Friday, May 24, 2013

Deeplink.me Lets Mobile Users Navigate Through A ?Web? Of Apps

dl-4Have you ever wished that you could navigate through the apps on the phone as easy as clicking links on the web? Such a thing may now become a real possibility thanks to a new service from Cellogic, called Deeplink.me. In a nutshell, it’s a bit.ly for mobile app deep linking – meaning not necessarily just linking to the app itself, but to a specific page, section or ?- in the case of a mobile game – a specific level, within an application. The link (deeplink.me/yourname), meanwhile, works from anywhere, whether web, mobile web, or any other native mobile application. It can automatically detect where an end user is coming from and whether or not they have the necessary mobile app installed on their device. If the link is clicked on the web, it would simply point the user to the developer or publisher’s web version of that same content. If on mobile with no app installed, it could be configured to point to the app store or mobile website instead. And if the app is present, it could take you right to the relevant screen. All of this is configurable, of course. The idea came about as an offshoot of what Celllogic is currently building with Nextap, a content discovery network for mobile applications. Nextap is a much bigger product built on top of this deeplink technology,?and, even pre-launch, it has paying customers. These include several large news publishers and a few big-name app and game developers. During the development process for Nextap, the team decided to spin off the?Deeplink tool, which will allow?end users to move horizontally through apps. As Cellogic CEO Itamar Weisbrod explains, Nextap’s customers wanted to use the technology as something of a “bit.ly for deep linking” so they could tweet out links, share them on Facebook, email and elsewhere. “One of their biggest issues is that they’ve invested so much in these native apps, but they’re still silos,” says Weisbrod. “So we said, well, we have the analytics, we have this platform, we could just give you this one URL and you can generate the links for your apps, and you could then link to specific parts in your apps.” The implementation requires minimal configuration on the app developer’s side since the function the link is calling is already present. Developers only have to add a few lines of code, Weisbrod says. And on

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/AwDlJX_3r-E/

2012 nfl draft grades young justice d rose iman shumpert mayweather vs cotto shumpert hopkins

Storage Decisions University: Adapting Storage Capacity and Costs to a Virtual Environment

Posted:? 22 May 2013
Premieres:? 29 May 2013
Format:? Multimedia
Type:? Virtual Environment
Language:? English

ABSTRACT:

As IT leaders flock to virtualization for benefits in efficiency, availability, reduced sprawl, and more, storage requirements are feeling the strain. According to Gartner, storage costs are predicted to increase by more than 600% by 2014 as a result of server virtualization. So how can CIOs reduce the price of this trend?

This Storage Decisions University Classroom provides expert insight around primary storage strategies for virtual environments, along with the pros and cons of each. Learn how your organization can centralize capacity, performance, and data protection management with virtual storage, all while keeping costs in check.

Lessons include:

  • Storage Strategies in a Virtual Ecosystem: Three Approaches
  • The virtual storage power play: capacity, performance and data
  • Prevent storage costs from spiraling out of this virtual world

Speakers

Marc Staimer
founder, senior analyst and CDS ,? Dragon Slayer Consulting

Marc Staimer is the founder, senior analyst and CDS at Dragon Slayer Consulting in Beaverton, Ore. The consulting practice of 14 years has focused on the areas of strategic planning, product development and market development. With more than 32 years of marketing, sales and business experience in infrastructure, storage, server, software and virtualization, Marc is considered one of the industry's leading experts.

Jon Toigo
CEO and managing principal ,? Toigo Partners International

Jon William Toigo is a 30-year IT veteran who has worked both as an operative within corporate information systems departments and as a senior consultant with two international systems integrators. He has written thousands of articles and columns for the computer trade press, including Storage magazine, SearchStorage.com, Computerworld, Network Computing, Mainframe Executive, Scientific American, Washington Technology and z/Journal. Toigo has written 15 books on enterprise computing strategies.

He is CEO and managing principal of Toigo Partners International, and operates the DrunkenData.com blog on storage and data management. Toigo has also chaired the Data Management Institute since 1992.

BROWSE RELATED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

CIOs | Data Acquisition Hardware | Data Center Management | Data Centers | Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | Data Management | Data Recovery | Data Storage | IT Management | Server Management | Server Virtualization | Storage for Virtualized Servers | Storage Management | Storage Virtualization

View All Resources sponsored by SearchCIO.com
TechTarget provides enterprise IT professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective IT purchase decisions and managing their organizations' IT projects - with its network of

Definitions: ? TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media
??|?? ??

All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2000 - 2013, TechTarget?|?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SearchstorageAU-ResearchLibrary/~3/0GKD5M7Us3E/1365606711_409.html

maryland lottery grand jury ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Mexico drug cartel commander pleads guilty in murder of U.S. official


NEW YORK | Thu May 23, 2013 3:58pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Mexican drug cartel commander known as "Tweety Bird" pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court in Washington to ordering the ambush and murder of U.S. immigration agents in 2011, according to U.S. officials.

The plea related to a February 2011 incident when two "hit squads" from the Los Zetas drug cartel forced an armored U.S. government vehicle off a highway near Mexico City and surrounded it, federal prosecutors said.

Zetas commander Julian Zapata Espinoza, known as "El Piolin" (Tweety Bird), ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila out of the car, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the U.S. Justice Department's Criminal Division.

When the agents refused, identifying themselves as American diplomats from the U.S. embassy, Espinoza ordered the gunmen to fire on the vehicle. Zapata was killed and Avila was seriously wounded but survived, officials said.

Espinoza pleaded guilty to the murder of Zapata and the attempted murder of Avila. He had been extradited from Mexico to the United States in December 2011, and indicted by a grand jury in April 2012.

The court on Thursday unsealed three earlier guilty pleas related to the attack. Two other men admitted to being Zetas cartel members and participating in the attack, and a third admitted to assisting the Zetas in the deadly ambush.

All four men face a maximum sentence of life in prison. No sentencing date has been set yet.

U.S. officials have traditionally responded with relentless pressure on Mexican drug gangs who target American law enforcement officials.

When U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camerena was abducted and killed in 1985 by the Zetas gang members, U.S. officials "virtually shut down the border ... and began car to car searches, ostensibly for Camerena," said Nathan Jones, a drug policy analyst at Rice University's James Baker School of Public Policy.

"What they were really doing was establishing a deterrent, drawing a line in the sand," Jones said. "And it worked. Within about a month, the Zetas gave up what most analysts call a ?sacrificial lamb' member to pay for the kidnapping."

Oliver Revell, who was head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Investigative Division at the time, agreed.

"We made them pay a price they didn't want to pay again," Revell told Reuters.

The sentiment was echoed on Wednesday by the current head of the same FBI division.

"Let it be known that an attack against any federal agent serving his or her country is an attack on all federal agents, and as such remains a priority for the FBI until those responsible are brought to justice," Assistant Director Ronald T. Hosko said in a statement.

