In a bid to bolster its bottom line, Sony's been selling properties like a desperate monopoly player, and the latest space on the board to go is the Sony City Osaka building for 111.1 billion yen ($1.2 billion). That follows the sale of its NY headquarters for a similar sum, and the move of its global HQ from Sweden to Tokyo. The Osaka building has been purchased by a Japanese holding company who will lease the building back to Sony for a period of at least five years, which seems to be the trend for electronics companies lately. The Japanese conglomerate said all the property deals are being made to "transform its business portfolio and reorganize its assets." Translation? Sony needs the cash, natch.
Kickboard, a New Orleans-based startup that aims to help teachers and schools better capture, analyze and share student performance data, announced today that it has secured $2 million in series A financing. The round was led by New Markets Venture Partners and included contributions from Two Sigma Ventures and a handful of angel investors. Having $800K in seed and angel rounds to date, Kickboard's series A brings its total capital raised to $2.8 million.
Zumper -- the online home rentals startup and TechCrunch Disrupt alum that quickly raised a $1 million seed round from a list of top-shelf VCs that included Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, CrunchFund and more -- is growing. Today, it is announcing that it is adding Chicago as its next city, after debuting in San Francisco and expanding to New York last year.
The California Athletic Commission announced the reported salaries from UFC 157 over the weekend. While Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche dominated headlines with the first female bout in UFC history, it was Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson who made the biggest sums of reported money after squaring off in 157's co-main event.
Here are the reported salaries of the top five fights from the card (via MMA Weekly):
It may stand out to the casual fan that Rousey and Carmouche made much less money on paper than Henderson and Machida. But there are a few things to consider as the money disclosed here is only what promoters are required to report by law.
It does not include money the fighters make of pay-per-view sales. Quite often, fighters at the top of the card will make a percentage of the pay-per-view profits. Early reports have UFC 157 with 400-500,000 pay-per-views, so it could mean a good payday for the headliners.
The UFC also is known to give out "locker room bonuses," or extra money because of a good performance that they are not required to report to the athletic commissions.
During the run-up to UFC 157, Carmouche talked about how she didn't have much furniture in her home and drove a rundown car. UFC president Dana White promised after the fights that her furniture-less days are over.
"She going to have a kitchen table, and a couch, and whatever else the [expletive] she wants," White said.
Also, Henderson and Machida are UFC veterans whose payouts are decided by their contracts well in advance of their fights. Rousey and Carmouche were the main event because the UFC standard is to put the championship fight as the main event. Henderson and Machida taking home more listed money is akin to Mike Trout making $480,000 and Vernon Wells making $21 million for the Los Angeles Angels. Trout finished second in American League MVP voting but makes much less because he's a rookie and not a veteran like Wells.
To use another example, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made much less money than backup Alex Smith. Kaepernick will eventually get paid as his star blossoms but it doesn't change the paycheck he took home from the Super Bowl.
New submitter jollyrgr3 writes "If William Shatner gets his wish, one of Pluto's two new moons will be named Vulcan. The two small moons were discovered recently, and the SETI Institute launched an online poll to let people choose names. Captain Kirk himself suggested the names Vulcan and Romulus. Vulcan was accepted as a candidate, and Shatner exhorted his Twitter followers to vote. Vulcan ended up winning by a landslide, taking 174,000 of the 450,000 total responses. The next highest was Cerberus at just shy of 100,000. The names still have to be approved by the International Astronomical Union, as they have the final say. Leonard Nimoy approves."
Pain can be a reliefPublic release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Thomas Keilman thke@rcn.no The Research Council of Norway
If you accidently kick your toe against a doorframe you are probably going to find it very painful. As a purely intellectual experiment, imagine purposefully kicking a doorframe hard enough to potentially break your toe. When it turns out your toe has been battered but not broken, the pain may be interpreted more as a relief.
"It is not hard to understand that pain can be interpreted as less severe when an individual is aware that it could have been much more painful. Less expected, however, is the discovery that pain may be experienced as pleasant if something worse has been avoided," explains Siri Leknes, Research Fellow at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo.
The lesser of two evils
When working as a research fellow at Oxford University, Dr Leknes became curious about what can be called the "it could have been worse" phenomenon. How is the experience of pain affected by a feeling of relief from realising that it was not as bad as expected?
Dr Leknes recruited 16 healthy subjects who prepared themselves for a painful experience. They were repeatedly exposed to heat of varying intensity applied to their arm for four seconds.
The experiments were carried out in two different contexts: in the first, the heat was either not painful or only moderately painful about the same as firmly holding a coffee cup that is slightly too hot. In the second, the heat was either moderately or intensely painful. In this context, moderate pain was the lesser of two evils.
The research subjects reported how they interpreted the pain. In addition, while they were exposed to the stimuli their brain activity was measured by MRI.
Comforting pain
"As expected, the intense heat triggered negative feelings among all subjects whereas the non-painful heat produced positive reactions," explains Siri Leknes.
What intrigued the researchers was the subjects' response to moderate pain. In the experiments where moderate pain was the worst alternative, the pain felt was unpleasant. In the instances where it was the best alternative, the subjects experienced the moderate pain as positive even comforting.
"The likely explanation is that the subjects were prepared for the worst and thus felt relieved when they realised the pain was not going to be as bad as they had feared," states Dr Leknes.
"In other words, a sense of relief can be powerful enough to turn such an obviously negative experience as pain into a sensation that is comforting or even enjoyable."
The MRI examinations revealed that the brain changed how it processed moderate pain according to the context and what the alternative was. When the pain was comforting, there was more activity in the areas of the brain associated with pleasure and pain relief and less activity in the areas associated with pain.
