Kemp returns, saves Dodgers in 6-5 win over Giants

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Matt Kemp was insistent about getting back into the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup Tuesday night after three frustrating weeks on the disabled list, and the last thing on his mind was whether his troublesome right hamstring would hold up.

So when it came time to test his leg, it passed with flying colors.

Kemp ran a long way and made a marvelous catch for the final out of a 6-5 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants, extending Los Angeles' winning streak to a season-best four games.

"You can't really think like that," Kemp said when asked if he was relieved he didn't hurt his hamstring again. "I mean, I've thought like that after I came back from it last year, and it happened again. So I can't play timid. I have to let it go. And if it goes, it goes. Hamstrings are tricky, and you never know when they're good. But right now it feels good and I'm glad we got the win."

With runners at first and second, Marco Scutaro hit a long drive to center. Kemp, playing shallow with the potential tying run at second base, raced back and reached over his shoulder to make a sliding catch on the warning track. He popped up and smacked the wall hard, then shouted in excitement.

"Scutaro doesn't really drive the ball to center field like that, so he surprised me a little bit," the two-time Gold Glove winner said. "He's a good contact hitter that likes to drive the ball the other way in the hole and back up the middle, so I was just anticipating him trying to hit a ground ball up the middle, and he hit it pretty good. So I had to drop my head and run back."

Scutaro is homerless in 142 career at-bats against the Dodgers.

"I thought it had a good shot to go out," Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said. "It looked like he hit it well, but I knew Kemp was out there and he's a good center fielder. So he was going to do all he could to not let it drop. It was bad luck for us. That's kind of what's been happening a lot to us lately."

Kemp returned to the lineup after missing 24 games with a right hamstring strain. He was injured May 29 while running down a double in right-center by Mike Trout at Angel Stadium. It was the fourth time in his career that Kemp landed on the DL, including two stints last season because of a left hamstring strain that cost him a combined 51 games.

"I had to beg him to let me play today," Kemp said, referring to manager Don Mattingly. "I was telling him I was just sick of watching my team play without me. It kind of feels like you're not part of the team when you're on the DL, so I just wanted to get back out there with the guys."

Mark Ellis and Hanley Ramirez each hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, and rookie Stephen Fife pitched effectively into the seventh inning. Los Angeles handed the defending World Series champions their third loss in a row and eighth in 11 games, dropping them under .500 for the first time since losing to the Dodgers on opening day.

It's the latest the Giants have been below the break-even mark in any season since 2008, when they finished 72-90 in Bruce Bochy's second year as manager.

"Honestly, I didn't even know we were under .500. I just knew we haven't been playing well. That's a wake-up call in itself," Crawford said.

Fife (2-2) allowed three runs and four hits, including solo homers by Brandon Belt and NL MVP Buster Posey, in 6 2-3 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out three and walked two in his 11th major league start, only the second in which he gave up more than two runs.

With closer Kenley Jansen unavailable after pitching three consecutive days, demoted closer Brandon League came on in the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead and did not retire any of the three batters he faced.

Belt hit an RBI double and Andres Torres added an RBI single off League before Paco Gonzalez got three outs for his first major league save ? barely.

Mike Kickham (0-2) was charged with six runs, five earned, and eight hits over 5 1-3 innings in his second big league start.

The Dodgers broke a 2-all tie with four runs in the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez doubled and Ramirez followed with a drive off the left-field foul pole for his fifth homer. Kickham gave up singles to his next two batters before rookie Jake Dunning came in and gave up an RBI single by Tim Federowicz.

Nick Punto kept the inning alive when he beat the relay throw to first base with a headfirst slide on a potential double-play grounder. Andre Ethier then scored on Dunning's wild pitch to Fife.

Belt, who was 3 for 4 after coming in 4 for 43 lifetime at Dodger Stadium, got one of the runs back for the Giants in the seventh with his eighth homer.

Fife retired his first 11 batters before Posey drove an 0-1 pitch barely over the left-field fence for his ninth homer. The Giants tied it in the fifth on a run-scoring groundout by Torres.

Ellis opened the scoring with his fourth homer, a two-run shot with two outs in the third after Federowicz led off with a double.

NOTES: Punto, starting at 3B while Juan Uribe got the night off, jumped to pull down Pablo Sandoval's line drive in the second inning. Hunter Pence, the next batter, lifted a popup toward the stands and Punto stretched over the barrier before landing in the first row with the ball in his glove. ... Kemp was 1 for 4 with a single. He is homerless in 106 at-bats at Dodger Stadium since his two-run shot off Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa last Sept. 20. ... The Giants have been outhomered 19-5 over their last 15 games. ... The Dodgers, who were 11-13 in Kemp's absence, opened a roster spot for him by optioning INF-OF Elian Herrera to Triple-A Albuquerque. ... Giants CF Angel Pagan had surgery in Los Angeles to repair a tendon in his left hamstring, an injury that has sidelined him since May 26.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kemp-returns-saves-dodgers-6-5-win-over-053736803.html

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LGBT Community Untapped Market Consumer Brands - Business ...