(Reporting by Chris Francescani; Editing by Scott Malone and Richard Chang)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/lcI2u_ls2Qw/story01.htm

Paul Harvey ihop Sasquatch 2013 super bowl commercials wheres my refund superbowl ads Super Bowl Ads 2013

Nick and JoAnna Garcia Swisher Welcome Daughter

The first baseman for the Cleveland Indians, 32, was put on the teams' paternity list (mandatory one to three-days leave) revealing the happy news.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/UXTyKZ2BgJA/

tagged Heptathlon London 2012 shot put London 2012 Track And Field Jordyn Wieber michael phelps Kerri Strug

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Origins of human culture linked to rapid climate change

May 21, 2013 ? Rapid climate change during the Middle Stone Age, between 80,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the Middle Stone Age, sparked surges in cultural innovation in early modern human populations, according to new research.

The research, published this month in Nature Communications, was conducted by a team of scientists from Cardiff University's School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Barcelona.

The scientists studied a marine sediment core off the coast of South Africa and reconstructed terrestrial climate variability over the last 100,000 years.

Dr Martin Ziegler, Cardiff University School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, said: "We found that South Africa experienced rapid climate transitions toward wetter conditions at times when the Northern Hemisphere experienced extremely cold conditions."

These large Northern Hemisphere cooling events have previously been linked to a change in the Atlantic Ocean circulation that led to a reduced transport of warm water to the high latitudes in the North. In response to this Northern Hemisphere cooling, large parts of the sub-Saharan Africa experienced very dry conditions.

"Our new data however, contrasts with sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrates that the South African climate responded in the opposite direction, with increasing rainfall, that can be associated with a globally occurring southward shift of the tropical monsoon belt."

Linking climate change with human evolution

Professor Ian Hall, Cardiff University School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, said: "When the timing of these rapidly occurring wet pulses was compared with the archaeological datasets, we found remarkable coincidences.

"The occurrence of several major Middle Stone Age industries fell tightly together with the onset of periods with increased rainfall."

"Similarly, the disappearance of the industries appears to coincide with the transition to drier climatic conditions."

Professor Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum commented, "The correspondence between climatic ameliorations and cultural innovations supports the view that population growth fuelled cultural changes, through increased human interactions."

The South African archaeological record is so important because it shows some of the oldest evidence for modern behavior in early humans. This includes the use of symbols, which has been linked to the development of complex language, and personal adornments made of seashells.

"The quality of the southern African data allowed us to make these correlations between climate and behavioural change, but it will require comparable data from other areas before we can say whether this region was uniquely important in the development of modern human culture" added Professor Stringer.

The new study presents the most convincing evidence so far that abrupt climate change was instrumental in this development.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/EAKabKZxF3g/130521121426.htm

j lo j lo sacha baron cohen ryan seacrest octavia spencer meryl streep oscars school shooting ohio billy crystal

IRS' Lerner says did nothing wrong, refuses to answer questions (reuters)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/307537564?client_source=feed&format=rss

chris anderson rondo suspended bay bridge band of brothers presidents george washington horsetail falls

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Official Details Revealed

By now you've seen the photos of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class online and are hankering for the details. You're in luck, because Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the car in Hamburg, Germany.

The on-paper specifications of the new S-Class are impressive, as we would expect from such an expensive flagship car, but this car is even more of a revelation in person. It's as if someone at Mercedes-Benz was given free rein to dream what a luxury car should be, and the execs signed off without a second thought. And why wouldn't they? With the Maybach brand gone, Mercedes-Benz can push the S-Class into the luxury stratosphere and aim to compete with Bentley and Rolls-Royce at bargain pricing (that's a relative term, we realize).

The 2014 S550 is the first car in history to be completely illuminated inside and out with LEDs, with the headlights sporting 56 LED bulbs each.

The S-Class almost drives itself. A sensor package relying on a stereo camera and radar constantly monitors what is going on around the car and automatically engages the updated Driver Assistance Package features when necessary.

It seems like there's a trademarked name on every part of the car. Magic Vision Control, first featured in last year's SL, cleans the front windshield via water guides in the wipers, eliminating that traditional blast of washer fluid that typically leaves the rest of your car a mess. The S-Class even has a seat massage function based on the hot-stone principle with heat integrated into the massage program.

Then there's the optional Magic Body Control. (Yes, you read that right. It's a good thing Mercedes-Benz isn't egotistical about its new creation.) Using the aforementioned stereo camera, it performs road-surface scans 49 feet ahead of the car and automatically adjusts suspension damping at each individual wheel?when the visibility is good. With these adjustments happening in fractions of a second, Mercedes-Benz says, the S-Class delivers epic driving comfort whether you're behind the wheel or in the back seat. Needless to say, we're looking forward to putting this new system to the test on some less-than-forgiving roads.

Inside, things look more Bentley than Mercedes-Benz, with circular metal air vents and a two-spoke plush leather and wood steering wheel with "Mercedes-Benz" in cursive on the bottom. There aren't a lot of buttons, as much of that duty has been migrated to the twin 12.3-inch LCD screens mounted front and center.

The S550 and 550 4MATIC still feature a direct injected, twin-turbocharged V-8. Mercedes' power-hungry engineers apparently decided that 429 hp just wasn't enough, so they upped it another 26 to 455 hp total. Torque stays at a mighty 516 lb-ft. Expect to zip to 60 mph in around 4.8 seconds.

The S550 (in long wheelbase form, the only one we see in the U.S.) is exactly the same length as its predecessor and 1.1 inches wider. It's a hair taller too. The new car is said to be a lot safer, with features including seat-cushion and seatbelt airbags, and even a system that uses the seatbelts to pull front-seat occupants away from the direction of impact.

The 2014 S-Class raises the bar on the luxury sedan to heights that seemed unattainable even a few years ago. You can expect to see the S550 at dealers by September with the S550 4MATIC to follow in November, just in time to roll in style for the holiday season. Launching alongside the S550 4MATIC will be the S63 AMG 4MATIC, with more drivetrains to follow in 2014. Mercedes has told us that one of those drivetrains will definitely be a plug-in hybrid.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/industry/2014-mercedes-benz-s-class-official-details-revealed-15498686?src=rss

James Eagan Holmes jeremy lin Sage Stallone Mermaid Body Found Celeste Holm Stephen Covey klimt

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

10 of the Year's Most Beautiful Science Images

Who knew an artificial neural network could be so pretty? The winners of Princeton's annual science photography contest, Art of Science, were announced a few days ago. And boy, are some of these images beautiful.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_DLQSC4-RyY/10-of-the-years-most-beautiful-science-images-508969751

Sarah Savage Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game john lennon leann rimes pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha

Seen and heard at the Cannes Film Festival

CANNES, France (AP) ? Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival:

JAMES CAAN GOES BACK TO THE 70S

They don't make movies like they used to ? which is why James Caan was happy to go back to the 1970s in Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties."

