Casio XJ-H2650

The Casio XJ-H2650 isn't Casio's brightest projector, but it's part of Casio's Pro Series, which is its brightest line of projectors. It also offers WXGA (1280 by 800) native resolution, the highest in the Pro Series line. That's a moderately big deal, because until now, if you wanted a WXGA Casio projector you had to settle for one of the lower brightness models. The XJ-H2650 delivers the highest brightness Casio offers with WXGA resolution, and the highest resolution with Pro Series brightness, all of which makes it a good choice for mid-size conference rooms and classrooms.

Casio rates the XJ-H2650 at 3500 lumens, a bit less bright than the 4,000 lumen Casio XJ-H1750 Pro Series that I reviewed earlier this year. However, the XJ-H1750 offers a native XGA (1,024 by 768) resolution.

The only other Pro Series model with WXGA resolution is the XJ-H2650's near twin, the Casio XJ-H2600 ($2,000 street). Casio says that the two models are identical except for the addition of USB A, USB B, and LAN ports to the XJ-H2650, along with features that depend on those ports. Most notably, the XJ-H2650's USB A port lets you plug in a supplied Wi-Fi adaptor so you can connect directly with, and send data images from, Windows and Mac computers as well as most Android, iOS, and Windows smartphones and tablets.

The extra ports also let you plug in a memory key to read JPG and a few other file formats directly, control the projector over a network, send data images over a network, and add interactivity with an interactive pen and software option ($260 street). However, the interactive feature is hard to recommend, since the projector's standard-throw lens would make it hard to interact with the image without casting shadows that would get in the way. All other features on the XJ-H2600 and XJ-H2650 should be identical, so the rest of the comments in this review should apply to both.

Basics, Setup, and Connections
Like all current Casio projectors, the XJ-H2650 is built around Casio's hybrid light source, consisting of LEDs and a laser paired with a DLP chip. The LEDs produce the red and blue primaries directly. The laser shines on a phosphor element to produce green.

Not too surprisingly, given that both projectors are part of the same Pro Series, the XJ-H2650 shares a lot of its basic features with the XJ-H1750. In particular, it weighs almost the same, at 15.6 pounds, which makes it most appropriate for permanent installation or room to room portability on a cart.

Setup is standard, with a manual focus and a manual 1.2x zoom, which gives you some welcome flexibility in how far you can put the projector from the screen for a given size image. In addition to the LAN and USB ports I've already mentioned, connection choices include the usual HDMI for a computer or video source, VGA for computer or component video, and both S-video and composite video inputs.

Brightness and Eco Modes
In my tests, the XJ-H2650 was easily bright enough in its brightest mode for a 78-inch wide (92-inch diagonal) image to stand up to the typical level of ambient light in an office or classroom setting. Even better, it was bright enough at that size so you could easily take advantage of its eco modes to minimize power use and save on electricity.

Most projectors offer one bright mode and one eco mode that lets you lower brightness and power consumption. Beyond that, they offer color presets that can also affect brightness, but are, in theory, meant to adjust color.

The XJ-H2650 gives you more flexibility for brightness and power use, with two non-eco modes, which I measured at 340 watts and 290 watts, plus five eco modes, with a measured range of 260 to 115 watts. With multiple eco modes, you have the freedom to pick the best color setting first, and then choose the least bright mode with the brightness you need, instead of using the color presets to adjust brightness. Also worth mention is that the only projector I've seen with more eco-mode levels is the laser-based BenQ LX60ST that I recently reviewed.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/rIXB7qr2W0A/0,2817,2410265,00.asp

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Apple's iOS 6 stumbles on basic connectivity: Wi-Fi

Apple's speed claims regarding wireless have proved elusive for some iOS 6 device owners.

(Credit: Apple )

PHILADELPHIA -- Apple's iOS 6 has not fared well with Wi-Fi.

Though this isn't the first time a new Apple operating system or device has had Wi-Fi issues, the situation this time around has been exacerbated by the release of the iPhone 5, putting an iOS 6 device immediately into millions of consumers' hands.

Not to mention all of the upgrades. Reports cite 60 percent of iPhone and roughly 40 percent of iPad owners upgrading to the new OS so far.

The fallout is numerous forum discussions on Wi-Fi connectivity problems. For example, there are currently two major Wi-Fi threads (at least) in the Apple Support Communities -- here and here. Together, those two threads total, so far, more than 150 pages.

And count me in as an affected user in the two groups cited above. My iPhone 5 and Retina iPad (now with iOS 6) work on some Wi-Fi networks and not others.

Which brings us to yet another thread related to iOS 6 and Netgear routers. The only way I could quickly get my iPhone 5 and Retina iPad working on a Netgear Wi-Fi router was to downgrade the firmware. That worked but seemed like an odd solution. (And, it's safe to say, one a lot of consumers would not be aware of.)

And other kinds of Wi-Fi issues are popping up in forums, such as a persistently slow Wi-Fi speeds, which is different than the plain-old-doesn't-connect snafu. (I had the latter issue only.)

As usual, Apple is officially mum on the issue, i.e., the company hasn't made an official statement, though Apple's technical support is aware of the problem. The person I contacted said Apple knows about the Wi-Fi problem and that it was tech support's job to "document everything" so Apple can eventually come up with a fix.

And while we're on the subject, the 4G LTE on my iPhone 5 and Retina iPad can be spotty (I had been forced to use LTE when I would normally connect to Wi-Fi, but couldn't). Even in dense metropolitan areas (for example, Los Angeles and Philadelphia) connectivity can bounce back and forth between 3G and LTE like a pinball. But that's another topic for another day.

Of course, this hasn't been Apple's only problem with the rollout of iOS 6. Apple Maps has been slammed, eliciting an apology from CEO Tim Cook.

Looks like Apple has its damage-control work cut out for it.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/JhqR/~3/wYOOcH_SCBI/

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Galaxy Note II at the FCC with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Bands

Galaxy Note II, the largest smartphone that Samsung has unveiled to the world with Google?s Android operating system on board, has been spotted at the FCC once again.

This time, however, it appears that it was packing the necessary frequencies support for being used in the United States at AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

FCC approved a SGH-i317 with 3G and 4G bands at AT&T and in Canada, while the SGH-T889 model was approved with support for T-Mobile?s 1,700MHz AWS frequencies.

There is also a SCH-i605 model that passed through the testing with CDMA and GSM bands inside, along with support for a 700MHz LTE band, suggesting that it should land at Verizon soon.

As Engadget notes, no specific info on the handset?s release date in the United States has been provided as of yet, but October 24th might bring it to shelves.