Flickr/Brendon Thorne

Rick and Liam wanted recognition of their commitment to each other, so they did what many gay couples are doing these days.

They boarded a plane to New York where marriage between same-sex partners is legal. After hearing about the couple?s plans, the JetBlue crew on their flight showered them with special attention including free drinks and best wishes.

When Rick and Liam realized they lacked a witness for the wedding, one of the flight attendants accompanied the men to city hall to serve in that role, showing up at the nuptials only after stopping to get a special dessert for the occasion. The newly married men penned a heartfelt ?thank you? letter to JetBlue. The airline proudly posted the story on their blog and distributed it to the press.

JetBlue is not alone in its desire to shine a light on its support of its gay consumers. Many brands are waking up to the opportunity that the LGBT market today represents for their business.

Brands from Apple to Budweiser to JCPenney are becoming more interested in gay consumers, with many brands making concerted efforts to target the LGBT market. ?

Why? What is really at stake? Here are just a few numbers surrounding LGBT consumers and the differences in spending power of gay households vs. the American general market:

• 23% higher median household income¹

• 24% more equity in their homes¹

• 26% of gay men say they will pay more for top quality brands²

• 30% have taken a major vacation in the past year²

• 40% bought a new smart phone in the past year²

Estimates put the buying power of the LGBT community at over $800 billion annually. Some marketers are realizing that they may need to adjust their plans to accommodate this segment, or at least make sure that their marketing spending is inclusive of this valuable target. But many brands have been slow to pick up on the impact of the gay and lesbian consumer on their sales. Some are content to let their general market messages do the job of reaching everyone, and see no reason to pay special attention to LGBT consumers.

Are gay consumers? spending habits and brand loyalties really all that different? In some categories, maybe not. But in others, the impact of gay consumer spending is more profound. Here are a few differences between the purchasing habits of gay consumers and everyone else.

Gay Shopping Habits Pay Off For Brands ? Same-sex households spend at rates fairly similar to other households, when it comes to shopping for consumer packaged goods. However, gay and lesbian households make 16% more shopping trips than the average U.S. household ? 173 vs. 149 per year.3 The impact on total spending equates to about 25% more for same-sex households. Male same-sex households are especially likely to spend more frequently, shopping nearly 30% more often than the average household. On average, that?s $2,045 more per year spent on packaged goods in male same-sex households.3 This means that brands have more opportunities to reach LGBT consumers at retail to influence their purchase behaviors and brand preferences.

Gay Consumer Brand Loyalties ? Are the factors that influence the brand selection of gay consumers really that different? They are more likely to pay for quality brands and to influence others as well. When asked if it is worth paying extra for top-of-line or cutting edge products, 26% of gay men agreed, considerably higher than the average American?s answer to that question. And LGBT consumers are a source of word-of-mouth marketing for brands. Gay men (64%) and women (65%) agreed that when they find a brand they like, they are likely to make a point of telling their friends about it. That?s well above the average of all U.S. consumers.²

Gay Consumers and Finances ? Although there is some disagreement about income of gay consumers compared to the average American, most sources indicate LGBT consumers have more disposable income. According to a survey done by Prudential in 2012, gay consumers reported annual household incomes around $61,500, significantly higher than the national median of just over $50,000.1 Gays were more likely to have higher educations, to carry less debt, to have more savings and were less likely to be jobless with an unemployment rate of almost a point below the national percentage. Additionally, LGBT homeowners in the survey had significantly more equity in their homes and were better financially set for retirement.¹

But are gay consumers open to brand marketing messages tailored to them? With a constant media-driven debate reminding gay Americans of inequities including workplace discrimination, marriage inequality, and cultural clashes, on an almost daily basis, gays and lesbians are paying attention to brands that appear to be allies.

And even for brands that do not have any plan to market directly to LGBT consumers, the shift in America?s attitudes about the issue is requiring a new sensitivity. Brands from beer to candy bars have found themselves the subjects of consumer or industry criticism when they used ??harmless? jokes in ads that inadvertently seemed to show same-sex relationships in a bad light. And the concerns are not always coming from gay groups. More and more progressive general market consumers are expressing their support of gay issues and holding brands accountable as well.

