WASHINGTON (AP) ? Orders for U.S. factory goods that signal business investment plans jumped last month by the most in more than a year, suggesting companies are confident about their business prospects.
The Commerce Department says orders for so-called core capital goods, which include machinery, equipment and software, rose 6.3 percent in January from December. A sharp drop in demand for commercial aircraft caused overall durable goods orders to drop 5.2 percent, the first decline since August.
Orders for commercial aircraft are volatile from month to month and can cause large swings in the overall figure. Boeing reported orders for only two planes in January, down from 183 in December. Orders for defense equipment also plummeted by the most in more than 12 years.
The increase in core capital goods suggests companies are willing to expand their production capacities despite worries that automatic government spending cuts will slow the economy in the coming months.
About $85 billion in spending cuts are scheduled to kick in Friday and there is little sign that the White House and Congress will reach a deal to avoid them. Defense Department officials may have slowed purchases in January in anticipation of the cutbacks.
Core capital goods orders dipped 0.3 percent in December after posting strong gains of 3.3 percent in November and 3 percent in October.
The report suggests manufacturing is picking up. The Institute for Supply Management said earlier this month that factory activity grew in January at the fastest pace in nine months. Measures of new orders and hiring both rose.
But industrial production fell in January after two months of increases, the Federal Reserve said. Much of the decline reflected a big drop in auto production that was likely temporary. The auto industry is coming off its best year for sales in five years. Sales continue to rise, so production will likely rebound in February.
Ryan North says he has "basically the best job ever," and we can't help but agree. As the creator of Dinosaur Comics, Ryan has been churning out the beloved webcomic nearly every weekday since 2003. He's also the guy behind the Adventure Time comic series and To Be or Not To Be, a choose-your-own-path version of Hamlet that recently became Kickstarter's most funded publishing project ever. When he's not comic-ing, Ryan uses his professional programming skills to build stuff like Project Wonderful, an online ad service, and Oh No Robot, a searchable text database for comics. We stole a few minutes of Ryan's busy schedule to chat about apps, gadgets, Patrick Stewart, and more. Did we miss something? Ryan is chatting live for the next hour?ask him yourself!
Update: the q&a is closed?thanks for all the great questions!
Current gig: Writer and programmer! Writing projects include Dinosaur Comics, the Adventure Time comics, and To Be or Not To Be. I'm also a computer programmer, and Project Wonderful is the advertising network I wrote after wishing there was one out there that didn't suck. Location: Sunny, unseasonably warm Toronto, Canada Current mobile device: I've got a Samsung Galaxy S III which is the first phone I don't hate. My previous phone was a Motorola abomination and before that an iPhone 3G. I don't really upgrade phones that often, but the past two died and I took the opportunity to upgrade. Current computer: I have a Lenovo Thinkpad, mainly because they're one of the few laptops that support three monitors via a dock. My other machine is one that I built myself, parts being swapped out and upgraded over the years. It used to have a floppy drive in it that went way back to when I was six, but it never got use and eventually the motherboards didn't have connectors for it anyway. One word that best describes how you work: Distractedly
Above: A Dinosaur Comic.
What's apps/software/tools can't you live without?
There's a few things that have changed how I work. Dropbox is great both for painless, automatic backup but also for keeping data in sync on different machines. I do most of my writing (both words and code) in Textpad?it's a pretty great text editor that supports regular expressions. I'd include my phone as one of the tools?I use it to jot down ideas wherever I have them. I used to email them to myself, but Evernote solved that problem nicely too.
I've been using Winamp for music for years and years, mainly because it supports global hotkeys, so I can pause, skip, rewind, etc. by pressing, say, CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+PAGEDOWN in whatever program I'm in. That sounds dumb but it's great?it means I can control the music without losing focus on what I'm doing. Sometimes I'll skip songs without even noticing it: it's like second nature. I'm all about efficiency. I have the task bar at the top of the screen on my Windows machine, because I mapped it out and if my hand is on the mouse, odds are it'll be closer to the top of the screen than the bottom, so by having the task bar at the top too I save valuable milliseconds.
Basically put me alone in a room with a computer and internet access and I can be happy for days. Weeks? I guess I'd need food and water at some point.
Above: Ryan's Winamp.
What's your workspace like?
I work mainly from home in my office, where I've got a desk (I'd love to get a standing desk just so I can move around more) and a fancy office chair that I spent a lot of money on. After my bed, it's the piece of furniture I spend the most time in, so I figured it was worth it. Sometimes I'll go into the Project Wonderful offices?there's a similar desk there, but there's other people too, if I'm craving social interaction. I am the #1 fan of multiple monitors: two is odd because it means you're always turning your head to the side the monitor is on, and three is a really nice sweet spot. Center screen for work, left screen for research/status stuff, and right screen for email and Twitter. If I'm really focused, I'll minimize the email.
I usually work to music, but if something's not working, I'll turn the music off. I've tried coffee shops once or twice but it's not exactly productive times for me. I work best alone, with distractions that I can manage and control.
What do you listen to while you work?
Music! Tons and tons of music. Here's the thing: anything with words or actual content will be distracting, so NPR/CBC/Savage Love podcasts are out if I'm trying to be productive. And music that is super awesome is out too, because it'll be distracting how good it is. I generally listen to "just okay" music when I have to focus, and save the awesome stuff where I don't have to be as productive. I really love mashups because I really love listening to more than one song at the same time I guess!