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Galaxy-Note-II-at-the-FCC-with-AT-T-T-Mobile-and-Verizon-Bands-295620.shtml

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Dover church meal featured smokes meats

By DAVE NICHOLSON | Tbo.com
Published: September 29, 2012 Updated: September 29, 2012 - 1:15 PM

DOVER --

Dover Methodist Church, 3310 Moore?s Lake Road, will serve a dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the church social hall.

The dinners include smoked meats, three vegetables, biscuits, home-made pickles, beverages and home-made desserts. The cost is $7 for adults, less for children.

The meals are available for dine-in or take-out.

For information, call (813) 689-5550.

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/news/2012/sep/29/dover-church-meal-featured-smokes-meats-ar-515103/

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Asbury Automotive CEO: 'A lot of people had written us off as goners ...

There?s nothing like a crisis to teach leadership. Craig Monaghan has experienced at least two ? one on the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea, and the other in the auto industry, when his company came within an eyelash of shutting the doors.

Craig Monaghan

Monaghan, 55, is CEO of Asbury Automotive Group, the fifth largest publicly traded car retailer in the country, with $4.3 billion in annual revenue from 28 brands sold at dealerships in 10 states. The Duluth-based firm nearly failed during the Great Recession when lenders could have demanded $500 million it didn?t have. Monaghan talks about what he learned from leading people through nerve-wracking events in business and the military.

Q: Your company was in critically bad financial shape. Would you please discuss?

A: In 2008 and 2009, our stock was trading at $2 a share and a lot of people had written us off as goners. Our debt of $500 million was 5.5 times our cash flow, which is a very dangerous level. Our new cars sales had fallen by 40 percent. GM and Chrysler were on their way to bankruptcy and we had many of their dealerships. Our auditors were telling us that they didn?t believe we would exist a year into the future.

It was a scary time. We were forced to restructure our business. We eliminated an entire layer of management. Our offices were in New York City and we moved to Duluth, saving millions of dollars. At its peak, we had 8,500 employees. Today, it?s less than 7,000. Many employees took pay cuts.

What we learned is that business is a team sport. Our employees and our partners stood tall with us ? the banks, manufacturers and vendors. Our lenders could have called back $500 million and we would have been bankrupt. But within a matter of days, all of the lenders said they wouldn?t do that.

Q: Why not?

A: They believed in us. We had long-standing relationships with them. We were able to quickly demonstrate to them that we had a plan that we would be able to maintain positive cash flow throughout this downturn.

They stood behind us because we had always been a company of our word. We had people here with long-term relationships with our lenders, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Toyota Motor Credit and BMW Finance. They could have said, ?lights out and we?ll take whatever money we can get.?

Once we got through that, we were on our way. We sold some stores and made cuts. We got ourselves into a position where we could maintain a cash cushion and stay cash-flow positive at the same time. In fact, we started buying back our debt, which had been trading at 30 cents on the dollar. Today, our debt or leverage is less than half of what it was. It?s been cut to 2.3 times our cash flow, from 5.5.

Q: What did the employees do?

A: The people here earned the reputations that helped us with the lenders. Still, it was a demoralizing time to see some of your peers lose their jobs. It was very difficult for me personally. There were a lot of people we had to ask to leave ? many of whom had spent quite some time with the company. But we weren?t going to survive if we didn?t make the hard decisions.

We compounded those hard decisions by asking other people to uproot their families and relocate here. So you had an economy and a housing market in a free fall, many of our peers were asked to leave, and then we asked others to leave their homes in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and move to Atlanta. We asked them to take your kids out of school, leave your parents and your spouse?s parents, and come here to try to save a company. And they did.

When you take a group of people and you put them in a crucible and they survive, they are a far tighter and stronger team than you can ever imagine. They understand how close we came to losing what we have today. It makes them far superior managers today than what they would have been otherwise. They were baptized by fire.

Q: How about you? Were you baptized by fire during your military service in Korea?

A: I was an Army platoon leader on the DMZ in Korea in 1980 during a very hostile time. The North Koreans would jam our communications equipment, so when that happens I?m making the calls as a platoon leader. They had shot down one of our helicopters while I was there. We were on the edge.

I?m not sure you can teach leadership, but you can experience leadership. As a young lieutenant dropped in that situation, I was very fortunate to have some great sergeants that I learned from. And let?s not kid ourselves ? the people who really run platoons are the sergeants.

We dealt with every level of human emotion. I learned what?s a real problem and what?s a problem we can manage. A real problem is when someone?s life is in your hands. I sat there on the DMZ and sometimes late at night we?d hear noise out there. Your radios are jammed and you?re thinking this could be it. If these guys come, we?re going to put up one helluva fight.

There?s a strength and a resiliency that comes from that. When you get back here, you realize that even though we?re having a crisis, there?s nobody with an AK-47 sitting a short distance away who?s trying to kill us.

We?re trying to save a business, but nobody is going to die. You can keep things in perspective and make calm decisions. There?s a big difference between having your livelihood at stake and your life at stake.

Q: You had an interesting mountain climbing experience with two of your kids. Would you please discuss?

A: I was with my 23-year-old son, Connor, and my 26-year-old daughter, Shannon. We were attempting to climb the Grand Teton in Wyoming, which is a two-day climb. You climb to 11,000 feet the first day. On the second day, we were at about 12,500 feet and starting to break out the ropes for the technical part of the climb to 13,800 feet. My daughter began to suffer from altitude sickness. She had a headache, was nauseous and said she couldn?t go on.

My son said, ?We came up together and we?re going down together.? I couldn?t be more proud. We?re a family.

Each week, Sunday Business Editor Henry Unger has a candid conversation, called ?5 Questions for the Boss,? with a top executive in Georgia. Some remarks are edited for length and style.

Source: http://blogs.ajc.com/business-beat/2012/09/29/asbury-automotive-ceo-%E2%80%98a-lot-of-people-had-written-us-off-as-goners%E2%80%99/?cxntfid=blogs_business_beat

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Water on Mars: NASA scientists are 'excited'

Mars rover Curiosity found rocks on the Martian surface that are too big to be carried by wind, so researchers suppose water must have existed on Mars at one time. Over the next two years, Curiosity will continue its search for signs of ancient?microbial life on Mars.

By Alicia Chang,?Associated Press / September 27, 2012

This image provided by NASA shows a Martian rock outcrop near the landing site of the rover Curiosity thought to be the site of an ancient streambed, next to similar rocks shown on earth.

AP Photo/NASA

Enlarge

The NASA rover Curiosity has beamed back pictures of bedrock that suggest a fast-moving stream, possibly waist-deep, once flowed on?Mars?? a find that the mission's chief scientist called exciting.

