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Intel Expands x86 SoC Program to Tsinghua Unigroup
Subject: General Tech, Processors, Mobile | September 27, 2014 - 02:38 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Intel, spreadtrum, rda, Rockchip, SoC
A few months ago, Intel partnered with Rockchip to develop low-cost SoCs for Android. The companies would work together on a design that could be fabricated at TSMC. This time Intel is partnering with Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd. and, unlike Rockchip, also investing in them. The deal will be up to $1.5 billion USD in exchange for a 20% share (approximately) of a division of Tsinghua.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Intel is hoping to use this partnership to develop mobile SoCs, for smart (and "feature") phones, tablets, and other devices, and get significant presence in the Chinese mobile market. Tsinghua acquired Spreadtrum Communications and RDA Microelectronics within the last two years. The "holding group" that owns these division is apparently the part of Tsinghua which Intel is investing in, specifically.
Spreadtrum will produce SoCs based on Intel's "Intel Architecture". This sounds like they are referring to the 32-bit IA-32, which means that Spreadtrum would be developing 32-bit SoCs, but it is possible that they could be talking about Intel 64. These products are expected for 2H'15.
First Apple A8 Benchmarks Show... "Modest" Increase
Subject: General Tech, Processors, Mobile | September 12, 2014 - 01:30 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: apple, apple a8, SoC, iphone 6, iphone 6 plus
So one of the first benchmarks for Apple's A8 SoC has been published to Rightware, and it is not very different from its predecessor. The Apple A7 GPU of last year's iPhone 5S received a score of 20,253.80 on the Basemark X synthetic benchmark. The updated Apple A8 GPU, found on the iPhone 6, saw a 4.7% increase, to 21204.26, on the same test.
Again, this is a synthetic benchmark and not necessarily representative of real-world performance. To me, though, it wouldn't surprise me if the GPU is identical, and the increase corresponds mostly to the increase in CPU performance. That said, it still does not explain the lack of increase that we see, despite Apple's switch to TSMC's 20nm process. Perhaps it matters more in power consumption and non-gaming performance? That does not align well with their 20% faster CPU and 50% faster GPU claims...
Speaking of gaming performance, iOS 8 introduces the Metal API, which is Apple's response to Mantle, DirectX 12, and OpenGL Next Initiative. Maybe that boost will give Apple a pass for a generation? Perhaps we will see the two GPUs (A7 and A8) start to diverge in the Metal API? We shall see when more benchmarks and reviews get published.
Run Windows on Intel's Galileo
Subject: General Tech | August 20, 2014 - 12:35 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: galileo, Intel, windows, SoC
Intel's first generation low powered SoC which goes by the name of Galileo and is powered by a 400MHz Quark X1000 is now capable of running Windows with the help of the latest firmware update. Therefore if you are familiar enough with their tweaked Arduino IDE you should be able to build a testbed for low powered machines that will be running Windows. You will want to have some time on hand, loading Windows to the microSD card can take up to two hours and those used to SSDs will be less than impressed with the boot times. For developers this is not an issue and well worth the wait as it gives them a brand new tool to work with. Pop by The Register for the full details of the firmware upgrade and installation process.
"Windows fans can run their OS of choice on Intel's counter to Raspberry Pi, courtesy of an Intel firmware update."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Samsung Smartcam HD Pro @ The Inquirer
- Netgear R8000 Nighthawk X6 AC 3200 Tri-Band WiFi Router Review @ Legit Reviews
- Chinese Linux Trojan makes the jump to Windows @ The Inquirer
- Tech patent hoarder Intellectual Ventures to lose a fifth of its trolls @ The Register
Panasonic ARMs will be fabbed at Intel
Subject: General Tech | July 8, 2014 - 01:40 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: SoC, Panasonic, Intel, arm
Intel has been fabbing ARM chips for Altera since the end of last year after their unprecedented move of allowing non-Intel designs into their fabs. This decision allowed Intel to increase the percentage of time the fabs were active, as they are no longer able to keep them at full capacity with their own chips and have even mothballed the new Fab 42 in Arizona. Altera is a good customer, as are Tabula, Netronome and Microsemi but together they are still not enough to bring Intel's capacity close to 100%. The Register has reported on a new contract with the ink still wet from signing; Panasonic will now be using Intel's Fabs for their ARM based SoCs. The immense size of Panasonic should keep Intel busy and ensure that they continue to make mountains of money licensing their 14nm-process tri-Gate transistors as well as the Fab time.
"Intel has notched up another customer for its fledgling Foundry business as it tries to make money out of its manufacturing and engineering expertise besides x86 processor sales.
The world's most valuable chip manufacturer said on Monday that Panasonic's audio-visual gear will make future system-on-chips (SoCs) in Intel's factories."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Fridge hacked. Car hacked. Next up, your LIGHT BULBS @ The Register
- RS Components shows off 3D printer line-up @ The Inquirer
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 reaches general release @ The Inquirer
- Meet Xiki, the Revolutionary Command Shell for Linux and Mac OS X @ Linux.com
- Anime Expo 2014 – Part 3: Next-Level Cosplays @ Legit Reviews
Intel Announces "Cars Are Things" - with New Automotive Platform
Subject: General Tech | May 30, 2014 - 10:21 AM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: SoC, linux, internet of things, Intel, automotive, automation, atom
Imagine: You get into the family car and it knows that it's you, so it adjusts everything just the way you like it. You start driving and your GPS is superimposed over the road in real time from within your windshield, with virtual arrows pointing to your next turn. Kids play games on their touchscreen windows in the back, and everyone travels safely as their cars anticipate accidents...
Sound far-fetched? Work is already being done to make things like these a reality, and Intel has now announced their stake in the future of connected, and eventually autonomous, automobiles.
Ensuring that every device in our lives is always connected seems like the goal of many companies going forward, and the "Internet of Things" is a very real, and rapidly growing, part of the business world. Intel is no exception, and since cars are things (as I've been informed) it makes sense to look in this area as well, right? Well, Intel has announced development of their automotive initiative, with the overall goal to create safer - and eventually autonomous - cars. Doug Davis, Corporate VP, Internet of Things Group at Intel, hosted the online event, which began with a video depicting automotive travel in a fully connected world. It doesn't seem that far away...
"We are combining our breadth of experience in consumer electronics and enterprise IT with a holistic automotive investment across product development, industry partnerships and groundbreaking research efforts," Davis said. "Our goal is to fuel the evolution from convenience features available in the car today to enhanced safety features of tomorrow and eventually self-driving capabilities."
So how exactly does this work? The tangible element of Intel's vision of connected, computer controlled vehicles begins with the In-Vehicle Solutions Platform which provides Intel silicon to automakers. And as it's an "integrated solution" Intel points out that this should cut time and expense from the current, more complex methods employed in assembling automotive computer systems. Makes sense, since they are delivering a complete Intel Atom based system platform, powered by the E3800 processor. The OS is Tizen IVI ("automotive grade" Linux). A development kit was also announced, and there are already companies creating systems using this platform, according to Intel.
Intel Announces Partnership with Rockchip to Produce Low-Cost x86 Atom SoC
Subject: Processors | May 28, 2014 - 05:09 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: tablet, SoC, Rockchip, mobile, Intel, atom, arm, Android
While details about upcoming Haswell-E processors were reportedly leaking out, an official announcement from Intel was made on Tuesday about another CPU product - and this one isn't a high-end desktop part. The chip giant is partnering with the fabless semiconductor manufacturer Rockchip to create a low-cost SoC for Android devices under the Intel name, reportedly fabricated at TSMC.
We saw almost exactly the opposite of this arrangement last October, when it was announced that Altera would be using Intel to fab ARMv8 chips. Try to digest this: Instead of Intel agreeing to manufacture another company's chip with ARM's architecture in their fabs, they are going through what is said to be China's #1 tablet SoC manufacturer to produce x86 chips...at TSMC? It's a small - no, a strange world we live in!
From Intel's press release: "Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will deliver an Intel-branded mobile SoC platform. The quad-core platform will be based on an Intel® Atom™ processor core integrated with Intel's 3G modem technology."
As this upcoming x86 SoC is aimed at entry-level Android tablets this announcement might not seem to be exciting news at first glance, but it fills a short term need for Intel in their quest for market penetration in the ultramobile space dominated by ARM-based SoCs. The likes of Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, TI, and others (including Rockchip's RK series) currently account for 90% of the market, all using ARM.
As previously noted, this partnership is very interesting from an industry standpoint, as Intel is sharing their Atom IP with Rockchip to make this happen. Though if you think back, the move is isn't unprecedented... I recall something about a little company called Advanced Micro Devices that produced x86 chips for Intel in the past, and everything seemed to work out OK there...