An icon of '70s cinema through his role as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather," Caan plays the patriarch of a divided family in the Brooklyn-set drama. His younger son, played by Billy Crudup, is a cop; the elder, played by Clive Owen, is an ex-con trying halfheartedly to go straight.

"I've become very negative about the films of today, and that's why (I leapt at) the chance to do a film of the '70s with talent like this," 73-year-old Caan told reporters at a Cannes press conference Monday.

"I was very fortunate in the '70s to work with the best actors, the best directors, the best cinematographers. And (the films) had a beginning, a middle and an end, which was something very odd."

Today, he said, "it seems like most of the films they're doing, in Hollywood anyway, are these franchise films."

Canet is a French screen heartthrob-turned-director who made a splash with his taut 2006 movie "Tell No One." He said he was inspired by the '70s American cinema renaissance ? films like Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and Jerry Schatzberg's "The Panic In Needle Park" ? to revisit the gritty, litter-strewn streets of the era.

A remake of the 2008 French film "Les Liens Du Sang" (Blood Ties), which starred Canet as the policeman's brother in his English-language debut, is playing out of competition in Cannes.

Canet assembled an international cast including "Star Trek'''s Zoe Saldana, Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts and French star Marion Cotillard, who is also the director's romantic partner.

Cotillard plays the Owen character's Italian-born ex, adopting a New York-Italian accent ? an experience she admitted was "very, very stressful."

When an Italian reporter complimented her accent, she emitted a loud sigh of relief.

"I'm going to kiss you!" she said. "You can't imagine how much pleasure you've given me."

? Jill Lawless, http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

AHNA O'REILLY FETED AS SHE CELEBRATES TWO CANNES FILMS

Along the water on the yachts where many of the Cannes Film Festival's uber-exclusive parties are thrown, guests are required to take off their shoes before stepping on the boat. And for that "Fruitvale Station" actress Ahna O'Reilly is grateful.

"I can't be in heels for that long ? I'm so uncomfortable!" the smiling actress said Sunday evening aboard the posh Jettee Albert Edouard. "But it's amazing, I love seeing people all dolled up."

This is O'Reilly's first trip to the Cannes Film Festival, and she has two films on display. The actress, who was also in "The Help," is starring in "Fruitvale" with good friend Octavia Spencer and also in "As I Lay Dying," in which she was directed by another friend, James Franco, who also stars in the film. Both were in attendance as she was the guest of honor at the event, hosted by the charity Art of Elysium.

"I'm just pinching myself, I can't believe it, and I'm here with some of my best friends in the world representing projects that I'm deeply passionate about, and also here tonight representing the Art of Elysium, an organization I care a lot about," she said. "So it's just all of these people that I love in the most beautiful setting, where everybody is celebrating their love of cinema, so it's a total dream."

The Art of Elysium has thrown events at Cannes for the past five years. The charity brings artists into hospitals to entertain children afflicted with life-threatening diseases like cancer.

Founder Jennifer Howell said it was a natural to have the event at a film festival: "We're so artist-centric that we want to be tied into what are artists actually do as fundraisers."

O'Reilly hasn't had much down time to explore the Cannes area but had one to-do on her wish list:

"I'm dying to go to the Hotel du Cap," she said of the ritzy hotel outside of Cannes where some of the festival's top events are held. "Everyone says it's the most beautiful location."

? Nekesa Mumbi Moody, http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

'INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS' AFTER-PARTY

What was inside the "Inside Llewyn Davis" after-party? Plenty of bold-faced names and of course, more folk music.

The movie, which got a rapturous reception when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, is about the folk-music scene in 1960s New York. The Coen brothers film stars Oscar Isaac and features Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund.

Timberlake was on hand with wife Jessica Biel, while Hedlund cozied with his girlfriend, Kirsten Dunst. Others at the party included Frances McDormand, Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett, CBS head Les Moonves and his wife, Julie Chen.

A DJ played music from the film, which is in competition at the festival.

? Nekesa Mumbi Moody, http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

LARS ULRICH WORKING HARDER THAN EXPECTED IN CANNES

Metallica's Lars Ulrich is used to fast-paced action, but even he was a bit taken aback by the pace at the Cannes Film Festival.

"Most people have a romantic notion of Cannes," said Ulrich, who was promoting the band's upcoming film "Metallica Through the Never."

"(But) there is a lot of work that goes on here. And I was a little bit unprepared for. basically the whole infrastructure of worldwide cinema and the movie business is here," he said in an interview.

"People have a tendency to think that is just red carpet and movie stars and sipping champagne but people come here to work. People come here to sell their films, people come here to finance their films, people come here to create hype."

"Metallica Through the Never" marries the concert film format with a dramatic narrative. Directed by Nimrod Antal and released by Picturehouse, the film stars young "Chronicle" actor Dane DeHaan as a member of Metallica's concert tour crew who's sent on a special mission by the band. The movie blends concert footage with a plot that includes computer-generated effects.

"We wanted to challenge ourselves a little bit and try and do something different and try and bring a little bit more of a film element into it," explains Ulrich.

"Whether anybody loves the film as much as we do we'll have to wait and see in a few months. But the one thing I can guarantee you, which there is no question about, is that it is a very unique film. Nobody has ever seen a film quite like this."

"Metallica Through the Never" is scheduled for release on Sept. 27.

? Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Adam Egan, (http://www.twittercom/nekesamumbi)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seen-heard-cannes-film-festival-105240729.html

Illinois Lottery texas lottery Dell Levis Fireman Ed Allegiant Air Melissa Rycroft

HBT: Braves' O'Flaherty facing Tommy John surgery

UPDATE: It looks like Eric O?Flaherty is facing the worst-case scenario, as David O?Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. He?ll see Dr. James Andrews next week, but it would be a surprise if Tommy John surgery wasn?t the next step. The Braves? bullpen suddenly looks quite vulnerable.

5:10 PM: The Braves? bullpen took another hit this afternoon, as left-hander Eric O?Flaherty was placed on the disabled list with a strained left elbow. No word yet on the severity of the injury, but we should know more following an MRI.

As our own Drew Silva notes, O?Flaherty will join Jonny Venters, Jordan Walden, Luis Ayala and Cristhian Martinez on the disabled list. Venters is done for the season after Tommy John surgery while Walden was just placed on the disabled list yesterday. Meanwhile, David O?Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that neither Ayala nor Martinez are close to returning. Craig Kimbrel better invest in some bubble wrap and/or body armor.

Like Venters, O?Flaherty has been a trusted workhorse for the Braves for a few years now, posting a 1.95 ERA in 295 appearances dating back to 2009. Only Brad Ziegler, Carlos Marmol, and Luke Gregerson have appeared in more games in the same timespan.