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There have been previous signs that water existed on the red planet long ago, but the images released Thursday showing pebbles rounded off, likely by water, offered the most convincing evidence so far of an ancient streambed.

There was "a vigorous flow on the surface of?Mars," said chief scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. "We're really excited about this."

The discovery did not come as a complete surprise. NASA decided to plunk Curiosity down inside Gale Crater near the Martian equator because photos from space hinted that the spot possessed a watery past. The six-wheeled rover safely landed Aug. 5 after a nail-biting plunge through the Martian atmosphere. It's on a two-year, $2.5 billion mission to study whether the Martian environment could have been favorable for microbial life.

Present day?Mars?is a frozen desert with no hint of water on its radiation-scarred surface, but geological studies of rocks by previous missions suggest the planet was warmer and wetter once upon a time.

The latest evidence came from photos that Curiosity took revealing rounded pebbles and gravel ? a sign that the rocks were transported long distances by water and smoothed out.

The size of the rocks ? ranging from a sand grain to a golf ball ? indicates that they could not have been carried by wind, said mission scientist Rebecca Williams of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz.

Though Curiosity did not use its high-tech instruments to drill into the rocks or analyze their chemical makeup, Grotzinger said scientists were sure that water played a role based on just studying the pictures.

It's unclear how long the water persisted on the surface, but it easily could have lasted "thousands to millions of years," said mission scientist Bill Dietrich of the University of California, Berkeley.

Curiosity chanced upon the dried-up streambed while driving to Glenelg, an intriguing spot where three types of terrain meet. Its ultimate destination is Mount Sharp, a mountain rising from the center of crater floor, but it was not expected to travel there until the end of the year.

Finding past water is a first step toward learning whether the environment could have supported microbes. Scientists generally agree that besides water and an energy source such as the sun, organic carbon is a necessary prerequisite for life.

While an ancient streambed holds promise as a potentially habitable environment, scientists don't think it's a good place to preserve the carbon building blocks of life. That's why the rover will continue its trek to the foothills of Mount Sharp where there's a better chance of finding organics.

Alicia Chang can be followed at?http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/cVTcRdGrbyA/Water-on-Mars-NASA-scientists-are-excited

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TV overtakes PC for online videos

In the US, TV is their primary screen for viewing paid and free video streamed from the internet, according to the NPD Group.

Watching streaming video on the TV set has risen from 33% to 45%. During the same period, consumers who used a PC as the primary screen for viewing over-the-top (OTT) streamed-video content declined from 48% to 31%. This shift not only reflects a strong consumer preference for watching TV and movies on big screen TVs, but also coincides with the rapid adoption of connected TVs.

NPD?s recent Digital Video Outlook report reveals that home installation of millions of Internet-connected TVs is changing the way that consumers access and view streaming video. As of the second quarter of 2012, 12% of the installed base of consumer TVs in the US were connected TVs, totaling more than 29 million devices.

Approximately 10% of U.S. consumer households currently own at least one connected TV. NPD research conducted over the past year has found that 43% of connected TV users accessed online entertainment directly from their TVs, including online video, music, and cloud services.

?The growth in connected TVs is another sign that online video is maturing,? said Russ Crupnick, SVP of industry analysis for the NPD Group. ?Streaming video has moved from the dorm room to the living room; and, as more households obtain and connect TVs to the Web, we predict increased trial and engagement for video distribution services.?

Netflix Watch Instantly is the dominant application for Web-to-TV video. Of those viewing online video on the TV, 40% use their connected TVs to stream video via Netflix, 12% access HuluPlus, and 4% connect to Vudu. Connected TVs, which offer direct access to these and other popular online video services via TV apps, represent a convenient alternative to PCs, or the use of other Internet-connected peripheral devices.

NPD?s study also found that nearly one in five connected-TV installations resulted in consumers no longer using peripheral devices, such as streaming media players, video game consoles, and Blu-ray Disc players, to access streaming video on the TV. This decline in usage could impact the usage models and utility of peripheral devices.

NPD?s ?Digital Video Outlook? report is based on data collected from multiple sources, including two electronic surveys. The quarterly survey includes approximately 1,200 U.S. broadband households. Survey data was weighted to represent U.S. population (age 13 and older) and tested for statistical significance at the 95% confidence level. The semi-annual survey includes approximately 10,000 respondents. Data from this survey has a 97% level of confidence, with a +/- 0.7% margin of error.

Source: http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2012/09/28/tv-overtakes-pc-for-online-videos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tv-overtakes-pc-for-online-videos

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How To Fix The Flow Of Wealth In Your Seattle Home and Office ...

Feng Shui, which means wind and water, is an ancient Chinese art dating back thousands of years that is still widely practiced today. The main principle guiding the practice is that the universe can be broken down into two different categories, the ?chi?, or positive energy, and ?sha chi?, which is the opposite and is negative energy. By reducing negative energy and boosting positive energy through simple things such as space arrangements, the home or business can produce positive vibes that will be conducive to success and happiness. A Seattle real estate agent who is also proficient in the art of Feng Shui thus may bring immeasurable benefits to the sale of purchase of any home.

The recent meteroic rise in the middle and upper classes among Chinese nationals is fueling a sustained interest in U.S. real estate, and an increasing number of Americans have also shown a deep understanding and appreciation of this vital art of harmony.

Although not quite well recognized yet, moving into a new place, whether it be a home or business, can have crucial consequences regarding the future. Negative energy can bring a sense of foreboding that does not portend well for success in business or harmony in personal relationships.

A Seattle real estate agent can help improve the prospects of a property through the art of Feng Shui with the following advantages:

1) Increase curb appeal with improved symmetry and/or balance

2) Turn visitors into buyers with an appealing entry

3) Increase the emotional appeal of a property, leading to improved marketability

4) Build strong rapport with potential buyers who are savvy in the art of Feng Shui

5) Boost the sense of unity in your kitchen and bedrooms, as these rooms tend to have the most use

6) Turn a bathroom into an oasis of relaxation and profound pleasure

7) A non cluttered environment is always pleasing to the eyes through special arrangements

8) A memorable visit from start to finish usually leads to more advantageous terms and easier negotiations

The concept of Yin and Yang is more universally understood, and when Feng Shui is applied, the two philosophies can begin to meld together into a harmonious whole.

Luck is not equated with chance, but rather a much more complex condition that sometimes can be manipulated through Feng Shui to bring more auspicious events into the life of its practitioners.