With billions in spending at stake, it?s more important than ever that brands, even those who have no interest in marketing to gay Americans, become sensitive to these issues. This loyal group of consumers is ready to reward brands that really speak their language.

¹Prudential 2012 Survey of more than 1,000 LGBT respondents

²Community Marketing, Inc., July 2012 survey of 13,000 Gay & Lesbian Americans

³Nielsen, January 2013

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lgbt-community-untapped-market-consumer-brands-2013-6

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Acer Aspire P3 review: a nice enough tablet, but wait for the refresh

Back when Windows 8 first launched, the Acer Iconia W700 quickly became one of our favorite laptop / tablet hybrids. There were two reasons for that, really: the price was right, and the battery lasted longer than pretty much any other Win 8 device we'd tested. The thing is, it was more of a business device than something we'd recommend to the average consumer. After all, it came with a heavy, desk-bound docking station, with the carrying case and included keyboard as standalone pieces. That's quite a lot to carry if you ever feel like taking it on the road.

That's where the Acer Aspire P3 comes in. Don't worry, the W700 is still alive and kicking, but for people who've been looking for something more portable, this could be the one you want. Like the W700, the P3 starts at a reasonable price ($800) and has the guts of an Ivy Bridge laptop, including a Core i5 processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics, 4GB of RAM and a 120GB SSD. The difference is that rather than a clunky cradle, it comes with a carrying case that doubles as a keyboard; just prop the tablet up into a ready-made slot when you feel like watching movies or answering email. Yep, kind of like the Surface Pro, except there's no built-in kickstand and the keyboard is actually included. So is it a good deal at that price? Let's find out.

Gallery: Acer Aspire P3 review

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ny-H1camXs8/

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Panasonic VT60 Television: $3000 of Video Perfection

When it comes to high-end HD sets, you get what you pay for. And in the case of Panasonic's new top-of-the-line plasma set, it's worth every penny.

What Is It?

A THX-certified flat-screen television, and arguably the single best-looking plasma set on the market right now.

Who's It For?

People whose home theaters are actually theaters?not just two rows of couches and some blackout curtains?and want their display to reflect the investment. Simply put, rich folk.

Design

The VT60 may be beautiful to look at but that's only when it's on. The 60-inch single-sheet screen is surrounded by a roughly 2-inch black bezel and rested atop a flat, silvery-grey stand?just like most every other one we've seen. Nothing about the set itself really stands out save for the integrated pop-up camera.

Using It

Setup was simple and straightforward but exhaustive. Setting up the 97 pound TV and stand requires at least two people and performing the initial software registrations?setting up Wi-Fi, setting up the voice-control, setting up the motion-tracking remote, setting the home screen options, registering streaming accounts, etc?took the better part of an hour, and that's not including calibrating the picture.

The VT60 offers a slew of calibration setting options. In addition to the standard sharpness, brightness, hue, and saturation tweaks, you can apply filtering like the Brilliance Enhancer, Motion Smoother, and others. It's also got a full complement of ISFccc options for professional installers.

While the video camera's facial recognition feature (which loads a personalized home screen depending on who turned it on) is more gimmick than feature, the voice command functionality is freakin' awesome. Panasonic built a mic into the Viera touch remote so that it now not only acts as a mouse for web browsing and data input, it also understands your speech. This allows you to effortlessly input user information, dictate web addresses, and even control video playback. And it actually, you know, works.

The Best Part

Once you get through the setup and actually sit down with this set, it's just incredible. The black levels and shadow details are unreal, the color accuracy is nearly perfect and the colors themselves are syrupy-saturated without making skin tones overtly Boehner-orange. This is one great, great looking screen. What's more, it's expansive enough to hold a video feed and a web browser window simultaneously without looking squeezed and crowded.

Tragic Flaw

The bright room performance is nothing to write home about, with noticeable glare even when watching on overcast days. Also having an integrated camera constantly staring at you would make watching porn on this thing rather uncomfortable.

This Is Weird...

Calibrations are tailored per input?that is, the Custom calibration setting you set on HDMI 1 can be different from the same setting on HDMI 2 and 3?which is helpful if you use the one channel for normal TV watching in a well-lit room but turn the lights down to watch DVDs on HDMI 2. Handy, but can also be a pain if you want the same calibration across all channels.

Test Notes

• The VT60 loves to auto-switch between input channels on its own accord when you turn a device on or off.
• The Viera's voice recognition isn't Google-good but it's definitely better than typing.
• For this test, I used the Mastered in 4K version of Ghostbusters, Blu-ray discs that will also be able to play on the 4K TV you get after this one.

Should I Buy It?

Whether or not you want to shell out three large for the best-performing plasma we've seen in the past year is entirely up to you.