What's your best time-saving trick?
Multitasking. I have a dog which means at least one to two hours a day is spent outside walking, or standing around at the dog park. I used to think "Oh no, wasted time!" but now I use the time to work out plots, figure out jokes, that sort of thing. It's lower-intensity work and lets me recharge, but I also get to be productive while I'm recharging and playing with all the dogs at the park. I'll talk to myself while I'm walking too, because I like dialogue to sound natural, and saying it out loud helps with that. It makes me look a little crazy, but whatever. Really I guess my greatest life hack is to not care what strangers think about you!
What's your favorite to-do list manager?
I've tried a few, but I always come back to my tried-and-true "todo.txt" that lives on my desktop.
Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?
Glasses! Otherwise I can't easily see my phone and computer and it's so sad.
What's everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?
I believe I can state with authority that I have spent more time thinking about the novelization of Back To The Future than any other alive human. My page-by-page review is my proof of this. I know you wanted an "everyday thing" but who among us can truly say they don't think about Back to the Future at least once per day?
Above: Part of an Adventure Time script.
What's your sleep routine like?
When I was a kid I had to get up at 6 to catch a 7 AM bus into school, and once I started grad school I relaxed that to 7 AM. So I'm usually up at 7 sharp (alarm set so I can hear the news) and then in bed when I start to get sleepy, which is normally between 11 and midnight. I really value my sleep. And I wish it were somehow super awesome to say "I really value my sleep."
Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Oh, total introvert. But I love pals and that slides me more towards extrovert, I guess? I just want all my friends and I to live in a giant house which I call "Pal Mansion." Is that so wrong?
Fill in the blank: I'd kill to see ________ answer these same questions.
Patrick Stewart, but only if I'm the one asking the questions. And he invites me over to his place for the interview. And we start talking and he asks me in his stentorian voice about my hopes and dreams and we talk about our lives and loves and fears, and it's just?it's just so real.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
"Never stop learning." Also "if you find a job you like it won't feel like work." So let's assume at some point in the past my father pulled me aside and said "Never stop learning, also, on another topic, if you find a job you like then it won't feel like work. Randy out, yo."
Anything else you want to add for readers/fans?
I love getting email, but there's only so much time in the day to write back to it, so please don't hate me if I never do. I have such good intentions!
The How I Work series asks heroes, experts, brilliant, and flat-out productive people to share their shortcuts, workspaces, routines, and more. Every Wednesday we'll feature a new guest and the gadgets, apps, tips, and tricks that keep them going. Have someone you'd kill to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Tessa.
Neutron scattering provides data on adsorption of ions in microporous materialsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology
Improving energy storage
The adsorption of ions in microporous materials governs the operation of technologies as diverse as water desalination, energy storage, sensing and mechanical actuation. Until now, however, researchers attempting to improve the performance of these technologies haven't been able to directly and unambiguously identify how factors such as pore size, pore surface chemistry and electrolyte properties affect the concentration of ions in these materials as a function of the applied potential.
To provide the needed information, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that a technique known as small angle neutron scattering (SANS) can be used to study the effects of ions moving into nanoscale pores. Believed to be the first application of the SANS technique for studying ion surface adsorption in-situ, details of the research were reported online Jan. 31, 2013, in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Using conductive nanoporous carbon, the researchers conducted proof-of-concept experiments to measure changes in the adsorption of hydrogen ions in pores of different sizes within the same material due to variations in solvent properties and applied electrical potential. Systematic studies performed with such a technique could ultimately help identify the optimal pore size, surface chemistry and electrolyte solvent properties necessary for either maximizing or minimizing the adsorption of ions under varying conditions.
"We need to understand this system better so we can predict the kind of surface chemistry required and the kinds of solvents needed to control the levels of ion penetration and adsorption in pores of different sizes," said Gleb Yushin, an associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. "Understanding these processes better could lead to the development of improved energy storage, water purification and desalination systems. This new experimental methodology may also give us paths to better understand ion transport in biological systems and contribute to the development of improved drugs and artificial organs."
The research was supported partially by the U.S. Army Research Office, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
"The advantage of neutron scattering is that it can be used to study real systems," said Yushin. "You can study most electrode materials and electrolyte combinations as long as they have a high sensitivity for neutron scattering."
Yushin and his collaborators Georgia Tech graduate research assistant Sofiane Boukhalfa, and Oak Ridge scientists Yuri Melnichenko and Lilin He conducted the research using ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor, which produces a beam of high-energy neutrons. Their experimental setup allowed them to immerse activated carbon fabric samples each sample containing pores of different sizes in different electrolyte materials while varying the applied electrical potential.
By measuring how the neutron beam was scattered when it passed through the carbon fabric and electrolytes, the researchers could determine how the solvent, pore size and electrical potential affected the average ion concentration in the carbon material samples.
"You can learn whether the ions get adsorbed into small pores or large pores by simply comparing the changes in the neutron scattering," Yushin explained. "This experimental technique allows us to independently change the surface chemistry to see how that affects the ion concentrations, and we can use different solvents to observe how the interaction between electrolyte and pore walls affects the ion adsorption in pores of different sizes. We can further identify exactly where the ion adsorption takes place even when no potential is applied to an electrode."