When might we expect these new products in the Intel chip lineup codenamed SoFIA? Intel states "the dual-core 3G version (is) expected to ship in the fourth quarter of this year, the quad-core 3G version...expected to ship in the first half of 2015, and the LTE version, also due in the first half of next year." And again, this SoC will only be available in low-cost Android tablets under this partnership (though we might speculate on, say, an x86 SoC powered Surface or Ultrabook in the future?).
Qualcomm Reveals New Flagship Snapdragon 808 and 810 64-Bit SoCs Coming In 2015
Subject: Mobile | April 8, 2014 - 07:47 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: SoC, snapdragon, qualcomm, LTE, ARMv8, adreno, 64-bit
Qualcomm has announced two new flagship 64-bit SoCs with the Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810. The new chips will begin sampling later this year and should start showing up in high end smartphones towards the second half of 2015. The new 800-series parts join the previously announced mid-range Snapdragon 610 and 615 which are also 64-bit ARMv8 parts.
The Snapdragon 810 is Qualcomm's new flagship processor. The chip features four ARM Cortex A57 cores and four Cortex A53 cores in a big.LITTLE configuration, an Adreno 430 GPU, and support for Category 6 LTE (up to 300 Mbps downloads) and LPDDR4 memory. This flagship part uses the 64-bit ARMv8 ISA. The new Adreno 430 GPU integrated in the SoC is reportedly 30% faster than the Adreno 420 GPU in the Snapdragon 805 processor.
In addition to the flagship part, Qualcomm is also releasing the Snapdragon 808 which pairs two Cortex A57 CPU cores and four Cortex A53 CPU cores in a big.LITTLE configuration with an Adreno 418 (approximately 20% faster than the popular Adreno 320) GPU. This chip supports LPDDR3 memory and Qualcomm's new Category 6 LTE modem.
Both the 808 and 810 have Adreno GPUs which support OpenGL ES 3.1. The new chips support a slew of wireless I/O including Categrory 6 LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and NFC.
Qualcomm is reportedly planning to produce these SoCs on a 20nm process. For reference, the mid-range 64-bit Snapdragon 610 and 615 use a 28nm LP manufacturing process. The new 20nm process (presumably from TSMC) should enable improved battery life and clockspeed headroom on the flagship parts. Exactly how big the mentioned gains will be will depend on the specific manufacturing process, with smaller gains from a bulk/planar process shrink or greater improvements coming from more advanced methods such as FD-SOI if the new chip on a 20nm process is the same transistor count as one on a 28nm process (which is being used in existing chips).
The 808 and 810 parts are the new high-end 64-bit chips which will effectively supplant the 32-bit Snapdragon 805 which is a marginal update over the Snapdragon 800. The naming conventions and product lineups are getting a bit crazy here, but suffice it to say that the 808 and 810 are the effective successors to the 800 while the 805 is a stop-gap upgrade while Qualcomm moves to 64-bit ARMv8 and secures manufacturing for the new chips which should be slightly faster CPU-wise, notably faster GPU-wise and more capable with the faster cellular modem support and 64-bit ISA support.
For those wondering, the press release also states that the company is still working on development of its custom 64-bit Krait CPU architecture. However, it does not appear that 64-bit Krait will be ready by the first half of 2015, which is why Qualcomm has opted to use ARM's Cortex A57 and A53 cores in its upcoming flagship 808 and 810 SoCs.
More Intel Inside Chromebooks
Subject: General Tech | April 3, 2014 - 03:19 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Braswell, Bay Trail, Intel, SoC, 14nm, idf
Intel's Atom has finally shaken the bad name that its progenitors have born as Bay Trail proves to be a great implementation of an SoC. At IDF we received a tantalizing glimpse at the next generation of SoC from Intel, the 14nm Braswell chip though little was said of their ultra low powered Cherry Trail SoC for tablets. Braswell is more than just a process shrink, Intel is working to increase their support of Chromebooks and Android by creating a 64-bit Android kernel that supports Android 4.4. This seems to have paid off as Kirk Skaugen mentioned to The Inquirer that Intel chips will be present in 20 soon to be released models, up from 4 currently.
"INTEL HAS REVEALED PLANS to launch Braswell, a more powerful successor to the Bay Trail system on a chip (SoC) line used in low-cost devices like Chromebooks and budget PCs."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Intel chip revenue declined in 2013 as worldwide total grew by five percent @ The Inquirer
- TSMC capacity booked to the end of 3Q14 @ DigiTimes
- What took you so long Apple? 26 remote exec bugs die in OS X Safari @ The Register
- MSI/Informatique OC Academy featuring HWinfo Pro OC Team @ Madshrimps
ASRock Unveils New AM1 Platform Motherboards For Socketed Kabini SoCs
Subject: Motherboards | March 6, 2014 - 01:33 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: SoC, mini ITX, micro ATX, Kabini, FS1B, asrock, AM1
ASRock has joined the AM1 Platform fray with three of its own FS1B socketed motherboards: the AM1B-M, AM1B-ITX, and AM1H-ITX. The new motherboards come in Mini ITX and Micro ATX form factors that support all of Kabini's I/O options including USB 3.0, SATA III, and PCI-E 2.0 connections.
The two mini ITX motherboards (the AM1B-ITX and AM1H-ITX) feature a FS1B SoC socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots, four SATA III 6Gbps ports, and a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot running at PCI-E 2.0 x4. ASRock is using two SATA III ports from the Kabini SoC and two SATA III ports from an ASMedia ASM1061 chipset. Both boards utilize the Realtek RTL8111GR NIC to provide gigabit Ethernet.
The AM1H-ITX board builds upon the features of the AM1B-ITX by adding a mini PCI-E connector. While the AM1B-ITX uses a 5.1 channel Realtek ALC662 chipset, the AM1H-ITX uses a 7.1 channel ALC892 chipset that supports both analog and optical S/PDIF outputs.
Beyond the mini ITX boards, ASRock is launching the micro ATX AM1B-M. This board features the FS1B Kabini SoC socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots (16GB @ 1600MHz), two SATA III 6Gbps ports, a PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (running at x4), and a PCI-E x1 slot. The board further offers Gigabit Ethernet and 5.1 channel audio. Noticeably absent is the additional ASMedia chipset that adds two SATA III ports.
Additionally, the three boards have internal headers for extra USB ports and TPM security chips (the exact configuration of which depends on the specific board). The table below breaks down the basic differences between the boards.
|ASRock AM1B-M
|ASRock AM1B-ITX
|ASRock AM1H-ITX
|2 x DDR3 (16GB @ 1600MHz)
|2 x DDR3 (16GB @ 1600MHz)
|2 x DDR3 (16GB @ 1600MHz)
|Expansion Slots
1 x PCI-E 2.0 x16 (@ x 4)
1 x PC-E 2.0 x1 (@ x 1)
|1 x PCI-E 2.0 x16 (@ x 4)
1 x PCI-E 2.0 x16
1 x mPCI-E
|2 x SATA III
2 x SATA III from Kabini SoC
2 x SATA III from ASMedia ASM1061
2 x SATA III from Kabini SoC
2 x SATA III from ASMedia ASM1061
|Realtek RTL8111GR
|Realtek ALC662
|Realtek ALC662
|Realtek ALC892
|Rear IO
As with the other AMD hardware partners, ASRock has not released pricing or availability information. You can expect the micro ATX to be the cheapest of the bunch, with the two mini ITX boards commanding a slight premium for their reduced size and bolstered I/O options. The boards with four SATA III ports would make for great home server options by not requiring a PCI-E card to connect more than two SATA drives. The boards will support Athlon and Sempron branded AMD Kabini SoCs, and the combination of a board and SoC will cost approximately $60 according to AMD.
While the AM1 Platform is restricted to single channel memory (a Kabini memory controller limitation) versus Bay Trail's dual channel memory support, the AM1 Platform offers SATA 6Gbps and a GCN-based graphics part. Bay Trail may have a leg up in memory bandwidth and TDPs, socketed Kabini offers more storage bandwidth and graphics performance. I'm interested to see how the two platform stack up, and what the new boards are able to do.
Also read: AMD Releases the AM1 Platform: Socketed Kabini APU
MSI Launches AM1I Mini ITX Motherboard For Socketed Kabini SoCs
Subject: Motherboards | March 5, 2014 - 11:35 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: SoC, msi, mini ITX, Kabini, FS1B, AM1
MSI recently introduced its first motherboard based around AMD's new AM1 platfrom called the AM1I. The new board uses the mini ITX form factor while supporting a Kabini SoC and all of its IO options including SATA III, USB 3, Gigabit Ethernet, and triple display outputs.
The AM1I sports a FS1B CPU socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots (a maximum of 32GB single channel memory at 1600MHz), two SATA III 6Gbps ports, a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (electrically x4), and a single mPCI-E connector. The mini ITX AM1I motherboard further features a TPM connector, 7.1 channel Realtek ALC887 audio chipset, and a Realtek RTL8111G Gigabit Ethernet controller.
The AM1 Platform uses the FS1B socket and a new cooler mounting system (though the boards spotted at CES used a traditional FM2/AM3 HSF mount). So far, it appears the only heatsinks available will be those bundled with Kabini chips in retail boxes.
The rear I/O panel of the AM1I includes:
- 2 x PS/2
- 3 x Video outputs
- 1 x HDMI
- 1 x DVI
- 1 x VGA
- 2 x USB 3.0
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x RJ45 (GbE)
- 3 x analog audio outputs
MSI has not released exact pricing or availability, but expect the board to arrive sometime in mid-April for well under $40 (AMD has stated that the AM1 platform (FS1B motherboard plus a Kabini SoC) will cost around $60). Note that AM1 platform boards are extremely low cost because the IO is contained within the Kabini chip and not by on-motherboard chipsets.
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This 40.5 in. high black firehouse has an easy-open door for convenient tending of your fire. You can gather around the unit because it offers a 360˚ view of the fire. Heavy steel log grate is included.
- Features a 28.3 in by 24.5 housing which is enclosed to protect from flying sparks
- Wood-burning fireplace is an all-natural heating option
- Provides up to 150 sq. ft. of heat
- Sturdy steel construction with black powder coating
- Includes a thick PVC cover for protection against the elements
- Easy access door with latch for easy tending

