 percent to 46 percent.

"It feels like we're on even ground," said Derek Hoffman, 33, who received a license in Olympia to marry his partner of 10 years, Chris Waterman, 35. "Like not being less than other people."

Olympia residents Tina Roose and Teresa Guajardo said they would wait until December 15 to marry, having reserved the majestic state Capitol rotunda for a pre-Christmas wedding ceremony.

The uncertainty of the ballot initiative process proved a bit of a nail-biter as Roose and Guajardo waited for the election results to see if they could keep their reservation.

"I am able to marry the person that I love," Roose said. She said the couple had invited others, both gay and straight, to tie the knot alongside them at the Capitol.

"I just ran into a colleague today at a grocery," added Roose, a retired librarian. "She was so excited. She asked all the typical questions like, 'What are you going to wear?'"

As for those who voted against same-sex marriage, Roose said she hoped they would be won over "with love."

"You can only change people's attitudes one heart at a time," she said.

(Additional reporting by Laura L. Myers in Seattle; Editing by Steve Gorman, Cynthia Johnston, Jon Boyle and Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/washington-state-gears-wave-same-sex-marriage-applications-022251143.html

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Holiday shopping goes round-the-clock at Macy's

22 hrs.

Patrick Rizzo , NBC News

When does a one-day sale last 48 hours? When its Macy's and it's the last shopping weekend before Christmas.

The retailer announced Thursday that it plans to keep all of its stores open nationwide for 48 straight hours beginning Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 a.m. through Sunday, Dec. 23 at 7 a.m. Macy's also?said that although what it's calling the "One Day Sale" ends at 7 a.m. Sunday, stores will stay open for the remainder of the day, most until midnight.

And if you're the kind of person?who enjoys the contact sport of late, last minute shopping, Macy's said that 57 of its stores will remain open 24-hours, or with extended hours, until its stores close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Many retailers made the unprecedented move to open their stores extra early on Thanksgiving to capture more shoppers seeking Black Friday deals. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, opened its doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening, barely giving people time to put down the drumsticks before they dashed off to shop. That was two hours earlier than Wal-Mart stores?had opened the year before.

Some people have criticized retailers for extended hours on holidays, saying that it interferes with family time for shoppers and for workers.?

In prior years, Macy's had extended hours over the last weekend before Christmas at some of its stores. This is the first time that it will do that at all of its locations. Macy's has 800 locations in 45 states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/holiday-shopping-goes-round-clock-macys-1C7464611

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Video: Obama family lights National Christmas Tree

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/50110613/

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Pentagon begins planning for massive budget cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Defense Department has begun planning for the roughly $500 billion in personnel and program cuts over a decade that will be needed if Congress and the White House fail to reach a deal that would avoid the double hit of tax hikes and automatic spending reductions dubbed the "fiscal cliff."

Department spokesman George Little said the cuts would be "devastating to our national defense."

As the White House and members of Congress continue to wrangle over how best to find as much as $1.2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years to avert the fiscal cliff, Little said the Pentagon started more detailed discussions this week on how to slash 9.4 percent of its budget across the board.

He said cuts that deep could force the department to throw out its new military strategy, and cut weapons and technology programs, and it could hamper the department's ability to provide for its troops and their families.

He added that the department also is beginning to figure out how it will prepare and inform about 3 million military, civilian and contract workers about the cuts, if they occur.

For months, Pentagon officials have insisted they were not planning for the massive budget cuts that would automatically kick in after the first of the year if the White House and Congress doesn't strike a deal. But with less than a month to go and no deal in sight, those evaluations have begun in earnest.

According to guidance sent out by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Pentagon will have to slice nearly 10 percent off more than 80 accounts, including more than $4 billion off Air Force aircraft and maintenance, $2.1 billion off Navy shipbuilding; $6.7 billion off Army operations, $3.2 billion off health programs and $1.3 billion out of the Afghan security forces funding.

About $55 billion of the $500 billion in cuts would come in the first year.

The Pentagon would have some flexibility in deciding how to find the money in each of those broad categories; for instance officials could leave the aircraft carrier fleet intact and take the money out of other types of ships in the pipeline.

