Sunday, March 31, 2013

What we learned at GDC 2013: Consoles and PCs merge, but ...

playstation-4

Freemium games are sprouting like weeds. That?s what it looked like as I wandered the show floor at GDC 2013. An indicator that the freemium model (where you get a game for free but end up paying for small upgrades within the game) has become mainstream, it?s also a sign of the importance of mobile and social gaming. Many, many mobile games are free, but they generate revenue with ads or by selling in-app virtual goods.

That?s not to say that traditional AAA console and PC titles are dead. Battlefield 4?s shiny new trailer received a lot of oohs and aahs at the show. Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age 3 are ratcheting up the visual quality for the new console generation, as well. The era of big budget, loud, and glossy games isn?t ending soon, but those types of games are becoming less relevant as gaming moves forward.

The shift to mobile platforms has progressed over the last decade, but this year?s GDC signifies a sea change. The industry is trying to adapt. The number of companies selling online billing services to handle microtransactions is just one metric. The big technology companies are aware, too, and are taking their own steps to address this new market. It?s a measure of the uncertainty and fragmentation of this new market that each of the players seem to be taking in slightly different directions.

Hardware makers get mobile and look to the cloud

Intel's AOIT extension to DirectX 11.1 makes transparency easier for game programmers.

Intel?s AOIT extension to DirectX 11.1 makes transparency easier for game programmers.

Intel is working to make its next-generation integrated graphics built into their upcoming Haswell laptop CPUs work more effectively with current generation games. The company is even creating extensions to DirectX to make the platform behave in a more console-like manner.

AMD, howevver, is supporting cloud gaming in a big way with its release of the Radeon Sky server-based GPUs. However, the company is hedging its bets. With AMD?s design win with the PlayStation 4 and a rumored win with the next-gen Xbox, the company is betting a lot of revenue on the success of the new consoles ? the poor sales of the Wii U, which uses AMD?s Radeon graphics, must be worrying. It?s recent release of the budget priced Radeon HD 7790 should help it maintain interest.

Nvidia is also betting on cloud gaming with its GeForce Grid server line, but is still maintaining its release schedule, shipping an updated, better performing budget card with its GTX 650 Boost Edition. Meanwhile, Nvidia is still showing off its Project Shield handheld console, which is meant to attract a gamer who wants it all, but is also on the move, but neither pricing or ship dates have been announced.

Microsoft?s is trying to keep its feet squarely in all trends at once. However, that sometimes comes across as having a lack of focus. Windows 8 has been a less than stellar success for desktop PCs, but, as the new interface takes hold,?touch-enabled laptops and tablets may see interesting new games. The Windows side of the company is aggressively pushing tablet gaming with Windows 8.

Meanwhile, initiatives like Xbox SmartGlass means that the console side of Microsoft is at least dimly aware of the importance of tablets, but only as subsidiary devices ? god forbid you might actually want to play a game on a tablet.

Big studios try to adapt

Bioware's use of weekend operations kept multiplayer users actively interested.

Bioware?s use of weekend operations kept multiplayer users actively interested.

The big gaming studios are certainly aware of the shifting sands, but with so much capital invested in old-school gaming, they?re still trying to figure out how to make money in the new world of always connected, mobile gamers. Bioware?s attempt at turning Mass Effect 3 into a service, rather than a packaged good, was one of the more interesting, if somewhat flawed, experiments. The new, service-oriented approach kept Mass Effect 3 alive in player?s minds for a year after the launch, but mixed messages and incomplete communication confused both the gaming press and gamers.

The real action is in free-to-play games, but the incremental nature of freemium revenues has been a mixed success for the big players. Star Wars: The Old Republic has seen mixed success as it moves to a free-to-play model, but more nimble companies in the market, like Wargaming.net, have reaped substantial rewards. Free-to-play has become the top business model for mobile gaming. On the MMO side, it?s looking like the subscription model is increasingly moribund, as high profile titles like The Secret World?have moved rapidly to free-to-play after initial attempts at more traditional subscriptions failed to garner enough users to keep the game profitable.