The location of each room or object is critical to fostering positive energy, as the southeastern corner is generally associated with wealth. Bright objects, such as mirrors, lights, or crystals, as well as flowers or ceramic objects, are considered to ease the flow of positive energy throughout the area, while wind chimes can do the same in addition to be able to ward off negative energy.

Active objects, such as computers, fans, or clocks, are recommended for the wealth area, especially when the color red is also a complement.

Faulty or defective items should furthermore be fixed at the earliest possible, as it is believed that even a leaky faucet can drain wealth out of the home.

Many people will contend that Feng Shui is just plain superstition; however, if it is not detrimental, why not try it and watch the vast improvements in your life, and a Seattle real estate agent well versed in Feng Shui can deliver benefits previously unheard of.

Source: http://www.thachrealestategroup.com/how-to-fix-the-flow-of-wealth-in-your-seattle-home-and-office-feng-shui-seattle-real-estate-agent-advice/

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Kaka recalled to Brazil squad after 2 years out

By TALES AZZONI

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 3:52 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2012

SAO PAULO (AP) - Kaka is back in the Brazilian national squad for the first time since the 2010 World Cup.

The playmaker was selected Thursday despite playing sparingly with Real Madrid. Coach Mano Menezes picked Kaka in a squad for exhibitions last year, but he didn't play because of an injury.

Menezes chose a squad of 24 players for the exhibitions against Iraq in Sweden on Oct. 11 and Japan in Poland on Oct. 16.

Kaka's last game with the national team was Brazil's elimination by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in South Africa.

On Wednesday, Kaka scored three goals in Real Madrid's 8-0 win in an exhibition against Colombian side Millionarios in Madrid.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49199640/ns/sports-soccer/

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Why I Don't Like Lead Capture Marketing | Boise Real Estate Blog

Lead capture is ?gotcha marketing?, plain and simple.

You visit a real estate website, see a property you like, then you?re forced to fill out a form in order to get the information you want.

When you fill out one of those forms, you have no idea who may end up with your contact information.

Many real estate websites? sole reason to exist is to capture leads that they sell to real estate agents who don?t know how to generate their own clientele.

Worse yet, some of these lead generation companies will sell your information to more than one real estate agent and/or other organizations.

In many instances, you will be added to someone?s ?drip system? and end up being bombarded with unsolicited e-mails and automated phone calls.

I despise ?gotcha marketing? and do not view my visitors as ?leads? to be used as fodder for ?closing the deal?.

I do call my blog visitors (once) when they download my Moving To Boise e-book or use the advanced features of my MLS search to see if I can answer any questions.

No pursuit, no drip marketing, no persuasion.

Just straightforward, responsive service if you want my help.

Is this any way to run a real estate business?

Check out What Phil?s Clients Say (over here -> -> ->) and see for yourself.

?

September 26th, 2012 Posted in Inside Real Estate ?Print This Post

Source: http://www.boiseblog.com/2012/09/why-i-dont-like-lead-capture-marketing

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96% The Imposter

All Critics (89) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (85) | Rotten (4)

The most fascinating aspect of the movie is why the missing boy's family believed the imposter's story.

You may begin to wonder if you aren't being conned by the movie yourself.

Beverly Dollarhide, Nicholas's mother, says of the period after her son's disappearance, "My main goal in life at that time was not to think." Apparently, the filmmakers have taken a cue from her.

Layton's dazzling film is an exciting, edge-of-your-seat experience superior to any Hollywood mystery you're likely to see for a long time.

"The Imposter" becomes more than just a missing-persons drama. It hints at something much darker: a real-life horror story, the full truth of which may never be known.

This is one creepy mystery.

An unnerving experience and a brilliant piece of documentary filmmaking that peels back the layers on one of the most perplexing stories

Layton layers "The Imposter" with powerful images in the dramatic re-creations, as well as a brooding soundscape and a concise pacing that distributes its information with the reserve of a good mystery writer.

"The Imposter" may be the first movie since "Penn and Teller Get Killed" whose title may need its own spoiler alert.

Every bit as engaging as it is well-shot, it proves once more that truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

A mixture of documentary, mystery and thriller, which recounts an astonishing true story that gets more outrageous with each revelation

Strange and intriguing, searching for that elusive essence known as 'the perfect truth.'

Rather like watching a magician pulling off a trick which your eyes cannot see, The Imposter offers its own strange kind of magic.

The story is astonishing enough on its own, and The Imposter succeeds in enhancing its immediacy and intensity.

As his story unfolds, one gets the uncomfortable sensation that a joke is being played. But on whom?

One of the year's most provocative pictures.

Incredibly well-made and with a story you won't forget, "The Imposter" is one of the better docs of the season.

The Imposter emerges as a brilliantly slippery film that demands brain-stretching consideration. Astonishing, indeed.

It's an astounding story, truly, and Bourdin is the most chillingly sympathetic sociopath: frank, remorseless, matter-of-fact.

British director Bart Layton has only slightly fictionalised this extraordinary story for his documentary, which is told more as a thriller than a statement of hard fact.

"The Imposter" is one of the best films of the year.

Not only is the story riveting, but the film explores huge issues that really get under our skin

The Imposter frequently sends your jaw hurtling to the floor as it tries to understand the great pretender and a family only too willing to accept him as one of their own.

When this film was over, I felt as if I had been holding my breath for 99 minutes. It is pure, delicious suspense.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_imposter_2012/

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How does the iPhone 5 battery life stack up?

Featured

8 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

"Game on," I whispered to no one in particular as I walked out of a New York City hotel a few days ago. Barnes & Noble's executives and mark... Read more

20 hrs.

Rosa Golijan

Apple tells us that the iPhone 5 offers "even longer battery life" than any of its predecessors, but what does that really mean? Can the new smartphone keep up ?with ?? or beat ? the competition?

Laptop Mag's Mark Spoonauer conducted some thorough tests while reviewing the iPhone 5, just as he does when checking out other smartphones, to find out.

"Our test goes out and surfs 50 of the most popular websites in succession every 60 seconds," he told me,?in describing the testing procedures Laptop Mag sets up. "It's meant to mimic how people use their phones.?Every minute or so, you might take it out of your pocket and use it."

Apple claims that the iPhone 5 has enough battery power to offer "up to 8 hours of browsing on a cellular connection, up to 8 hours of talk time, and up to 10 hours of video playback time." In?Spoonauer's tests, the device "lasted 7 hours and 13 minutes."