If the White House and lawmakers are able to avoid the fiscal cliff, the military still likely will be looking at as much as an additional $10 billion to $15 billion in cuts in projected defense spending each year for the next decade. It's a prospect that Republicans recognize is the new reality, with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ending and deficits demanding deep cuts.

Already this year, the Pentagon revamped its military strategy as part of last year's deficit-cutting law that ordered an initial $487 billion in spending cuts over the next 10 years.

A proposal that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other Republican leaders sent to the White House this week calls for cuts of $300 billion in discretionary spending to achieve savings of $2.2 trillion over 10 years. The blueprint offered no specifics on the cuts, although the Pentagon and defense-related departments such as Homeland Security and State make up roughly half of the federal government's discretionary spending.

"Not too devastating," said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"My job is to stop sequestration," McCain said, using the budgetary term for the automatic cuts.

Pentagon spending still has its congressional protectors, especially with job-producing weapons, aircraft and ships built in nearly every corner of the country. In the past decade, the base defense budget has nearly doubled, from $297 billion in 2001 to more than $520 billion. The amount does not include the billions spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The cuts Obama and Congress are talking about would be to projected spending that envisioned Pentagon budgets rising to levels of more than $700 billion a year in a decade. Tea partyers and fiscal conservatives recently elected to Congress have shown a willingness to cut defense, traditionally considered almost untouchable.

"We understand that in getting to an agreement that drives down the debt ... that there are going to be cuts," said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., president of the 2010 freshman class in the House. "Making cuts strategically makes sense. Doing it through sequestration does not make sense.

Any deal between Obama and Boehner that avoids the fiscal cliff and reduces the deficit will still face some resistance among rank-and-file lawmakers over defense cuts, especially in the House. The reductions will be particularly hard for GOP lawmakers who were counting on Mitt Romney to win the White House and try to reverse the cuts in defense.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-05-Fiscal%20Cliff-Defense/id-461379e4274b49faa1e1e33e5017686c

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Economist: Go over "fiscal cliff" if it means a better deal (cbsnews)

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Technology of Midnight Run

This is a cyberpunk RP set in 2112 about a group of working together to prevent a terrorist plot. That?s the starting point anyway, it?s cyberpunk so expect a of bit existential angst, jaded characters and augmentations.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Midnight Run?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
In any Sci-fi setting the Tech is important, in cyberpunk though it?s all about high tech being involved with low lives. I guess that?s why I like cyberpunk as a setting it mirrors how we actually use technology as opposed to how we should. The internet for example started out as a way for academics to communicate now we use it look at naked celebrities while Nigerian princes ask us for a few quid. Cyber punk is like that it?s about subversive uses for high tech.

This list is not exhaustive and I?m totally open to suggestions.

Terraforming.

This technology was developed by Doctor Gary Schafer who?s name is frequently mentioned beside the likes of Newtown and Einstein. The basic idea is that it?s not feasible to generate a magnetosphere which means that the solar wind will instantly blow away an atmosphere. Therefore someone came up with the idea to contain atmospheres in craters. The craters provide some cover from the solar wind and so long as the Atmosphere was continuously replenished life is possible.

Plant growth became possible thanks a barrage of nutrient enhancers, genetic modification and hydroponics.

M-Gates

The M-Gates were a result of experiments into M-theory and Nano-computing by BC Industries. They found that through quantum manipulation they were able to drastically cut down the travelling distance between locations. A trip to Mars from Earth takes around five days. The experience of travelling through an M-gate and into M-space (Known colloquially as ?the in-between? or ?The Big White?) is quite odd. Ships have no sensor readings are out of contact with everything else and surrounded by a blinding white light. Outside of the ship is a perfect vacuum, there is no gravity no inertia and it?s impossibly cold. Those inside the ship will feel like the ship is not moving at all. If two are side by side and go through at exactly the same time they will emerge at the same time however they will not be side by side in M-Space each ship makes that trip alone. Occasionally people decide to commit suicide by stepping out of their ship while in M-Space nothing dramatic happens their body just comes out the other side. If you had a long enough oxygen and water supply you could make the trip in a Spacesuit. It would be very boring though.

Musclesuit

The Musclesuit was a precursor to augmentation technology but is still popular. It?s basically a skin tight bodysuit that is often worn under clothing. It?s made from woven Nanotubes that work in conjunction with the users own muscles to give massively increased endurance, speed and strength. These days there are countless models, makes and derivatives designed for a multitude of activities. Like Augments however there are limits placed of civilian models however there is a thriving black market.