A future in treating pain?
Dr Leknes believes that the study illustrates that exposure to one and the same stimulus is interpreted very differently among individuals and that the experience is connected to expectation and context. Some individuals like the burning sensation of eating chili peppers, for example, while others enjoy sadomasochistic sex.
Also, envisioning that an even worse alternative exists than what is actually experienced may even help a person to interpret involuntary pain as something agreeable.
Nevertheless, Dr Leknes points out, pain is generally a highly unpleasant experience and current pain alleviation treatments are inadequate for many people.
"That is why it is so important to find out how and to what degree the brain can control pain on its own. We are currently carrying out basic research, but we hope that this knowledge will one day be applied to develop improved methods for treating pain," she says.
Would it always be advisable then for a doctor to inform a patient that a procedure or treatment is going to be very painful?
"In some situations this may be a good approach, but not always," replies Dr Leknes. "Doctors observe that their patients react very differently to the information they are given; certain patients are likely to experience a genuine sense of relief if they prepare for the worst only to find it not so bad after all, whereas others prefer to avoid worrying beforehand and want to know as little as possible about what they will be undergoing," she explains.
Substance abuse from pleasure to relief
The study has been partially funded under the Programme on Alcohol and Drug Research (RUSMIDDEL) at the Research Council of Norway. "Relief is also likely a vital factor in substance abuse," asserts Dr Leknes.
"Over time, the effect of alcohol and drugs will change from triggering feelings of pleasure to primarily alleviating the discomfort of addiction. The brain's regulatory processes change, causing substance abusers to experience a shift; at some point, they use alcohol and drugs in order to achieve a neutral state and avoid feeling awful," explains Dr Leknes.
"By studying relief in order to understand how this process works, we can come up with new ideas for treating substance dependence more effectively. From our pain research, we know that the relief mechanisms in the brains of patients with chronic pain become disrupted. This may be something shared by patients suffering from pain and alcohol and drug addiction alike," she concludes.
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Pain can be a reliefPublic release date: 26-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Thomas Keilman thke@rcn.no The Research Council of Norway
If you accidently kick your toe against a doorframe you are probably going to find it very painful. As a purely intellectual experiment, imagine purposefully kicking a doorframe hard enough to potentially break your toe. When it turns out your toe has been battered but not broken, the pain may be interpreted more as a relief.
"It is not hard to understand that pain can be interpreted as less severe when an individual is aware that it could have been much more painful. Less expected, however, is the discovery that pain may be experienced as pleasant if something worse has been avoided," explains Siri Leknes, Research Fellow at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo.
The lesser of two evils
When working as a research fellow at Oxford University, Dr Leknes became curious about what can be called the "it could have been worse" phenomenon. How is the experience of pain affected by a feeling of relief from realising that it was not as bad as expected?
Dr Leknes recruited 16 healthy subjects who prepared themselves for a painful experience. They were repeatedly exposed to heat of varying intensity applied to their arm for four seconds.
The experiments were carried out in two different contexts: in the first, the heat was either not painful or only moderately painful about the same as firmly holding a coffee cup that is slightly too hot. In the second, the heat was either moderately or intensely painful. In this context, moderate pain was the lesser of two evils.
The research subjects reported how they interpreted the pain. In addition, while they were exposed to the stimuli their brain activity was measured by MRI.
Comforting pain
"As expected, the intense heat triggered negative feelings among all subjects whereas the non-painful heat produced positive reactions," explains Siri Leknes.
What intrigued the researchers was the subjects' response to moderate pain. In the experiments where moderate pain was the worst alternative, the pain felt was unpleasant. In the instances where it was the best alternative, the subjects experienced the moderate pain as positive even comforting.
"The likely explanation is that the subjects were prepared for the worst and thus felt relieved when they realised the pain was not going to be as bad as they had feared," states Dr Leknes.
"In other words, a sense of relief can be powerful enough to turn such an obviously negative experience as pain into a sensation that is comforting or even enjoyable."
The MRI examinations revealed that the brain changed how it processed moderate pain according to the context and what the alternative was. When the pain was comforting, there was more activity in the areas of the brain associated with pleasure and pain relief and less activity in the areas associated with pain.
A future in treating pain?
Dr Leknes believes that the study illustrates that exposure to one and the same stimulus is interpreted very differently among individuals and that the experience is connected to expectation and context. Some individuals like the burning sensation of eating chili peppers, for example, while others enjoy sadomasochistic sex.
Also, envisioning that an even worse alternative exists than what is actually experienced may even help a person to interpret involuntary pain as something agreeable.
Nevertheless, Dr Leknes points out, pain is generally a highly unpleasant experience and current pain alleviation treatments are inadequate for many people.
"That is why it is so important to find out how and to what degree the brain can control pain on its own. We are currently carrying out basic research, but we hope that this knowledge will one day be applied to develop improved methods for treating pain," she says.
Would it always be advisable then for a doctor to inform a patient that a procedure or treatment is going to be very painful?
"In some situations this may be a good approach, but not always," replies Dr Leknes. "Doctors observe that their patients react very differently to the information they are given; certain patients are likely to experience a genuine sense of relief if they prepare for the worst only to find it not so bad after all, whereas others prefer to avoid worrying beforehand and want to know as little as possible about what they will be undergoing," she explains.
Substance abuse from pleasure to relief
The study has been partially funded under the Programme on Alcohol and Drug Research (RUSMIDDEL) at the Research Council of Norway. "Relief is also likely a vital factor in substance abuse," asserts Dr Leknes.
