Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.
Different strokes for different folks. While Darren may have long since sworn off tablets as productivity machines, our very own Billy Steele (a designer by trade, don'tcha know) has been using one to workshop projects with clients. For Darren, anyway, productivity means having a laptop with a discrete GPU at the ready -- except for when the GPU drains his battery life, which is where an app called gfxCardStatus comes in. Rounding things out, we've got Jason Hidalgo talking up the different ways he's attempted to charge his needy PS3 controllers. All that and more after the break.
If, as it should be, mixed martial arts is ever legalized in New York, don't forget to give Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey her share of credit.
On April 18 in Albany, N.Y., the New York state Senate voted 43-14 to approve a bill that would legalize and regulate MMA in the state. It still needs to pass the Assembly and then be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in order to become law.
The bill has passed the state Senate before, but this time around, said Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president for governmental and regulatory affairs, the job was made much easier with Rousey's testimony.
"She got up there and she really made a great presentation and I think she had a significant impact," Ratner said. "We [as executives] can talk all we want to them about the positives of MMA, but to hear it from someone like her, a fighter, someone who is very articulate [and] who made her points very passionately, it definitely made a huge impact."
Rousey, who defeated Miesha Tate by, what else, an arm bar submission to win the title on March 3 in Columbus, was particularly effective when she spoke about what MMA has done for her. She won a bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but said she would be struggling financially had she remained in that sport. She said she'd be losing money if she were a professional judoka.
Several senators approached her, she said, and told her her presentation changed their minds and caused them to vote in favor of the bill.
"MMA has a bad rap among some people," Rousey told Cagewriter. "It's marketed sometimes in a way that is not what the sport is. You hear the marketing, 'Two men enter. One man leaves,' but that's ridiculous. It's not what this sport is. They just do it to sound dramatic. It's like a movie preview. The whole movie isn't just running around and screaming and explosions, but they make it seem like that [in the trailer] so people go to the movie. There's a lot of quiet time and dialogue and there is a plot. What they're doing is like they're comparing a commercial for 'The Bourne Identity' to actually sitting there and watching it for two hours."
She spent time explaining the nuances of her specialty, the arm bar. She pointed out that she'd been arm barred "more times than I can count," and pointed out that she wasn't out snapping bones. She said she doesn't think she's ever broken an opponent's arm.
That, too, worked.
"I explained everything behind it and after I did, they were like, 'OK, that's no problem, it's not barbaric,'" Rousey said.
Her best point, though, may have been when she told the senators that there was actually already MMA going on in the state. She made them aware that there is a robust amateur scene there, but it isn't as safe for the fighters and the fighters aren't able to make a living, like they do when they're professionals and compete where the sport is regulated.
That point struck home with many of the lawmakers.
"In New York, you could fight and have people do MMA," she said. "But they have to do it without the proper medical checks. They have to do it without getting paid. They have to do it without any kind of regulation or oversight. [Amateur MMA in New York] is unsafe the way it is now, because they're missing all the things we have in pro MMA.
"We're not asking them to bring in a bunch of people and tell them to kill each other. That's not what's going on. That's how it was being presented. I wanted to point out that amateur MMA is here already, but we want to get it regulated so it's safe and there is regulation and it is safe and everyone gets paid for what they do. I want to be able to work in any state in my own country. Can you imagine, we're in 2012 and I still legally can't do my job anywhere I want in my country?"
The tens of millions of dollars poured into the legalization effort by UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White will be primarily responsible for MMA's passage in New York, if and when it occurs.
But Rousey's day on the hill shouldn't be forgotten. On that day, the lady was a champ when it came to wooing the legislators.
In Sleeping Beauty (2011), Lucy is a university student, paying her way through college by way of paid clinical trials, part-time office work and a waitressing job. She in large part supports her her mother, an alcoholic with a psychic hotline. She needs more money, always. She's particularly not shy. She likes sex. More »
ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) ? Real-time, 3-D microscopic tissue imaging could be a revolution for medical fields such as cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and ophthalmology. University of Illinois researchers have developed a technique to computationally correct for aberrations in optical tomography, bringing the future of medical imaging into focus.