A Musclesuit, while offering lots of advantages over a vanilla human is not as versatile as an augmented human or a Synth but you don?t have to mutilate yourself to wear one.

Augmentation.

Robotics has come a long way and now even Synths are almost indistinguishable from humans yet possess capabilities far advanced of the of a human. The limit is so long as a you have a spinal Colum connected to a brain you can have a brand new body. Not everyone goes this far though choosing instead to just have new limbs or individual organs. Of course there are detractors who view cutting a perfectly good leg off in favour of a robotic one as a little crazy. Who?s to say who?s right and who?s wrong?

As mentioned above the augments can be indistinguishable from others but this assumes you are willing to pay for a good job. Augments come in variety of models to suit all price ranges from Bargain basement to Premium designer labels. Additionally some people don?t want to look human which has led to many peculiar subcultures popping up.

Artificial Intelligence.

Since the creation of AIs they?ve cropped up everywhere from cars to helping to run billion dollar industries. AIs can be limited in their intelligence and given certain parameters in which they are allowed to act for example an AI piloting a ship will have certain situations where it will be unable to act without a designated human in the room, for example when using weapons however increasingly more responsibility is being put in the hands of AIs since they received personhood.

Synthetics.

These are AI?s that have been given bodies for a variety of reasons but often it?s to fill some kind of role. Synths can have their intelligence limited or enhanced and their actions restricted but their personalities cannot be set or created they must develop over time. So while it?s possible to stop a Synth from physically assaulting someone it?s not possible to prevent the ideation.

Neural Interface.

While opinion is divided over augments the over whelming majority of people have a Neural interface which allows them to interact directly with a limited array of electronic devices. For example a user could access the net remotely, call someone or send them a mail. It works a lot like Bluetooth does as only devices known to the user can be remotely controlled. In addition the neural interface can be used as a HUD that displays map data, weapon information, location information, path finding and whatever else is convenient to the plot.

Getting an interface is a simple procedure using a mixture of Nano machines and tiny augmentations. Like everything else there are numerous companies competing in the market for example Pilots have a far more complex interface than other people. While it?s possible to have traditional controls a lot of pilots are plumping to instead getting a port that jacks them directly into the chip installed in their brain that allows them to pilot their ship. Benefits include faster reaction times and better awareness of the ship in general. The Pilot Augment is also popular with professional gamers who use it speed up their reactions when playing.

Please submit your own suggestions below.

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Winter looming, New York rushes to repair homes hit by superstorm Sandy

Hiring private contractors to repair homes quickly, New York responds to disaster relief in its own entrepreneurial way. Will the city be able to get people back in their homes before year's end?

By Ron Scherer,?Staff writer / December 5, 2012

Marc Alvarez (second from l.) talked with a flood insurance adjuster last month outside his home on Staten Island in New York City. The house was wrecked by superstorm Sandy.

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Enlarge

New York is writing its own chapter on how a big city can respond to a massive disaster ? superstorm Sandy ? that has made tens of thousands of homes unfit to live in.

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The title of the chapter: Let business do it.

For the short term, the city's largest effort involves putting together, at the federal government's expense, private-sector teams of electricians, plumbers, and carpenters who will repair homes while city inspectors monitor the work.

New York is also trying smaller efforts to get people housed, such as recruiting real estate management companies to find empty apartments. And the city has embraced online services such as Airbnb, which is connecting warmhearted New Yorkers who have a spare room with those in need of a warm bed.

All this is being done in a New York minute.

Unlike New Orleans, when it was trying to recover from hurricane Katrina, New York has cold, snowy weather bearing down on it. So it's trying to move fast, with a goal of getting as many people as possible back in their homes by the end of the year.

"We are breaking new ground here. It has never been done this way before," says Corinne Packard, an expert on postcatastrophe reconstruction and an assistant professor at the New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate. "And true to Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg's philosophy, it is private-sector-driven."

In 2005 after Katrina, New Orleans endured months of bickering over who was at fault and whether to rebuild. "In New Orleans there were many missteps," says Wellington Reiter, an architect who at the time was at Tulane University in the city.