Earlier work in this area had not provided clear results.
"There have been multiple prior studies on the pore size effect, but different research groups worldwide have obtained contradictory results depending on the material selection and the model used to determine the specific surface area and pore size distribution in carbon electrodes," Yushin said. "Neutron scattering should help us clarify existing controversies. We have already observed that depending on the solvent-pore wall interactions, either enhanced or reduced ion electro-adsorption may take place in sub-nanometer pores."
In their experiments, the researchers used two different electrolytes: water containing sulfuric acid and deuterium oxide also known as heavy water which also contained sulfuric acid. The two were chosen for the proof-of-concept experiments, though a wide range of other hydrogen-containing electrolytes could also be used.
Now that the technique has been shown to work, Yushin would like to expand the experimentation to develop better fundamental understanding about the complex interactions of solvent, ions and pore walls under applied potential. That could allow development of a model that could guide the design of future systems that depend on ion transport and adsorption.
"Once you gain the fundamental knowledge from SANS experiments, predictive theoretical models could be developed that would guide the synthesis of the optimal structures for these applications," he said. "Once you clearly understand the structure-property relationships, you can use materials science approaches to design and synthesize the optimal material with the desired properties."
Information developed through the research could lead to improvements in supercapacitors and hybrid battery-capacitor devices for rapidly growing applications in hybrid electrical vehicles, energy efficient industrial equipment, smart grid-distributed energy storage, hybrid-electric and electrical ships, high-power energy storage for wind power and uninterruptible power supplies.
###
This research was partially supported by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Army Research Office under contract number W911NF-12-1-0259. The research at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor was sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program and the Scientific User Facilities Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy. The conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the U.S. Army Research Office or the Department of Energy.
CITATION: Boukhalfa, S., et al., "Small-Angle Neutron Scattering for In Situ Probing of Ion Adsorption Inside Micropores." Angew. Chem. Int. Ed (2013). http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.21209141.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Neutron scattering provides data on adsorption of ions in microporous materialsPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology
Improving energy storage
The adsorption of ions in microporous materials governs the operation of technologies as diverse as water desalination, energy storage, sensing and mechanical actuation. Until now, however, researchers attempting to improve the performance of these technologies haven't been able to directly and unambiguously identify how factors such as pore size, pore surface chemistry and electrolyte properties affect the concentration of ions in these materials as a function of the applied potential.
To provide the needed information, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that a technique known as small angle neutron scattering (SANS) can be used to study the effects of ions moving into nanoscale pores. Believed to be the first application of the SANS technique for studying ion surface adsorption in-situ, details of the research were reported online Jan. 31, 2013, in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Using conductive nanoporous carbon, the researchers conducted proof-of-concept experiments to measure changes in the adsorption of hydrogen ions in pores of different sizes within the same material due to variations in solvent properties and applied electrical potential. Systematic studies performed with such a technique could ultimately help identify the optimal pore size, surface chemistry and electrolyte solvent properties necessary for either maximizing or minimizing the adsorption of ions under varying conditions.
"We need to understand this system better so we can predict the kind of surface chemistry required and the kinds of solvents needed to control the levels of ion penetration and adsorption in pores of different sizes," said Gleb Yushin, an associate professor in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. "Understanding these processes better could lead to the development of improved energy storage, water purification and desalination systems. This new experimental methodology may also give us paths to better understand ion transport in biological systems and contribute to the development of improved drugs and artificial organs."
The research was supported partially by the U.S. Army Research Office, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
"The advantage of neutron scattering is that it can be used to study real systems," said Yushin. "You can study most electrode materials and electrolyte combinations as long as they have a high sensitivity for neutron scattering."
Yushin and his collaborators Georgia Tech graduate research assistant Sofiane Boukhalfa, and Oak Ridge scientists Yuri Melnichenko and Lilin He conducted the research using ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor, which produces a beam of high-energy neutrons. Their experimental setup allowed them to immerse activated carbon fabric samples each sample containing pores of different sizes in different electrolyte materials while varying the applied electrical potential.
By measuring how the neutron beam was scattered when it passed through the carbon fabric and electrolytes, the researchers could determine how the solvent, pore size and electrical potential affected the average ion concentration in the carbon material samples.
"You can learn whether the ions get adsorbed into small pores or large pores by simply comparing the changes in the neutron scattering," Yushin explained. "This experimental technique allows us to independently change the surface chemistry to see how that affects the ion concentrations, and we can use different solvents to observe how the interaction between electrolyte and pore walls affects the ion adsorption in pores of different sizes. We can further identify exactly where the ion adsorption takes place even when no potential is applied to an electrode."
Earlier work in this area had not provided clear results.
"There have been multiple prior studies on the pore size effect, but different research groups worldwide have obtained contradictory results depending on the material selection and the model used to determine the specific surface area and pore size distribution in carbon electrodes," Yushin said. "Neutron scattering should help us clarify existing controversies. We have already observed that depending on the solvent-pore wall interactions, either enhanced or reduced ion electro-adsorption may take place in sub-nanometer pores."
In their experiments, the researchers used two different electrolytes: water containing sulfuric acid and deuterium oxide also known as heavy water which also contained sulfuric acid. The two were chosen for the proof-of-concept experiments, though a wide range of other hydrogen-containing electrolytes could also be used.