The computational technique could provide faster, less expensive and higher resolution tissue imaging to a broader population of users. The group describes its technique this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Computational techniques allow you to go beyond what the optical system can do alone, to ultimately get the best quality images and three-dimensional datasets," said Steven Adie, a postdoctoral researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. "This would be very useful for real-time imaging applications such as image-guided surgery."
Aberrations, such as astigmatism or distortion, plague high-resolution imaging. They make objects that should look like fine points appear to be blobs or streaks. The higher the resolution, the worse the problem becomes. It's especially tricky in tissue imaging, when precision is vital to a correct diagnosis.
Adaptive optics can correct aberrations in imaging. It's widely used in astronomy to correct for distortion as starlight filters through the atmosphere. A complex system of mirrors smooth out the scattered light before it enters the lens. Medical scientists have begun applying adaptive optics hardware to microscopes, hoping to improve cell and tissue imaging.
"It's the same challenge, but instead of imaging through the atmosphere, we're imaging through tissue, and instead of imaging a star, we're imaging a cell," said Stephen Boppart, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, of bioengineering and of internal medicine at the U. of I. "But a lot of the optical problems are the same."
Unfortunately, hardware-based adaptive optics are complicated, tedious to align and extremely expensive. They can only focus on one focal plane at a time, so for tomography -- 3-D models constructed from sectional images as in a CT scan, for example -- the mirrors have to be adjusted and a new image scanned for each focal plane. In addition, complex corrective systems are impractical for handheld or portable devices, such as surgical probes or retinal scanners.
Therefore, instead of using hardware to correct a light profile before it enters the lens, the Illinois team uses computer software to find and correct aberrations after the image is taken. Boppart's group teamed up with with Scott Carney, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the head of the Optical Science Group at the Beckman Institute, to develop the technique, called computational adaptive optics. They demonstrated the technique in gel-based phantoms laced with microparticles as well as in rat lung tissue. They scan a tissue sample with an interferometric microscope, which is an optical imaging device using two beams of light. The computer collects all of the data and then corrects the images at all depths within the volume. Blurry streaks become sharp points, features emerge from noise, and users can change parameters with the click of a mouse.
"Being able to correct aberrations of the entire volume helps us to get a high-resolution image anywhere in that volume," said Adie. "Now you can see tissue structures that previously were not very clear at all."
Computed adaptive optics can be applied to any type of interferometric imaging, such as optical coherence tomography, and the computations can be performed on an ordinary desktop computer, making it accessible for many hospitals and clinics.
Next, the researchers are working to refine the algorithms and explore applications. They are combining their computational adaptive optics with graphics processors, looking forward to real-time in-vivo applications for surgery, minimally invasive biopsy and more.
For example, computational adaptive optics could be very useful for ophthalmologists. Boppart's group previously has developed various handheld optical tomography devices for imaging inside the eye, particularly retinal scanning. Aberrations are very common in the human eye, making it difficult to acquire clear images. But adaptive optics hardware is too expensive or too complicated for most practicing ophthalmologists. With a computational solution, many more ophthalmologists could more effectively examine and treat their patients.
"The effectiveness is striking," Boppart said. "Because of the aberrations of the human eye, when you look at the retina without adaptive optics you just see variations of light and dark areas that represent the rods and cones. But when you use adaptive optics, you see the rods and cones as distinct objects."
In addition, the ability to correct data post-acquisition allows the researchers to develop microscope systems that maximize light collection instead of worrying about minimizing aberrations. This could lead to better data for better image rendering.
"We are working to compute the best image possible," said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I.
The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation supported this work.
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Fan-directed video stars grade-schooler rapping lyrics to West song. By Gil Kaufman
A scene from Ashley Smith's "Way Too Cold" video Photo: Ashley Smith Films
Sometimes there's no reason to wait for the real thing. We have no idea if Kanye West is planning on shooting an official video for his Kim-Kardashian-crush note "Way Too Cold" (originally titled "Theraflu").
In the meantime, director Ashley Smith has jumped into the breach, posting an unofficial clip for the song on his Vimeo page on Thursday that, well, just kills it. The can't-look-away video stars a ridiculously cute half-pint reportedly named Caleb as Kanye and the kid is a star. As he struts the streets with his leggy blond companion (holding her hand at first, awwww), mini 'Ye rips the song's lyrics — yes, even the four- and five-letter ones — in a video that is the viral opposite of one of West's typically high-concept, arty pieces.