Back then, urban planners and advisory groups of architects met with neighborhood community groups in planning sessions, Ms. Packard recalls. "In New York, I haven't seen a plan," she says. "But maybe this is the right way to do this quickly."

New York officials quickly decided that they did not want to set up "Katrina trailers" or other forms of temporary housing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had brought in 145,000 small white mobile homes after Katrina, which were controversial.

In New York, "the way we look at it is that the best temporary housing is permanent housing," says Cas Holloway, the city's deputy mayor for operations.

City officials also realized that they needed to find a more efficient way to get licensed electricians, plumbers, and carpenters to people.

"If everyone picked up the phone and dialed for an electrician or a plumber, you will have an immediate market failure," Mr. Holloway says. Instead, the city decided to hire six very large private contractors that would be divided among the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

"With that kind of efficiency, you will get it done cheaper and faster than if everyone has to do it on their own," the deputy mayor says. As of late November, there were 7,500 requests for so-called Rapid Repairs teams.

The city estimates it will have 500 to 600 teams operating by early December. It takes each team about a day to get heat, hot water, and electricity to a house or apartment. "Our goal is to get as many done this calendar year as possible," Holloway says.

The city's efforts can't come soon enough for Virginia Fernandez and her family, who were living in the Rockaway section of Queens.

Just before Thanksgiving, her home still had seawater in the electric-meter equipment. Ms. Fernandez, her 6-year-old son, her mother, and her husband were keeping warm by running the apartment's gas oven. When the city turned off the gas, most of the family moved temporarily to Harrisburg, Pa., to live with friends. In December Fernandez and her son moved to Manhattan to live with another friend. As of Dec. 2, she says her house in the Rockaways remained without heat and electricity.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ccaVzb9oXlc/Winter-looming-New-York-rushes-to-repair-homes-hit-by-superstorm-Sandy

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

New optical tweezers trap specimens just a few nanometers across

ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2012) ? A microscale technique known as optical trapping uses beams of light as tweezers to hold and manipulate tiny particles. Stanford researchers have found a new way to trap particles smaller than 10 nanometers -- and potentially down to just a few atoms in size -- which until now have escaped light's grasp.

To grasp and move microscopic objects, such as bacteria and the components of living cells, scientists can harness the power of concentrated light to manipulate them without ever physically touching them.

Now, doctoral student Amr Saleh and Assistant Professor Jennifer Dionne, researchers at the Stanford School of Engineering, have designed an innovative light aperture that allows them to optically trap smaller objects than ever before -- potentially just a few atoms in size.

The process of optical trapping -- or optical tweezing, as it is often known -- involves sculpting a beam of light into a narrow point that produces a strong electromagnetic field. The beam attracts tiny objects and traps them in place, just like a pair of tweezers.

Unfortunately, there are natural limits to the technique. The process breaks down for objects significantly smaller than the wavelength of light. Therefore, optical tweezers cannot grasp super-small objects like individual proteins, which are only a couple of nanometers in diameter.

Saleh and Dionne have shown theoretically that light passed through their novel aperture would stably trap objects as small as 2 nanometers. The design was published in the journal Nano Letters, and Saleh is now building a working prototype of the microscopic device.

Agonies of scale

As a materials scientist, Jennifer Dionne imagined an optical tool that would help her precisely move molecular building blocks into new configurations. "Optical tweezers seemed like a really cool way of assembling new materials," she said. Dionne is the paper's senior author.

Unfortunately, existing optical tweezers are not adept at handling these tiny building blocks. "It's been a known for several decades that trapping nano-sized objects with light would be challenging," said Dionne.

The problem is inherent to the light beam itself. Optical trapping typically uses light in the visible spectrum (with wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers) so that scientist can actually see the specimen as they manipulate it.

Due to a physical constraint called the diffraction limit of light, the smallest space in which optical tweezing can trap a particle is approximately half the wavelength of the light beam. In the visible spectrum this would be about 200 nanometers -- half the shortest visible wavelength of 400 nanometers.

Thus, if the specimen in question is only 2 nanometers wide -- the size of a typical protein -- trapping it in a space of 200 nanometers allows only very loose control at best. Scale-wise, it is akin to guiding a minnow with 20-meter-wide fishing net.