"Over time, the effect of alcohol and drugs will change from triggering feelings of pleasure to primarily alleviating the discomfort of addiction. The brain's regulatory processes change, causing substance abusers to experience a shift; at some point, they use alcohol and drugs in order to achieve a neutral state and avoid feeling awful," explains Dr Leknes.
"By studying relief in order to understand how this process works, we can come up with new ideas for treating substance dependence more effectively. From our pain research, we know that the relief mechanisms in the brains of patients with chronic pain become disrupted. This may be something shared by patients suffering from pain and alcohol and drug addiction alike," she concludes.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
LONDON (AP) ? More than a decade after online file swapping tipped the music industry into turmoil, record executives may finally be getting a sliver of good news.
Industry revenue is up. A measly 0.3 percent, but it's still up.
"We're on the path to recovery," said Frances Moore, whose International Federation of the Phonographic Industry put together the figures released in a report Tuesday. "There's a palpable buzz in the air."
In her forward to the IFPI report, Moore said the return to growth was a tribute to the transformation of the music industry, saying it had "adapted to the Internet world."
That change has been a long time coming. Online song sharing popularized by services such as Napster at the turn of the millennium seriously destabilized the industry, which reacted with a barrage of lawsuits and lobbying. But the war on piracy failed to stem the tide of free music, and by the time executives finally began making legal music available through download services such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes, the industry was in a free fall.
Since its 1999 peak, the global music industry's revenues have crashed more than 40 percent. Tuesday's figures, which show a rise in global revenue from $16.4 billion in 2011 to $16.5 billion in 2012, are the first hint of growth in more than a decade.
Mark Mulligan, of U.K.-based MIDiA consulting, warned that Tuesday's figures did not mean the industry had put its misery years behind it.
"We're probably near the bottom," he said, "but it's so marginal we could easily have another year or two where it could get worse."
The physical music market ? everything from vinyl records to DVDs ? continues to contract, losing another $500 million in revenue between 2011 and 2012, according to Tuesday's IFPI figures. The industry group has placed its bets on downloads, streaming, and subscription services to make up for lost ground, but there's still a long way to go.
Downloads and streaming audio now account for most of the music sold in the United States and Scandinavia, but physical music still accounts for the majority of industry revenue worldwide.
Illegal music downloads remain a problem worldwide, particularly in potentially huge markets such as Russia, India, and China. Moore urged governments to follow the example of the international enforcement action against Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, accused by American prosecutors of facilitating millions of illegal downloads. Dotcom, who is fighting an attempt to extradite him from New Zealand to the United States, denies the allegations.
The report hailed the action against Megaupload and sites like The Pirate Bay ? which has been blocked by several European countries ? but it estimated that 32 percent of all Internet users still regularly downloaded pirated music.
"What other industry has to cope with a third of its customers being able to get copies of its products from illegal services?" Moore said.
With growth uneven across various countries and piracy still a stubborn problem, it could take years for the industry to return to its previous health. If it ever does.
Mulligan said he believes some of the lost revenue may never be recovered, with many casual users who used to buy the odd CD turning to free services such as YouTube, television music channels, or Internet radio instead.
"This is a case of managed decline," he said, predicting "a sustainable but smaller market built around more engaged music fans."
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Online:
The IFPI's report: http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_resources/dmr2013.html
Raphael Satter can be reached on: http://raphae.li/twitter
A new climate model predicts an increase in snowfall for the Earth's polar regions and highest altitudes, but an overall drop in snowfall for the globe, as carbon dioxide levels rise over the next century.
The decline in snowfall could spell trouble for regions such as the western United States that rely on snowmelt as a source of fresh water.
The projections are the result of a new climate model developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) and analyzed by scientists at GFDL and Princeton University. The study was published in the Journal of Climate.
The model indicates that the majority of the planet would experience less snowfall as a result of warming due to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Observations show that atmospheric carbon dioxide has already increased by 40 percent from values in the mid-19th century, and, given projected trends, could exceed twice those values later this century. In North America, the greatest reductions in snowfall will occur along the northeast coast, in the mountainous west, and in the Pacific Northwest. Coastal regions from Virginia to Maine, as well as coastal Oregon and Washington, will get less than half the amount of snow currently received.
In very cold regions of the globe, however, snowfall will rise because as air warms it can hold more moisture, leading to increased precipitation in the form of snow. The researchers found that regions in and around the Arctic and Antarctica will get more snow than they now receive.
The highest mountain peaks in the northwestern Himalayas, the Andes and the Yukon region will also receive greater amounts of snowfall after carbon dioxide doubles. This finding clashes with other models which predicted declines in snowfall for these high-altitude regions. However, the new model's prediction is consistent with current snowfall observations in these regions.
The model is an improvement over previous models in that it utilizes greater detail about the world's topography ? the mountains, valleys and other features. This new "high-resolution" model is analogous to having a high-definition model of the planet's climate instead of a blurred picture.
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Princeton University: http://www.princeton.edu
Thanks to Princeton University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
Many people today understand the need for constant self-improvement. Personal growth is crucial to career growth and self-development. Continuous learning new things helps you grow, and improving yourself allows to better understand the meaning of life and get more enjoyment from it.
Naturally, this process is endless. Indeed, the flow of knowledge is endless, and the human potential is limitless. Accordingly, good results can always be better. In order to make the path of self-improvement optimal, you can use tips of professionals in the field of self-development, some of which are simple, and some require a little effort.
1. Read books every day. No magazines or news programs will replace this source of wisdom.
2. Learn new languages. Language courses open new skills and allow you to touch the culture of a foreign country.
3. Find a hobby. It may be something familiar to you, for example a skill that you had learned when you were a child, or something in a completely new field. Better if your hobby is completely different from your primary occupation.