subset: commoncrawl


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A financial services firm has published a report forecasting far-reaching and "dire" impacts from the prospect of rapid climate change.
Toronto-based Sprott Asset Management recently released a report called "Investment Implications of Abrupt Climate Change," which said that there is potential for disruptions to the global economy if there is a rapid change in climate from global warming.
Increasingly, businesses are adapting to climate change. Insurance firms, for example, are reevaluating their risk from natural disasters. Investors, meanwhile, are pouring money into renewable energy, like solar, and other clean technologies.
The Sprott study compiles scientific data on global warming and plays out possible scenarios, including a rapid change in climate, and reports on several indications of climate change already.
Regardless of how quickly climate change occurs, the report concludes that "global warming will need to be factored into investment decisions going forward."
"If we truly are at the dawn of abrupt climate change, the prognosis is dire for almost all traditional asset classes. But there are also investment opportunities and the potential to add significant returns," the Sprott report said.
Meanwhile, BusinessWeek earlier this month ran an article entitled "Business On a Warmer Planet" citing several companies now adapting to climate change.


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Young Regional Artists to shine with $10,000 Scholarships
Artistic regional youth are urged to apply now for the NSW Government's $10,000 individual scholarship program to foster the next generation of arts professionals.
Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant today opened the Young Regional Artist Scholarship program and encouraged people aged 18 to 25 to apply for the second year of the scheme that will invest $1 million over four years.
"Last year recipients showcased the innovative and vibrant artistic talent of young people in regional NSW," Mr Grant said.
"I look forward to hearing first-hand from this year's recipients how they will reach their career goals with this support.
"The NSW Government is investing in artistic talent throughout regional NSW to ensure the community is supported with a diverse and thriving arts and cultural scene," Mr Grant said.
The program funds activities such as mentorships, internships, courses, training, national and international travel and creation of new work across all art forms including dance, design, digital arts, history, Aboriginal arts, literature, music, screen and visual arts.
For the purpose of this scholarship program, regional NSW is defined as Local Government Areas outside the metropolitan areas and fringes of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
The Young Regional Artist Scholarships program will see 100 scholarships valued at $10,000 each awarded over four years and 25 scholarships will be awarded in 2016.
Watch a short video about the 2016 Young Regional Artist Scholarship program
Interested to see who got a Scholarship in 2015?
Download the full list of 2015 recipients here and find out how this Scholarship has benefited their practice.
How to apply:
For more information about the Young Regional Artist Scholarship program click here.
Published: 15 April 2016


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James Vincent McMorrow, The Strypes, Hozier, The 1975, Bombay Bicycle Club and Wild Beasts are among the latest acts to be added to the line-up for next month's Electric Picnic in Stradbally Estate, Co Laois.
Also joining the bill are: Sbtrkt, Hercules and Love Affair, Cathy Davey, Ásgeir, Nick Mulvey, Sampha and Seinabo Sey.
Rustie, Walking on Cars, Le Galaxie, S*** Robot, BP Fallon, Nightbox, Sheppard, The Whereabouts, Trinity Orchestra and the Dublin Gospel Choir complete the latest additions.
For more on Electric Picnic (August 29-31), visit: www.electricpicnic.ie.


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Eureka's third season finale is upon us this Friday, and it sounds like typical Eureka fun – squared. SyFy was good enough to send along an enticing little bit of video from the last new Eureka we'll see for a while, What Comes Around Goes Around, and we're going to share. It's circle time folks.
For one, I'm happy Eureka is coming back next year. I thought the shift to Friday was the mark of death. Yeah, I realize it was Battlestar Galactica's time-slot, so in the SyFy-verse a shift to Friday shouldn't be looked upon as a death knell as it would be on one of the big four – call it a reflex. Eureka is coming back, so no more sweat. How strange is it that it is over already, though? If SyFy picked up the big network practice of 20-plus episode seasons, I – for one – would not complain at all.
So what is to come in "What Comes Around Goes Around"? It seems like a minor apocalypse, that's all.
Says SyFy:
In the 3rd Season finale, Carter (Colin Ferguson) is having a seriously bad day. Zoe (Jordan Hinson) is about to leave for Harvard; Tess (Jaime Ray Newman) has a job offer in Australia; a supercollider test goes awry, and now there's a magnetic disturbance hovering above Eureka. What next?
Yup, sounds like Eureka. (On a side note, SyFy's publicity folks just taught my spellchecker the word 'supercollider').


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(1923 1983)
Sonata Concertante (1956)
(1875 1937)
Sonata (1927)
Blues: Moderato
Perpetuum mobile: Allegro
(1863 1937)
Sonata, E Minor, op. 27 (1918)
Bewegt, mit Empfindung (Allegro espressivo)
Sehr breit und ausdrucksvoll (Adagio,
quasi fantasia)
Ausserst schwungvoll und feurig
Tonight's concert offers a unique opportunity to hear three works of extremely diverse musical styles composed within a span of 38 years, from 1918 to 1956, by an American, a German, and a Frenchman.
Peter Mennin's music has been described as embodying the rising cultural confidence of the United States following World War II. One of America's leading music administrators, Mennin was President of the Juilliard School from 1962 until 1983, guiding it through a period of unprecedented growth while continuing to compose music of the highest quality. Hisunjustly neglected Sonata Concertante, written as a commission from the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation in 1956, combines powerful sonorities and rhythmic vitality with affecting lyricism.
Maurice Ravel's late Sonata (1923-27), sensual and ardent in mood, speaks to us through the purity of its masterful counterpoint. Written after his experiences in World War I, the jazz elements in the second movement, "Blues," may be Ravel's gesture of appreciation to the United States for saving France. The ebullient perpetual-motion finale brings the work, and the first half of the concert, to a breathtaking conclusion.
Hans Pfitzner's Sonata, composed in 1918, retains a German Romantic expressionism recast into twentieth-century harmonic language. The Sonata's first movement, "Turbulent, with feeling," is a vast canvas of emotions -- anguish, yearning, rebellion and acceptance. The second movement, "Very broad and expressive," is deeply reflective, while the third movement, "Extremely spirited and fiery," contrasts light, vivacious passages with statements of ever-increasing intensity that drive to a powerful culmination.
(1943 - )
Imaginary Variations, op. 114 (2010)
(First performances; written for Janet Packer)
(1898 - 1994)
Rondo Variato, F Major (1945)
Allegro con spirito
(1862 - 1918)
Sonata, G (1917)
Allegro vivo
Intermède: Fantasque et léger
Finale: Très animé
(1863 - 1937)
Sonata, D Major, op. 36 (1900)
Allegretto tranquillo
Andante non troppo - Allegretto un poco agitato
The four works on this evening's program span 110 years, beginning with an eloquent composition completed less than two years ago, and concluding with a radiant work of late 19th-century Romanticism. Between these we hear a sparkling gem of 20th-century neo-classicism and one of the late masterpieces of Claude Debussy.
Imaginary Variations was composed in 2010 for Janet Packer by one of Europe's foremost living composers, Krzysztof Meyer. Commissioned by Ms. Packer through Pro Violino Foundation, Imaginary Variations is a 20-minute work inspired by the wide range of timbres and dynamics possible between violin and piano. We are privileged to hear this deeply expressive and powerfully moving work of our own time in one of its premiere performances.
Composed 62 years earlier, the six-minute Rondo Variato of Vittorio Rieti was the composer's favorite of his violin-and-piano compositions. Its ebullient melodic lines are often supported by poignant harmonies, creating an atmosphere of good humor tempered by occasional wistfulness. A true cosmopolitan, Vittorio Rieti was born in Egypt in 1898 into an Italian-Jewish family, lived in Paris between the World Wars, and immigrated to New York City in 1940. In his later years he was a close friend of Janet Packer, for whom he wrote a violin concerto at the age of 93.
Claude Debussy's beloved Sonata for Violin and Piano provides an exhilarating conclusion to the first half of the program. The master's final composition, it is also the last work he performed in public, just six months before his death in March 1918. Debussy's titles for the three movements - Lively, Fantastic, and Animated – indicate that, though terminally ill, his spirit remained vibrant and life-affirming.
A single work comprises the second half of tonight's program, Gabriel Pierné's marvelous and rarely heard Sonata for Piano and Violin, completed just days before the close of the 19th century. Only 23 minutes in length, the music is passionate while evoking a French suavity both earnest and appealing. The second movement, not truly a slow movement, has the innocent charm of a folk melody, while the outer movements abound in rhythmic energy and élan.
Krzysztof Meyer: Imaginary Variations, op. 114 (2010)
Notes by Krzysztof Meyer
Vittorio Rieti: Rondo Variato, F (1945)
Notes by Samuel Rechtoris
Claude Debussy: Sonata, G (1917)
Notes by Joel Sheveloff
Gabriel Pierné: Sonata, D, op. 36 (1900)
Notes by Gail Woldu
(1770 - 1827)
Sonata, C Minor, Op. 30 No. 2 (1802)
Allegro con brio
Adagio cantabile
Scherzo: Allegro
Finale: Allegro
(1914 - 1962)
Sonata (1946)
Moderato - Allegro moderato, giusto
Lento con moto
(1797 - 1828)
Fantasie, C Major, D. 934, op. 159 (1827)
Andante molto – Allegretto
Tempo I – Allegro vivace – Allegretto – Presto
Two masterworks of the piano-violin repertoire form the pillars of this program. Though completed within twenty-five years of each other, when Beethoven and Schubert were each barely over 30 years of age and residing in Vienna, each work displays the unique stylistic and temperamental qualities of its composer.
The four movements of Beethoven's familiar Sonata in C Minor, op. 30 no. 2, which opens the program, could not be more contrasting. The first movement's mystery and excitement are followed by a tender slow movement, a witty Scherzo, and a robust finale with a whirlwind ending. The sublime second movement is in the richly resonant key of A-flat major, the same key Schubert chooses for the variations of his Fantasie, to be heard later in this program.
Listeners may be surprised to hear similarities between the Beethoven sonata and the next work on the program, composed in Boston 144 years later, the Sonata for Violin and Piano (1946) of Irving Fine. With its clear articulation, buoyant motives tossed between violin and piano, and rhythmically driving, yet varied, accentual patterns, this youthful neo-classical work acknowledges a debt to Beethoven while reminding today's listener of the composer's mentors, Stravinsky and Copland.
Schubert's remarkable C-major Fantasie fills the entire second half of the program. Ever popular, exquisitely beautiful, yet an incredibly difficult tour de force for both performers, it lures us back into a more intimate world where we appreciate subtle shadings of dynamics and nuances of time. In four sections played without interruption, we are led through an ethereal four-minute opening of shimmering piano tremolos and silken violin lines, followed by a spirited minor-key section, a leisurely theme with increasingly virtuosic variations based on Schubert's popular song "Sei mir gegrusst," and a rousing finale. How magical is the return of the gentle song theme just before the fireworks of the conclusion!
As Schubert's Fantasie comes to an end, we realize that our evening, which began with the turbulent drama of Beethoven in C Minor, has concluded with the triumphant radiance of Schubert in C Major.
Beethoven: Sonata, op. 30 no. 2
Irving Fine: Sonata (1946)
Schubert: Fantasie, D. 934