Additionally, the optical force that light can exert on an object diminishes as the objects get smaller. "If you want to trap something very small, you need a tremendous amount of power, which will burn your specimen before you can trap it," Saleh said.

Some researchers get around this problem by attaching the specimen to a much larger object that can be dragged around with light. Dionne noted, however, that important molecules like insulin or glucose might behave quite differently when attached to giant anchors than they would on their own. To isolate and move a tiny object without frying it, the researchers needed a way around the limitations of conventional optical trapping.

The promise of plasmonics

Dionne says that the most promising method of moving tiny particles with light relies on plasmonics, a technology that takes advantage of the optical and electronic properties of metals. A strong conductor like silver or gold holds its electrons weakly, giving them freedom to move around near the metal's surface.

When light waves interact with these mobile electrons, they move in what Dionne describes as "a very well-defined, intricate dance," scattering and sculpting the light into electromagnetic waves called plasmon-polaritons. These oscillations have a very short wavelength compared to visible light, enabling them to trap small specimens more tightly.

Dionne and Saleh applied plasmonic principles to design a new aperture that focuses light more effectively. The aperture is structured much like the coaxial cables that transmit television signals, Saleh said. A nanoscale tube of silver is coated in a thin layer of silicon dioxide, and those two layers are wrapped in a second outer layer of silver. When light shines through the silicon dioxide ring, it creates plasmons at the interface where the silver and silicon dioxide meet. The plasmons travel along aperture and emerge on the other end as a powerful, concentrated beam of light.

The Stanford device is not the first plasmonic trap, but it promises to trap the smallest specimens recorded to date. Saleh and Dionne have theoretically shown that their design can trap particles as small as 2 nanometers. With further improvements, their design could even be used to optically trap molecules even smaller.

An optical multi-tool

As nanoscale tools go, this new optical trap would be quite a versatile gadget. While the researchers first envisioned it in the context of materials science, its potential applications span many other fields including biology, pharmacology, and genomics.

Dionne said she would first like to trap a single protein, and try to unravel its twisted structure using visible light alone. Dionne points out that the beam of light could also be used to exert a strong pulling force on stem cells, which has been shown to change how the these important building blocks differentiate into various kinds of cells. Saleh, on the other hand, is particularly excited about moving and stacking tiny particles to explore their attractive forces and create new, "bottom-up" materials and devices.

All this is down the road, however. In the meantime, Saleh is working on turning the design into reality. He hopes to have a prototype by early 2013.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford School of Engineering. The original article was written by Kelly Servick.

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

Journal Reference:

Amr A. E. Saleh, Jennifer A. Dionne. Toward Efficient Optical Trapping of Sub-10-nm Particles with Coaxial Plasmonic Apertures. Nano Letters, 2012; 12 (11): 5581 DOI: 10.1021/nl302627c

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/most_popular/~3/S3kDdvPz7zM/121204154418.htm

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Beyonce To Drop New Music By February

The-Dream hints that the Queen B has new music timed to drop before her 2013 Super Bowl performance.
By Jocelyn Vena

Jay-Z and Beyoncé in the studio
Photo: dopebyaccident tweegram

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698337/beyonce-new-music.jhtml

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Springhill Group Counselling - Talk About Marriage

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Source: http://talkaboutmarriage.com/relationships-spirituality/62187-springhill-group-counselling-counseling-psychotherapy-married-couples.html

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Monday, December 3, 2012

PFT: Sanchez benched, McElroy leads Jets' win

Getty Images

Andrew Luck may be a rookie, but he runs a two-minute drill like a veteran.

Heck, he runs a two-minute drill like a Hall of Famer.

Luck led the Colts on a stunning comeback on Sunday in Detroit, taking a game that the Lions appeared to have in the bag and turning it into an amazing 35-33 come-from-behind win. Although the Lions? defensive line was drilling Luck all day, and the Lions appeared to have the game in hand when they took a 33-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Luck was simply amazing at the end of the game, and on the final play of the fourth quarter, he scrambled out of the pocket to avoid a sack and found Donnie Avery for a 14-yard touchdown.

Overall, Luck was 24-of-54 for 391 yards, with four touchdowns and three interceptions. For most of the game the Lions? defense played well against Luck (Ndamukong Suh was particularly tough, providing constant pressure), but in the end Luck showed his mettle.