The Braves have called up right-hander Cory Rasmus to replace O?Flaherty on the active roster. Colby?s brother has a 3.67 ERA over parts of seven seasons in the minors, including a 0.93 ERA and 21/9 K/BB ratio over 19 1/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett this season.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/18/braves-place-eric-oflaherty-on-the-disabled-list-with-strained-elbow/related/

google glasses kim kardashian and kanye west henrik stenson jobs act greg mortenson jim marshall died 2013 toyota avalon

Monday, May 20, 2013

KDDI's HTC J One variant packs a microSD slot (updated)

KDDI's HTC J One variant packs a microSD slot, additional camera features

These days, the presence of a microSD slot on new handsets is arguably more important than the amount of storage on the inside. One such slot found its way onto the Chinese variants of HTC's One, and now Japanese network KDDI has unveiled its model -- the HTC J One (aka HTL22) -- also with expandable memory on the spec sheet (up to 64GB cards supported). An accompanying promo video has informed us of some new camera modes as well, including a best shot feature like Nokia's Smart Group Shot or BlackBerry's Time Shift, the ability to edit out background photobombers, and creating slow-mo highlights within video clips. We'd hope to see a camera software update bringing these features to US Ones in the future, but for now, check out what you're missing in the video below.

Correction: We originally reported that some of the camera modes shown off in the HTC J One promo video below were new, but commentors have pointed out that these features already exist within the gallery / Zoe UI. The video gives the impression that these features were moved to the camera UI, alongside HDR and panorama (like on the GS4), but that's not the case. A few eyes also spotted there's some extra detail on the back panel below the camera. Fear not -- we're digging.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: KDDI

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/I0L_nEOhOec/

lorax fisker karma super tuesday states shepard fairey is snooki pregnant snooki pregnant gbc

A tour of the Jolla phone with company co-founder Marc Dillon (video)

A tour of the Jolla phone with software head Marc Dillon video

Say hello to the Jolla Phone. Pre-orders for the world's first Sailfish OS device started today and we've called into Helsinki to get the whole story from Jolla's co-founder and software head Marc Dillon. While we know there's a 4.5-inch "high definition" screen (resolution TBC), dual-core processor and 8-megapixel camera, we were kept at arms length during our meeting with an early prototype. So, unfortunately, our full hands-on treatment will have to wait until later today. For now, Marc takes us through the thinking behind the hardware -- and what the notion of the "other half" really means -- right after the break.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7QdOwQJhCuM/

dave matthews band solar flares 2012 whitney houston will toyota recall northern lights sign of the times keystone pipeline

The New ?Handmade?

Screen Shot 2013-05-19 at 5.39.54 PMAmid grumblings of a “general fatigue” when it comes to software-based startups, a potentially transformative technology called 3D printing is poised to reach critical mass and mainstream awareness. Today’s news headlines about the technology tend to focus on the extreme possibilities in being able to print objects on demand – from the terrors of things like a homemade 3D-printed gun to heartwarming tales of printed robotic hands for children born without fingers. But the innovation is also powering a revolution of a different kind. An emerging class of creatives are using 3D printing techniques, not to either save or destroy the world and the people in it, but simply to create a little beauty along the way. These creatives, makers of the new “handmade” goods, are selling their art in online storefronts like Etsy and Shapeways, as well as within brick-and-mortar stores, and even museums. They range from technically adept programmers who never dabbled in hands-on art involving paint or clay or other materials, to formally trained artists and even do-it-yourselfers who taught themselves 3D modeling by watching tutorials on YouTube. Regardless of how they got there, the end result is an output of affordably priced, print-on-demand goods that reflect their own unique vision and inspirations, whether that’s a new kind of jewelry that couldn’t exist before the capabilities introduced by 3D printing, one-of-a-kind items used to decorate your home, or objects which buyers help craft themselves, using simple online tools. Here are some of their stories. This is part one of an ongoing series which will showcase some of the art that’s being fueled by the increasingly accessible 3D printing technology, and the artists behind the work. ~~~ Part One: The Formally Trained Artist Summer Powell has always been an artist. She has both undergrad and graduate degrees in graphic design, and has worked on a number of products involving mixed media, vacuum forming, and lenticular technology, while exploring the intersection of art and technology in years past. Along with a collaborator, she once produced a clock which used high-resolution animations to tell the time, for example. Powell says she first heard about 3D printing around 10 years ago and had been watching the space ever since waiting for it to become viable for use in her art. “I had industrial designer friends in New York, and I’d go see their prototyping 3D printing machines,” she says. “They were

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/JGpzyg6X2e4/

no child left behind neurofibromatosis steve jobs fbi file suge knight obama birth control mortgage settlement macauly culkin

Sunday, May 19, 2013

The World's Fastest Wi-Fi Puts Your Sluggish Router to Shame

For the most part, we're all happy if we can get Internet that's fast enough to stream some HD video. But faster is always better, and a new, world-record setting network developed in Germany is so blazing fast you wouldn't know what to do with it. It can deliver multiple HD films in a second.

Developed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, the new 40Gbps Wi-Fi (40x faster than Google Fiber) not only managed to nail crazy speeds, but also did it over a distance of .6 miles. The catch is that it'd never work well in your house.

The jump in speed and distance is not only thanks to state-of-the-art hardware, but a higher frequency (240GHz) than your typical Wi-Fi setup uses (2.4GHz or 5 GHz). This space seems to be a sweet spot for non-interference, letting signals dash across the air pretty easily, but a frequency so high would be very very easily thwarted by the common wall. And here in the States, the FCC might have something to say about it.

The network was tested by beaming data from the top of one skyscraper to another, and chances are this kind of "invisible fiber" connection would be its biggest application, as opposed to your home Wi-Fi. Still, it could be super useful for 'net distribution in rural area's where fiber's an expensive proposition with little pay off. Now if only they could roll out this tech as fast as it can transfer data. [Discovery]

Image by Pavel Ignatov/Shutterstock

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-fastest-wi-fi-puts-your-sluggish-router-to-508473843

san francisco 49ers stan musial Mega 49ers lance armstrong Earl Weaver Inauguration Schedule

Simpson's ex-lawyer says he poured his soul into trial

By Alexia Shurmur

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - An attorney who O.J. Simpson claims botched his Nevada robbery trial five years ago told a court on Friday that he poured his "blood, sweat and soul" into defending the former football hero, who he said had been badly tainted by his sensational 1990s murder case.

Yale Galanter, who took the witness stand in a week-long hearing into Simpson's bid for a new trial in the Las Vegas case that sent him to prison, said his client's past had presented challenges in front of a jury.

"Mr. Simpson brought a lot of baggage into the courtroom," Galanter testified. "It wasn't like the 12 jurors didn't know that Mr. Simpson was acquitted of murder in California ... And that was one of the things we had to deal with in this case."