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World Cup Opening Weekend: Surprises Seen, Records Recorded
Throughout the 2014 World Cup, New England Revolution forward Patrick Mullins, who maintains his own blog, will give us a player's perspective on the tournament. This is the first installment.
The opening weekend of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is officially in the books. We have barely had a moment to catch our breath.
The tournament so far has given us everything we want in our beautiful game. We have seen more goals (37) up to this point than any other previous World Cup. We have seen the top players produce on the biggest stage. And, we have yet to see a draw.
In short, we have seen it all. But here are some of the highlights that stood out to me.
As they so often do, Brazil won its opening match. What did come as a surprise was the host nation's overall performance. Brazil can take promise from young stars Oscar and Neymar's performances as they showed moments of class in the attack. But too often, Brazil looked susceptible to Croatia's attack, in particular from crosses.
Brazilian fans would agree it's a good start. But they need to improve in order to be the last team standing.
Spain, the last team standing at the 2010 World Cup, began their title defense poorly. They fell 5-1 to the Netherlands. On the day, the Spanish defense was outclassed by Dutch forwards Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.
Although the score line raises plenty of concern in the Spanish camp, it is also a little flattering to the Dutch. Up until the 60th minute, Spain showed the quality and precision that could still beat any team in the world.
The Spanish need two wins in their last two group games against Chile and Australia to assure passage into the knockout round. Two very winnable games. I think few should be surprised if an experienced Spanish group put this result behind them and advances.
All four teams in what I think is the "Group of Life'' (Group C: Colombia, Greece, Cote d'Ivoire, Japan) entered the tournament thinking they had a chance to advance.
Colombia got off to a high-flying start with a 3-0 win over Greece. Colombia gave their emotional fans a reason to celebrate with some clinical finishing, while Greece were left ruing quality scoring opportunities missed.
The Cote d'Ivoire's 2-1 win over Japan was my match of the tournament so far. It was a classic tale of two halves. Japan showed a neat passing style with relentless pressure in the first half and was rewarded with a goal that put them in the driver's seat.
But a two-minute sequence in the second half cost Japan and sprung Cote d'Ivoire to victory. Not only two minutes, but two massive headers. Two great finishes from Wilfried Bony and Gervinho from pinpoint crosses proved the difference.
The "Group of Life'' certainly lived up to the billing as it is still all to play for.
The biggest takeaway from the opening weekend is that it is just the opening weekend. You don't win the World Cup after the first match.
Certainly, we learned a lot and enjoyed the record-amount of goals so far. But this tournament is long from over.
The mission in the group stage is simple: survive and advance.


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Johnny Depp keeping a low profile
Johnny Depp took a speedboat to his Hollywood Vampires concert in Sweden on Monday amid reports of increased security for the star.
Johnny Depp
The actor and musician, who is touring Europe with the group amid ex-wife Amber Heard's claims he physically assaulted her, is said to have been accompanied by eight security guards before checking into a $12,000 (£8,000) per night hotel.
A source told a website: "He is always keeping to himself. Ordering room service and never spends time with the band."
It's said the star, who lost his mother three days before his partner demanded a restraining order and filed for divorce, is under a lot of stress amid Heard's claims, which he denies.
An anonymous crew member said: "We have all been told not to talk about Johnny for obvious reasons. He is under a lot of stress at the moment and talk about him might affect the band."


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The evening sun illuminates an unknown wall in the West Fork of Oak Creek
Canyon between Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona.
October 23, 2008
Visionary mountains
Above and afar!
Like answers to questions
Of life - Love -
Love and the longing to survive.
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Wilson Mountain/Oak Creek Canyon (Mountain/Rock)
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Arizona's Amazing "Iron Oxide" Curtain (Album)
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Object Title: IN MY DREAMS
Image Type(s): Rock Climbing, Hiking, Flora, Informational, Scenery


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Sugar for Biofuel to Displace Kenya's Tana Delta Wildlife
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 26, 2008 (ENS) – Kenya's Tana River Delta, inhabited by 350 species of birds, lions, elephants, rare sharks and reptiles, is about to be converted to sugar cane production over the objections of conservationists and local communities.
Kenya's National Environment Management Authority, NEMA, has approved a proposal by the Mumias Sugar Company, a publicly traded company based in Nairobi, to covert 2,000 square kilometers of the pristine delta into irrigated sugarcane plantations.
A view over the Tana
River Delta (Photo by Zuc123)
The government is behind the project, with President Mwai Kibaki expressing his personal approval at a public rally in Garsen last year.
But conservationists and villagers living in the delta believe the decision is illegal and are determined to block the development. The groups are considering what action they might take.
Paul Matiku, executive director of Nature Kenya said, "This decision is a national disaster and will devastate the delta. The Tana's ecology will be destroyed yet the economic gains will be pitiful. It will seriously damage our priceless national assets and will put the livelihoods of the people living in the Delta in jeopardy."
"The environmental assessment for the scheme was poor yet the government has defied even those very modest recommendations," said Matiku, whose 99-year-old organization is the Kenyan affiliate of BirdLife International.
The National Environment Management Authority put 14 conditions on the sugarcane plan. But Matiku says the conditions are weak and ignore the environmental assessment, which showed that irrigation of crops would cause severe drainage of the Delta.
NEMA's decision also overlooks an ongoing dispute over compensation for farmers and fishermen who would lose their land and fishing rights.
"This is the only dry-season grazing area for hundreds of miles and its loss will leave many hundreds of farmers with nowhere to take their cattle," Matiku explained. "We refuse to accept that this decision is final," he said. "The development must be stopped at all costs."
The Tana is the largest river in Kenya. It flows from the central highlands down to the Indian Ocean where it enters the sea at Kipini with a delta 40 kilometers wide.
A herd of topi, a savannah
antelope, on the Tana River
Delta. (Photo courtesy Tana
Delta Camp)
The district is generally dry and prone to drought, but this week at least 15,000 residents of the Tana Delta are coping with the destruction of their crops by floods.
After touring the flooded communities, their elected representative MP Danson Mungatana is asking the Ministry of Agriculture to give farmers seed for replanting and urged Mumias Sugar to start their Sh24 billion (US$373 million) project, saying all requirements have been met.
"They have a license and everything else has been finalized, let them start the project immediately so that the youth can get jobs," he told "The Nation" newspaper Tuesday.
But the economic benefits of the conversion of the Tana Delta to sugar cane are not clear. A report commissioned in May by Nature Kenya and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds found deficiences in the calculation of benefits presented by Mumias.
The company says the income from sugar cane cultivation will be US$2.45 million over 20 years.
But the conservationists' report shows that the revenue from fishing, farming, tourism and other lost livelihoods would be US$59 million over the same period.
The report found that Mumias has overestimated profits, ignored fees for water use and pollution from the sugarcane plant, and has disregarded the loss of income from wildlife tourists to the delta.
The study said the delta's ecological benefits "defied valuation" and that the proposal would cause the "irreversible loss of ecosystem services," benefits such as flood prevention, the storage of greenhouse gases and the provision of medicines and food.
Mumias Sugar grows some sugar cane; its own estates provide up to seven percent of its annual output, but its primary source is over 50,000 registered "out growers" with a total of more than 400 square kilometers under cultivation.
African fish eagles breed on the Tana
River Delta. (Photo by Michel
Laplace-Toulouse of African
Latitude courtesy BirdLife
The Tana Delta land conversion covers an area nearly five times larger than the area currently farmed by all the company's out growers.
Sugar cane grown on the Tana Delta is likely to fuel ethanol production. In 2005, Mumias Sugar Managing Director Evans Kidero announced plans to expand into the production of ethanol to take advantage of the high cost of fuel.
"Until now, Kenya's support for global agreements to protect wildlife has been excellent but this development could severely damage Kenya's reputation for caring for its environment," said Paul Buckley, an Africa specialist with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which is the BirdLife affiliate in the UK.
Conservationists say that an integrated management plan for the entire Tana River basin should precede any development considerations.
The lack of project design documents, required by Kenyan environmental law, has been a critical omission in the whole Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, process, Matiku points out.
"The current EIA was hurriedly produced and lacks vital information. NEMA should reject it and request for a new EIA study for the new project site," said Matiku. "The government's decision to approve the Tana River sugarcane and biofuels project will not only destroy biodiversity but also threaten rural livelihoods."