What?s going on?

What does this all mean in the long-term? The rich array of different gaming platforms will attract more users to gaming than ever before, but it also means that major publishers are more risk averse. Addicted to current revenue streams from big budget games, their experiments with mobile gaming and user engagement after games ship has been slow to come. However, mobile hardware and software is also exploding with products ranging from tablet-like phones to extremely Ultrabook PCs stealing sales away from traditional consoles and desktop PCs. The big players will have to evolve to serve this new generation of users, or risk ending up on the scrap heap of technology history.

Source: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/gdc-tech-consoles-and-pcs-merge-but-mobile-is-king/

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Pope Again Surprises With Easter Homily (talking-points-memo)

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Male African-American Unemployment Is Over 50 Percent Among Dropouts

dailycaller.com:

More than half of male African-American high school dropouts are unemployed, according to a new online analysis of unemployment data by Remapping Debate, a left-of-center news site in New York.

?This is an emergency, this is a catastrophe [but Washington is] not rating it as a catastrophe,? said the site?s editor, Craig Gurian, told The Daily Caller.

The rate is ?unbelievable, it is unbelievable,? said a Republican Senate staff member.

The online data shows the unemployment rates for 270 subgroups of Americans.

Read the whole story at dailycaller.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/male-african-american-unemployment_n_2986180.html

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Great Clips President Charlie Simpson to Receive ... - Franchising.com

MINNEAPOLIS - March 22, 2013 - Great Clips President Charlie Simpson has been selected to receive the ShareOn Corporate Leader Resources Leadership Award on March 28 at the Annual Share On Forum in Minneapolis. Each year, ShareOn Corporate Leader Resources honors a business leader who demonstrates exemplary behavior supporting the development of leaders within their organization, has contributed to a program or product that supports leadership development and shows a willingness to share perspectives and insights about leadership with others in our community.

?Charlie Simpson is one of the best franchise executives I have met,? said Ray Barton, Chairman of Great Clips. ?He has had a huge impact on Great Clips. His calm, professional manner and direct approach to problem solving inspires confidence in all those around him. Charlie has helped Great Clips through a succession planning process, and he is a great mentor and coach.?

Mr. Simpson joined Great Clips in January 1999 as the Vice President of Franchise Development. He served as the Senior Vice President of Franchise Development from July 2001 to May 2004, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer from June 2004 to January 2011. He was promoted to President in February 2011.

Prior to joining Great Clips in 1999, Mr. Simpson gained more than 25 years of experience performing various executive roles in franchise operations and franchise sales with The Southland Corporation, franchisor of 7-Eleven convenience stores. His unique perspective on franchising was not only developed on the corporate side, but from the franchisee perspective as well. He and his wife have owned and operated two separate franchise businesses, including two Great Clips salons in Dallas.

About Great Clips, Inc.

Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has more than 3,300 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world?s largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 30,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn advanced skills and the latest trends. Make Great Clips your choice for value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. No appointments needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. And, it?s more convenient than ever with Great Clips? Online Check-In and Clip Notes. To check-in online, visit www.greatclips.com or download the app for Android and iPhone. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit www.greatclips.com.

SOURCE Great Clips, Inc.

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Breckenridge proposes summer plans under federal recreation ...

Vail Resorts will mirror its Vail plans for summer recreation development at Breckenridge. On Friday the company submitted a second proposal to the Forest Service ? very similar to the plans it proposed for Vail last summer ? that would extend the Epic Discovery summer plan to Summit County?s Breckenridge ski area.

The Breckenridge proposal would add 14 miles of mountain bike trails, hiking zones, zip lines and rope courses with the same educational, interactive centers Vail Resorts plans for its Vail ski area. The plan also includes working with The Nature Conservancy to develop ?eco-discovery experiences? and Vail said it would contribute 1 percent of all summer lift ticket revenue to forest restoration.