The Miami-based attorney was the final witness in the hearing. A Las Vegas judge was expected to issue a ruling in the matter in the coming weeks.

Simpson, a star NFL running back turned actor and popular TV pitch man, was charged in the 1994 stabbing and slashing murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted in 1995 after a year-long proceeding in Los Angeles.

A civil jury later found him liable in a wrongful death lawsuit and awarded their families $33.5 million in damages.

Galanter, under questioning from Simpson's current attorneys, conceded that in hindsight he could have done some things differently in the Nevada trial, but offered a spirited defense of the overall efforts he made to win his client an acquittal under difficult circumstances.

"The truth of the matter is that when you look at (the) entire trial I don't think I could have fought harder or done more," Galanter said. "I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul I had into defending it."

In the Nevada case, Simpson was convicted in 2008 of 12 charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, for storming into a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino with five other men and taking thousands of dollars in memorabilia at gunpoint from a pair of sports collectors.

His defense attorneys claimed that Simpson was only trying to retrieve property that he believed belonged to him and was unaware that two of his associates had brought guns along.

In seeking a new trial, Simpson, 65, claims that Galanter mishandled the case and had a conflict of interest because the attorney knew in advance that he planned to confront the sports dealers.

Simpson's current attorneys say Galanter should have argued at trial that his client wasn't aware of guns in the hotel room because Simpson was drunk at the time. But during his testimony, Galanter said he never raised such a defense "because Mr. Simpson wasn't intoxicated."

Galanter also said that Simpson told him he had discussed the guns with co-defendant Walter Alexander, adding that Simpson "knew that he had screwed up."

Galanter told the court that, contrary to claims by Simpson's current lawyers, he never approved of the hotel room scheme in advance, saying that he advised his client to call the police about the stolen property.

(Writing and additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Leslie Gevirtz and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/o-j-simpsons-ex-lawyer-says-poured-soul-014751299.html

Nashville TV Show VP debate drew brees drew brees sandusky Sam Champion Hulk Hogan sex tape

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Woodward's 'Watergate' comparison: on, or off-target?

Bob Woodward compared Benghazi to Watergate during a Friday morning appearance on MSNBC?s ?Morning Joe.?

The famous Washington Post reporter and former antagonist of President Richard Nixon said the US government?s editing of talking points used by public officials in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, Libya, is ?a very serious issue.?

?I would not dismiss Benghazi,? Mr. Woodward said.

Woodward?s own main talking point was that he believed there are similarities between the process used to produce the Benghazi talking points and Nixon?s release of edited transcripts of the White House tapes.

RECOMMENDED: War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.

Citing the lengthy e-mail chain detailing the production of the talking points, released by the Obama administration earlier this week, the Watergate press hero said that in the wake of the Libyan tragedy ?everyone in the government is saying, ?Oh, let?s not tell the public that terrorists were involved, people connected to Al Qaeda. Let?s not tell the public that there were warnings.? ?

Forty years ago, Nixon went line by line through his tape transcripts and made his own edits.

?He personally went through them and said, ?Let?s not tell this, let?s not show this,? ? said Woodward on ?Morning Joe."

Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.

Nixon, of course, was trying to deflate the increasing public and congressional pressure for him to release the tapes themselves. He wasn?t successful. The tapes revealed the extent of his involvement with the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover up.

As to Benghazi, Woodward concluded that the edits ?show the hydraulic pressure that was in the system not to tell the truth.?

Is Woodward right to make this comparison? After all, he is the media?s official arbiter of all things Watergate, and his words here carry special weight.

Well, it?s certainly possible that he?s hit upon the reason the talking points got changed around. But having read the 100 pages of e-mails on the editing process ourselves, we?d say it?s also possible that he?s jumping to conclusions. For at least some of the officials involved in the process, the reason to take out references to terrorists and Al Qaeda was not to hide the truth, but because they did not know what the truth was.

For instance, early in the editing process Stephen Preston, the CIA?s general counsel, e-mailed talking-point participants that ?in light of the criminal investigation, we are not to generate statements with statements as to who did this, etc. ? even internally, not to mention for public release.?

And the scrubbed ?warnings? Woodward referred to were fairly vague references to past CIA internal statements. The Post journalist may be right that the public should have heard about them. State Department officials, though, were transparently annoyed that the spy agency was trying to cover its rear end at their expense.

Look, things don?t have to be as bad as Watergate to be important malfeasance. Political scientist Jonathan Bernstein made that point earlier this week on his A Plain Blog About Politics.

But loosely comparing current scandals with Watergate is to forget the full extent of the Nixon-era scandal, wrote Mr. Bernstein in a post titled, ?You Call That a Cover-Up??

In Watergate the cover-up was essentially personally directed by the president, overseen by the White House chief of staff, and run by the White House counsel, Bernstein writes. They concocted a false story, destroyed important evidence, and raised hush money used to attempt to buy the silence of underlings who were facing jail time.

Oh, and the president of the United States ordered the CIA to falsely tell the FBI that national security was involved in the Watergate mess, so the FBI needed to pull back its investigation.

By the way, the Watergate hearings began 40 years ago on this date. Bernstein has been writing a fascinating series of pieces outlining the unfolding of the Watergate scandal day by day, as if it were occurring in real time. You can read that to catch up on the bad old days and decide if today compares.

RECOMMENDED: War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.

Related stories

Read this story at csmonitor.com

Become a part of the Monitor community

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bob-woodward-compares-benghazi-watergate-153412076.html

dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms ben and jerrys free cone day tornado in dallas texas the island president the maldives

Red Wings beat Blackhawks 4-1, even series

Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard adjusts his facemask during the first period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Bobcock, rear right, looks up a scoreboard during the first period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference semifinals against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

(AP) ? Damien Brunner and Brendan Smith scored in the second period and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 Saturday in Game 2 to even their Western Conference semifinal series.

It was a strong response by the Red Wings after Chicago handled them easily in the series opener, 4-1.

Just as the Blackhawks did in Game 1, Detroit took control in the second period and put the game away in the third. Now, the Red Wings have a chance to take the lead when this series between Original Six rivals shifts to Detroit for Game 3 on Monday.

Patrick Kane gave Chicago a 1-0 lead late in the first, but did things ever change after that.

Brunner tied it when he deflected a wrist shot by Jakub Kindl early in the second, and Smith gave the Red Wings the lead when he scored off a feed from Henrik Zetterberg on a 3-on-1 late in the second.

Johan Franzen made it 3-1 in the third when he fired a rising shot past Crawford after a perfect pass from Jonathan Ericsson in the Detroit zone. And Valtteri Filppula closed out the scoring with 7:57 left in the game.

That was enough for Jimmy Howard, who stopped 19 shots.