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What's your mission?
The last few months have been quite a ride for me.
I'll save the lessons learned (and there are many) for a later date, but the question I've been asked the most since January is, "how long are you staying at Causes?"
This question probably has something to do with the last time I was part of an acquisition, but a lot is different this time around.
This time, I didn't find out about the acquisition of Votizen by reading TechCrunch in the morning. This was a deliberate decision I had a large role in, along with my co-founder and the rest of the company. Everyone had a say, and I'm proud that nearly all of us made the decision to go along.
Second, in 2007 I joined Mint as lead designer because I saw an amazing opportunity. I saw a compelling value proposition that most startups were missing back then (and still are). There was an opportunity to build an amazing brand, and I could learn a lot about startups that I could apply later.
When it sold, I felt I had done what I had set out to do. Although I felt the larger mission of the company—to help people understand their money—was unfinished, I didn't see the same kind of risk-taking and innovation as likely to happen at Intuit. I wouldn't be able to have the impact in the world that I became an entrepreneur to have. My days became filled with design-by-committee conference calls where people were compelled to say "no" to justify being on the payroll. We also spent our entire existence positioning ourselves against them so it was tough to feel good about joining in. The culture of our startup and the culture of Intuit were not well matched in my opinion, and it seemed that the mission had long since bled out of that place.
There's also the matter of appreciation. Everyone wants to feel like they have value to an organization. I heard later from more than one Intuit employee that they were excited to have me, but nobody from Intuit reached out. It wasn't clear to me what Intuit truly valued about the company, but it clearly wasn't me—and that's okay.
Most importantly though, I wasn't passionate enough about personal finance. My mission wasn't to transform money management, though it felt good to help people. I worked in the problem space for a few years, but I became swept up in electoral politics during the 2008 election. I had an interest in elections ever since the first one I could vote in ended via Supreme Court decision. Carnegie Mellon was a campaign stop for Al Gore in 2000, for John Kerry in 2004, and finally the wide open primary of 2008 was too compelling of a story to ignore. I saw my very first episode of Meet the Press with Tim Russert and I was hooked. It was something that I couldn't shake, and I began to think about the problems in the space and play around with building products in my spare time, sacrificing fun and relationships in the process. I couldn't not build something in politics, and over the next year I found my mission.
Once you figure out what that is, and believe it's possible, the rest of the decisions become a lot easier. Your mission becomes what defines your success. So I asked myself, where is it that I can go that gives me the best chance of success as I define it?
I'm not interested in being a founder for the sake of the title, or hacking on an inconsequential project just to build, or raising money because I can. I'm interested in making voters so powerful that no amount of money or top-down advertising will make any difference in an election. Social media has created a new era of many-to-many communications on a massive scale, which has yet to fully break down our politics.
I'm now working with a lot of incredible people with a common vision. We've spent months now re-imagining the product, and integrating the never-realized Votizen roadmap. Long gone is Causes on Facebook, and birthday wish, and in its place is emerging a new, powerful platform for citizen-driven change. I'm valued, appreciated, there's culture alignment with Votizen, and—most importantly—I'm making a difference.
How long will I stay?
I've told many people I've run into over the years, that entrepreneurs are irrational people. You can have a safer income, and usually a higher one, doing a lot of other things. Success is incredibly rare. Starting a business and changing the base of political power in America takes that to a whole new level, but that's me. As long as I'm crazy enough to think I can do this, I'm going to do so.
So if you're contemplating a change of scenery, ask yourself where you can have the greatest impact on your mission. It could be a small startup, or your own if nobody else will let you pursue the innovation you want to see in the world. It could be a large company that will give you the resources to get you where you need to go, or if your mission is the same as mine, it could be right here, sitting next to me.
Originally published on Svbtle on April 10, 2013


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Limited to the books of Mark, Acts, Ephesians, First and Second Timothy, the Greek verb "analambano" meant "take up" or "receive."
Jesus was "received up" into heaven (Mk.16:19; Acts 1:2, 11, 22Acts 1:2, 11, 22
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
2 until the day in which he was received up, after that he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 11 who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven. 22 beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.
WP-Bible plugin). Paul was "brought" to Antipatris (Acts 23:31Acts 23:31
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
31 So the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
WP-Bible plugin). Christians are to "take up" the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13Eph. 6:13
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
WP-Bible plugin), and this "taking" includes the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16Eph. 6:16
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
WP-Bible plugina).


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10-Minute Dating - Speed Dating for Bay Area Singles Over 40
The Meeting Game Salon
Sunday, January 6, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Event Details
Enjoy short, structured, individual conversations with as many single men or women as you can "date" in one night. Confidentially select those you'd like to see again, and be notified of those who feel the same way about you!
"A shorthand version of a year's worth of dates!"(tm)
Click for more information: The Meeting Game® Salon
or call 510-233-9700
"Good laughs; fascinating people."(tm)
When & Where
The Pour House
1327 Polk Street
near Bush Street
San Francisco,
Sunday, January 6, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar
The Meeting Game Salon
Join other Bay Area singles for innovative evenings of conversation and ice-breakers. We're an event-based organization with a focus on the chemistry that can happen between people when they meet, face-to-face. We provide the structure that helps you find the common ground you share with those you meet, and that allows you to smoothly and politely disengage from an interaction when you're ready, with no hurt feelings on either side. Our events are unlike any others — we never leave conversation to chance! Every week, Bay-Area wide. More information at http://www.meetinggame.com or by phone at 510-233-9700. "Good laughs; fascinating people."(tm)


text:
David Suzuki Quotes About ArguingQuotes about: Arguing
Arguing Atmosphere Biodiversity Birds Cars Challenges Children Climate Change Community Country Earth Economics Economy Energy Environment Fossil Fuels Gas Giving Global Warming Growth Home Humanity Life Lying Meetings Nature Opportunity Parents Renewable Energy Study Taxes Technology Trade Values Water Well Being
Some argue we should get coal, oil and gas out of the ground as quickly as possible, build more pipelines and make as much money as we can selling it here and abroad. Their priorities are the economy and meeting short-term energy needs so we can live the lives to which we've become accustomed.
You May Also Like:
David Suzuki
- Born: March 24, 1936
- Occupation: Professor
- Cite this Page: Citation


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Aeolus will directly observe wind profiles from space on a global scale and provide data that could result in a breakthrough in weather prediction. The Aeolus wind profiles will find wide application in weather forecasting and climate studies, improving the accuracy of numerical weather forecasting, advancing our understanding of tropical dynamics and processes relevant to climate variability and climate modelling.
ALADIN, the Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument, will be the first space-borne wind lidar offering global coverage of the Earth and will create a wind profile showing the relative strength and direction of winds at different altitudes. Measurements will be taken every 0.1 seconds and then averaged over 7 second period (during which time the satellite will have travelled 50 km) to obtain wind profiles from altitudes from 0 to 16 km and up to 30 km with less accuracy.
Aeolus also carries an innovative system to protect the laser optics from contamination degradation. This system provides a slow flow of oxygen over the critical optics which are exposed to high laser energy.


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Getting Through The Snow In The Southern Tier (SPONSORED)
It's another big storm in the Southern Tier. Some are saying that this could be like the one we had in 1993. Are you finding yourself having trouble getting around in the vehicle you're in? Well when you can get out, maybe you should go to Matthews Mitsubishi.
I've been trying the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport ES. I've been enjoying my drives in the snow and I smile when I see the snow coming down. I like that at the touch of a button, I'm in AWC. It gets me safely through the worst of conditions. I never realized before what a peace of mind that is. I know that if I need to get somewhere , I can do it.
Not only is it safe but it's affordable. You don't need to compromise with this vehicle. Matthews Mitsubishi at Planet PreOwned, 2100 Vestal Parkway East has a lot full of new Mitsubishi's starting as low as $13,700. It gets 30 MPG, so it's affordable to buy and affordable to drive.
It has one of the best warranty's in the industry 10 year/100,000 miles. The Outlander Sport has also received the "Top Safety Pick" award from the Insurance Institute for highway safety.
So make one of your New Year's Resolutions, a stop at Matthews and check out the new Mitsubishi's. Safe, affordable and plenty of power to get you up and down the hills of the Southern Tier.