Panasonic TC-P60VT60 Specs

• Class: 60"
• Display: Plasma 1080p
• Weight: 97 pounds
• Media player: SD/USB & DLNA
• 3D: Active (two pairs of glasses included)
• I/O: 3 HDMI, 3 USB, SD, Composite, RJ-45, DAO, Voice command
• THX: THX 3D Certified
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet
• Sound: 2, 5W fronts - 1, 10W sub
• Notable Features: Smart TV (built-in web browsing and content streaming), My Home Screen (personalized content presentation), Swipe & Share 2.0 (content sharing from mobile devices), Voice Commands
• Price: $3000 at Amazon

Source: http://gizmodo.com/panasonic-vt60-television-3000-of-video-perfection-511518667

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Rating Action on Selective Insurance - June 14, 2013 - Zacks.com

Recently, A.M. Best Co. affirmed the issuer credit rating (ICR) of Selective Insurance Group Inc. (SIGI - Snapshot Report) at ?bbb+? along with all the debt ratings of the company. The rating agency also affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) and ICR of Selective Insurance?s subsidiary ? Selective Insurance Company of America ? and its 9 pooled affiliates at ?A? and ?a+?, respectively.

All ratings of Selective Insurance, its subsidiary and the affiliates carry a stable outlook.

The rating affirmation of Selective Insurance?s subsidiary and its affiliates were based on their sustained operating profitability, which resulted in a strong risk-adjusted capitalization even after dividend payments. Additionally, these companies? strong market position in the property and casualty insurance market, a proficient management team and the financial support provided by Selective Insurance also supported the ratings.

These positive factors were partly offset by significant variance in Selective Insurance Company of America and its affiliates? underwriting results, which sometimes led to below-average operating results, along with lower-than-composite average returns and investment yield and high underwriting leverage.

Ratings for Selective Insurance Company of America and its affiliates might be revised upward by A. M. Best if they generate above-average operating results over the long term. On the other hand, a significant downturn in operating profits or risk-adjusted capitalization may lead to a rating downgrade.

Rating affirmations or upgrades from credit rating agencies play an important part in retaining investor confidence in the stock as well as maintaining credit worthiness in the market. We believe the strong ratings scores will help Selective Insurance to retain investor confidence and help it write more businesses going forward, thereby boosting its results.

Selective Insurance currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some other companies worth considering in the property and casualty insurance business are Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. (MRH - Analyst Report), XL Group plc (XL - Analyst Report) and White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (WTM - Snapshot Report). All these companies carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Source: http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/101595/rating-action-on-selective-insurance

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Boxing tragedy inspires Blanchard's first opera

NEW YORK (AP) ? Jazz composer Terence Blanchard couldn't have imagined how timely his opera about a gay boxer would become when he accepted a commission three years ago.

Blanchard's "Champion" ? with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael Cristofer ? is based on the life of former world welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith. Its world premiere at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis on Saturday comes just weeks after NBA center Jason Collins became the first active male pro athlete from one of the four major North American team sports to come out as gay.

Griffith's greatest triumph came in a nationally televised welterweight title bout in 1962 when he knocked out Benny "The Kid" Paret by battering him with 17 punches in seven seconds, sending his rival into a coma. Paret died 10 days later.

At the weigh-in, the Cuban-born Paret had angered Griffith by using an anti-gay Spanish slur. Thirty years later, Griffith was beaten and nearly killed after leaving a gay bar near Times Square.

In a 2008 biography, Griffith came out and discussed being a bisexual athlete in an era when gays were not readily accepted. Griffith originally wanted to design women's hats, but was encouraged by his employer at a Garment District factory to take up boxing to support his family in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Blanchard boxes recreationally and first heard about Griffith from his friend and trainer, former heavyweight champion Michael Bentt. He was inspired to write the opera by a quote from Griffith in the biography: "I kill a man and most people understand and forgive me. However, I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgivable sin; this makes me an evil person."

An abbreviated version of the quote is used in the opera's climactic closing scene where an aging Griffith meets Paret's son to seek forgiveness.

"I was just compelled by the whole notion of a person who could be that accomplished and not really share the moment of winning the championship with somebody that he loved," Blanchard said in a telephone interview from his New Orleans home. "I immediately thought of the first time I won a Grammy. My wife was with me and I turned around and kissed her without thinking about it.

"It speaks volumes of where we are as a society and how we need to really check ourselves, especially those of us who call ourselves compassionate human beings."

Benny Paret Jr. and Griffith's adopted son, Luis Rodrigo, are expected to attend the premiere. The 75-year-old Griffith, who lives in a nursing home in Hempstead, N.Y., suffers from dementia pugilistica after more than 100 professional bouts and requires full-time care.