Now that the technique has been shown to work, Yushin would like to expand the experimentation to develop better fundamental understanding about the complex interactions of solvent, ions and pore walls under applied potential. That could allow development of a model that could guide the design of future systems that depend on ion transport and adsorption.
"Once you gain the fundamental knowledge from SANS experiments, predictive theoretical models could be developed that would guide the synthesis of the optimal structures for these applications," he said. "Once you clearly understand the structure-property relationships, you can use materials science approaches to design and synthesize the optimal material with the desired properties."
Information developed through the research could lead to improvements in supercapacitors and hybrid battery-capacitor devices for rapidly growing applications in hybrid electrical vehicles, energy efficient industrial equipment, smart grid-distributed energy storage, hybrid-electric and electrical ships, high-power energy storage for wind power and uninterruptible power supplies.
###
This research was partially supported by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Army Research Office under contract number W911NF-12-1-0259. The research at ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor was sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program and the Scientific User Facilities Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy. The conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the U.S. Army Research Office or the Department of Energy.
CITATION: Boukhalfa, S., et al., "Small-Angle Neutron Scattering for In Situ Probing of Ion Adsorption Inside Micropores." Angew. Chem. Int. Ed (2013). http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.21209141.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Published time: February 26, 2013 13:47 Edited time: February 26, 2013 13:44
The Swedish Pirate Party has handed over hosting of the Pirate Bay to sister parties in Norway and Spain after the country?s copyright lobby sent a letter threatening criminal charges for hosting the controversial file-sharing website.
The Swedish Rights Alliance gave the party until Tuesday to cut all ties with the Pirate Bay following threats of serious legal consequences. In a letter sent directly to the party's board members earlier this month, the Swedish Pirate Party was accused of violating copyright law by acting as an Internet service provider for the popular bittorrent site.
The alliance also charged that the Supreme Court of Sweden had ?legally settled that not only those who operate an illegal file-sharing service, but also those who provide internet access to such an illegal service are committing a criminal act.?
The Rights Alliance said that such violations of copyright law could entail stiff fines for noncompliance, payment of damages and even potential prison terms. ?These rules apply to legal entities, including non-profit organizations such as The Pirate Party and Serious Tubes, their board members, and other representatives of the organizations,? the letter continued.
The Pirate Bay?s decision to move its web-hosting services to Norway and Spain likely stems from legal precedents indicating more favorable climates for file-sharing sites.
In 2010, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and several movie studios were unable to force a Norwegian ISP to block the Pirate Bay. Spanish courts have so far failed to react to dozens of site closure requests from rightsholders, and threats from the United States that Spain will be put on a trade blacklist.
Swedish Pirate Party Leader Anna Troberg hailed the shift as a positive sign that despite legal pressure at home, the movement is continuing to become an international platform for reforming copyright laws and patents.
?Today, there are more than sixty different Pirate Parties all around the world. Every cut connection to The Pirate Bay will generate two new connections,? Torrent Freak quoted her as saying.
She further said that to take the Rights Alliance on at this time would not be prudent, despite the tenuous legal claims leveled at the Pirate Party.
?It would be crazy to enter a game where the rules are decided by the other team,? she said. ?The Pirate Party?s mission is not to produce martyrs for the copyright industry. Our mission is to create longterm political change that ensures that the copyright industry in the future will not be allowed to threaten companies, organizations and individuals into silence with our common judicial system as a weapon.?
Rick Falkvinge, the Pirate Party founder and a self-described evangelist of sensible information policy, told RT that Swedish courts have displayed ?remarkable and remorseless corruption when it comes to copyright monopoly cases in general, and The Pirate Bay cases in particular.?
?Being in the moral and legal right is something completely different from winning in a courtroom,? he said. ?In the trial against the Pirate Bay operators, you saw everything from a corrupt judge who was part of the same interest group as the plaintiffs to an investigating police officer who was flat-out hired by Warner Brothers while doing the investigation.?
"It was a travesty of everything justice is supposed to be,? Falkvinge added.
One of the first things that epidemiologists do when studying a new outbreak of disease is to map its occurrence. From there, they try to tease out patterns related to the malady?s cause and prevalence, and begin working on solutions to quell it.
For tracking sick frogs, toads and salamanders, it turns out that the same principle applies. Researchers have assembled an interactive map documenting the global emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the amphibian chytrid fungal disease that is blazing through populations of water-dwelling animals around the world. Scientists are still struggling to understand this plague, regarding it as a major threat to the survival of many amphibian species. The research team hopes that the map will bring together fragmented research efforts and present an overarching picture of the problem.
Deanna Olson, a research ecologist at the Forest Service?s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Oregon, and her colleagues are ebullient over their success in assembling a world network of scientists and managers that are interested in conducting real-time surveillance. ?This is allowing us to track what we know about this disease, which has been implicated in mass mortality events as well as some extinctions at the global scale,? she said.
Along with colleagues from Imperial College in London and Oregon State University, Dr. Olson and her lab have developed an online database that currently holds more than 36,000 records of individual animals sampled in over 4,000 sites around the world. Plotting that data geographically allows the team ? or any other interested party ? to see where the fungus is and is not present, and where it has or has not been tested for yet.