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|June 15, 2006
In This eNewsletter:
Taking the Plunge
By Thomas J. Norton
Will you be able to resist? With HD DVD players already on the market (though they are still hard to come by) and Blu-ray due soon, I wonder just how many enthusiasts will be able to hold fast to their typical answer when surveyed on the subject, "I'll wait until there's a winner."
That may take a while. Sony will certainly want to wait until the PlayStation3 is established in the market. Toshiba will wait to see just how much that videogame platform, which brings with it the promise of a competitively priced Blu-ray player, affects the race. And the whole ballgame will be changed if LG or someone else is able to bring a universal player to market at anything like an affordable price.
But because of HD DVD, and soon enough, Blu-ray, Tuesdays are fun again. Even when the new releases are of older filmsas they have been almost universally to datethe anticipation of a fresh audio-video experience on the traditional video release day is palpable. For me, the first two months of the HD DVD format have echoed the early days of DVD.
And it hasn't come any too soon. The studios have pretty much milked their libraries, more than once, for creative ways to resell the same standard definition DVD titles. Anyone for Anaconda: the Super Director's Cut / Special Collector's Edition (Newly Remastered with Additional Deleted Scenes!)? While there are a few personal favorites that desperately need new transfers or even first releases (St. Elsewhere, where are you?) by and large the cupboard is bare of prime older movies and TV shows. In fact, if it weren't for the popularity of TV on DVD, which surprised everyone, the well would have run dry three years ago.
More than anything else it's this dearth of previously unreleased titles for DVD release that has the studios salivating over the potential of HD DVD, Blu-ray, or both. The success of high-definition on an optical disc could reinvigorate the video business.
I hope it does, even if it means I'll have to replace much of my video collection (but certainly not all of it- I'm not sure I really need a high def version of Danny Deckchair!). But it's chilling to look over the 1000+ titles on my DVD shelves and find very few that I'd decline, out of hand, to toss and replace with a new high def version. The cost would be crushingparticularly if the studios continue their practice of premium pricing for HD releases. (Did I hear you say that we in the biz get DVD review samples gratis? That's true, but not of everything. There are hundreds of titles in my collection that I've bought at retail, just like you. And a lot of freebies I would never have bought!)
Not all of my experiences with HD DVD to date have been pristine. With the caveat that so far I've watched these titles only on a 720p display (though arguably one of the very best, the Yamaha DPX-1300 DLP projector), I've found a few titles disappointing. The buzz in the on-line forums lately suggests that a few of the titles actually came not from 1080p/24 masters but from 1080i/60 masters instead, and that these were "bobbed" to create the 1080p/24 video on the disc. Bobbing is a crude way of de-interlacing video. Instead of properly stitching together the two fields that make up each frame of an interlaced image into a single frame, each field is instead line doubled by interpolating the additional lines needed to turn each 540p field into a 1080p frame.
In order to encode the disc at 1080p/24, a 1080i/60 master must not only be deinterlaced, but the extraneous fields that were added in the process of creating a 1080i/60 transfer from the 24fps film original must also be removed. This removal process is known as inverse 3/2 pulldown or reverse telecine.
The bottom line in all of this is that if bobbing does the conversion from 1080i/60 to 1080p/24, the resulting 1080p/24 is not high definition at all by any accepted definition of that term. And if the reverse telecine process is handled poorly, the image could also look worse than a good DVD.
I would not go that far with the two titles in question here, The Fugitive and Full Metal Jacket, both from Warner. They actually look quite respectable. But they are easily the least visually impressive HD DVDs I've seen. Nor are their audio tracks anything particularly special.
Two more recent titles that don't make the prime cut are The Bourne Supremacy and Constantine. The latter looks very clean, with surprisingly little visible film grain (though I would expect to see some), fine color, and good blacks (important in this film). But most of it looks surprisingly soft for a high definition transfer when blown up on a 78-inch wide projection screen. If I saw this image from a standard DVD, I'd rate that DVD below average in the detail department.
The Bourne Supremacy, on the other hand, does appear to be an accurate representation of that film's original elements. But the creative choices made in the film's look don't leave much room for eye-popping, high def detail. You won't use this disc to demonstrate HD on your home theater, but it is what it is. Both Bourne and Constantine do, however, have superlative surround sound.
The best-looking HD DVDs I've seen so far include The Phantom of the Opera, Unforgiven, U-571, Apollo 13, and The Chronicles of Riddick. The first four, all good films, belong in any early HD DVD collection (though clearly Unforgiven and Apollo 13 are in a class by themselves). Even Riddick contains enough eye candy to make it engaging. And it has been expanded here beyond its theatrical length by an additional 15 minutes, making its story far more coherent. If I were choosing a single HD DVD simply to demonstrate the format's picture quality, it would be Phantom, but Riddick wouldn't be far behind.
The above five titles also have exceptionally good sound, to which I can add Serenity, perhaps the best sounding of all the current HD DVDs. Serenity is also above average in picture quality, but not quite in the same class as the best-looking titles.
What about all of those other titles, the ones that fall between disappointing and great? I wrote off Doom early on despite its very good picture and sound because it's simply too dumb a film to consider. It's a hurl-inducing gore fest to boot, particularly in this "Unrated Extended Edition." The very dark Million Dollar Baby looks and sounds good, but its picture quality is uneven for a high definition transfer, looking sharp in some shots and surprisingly soft in others. And while it's also a fine film, it doesn't invite repeated viewing. Cinderella Man does, but, again, I don't find the transfer quality enough of an upgrade to get me excited.
Want more information? Our new movie blog, "The Movie Room," is now up and running, with more detail on many of these titles, and others as well. We'll also have a lot to say there about hot new standard definition DVDs. Check it out.
An entirely separate problem from the quality of the new HD DVD discs and players, which at their best can be astonishing, is their sheer (un)availability to date. Shane Buettner has a look at that problem in our next story.
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Dying A Quick Death At Retail
By Shane Buettner
Following HD DVD's launch and trying to get my hands of hardware and software as it's been released has given me a serious case of FUD ((Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) about both HD formats. The presence of HD DVD online and at retail is non-existent, and if it's the same for Blu-ray, good luck, and maybe good night.
My local retailers for HD DVD hardware and software are Magnolia Audio Video, Circuit City and Best Buy. Magnolia Audio Video and Circuit City, in a few random calls since HD DVD's launch, have never actually claimed to have an HD DVD player in stock to sell. Circuit and Best Buy typically have had to break from the phone call, and taken a couple of minutes just to give a lazy "check back next week," but at least Magnolia has claimed to have had players in stock and encouraged me to come in and order a player. As I write this Magnolia claims to have gotten in a run of 20-25 players and sold through it, and claims to have 10-12 orders in on their next run of 20-25 players (the exact arrival date of which is not known).
The software front is even more dire. My local Circuit City has occasionally had two or three copies of two or three titles, and that's it. On June 6th I went in and there was nothing- and nothing was exactly what the clerk I asked knew about what they are or where they might be.
On June 6th I continued on to two different Best Buy stores looking for the latest HD DVD releases, and there's a little story behind this too. Warner's PR firm has a strict policy of sending only one copy of each movie to any single publication. So, since Tom Norton and I are stationed 400 miles apart, I have to shop retail just like the common man order to cover Warner's entry into the new format. Makes sense. Screeners are too expensive to just hand out to journalists trying desperately to support your fledgling format. But I digress.
The reason I really wanted to track down some discs on June 6th is that this was supposed to be a hot day for HD DVD- not only had The Perfect Storm been released, but the relatively new Constantine was slated for that day in addition to a big combo HD DVD/DVD release of the brand spanking new Harrison Ford thriller Firewall. This disc is reputed to be the first disc to have brand new special features that take full advantage of the new format's enhanced interactivity.
Not only were none of these titles anywhere to be found at two different Best Buy stores, the HD DVDs had already been relegated to the miniscule shelf spaces, one of which was entirely separate from where the DVDs are sold. An aisle end display had perhaps a dozen copies of three or four different HD DVD movies, and then in the AV section of the store a flat panel TV was connected to an HD DVD player and there were perhaps 20 HD DVDs spanning 6-8 titles. None of them were the hot new titles that were in fact released that day.
This is the same treatment previously given to other fringe formats such as D-VHS/D-Theater, DVD-A and SACD, all of which can only be described as mainstream failures (of these formats only SACD is barely holding onto a narrow segment of the audiophile niche, and even there its sales are dwarfed by those of vinyl records). This is not retail support so much as retail life support!
Online the situation isn't much better. Amazon.com and Best Buy's web sites have consistently lagged behind with the new releases, often not having them available on the actual release date. As I write this Wal Mart's web site isn't advertising the three Warner titles released on June 6th. It's difficult to find HD DVD on either site without doing a direct search on the site.
Although initially HD DVD ads were prevalent, in Best Buy's 6/4 multi-page Sunday newspaper ad there were DVRs, DirecTV, progressive scan DVD players and even washing machines pimped as being on sale, but no HD DVD hardware or software.
Folks, Blu-ray had better get more run at retail than this, or we're going to be stuck with broadcast HD.
|Evolution Series New from Krell
Power and elegance characterize the Evolution Series. NINE state-of-the-art components bring the impeccable performance debuted in the Evolution One and Evolution Two to a potent, compelling new platform. Sources: Evolution 505 SACD / Evolution 525 Progressive DVD/SACD Stereo Preamplifiers: Evolution 202 / 222 Surround/Preamp Processor: Evolution 707 Power Amplifiers: Evolution 402 Stereo / 403 Three-channel Evolution 600 / 900 Monaural. www.krellonline.com
By Thomas J. Norton
Kingdom of Heaven 4-Disc Director's Cut
Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendon Gleeson, Marton Csokas, and Liam Neeson. Directed by Ridley Scott. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1(anamorphic). 194 minutes (film). 2005. Not Rated. 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 DTS. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. $34.98.
Picture 3.0* (out of 4*)
When I read film critic Owen Gleiberman's review of the theatrical release of Kingdom of Heaven in Entertainment Weekly a year or so back, I stopped to consider a phrase in his very first sentence. He referred to the film about the Crusades of the Middle Ages as "curiously remote." What, I pondered might make a film like this feel remote. Then it struck me. I hadn't yet seen the film, but other reviews referred to the efforts of both the script and director Ridley Scott to treat both the Christian and Moslem sides fairly. In today's sensitive climate, there was no other option. But if you have two sides whacking away at each other on screen and neither side is portrayed as the good guys, you're left with no one to root for. Gleiberman went on to make the same point. But that observation isn't exactly rocket science. Film convention demands that the viewer take sides. Otherwise your sympathies are split and you become confused and emotionally adrift. The film doesn't become remote. You do.
This extended Director's Cut doesn't alter that balance, but it does improve on the theatrical cut in so many other ways that it not only emerges as an entirely new experience, but one of Ridley Scott's finest films. It changes from a film that dropped from the radar shortly after it opened to a film that might have had a shot at an Oscar nomination for Best Picture of 2005.
The original had too much story to tell in too little time, and left the viewer feeling rushed. When the young French Blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) encounters his previously unknown father, Godfrey, on the latter's way back to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, he at first declines Godfrey's plea to join him. But when he assaults his brother, the local priest, over an incident involving Balian's dead wife (who had committed suicide), he flees after Godfrey to join him. He runs to escape certain death in punishment for his act, but also to seek forgiveness both for him and for his dead wife.
In the original, Balian rises all to quickly to a position of prominence in Jerusalem, and we wonder how a humble blacksmith has become the noblest of knights. The extended version makes it very clear. In doing so it not only elevates the film from the mundane to the near great, but also enhances Orlando Bloom's role from perfunctory to impressive. He's no Russell Crowe, Scott's previous historical hero (Gladiator) but the part doesn't call for a Russell Crowe. Balian is not a great but disgraced general, but rather a good but humble man with undiscovered talents and a moral compass that ultimately validates his worth. The rest of the cast also rises smartly from (in some cases) the relative obscurity of their abbreviated roles in the original release to what turn out to be, in fact, superb performances across the board.
While the film tries to maintain a balance between Christians and Moslems, there is no question that the most significant villains here are on the Christian side. But by no means are all of the Christians portrayed as villains. Balian and his eventual followers, Tiberius the sheriff of Jerusalem (Jeremy Irons), the Hospitaler (David Thewlis) and Baldwin, the leper King of Jerusalem (an uncredited Edward Norton, completely covered apart from his eyes) are all noble and honorable men. But the fact that most of the film's running time takes place on the Christian side merely offers more opportunity for the story to show the wide variety of good and bad that spring up in any human endeavor as immense as the Crusades.
The film is spread out over two discs, with an intermission break and both an overture and brief intermission music. The video transfer is good, but softer than I'd like. Perhaps that will be corrected in a high definition version somewhere down the road. (Note to Fox: Make the first HD release of this film this extended cut and relegate the original to a historical curiosity, not an opportunity to double-dip yet again, this time on the HD enthusiast's dime.) The film's production design, with its Moorish interiors (the film was shot in Spain and Morocco) and sweeping battle scenes deserves the best transfer it can get. But while the current one could be better, it's still more than good enough to keep you absorbed in the film without distraction. Artifacts, including edge enhancement, were rarely evident.
The only down side to the detail HD will add is an enhancement of the movie's many gory fight scenes. There are a lot of bloody and cringe-inducing moments here, far more than in, say, Scott's Gladiator. This is my only reservation about the movie. We already know that war (particularly Medieval war) is hell. You don't need to (literally) hit us over the head with it. Excessive gore makes a film inaccessible to many viewers who could otherwise not only enjoy it, but just as important would profit from seeing it.
The sound is the real technical star here. I listened primarily to the 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Apart from some excessive bass (easily tamed by dialing down the subwoofer a bit) it is outstanding. The battle scenes are crushing, the surrounds active where appropriate, and the dialog natural. But the biggest treat for me was composer Harry Gregson-William's chorus-heavy score. It's ravishing, and ravishingly-recorded. I plan to pick up the CD at the first opportunity. Its only weakness is that while it has enough variety for a 2+-hour film, the 49 minutes added to this Director's Cut does result in a bit too much repetition.
I've come this far and still haven't touched on the special features. In addition to three fine commentary tracks there are two additional discs filled to overflowing with extras. The only shortcoming is that a few of the features provided on the original theatrical cut DVD are not included here. But apart from that you get your money's worth. The 4-disc set retails for $34.98, but it's available on Amazon for under $20. At that price it would be no bargain if the film were a dud. But it isn't. Even if there were no extras at all the movie itself would make this DVD package worth every penny.
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text:
This time 459 applicants had Degree Programme in Media as their first choice, last year they were 225.
The national joint application for international degree programmes of Finnish universities of applied sciences closed on Tuesday.
|30 new participants for Media traditional pre-Christmas party will
be selected soon
The merger of two TAMK educations - the interactive media programme run in English and the music production programme run in Finnish - seems to be a success story.
All together there are 712 applicants (412 last year). Out of the 459 applicants who made Media their first choice 238 were ladies and 221 gents.
Finnish applicants are 301 and the 158 international applicants are from 56 countries. Russia gave us 49 applicants, other well represented countries are Estonia, Germany, Nigeria and USA (6 each) and Italy, Latvia and Pakistan (5).
Now the lecturers of the media programme are very busy: they have to assess the 360 pre-tasks that are complete and submitted in time. Last year there were 177 pre-tasks.
The designers of the 90 best pre-tasks will be invited to the entrance exam in Tampere April 9-10, and 30 will be chosen to start their studies in August.