To put that into perspective, consider that the Samsung Galaxy S III, a key?competitor, lasted for six hours and 55 minutes in Laptop Mag's tests. The iPhone 4S lasted five hours and 54 minutes, the HTC One X lasted 5 hours and 59 minutes, the Samsung?Galaxy Nexus lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes. The current champ, when it comes to battery life, is?the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx, with a battery life of 8 hours and 25 minutes, according to Laptop Mag's tests.

"It simply has a bigger capacity battery," says Spoonauer, referring to the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx. "At some point physics has to take over." There's only so much that Apple's clever software tweaks can do to boost the life of a rather small battery. Of course a device such as the?Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx stands a chance of outrunning the iPhone 5 thanks to sheer capacity. "It's amazing that it lasts as long as it does, given how small the battery is in comparison to the competition," Spoonauer points out.

"For the [battery] size, I think that the iPhone 5 offers fairly good battery life," he concludes before cautioning that he has seen some complaints about battery life?on Apple-centric forums.?

We put a lot of trust in Spoonauer's quantitative tests, though, and until the anecdotal evidence of poor battery performance is overwhelming, we'll maintain our faith in his assessment. This little gadget seems to last "longer on a charge than most 4G LTE phones."

Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-does-iphone-5-battery-life-stack-1B6102050

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Aboriginal Initiatives: Classroom Climate Series | Centre for ...

The development of academic and professional programming in the area of classroom climate is relatively new and unexplored. Aboriginal Initiatives programming at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) responded by creating an innovative professional development series called Aboriginal Initiatives: Classroom Climate.

During the initial development of this series, Amy Perreault, Coordinator of Aboriginal Initiatives at CTLT, combined her research expertise with her direct experience creating projects such as What I Learned in Class Today: Aboriginal Issues in the Classroom.

The development of this series mirrored a process often taken on by faculty who teach about Aboriginal and other socially contentious issues in their classes. In some ways the inevitable challenges faculty face in this endeavor were present here too; creating an approach that would allow for a diverse group of people, all coming with different levels of understanding and experiences, to come together and create a community.

During this year-long series, senior and junior faculty, teaching assistants, researchers, graduate students, and staff from all over the University have the opportunity to challenge their own assumptions about what they have learned about Aboriginal people, become more critically aware of their teaching and research practices, and learn more about how they engage with topics that challenge their own social location within the institution.

The breadth of participants? experiences, locations, and roles within the University create a unique environment for the exchange of interdisciplinary approaches to teaching, and an opportunity to engage with and share experiences from a diverse range of perspectives.

This strategically-designed series creates a unique learning experience for participants by combining a series of mini-class lectures, interactive group activities, and one-on-one discussions with a strong focus on activities and discussions designed to evoke critical thinking and self awareness. As a result, participants gain skills to create a more clearly developed and informed approach to understanding and teaching about Aboriginal and other socially contentious issues in a curricular setting.

A great way to learn more about services at Aboriginal initiatives, and the Classroom Climate series in particular, is to attend the CTLT Aboriginal Programs Open House on September 26.

The first monthly session, Here: Valuing, Recognizing and Acknowledging Place, is on October 2. During this session presenters will discuss the importance of teaching faculty, students, and staff about local histories and the diversity of British Columbia.

One of the four presenters for this session will be Sarah Ling, the Aboriginal Initiatives Graduate Academic Assistant at CTLT. She will be sharing a project she co-developed on campus called Decolonizing Knowledge. This initiative facilitates strategies to reconcile the cultural misrepresentation and appropriation that occurs on the UBC Point Grey campus, and pioneered a community-based naming process between the Musqueam First Nation and UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services. In her work with CTLT, Sarah will assist with the creation of resources committed to developing a learning climate at UBC that prepares students, faculty, staff, and administration to better understand the dynamics of discussing Aboriginal issues in a multicultural, course-based environment. The resources will value and acknowledge the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam people which our learning and activities at UBC take place on.

Impact on Faculty Presenters and Participants

The diversity of experiences, both of the participants and the series presenters, has been cited as being one of the key strengths of this program. Past participants and presenters also noted that they appreciated the honesty and integrity of the conversations in each session, where facilitators were ?walking the walk? by demonstrating how they pedagogically built in how to have difficult conversations in their classes. Here?s what some of them had to say:

?

The nuanced nature of working with Aboriginal people and issues is often difficult to address in a substantive way. I was impressed with the preparation, level of participation and feedback from participants. It opened a space to further our work and it is a model for future discourse on these issues.

Rick Ouellet, Aboriginal Student and Community Development Officer (series presenter)

I believe that fostering productive conversations amongst faculty makes us better able to foster productive conversations in our classrooms with our students. It gives us important background knowledge, confidence in the language and terminology, practices to address sensitive topics, and pedagogical strategies. It gives us a sense, too, that we are not alone: other people in other classrooms are raising similar issues in different disciplinary contexts. One of the main things I have taken away from these sessions is the sense that yes, discussing Aboriginal issues in the classroom can be sensitive and highly charged, but if we do not give our students the space, time, and skills to discuss them there, then when will they have the opportunity? If not here, where?

Katherine Grafton (faculty participant)

While the focus of the series was the setting of the classroom, through discussions we discovered that the setting includes other spaces on campus. Libraries in particular became a space where the discussions turned as an example of what happens outside of the classroom. I think that it was an excellent opportunity for librarians to engage with faculty in a way that highlights the instruction on the reference desk, and how we face similar challenges with questions related to Aboriginal issues.

Sarah Dupont, Aboriginal Engagement Librarian, Xwi7xwa Library (staff participant)

Source: http://ctlt.ubc.ca/2012/09/25/aboriginal-initiatives-classroom-climate-series/

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Katy Perry's Big Year: Rainbow Hues, Heartbreak And New Billboard Title

MTV News reflects on singer's jam-packed 2012 and her way to being Billboard's Woman of the Year.
By Jocelyn Vena

Katy Perry
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694445/billboard-magazine-woman-of-the-year-katy-perry.jhtml

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Democrats launch ads in ND over stalled farm bill

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Democrats launched two ads in North Dakota on Tuesday criticizing Republican Senate candidate Rick Berg over the stalled farm bill as the party seeks to capitalize on rural voters' frustration with congressional inaction.

Congress left town last weekend with the five-year, nearly $500 billion farm and food bill, in limbo. The House Republican leadership declined to bring a bill to the House floor, contending that they did not have the votes to pass it. That has created a political headache for Republican candidates in states that count farming and ranching as top industries, such as North Dakota, Montana, Iowa and South Dakota.

In one of the new ads, newspaper headlines about the stalled bill and Berg's votes for the House budget that would cut $180 billion from farm programs are superimposed on water towers and the side of a red barn. North Dakota residents assail Berg and offer testimonials for his Democratic rival, Heidi Heitkamp, in the open seat race.