Handout, Vail Resorts

Breckenridge hopes to develop summer activities that include trails, outdoor climbing walls, ropes courses and zip lines combined with interactive, educational programs.

The Breckenridge plan is the second resort proposal offered to the Forest Service under 2011?s federal Ski Area Recreational Opportunities Enhancement Act, which was designed to stir summer economies in resort communities.

?I authored the bipartisan Ski Area Recreational Opportunities Enhancement Act to drive job creation and tourism in Colorado?s mountain communities. I am thrilled this new law continues to benefit Colorado small businesses, resorts and towns, such as Breckenridge, which are eager to introduce Colorado?s forests to more individuals, groups and families,? said Senator Mark Udall, in a statement released by Vail Resorts on Friday. ?Colorado has the best public lands, open spaces and mountains in the world. I am glad my common-sense legislation will help our resorts continue to boost our mountain communities? economies throughout the year.?

If the Forest Service approves the Breckenridge plan, the company hopes to begin construction in 2015.

Source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thebalancesheet/2013/03/29/breckenridge-proposed-summer-plans-under-federal-recreation-opportunities-enhancement-act/9116/

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New Afghanistan Commander: 'We're Here to Win' (ABC News)

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Friday, March 29, 2013

This Bizarre Media Streamer Is Your Deal of the Day

The Boxee Box came out in November 2010, which is eons ago in gadget time. Since then, there has been a new Apple TV, two new flagship Rokus, and even a new Boxee. The king of the streamer world is now the $100 Roku 3. Still—this absurdly shaped open-source streamer has quite the following, and that's because it's the last major set top box to embrace a maximalist, open philosophy: wanna plug in a hard drive and play some Xvid files? Sure! Channels for MLB.tv, or Netflix or Youtube? Got 'em. Hey, want to catch some over-the-air television? You can do that with a $50 dongle. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Fnhr1oFYEKA/this-bizarre-media-streamer-is-your-deal-of-the-day

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Ask A VC: AngelList's Naval Ravikant On The Currency Of Silicon Valley And More

naval-1AngelList’s Naval Ravikant joined us in the TechCrunch TV studio for our Ask A VC series, where we put VCs in the hot seat. Ravikant talked about the currency of Silicon Valley, which he says is deals shared, talent referred, and acquirers introduced. He explains that AngelList, a service he co-founded that matches early-stage startups with investors, puts these transactions online. We also chatted about his secret to picking the right startups for angel investments (Ravikant invested in Twitter, Foursquare, BranchOut, Codecademy, Uber, Heyzap and Disqus). Check out the video above for more!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/G4xpuIXalL8/

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Red Ted Art :: A New Kids' Craft Book & Interview (+ Giveaway ...

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 1

Maggy Woodley is the crafty dynamo behind the Red Ted Art blog. This Austrian-born, UK-based mom of two also has a new book (released today!) by the same name.

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book Smaller***Note: Readers will have a chance to win a copy of Maggy's new kids' craft book, Red Ted Art: Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids, at the end of this interview.***

JEAN: Maggy, Your new book is gorgeous! Plus it?s filled with tons of fun craft ideas for kids. You must be so proud! Can you tell us a bit about the process of creating your book?

MAGGY:?Thank you Jean. I am so pleased you like the book (it is quite nerve racking having?the first copies going out to people!).

For my book, the process was reasonably straight forward. The publisher helped select a range of crafts. After that, the hard work of making and writing began. I had an intense 4-5 weeks of doing this ? fitting around my children, home and family holidays! Quite a busy time. Once all the writing and crafting was completed we had a 4-day photo shoot, which was great fun! We also came up with the book cover at the photo shoot and I am SO pleased with the result. The publisher then did their design magic. It was a busy process, but great fun and great to be involved every step of the way and to be able to input my views at every stage.