"So often we think of opera as being kind of irrelevant in many ways, but I do believe opera-going audiences these days ... want something more modern that reflects contemporary society," said OTSL Artistic Director James Robinson, who is directing the production.

When Robinson took over as artistic director in 2008, he was interested in commissioning new works by American composers and the idea of a jazz opera came up. Gene Dobbs Bradford, who runs Jazz St. Louis, recommended Blanchard because of his extensive orchestral experience that includes writing scores for more than 50 films, including most of Spike Lee's.

The 51-year-old Blanchard agreed to undertake the biggest musical project of his career in part to honor his father who could not realize his dream of being an opera singer in an era when companies didn't hire male black singers. His father performed with amateur opera groups, and Blanchard grew up listening to opera recordings at his New Orleans home.

Blanchard knows his father would have been "overjoyed" to see that his son had written an opera performed by a largely African-American cast, including Denyce Graves as Griffith's mother, Arthur Woodley as old Emile and Aubrey Allicock as young Emile. An 11-year-old from St. Louis, Jordan Jones, plays Emile as a boy.

Cristofer's first opera libretto tells Griffith's story in 10 rounds.

"I saw in Emile's life the story of a man who was fighting to reconcile who he was inside with who he was in the outside world," said Cristofer. "He was a young man who wanted to make hats and sing and play baseball and instead became a famous and successful prize fighter. He was confused about his sexual identity and that confusion led to violence. That violence led to the death of another man."

Blanchard describes his work as an "opera in jazz." His score for symphony orchestra and jazz trio uses the language of jazz ? its rhythms and harmonies ? but leaves little space for improvisation. He says his biggest challenge was learning how to write for the individual singers because each human voice has its own characteristics.

While writing "Champion," Blanchard also took a new direction with his jazz quintet. The trumpeter's album "Magnetic," released in late May, features 10 original compositions by Blanchard and his bandmates that cover a wide range of styles from the driving bop of "Don't Run," featuring special guests bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, to the spacey electronic haze of "Hallucinations," with West African guitarist Lionel Loueke.

Blanchard hopes "Champion" builds bridges between the jazz and opera audiences.

"It's also a compelling story and hopefully we'll start to engage in a more in-depth conversation about being universally tolerant in this country," he said.

____

Online:

http://www.ExperienceOpera.org

http://www.terenceblanchard.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boxing-tragedy-inspires-blanchards-first-opera-161007457.html

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EE now offering flat-rate unlimited broadband and call packages

EE's 4G may grab the headlines, but the company's also offering land line phone and internet services with a (Kevin) Bacony-twist. Now, the network is coaxing existing customers away from rival ISPs like Virgin and BT with six new unlimited broadband and call packages. The £5-per-month basic tier will give you unlimited ADSL and weekend calls, while bluer bloods can fork out £29 a month to get unlimited fiber (up to speeds of 76 Mbps), unlimited calls to landlines and 1,000 free mobile minutes each week. We've added a chart for comparison after the break, assuming you don't reach for your wallet every time you see a product pitched by the guy from Footloose.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile

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George W. Bush back in favor? His ratings make a surprising jump

Former president George W. Bush?s popularity is ticking up. For the first time since 2005, Americans? opinions of him are more positive than negative.

A Gallup poll released Wednesday found 49 percent of Americans view him favorably and 46 percent unfavorably.

Mr. Bush has chosen to remain largely out of the public eye since leaving the White House. He told CNN last year that ?Eight years was awesome, and I was famous and I was powerful but I have no desire for fame and power any more.?

RECOMMENDED: Know your US presidents? See if D.C. Decoder can stump you!

When Bush left office in January 2009, he had a 40 percent favorable and 59 percent unfavorable ranking. His approval rating hit its lowest point in April 2008 at 32 percent. At the time the economy was in recession, gas prices approached record highs, and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were jostling for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

The recovery in Bush's image is not unexpected, given that Americans generally view former presidents positively. Favorable ratings for Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all exceeded 60 percent when Gallup last measured.

Yet ?Bush left office with decidedly negative favorability ratings as well as approval ratings, so the recovery in his image is notable,? Gallup writes.

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The dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in April thrust the 43rd president briefly back in the spotlight and sparked a flurry of commentary about his legacy.

Supporters, such as conservative writer Charles Krauthammer, suggested a parallel to Harry Truman, saying views will improve with time and that Bush "... did not just keep us safe. He created the entire anti-terror infrastructure that continues to keep us safe." Others, like Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post penned, "In retrospect, George W. Bush's legacy doesn't look as bad as when he left office. It looks worse."