Anyone can upload their data to the site, and Dr. Olson?s team updates it annually to make sure it reflects the latest findings in the field. The project, called Bd-Maps, got under way in 2008 and is described this week in the journal PLoS One.
The maps visualize data on both a global and individual country scale. Sampling sites are marked with pins that are color-coded to indicate whether the amphibians tested there turned out to be positive or negative for the disease. This allows scientists and wildlife managers to glean a quick understanding of how their area?s amphibians fare as a whole.
From this data, researchers can also extrapolate the odds of the disease occurring in any given location, and the level of threat that species in those locations may face. (The fungus does not affect all amphibians equally.) ?In some places chytrid fungus is a huge problem, but in other places it doesn?t appear to be such a problem,? Dr. Olson said. ?For example, in the U.S. there has only been a handful of mortality events, but places like Central America and Australia are experiencing a lot of mass mortality and even extinctions.?
The map does have a few potential shortcomings. At this point, the team accepts any data submitted; there is no formal process of standardization or validating that the the data comes from reputable experts. That means that some places could turn up with false positives or false negatives for the disease.
Because the map does include so much data, however, the researchers think it still paints a fairly robust picture of the situation on the ground. The team is also applying lessons learned from this project to create a new, more stringently screened map of the occurrence of ranavirus, another disease that affects amphibians.
Dr. Olson and her colleagues designed the chytrid fungus map as a community tool for others to explore and work with, but the team has uncovered some initial findings on its own. According to their data, 42 percent of 1,240 species sampled worldwide turned up positive for the fungus. There are more than 6,000 species of amphibians, so this means that just 20 percent have been sampled for the disease to date. From the 82 countries sampled so far, 68 percent came back with positive results.
Temperature range stood out as a driver of fungus presence, with places that experience less fluctuation between their hot and cold seasons being more likely to be heavily afflicted by the disease. Dr. Olson hopes that other researchers will investigate whether this large-scale pattern also fits at the local scale.
Already, Bd-Maps is generating interesting collaborations in the field. Dr. Olson said that the map has inspired some researchers to sample new locations in the central United States, for example.
?People have looked at our maps and seen that nobody?s reported on chytrid fungus here or there, then they?ve gone out to do a study to fill in the map,? she said. ?It?s like we?re playing a game of Risk ? we?re always excited to get a new place filled in, especially if it?s in a remote area.?
In other cases, researchers have used the map as a matchmaking service for chytrid fungus aficionados. An Armenian researcher recently used Bd-Maps to reach out for on-the-ground support, for example, and a scientist visiting Papua New Guinea obtained the necessary training to test for chytrid through contacts found though the the site.
?We don?t often see this type of collaboration in the research world, which is classically very much an ivory tower,? Dr. Olson said. ?We?re really excited that our project is being used at the global scale to investigate new hypotheses and patterns emerging from the data by a variety of biologists and managers.?
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (3)
And justice for all? Hardly.
It tells the story of a terrible crime compounded by a grave injustice that's been remedied, but only in part, so it's impossible to have a single or simple response to the movie.
What sets this film apart from previous efforts to document the story is that Jackson and Walsh financed a private investigative team with legal and forensic experts who re-examined old evidence, conducted new interviews and found new witnesses.
Happy, sad, inspiring, infuriating, right and terribly wrong, all at the same time.
Berg's film is as much an indictment of the state of Arkansas' legal system as it is the prosecution.
Berg's film helps illuminate a case that should certainly be the shame of the state of Arkansas, and perhaps the criminal justice system of the entire United States.
West Of Memphis isn't afraid to show us the graphic nature of the crime and more importantly, it isn't afraid to point fingers at those whose actions deserve to be questioned.
It's reasonable to question whether the time and resources poured into this project might have been better spent highlighting a miscarriage of American justice that nobody knows about rather than one that enjoys a celebrity profile.
The most intense, nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller franchise "from the dark side" these days is not the product of a screenwriter's imagination.
The most intriguing and worthy aspect of this accomplished documentary is that it never lets anyone forget the biggest tragedy of the many threaded through this story - the helpless children who never deserved the brutal fate handed to them.
Somewhere along this narrative's mammoth timeline, examining the construction of modern social heroes became more important than the memories of three little boys.
Together with the rich material comprising interviews with family and friends, the footage shot in the various court rooms and at the crime scene is riveting
A powerful, touching and very infuriating documentary, although Berlinger and Sinofsky got there first and did it best
Amy Berg's West of Memphis does bring new information to light, which is why this somewhat procedural feature is so important.
In all, the director has assembled a powerful film, but the celebrity component feels rather unnecessary.
A frankly extraordinary document about the three innocent children who were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas and the three innocent teenagers who spent 18 years in prison for the crime.
(Director Amy) Berg's doc is gripping, often infuriating, but in the end hopeful about the ability of truth and innocence to prevail thanks to the efforts of those who strive against all obstacles to uphold them.
The new film is largely a recap of the older ones, with more celebrity testimonials and fewer Metallica songs but little fresh insight into the miscarriage of justice it chronicles.
Extols the efforts of celebrities to win the release of three innocent men [and is] suspenseful when it's straightforward-the best CSI investigation that money can buy.
Nearly overwhelms you with hopelessness, if not an adrenaline rush of rage - even if you're familiar with the case.