text:
Please aims to be little sudo without bells and whistles. Only pam
authentication and executing command.
Name please fits into Unix naming conventions. Where we have daemon instead of
background process. We are killing processes, not closing processes. Now we can
please to run privileged process.
WWW: https://github.com/MagikBSD/please
make generate-plist
To install the port: cd /usr/ports/security/please/ && make install cleanTo add the package: pkg install please
cd /usr/ports/security/please/ && make install clean
pkg install please
PKGNAME: please
SHA256 (MagikBSD-please-2.6_GH0.tar.gz) = 5e6a35f4011cb8e35b683860864c899657391606a54e715c5d733687e42d344f
SIZE (MagikBSD-please-2.6_GH0.tar.gz) = 3887
There are no ports dependent upon this port
No options to configure
Number of commits found: 16
Update to 2.6
Update to 2.5
Typos, whitespace and capitalization fixes (S-X).
Remove INSTALL_TARGET
- Update to 2.4
- Use @sample keyword in plist
- Upgrade to 2.3
- Readopt port
Update ports in the remaining categories to not use GH_COMMIT.
With minor cleanups to make things simpler.
With hat: portmgr
Sponsored by: Absolight
Back to the pool.
Currently and in near future I don't have time to be responsible
for any port.
Update to 2.1
Allow staging as a regular user
- Update to 2.0
Allow packaging as a USER
- Update to 1.2
- Update to 1.1
- Support staging
Approved by: crees, tabthorpe (mentors, implicit)
Add NO_STAGE all over the place in preparation for the staging support (cat:
Add new port security/please:
Please aims to be little sudo without bells and whistles. Only pam
authentication and executing command.
Approved by: crees (mentor)
Servers and bandwidth provided byNew York Internet, SuperNews, and RootBSD
No vulnerabilities have been reported in the past 14 days
* - modified, not new
All vulnerabilities


text:
Try This Trend: Lea Michele, Vanessa Hudgens + More Go With Messy Side Braids
Since they work with all hair types and textures, messy side braids are godsends for long-haired ladies. They are also an alternative to the updo and can be a quick cure-all when you can't decide what to do with those hapless tendrils.
The Golden Rule for side braids? The messier, the better. It's meant to look like you just had a metaphorical romp in the hay.
Lea Michele
The 'Glee' actress was knotty instead of naughty with her shoulder adornment. Don't let the ratty nature of the style scare you off. It's meant to look wrecked.
Vanessa Hudgens
The Hudge fashioned her ombre locks in '80s curls on top and twirled them into a braid on the bottom. It's all a big tangle. This is what they mean when they say "let your hair down." Whoever "they" are.
Mindy Kaling
Is there even a braid here? That's how you know it's done right, as 'The Mindy Project' and 'The Office' actress did.
Hayden Panettiere
It was an all-over braid for the blonde actress. One big braid worked for her.
Selena Gomez
Name a trend and Sel Go has tried it. Her side braid was matched with massive volume at the hairline. The knotty tail was just about perfect.
Jessica Sanchez
The Season 11 'American Idol' finalist — she lost to Phillip Phillips — rocked a fishtail side braid with minimal messiness. We want to rough it up a tad more. Her silky Asian hair texture was extra pretty, though.
The rapper, who was a style diva in the early '00s, owned it with her red-tinted Rapunzel-like braid tail.
Katy Perry
Perry hit two trends — big-brimmed hats and shades and a side braid — with one look.
Chelsea Handler
You know how we said the messier, the better? Well, the late night host, who we lurve, took it a bit too far. She really does look like she just hopped outta bed.


text:
Jordan frequently in demand for crime stories
Frequently called upon as a crime expert, Professor of Justice and Law Casey Jordan participated in more than 50 media stories on television and in print on various court cases or current events that involved issues of criminal behavior and the criminal justice system or legal analysis of ongoing criminal cases.
Jordan was interviewed live in more than 40 separate guest appearances on the CBS "Early Show" and NBC's "Today Show" on topics including the Casey Anthony trial; several missing/murdered children stories; the Chardron, Ohio, school shooting; the Natalie Wood investigation; Aruba missing woman story; the Penn State/Sandusky scandal; Long Island Serial Killer investigation; Leiby Kletsky murder; Amanda Knox exhoneration; Rusty Schneiderman murder; and more.
Jordan served as the TruTV "In Session" criminologist and legal analyst, providing live trial coverage and ongoing analysis of the cases of Florida vs. Casey Anthony, Texas vs. Warren Jeffs and Massachusettes vs. Fleurry, with more than 150 appearances during summer 2011).
Jordan appeared more than 50 times as guest on CNN "Headline News," "Jeanine Pirro Show" (Fox), "Good Morning America," MSNBC, CNN "American Morning," "Anderson Cooper 360," "Joy Behar Show," "Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell" and talk shows "The Revolution" and "Anderson."
She was featured or quoted in more than 20 newspaper and periodical articles on various crime stories, including multiple quotes in the Orlando Sentinel on the Casey Anthony case and a feature in the German magazine Stern.
Digging Deeper


text:
View Link Entry
I've seen this over, and over, and over again on pretty much every website ever created. People need to either create HTML 4 web pages or they need to actually serve their XHTML as XML. If you're confused by this see my article as to how serve XHTML as XML to all browsers including Internet Explorer.
By: Neal Grosskopf
Tags: web standards ( Add Tag )


text:
Thank you to our guests of the past 12 years! Unfortunately, we decided to call it quits. I am unsure where we will be headed in the near future. We will miss interacting with our guests. Perhaps we will meet again!
We are proud to be part of the Loess Hills Scenic By-Way, having accepted our first guests March 14, 2005.
We were previously the hosts of Grandview Ave. Bed and Breakfast in Bellevue, Nebraska. Breathtaking views of Iowa and Eastern Nebraska are yours from your semi private terrace and your bedroom with a sliding glass door.
Both the Pinnacle Suite and Grandview Suite face the West overlooking the Missouri River Valley and the Eastern Nebraska horizon, featuring some beautiful sunsets. Crescent View is located on the edge of a small town of a little over 600 people, yet close to Omaha and Council Bluffs attractions. The town was founded by the Mormons in 1856.
Parking. We offer off street parking.
Please Note: We do have miniature dachshunds that are confined within the innkeepers' quarters. We also have 2 cats confined to either the innkeeper's quarters or outside.
How Far Away Are We?
- 15 minutes from TD Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series
- 15 minutes Northeast of the I29 – I80 junction
- 5 minutes East of I-29
- 15 minutes from the Century Link Center in Downtown Omaha
- 23 minutes from Eppley Airport
- 20 minutes from Creighton University
- 26 minutes from the University of Nebraska – Omaha
- 24 minutes from the University of Nebraska Medical Center
We will return your email queries within 24 hours and usually much sooner. If you do not hear back from us, I suspect a spam filter may be at fault. In that case, please call US for complete information
"Thank you so much for your hospitality. You have a very beautiful corner of the world here." Chris and Mandy – Atlantic, IA
"Out of the 18 bed and breakfasts we have gone to, yours is one of the 3 that we would recommend to our friends." Dale and Judy – Nora Springs, IA
"Specially enjoyed the walk-out to the patio just outside our suite door and the amazing bluff views (and photo opportunities) from there. – DJ and Jeff – Iowa
Cancellation Policy:
Making a reservation at a bed and breakfast is not the same as making a hotel reservation. Due to our small size, cancellations affect us significantly. A last minute cancellation gives us little chance of re-booking a room. For this reason we uphold a strict cancellation policy:
- Cancellation of your reservation must be made 10 or more days prior to your scheduled arrival to receive a refund. All cancellations are subject to a $30.00 administrative processing fee per room, per night.