Crawford made 26 saves for Chicago but the Red Wings were simply a step faster in this one after the Blackhawks ran away from them in the opener.

The Blackhawks still struck first thanks to a lucky bounce after Detroit's Kyle Quincey sprawled out to block a pass across the slot by Patrick Sharp that was intended for Kane on a 2-on-1 rush. The puck bounced to a trailing Michal Handzus, who immediately fed it to a wide open Kane in the right slot. He fired it into the net at the 14:05 mark for a 1-0 lead and his first goal of the playoffs.

About a minute later, with the Red Wings on a power play, Crawford made a nice save on Zetterberg before Pavel Datsyuk ripped a shot high off the right post.

Detroit tied it early in the second when a wrist shot by Kindl from just inside the blue line deflected off Brunner and past a screened Crawford, who didn't even react as the puck went past him on the glove side.

But Chicago's goalie had the fans chanting his name midway through the period with two great saves, stopping Zetterberg from the slot and sprawling out to foil Daniel Cleary on the rebound.

The Red Wings took a 2-1 lead with 3:52 left in the second, when Zetterberg dished to Smith on a two-on-one rush after Chicago's Niklas Hjalmarsson fell racing him for a loose puck.

Notes: LW Drew Miller was in the Red Wings' lineup for the first time since April 20. He had been sidelined by a broken bone in his right hand. ... F Viktor Stalberg was a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks, just as he was in Game 1. "I don't like changing too much, but we wanted to get (Dave Bolland) in our lineup," coach Joel Quenneville said before the game. "It's comparable to what we've done during season. But we'll see. We can adapt and change at any moment." ... Quenneville on the early start: "I think the guys, once they get in, they don't mind playing in the afternoon."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-05-18-Red%20Wings-Blackhawks/id-bd4bf582693845899546bd95bdce8c72

camilla belle instagram Robert Bork mark sanchez christina aguilera Mayan End Of The World Olivia Black

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

May 18, 2013 ? In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus).

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a huge problem all over the world: For example, 25 -- 50 per cent of the inhabitants in southern Europe are resistant to staphylococci. In the Scandinavian countries it is less than 5 per cent, but also here the risk of resistance is on the rise.

So any effective anti-inflammatory candidate is important to investigate -- even if the candidate is an antipsychotic that was originally developed to alleviate one of the hardest mental illnesses, schizophrenia.

Until now, scientists could only see that thioridazine works effectively and that it can kill staphylococcus bacteria in a flask in the laboratory, but now a new study reveals why and how thioridazine works. The research group, which includes professor Hans J?rn Kolmos, associate professor Birgitte H. Kallipolitis and other participants from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, publishes their findings in the journal PLOS ONE on May 17 2013.

The research team tested thioridazine on staphylococcal bacteria and discovered that thioridazine works by weakening the bacterial cell wall.

"When we treat the bacteria with antibiotics alone, nothing happens -- the bacteria are not even affected. But when we add both thioridazine and antibiotics, something happens: thioridazine weakens the bacterial cell wall by removing glycine (an amino acid) from the cell wall. In the absence of glycine, the antibiotics can attack the weakened cell wall and kill staphylococcus bacteria," explains Janne Kudsk Klitgaard, visiting scholar at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark.

Thus, it is the interaction between thioridazine and antibiotic that works.

And now that researchers know that thioridazine works by weakening staphylococcal cell wall, they can concentrate on improving this ability.

"Now that we know how thioridazine works, we can develop drugs that target the resistant bacteria. And just as important: We can remove or inactivate the parts of thioridazine, which treats schizophrenia, so we end up with a brand new product that is no longer an antipsychotic, "explains Janne Kudsk Klitgaard.

According to her, we are now a little closer to a safe, non-psychopharmacological drug that can save people from potentially fatal infections that do not respond to antibiotics.

"This will no longer be an antipsychotic, when scientists are finished with this task," she says.

Together with her colleagues Klitgaard tested thioridazine on roundworms in the laboratory and have seen that they were cured of staphylococci in the gut. Next step will be testing on mice and pigs.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/KHZgMZHOdQs/130518153742.htm

city creek center hilary duff michigan state michigan state andrew luck pro day josh johnson kim kardashian flour

Friday, May 17, 2013

Genome sequence of Tibetan antelope sheds new light on high-altitude adaptation

May 17, 2013 ? How can the Tibetan antelope live at elevations of 4,000-5,000m on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau? Investigators rom Qinghai University, BGI, and other institutes now provide evidence of genetic factors that may be associated with the species' adaption to harsh highland environments. The data in this work will also provide implications for studying specific genetic mechanisms and the biology of other ruminant species.

The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is a native of the high mountain steppes and semi-desert areas of the Tibetan plateau. Interestingly, it is the only member of the genus Pantholops. Tibetan antelope is a medium sized antelope with the unique adaptations to against the harsh high-altitude climate. For non-native mammals such as humans, they may experience life-threatening acute mountain sickness when visiting high-altitude regions.

In this study, researchers suggest that Tibetan antelopes must have evolved exceptional mechanisms to adapt to this extremely inhospitable habitat. Using next-gen sequencing technology, they have decoded the genome of Tibetan antelope and studied the underlying genetic mechanism of high-altitude adaptations.

Through the comparison between Tibetan antelope and other plain-dwelling mammals, researchers found the Tibetan antelope had the signals of adaptive evolution and gene-family expansion in genes associated with energy metabolism and oxygen transmission, indicating that gene categories involved in energy metabolism appear to have an important role for Tibetan antelope via efficiently providing energy in conditions of low partial pressure of oxygen (PO2).

Further research revealed that both the Tibetan antelope and the highland American pika have signals of positive selection for genes involved in DNA repair and the production of ATPase. Considering the exposure to high levels of ultraviolet radiation, positive selective genes related to DNA repair may be vital to protect the Tibetan antelope from it.

Qingle Cai, Project manager from BGI, said, "The completed genome sequence of the Tibetan antelope provides a more complete blueprint for researchers to study the genetic mechanisms of highland adaptation. This work may also open a new way to understand the adaptation of the low partial pressure of oxygen in human activities."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BGI Shenzhen.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Ri-Li Ge, Qingle Cai, Yong-Yi Shen, A San, Lan Ma, Yong Zhang, Xin Yi, Yan Chen, Lingfeng Yang, Ying Huang, Rongjun He, Yuanyuan Hui, Meirong Hao, Yue Li, Bo Wang, Xiaohua Ou, Jiaohui Xu, Yongfen Zhang, Kui Wu, Chunyu Geng, Weiping Zhou, Taicheng Zhou, David M. Irwin, Yingzhong Yang, Liu Ying, Haihua Bao, Jaebum Kim, Denis M. Larkin, Jian Ma, Harris A. Lewin, Jinchuan Xing, Roy N. Platt, David A. Ray, Loretta Auvil, Boris Capitanu, Xiufeng Zhang, Guojie Zhang, Robert W. Murphy, Jun Wang, Ya-Ping Zhang, Jian Wang. Draft genome sequence of the Tibetan antelope. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1858 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2860

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/aCPP7_n7RkE/130517102720.htm

gold price defiance BBC Ny Post Boston Bombing 2013 Regions Bank ny times

New study recommends using active videogaming ('exergaming') to improve children's health

May 17, 2013 ? Levels of physical inactivity and obesity are very high in children, with fewer than 50% of primary school-aged boys and fewer than 28% of girls meeting the minimum levels of physical activity required to maintain health. Exergaming, using active console video games that track player movement to control the game (e.g., Xbox-Kinect, Wii), has become popular, and may provide an alternative form of exercise to counteract sedentary behaviors. In a study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers studied the effects of exergaming on children.