The latest Gallup poll, conducted June 1-4, found that despite the uptick in his popularity, opinions of Bush remain sharply polarized. He has a 60-point gap in favorable ratings from Republicans versus Democrats.

Bush?s job approval ratings are the most polarized for a president prior to President Obama. Mr. Obama?s approval ratings during his first term continued the severe party polarization trend.

During his fourth year in office, an average of 86 percent of Democrats and 10 percent of Republicans approved of the job Obama did as president. That 76 percentage-point gap ties George W. Bush's fourth year as the most polarized years

?The list of most polarized years makes it clear that Obama's highly polarized ratings may be as much a reflection of the era in which he is governing as on Obama himself. The last nine presidential years ? the final five for Bush and Obama's first four ? all rank in the top 10. Thus, it appears that highly polarized ratings are becoming the norm, as Americans aligned with both parties are apparently not looking much beyond the president's party affiliation to evaluate the job he is doing,? Gallup wrote in a January 2013 press release.

RECOMMENDED: Know your US presidents? See if D.C. Decoder can stump you!

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/george-w-bush-back-favor-ratings-surprising-jump-165417335.html

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Hands-free texting still distracting for drivers

Russ Martin of American Automobile Association (AAA), is seen on a monitor in a research vehicle skull cap to the research vehicle during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Russ Martin of American Automobile Association (AAA), is seen on a monitor in a research vehicle skull cap to the research vehicle during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Russ Martin of American Automobile Association (AAA), is hooked to an electroencephalographic (EEG)-configured skull cap, during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Dr. Eric Strayer of University of Utah, speaks to reporters , during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Russ Martin of American Automobile Association (AAA), is hooked to an electroencephalographic (EEG)-configured skull cap, during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Russ Martin of triple A, is assisted by Joel Cooper, left, hooking the electroencephalographic (EEG)-configured skull cap to the research vehicle during a demonstrations in support of their new study on distracted driving in Landover, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Using voice commands to send text messages and emails from behind the wheel, which is marketed as a safer alternative for drivers, actually is more distracting and dangerous than simply talking on a cellphone, a new AAA study found.

Automakers have been trying to excite new-car buyers, especially younger ones, with dashboard infotainment systems that let drivers use voice commands do things like turning on windshield wipers, posting Facebook messages or ordering pizza. The pitch has been that hands-free devices are safer because they enable drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.

But talking on a hands-free phone isn't significantly safer for drivers than talking on a hand-held phone, and using hands-free devices that translate speech into text is the most distracting of all, researchers found. Speech-to-text systems that enable drivers to send, scroll through, or delete email and text messages required greater concentration by drivers than other potentially distracting activities examined in the study like talking on the phone, talking to a passenger, listening to a book on tape or listening to the radio.

The greater the concentration required to perform a task, the more likely a driver is to develop what researchers call "tunnel vision" or "inattention blindness." Drivers will stop scanning the roadway or ignore their side and review mirrors. Instead, they look straight ahead, but fail to see what's in front of them, like red lights and pedestrians.

"People aren't seeing what they need to see to drive. That's the scariest part to me," said Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the group's safety research arm. "Police accident investigative reports are filled with comments like the 'looked, but did not see.' That's what drivers tell them. We used to think they were lying, but now we know that's actually true."

There are about 9 million cars and trucks on the road with infotainment systems, and that will jump to about 62 million vehicles by 2018, AAA spokeswoman Yolanda Cade said, citing automotive industry research. At the same time, drivers tell the AAA they believe phones and other devices are safe to use behind the wheel if they are hands-free, she said.

"We believe there is a public safety crisis looming," Cade said. "We hope this study will change some widely held misconceptions by motorists."

AAA officials who briefed automakers, safety advocates and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the study's findings said they want to limit in-vehicle, voice-driven technologies to "core driving tasks."

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers was skeptical. "We are extremely concerned that it could send a misleading message, since it suggests that hand-held and hands-free devices are equally risky," the association said in a statement.

The automakers' trade group said the AAA study focuses only on the mental distraction posed by using a device and ignores the visual and manual aspects of hand-held versus hands-free systems that are integrated into cars.

Other studies have also compared hand-held and hands-free phone use, finding they are equally risky or nearly so. But a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of drivers' real world driving experiences found hand-held phone use was less safe than hands-free.

Researchers at the University of Utah who conducted the study for the AAA measured the brainwaves, eye movement, driving performance and other indicators of 32 university students as they drove and performed a variety of secondary tasks, ranging from listening to music to sending emails. Cameras were mounted inside the car to track drivers' eye and head movements. A device that drivers pressed was used to record their reaction time to red and green lights introduced to their field of vision. Drivers were fitted with a special skull cap to record their brain activity.