4. In any city there are free workshops, courses and lectures that are a great way to gain new knowledge and skills. They will help you look at the familiar things in a new way.
5. Create a positive atmosphere around you. Things that constantly surround us can be a source of positive charge and inspiration every day. This applies to the home, the workplace, clothing, etc.
6. Use your day productively. Waking up early will increase your performance and will positively affect the quality of your life. Every morning try to have the attitude to live an active day.
7. Exercise and sport are aimed at maintaining your mind and body healthy, so they should be included in your daily activity.
8. Find a competitor. Competition is the best incentive for personal growth. You can find a competitor in any field ? at work, in excess weight loss, in sports achievements etc.
This list is to be continued. Try to think on your own self improvement tips that better motivate you. ?
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8 Practical Self Improvement Tips, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating
WASHINGTON? Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the posting of a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the time U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives (spouse, children and parents), who are in the process of obtaining visas to become lawful permanent residents of the United States under certain circumstances. The final rule establishes a process that allows certain individuals to apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver before they depart the United States to attend immigrant visa interviews in their countries of origin. The process will be effective on March 4, 2013 and more information about the filing process will be made available in the coming weeks at www.uscis.gov.
?This final rule facilitates the legal immigration process and reduces the amount of time that U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who are in the process of obtaining an immigrant visa,? said Secretary Napolitano.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received more than 4,000 comments in response to the April 2, 2012 proposed rule and considered all of them in preparing the final rule.
?The law is designed to avoid extreme hardship to U.S. citizens, which is precisely what this rule achieves,? USCIS Director Mayorkas said. ?The change will have a significant impact on American families by greatly reducing the time family members are separated from those they rely upon.?
Under current law, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are not eligible to adjust status in the United States to become lawful permanent residents must leave the U.S. and obtain an immigrant visa abroad. Individuals who have accrued more than six months of unlawful presence while in the United States must obtain a waiver to overcome the unlawful presence inadmissibility bar before they can return to the United States after departing to obtain an immigrant visa. Under the existing waiver process, which remains available to those who do not qualify for the new process, immediate relatives cannot file a waiver application until after they have appeared for an immigrant visa interview abroad and the Department of State has determined that they are inadmissible.
In order to obtain a provisional unlawful presence waiver, the applicant must be an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, inadmissible only on account of unlawful presence, and demonstrate the denial of the waiver would result in extreme hardship to his or her U.S. citizen spouse or parent. USCIS will publish a new form, Form I-601A, Application for a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver, for individuals to use when applying for a provisional unlawful presence waiver under the new process.
Under the new provisional waiver process, immediate relatives must still depart the United States for the consular immigrant visa process; however, they can apply for a provisional waiver before they depart for their immigrant visa interview abroad. Individuals who file the Form I-601A must notify the Department of State?s National Visa Center that they are or will be seeking a provisional waiver from USCIS. The new process will reduce the amount of time U.S. citizen are separated from their qualifying immediate relatives. Details on the process changes are available at www.regulations.gov.
Comedy "Identity Thief" snatched the weekend box office title in the United States and Canada during its third weekend in theaters, narrowly beating new action movie "Snitch" as Hollywood focused on Sunday evening's Academy Awards ceremony.
"Identity Thief" starring Melissa McCarthy grabbed $14 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters.?
"Snitch" featuring Dwayne Johnson finished close behind with $13 million. The animated offering "Escape From Planet Earth" took in $11 million to finish third in its second week in theaters.
The win was the second for "Identity Thief," which led the charts when it debuted February 8 and finished in second place a week ago. The adult comedy features McCarthy as a woman who steals the identity of a hapless man played by Jason Bateman.
"Identity Thief" has collected $93.7 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters to date.
Moviegoing was typically slow for an Oscars weekend. Total sales for all films ran slightly over $1.4 billion, a 6.6 percent drop from the same weekend last year, according to box office tracker Hollywood.com.
"Snitch" stars Johnson as a father who goes undercover to clear his son to keep him out of jail after he is wrongly accused of drug dealing. Susan Sarandon and Benjamin Bratt also star.
Ahead of the weekend, forecasters saw "Snitch" pulling in $10 million to $12 million. Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment, bought U.S. distribution rights for about $5 million.
The weekend's other new movie, low-budget horror flick "Dark Skies," collected $8.9 million to debut in sixth place. The movie stars Keri Russell as a mother working to protect her children from alien invaders.
The film cost $3.5 million to make and was produced by "Paranormal Activity" producer Jason Blum. The Weinstein Company distributed the movie.
Last weekend's leader, "A Good Day to Die Hard," dropped to fifth place. The fifth movie in the Bruce Willis action franchise took in $10 million this weekend.
"Identity Thief" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp. "Snitch" was distributed by Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment. The Weinstein Company distributed "Escape From Planet Earth" and "Dark Skies." "A Good Day to Die Hard" was released by News Corp's 20th Century Fox studio.
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With a number of other countries already in line to get their hands on Mozilla's Firefox OS, it's pretty clear that the company doesn't have the States at the top of its list of priorities. While attending its press conference at MWC today, however, we just had to ask: when will we be getting a turn at the mobile operating system? CEO Gary Kovacs assured us that the US is indeed on the list (albeit a bit further down), and his company has both plans and partners lined up for what looks to be a 2014 release time frame for the low cost operating system.
Until recently Apple has been on an unstoppable roll. Apple's iPhones and iPads have been flying off the shelf. But when Apple's latest quarterly results got a thumbs down from Wall Street, from the market, lots of people started wondering if Apple had lost its mojo.