Dr. Louise Naylor and researchers from The University of Western Australia, Liverpool John Moores University, and Swansea University evaluated 15 children, 9-11 years of age, who participated in 15 minutes each of high intensity exergaming (Kinect Sports -- 200m Hurdles), low intensity exergaming (Kinect Sports -- Ten Pin Bowling), and a graded exercise test (treadmill). The researchers measured energy expenditure. They also measured the vascular response to each activity using flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which is a validated measure of vascular function and health in children.

They found that high intensity exergaming elicited an energy expenditure equivalent to moderate intensity exercise; low intensity exergaming resulted in an energy expenditure equivalent to low intensity exercise. Additionally, although the low intensity exergaming did not have an impact on FMD, high intensity exergaming significantly decreased FMD, suggesting that the latter may improve vascular health in children. High intensity exergaming also increased heart rate and the amount of energy burned. Participants reported similar enjoyment levels with both intensities of exergaming, which indicates that children may be equally likely to continue playing the high intensity games.

According to Dr. Naylor, "Higher intensity exergaming may be a good form of activity for children to use to gain long-term and sustained health benefits." These findings also support the growing notion that high intensity activity is beneficial for children's health, and high intensity exergaming should be considered a means of encouraging children to become more active.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:


Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier Health Sciences.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Andrew Mills, Michael Rosenberg, Gareth Stratton, Howard H. Carter, Angela L. Spence, Christopher J.A. Pugh, Daniel J. Green, Louise H. Naylor. The Effect of Exergaming on Vascular Function in Children. The Journal of Pediatrics, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.03.076

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/A4udVYB2O8g/130517085817.htm

ncaa hockey role models ferdinand porsche gregg williams theraflu joe avezzano kanye west theraflu

Beyonce: Pregnant With Second Child For Real!!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/05/beyonce-pregnant-with-second-child-for-real/

Rich Kids of Instagram felix hernandez julia child Ron Palillo Chad Johnson Twitter Helen Gurley Brown Kathi Goertzen

On Victory Drive, Soldiers Defeated by Debt - ProPublica

Title Credit Finance is two doors down from Cashwells Title Pawn and World Finance Corp. on Victory Drive outside of Fort Benning, in Columbus, Ga. (Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace)

This story was co-produced with Marketplace. Listen to their coverage.

Seven years after Congress banned payday-loan companies from charging exorbitant interest rates to service members, many of the nation's military bases are surrounded by storefront lenders who charge high annual percentage rates, sometimes exceeding 400 percent.

The Military Lending Act sought to protect service members and their families from predatory loans. But in practice, the law has defined the types of covered loans so narrowly that it's been all too easy for lenders to circumvent it.

"We have to revisit this," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the defense appropriations subcommittee and is the Senate's second-ranking Democrat. "If we're serious about protecting military families from exploitation, this law has to be a lot tighter."

Members of the military can lose their security clearances for falling into debt. As a result, experts say, service members often avoid taking financial problems to their superior officers and instead resort to high-cost loans they don't fully understand.

The Department of Defense, which defines which loans the Military Lending Act covers, has begun a process to review the law, said Marcus Beauregard, chief of the Pentagon's state liaison office.

The act mainly targets two products: payday loans, usually two-week loans with annual percentage rates often above 400 percent, and auto-title loans, typically one-month loans with rates above 100 percent and secured by the borrower's vehicle. The law caps all covered loans at a 36 percent annual rate.

That limit "did do a great deal of good on the products that it covered," Holly Petraeus, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's head of service member affairs, said in an interview. "But there are a lot of products that it doesn't cover."

Representatives from payday and other high-cost lenders said they follow the law. Some defended the proliferation of new products as helpful to consumers.

A 400 Percent Loan

In June 2011, when Levon Tyler, a 37-year-old staff sergeant in the Marines, walked into Smart Choice Title Loans in Columbia, S.C., it was the first time he'd ever gone to such a place, he said. But his bills were mounting. He needed cash right away.

Smart Choice agreed to lend him $1,600. In return, Tyler handed over the title to his 1998 Ford SUV and a copy of his keys. Tyler recalled the saleswoman telling him he'd probably be able to pay off the loan in a year. He said he did not scrutinize the contract he signed that day.

If he had, Tyler would have seen that in exchange for that $1,600, he'd agreed to pay a total of $17,228 over two and a half years. The loan's annual percentage rate, which includes interest and fees, was 400 percent.

Tyler said he provided his military ID when he got the loan. But even with an annual rate as high as a typical payday loan, the Military Lending Act didn't apply. The law limits the interest rate of title loans ? but only those that have a term of six months or less.

In South Carolina, almost no loans fit that definition, said Sue Berkowitz, director of the nonprofit South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. The reason? Ten years ago, the state legislature passed consumer protections for short-term auto-title loans. In response, lenders simply lengthened the duration of their loans.

Today, plenty of payday and auto-title lenders cluster near Fort Jackson, an army base in Columbia, legally peddling high-cost loans to the more than 36,000 soldiers who receive basic training there each year.

Tyler's loan showcases other examples of lenders' ingenuity. Attached to his contract was an addendum that offered a "Summer Fun Program Payoff." While the loan's official term was 32 months, putting it outside both South Carolina's regulations and the Military Lending Act, the "Summer Fun" option allowed Tyler to pay off the loan in a single month. If he did so, he'd pay an annual rate of 110 percent, the addendum said.

Michael Agostinelli, the chief executive of Smart Choice's parent company, American Life Enterprises, told ProPublica he wants his customers to pay off their loans early. "They're meant to be short-term loans," he said. He also said that customers who pay on time get "a big discount." In Tyler's case, he would have paid an annual rate of 192 percent if he had made all his payments on time.

But Tyler fell behind after only a couple of payments. Less than five months after he took out the loan, a repo company came in the middle of the night to take his car. Three weeks later, it was sold at auction.

"This was something new, and I will never do it again," Tyler said. "I don't care what type of spot I get in."