The students were tested while not driving, while driving in a simulator and while driving a car on a 3-mile loop through a suburban Salt Lake City neighborhood with stop signs and stoplights. A researcher with a backup braking system accompanied the students in the test car.

One reason using voice commands is so much more distracting for drivers, even though they aren't using their hands, is that they often require more concentration than simply speaking to another person, said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, an expert on cognitive distraction and lead author of the study. Talking to a computer requires far greater precision than talking to a person, he said. Otherwise, "Call home" may get you Home Depot.

Synthetic computer voices can be harder to understand than human voices, also requiring more attention. The computers used in the study were exceptionally high-fidelity systems that made no errors, but the systems in cars aren't as good, Strayer said. He said that means the study probably underestimates the concentration required of drivers, and thus the ability of speech-to-text systems to distract them.

Another difference: In phone conversations, a person who is listening will give indications that they agree with what the speaker has said or have heard what was said. Computers don't provide that feedback.

"The complexity of trying to say something that is coherent when there is no feedback is much more difficult," Strayer said.

A simple, quick voice command to turn on windshield wipers isn't very distracting, he said. But concentrating on creating a text message and trying to get it right takes a great deal more mental effort and time.

"The more complex and the longer those interactions are, the more likely you are going to have impairments when you're driving," Strayer said.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-06-12-Distracted%20Driving/id-4c39e1f66f6941a9af8b3e07058d6bf2

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New details of natural anticancer mechanism uncovered

June 11, 2013 ? Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified key triggers of an important cancer-blocking mechanism in cells. Termed "oncogene-induced senescence," this mechanism can block most cancer types, and is commonly experienced when incipient skin cancers turn instead into slow-growing moles. Tumors that achieve malignancy often do so by defeating or circumventing this growth barrier -- which is why scientists have been eager to find out precisely how it works.

"We have known about some of the molecular signals that mediate this senescence response, but we've needed to understand the signaling pathway in much more detail," said Peiqing Sun, associate professor in TSRI's Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

In the new study, published recently by the journal Molecular Cell, Sun and his colleagues describe the cascading interactions of three enzymes that are necessary to initiate a common type of oncogene-induced senescence.

Looking for Binding Partners

Oncogenes are growth-related genes that, through DNA damage, inherited mutations or some other cause, push cells to keep dividing beyond normal limits. Oncogenes in the ras gene family are the ones that have been most commonly linked to human cancers -- and most studied as triggers of senescence . Sun and other researchers showed a decade ago that an enzyme called p38 sits near the top of the ras-induced senescence response cascade. In 2007, Sun and his colleagues reported that p38 plays a role in this cascade by activating another enzyme, PRAK, through the addition of a phosphor group, a modification known as phosphorylation. For the new study, Sun and first author Research Associate Hui Zheng, along with other members of the laboratory, sought more details of PRAK's role in this cascade.

Zheng began the investigation by searching for binding partners of PRAK. With a series of protein-interaction assays he isolated an enzyme called Tip60, which binds tightly to PRAK. Further tests indicated that Tip60 does indeed lie within the senescence-inducing signaling cascade, because senescence fails to occur when Tip60 is absent.

PRAK is a kinase enzyme that, like p38, phosphorylates other proteins. Initially Zheng and Sun suspected that PRAK interacts with Tip60 by phosphorylating it, and thereby activating it.

Instead, the reverse turned out to be true: Tip60 acts on PRAK. Tip60 is a type of enzyme called an acetyltransferase, which modifies other proteins by adding acetyl groups. "Our tests showed that Tip60 binds to PRAK and acetylates it at a certain location, which helps activate PRAK," said Zheng.

Thus, the key enzyme PRAK requires two signals: "First the phosphorylation by p38 and then the acetylation by Tip60 are required for fully activating PRAK in this senescence-induction cascade," Zheng said.

Potential Cancer-Drug Strategy

What controls Tip60's own activation in this cascade? None other than the master switch, p38. "As a first step, p38 phosphorylates both Tip60 and PRAK," said Sun. Activated Tip60 then acetylates PRAK, completing PRAK's activation.

Previously Sun and his laboratory have shown that PRAK, when activated, goes on to activate the key tumor-suppressor protein p53, which exerts more direct control over a cell's growth machinery.

Sun and his team have been looking for ways to force the activation of the senescence response in cancer cells, as a potential cancer-drug strategy. "Finding these details of the early part of the signaling cascade helps us understand better what we need to target," he said.

Other contributors to the study, "A Posttranslational Modification Cascade Involving p38, Tip60 and PRAK Mediates Oncogene-Induced Senescence," were John Tat and Rong Liao of Sun's laboratory, and Xuemei Han, Aaron Aslanian and John R. Yates III of the Yates lab at TSRI.