Dan Lyons put it this way here here at ReadWrite, ?It seems Apple has hit a wall. It?s not just about sales and earnings, but also about innovation. It?s been years since Apple did something truly revolutionary.?
A Delicate Balance Of Innovation
But truly revolutionary can also be truly risky. With 75 million iOS devices sold in Q1 of its 2013 fiscal year, Apple?s success is now increasingly all about iOS. To keep the iOS train moving and churning out profits, Apple needs to innovate - but not so much that it scares away the legions of happy iPhone and iPad users.
Might iOS, the very product that helped put Apple on top, require risk taking beyond what the new Apple can handle? Current users love iOS - but Apple seems to losing the numbers war to Android.
To turn the tide, iOS may need to be re-invented. That often happens to operating systems, but it is not easy to pull off without killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Other companies have seen inordinately popular operating systems actually hold them back from getting fully behind new and improved versions.
The Windows XP Comparison
Look at Microsoft. Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001 and it took until August 2012 before Windows 7 had more users. Windows 8 - given its challenging new interface - might have an even tougher time moving the needle.
Windows XP was successful because - as David Johnson, an analyst with Forrester has noted - ?It was a very, very good operating system... a superb OS because it removed a lot of pain.? While the Macintosh was often called great, Windows XP was often said to be ?good enough? and with inexpensive hardware as a platform, it won the desktop computing war.
Windows XP retains a strong hold on many users, to Microsoft's chagrin. The company would like to see them buying new computers loaded with Windows 8.
Is it conceivable that Apple has achieved that magic ?good enough? formula with iOS on its current iPhones? People hang onto to their iPhone because it has been a positive experience for them and it works - will that affect Apple's ability to get the to try something new and presumably better?
The iPhone and iOS revolutionized smartphones and tablets much like the Mac popularized graphical user interfaces. Now, in spite of huge Apple numbers, the smartphone and tablet markets are slipping away to Android much like the computer market went to Windows XP.
Is iOS Falling Behind?
Where does iOS stand today? Erica Ogg at Gigacom argues that while there have lots of releases of iOS, there has been little change.
?While iOS has seen six new releases since its debut in 2007, there have been few major changes. The arrival of the App Store in 2008, and push notifications in 2009 were the last big adjustments in how the software works.?
John Martellaro, a Mac Observer writer who used to work for me at Apple, recently had this to say in his article, We?ve Changed and Grown. Apple?s iOS Hasn?t:
?iOS, now roughly six years old, was designed in an era of much less hardware capability and launched on the small 3.5-inch display of the original iPhone. Now, it's being pressed into service on ever larger iPhone and also iPad displays. One of the big annoyances is the single foreground app/single window design.?
The iPhone is also losing some notable users and influencers, including Steve Wozniak and Robert Scoble. Yet in spite of all this, the number of people who own iPhones and who are planning to switch to another platform remains small. A recent study suggests that the number of iPhone users planning to buy another iPhone has dropped only from 88% to 75%.
Why Change Will Be Hard
If the iPhone and the iPad are no longer the clear technology leaders, big change seems in order. Ironically, Apple's loyal customers who still plan to buy a new iPhone might be a hurdle. How much Apple can change iOS without losing the loyalty of those customers?
In a recent Ars Technica survey - iPhone users: what does Android have that you want? - 8% said they wanted bigger displays - but 10% said they would never switch from their iPhone.
Apple Has Been Here Before
Finding just the right amount of change in that environment won't be easy. But Apple has successfully faced this type of pivotal moment before - sometimes even without the help of Steve Jobs. Apple's history demonstrates a willingness to make technology breaks when needed.
Today's need for innovation while maintaining a satisfied customer base calls for the same boldness that Apple displayed when it moved users from the Apple II line to the Macintosh line, and later from Mac OS9 to Mac OSX and finally to Intel processors. Apple users gave Apple high marks for these difficult transitions.
Can Apple Do It Again?
But this is a different Apple - and a different, arguably less-forgiving market. As Blackberry and Nokia so clearly demonstrate, things happen quickly in the mobile space, with little room for error.
Whether Apple can innovate enough to stem the Android march while keeping current users happy might be the first big test for the new, post-Jobs Apple.
Apple still has one key advantage. Apple owns the whole widget, the hardware and the software. In the past it has made the ecosystem change so compelling that loyal customers followed without hesitation. But Google and Microsoft are starting to copy Apple?s whole-widget strategy - and that could make any iOS transition even harder.
What's Next?
All things point to Apple making significant changes in iOS in 2013. Most Apple iOS users will follow wherever Apple goes - but that is only half the battle.
It all boils down to two things. Does Apple have the vision to make the next version of iOS a true advance? And even if the next iOS is a huge hit among current users, will it be enough to stem the tide toward Android?
If Apple can pull off this difficult transition, it could find itself set for another 5 years. If not, it will face increasing pressure from many sides.
I HAVE been meeting my best mate?s sister for amazing, crazy sex and lying to my girlfriend about where I have been. I feel awful for hurting her as she has been wonderful to me but I can?t help myself.
I am 24, my girlfriend is 23 and we have been together for three years. I was something of a wild child when we first met and I had huge problems. She stood by me every step of the way through some of the toughest times in my life. She helped me to turn my life around.
I met my mate?s sister at his brother?s wedding where I was invited to help out. I found her attractive right away. I realised at once it was mutual and we flirted all evening. We exchanged phone numbers and became good friends.
Then we met up again by chance in a pub. She looked stunning and I went straight over to her. At the end of the night we shared a kiss and then went to a hotel and booked a room.
We had absolutely amazing sex. I had no idea women could go crazy like that. She exhausted me and still wanted more.