"We don't vote the party line, we vote for who we feel will do the best for us," Judi Hintz of Tappen, N.D., says in the commercial. "Heidi will get past the politics and get things done for North Dakota."

In a second spot, Les Franklund of Bismark, N.D., says Berg is "not thinking about my farm or my family." The ads, which are expected to air for at least a week, are part of the Democrats' $3 million-plus buy in North Dakota.

In response, the Berg campaign cited the congressman's repeated pleas to the leadership to move on the bill.

"I refuse to sit back and watch our farmers and ranchers face uncertainty while Washington plays political games," Berg said in a statement in early August when he raised the prospect of various procedural maneuvers to force a vote.

The congressman along with several of his House Republican colleagues had asked Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other leaders to bring legislation to the floor before Congress adjourned last weekend.

The Senate passed its version of the bill in June, and the House Agriculture Committee approved a similar version in July.

But the House Republican leadership declined to act. A key factor was the food stamp program, which costs nearly $80 billion a year, or 80 percent of all the spending in the bill. House conservatives say the committee's decision to trim that budget by about 2 percent was too small, while some Democrats said any cuts to the food stamp program were unacceptable.

And while both the House and Senate take major steps to reform farm subsidy programs, some conservatives say farmers still receive too much federal aid.

North Dakota is a Republican-leaning state that is expected to go heavily for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. But Heitkamp is locked in a close race with Berg for the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad.

Farmers and ranchers also appear in a Republican ad in the Montana Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jon Tester and GOP Rep. Denny Rehberg. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign is airing a spot with rancher Turk Stovall, who expresses concern that the death of his father will mean the loss of the family ranch because of the estate tax.

The spot cites a March 23, 2007 vote that Tester cast against Sen. Jim DeMint's amendment to repeal the tax. Stovall says he can't understand Tester's vote and wonders whether the Democrat was voting with his party. One of the final images in the spot is Tester with President Barack Obama.

The federal estate tax reaches fewer than 1 percent of inheritances. The top tax rate is 35 percent but it exempts the first $5 million of an individual's estate; couples can exempt $10 million.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democrats-launch-ads-nd-over-stalled-farm-bill-185150579--election.html

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AP Exclusive: Images show NKorea launch pad halt

In this satellite image taken Aug. 29, 2012 by DigitalGlobe and provided Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, structures which an analyst says a newly commenced construction site of what is probably a new rocket launch control center for the entire Tonghae launch complex and a large, still unfinished rocket assembly building are seen near the village of Musudan-ri on the northeast coast of North Korea. North Korea has stopped construction on the launch pad where intercontinental-range rockets could be tested, an interruption possibly due to heavy rains and that could stall completion up to two years, according to the analysis of Aug. 29 images provided to The Associated Press by 38 North. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe) NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT

In this satellite image taken Aug. 29, 2012 by DigitalGlobe and provided Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, structures which an analyst says a newly commenced construction site of what is probably a new rocket launch control center for the entire Tonghae launch complex and a large, still unfinished rocket assembly building are seen near the village of Musudan-ri on the northeast coast of North Korea. North Korea has stopped construction on the launch pad where intercontinental-range rockets could be tested, an interruption possibly due to heavy rains and that could stall completion up to two years, according to the analysis of Aug. 29 images provided to The Associated Press by 38 North. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe) NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT

In this satellite image taken Aug. 29, 2012 by DigitalGlobe and provided Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, structures which an analyst says gantry footings, a flame trench and propellant buildings of a new launch pad are seen at the Tonghae launch complex near the village of Musudan-ri on the northeast coast of North Korea. North Korea has stopped construction on the launch pad where intercontinental-range rockets could be tested, an interruption possibly due to heavy rains and that could stall completion up to two years, according to the analysis of Aug. 29 images provided to The Associated Press by 38 North. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe) NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT

In this satellite image taken Aug. 29, 2012 by DigitalGlobe and provided Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a structure which an analyst says a unfinished rocket launch site, top right, and other major new facilities at the Tonghae launch complex are seen near the village of Musudan-ri on the northeast coast of North Korea. North Korea has stopped construction on a launch pad where intercontinental-range rockets could be tested, an interruption possibly due to heavy rains and that could stall completion up to two years, according to the analysis of Aug. 29 images provided to The Associated Press by 38 North. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe) NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea has stopped construction on a launch pad where intercontinental-range rockets could be tested, an interruption possibly due to heavy rains and that could stall completion up to two years, according to an analysis of new satellite imagery.

Despite the setback, however, Pyongyang is also refurbishing for possible future use another existing pad at the same complex that has been used for past rocket launches, according to the analysis of Aug. 29 images provided to The Associated Press by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

While the renovations don't mean a launch is imminent, they indicate North Korea is preparing the site for possible future rocket tests, according to the 38 North special report written by Nick Hansen.

North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, but experts don't believe Pyongyang has yet mastered the technology needed to shrink a nuclear weapon so it can be mounted onto the tip of a long-range missile.

There are worries, however, about North Korea's rocket and missile programs. The United States, South Korea and others have said North Korea uses rocket launches, including a failed effort in mid-April, as covers to test banned missile systems that could target parts of the United States. North Korea says recent rocket launches were meant to put peaceful satellites into orbit.

North Korea has repeatedly vowed to push ahead with its nuclear program in the face of what it calls U.S. hostility that makes a "nuclear deterrence" necessary.

Both the new launch pad where work has been suspended and the existing launch pad being refurbished are at the Tonghae launch complex, which houses nine facilities around the villages of Musudan, No-dong and Taepo-dong on the northeast coast, according to the report.

"Despite the temporary halt in construction at the new Tonghae launch pad and the failed test last April, the North Koreans appear determined to eventually build bigger and better rockets," Joel Wit, a former U.S. State Department official and editor of 38 North, told AP.

The failed April launch of Pyongyang's new Unha-3 rocket occurred at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, a sophisticated, newer site on the country's northwestern coast.

The new commercial satellite photos of Tonghae, taken by DigitalGlobe, also show halted construction at fuel and oxidizer buildings near the new pad, the analysis said. Those buildings are described as crucial to any future tests.

The exact reason for the halt isn't clear, but the analysis says the rains this summer that killed dozens of people and submerged large amounts of farmland are one explanation. North Korea is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters because of its poor drainage, widespread deforestation and poor infrastructure.

There are no workers or heavy construction equipment at the new pad site. No flooding can be seen in the new photos, but the analysis speculates that the construction equipment may have been moved to help with rebuilding efforts elsewhere. It says that heavy equipment can only get to the site by a rutted dirt trail that crosses a stream.