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 2

JEAN: What do YOU get out of crafting? What do you think your kids get out of crafting?

MAGGY:?I enjoy the process of creating and I love seeing the finished result. Especially when you have taken something that is deemed as ?junk or rubbish? and transformed it into something pretty or useful. I hate ?waste? and I love the challenge of repurposing. I also love homemade gifts.

The kids seem to enjoy various aspects of crafting ? they love the process ? using paints and glues and seeing what happens (we often have a messy session after an ?ordinary? craft session, where they ?play and explore? with all the left over bits and pieces) and I think they are proud of what they make. We often send things to family and I encourage them to make small presents for their friends? birthdays. We also play with many of our crafts.

So I guess it is a bit of everything ? doing, creating, transforming and then having a play thing at the end.

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 3

JEAN: Was YOUR childhood like this?

MAGGY:? I had glimpses of this as a child ? When I was very little we had an au pair girl who introduced me to the wonders of ?nature crafts? and crafts that I often refer to as ?classic German? crafts (though they are probably classic worldwide), we made chestnut creatures, paper stars and walnut boats. Later, I had an ?adoptive? grandmother who took me under her crafty wing ? she taught me how to sew and how to knit, she baked fairy cakes with me and encouraged all things creative.? She wasn?t always around, but she was around enough. When I was a teenager, I had a ?crafty best friend? and we used to make things together all the time (until she moved back to Austria).

I remember all these craft sessions fondly and want my children to have a similar set themselves!

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 4

JEAN:? Crafts are often more product oriented than art. Can you talk about how you keep the?process?important as well?

MAGGY:??Yes, crafts are most definitely product orientated and that of course is the tricky part for those of us focused on process and it something I am conscious of and do sometimes ?worry? about.

My main approach is:

1)?????I try very hard to leave them creative freedom ? e.g. they choose the colours etc. or, recently, my son wanted to use googly eyes and my daughter wanted to draw on huge eyes. They add their own ideas to my ?existing crafts.? {The peg people photo is a good example of this ? yes, I made some perfect ones for them ? in order to get them interested.. but then they went off and did their own thing ? I particularly like THEIR invention of the glitter hair!}

2)?????Sometimes they don?t want to make something I suggest and ask to do something different, so we do. I never ?force them?. But usually they are enthusiastic.

3)?????My kids will come to me and say I want to make e.g. a Robin out of this egg (he recently made a Batman), I embrace these moments and go with what they want to do.

4)?????They always get to ?play? with left over materials (there is usually a lot of paint in our dish or scarps of fabric or craft foam to glue with.

5)?????We have specific process-orientated art sessions for exploration (I even started a mini series on this on my blog, which I need to refocus on again). It is something that I sometimes lose sight of and do try and do more (YOUR book, Jean, has been a great help with this ? reminding me about making time for this on a regular basis).

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 5

Overall they are learning techniques and skills regardless of whether it is just process or there is a product at the end ? they are great at handling scissors, pens and brushes. They have great ideas of their own. And I have had many people comment (almost in surprise?!) at how creative they seem to be (?after all that product-orientated activity?). So I think product-orientated activities are not ?all bad,? so long as you give them space and opportunity to experiment and explore.

Maybe it is all about finding a balance? ?

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 6

JEAN: Absolutely! (And you know we love crafts in our home as well.) What are some of your (and your kids?) all-time favorite crafts?

MAGGY: ?Oooh it so tricky! I personally love the frugalness and repurposed-ness of recycled crafts?(e.g. crafting from toilet paper rolls),?and I love the tactileness of nature crafts (e.g. sticks and stones).

My son would say his favourite craft (right now) is anything to do with superheros (note the Robin and Batman eggs mentioned above). My daughter loves making peg dolls with glitter hair!