I often sleep at a mate?s flat after a night out as it is easier and cheaper than getting a cab home, so my girlfriend did not find it unusual that I wasn?t back until the next afternoon.
The truth was we spent all day in bed in the hotel with the ?Do not disturb? notice on the door.
My new girl and I have been meeting regularly since, sometimes for sex and sometimes for proper dates. We even went on a weekend away together - I told my girlfriend it was a business trip.
Now this girl has told me she loves me and I know I feel the same way. She says she is willing to wait for me to finish with my girlfriend and knows it will take time.
I want to be with her more than anything but I cannot bear to hurt my girlfriend as she has been wonderful to me. I dread to think where I would have ended up if it was not for her.
I don?t want to hurt either of them.
DEIDRE SAYS
You cannot live your whole life a lie so it is inevitable that you will hurt the girlfriend who has been so good to you sooner or later. Sooner probably means less pain for her.
Sometimes relationships are based on one person?s need and the other person fulfilling that need.
Your girlfriend was there when you badly needed someone to help you through. Now you are back on your feet and do not have the same problems. You are no longer a ?wild child? and you feel ready to move on. Nothing is quite the same and you long to be free.
Be sure to tell your girlfriend how special she is and how much she changed your life but say that your feelings have changed because you have changed. You owe it to her to be honest with her.
My free leaflet on how to end a relationship will help you to find the words and prevent her from finding out the hard way that you have been cheating and lying to her. That would hurt her more than anything.
Ask the new girl to give you time to sort your life out and get back with her later. Don?t cheat. Wait until you are free.
Can it work if you stay with a partner just out of guilt? Tell me on my Facebook page today.
Like Dear Deidre on Facebookto get the online Photo Casebook on your wall every day.
Statistics is all about collecting, analyzing and interpreting data. It comes very handy when decision making faces uncertainty. By using statistics, we can overcome these situations and generate actionable analysis?
How to Do SEO in 2013
The important thing for businesses to understand is that they need apply a degree of high importance to setting up a content strategy. A solid content strategy creates a framework for the business and those involved in the content production process. It helps to align business units with a core statement results in consistent content and sets the scene for governance and workflow. It will also help to plan everything from gaining an audience to defining distribution channels?
Skewering Instagram
My Facebook feed (a free service I use from time to time, which you may be aware allows me to maintain social contact with my friends ? with, of course, a backdrop of adverts that I can choose not to click on?) has been awash with rampant anger regarding Instagram?s now aborted plan to sell your family album. You know, the ?family album? of some people you met in Thailand that you have so carefully protected from intrusive eyes by placing on a public social network in full view of the world?
O Come All Ye Faithful: Attract, Engage & Convert Fans to Brand Advocates
Wouldn?t it be awesome to have your own army of word-of-mouth marketers, standing by for deployment at your beck and call??Social media has taken these brand advocates of days gone by, given them each a megaphone and shot them full of espresso and steroids. Your most loyal fans are now exponentially louder, more influential, and able to spread the word about your brand just as quickly as they can thumb-type a status update or tweet?
Give Me 5 Minutes a Day and I?ll Make You a Better Facebook Page Owner
What?s the number 1 thing Facebook Page owners struggle with??Time management.?You?re busy running your business, keeping up with your kids, etc.?Sometimes the last thing you have time for is your Facebook page.?There are tons of books and resources out there you could read?
Social Media ROI: 14 Formulas to Measure Social Media Benefits
Measuring social media ROI can be a daunting task, but not impossible. Check out these handy formulas for calculating tangible social media benefits ? advertising, content, leads,research, support, sales, and more!
Did Twitter just introduce their own version of EdgeRank?
Twitter announced it will soon introduce two new meta-data fields for their API: language and filter level. ?Language? will identify the language the tweets are written in and ?filter level? will segment tweets into four filterable categories: (none, low, medium, and high). In plain English, your tweets can now be segregated by language, and by an unknown hierarchical algorithm.
30 Terrible Pieces of Social Media Advice You Should Ignore
There are a lot of so-called ?social media experts? out there. Dishing out advice, sometimes based on limited experiences, and sometimes based on nothing at all. Even the true social media experts sometimes share some misguided advice based on their beliefs and experiences. So with all this bad advice floating around the web, how do you distinguish between what you should ? and shouldn?t ? believe?
The Demographics of Social Media Users ? 2012
A late 2012 survey by the Pew Research Center?s Internet & American Life Project shows that young adults are more likely than others to use major social media. At the same time, other groups are interested in different sites and services.
Social Media Strategy in Times of Tragedy
Brands seek to engage their fans, friends and followers; some even go so far as to buy fans. They want people to ?Like? them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. Brands want to socialize, share a laugh, hangout, join a Group and even have a conversation. The strategy of becoming a more social company is clearly working; 87% of people report Liking or friending a brand on Facebook.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, Josh S Peters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The largest American union and the country's biggest business lobby group said Thursday they agreed on principles for revamping the low-skilled worker visa program, a move hailed as major progress that could hasten immigration reform in Congress.
The AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said they agreed on three principles that would ensure that American workers get the first crack at jobs, create a new kind of guest worker program and establish another bureaucracy to analyze labor trends and advise Congress.
Although the principles were vague, they represented concessions from both sides. Unions, which oppose guest worker programs because they say they allow employers to exploit workers, agreed to create a "new kind of worker visa program that does not keep all workers in a permanent temporary status," the two sides said in a statement.
And businesses, which want the freedom to hire whom they want and are traditionally opposed to further government intervention, agreed that a "professional bureau" in a federal agency was needed to inform lawmakers and the public on labor shortages.