"Whatever the reason, the slowdown, barring concerted North Korean efforts to make up for lost time, could result in a 1-2 year slip in the planned completion date of the new complex, which was probably the middle of this decade," the report said.

It said Pyongyang can still launch longer-range rockets from its Sohae facility.

The analysis also notes as an "important new development" the start of what could be a new launch control center meant for the entire complex. It's the only site "where work is proceeding at a rapid pace," the report said.

The images are also said to show "further, although very slow, progress" at a structure meant to build future long-range rocket stages. North Korea has also apparently improved is ability to destroy launched missiles, "an important development since rockets from Tonghae can come close to or overfly Japan."

___

Online: http://38north.org/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-25-NKorea-Rocket%20Work/id-3312f57e62cf480f886b5f6e9529057e

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Lab-Grown Leather Could Be a Reality In 5 Years

Leather as a material is actually very interesting.

Light, Flexible, Sturdy, Tough, and a great insulator.

Still there isn't a replacement for it in a lot of protective gear. Such as Motorcycle jackets, they are not to make you look bad-ass but if you fall off your bike as an armor so you don't scrape yourself all up. Metal and Plastic is too ridgid, or too flimsy. Leather has the perfect use.

However I don't see much of a market for artificial leather, only because we are still eating cows. Most farms don't produce leather only cattle, but beef cattle what use the hides for leather.

Now if this technology makes affordable meat like it thinks it could, then perhaps artifical leather can come in.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/GAFoWGzLhWw/lab-grown-leather-could-be-a-reality-in-5-years

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Iran tests home-built anti-aircraft system: report

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran successfully tested a domestically made anti-aircraft system, its English-language Press TV said on Monday, the latest in a series of military exercises Tehran has trumpeted in the face of hints that its nuclear sites could be attacked.

"The mid-range system ... is capable of intercepting targets at a range of 50 km (30 miles) and can fly at an altitude of 75,000 feet," state-run Press TV's website said.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said at a military parade displaying the weapons on Friday: "The system has been manufactured with the aim of confronting (hostile) U.S. aircraft."

"The Ra'd air defense system is the first completely indigenous system of the Sepah (Revolutionary Guards), which has been designed and manufactured by committed Iranian technicians in the struggle for self-sufficiency," Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace arm, was quoted on Sunday as saying Iran might launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state was about to attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made increasing suggestions that Israel could bomb Iran's nuclear sites and has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's stance that sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time to stop what Israeli and U.S. officials see as an Iranian bid to develop a nuclear bomb.

This has raised speculation about possible Israeli military action ahead of U.S. elections in November. Washington has not ruled out last-resort military action if no deal can be reached on curbing Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons capability, saying its atomic activity is peaceful, aimed at generating electricity.

Tehran launched a submarine and a destroyer into the Gulf from the port of Bandar Abbas last Tuesday at the same time as U.S. and allied navies were conducting exercises in the same waters to practice keeping oil shipping lanes open.

In a separate report on Monday, Ali Fadavi, a naval commander in the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iran had simultaneously test-fired four sea missiles in the Gulf on Sunday.

"During exercises, four sea missiles were simultaneously fired at a big sea target yesterday. The (targeted) vessel sank in about 50 seconds," Fadavi said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran has said it could hit Israel and U.S. bases in the region if it comes under attack. It has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the neck of the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass. (Writing by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-tests-home-built-anti-aircraft-system-report-183348407.html

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DAILY TRANSFORMATIONAL NUGGETS FOR THE BODY, MIND ...

DAILY TRANSFORMATIONAL NUGGETS FOR THE BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT: ?Remember? Day 23 ? ?Inspire the World?

Today?s Body Connection:? When you say yes to health and fitness you will inspire the world.? When you lift yourself up, others will follow.? Set the intention to affect others with how you live your life.? You don?t have to say anything; just live your new life.? When you walk into the gym, walk proud, like you are on a mission.? When you run or walk in your neighborhood, do it with gusto and purpose.? During your training session with your trainer, the person next to you is copying the workout.? What you do today can and will inspire the world to be fit.

Today?s Meditative Thought:? Once we have said yes to the lessons and transformation, energy becomes contagious.? People will be attracted to your radiant power.? They will ask you, ?What have you been doing??? Your family and friends will want to know what is so different about you.?? Be aware that it is the divine light of God that is the attraction, their divine light connecting with your divine light that is so divine.? This is known as the power of ?Namaste,? the God in you recognizes the God in me.?? Allow it to flow and be free.

Today?s Action Plan:? Today, remember we were created to inspire others to be great. Set the intention to radiate inspiration.? Observe your surroundings and journal your experience.

Today?s Affirmation:? Just for this moment?just for this breath, I remember that I am transforming my world.? Amen

Skip Jennings, ALSP, CPT
Licensed Spiritual Counselor/Personal Fitness Trainer/Transformation Coach
For more information about spiritual counseling, fitness training, or life coaching visit: www.skipjennings.com
FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: www.skipjennings.com/simple_form.php

Get your copy of ?Spirit Explosion? http://www.skipjennings.com/publications-videos.html

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Source: http://spiritualnugget.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/daily-transformational-nuggets-for-the-body-mind-and-spirit-remember-day-23-inspire-the-world/

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Oic-expo ? Everything You Need to Know About Car Insurance

Every year, more cars and drivers travel the highways. With so many cars on the road, accidents will happen. The difference between a minor bother and major pain can be car insurance. So how do you know what insurance you need and how much to buy? Auto insurance protects you by paying for damage caused to your car or another person?s car and injury to others, yourself, or your passengers, and specific other occurrences, such as theft. Every state and province mandates car insurance by law. Without insurance, you risk having to pay the total price of any harm you cause others or of repairing or replacing your car if it is damaged or stolen.Pays for damages due to bodily injury and property damage to others for which you are responsible. Bodily injury damages include medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. Property damage includes damaged property and loss of use of property. If you are sued, it also pays your defense and court costs. Higher recommended insurances are available that cover more than the lower, state-mandated insurance. Personal injury protection: This is required in some states and is optional in others. Sometimes referred to as no-fault coverage, this pays the medical treatment for you or your passengers regardless of who was at fault. It may also pay for lost earnings, replacement of services and funeral expenses. State law typically sets minimum amounts. Medical payments: This coverage is available in non-no-fault states; it pays despite who may have been at fault. It pays for an insured person?s reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses for bodily injury from an accident. Collision: Pays for damage to your car caused by a collision. Comprehensive: Applies if your car is stolen or damaged by causes other than collision, including fire, wind, hail, flood or vandalism. Uninsured motorist: Pays for damages when an insured person is injured in a crash caused by another person who does not have liability insurance or by a person who cannot be identified (usually a hit-and-run driver). Under-insured motorist: Pays for damages when an insured person is injured in a crash caused by another person who does not have enough liability insurance to cover the full amount of the damages. Other coverage, such as emergency road service and car rental, is also available.Your auto insurance payments vary by company and will depend on several factors, including: * What coverage you select * The make and model of the car you drive * Your driving record * Your age, sex and marital status and * Where you live Some have come to think of auto insurance as a necessary evil, but it can truly rescue your economic health Evaluate your needs, do your research and with the help of your insurance agent make the decision that best suits you.