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book 7

JEAN: I am always amazed at your enthusiasm and productivity! Where do you get your energy? And how can I get some of it for myself? :)

MAGGY:? It goes in fits and starts ? we have super creative weeks when we make LOADS and then I spread it out over weeks on the blog ? so it looks like we are creative regularly, when in fact we may have not made anything for two weeks. I also used to work to a schedule (not so much now) and that gave me a focus.

And you know? I just LOVE crafts and making things. So really, most of the time it isn?t like work at all and I often have a long ?to do list? of things I would like to make with the kids. Including revisiting crafts that we have done before, as I really want them to form part of their childhood memories!

Red Ted Art Book

JEAN: I guess I?m the same in many ways! Especially regarding the ebbs and flows of creative work? Okay, anything else you?d like to add?

MAGGY:? For people looking to buy the book ? I would really like them to use the book as INSPIRATION not a craft manual. That is one of the reasons we didn?t provide templates ? we wanted people to look, be inspired and do their own thing. Put their own stamp on things. I know there are lots of step-by-step instructions ? of course there are certain ways of making things ? but can you come up with a better idea? Can you make it more fun? Can you make it in an easier way? Can you experiment with the idea?

Also, I would love for people to use the book as an opportunity to do things together ? younger children of course will need a lot more help than older children. It is therefore tempting to leave older children ?to it? (I have had some lovely photos through of my agent?s 10yrs old daughter making a brilliant sock monkey and hobby horse all by herself!), but I think it would still be great to find things to do together ? or maybe one of you does one project and the other something different.

JEAN: Thanks so much, Maggy! You?re an inspiration, as is your book. I?m sure many families will enjoy exploring your craft ideas together and making them part of their children?s early memories!

You can connect with Maggy on her?Red Ted Art blog, on Google+, facebook, or on Pinterest.

If you are in the UK or Europe, you can pick up a copy of Maggy's book, Red Ted Art: Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids beginning today. (It will be available in the US this fall.)

Red Ted Art Kids Crafts Book SmallerReaders who leave a comment to this post by Monday, April 1st at 11:59pm EST will be entered to win a copy of Red Ted Art: Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids by Maggy Woodley. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced here on Tuesday (I will also e-mail the winner). Giveaway open to readers everywhere.

Good luck!

Source: http://www.artfulparent.com/2013/03/red-ted-art-a-new-kids-craft-book-interview-giveaway.html

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OUYA available at retail on June 4 for $99

OUYA available at retail on June 4 for TKTK DNP

The Android-powered $99 OUYA game console becomes available at retail on June 4th -- a date which was revealed this week during the Game Developers Conference. OUYA's calling June 4th its "official launch date," despite Kickstarter backers receiving units starting this month. Essentially, the two month waiting period between Kickstarter boxes and retail availability is being used as a consumer beta, giving OUYA time to adjust its software after getting feedback from early adopters.

It's not clear if bundles will be available, but the game console itself and a controller (as well as power and HDMI cables, plus two AA batteries for the controller) are included in the $99 package. Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and others are on board, so it shouldn't be too hard locating one in June should your interest be piqued -- and yes, pre-orders are available. Of course, it's a pretty small game console, so it might be a bit tough locating the thing with your eyes.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/ouya-at-retail-june-4/

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sun block for the 'Big Dog'

Thursday, March 28, 2013

An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of Cologne, successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in the known universe and close to the end of its life. The detection was made using telescope arrays in the USA and in France.

The discovery was made in the course of a study of a spectacular star, VY Canis Majoris or VY CMa for short, which is a variable star located in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog). "VY CMa is not an ordinary star, it is one of the largest stars known, and it is close the end of its life," says Tomasz Kami?ski from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR). In fact, with a size of about one to two thousand times that of the Sun, it could extend out to the orbit of Saturn if it were placed in the centre of our Solar System.

The star ejects large quantities of material which forms a dusty nebula. It becomes visible because of the small dust particles that form around it which reflect light from the central star. The complexity of this nebula has been puzzling astronomers for decades. It has been formed as a result of stellar wind, but it is not understood well why it is so far from having a spherical shape.