The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (grants CA106768 and CA131231).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/QVgLMcJM9pM/130611154044.htm

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Activists fight against gov't surveillance with StopWatching.Us

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128591/Activists_fight_against_gov_t_surveillance_with_StopWatching_Us

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A Retro-Futuristic Watch Torn From the Pages of Science Fiction

Supposedly inspired and named after the space station featured in the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine, Vianney Halter's Deep Space Tourbillon watch took several years to design and build. But from the looks of it, that number could be closer to half a decade since the watch looks like it was based on designs from the science fiction of yesteryear.

The watch's most striking feature is a spinning triple axis tourbillon that almost appears to float beneath a bulbous crystal dome as if it was set adrift in space. But it's securely tied into the Deep Space Tourbillon, powering the arching hour and minute hands that curve up from the side of its face.

Watch enthusiasts with a penchant for sci-fi better be ready to pay up, though. The Deep Space Tourbillon comes with a $192,000 price tag, but unfortunately it's apparently already been sold to a collector in China. Guess you'll just have to wait for the Voyager edition.

[Vianney Halter via A Blog To Watch]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-retro-futuristic-watch-torn-from-the-pages-of-science-512274786

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Insert Coin: BubblePod clockwork turntable lets your phone capture 360-degree images

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

The problem with capturing panoramic stills with your phone is that you need to keep a steady motion when panning around, but we all know that only a robot can perform such feat perfectly. That's why this little BubblePod caught our attention. The device is essentially a mini clockwork turntable so no battery is required -- just wind it up, slip an iOS, Android or BB10 device into the silicone grip, fire up the BubblePix app and hit the BubblePod's release button for a steady 40-second rewind.

The sample panoramic shots (or "bubbles") we saw have almost no visible stitching, and the app can simultaneously record an audio clip to capture the atmosphere as well. Better yet, in addition to its rubberized base, the BubblePod is also built with a universal tripod mount plus a wine bottle insert mount!

This Kickstarter project will offer a unit if you pledge a minimum of £15 (about $23) for the limited early bird offer or £20 (about $31) later on, plus £5 (about $8) to ship outside the UK. Do check out the demo video after the break, and feel free to grab yourself a BubblePod before funding ends on July 9th.

Gallery: Insert Coin: BubblePod clockwork turntable lets your phone capture 360-degree images

Filed under: Peripherals, Mobile

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Source: Kickstarter

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/bqDZ7LEZ5cQ/

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British butterfly desperate for warm weather this summer

June 10, 2013 ? Butterflies are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature, and new research has revealed that when summer weather turns bad the silver-spotted skipper battles for survival.

The butterfly, which previously faced extinction from habitat loss, is recovering following conservation efforts but the recent cool wet summers in England have almost stalled its progress.

A 27 year study by researchers at the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of York, the University of Liverpool, Sussex Wildlife Trust, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the charity Butterfly Conservation has been published in the journal Ecology Letters. The study estimated changes in temperature across a range of silver-spotted skipper habitats and found that localised fluctuations in temperature lead to extreme fluctuations in the butterfly population size and in the probability of the butterflies colonising new sites.

Lead author Dr Jonathan Bennie from the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter said: "Although we know that the climate overall is warming there is still much variability in the weather from one year to the next. This variability presents a threat to southern British butterflies that we might expect to take advantage of warmer conditions to colonise further north. In warmer years the silver-spotted skipper, which needs a balmy 25?C to become fully active, has expanded its range. However during the recent cold wet summers we have found the skipper clinging to the warmest south-facing hillsides waiting for better weather."

The study used records of weather and butterflies since 1982, combined with computer modelling, to reconstruct how microclimates, created by different slopes and aspects, affect how many butterflies there were, where they were, and how quickly the species has been able to colonise new locations as the climate has warmed.

Co-author Dr Jenny Hodgson from the University of Liverpool said "We were able to produce quite an accurate reconstruction of this butterfly's expansion across the landscape, and this makes us hopeful that we can provide useful predictions of which sites will be most important for conservation in the future."

The research indicates that conservation efforts could benefit from saving habitats with a range of different microclimates. Many species of butterfly are declining in Britain because of habitat loss, but the silver-spotted skipper has taken advantage of south facing slopes with warm microclimates. These provide vital refuges for the species during cooler summers; whereas in hotter summers north, east and west facing hillsides provide stepping stones of habitat that allow the species to spread through the landscape.

Understanding how different species depend on different features of the landscape because of their microclimates would enable more effective conservation of species under a changing and variable climate.

This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/ZFsEcvRaNeY/130610095140.htm

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