American Life Enterprises companies operate nine title-lending branches in Nevada and South Carolina. Agostinelli said loans to members of the military are rare for his companies but that service members might go to a title lender for the same reason anybody else does: They need money immediately and discreetly.

Loans similar to the one Tyler took out are broadly and legally available from stores and over the Internet. QC Holdings, Advance America, Cash America and Ace Cash Express ? all among the country's largest payday lenders ? offer loans that fall outside the definitions of the Military Lending Act, which defined a payday loan as lasting three months or less.

The annual rates can be sky high, such as those offered by Ace Cash Express in Texas, where a five-month loan for $400 comes with an annual rate of 585 percent, according to the company's website.

Ace Cash is among a number of payday lenders just outside the gates of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, and it has four stores within three miles of Fort Hood in Texas.

A 2012 report on the Military Lending Act by the Consumer Federation of America found there had been no drop in the number of payday lenders around Fort Hood since the 2006 law went into effect.

Amy Cantu of the Community Financial Services Association of America, which represents the payday industry, said payday lenders are careful to screen out service members for their short-term products. But she acknowledged that payday companies may provide soldiers and their families with other types of loans. "We welcome more products in the market," she said of the trend of payday lenders increasingly offering longer-term loans. "Options are good for consumers."

Earned a Purple Heart, Lost a Car

A billboard for Title Credit Finance above a TitleMax storefront shows a picture of a hamster on a wheel and urges borrowers to 'avoid the title pawn treadmill.' (Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace)Some lenders apparently haven't bothered to change their loan products in response to the law.

A 2011 federal class-action suit filed in Georgia's Middle District alleges that one of the largest auto-title lenders in the country, Community Loans of America, has been flouting the law. The suit names among its plaintiffs three soldiers who took out what appeared to be classic title loans. All agreed to pay an annual rate of around 150 percent for a 30-day loan. All had trouble repaying, according to the suit. One, an Army staff sergeant and Purple Heart recipient, lost his car. The other two managed to pay interest but almost none of the principal on their loans for several months.

The company was fully aware that its customers were soldiers, because they presented their military identifications, said Roy Barnes, a former governor of Georgia who is representing the plaintiffs.

Community Loans, which boasts more than 900 locations nationwide, argued in court that the transactions were not covered by the Military Lending Act because they weren't loans but sales. Here's how Community Loans said the transaction worked: The soldiers sold their vehicles to the company while retaining the option to buy back the cars ? for a higher price. In early 2012, the judge rejected that argument. The case is ongoing.

Community Loans, which did not respond to numerous calls and emails, has been making loans to service members through businesses with various names.

Leading up to the gates of Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., Victory Drive is crowded with lenders. Among them is Georgia Auto Pawn, a Community Loans of America storefront where one of the plaintiffs in the class action, an Army master sergeant, took out his loan.

Just another half-mile down the road is a lender advertising "Signature Loans for the Military." The lender goes by the name of Title Credit Finance, but the parent company is Community Finance and Loans, which shares the same corporate address as Community Loans of America.

A billboard for Title Credit Finance promises to rescue borrowers: Showing a picture of a hamster on a wheel, it says, "Avoid the title pawn treadmill," referring to customers who get caught paying only interest month after month.

Title Credit Finance offers installment loans, a product which, as the company advertises, does seem to provide "CASH NOW The Smart Way" ? at least when compared to a title loan. Interest rates tend to be lower ? though still typically well above 36 percent. And instead of simply paying interest month upon month, the borrower pays down the loan's principal over time.

But the product comes with traps of its own. Installment lenders often load the loans with insurance products that can double the cost, and the companies thrive by persuading borrowers to use the product like a credit card. Customers can refinance the loan after only a few payments and borrow a little more. But those extra dollars typically come at a far higher cost than the annual rate listed on the contract.

At TitleMax, a title-lender with more than 700 stores in 12 states, soldiers who inquire about a title loan are directed to InstaLoan, TitleMax's sister company, which provides installment loans, said Suzanne Donovan of the nonprofit Step Up Savannah. A $2,475 installment loan made to a soldier at Fort Stewart near Savannah, Ga., in 2011 and reviewed by ProPublica, for example, carried a 43 percent annual rate over 14 months ? but that rate effectively soared to 80 percent when the insurance products were included. To get the loan, the soldier surrendered the title to his car. TMX Finance, the parent company of both TitleMax and InstaLoan, did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.

Another lender on Victory Drive is the publicly traded World Finance, one of the country's largest installment lenders, with a market capitalization of about $1 billion and more than 1,000 stores around the country. World was the subject of an investigation by ProPublica and Marketplace earlier this week. Of World's loans, about 5 percent, approximately 40,000 loans, are made to service members or their families, according to the company. Active-duty military personnel and their dependents comprise less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Defense Department.

Bill Himpler, the executive vice president of the American Financial Services Association, which represents installment lenders, said the industry's products had been rightfully excluded from the Military Lending Act. The Pentagon had done a good job preserving soldiers' access to affordable credit, he said, and only "tweaking the regulations here or there to tighten them up" was necessary.

The Commander and the Collectors

When service members ask about title loans at TitleMax, they're directed to InstaLoan, TitleMax's sister company, which provides installment loans. Outside of Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Ga., that's next door.  (Mitchell Hartman/Marketplace)It's not known how many service members have high-priced loans. The Pentagon says it intends to conduct a survey on the matter soon and issue a report by the end of the year.

But some commanders, such as Capt. Brandon Archuleta, say that dealing with soldiers' financial problems is simply part of being an officer. Archuleta, who has commanded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, recalled fielding numerous calls from lenders trying to track down soldiers who were delinquent on debts.

"In the last 12 years we've seen military officers as war fighters, we've seen them as diplomats, we've seen them as scholars," Archuleta said. "But what we don't see is the officer as social worker, financial adviser and personal caregiver."

While some soldiers seek help from their superior officers, many don't. That's because debt troubles can result in soldiers losing their security clearance.

"Instead of trying to negotiate this with their command structure, the service member will typically end up refinancing," said Michael Hayden, director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America and a retired Air Force colonel. "It'll typically start out with some type of small crisis. And then the real crisis is just how you get that loan paid off."

Soldiers who hide their debt often forego the military's special aid options. Army Emergency Relief and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society offer zero-interest loans. But in seeking that help, a soldier risks alerting the commanding officer to his or her troubles, particularly if the sum needed is a large one.

Russell Putnam, a legal-assistance attorney at Fort Stewart, says he often finds himself making a simple argument to soldiers: "A zero percent loan sure as heck beats a 36 percent plus or a 25 percent plus loan."

From our partners at Marketplace:

Source: http://www.propublica.org/article/on-victory-drive-soldiers-defeated-by-debt

Snooki Baby terrell owens terrell owens neil armstrong little league world series us open tennis us open tennis