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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sony HomeShare review: A wireless music system for more than just your iPod (Digital Trends)

sony-homeshare-system

Read on for an overview of the Sony HomeShare system, then check out our full reviews of Sony HomeShare components:

At CES 2011, Sony announced it was moving away from its Altus line of wireless speakers in favor of a suite of products centered around what it called HomeShare. In a rather surprising move, Sony?s HomeShare bucks the company?s trend of going the proprietary route in hopes that others will eventually toe its line. Instead, HomeShare is a non-proprietary, DLNA-based system that can access and wirelessly share most music file types stored on a networked PC or NAS drive.

While the technology is also coming available through select Sony Blu-Ray disc players, micro systems and TVs, HomeShare made its debut through five currently available network music products (and now a sixth, forthcoming speaker which was just recently announced at CEDIA 2011). You?ve got the NAC-SV10i iPod/iPhone dock, the NAS-SV20i iPod/iPhone speaker dock, the CMT-MX700Ni micro system, the SA-NS300 wireless network speaker and SA-NS400 wireless network speaker. Sony also recently introduced the RMN-U1 universal touch-screen remote control which, as it happens, integrates nicely with HomeShare to control any compatible devices in the home.

Though any of these devices can be used on their own, the real fun seems to be centered around integration. Perhaps that?s why Sony sent us a trio of HomeShare devices to evaluate together. But,to keep things simple, we decided to evaluate each of the components individually and publish separate reviews for the NAC-SV10i iPod/iPhone dock, SA-NS300 wireless network speaker and RMN-U1 universal touch-screen remote.

It comes down to this: Each of the products had their positive and not-so-positive points. Our biggest challenge was consistent network connectivity. Of the three devices we tested, the RMN-U1 was the most consistently easy to use. Unlike the network speaker and iPod/iPhone dock, it never seemed to have trouble communicating through our network (which was not occupied with any other tasks or accessed by any other machines during our tests, by the way). Also, the remote is definitely the ideal control interface for the HomeShare product family. The only real problem we see is that the RMN-U1?s $300 asking price makes attaining an easy to use wireless music system from Sony a pricier proposition. Of course, considering how much more the system can do than some similarly priced AirPlay speaker systems, maybe this product family is more competitively priced than we first thought.

Used individually, each of the three HomeShare devices we tested were able to provide some useful functions, albeit with some quirks here and there. Yet, it was when the three individuals were brought together as a team that a useful, comprehensive wireless system was born. We like most things modular, but in this case we?re going to say that the whole was definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Though individually rated in each review, we?d give the entire HomeShare system a respectable 8.0 rating.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

Saturday, October 29, 2011

[OOC] Avatar: A War Between Nations

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This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

You know, I could kiss people who tell others to have good grammar. Anyway, my real question. Is there possibly a skelly? ^ 3^

Aixulram: Member for 0 years

I'll have one up in just a minute, and I LOVE your icon btw, Rainbow Dash is the best!

Salroka: Member for 0 years

I would like to create an airbender. I'll get to work right away.

Am I crazy? Well, that depends. Define crazy.

MotherDragons: Member for 0 years

Hells yeah! Sonic Rainboom FTW! Anyway, thanks! I'll be spying till then!

Aixulram: Member for 0 years

I never really got into the Avatar series. But I'd love to learn through a well built roleplay. I do understand the basics. I'm not clueless... so... hopefully I can have a character up in a little while.

Vio-Lance: Member for 1 years

EVERYONE! The skelly has been posted on the introduction page of the roleplay forum, edit as you see fit!

@Aixulram: *Fluttershy voice* You rock..! Woo-hoo..!

@Vio-Lance: No problem, if you need any help, just ask. :)

@MotherDragons: Great! I look forward to seeing them!

Salroka: Member for 0 years

Question: Can I create the Fire Lord's (I'm assuming it's still Zuko) daughter?

TwiliXDragon: Member for 1 years

@TwiliXDragon: Actually, this takes place way before Zuko is even born, this is right before the great war comes around, with Sozin being the Fire Lord at the time. However, you may create Sozin's daughter, since his offspring were never really named or confirmed.

Salroka: Member for 0 years

Wow, I feel stupid now...I totaly read that...either way, one Fire Lord's daughter, coming up. :) I added a few things to my character shee as well, and am going to cover everything you want ^^ I like making ym profiles look nice. Now if I can just find a decent picture...