The two sides have been negotiating for weeks in parallel with a group of Republican and Democratic senators who are crafting a comprehensive bill that would allow the millions of illegal immigrants a way to earn U.S. citizenship.
The bipartisan Senate group is aiming to unveil their legislation before April. The new agreement will strengthen the hand of lawmakers because it demonstrates backing by two key constituencies for the effort.
"The fact that business and labor have agreed on principles is a major step forward," said Democrat Charles Schumer, who is part of the bipartisan Senate group.
"We are very hopeful that an agreement can be reached on a specific proposal in the next few weeks."
Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank who specializes in immigration policy, said the deal demonstrated concessions by the two groups.
"Obviously the more you get into the details of implementation the harder it gets. But at the level of broad principles, this seems to present significant compromises on both sides," he said.
(Reporting By Rachelle Younglai; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Walter Stahr, left, will speak today at Union about his new book on the life of William Henry Seward.
SCHENECTADY ? William Henry Seward?s college alma mater is joining Hollywood and the publishing world in putting the 19th-century politician in the spotlight.
The New York native was Abraham Lincoln?s secretary of state during the Civil War. Seward, as portrayed by David Strathairn, figures prominently in Steven Spielberg?s Oscar-nominated film ?Lincoln,? and Seward?s story is told in a new biography written by Walter Stahr of Exeter, N.H.
Seward is the focus of the keynote address Stahr will give this afternoon at Union College as part of the Founders Day celebration. Seward graduated from Union in 1820 and several years later joined a law firm in Auburn in central New York.
Stahr's keynote address will be held at 12:45 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. Founders Day commemorates the 218th anniversary of the college?s charter.
To read a review of Stahr's book in the New Yorker magazine, click here.
According to USA Today, Stahr "argues convincingly that other than presidents, Seward was the foremost American statesman of the 19th century."
Detroit City Council this morning approved legislation forcing a 10% pay cut on about 600 unionized city workers.
There was virtually no discussion on the matter before the 5-2 vote in favor of a resolution to impose the cuts through unpaid furlough days.
The pay cut is part of Mayor Dave Bing's cost-cutting strategy to help solve the city's financial crisis. Council's approval was required to impose the pay cut because negotiations with unions over the issue have reached an impasse, according to the Bing administration. But a local labor leader disputed the city's portrayal and said he is ready to negotiate.
Global flavors of LTE bands can be a hassle for travelers and firms making multiple versions of the same device, but Qualcomm says its solved that quandary with a new radio chipset. Dubbed the RF360, the silicon is hailed as the world's first mobile chip that packs support for global LTE, which translates to connectivity for LTE-FDD, LTE-TDD, WCDMA, EV-DO, CDMA 1x, TD-SCDMA and GSM / EDGE -- breaking down the barriers separating roughly 40 different LTE bands. Not only does it lend globetrotters a hand, but Qualcomm claims the component carries a few other "world's first" features that allow manufacturers to build thinner products with improved antenna performance, battery life and connection reliability. The outfit also unveiled the WTR1625L chip, which stakes claim to an industry first by sporting carrier aggregation alongside international LTE compatibility. Hardware made with the RF360 isn't expected to arrive on shelves until the latter half of 2013, but for now you can mosey past the break for the nitty gritty details and a video to walk you through them.
Android fans wanting to try a Windows 8 tablet haven't really had the choice of a glide-based keyboard in the vein of SwiftKey Flow or Swype, in part because the OS isn't designed for an easy replacement. After months of teasing, though, CooTek claims to have the remedy with the launch of TouchPal Keyboard for Windows 8. The software naturally centers on the sliding, predictive input method for those who've grown used to typing with one finger versus many. Thankfully, it's not a one-trick pony: the Windows 8 adaptation also includes the components from TouchPal's mobile editions, including an optional split keyboard and plugins. We most like that it's free, which should make it that much easier to skip the Type Cover for many of those considering a Surface Pro.
Topshop and Google are collaboration on Londons Fashion Week and are set to change the way designers ?think about catwalk shows for ever. ? Topshops show will be delivered live from the catwalk with models wearing HD micro cameras fitted to their outfits giving a complete 'models eye view'. ?This will be delivered on Topshops own website as well as as Google plus and You Tube. ?Google hang out events will allow people to speak directly with designers and fashion editors to discuss the show. ?The be the buyer ap allows users to create collections and get tips form buyers. ?Topshop are known for keeping ahead of the game in the digital world and are great at creating fab retail experiences especially in the flagship store in London. ?Also great that this bridges the gap of London fashion week making it a more mainstream experience rather than elitist! ?
The process of the Eagles hiring Tom Gamble as their vice president of player personnel took longer than he hoped, but the former 49ers personnel man said the time was right this year.
Gamble said there were several reasons why he wasn?t able to join the Eagles a year ago, but that his rare mid-offseason jump made sense this time. He interviewed with general manager Howie Roseman about the job formerly held by Colts GM Ryan Grigson last year, but was able to talk his way out of the 49ers for what amounted to a lateral move.
?The timing wasn?t right [last year] for a lot of different reasons, some professional, some family,? Gamble said, via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. ?Then this whole thing came up again. I have enough relationship with Howie, enough dialogue. Living out in Pac 12 country, I?ve got a lot of respect for Chip Kelly ? I?ve been in and out of his [Oregon] building, he?s been in and out of [the 49ers'] building, I think he?s a hell of a football coach.?
?We chatted again, and you know what, it was time. I was real excited about it. Again, I wasn?t looking to go anywhere; I was in a great situation with some great people ? as good as it gets in this business.?