His swagger is unmistakable as he moves through Manhattan past some of Yeezy's favorite luxury New York outlets while his companion shakes it for him. All the while, Caleb keeps it cool behind some shades and a mini leather jacket, aping the lyrics by throwing up the Roc to prove his allegiance.
And, then, for reasons known only to Smith, actors wearing Donald Trump, Condoleezza Rice, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Sarah Palin masks pop up, posing menacingly on the street, that is when they're not grinding on each other. How ridiculous is the kid? At one point he pulls off a flawless split, his hand triumphantly up in the air, before breaking into a coughing fit as Theraflu pours out into a measuring cup.
The good news is that Smith might have plenty more material to choose from, since DJ Khaled recently told MTV News that he and Kanye have plenty more tracks cooking.
"Me and Kanye West went back in the lab and we made another record and got some features on there too," Khaled said, without revealing too much about the next tune. "I can't really talk about it, so expect another monstrous earthquake to hit the streets."
CHEONGDO, South Korea (Reuters) - There is no blood, nor much gore. No matador, either, or even his colorful cloak. In South Korea, bull fights bull.
Weighing in at 600 kg to over 800 kg (1,322 to over 1,764 lb), dun-colored Korean Hanwoo bulls clash heads and horns in a sand bullring under the warm sunshine of Cheongdo, a rural town in the hills about two hours from the capital of Seoul.
Once a regular village entertainment in South Korea, bullfighting nearly died out as the nation rapidly industrialized, but festivals like the annual Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival help keep the cherished tradition alive.
"When I wake up, the first thing I do is train my bulls, letting them drag tires. Then, I feed them with nutritious porridge," said Lee Jin-gu, a 59-year old rancher who has trained fighting bulls for seven years.
"I once stayed in the pens, sleeping next to my bulls for a week," said Lee, who had four of his prize Korean bulls fighting their way through to the quarter-finals.
In all, 96 bulls are competing for the title of strongest bull during the festival, held April 18-22, for the top prize of 7 million won ($6,200).
In one bout, last year's champion, "Fighting", clashed with "Ggoltong", which means "Dullard," bellowing as he entered the ring and spectators cheered.
After about three minutes of shoving amid the clattering of horns, billowing dust and shouting fans, their duel was finished. "Fighting" made it through to the next round as his defeated opponent gave way and trotted from the ring.
The festival in its current form has been going on since 1999, although North Gyeongsang province has a history of the sport going back a thousand years.
Traditionally, a bull would have been the prized possession of a well-off Korean farmer.
"I was fearful if our bull lost the fight because my parents would scold me," says Son Mal-jook, 68, who used to take fodder to the creatures when she was a young girl.
Cheongdo says that its bullfights are more humane than those in Spain because the bull is not killed by a matador.
"Spain's bullfight is between man and bull and assumes that men will defeat bulls," said Lee Joong Geun, county executive of Cheongdo. "But Cheongdo's bullfighting is an energetic fight between two bulls."
A carnival atmosphere prevails at the festival with cheerleaders and drummers prancing by the ring and a traditional band playing in a frenzy of gongs, drums and strings. Beer and local beef are sold at snack stands.
One U.S. spectator admitted to being initially bemused by the concept of a clash of the bulls, but appeared to have been won over.
"In the (United) States, I have seen rodeo, bronco riding, bull riding and also roping. But I have never seen two bulls fighting each other before," said Maria Oliveira.
Lee Jin-gu, Fighting's owner, confessed to a deep affection for his animal.
"It is a stronger devotion than parents might have towards their sons and daughters," he said.
(Reporting By Eun Jee Park, editing by Elaine Lies and Bob Tourtellotte)
Early focus on print promotes later literacy achievementPublic release date: 17-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sarah Hutcheon shutcheon@srcd.org 202-289-7905 Society for Research in Child Development
A new study shows that low-income preschoolers who are at risk for developing reading problems can improve their reading skills if they're read to by teachers who identify the letter, track the shape of the letters, and discuss the words formed by those letters.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Ohio State University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Toledo. It appears in the journal Child Development.