TwiliXDragon: Member for 1 years

I might submit a character ^^

There are three kinds of people, those who can count and those who can't.

Gryazi: Member for 0 years

@TwiliXDragon: Great, I look forward to seeing her. :)

@Gryazi: I look forward to seeing your character, if you so choose to submit one. ...I love your picture, btw. XD

Salroka: Member for 0 years

Can I create a Fire Nation rebel? It's implied that Sozin went away with many Fire Nation traditions and subjugated the Fire Sages. Not everyone could have liked that. Even Nazi Germany had the White Rose.

almostinsane: Member for 3 years

I think I will. I'm going to try to play around with a female air nomad since they weren't really featured in the show.
And thank you! xD Looove Trollestia.

Gryazi: Member for 0 years

@almostinsane: Of course! That's a good idea! :)

@Gryazi: Trollestia is the best Celestia. XD

Salroka: Member for 0 years

I would love to get involved in this.

It needs to be about 20% Cooler.

Looking for that one, awesome, sci-fi role-play.

ShadeYuka: Member for 2 years

I would like to be a water bender please. Also, I would like to reserve finding Soka's boomy (boomerang) (best weapon ever no matter what anyone says, it's the best in my eyes)(It's like my trademark in all Avatar RPs to find it in my first post). (and it works since I could make it before he found it)

POWER TO THE ROLE PLAYERS

i am 33% evil, 33% insane, 33% role player, and 1% other (Note: Insane and Brilliant are the same thing!)

My test:

My Brothers Test: [CENTER]

Mr. Baneling Squishy: Member for 1 years

@Mr. Baneling Squishy: Actually, this roleplay takes place long before Sokka's born, before the start of the War, where Sozin was the current Fire Lord. If you want to though, you'll have to make it tie in some way that it'll be Sokka's. XD

Salroka: Member for 0 years

I'll be making a firebender, though she will be different from others...

Aixulram: Member for 0 years

Salroka wrote:@Mr. Baneling Squishy: Actually, this roleplay takes place long before Sokka's born, before the start of the War, where Sozin was the current Fire Lord. If you want to though, you'll have to make it tie in some way that it'll be Sokka's. XD

I know, if we manage to get to the end of the RP, I could somehow make it end up at the south pole!

But like I said, it's my trademark in Avatar RPs

Mr. Baneling Squishy: Member for 1 years

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Christina Perri Calls 'Breaking Dawn' Video 'Dream-Like'

Singer says 'A Thousand Years,' her contribution to the 'Twilight' soundtrack, is 'about the simplest kind of love and a timeless love.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Christina Perri in her "A Thousand Years" music video
Photo: Atlantic

Christina Perri's video for her "Twilight" soundtrack tune, "A Thousand Years," hit the streets this week — in anticipation of all things "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" going down in November — and Twilighters won't be disappointed.

The video for the romantic tune is a mix of footage from the film, including the wedding scene and all that honeymoon hotness, as well as footage of Perri decked out in a gown, singing the passionate lyrics of the song while surrounded by candles.

MTV News was on the "A Thousand Years" video set, where the singer opened up about her fandom for "The Twilight Saga."

"I wrote [the song] for Edward and Bella in their perspective," Perri explained, calling the song "pretty, classical and simple." "It's the purest love song I think I could have possibly written. It's about the simplest kind of love and a timeless love.

"I've been a really big 'Twilight' fan for years. For me, it just has to do most with the love story between Edward and Bella. I feel like it's 'Romeo and Juliet,' and they just happen to be vampires and there's werewolves. I loved the story from day one."

Perri said that being such a "Twilight" fan makes having her song on the soundtrack that much more meaningful. "The fact that my dream came true ... still blows my mind, and I don't think I've fully processed it yet, even though we're on the set of the music video," she said. "I feel like maybe when we're at the premiere and I see it in the movie is when it'll really hit me because it just seems so dream-like. I feel so honored. It feels really epic."

The album hits stores November 8, just 10 days before the Bill Condon-directed "Breaking Dawn" opens November 18. A video for Bruno Mars' track, "It Will Rain," is slated to drop "in a couple weeks," Mars tweeted Monday. The last part of the "Twilight Saga," "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," opens November 2012.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Videos

Get Inside Christina Perri's 'Breaking Dawn' Video

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673174/christina-perri-thousand-years-breaking-dawn-video.jhtml

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Indonesia's fashion cops stop traffic

Three fashionable female cops are giving Indonesia's police force a new face while trying to bring down the country's accident rate.

? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.

Skip to next paragraph

Indonesia?s police force got a face-lift this year. Eny Regama, Avvy Olivia Atam, and Eka Yulianti, who might seem more at home on a fashion catwalk than in a congested street, deliver a daily traffic report for the morning and evening news. Between 6 and 8 a.m. they police the traffic a city of 9.6 million that recorded 31,000 traffic accidents last year.

The three women say they help reinstill trust in an institution that the public considers corrupt and serve as role models for girls.

?This is one way of building a good relationship between police and people,? says Ms. Atam, armed with perfectly coiffed hair and rose-pink cheeks.

That means being firm but friendly, adds Ms. Yulianti, who worked in the Narcotics Division when she first joined the police squad in 2006. Despite their delicate looks, the women say they?ve earned their badges through tough training and experience.

?If we respond to people sharply, they will react in kind,? says Yulianti.

Indonesia created its traffic monitoring division in 2010. Roughly 30 percent of those 17,000 traffic officers are women.

The public appearances of Atam, Yulianti, and Ms. Regama have garnered some fame ? the three recently appeared in uniform on a popular cooking show. They say being seen in their signature khaki is important.

?Sometimes people don?t believe we?re policewomen,? says Atam. For the most part, though, their public awareness campaign to make streets safer seems to be taking hold.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/sMuIkZaXmtU/Indonesia-s-fashion-cops-stop-traffic

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Democrats seek hearing on HGH tests (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Three Democratic congressmen are urging the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold hearings on the impasse between the NFL and players union on testing for human growth hormone.

California Rep. Henry Waxman, the top Democrat on the committee, and two others made the request in a letter Tuesday to chairman Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican.

The NFL and the players agreed to begin blood testing for HGH as part of their new collective bargaining agreement reached in late July ? but only if the union agreed to the methods. The union has delayed implementing the test, asking for more scientific data to prove it is reliable.

"This delay is a cause for concern," wrote Waxman, along with G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Bobby Rush of Illinois, both of whom chair subcommittees on the panel.

The lawmakers cited a recent letter to the union and NFL from nearly two dozen scientists and lab directors from around the world stating the current test is scientifically reliable; and noted that the test has been used in the Olympics.

"There appear to be few questions about the validity of the HGH test," the Democrats wrote.

They also noted that CBS football analyst Boomer Esiason, a former NFL quarterback, said that the union is "backing off because they have players guilty of using this substance," and said that many believe at least 20 percent of players are using it.

"We hope that this is not the case," the congressmen wrote. "Committee hearings will allow us to learn about these issues, hearing from top scientists about the validity of HGH testing and from the NFL and the NFLPA about the extent of HGH use in the league and their plans for testing to eliminate such use."

In an email to The Associated Press, union head DeMaurice Smith said that players' health and the safety and integrity of the game go hand-in-hand.

"I applaud the members in their request for a hearing and look forward to fully discussing all of these issues as soon as possible," he said. "We are sending letters to the teams immediately in order to assist Congress in its fact finding mission."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league appreciated the lawmakers' commitment to the issue, "but there should be no need for this hearing if the union would simply live up to its agreements."

Upton's office had no immediate comment Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the chairman and ranking member of another panel, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, emerged from a meeting with the NFL and players union and announced a deal to begin collecting blood for testing. But the union demurred, and last week, told the NFL to hold off collecting the blood.

The union is seeking data from the athletes who were used to originally set thresholds as to what constitutes a positive test, so it can compare that data with a population study on football players. The union believes players could have naturally higher HGH levels than those of other athletes.

___

Follow Fred Frommer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ffrommer

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_sp_ot/us_congress_hgh_testing

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Economy grew 2.5 pct. in Q3 as consumers rebound

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. economy grew modestly over the summer after nearly stalling in the first six months of the year, lifted by stronger consumer spending and greater business investment.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that the economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the July-September quarter. That's nearly double the 1.3 percent growth in the April-June quarter, and a vast improvement over the anemic 0.9 percent growth for the entire first half of the year.

While 2.5 percent growth is enough to ease recession fears, it's far below what's needed to lower painfully high unemployment. Analysts project similar growth for the October-December quarter.