It's a beautifully done piece of work in its own right, yet viewed beside the trilogy which preceded it, it comes across a bit like "Paradise Lost 3b - the Celebrity Edition."
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RAZER ANNOUNCES EDGE MARCH 1 PRE-ORDER The Most Powerful Tablet in the World Will Ship in Late March
For Immediate Release:
CARLSBAD, Calif. ? 26 Feb. 2013 ? Razer?, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, announced that its award-winning Razer Edge tablet will be available for pre-order on March 1, 2013, at 12:01 a.m. PST at http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-edge/wheretobuy. Purchased units will be shipped to consumers later that month.
The most powerful tablet in the world is also already one of the most decorated of its kind, with the Razer Edge claiming eight awards at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), including CNET's "Best of Show" award, where it beat more than 20,000 other products. In addition, the Edge was voted the "People's Voice" award recipient by fans, making this the third consecutive year that a Razer product earned that honor.
"The Razer Edge combines the features of full-functioning PCs, touch-enabled tablets and gaming consoles into one incredible, portable form factor," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "Furthermore, the Razer Edge's powerful chipset, unique among all tablet computers, ensures that you can take advantage of the world's most sophisticated games, programs and apps on these multiple platforms anytime."
PC gamers helped shape the Razer Edge by way of a massive crowdsourcing effort put into place by Razer, which targeted millions of gamers to help determine final specifications for the tablet. Razer let its community decide the final chipset, weight, thickness, features and even price for the Edge, hosting the initiative on its social media pages, an unprecedented move for a hardware manufacturer.
The Razer Edge and its Intel i5 processor and 64 GB SSD, and the Razer Edge Pro with an Intel i7 processor and the option of a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD, will begin shipping this March. The gamepad controller, home console dock and extended battery accessories will be made available for pre-order and shipping concurrent with the Edge on March 1. An optional keyboard dock is slated for launch later this year in Q3.
The all-in-one Razer Edge PC gaming solution starts at $999 and is available at www.razerzone.com.
About the Razer Edge:
It's a tablet. It's a PC. It's a console. It's all of the above: a full-featured PC and the most powerful tablet in the world. What's more, it has four modes specially designed for gamers and is able to run all PC games and applications.
PC gamers ended up helping to design the most powerful tablet in the world today, the only system of its kind utilizing technology from both Intel and NVIDIA. Powerful 3rd generation Intel? Core? processors will help ensure even the most advanced, full-fledged PC games will function at full capacity, and NVIDIA GeForce graphics will offer striking visual clarity-a first for tablet gaming and a godsend for the world's 300 million-plus PC gamers.
For more information about the Razer Edge, please visit http://www.razerzone.com/edgepro.
Price: Starts at USD$999
Availability: Razerzone.com ? March 1, 2013 U.S. and Canada
Everyday by mid-day my battery it's practically dead, meaning if I'm going to be out for the evening, I need to remind myself to bring my charger from home.?
That doesn't always happen.
For a while I resorted to carrying around the Mophie powerstation mini an external battery with a USB port that can power most mobile devices, but I hated carrying around two phone-sized things to stay charged.
When I learned that Mophie was finally releasing its latest battery extender for the iPhone 5, I got excited. And I was lucky enough to get my hands on one a bit early.
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
With the exception of a few minor quirks, the Mophie Juice Pack Helium is an essential accessory for just about any iPhone 5 owner.
The new juice pack builds on the previous versions, yet it doesn't add too much bulk to the svelte iPhone 5. Obviously, your iPhone 5 will be significantly thicker than before, but that's because the Helium adds an extra battery that's almost as big as the one in your phone now.
Still, the extra thickness didn't bother me at all, especially because the case adds an additional 80% to my battery.
By itself, the helium weighs 2.44-ounces and adds a 1500 mAh battery capacity to your iPhone 5. This means that you can talk for six more hours on 3G, use the internet for 6 more hours on 3G/LTE/Wi-Fi, and listen to audio for an additional 30 hours.
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
Using the helium
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
The helium is ridiculously easy to use. After placing the case over your phone, just turn the switch when you need a charge.
I did notice the juice pack got relatively warm when it was charging for an extended amount of time, but on a cold winter night this wasn't necessarily a disadvantage. The case charges with a regular USB cable, so you won't need to go digging around for one of the special new iPhone 5 cables. (It charges your phone too).
What's bad about the helium?
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
The worst thing about the helium is the headphone jack. The case makes the port extra deep, so it's nearly impossible to plug in your headphones without a special extender that comes with the Helium.
The extender works fine, but it's a bit annoying to carry around another dongle. And it's so tiny that chances are pretty good you'll eventually lose it. It feels like an odd compromise.
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
Should you buy it?
Kevin Smith/Business Insider
I think the juice pack is a necessary accessory for any iPhone 5 user, especially since those iPhone 5 chargers are hard to come by.
Even if you don't outfit your phone with the case at all times, having the helium easily accessible in a briefcase or purse can save you when in a pinch and battery is low.
The helium will begin shipping March 15. It retails for $79.95 and comes in two colors: dark metallic and silver metallic.
Bottom line:
The helium adds 80% more battery to your iPhone with a slim profile. The only negative is access to the headphone jack, which makes it difficult to plug in accessories.