The primary lure for Gamble was a return home. His father Harry was the Eagles president in the 1980s when the son got into the family business.
?It?s Philadelphia. That means something,? Gamble said. ?It?s a little bit different, this thing. There?s not a lot of movement, not a lot of opportunity. I didn?t know when it would come up again, and I was ecstatic to come back.?
Gamble indicated that the 49ers were hesitant to let him leave a year ago, but agreed that if the opportunity presented itself again, they?d give him a chance.
Gamble interviewed for other GM jobs, but even though he lacks that title in Philadelphia, he?ll have significant input. Roseman doesn?t have the classic personnel evaluation background, and with Kelly having no NFL experience, getting Gamble on board is a solid move for the organization.
DETROIT (AP) ? A state-appointed review team has determined Detroit is in a financial emergency, paving the way for Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency manager who would need to come up with a new plan to get the city out of its fiscal crisis.
The team released its findings Tuesday, saying in a report to Snyder that "no satisfactory plan exists to resolve a serious financial problem."
The review team pointed to the city's ongoing cash crisis, which have threatened to leave the city without money to pay its workers or other bills. It noted that the city's deficit could have reached more than $900 million in fiscal year 2012 if the city had not borrowed enormous amounts of money; that Detroit has long-term liabilities, including underfunded pensions, of more than $14 billion; and that the city's bureaucratic structure makes it difficult to solve the financial problems.
"The cash condition has been a strain on the city," said state Treasurer Andy Dillon, a member of the review team. "The city has been running deficits since 2005 ... (and) masking over those with long-term borrowing."
Under Michigan law, Snyder has 30 days to decide for himself whether there's a financial emergency. Mayor Dave Bing would have 10 days to request a hearing. Snyder could then revoke his decision or appoint an emergency manager.
The emergency manager would be responsible for overseeing all of the city's spending. Bing and the City Council would keep their jobs, but the manager would decide all financial matters. And only the manager would have the power to authorize the city to take the bankruptcy route.
James McTevia, president of a Michigan-based firm that specializes in turnaround management, said an emergency manager could halt the city's borrowing, freeze debt and restructure finances, including voiding contracts. "The checkbook needs to be taken from the politicians," he said.
However, others said that even with an emergency manager, municipal bankruptcy may be the city's only way out of the financial mess.
"Is it imminent? Well not tomorrow," said Doug Bernstein, managing partner of the Banking, Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Practice Group for Michigan-based Plunkett Cooney law firm "You need to give a financial manager the opportunity to formulate a plan and let the plan have a chance to succeed or fail. It may not avoid a bankruptcy, but you don't need to do a bankruptcy today."
Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said he will review the team's report carefully.
"He won't make a determination immediately, but sooner rather than later," she said. "The governor believes that a strong and successful Detroit is key to Michigan's continued comeback."
Bing said Tuesday's report shouldn't have surprised anyone.
"My administration has been saying for the past four years that the city is under financial stress," Bing said in an emailed statement. "If the Governor decides to appoint an emergency financial manager, he or she, like my administration, is going to need resources ? particularly in the form of cash and additional staff.
"As I have said before, my administration will stay focused on the initiatives that most directly impact the citizens of Detroit: public safety, public lighting, transportation, recreation and neighborhood blight removal."
Each of the six review team members agreed on the financial emergency determination, Dillon said.
If Snyder moves ahead and appoints an emergency manager, Detroit would be the sixth and largest city in Michigan to have one. The cities of Benton Harbor, Ecorse, Pontiac, Flint and Allen Park are currently under state oversight. School districts in Detroit, Highland Park and Muskegon Heights also have managers.
A new state law taking effect in late March gives local governments the chance to choose their own remedy when a review team finds a financial emergency exists. However, Detroit loses those options if an emergency manager is put in place before the new law goes into effect, said Terry Stanton, Treasury spokesman.
City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said the pace of fiscal change in Detroit has been too slow.
"The political will has often not been there to make the necessary and bold fiscal reforms," Brown said in a written statement. The statement went on to say, "Without a doubt, we need the support and accountability that a State of Michigan partnership offers. We cannot address our legacy obligations alone. And, as Detroit goes, so goes Michigan."
Now that the depth of Detroit's woes is clearer, the most efficient path to recovery needs to be taken and that falls to Snyder, Dillon said.
"A lot of the ingredients for the turnaround of the city are in place," Dillon said. "Now we just need to execute. I do believe strongly that Detroit is fixable and can see brighter days ahead."
The six-member review team began looking closely at Detroit's books in mid-December. Another team had done the same about 12 months earlier, but stopped short of declaring a financial emergency. That team's findings eventually led to a consent agreement in April between Snyder and Bing.
Bing's administration has struggled in meeting some of the consent agreement requirements, partly due to conflicts with the City Council and a challenge to the deal by then-Detroit corporation counsel Krystal Crittendon. The City Council voted last month to "unappoint" Crittendon from that position.
Bernstein said that at this point, it would be difficult for Snyder not to appoint a fiscal overseer to Detroit.
The report confirms "part of what we've already seen, in that the deficits have been running for the better part of a decade," Bernstein told The Associated Press.
He also said the city's underfunding of its pension liabilities is huge.
"I don't know if the word 'shocking' is the right word," Bernstein said. "It's just the magnitude. That's going to be a major hurdle. How you fix that is going to be a major, major undertaking."
___
Associated Press writers David Eggert in Lansing, Mich., and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
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Public release date: 26-Feb-2013
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Many people today understand the need for constant self-improvement. Personal growth is crucial to career growth and self-development. Continuous learning new things helps you grow, and improving yourself allows to better understand the meaning of life and get more enjoyment from it.