Consumers spent at an annual rate of 2.4 percent ? more than triple the rate in the spring. They bought more cars and furniture, spent more on clothing and health care, and ran the air conditioner longer to help combat an unseasonably hot summer.

The report measures gross domestic product, or GDP, which is the country's total output of goods and services. It covers everything from bicycles to battleships, as well as services such as haircuts and doctor's visits.

In August, many thought the economy was headed for another recession after the government said GDP fell to less than 1 percent for the first six months of the year. High gas prices, the growing debt crisis in Europe and wild fluctuations in the stock market also contributed to those fears, which have receded in recent weeks after reports showed improvements in hiring and consumer spending.

Economists expect growth in the range of 2.5 percent to 3 percent in the October-December quarter and for all of next year ? just enough to keep the unemployment rate from rising.

For the 14 million people who are out of work and want jobs, that's discouraging news. And it's an ominous sign for President Barack Obama, who will be facing voters next fall.

"We are looking at very disappointing growth over the next year. It will be far short of what is needed to get businesses to hire more aggressively," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.

There have been some encouraging signs.

A measure of business investment plans rose in September for the second straight month and by the most in six months, according to a government report Wednesday on orders for longer-lasting manufactured goods.

And consumers stepped up their spending on retail goods in both July and September. The main reason for the September gain was more people bought new cars, a purchase people typically make when they are confident in their finances.

Economists warned that even their modest assessment of growth of around 2.7 percent for next year will fall short if the European debt situation does not get resolved. And the outlook could dim further if U.S. lawmakers allow a Social Security tax cut and extended unemployment benefits to expire at the end of this year.

"How the economy performs next year will depend heavily on what policymakers here and in Europe do in coming weeks," Zandi said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-27-Economy/id-335c3ed51691496c8e8f55906be17d63

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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Physical fitness could have a positive effect on eye health

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
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Contact: Katrina Norfleet
knorfleet@arvo.org
240-221-2924
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

New study links active lifestyle to reduced risk of glaucoma

Rockville, MD -- Physical activity may be what the doctor orders to help patients reduce their risk of developing glaucoma. According to a recently published scientific paper, higher levels of physical exercise appear to have a long-term beneficial impact on low ocular perfusion pressure (OPP), an important risk factor for glaucoma.

Published in the Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science journal (Physical Activity and Ocular Perfusion Pressure: The EPIC-Norfolk Eye Study), this study examined the relationship between physical activity and current OPP in 5,650 men and women aged 48 to 90 who live in the U.K. and were part of initial cohort from 1993 - 1997.

Using a detailed self-administered health and lifestyle questionnaire, participants were assessed for combined physical activity at work and leisure. From 2006 to 2010, study participants were examined for eye pressure -- medically termed intraocular pressure (IOP )-- and systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. The results showed that moderate physical exercise performed approximately 15 years previously is associated with a 25% reduced risk of low OPP.

"It appears that OPP is largely determined by cardiovascular fitness," said author Paul J. Foster, MD PhD, FRCS(Ed), of the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. "We cannot comment on the cause, but there is certainly an association between a sedentary lifestyle and factors which increase glaucoma risk."

While there have been a large number of studies that have examined the effect of physical activity on intraocular pressure (IOP) and on blood pressure -- the two components of OPP -- this is the first time the relationship between physical activity and OPP has been investigated, according to the authors.

"Before now, the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma was IOP, altered by medication, laser or surgery," said Foster. "We believe our study points toward a new way of reducing glaucoma risk, through maintaining an active lifestyle. This is a way that people can participate in altering their risk of glaucoma and many other serious health problems."

###

The ARVO peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) publishes results from original hypothesis-based clinical and laboratory research studies, as well as Reviews, Perspectives, and Special Issues. IOVS 2009 Impact Factor ranks No. 4 out of 45 among ophthalmology journals. The journal is online-only and articles are published daily.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include more than 12,500 eye and vision researchers from over 80 countries. ARVO encourages and assists research, training, publication and knowledge-sharing in vision and ophthalmology.

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Physical fitness could have a positive effect on eye health

Public release date: 24-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Katrina Norfleet
knorfleet@arvo.org
240-221-2924
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

New study links active lifestyle to reduced risk of glaucoma

###

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/afri-pfc102411.php

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