Neither is known what physical process blows the wind, i.e. what lifts the material up from the stellar surface and makes it expand. "The fate of VY CMa is to explode as a supernova, but it is not known exactly when it will happen", adds Karl Menten, head of the "Millimetre and Submillimetre Astronomy" Department at MPIfR.

Observations at different wavelengths provide different pieces of information which is characteristic for atomic and molecular gas and from which physical properties of an astronomical object can be derived. Each molecule has a characteristic set of lines, something like a 'bar code', that allows to identify what molecules exist in the nebula.

"Emission at short radio wavelengths, in so-called submillimetre waves, is particularly useful for such studies of molecules", says Sandra Br?nken from the University of Cologne. "The identification of molecules is easier and usually a larger abundance of molecules can be observed than at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum."

The research team observed TiO and TiO2 for the first time at radio wavelengths. In fact, titanium dioxide has been seen in space unambiguously for the first time. It is known from every-day life as the main component of the commercially most important white pigment (known by painters as "titanium white") or as an ingredient in sunscreens. It is also quite possible that the reader consumed some amounts of it as it is used to colour food (coded as E171 in the labels).

However, stars, especially the coolest of them, are expected to eject large quantities of titanium oxides, which, according to theory, form at relatively high temperatures close to the star. "They tend to cluster together to form dust particles visible in the optical or in the infrared," says Nimesh Patel from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "And the catalytic properties of TiO2 may influence the chemical processes taking place on these dust particles, which are very important for forming larger molecules in space", adds Holger M?ller from the University of Cologne.

Absorption features of TiO have been known from spectra in the visible region for more than a hundred years. In fact, these features are used in part to classify some types of stars with low surface temperatures (M- and S-type stars). The pulsation of Mira stars, one specific class of variable stars, is thought to be caused by titanium oxide. Mira stars, supergiant variable stars in a late stage of their evolution, are named after their prototype star "Mira" (the wonderful) in the constellation of Cetus (the 'sea monster' or the 'whale').

The observations of TiO and TiO2 show that the two molecules are easily formed around VY CMa at a location that is more or less as predicted by theory. It seems, however, that some portion of those molecules avoid forming dust and are observable as gas phase species. Another possibility is that the dust is destroyed in the nebula and releases fresh TiO molecules back to the gas. The latter scenario is quite likely as parts of the wind in VY CMa seem to collide with each other.

The new detections at submillimetre wavelengths are particularly important because they allow studying the process of dust formation. Also, at optical wavelengths, the radiation emitted by the molecules is scattered by dust present in the extended nebula which blurs the picture, while this effect is negligible at radio wavelengths allowing for more precise measurements.

The discoveries of TiO and TiO2 in the spectrum of VY CMa have been made with the Submillimetre Array (SMA), a radio interferometer located at Hawaii, USA. Because the instrument combines eight antennas which worked together as one big telescope 226-meters in size, astronomers were able to make observations at unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. A confirmation of the new detections was successively made later with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) located in the French Alps.

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Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 551, A113 (March 2013). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201220290.

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft 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.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127502/Sun_block_for_the__Big_Dog_

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A Horizontal Rainbow Makes For Easier Trips to Oz

We've all seen our share of quadruple rainbows and rainbows from space, but it's not to often you catch on lying down one the job. A particularly lazy refraction showed up in Paris the other day, but it's not quite as it seems. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/R9zHi1royf0/a-horizontal-rainbow-makes-for-easier-trips-to-oz

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Developing our sense of smell

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

When our noses pick up a scent, whether the aroma of a sweet rose or the sweat of a stranger at the gym, two types of sensory neurons are at work in sensing that odor or pheromone. These sensory neurons are particularly interesting because they are the only neurons in our bodies that regenerate throughout adult life?as some of our olfactory neurons die, they are soon replaced by newborns. Just where those neurons come from in the first place has long perplexed developmental biologists.