In the longitudinal study, 550 4-year-olds took part in Project Sit Together and Read, a 30-week shared-book reading program in 85 targeted-enrollment preschool classrooms serving low-income children. Because of their low-income status, the children were at risk for developing reading problems as they moved into formal reading instruction.
In some of the classrooms, teachers talked about the print in the books and also nonverbally referred to the print. This means they asked whether children knew certain letters, traced the print with their fingers, noted the directionality of the type (for example, how we read from left to right in the English language), and discussed the concepts behind words that appear on a page (that is, words as meaningful units that map to spoken words). In other preschool classrooms, teachers read to the children using a more traditional style for reading aloud that typically doesn't draw children's attention to the print on the page.
The study also examined the number of times per week the children were read to: In some classrooms, children were read to four times a week, while in others, they were read to twice a week. Follow-up assessments were done in elementary school a year later and two years later.
The children who were read to four times a week by teachers who talked about the print in the books showed improvement in their reading and spelling and developed better reading comprehension when they were assessed one and two years later compared to the children whose teachers didn't talk about the print in the books. Frequency mattered, too: Preschoolers who heard print-focused reading four times a week developed better skills on some outcomes than those who were read to two times a week. Notably, the extra focus on print didn't detract from children's vocabulary development.
"Our findings ultimately support the importance of encouraging young children to attend to and interact with print during the preschool years as a means of fostering long-term literacy development," explains Shayne B. Piasta, assistant professor of teaching and learning, and assistant director of the Children's Learning Research Collaborative, at the Ohio State University, who conducted the longitudinal analysis for the study.
"The results can inform the development of early childhood programs and curricula that facilitate literacy skill acquisition for the large numbers of U.S. children living in poverty and attending targeted programs such as Head Start or state-sponsored prekindergarten."
###
The study was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education.
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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.
Early focus on print promotes later literacy achievementPublic release date: 17-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sarah Hutcheon shutcheon@srcd.org 202-289-7905 Society for Research in Child Development
A new study shows that low-income preschoolers who are at risk for developing reading problems can improve their reading skills if they're read to by teachers who identify the letter, track the shape of the letters, and discuss the words formed by those letters.
The study was carried out by researchers at the Ohio State University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Toledo. It appears in the journal Child Development.
In the longitudinal study, 550 4-year-olds took part in Project Sit Together and Read, a 30-week shared-book reading program in 85 targeted-enrollment preschool classrooms serving low-income children. Because of their low-income status, the children were at risk for developing reading problems as they moved into formal reading instruction.
In some of the classrooms, teachers talked about the print in the books and also nonverbally referred to the print. This means they asked whether children knew certain letters, traced the print with their fingers, noted the directionality of the type (for example, how we read from left to right in the English language), and discussed the concepts behind words that appear on a page (that is, words as meaningful units that map to spoken words). In other preschool classrooms, teachers read to the children using a more traditional style for reading aloud that typically doesn't draw children's attention to the print on the page.
The study also examined the number of times per week the children were read to: In some classrooms, children were read to four times a week, while in others, they were read to twice a week. Follow-up assessments were done in elementary school a year later and two years later.
The children who were read to four times a week by teachers who talked about the print in the books showed improvement in their reading and spelling and developed better reading comprehension when they were assessed one and two years later compared to the children whose teachers didn't talk about the print in the books. Frequency mattered, too: Preschoolers who heard print-focused reading four times a week developed better skills on some outcomes than those who were read to two times a week. Notably, the extra focus on print didn't detract from children's vocabulary development.
"Our findings ultimately support the importance of encouraging young children to attend to and interact with print during the preschool years as a means of fostering long-term literacy development," explains Shayne B. Piasta, assistant professor of teaching and learning, and assistant director of the Children's Learning Research Collaborative, at the Ohio State University, who conducted the longitudinal analysis for the study.
"The results can inform the development of early childhood programs and curricula that facilitate literacy skill acquisition for the large numbers of U.S. children living in poverty and attending targeted programs such as Head Start or state-sponsored prekindergarten."
###
The study was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
If, as it should be, mixed martial arts is ever legalized in New York, don't forget to give Strikeforce 
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Public release date: 17-Apr-2012
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