It?s a near-certainty that the 8-4 Colts will earn one of the AFC?s two wild card berths. And if the 4-8 Lions had any playoff hopes remaining, those hopes can now be erased.

For the Lions, it?s disappointing to lose a game in which wide receiver Calvin Johnson had a career-high 13 catches, and his 171 yards put him on pace to break the NFL?s all-time single-season receiving yardage record, set by Jerry Rice in 1995. But that?s the kind of team the Lions have been this season: They have talented players, but that talent hasn?t added up to being a good team.

The Colts, on the other hand, are a playoff team. Everyone said Luck was the most NFL-ready passer to enter the NFL since his Indianapolis predecessor, Peyton Manning. It turns out that Luck is even better than advertised.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/02/jets-escape-with-a-win-behind-greg-mcelroy/related/

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Computational Biology Blog in fasta format: Brownian motion ...

I have based this post on a very useful piece of code which basically is the core of my own implementation of a Brownian Motion simulation in R. The original reference code http://landshape.org/enm/r-code-for-brownian-motion/

According to Wikipedia the mathematical model for Brownian motion (also known as random walks) can also be used to describe many phenomena as well as the random movements of minute particles,
such as stock market fluctuations and the evolution of physical characteristics in the fossil record. The simple form of the mathematical model for Brownian motion has the form:

S_t = eS_t-1

where e is drawn from a probability distribution.

The source code is here

After loading the source code, there are two functions:

The first one, brownian will plot in an R graphics window the resulting simulation in an animated way.

The second function, export.brownian will export each step of the simulation in independent PNG files.

Example of running:

> source("brownian.motion.R")
> brownian(500)

The second function will produce this output
> export.brownian(500)
CODE:

# ******************************* # BROWNIAN MOTION SIMULATION # December 2012 | Benjamin Tovar # ******************************* # #   REFERENCES #   http://landshape.org/enm/r-code-for-brownian-motion/ # #   According to Wikipedia the mathematical model for Brownian motion  #   (also known as random walks) can also be used to describe many  #   phenomena as well as the random movements of minute particles,  #   such as stock market fluctuations and the evolution of physical  #   characteristics in the fossil record. The simple form of the  #   mathematical model for Brownian motion has the form: # #    S_t = eS_t-1 # #    where e is drawn from a probability distribution. # #######################################################################  brownian <- function(n.times){     x <- y <- x.new <- y.new <- x.new.p <- y.new.p <- vector()     for(i in 1:n.times){         # Initialize variables         x <- rnorm(1)         y <- rnorm(1)         # concatenate variables          # to increase the vector size         x.new <- c(x.new,x)         y.new <- c(y.new,y)         # sum the vector numbers         x.new.p <- cumsum(x.new)         y.new.p <- cumsum(y.new)           # plot the model         plot(x.new.p,y.new.p,type="b",              main=paste("Brownian motion simulation in R\nTime =",i,sep=" "),              xlab="x coordinates",ylab="y coordinates",              col=c(rep("gray",i-1),"red"),              pch=c(rep(20,i-1),1))         } }  # Test the function # brownian(500)  # **************************************** # EXPORT BROWNIAN MOTION SIMULATION IMAGES # ****************************************  export.brownian <- function(n.times){     x <- y <- x.new <- y.new <- x.new.p <- y.new.p <- vector()     for(i in 1:n.times){         # Initialize variables         x <- rnorm(1)         y <- rnorm(1)         # concatenate variables to increase the         # vector size         x.new <- c(x.new,x)         y.new <- c(y.new,y)         # sum the vector numbers         x.new.p <- cumsum(x.new)         y.new.p <- cumsum(y.new)           # plot the model         png(paste("image",i,"png",sep="."),width=600,height=600)             plot(x.new.p,y.new.p,type="b",                  main=paste("Brownian motion simulation in R\nTime =",                  i,sep=" "),                  xlab="x coordinates",ylab="y coordinates",                  col=c(rep("gray",i-1),"red"),                  pch=c(rep(20,i-1),1))                  cat("image",i,"DONE",date(),"\n")         dev.off()     } }  # Test the function # export.brownian(500)

Source: http://tata-box-blog.blogspot.com/2012/12/brownian-motion-simulation-in-r.html

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