Source: http://www.oic-expo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-car-insurance-2/

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Apple recruiting ex-Google Maps engineers

A writer focused on covering early-stage startups, especially those with a technology focus. ? Learn More

Apple is going after people with experience working on Google Maps to develop its own product, according to a source with connections on both teams. Using recruiters, Apple is pursuing a strategy of luring away Google Maps employees who helped develop the search giant?s product on contract, and many of those individuals seem eager to accept due in part to the opportunity Apple represents to build new product, instead of just doing ?tedious updates? on a largely complete platform.

My source ? a contractor who worked on Google Maps as part of a massive undertaking to integrate Street View and newly licensed third-party data to improve European coverage, as well as develop the platform?s turn-by-turn navigation ? says that when attention turned to indoor mapping, things started to become less interesting and a lot of staff began looking around for other opportunities. That turned out to be good timing for Cupertino. Here?s what my source describes happening around that time:

Many of my coworkers at Google Maps eventually left when their contracts ended or on their own accord. One guy looked around for other GIS work and ended up at Apple when a recruiter contacted him. He had heard rumors for a while that Apple was going to develop its own in-house mapping platform, and given his experience at Google, he was an easy hire. Apple went out of their way to bring him down to Cupertino and he?s now paid hansomly as a GIS Analyst. Another coworker that was a project lead at Google Maps, left for the East Coast after his contract ended, and was recently contacted by an Apple recruiter. The position sounds like a product development manager position, and will pay him $85k+ and all the moving expenses from the East Coast. He?s gone through 2 rounds of interview and seems like a frontrunner to land that position.

The interest in ex-Googlers is well-placed, he says, and it does seem like Apple is actively looking for more talent to add to its team, according to recent job listings the company has posted. And while there?s a tough road ahead for Apple playing catch-up in this area, my source believes that the?possibility?of building a platform that truly competes with Google Maps is well within reach for Apple.

Apple has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to build a robust mapping platform to counter Google Maps, so it doesn?t surprise me that it?s going out of its way to lure former and current Google Maps employees. At Google Maps, we know what data?s important, rendering priorities, keyword searches, and how the user experience is suppose to be. However, Apple needs to find a way to get its own 5 million miles of street view data, partner with the right folks, and spend a fortune on licensed data ? which it can.

Source: http://feeds.loopinsight.com/~r/loopinsight/KqJb/~3/paa1o_NfZ4c/

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How to use Passbook on your iPhone

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Rosa Golijan

If you didn't stay up until 3 a.m. to pre-order an iPhone 5 last week, you were probably?too late to get one confirmed for shipment by Frida... Read more

13 hrs.

Randy Nelson , Tecca

One of the?most useful ? but likely misunderstood ? new features introduced in Apple's iOS 6 software for the iPhone is called Passbook. At first glance, the app might even seem like it doesn't serve a purpose. While it might not exactly be well-explained, it can simplify the process of keeping track of various passes ? such as tickets, coupons, and gift cards ? once you know how it works.

Step 1: Downloading supported apps

In order to do things with Passbook, you need to have apps that work with it installed on your phone. Getting them is easy enough: When you load up the Passbook app for the first time, you'll see a screen describing what it can do, along with a button that, when touched, whisks you away to a special Passbook section of the App Store.

Once there, you'll see a current list of all the Passbook-compatible apps available for download. They include those from United Airlines, American Airlines, Fandango, Target, Walgreens, and more. For the purpose of this article, we've downloaded the latter two.

Step 2: Finding things to add to Passbook

In the case of Walgreens' app (download for iPhone) you can add the chain's rewards card, called Balance Rewards, to your Passbook. This involves scanning your physical card's barcode or entering your info, after which you're able to store a virtual version of the card in Passbook. You also have the option of selecting your nearest store, so that when you're near it your phone will automatically display your card.

Target's app (download for iPhone) gives you to special mobile coupons redeemable at your local store. The latest version of the app lets you add these coupons to Passbook so they can be quickly accessed without having to load the actual Target app.

For other apps, such as Fandango and Major League Baseball (MLB), you can add movie and event tickets to Passbook in a similar fashion, then have them scanned at the theater or sporting venue. Airline passes for United, American Airlines, and Lufthansa will be automatically displayed when you arrive at the airport, and Passbook can even alert you to your gate number and any changes to your flight that might occur.

Step 3: Using Passbook in everyday life

As we mentioned earlier, with location-aware Passbook passes you can have your iPhone alert you when you're near somewhere they can be used. For example, with the Walgreens Balance Rewards card, a notification will appear on the iPhone's lock screen anytime you're near the Walgreens you've designated as your home store. Sliding the notification causes the virtual card to slide onto the screen so that it can be scanned. Pressing the menu button makes it slide back off so you can unlock your phone.

Passes such as the Target mobile coupons aren't location-aware, so you actually need to run the Passbook app and tap on them so they can be scanned. Tickets, boarding passes, and gift cards can be set to automatically alert you when you're near where they can be used. It really just depends on the way the apps that create the passes are designed.

When you're done using a pass, you get to use one of our favorite features ? well, at least the most fun ? of Passbook, the shredder. Tapping the small information icon on a pass will flip it over to reveal settings, such as the ability to turn its location-awareness on and off, or determine whether or not it'll display on your lock screen. If you tap the trash can icon, you'll be asked if you want to delete the pass. Tap yes and an animated shredder will slide up the screen, cutting the pass into strips, removing it from Passbook.

Handy, and sure to get better

Passbook has only been available for a matter of days, but we're already finding it pretty handy. Its usefulness will only improve as more retailers and businesses design their apps to make use of it. Before long, we'll all hopefully have a lot more room in our wallets because of fewer cards and papers we'll need to worry about losing thanks to this handy app.

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-use-passbook-your-iphone-1B6043714

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