text:
I get perfect reception in Devonport, Auckland on all channels (analog and Freeview) except TV1 analog (Ch2 off Waiatarua).
Is it possible I am getting interference from the FM radio station transmitters on the Sky Tower (which is very close to Devonport relative to Waiatarua). I have heard of this issue in Devonport a few years ago.
If so, I was wondering if an FM Filter installed in-line on the TV aerial cable might help.
If so what type do I need and where could I buy one (preferably from some place that I can return it if it doesn't help).


text:
Accepting Guests
- Last login over 4 years ago
Join Couchsurfing to see Frank's full profile. It's free!
About Me
Human to feel, to give, to take, to laugh, to get lost, to be found, to dance, to love and to lust, to be so human.
Humanist ,love humans I would like to meet with different people and learn their cultures, lifestyles, traditional dances, foods,histories ,philosophies ...Unexamined life is not worth living. Activist for History, Science ,Philosophy,Art ,Music,Mother Earth ,Fire , Sun , Water ,Love and Human Rights..
Freedom for forever , Optimist and a Dreamer.
Love has no limitations of caste , religion, race or nationality .We are All beads strung TOGETHER On the same thread of LOVE .
Whatever you want in life. Give it away
Want love, Give Love
Want Money, Give Money
Want happiness, Give it
You miss 100% of the shots you dont take
Be the change you want to see in the world
When you have gone so far and you feel there is no more you can go, you are at 50% of what you are capable of.
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
I've lost count of CS meetings/events I attended, drinking and bonding, showing people around the cities, hosting when I was able to. I've been on and off, mostly off because I had a very intense job and not much time for myself, then left civilization world to escape in the wilderness. Sounds like I'm back into urban life for now.
Great experiences. I've met and keep on meeting great people through this website, some of which have become dear friends to me. I have no doubt CS will continue bringing people from across the globe together for more good times :-)
Reading history ,watching documentary ,Comedy movie ,Meeting new and interesting people .Dance ,club ,partyyyy,drink and eat different countries foods .\
- arts
- documentaries
- dancing
- human rights
- drinking
- clubbing
- reading
- music
- history
- religion
- science
Music, Movies, and Books
The world is a book, and people who do not travel read only one page.
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."
Movies are our way of exploring myth.
One Amazing Thing I've Done
The World's First Temple, Gobeklitepe … a pre-historic site, about 15 km away from the city of Sanliurfa, Southeastern Turkey. What makes Gobeklitepe unique in its class is the date it was built, which is roughly twelve thousand years ago, circa 10,000 BC. One of the my favorite visited places Amazinggggggggggg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjJeEP8-fAQ
Teach, Learn, Share
This life is for , sharing, learning, smiling, caring,loving, forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, healing, and even more loving. I choose to live life this way. I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, 'aw shit, he's up!
Countries I've Visited
Countries I've Lived In


text:
Sulayem re-elected FIA VP
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Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) President Mohammed Ben Sulayem was re-elected Vice President of the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) on Friday.
Speaking from Paris following his re-election and the election of former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt as President of the FIA to fill in the vacancy created by outgoing president Max Mosley, Sulayem said Todt's victory demonstrates that member clubs want the governance of the sport and mobility to be in capable and experienced hands with the capacity to tackle issues arising out of the current global financial crisis and address concerns related to the sport of Formula 1.
Following his re-election as Vice President, Sulayem is expected to be given even greater responsibility under the Todt presidency which will cover among other things overseeing FIA club activities in the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
The inaugural Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is just a week away and it's now time to get down to serious business, Sulayem said in one of his first remarks after his re-election.
"Now that the elections are over I sincerely urge everyone from all quarters to come together and work for the betterment of motorsport and address pressing issues facing the mobility sector, particularly with respect to road safety," Sulayem added.
The re-nominated FIA Vice President said: "The road safety campaign will reach a new milestone next month when governments and member clubs will convene for the first ever world congress on road safety in Moscow under the auspices of the United Nations.
"It has taken us years and years of lobbying to make this congress happen and I call upon all governments to make their presence felt in Moscow come November because fatalities on the roads has now become the number one killer worldwide; we have to act to safeguard the lives of future generations to come," Sulayem said.
Looking ahead, the ATCUAE President said it was important to work in partnership with both the FIA Foundation and the FIA Institute to build a global common programme that promotes safe, clean, affordable mobility and, safe and sustainable motor sport.
The FIA Vice President noted that Mr. Todt has committed himself to encouraging the mobility and sport sides of the FIA to work closely together and share as much as possible their common goals and aspirations, especially the Frenchman's vision of developing a network of FIA centres of excellence to provide multi-purpose facilities for regional programmes of motor sport related training and road safety driver education.
Sulayem also said it was necessary to work towards making motor sport and mobility as affordable as possible to as many as possible, and for there to be fair competition on the track and fairness for the motoring consumer.
The re-nominated FIA Vice President said it was indeed a proud day for the UAE on Wednesday after the ATCUAE was elected to the 12-member Alternative Energies Commission of the FIA.
"It is big win for the country and worldwide recognition for the UAE's growing role in the alternative energy sector. The ATCUAE is playing its part in support of the government's initiatives on alternative and sustainable energies and indeed it is a matter of great pride for us to have been elected on this prestigious commission and work in conjunction with countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland to name a few.
"Our work on this commission vis-à-vis motor sport will cover areas such as solar, hybrid and other alternative energies," he concluded.


text:
Music gets you moving. But did know it's also an effective 5K training partner?
Whether you choose to run a 5K for weight loss or as a bucket-list challenge, starting a new training program can seem daunting. However, studies show that when the beat of your music is more energetic and matched to your run, you'll have a more intense and productive workout.
In other words, rhythm and beats can be the fuel and motivation that gets–and keeps–you running.
The Heart Rate-Music Connection
Several studies show a connection between the heart rate and music.
The average heart rate is between 72 to 80 beats per minute while music tempos may range from 70 to 170 beats per minute, according to The Effect of Music on Exercise, by Len Kravitz.
The heart rate tends to moderately follow the music, increasing in response to fast music and decreasing in response to slow music, according to a review of studies by Dainow. (Dainow, 1977).
Meanwhile, research led by Costas Karageorghis found the faster the beat, the higher the intensity. His research also identified the link between increased arousal and music tempo. The faster the beat per minute (bpm), the more likely you'll pick up the pace in a stress-free manner because the music is an effective distraction.
More: How Music Can Enhance Your Workout
6-Week 5K Training Plan
To help you train for your 5K, we asked San Diego Team Challenge Chron's and Colitis running coach, Kat Gunser, to create a six-week 5K training plan. Then we partnered with RockMyRun to create a music mix to help you pick up the pace and cross the finish line strong.
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text:
From the creators of CISSPExamPractice.com is a new iPhone app designed to reinforce CISSP knowledge on the go. Countless time and money is spent preparing ...
Discontinued App
Educational | iPhone, iPad
Educational | iPhone, iPad
Education | Android
Educational | iPhone, iPad
From the creators of CISSPExamPractice.com is a new iPhone app designed to reinforce CISSP knowledge on the go. Countless time and money is spent preparing for the CISSP exam. So why aren't students laser-focused on taking practice exams before attempting the real thing? Based on the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), the practice tests in this app are designed to help students adjust to the pace, subject matter, and difficulty of the real CISSP exam. Geared towards anyone preparing for the CISSP exam, all tests include clear solutions to help you understand the concepts. If you plan on passing the CISSP exam, it's time to test your knowledge. It's time for CISSP Exam Prep Questions, Answers, and Explanations. Features of this app include: * 200 realistic CISSP exam questions, including 5 condensed CISSP exams which can be completed in one hour * Save and resume your test in progress at a later time * Directly view CISSP answer keys and explanations at any time- without the need to complete a test * Past test scores are stored, so you can view your overall study progress * Clear explanations and CISSP domain for every exam question detail why answers are correct. * Detailed scoring summaries which include your answer, the correct answer, and a detailed explanation * CISSP exam content created by experts, and used by thousands of certified CISSPs worldwide "I found the questions to be very challenging, and they definitely helped me shape my approach to taking the actual exam. Which, I ended up passing." Richard Halas, CISSPTASC, Inc - United States "The questions are real life and I could not find any other set of questions similar."Ali Jawad, CISSPHRSmart - Lebanon "By far, these have been the best questions to study from. The cost was well worth the money. You will NOT regret this."Jerry Wright, CISSP United States "An excellent way to pinpoint the exact (CISSP) domains for improvement. " Srikanth Akkiraju, CISSPAccenture - Netherlands "Well, I passed. Thanks!" Stewart Clayton, CISSP USA CISSP® is a registered certification mark and (ISC)² is a service mark of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. This app is owned and operated by SSI Logic.
Version: 1.02
Size: 277.04 KB
Price: 4,58 €
Developed by SSI Solutions INC
Day of release: 2010-06-8
Recommended age: 4+