Previous hypotheses about the origin of these olfactory nerve cells have given credit to embryonic cells that develop into skin or the central nervous system, where ear and eye sensory neurons, respectively, are thought to originate. But biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have now found that neural-crest stem cells?multipotent, migratory cells unique to vertebrates that give rise to many structures in the body such as facial bones and smooth muscle?also play a key role in building olfactory sensory neurons in the nose.

"Olfactory neurons have long been thought to be solely derived from a thickened portion of the ectoderm; our results directly refute that concept," says Marianne Bronner, the Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology at Caltech and corresponding author of a paper published in the journal eLIFE on March 19 that outlines the findings.

The two main types of sensory neurons in the olfactory system are ciliated neurons, which detect volatile scents, and microvillous neurons, which usually sense pheromones. Both of these types are found in the tissue lining the inside of the nasal cavity and transmit sensory information to the central nervous system for processing.

In the new study, the researchers showed that during embryonic development, neural-crest stem cells differentiate into the microvillous neurons, which had long been assumed to arise from the same source as the odor-sensing ciliated neurons. Moreover, they demonstrated that different factors are necessary for the development of these two types of neurons. By eliminating a gene called Sox10, they were able to show that formation of microvillous neurons is blocked whereas ciliated neurons are unaffected.

They made this discovery by studying the development of the olfactory system in zebrafish?a useful model organism for developmental biology studies due to the optical clarity of the free-swimming embryo. Understanding the origins of olfactory neurons and the process of neuron formation is important for developing therapeutic applications for conditions like anosmia, or the inability to smell, says Bronner.

"A key question in developmental biology?the extent of neural-crest stem cell contribution to the olfactory system?has been addressed in our paper by multiple lines of experimentation," says Ankur Saxena, a postdoctoral scholar in Bronner's laboratory and lead author of the study. "Olfactory neurons are unique in their renewal capacity across species, so by learning how they form, we may gain insights into how neurons in general can be induced to differentiate or regenerate. That knowledge, in turn, may provide new avenues for pursuing treatment of neurological disorders or injury in humans."

Next, the researchers will examine what other genes, in addition to Sox10, play a role in the process by which neural-crest stem cells differentiate into microvillous neurons. They also plan to look at whether or not neural-crest cells give rise to new microvillous neurons during olfactory regeneration that happens after the embryonic stage of development.

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California Institute of Technology: http://www.caltech.edu

Thanks to California Institute of Technology for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127460/Developing_our_sense_of_smell

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Women Make Up 10% Of Founders In Y Combinator's Current Class ...

Y Combinator?s Winter 2013 Demo Day is a scaled back affair in many ways ? 47 startups are graduating at today?s event, down significantly from the 84-startup Summer 2012 class and the 66-startup Winter 2012 class.

However, there?s one very notable aspect of YC that saw growth this time around: The percentage of founders that are female.

Out of 111 founders in the Winter 2013 YC class, 12 are women ? that?s more than 10 percent, an all-time high for the program. Nine of those co-founders, which you can read more about in-depth in this blog post by Referly founder and YC alum Danielle Morill, are part of startups launching on the record today (14 of the 47 Winter 2013 startups opted to present at Demo Day today on an ?off the record? basis.) It?s still a hugely underrepresented minority, of course, but it is a significant step up from the balance seen in previous classes, which on average had a 4 percent ratio of female founders.

Y Combinator partner Jessica Livingston told me today that this is not the result of any deliberate ?affirmative action? type initiative on the part of its partners. YC is simply seeing a greater number of talented women apply for its program, she said. Also, Livingston said, more of the female founders in the Winter 2013 class are serving as team leaders in the CEO role than they?d seen in any other past class.