Everyone needs a portable hard drive, especially if you're rocking a tiny SSD in your laptop. But unlike lots of consumer technology, you can't count on prices to fall indefinitely: before the October 2011 flood in Thailand, you could pick up a 2TB USB 2.0 portable hard drive for less than $100. We haven't seen prices like that since, but this deal from Adorama comes close. It's a USB 3.0 Western Digital portable HD with an advertised 1TB capacity for $65. That's about seven cents per GB, and it's a great deal. [Adorama] More »
ASUS is taking the wraps off of its latest phone-tablet hybrid docking device, the PadFone Infinity, at MWC 2013. The specs here will not disappoint, checking every box you'd expect for a high-end device in 2013. We're looking at a 5-inch 1080P display, quad-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32/64GB of storage and 13MP camera, all in a unibody aluminum frame. On the connectivity front, it has both 100mbps LTE and 42mbps HSPA+ radios and supports the latest 802.11ac Wifi. One major point of this device is that it's also running Android 4.2, something very few manufacturers have been able to announce at this point.
Oh, and did we mention it docks into a tablet? Following in the footsteps of the PadFones before it, the Infinity still docks into a 10.1-inch tablet frame called the "Infinity Station". The station has a 1920x1200 Super IPS display, with the same 400 nit brightness as the phone itself. The station also has its own 5000mAh battery, alongside the phone's own 2400mAh lithium polymer cell. The PadFone Infinity and Station will come together at a hair under 1.48lbs -- about middle of the road for 10-inch tablet weight nowadays.
ASUS is planning to launch the PadFone Infinity in the U.K. at an MSRP of £799 (incl VAT) with the Infinity Station, in three color choices -- Titanium Grey, Champagne Gold and Hot Pink. There are no specific availability dates for the U.K., and no indication at all that this will make its way to the U.S. market either. Considering that previous iterations of the PadFone didn't make it stateside, we're not holding our breath.
Stopping by CNBC earlier today, SnapChat's CEO Evan Spiegel made the vague semi-announcement that the notorious tween sexting app is currently experimenting with "this really awesome new ad format." Whatever that means. More »
Apple hasn't done much to change the way iOS works at its core, in terms of navigating within and between apps and the home screen. In fact, iOS is maybe the mobile OS that has remained the most fundamentally the same since its introduction, at least among those that are still in active use. But while Apple hasn't been making huge changes to the basic iOS user interface, third-party developers have been pushing the boundaries and creating great examples of how things could be better for a next-generation version of Apple's mobile OS.
Popular PSP Title, No Gravity?,?a 3D space shooter, is now available?for the Windows Phone 8! The game allows you to control a spaceship from the first-person or third-person perspective. Your job is to accomplish missions, with diverse objectives ranging from destroying enemy ships or bases, escorting allied ships, raiding ground bases, clearing mine fields, etc.
Description: Are you brave enough to play No Gravity? You?ll need steady nerves and a strong heart to fly around dangerous obstacles, face hostile environments and use deadly weapons to accomplish your missions and protect your people.
In a distant future, spread across thousands of colonies, the empire is under attack from a mysterious, unknown sickness that is affecting people?s minds. So far, you?ve been able to remain healthy but you don?t know for how much longer.
As one of the few survivors of this bewildering plague, it?s up to you to seek out and destroy the enemy that unleashed this madness. If you don?t, there remains no hope for your planet or your people. Are you prepared to tackle 31 missions and destroy the heinous foe?
This is not a job for wimps. No Gravity is fast-paced and full of action. You?ll need to draw on your deepest level of calm bravado to succeed in these dangerous missions.
When you?re ready, choose your character and one of six customizable ships. Each one is equipped with an impressive array of weapons, so you?ll have plenty of tools at hand for the job. Whether you need lasers or ion blasters, everything is there to help you win the war against your hostile enemy.
Once in your ship, you?ll fly through space, skimming over six different worlds, moving along underground craters and through massive asteroids fields. You need to keep your wits about you or it?s game over before you?ve accomplished your mission.
Are you still here? Hurry up and Download No Gravity with the link below! Its only $3.99 and Free to Try!??Your people and your destiny await you.
Source: Windows Phone Store?No Gravity
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MBGW
I am a ghostwriter..don't know what I do look it up.. I just so happen to have this WP7, so why not write about it? :-)
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Written by: MBGW on February 23, 2013. Last revised by: MBGW on February 22, 2013.Tags: 3d, no gravity, psp, Sony, Space Shooter, Windows Phone 8About, Apps, Games
Breaking with the regular Patch Tuesday routine of the second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of a new platform update for Windows 7, 8 and Windows RT.
The same support page shows that there will also be a software update for Windows 8, Windows RT, and Windows Server 2012 on that day, along with an update rollup for Windows Server 2012 Essentials. At the moment, the only information on what's included in those updates is that they are supposed to "resolve issues in Windows".
A snow-covered popular Placer County hiking trail was reopened Tuesday after a state Fish and Wildlife warden was forced to shoot and kill a mountain lion Sunday, authorities say.
Authorities were first alerted to an aggressive mountain lion Saturday evening when a hiker on the Stevens Trail near Colfax, fearing for his safety, called 911.
"He noticed he was being followed by a mountain lion," said Mark Michilizzi, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "The behavior was consistent with a mountain lion that is stalking prey."