There is still a long way to go before we hit the goal recently laid out by Sheryl Sandberg of full 50-50 gender representation in the upper realms of technology and business (and on an anecdotal note, there was still absolutely zero line for the women?s room here at YC Demo Day.) But if Y Combinator continues to fill its role as a smaller bellwether of what?s to come to the larger industry, this could show that the world of tech executives is slowly but surely moving toward more gender diversity.


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Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/26/y-combinator-female-founders-percent-demo-day/

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Carnegie Mellon's Kevin Zollman earns NSF award to investigate economics of science

Carnegie Mellon's Kevin Zollman earns NSF award to investigate economics of science [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Mar-2013
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Contact: Shilo Rea
shilo@cmu.edu
412-268-6094
Carnegie Mellon University

PITTSBURGHCarnegie Mellon University's Kevin Zollman has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project "Incentives, Diversity and Scientific Problem Choice."

Zollman, an associate professor of philosophy in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will use the five-year, $400,000 award to investigate the economics of science to further understand the relationship between scientists and the incentives they face to secure funding, publish papers and receive promotions. He will connect existing studies that use an economic methodology to understand problem choice in order to explore the effects of incentives in science. The results of his work will include tools developed to help scientific policymakers evaluate the effect of different incentive systems.

The CAREER Award is the NSF's most prestigious award designed to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through their outstanding research, excellent teaching and the integration of education and research within the context of their organization's missions.

"Kevin is without doubt one of the most talented young scholars in philosophy today and one of our most committed and effective teachers," said Richard Scheines, head of the Department of Philosophy. "I am delighted that the NSF has chosen to recognize him with such a prestigious award, and that the award will give him the time and resources needed to get deep into a great topic: how does the economic landscape within which science functions affect its ability to acquire knowledge efficiently."

Zollman joined the CMU faculty as the first Herbert Simon Postdoctoral Fellow of Scientific Philosophy in 2008. His research focuses on game theory, agent-based modeling and the philosophy of science. Currently, Zollman teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including courses on Rational Choice, Philosophy of Economics and Social Epistemology.

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For more information on Zollman, visit http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kzollman/.

To learn more about the humanities at Carnegie Mellon, watch this video: http://youtu.be/DFdHcQN-Chs.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

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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.


Carnegie Mellon's Kevin Zollman earns NSF award to investigate economics of science [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 26-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Shilo Rea
shilo@cmu.edu
412-268-6094
Carnegie Mellon University

PITTSBURGHCarnegie Mellon University's Kevin Zollman has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his project "Incentives, Diversity and Scientific Problem Choice."

Zollman, an associate professor of philosophy in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will use the five-year, $400,000 award to investigate the economics of science to further understand the relationship between scientists and the incentives they face to secure funding, publish papers and receive promotions. He will connect existing studies that use an economic methodology to understand problem choice in order to explore the effects of incentives in science. The results of his work will include tools developed to help scientific policymakers evaluate the effect of different incentive systems.

The CAREER Award is the NSF's most prestigious award designed to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through their outstanding research, excellent teaching and the integration of education and research within the context of their organization's missions.

"Kevin is without doubt one of the most talented young scholars in philosophy today and one of our most committed and effective teachers," said Richard Scheines, head of the Department of Philosophy. "I am delighted that the NSF has chosen to recognize him with such a prestigious award, and that the award will give him the time and resources needed to get deep into a great topic: how does the economic landscape within which science functions affect its ability to acquire knowledge efficiently."

Zollman joined the CMU faculty as the first Herbert Simon Postdoctoral Fellow of Scientific Philosophy in 2008. His research focuses on game theory, agent-based modeling and the philosophy of science. Currently, Zollman teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including courses on Rational Choice, Philosophy of Economics and Social Epistemology.

###

For more information on Zollman, visit http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kzollman/.

To learn more about the humanities at Carnegie Mellon, watch this video: http://youtu.be/DFdHcQN-Chs.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share 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.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/cmu-cmk032613.php

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