Fish and Wildlife wardens, Placer County sheriff's deputies and a California Highway Patrol helicopter responded to the call and apparently scared off the mountain lion, Michilizzi said.
Sunday morning, a warden returned to the area to post signs and warn hikers of the threat of an aggressive mountain lion when he noticed a cougar, apparently the same one, preparing to pounce on him, Michilizzi said.
While it is illegal to hunt mountain lions in California, at that point the animal wasn't just a risk to public safety, officials said. It was a risk to the warden, who shot and killed the cat.
"The officer acted appropriately," Michilizzi said. "The mountain lion wasn't cornered. The mountain lion was actively approaching him."
Michilizzi said a necropsy will be performed to help officials learn more about the health of the animal and what might have triggered the
behavior.
"Deer are the primary prey for mountain lion," Michilizzi said. "When they start looking to humans, we want to know why."
He said hikers should not call 911 when spotting a mountain lion, but this instance was different.
"Mountain lion attacks are rare. This type of behavior is rare," Michilizzi said.
He advised anyone who spots a mountain lion not to run. Instead, turn and face the lion while making oneself as big as possible and throw rocks, sticks or leaves, he advised.
(ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE) -- If automatic budget cuts of sequestration go into effect, Georgia would see an impact on 17,163 jobs and lose $931 million from its economy, according to a statement from the U.S. Army.?
Impacts on jobs include federal employee furloughs and layoffs, reductions in the contracted workforce because of reduced military investments and construction, and reductions in base operation support, reported an affiliate of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Washington Business Journal.
Economic impacts would be the result of sequestration and restrictions on new programs that come with the continuing resolution to fund the government, WBJ reported. ?
RELATED | Army expects 300,00 jobs to be lost in sequestration cuts?
Firefighters from D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department appeared with President Barack Obama during a press event on Tuesday.
By Mark Segraves, NBCWashington.com
D.C. Fire and EMS denied Friday night that three local firefighters are facing possible disciplinary action after appearing with President Obama during a press event.
Earlier this week the president was flanked by first responders as he spoke about the impact of sequestration. Kenneth Ellerbe, chief of D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department, told News4 the three members of DCFEMS who participated in the event may have violated department regulations.
?I didn?t know about it, the deputy mayor didn?t know about it, the mayor didn?t know about it," Ellerbe said. "There should be protocol followed anytime one of our employees representing the District of Columbia appears at a public event.?
The department released the following statement Friday night:
Contrary to reports in local media, the DC Fire and EMS Department is not considering any disciplinary action against uniformed personnel for appearing alongside President Obama. At the request of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, DC FEMS is simply reviewing its internal protocols for such appearances to ensure that both the Department and its employees are fully informed.
We fully support the efforts of President to highlight the essential and life saving work that our first-responders do every single day, and welcome his invitation for our members to participate. We're exceedingly proud of the men and women that wear the DC FEMS uniform, and thank the President for his support.
Ellerbe says the three firefighters have each been ordered to file a special report on the event detailing how they came to appear with the president and who authorized it.
Also on NBCWashington.com:?Virginia lawmakers set to vote on transportation bill
?How did they get there, why were they there and why didn?t we know about it before?? Ellerbe said.
Ed Smith, president of Local 36 of the firefighter?s union, said his office facilitated the appearance by the firefighters. ?The request came through the International Association of Firefighters,? Smith said, adding that it?s not the first time D.C. firefighters have been asked to appear with the president.
But he said, it?s the first time it?s been an issue. ?We?ve done this before. I would hope it doesn?t come to any discipline. They were supporting our president,? he said.
Also on NBCWashington.com:?Gun control law advances in Maryland
Ellerbe would not identify the department members involved, but one of those pictured is Lt. Robert Alvarado, who has been disciplined in the past by Ellerbe. In 2012 Alvarado was placed on leave after he wore a uniform with an outdated logo.
Ellerbe says requiring Alvarado and the others to explain why they attended the event in their dress uniforms is not payback for any previous incidents.
?There?s no payback, we don?t operate in a payback environment. I know folks say that but it?s not true.? Ellerbe insisted.
Ellerbe says none of the firefighters is facing termination, but added one of those involved is a woman who is new to the department and still on a probationary period.
This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:55 PM EST
Ryan North says he has "basically the best job ever," and we can't help but agree. As the creator of Dinosaur Comics, Ryan has been churning out the beloved webcomic nearly every weekday since 2003. He's also the guy behind the Adventure Time comic series and To Be or Not To Be, a choose-your-own-path version of Hamlet that recently became Kickstarter's most funded publishing project ever. When he's not comic-ing, Ryan uses his professional programming skills to build stuff like Project Wonderful, an online ad service, and Oh No Robot, a searchable text database for comics. We stole a few minutes of Ryan's busy schedule to chat about apps, gadgets, Patrick Stewart, and more. Did we miss something? Ryan is chatting live for the next hour?ask him yourself! 
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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Apple hasn't done much to change the way iOS works at its core, in terms of navigating within and between apps and the home screen. In fact, iOS is maybe the mobile OS that has remained the most fundamentally the same since its introduction, at least among those that are still in active use. But while Apple hasn't been making huge changes to the basic iOS user interface, third-party developers have been pushing the boundaries and creating great examples of how things could be better for a next-generation version of Apple's mobile OS.
