Bang With Friends Is Reportedly Raising $1M To Help You Bang With Friends

Bang With Friends, the wonderfully controversial Facebook app that helps you find the people in your social circles with a mutual interest in hookin' up, seems to be on to something. As Bang With Friends approaches their millionth user and surpasses their 200,000th "match", Business Insider is reporting that the company is raising a $1M seed round.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/PMp3zo_vcwg/

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Mapping of cancer cell fuel pumps paves the way for new drugs

Public release date: 28-Apr-2013
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Contact: Karolinska Institutet Press Office
pressinfo@ki.se
46-852-486-077
Karolinska Institutet

For the first time, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to obtain detailed images of the way in which the transport protein GLUT transports sugars into cells. Since tumours are highly dependent on the transportation of nutrients in order to be able to grow rapidly, the researchers are hoping that the study published in the scientific magazine Nature Structural & Molecular Biology will form the basis for new strategies to fight cancer cells.

In order to be able to fuel their rapid growth, cancer tumours depend on transporter proteins to work at high speed to introduce sugars and other nutrients that are required for the cell's metabolism. One possible treatment strategy would therefore be to block some of the transporters in the cell membrane which operate as fuel pumps, thus starving out and killing the cancer cells.

One important group of membrane transporters is the GLUT family, which introduces glucose and other sugars into the cell. Glucose is one of the most important energy sources for cancer cells and GLUT transporters have been shown to play a key role in tumour growth in many different types of cancer. In the current study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have performed a detailed study of the way in which suger transport is executed by the protein XylE, from the Escherichia coli bacterium, whose function and structure is very similar to GLUT transporters in humans. For the first time, the researchers have described the way in which the protein's structure changes between two different conformations when it binds and transports a sugar molecule.

"In showing details of the molecular structure of the region that bind the sugar, our study opens up the opportunities to more efficiently develop new substances that may inhibit GLUT transporters", says Pr Nordlund at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, one of the researchers behind the study. "Information on the structure of the transport protein facilitates the development of better drugs in a shorter time. Such GLUT inhibitors could potentially be used to treat cancer in the future."

The study may be of significance not just to cancer research but also in the field of diabetes. GLUT plays a key role in diabetes since insulin works by activating the uptake of glucose from the blood by means of GLUT transporters in the cell membrane.

GLUT and the studied XylE transporter belong to the very large group of metabolite transporters called the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), which is important in many diseases and for the uptake of medicines in cells.

"Many aspects concerning molecular mechanisms for the function of GLUT transporters are probably common to many members of the MFS family, which are involved in a broad spectrum of diseases in addition to cancer and diabetes," says Pr Nordlund.

As well as membrane transporters, which have undergone in-depth analysis in the current study, many different membrane proteins pass through the surface membrane of the cells. Their significance to the cell function and the development of drugs has been noted before, not least through the Nobel Prizes that were awarded to researchers who used mechanistic and structural studies to map the function of two other major membrane protein families, G-protein-coupled receptors and ion channels.

###

The current study has been financed by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and The Danish Council for Independent Research.

Publication: 'Structural basis for substrate transport in the GLUT homology family of monosaccharide transporters', Esben M. Quistgaard, Christian Lw, Per Moberg, Lionel Trsaugues, and Pr Nordlund, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, online 28 April 2013, doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2569. EMBARGOED until Sunday 28 April 2013 at 18:00 UK time / 19:00 CET / 13:00 US ET.

Journal website: http://www.nature.com/nsmb

Contact the Press Office: ki.se/pressroom

Karolinska Institutet a medical university: ki.se/english

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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.

Public release date: 28-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karolinska Institutet Press Office
pressinfo@ki.se
46-852-486-077
Karolinska Institutet

For the first time, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to obtain detailed images of the way in which the transport protein GLUT transports sugars into cells. Since tumours are highly dependent on the transportation of nutrients in order to be able to grow rapidly, the researchers are hoping that the study published in the scientific magazine Nature Structural & Molecular Biology will form the basis for new strategies to fight cancer cells.

In order to be able to fuel their rapid growth, cancer tumours depend on transporter proteins to work at high speed to introduce sugars and other nutrients that are required for the cell's metabolism. One possible treatment strategy would therefore be to block some of the transporters in the cell membrane which operate as fuel pumps, thus starving out and killing the cancer cells.

One important group of membrane transporters is the GLUT family, which introduces glucose and other sugars into the cell. Glucose is one of the most important energy sources for cancer cells and GLUT transporters have been shown to play a key role in tumour growth in many different types of cancer. In the current study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have performed a detailed study of the way in which suger transport is executed by the protein XylE, from the Escherichia coli bacterium, whose function and structure is very similar to GLUT transporters in humans. For the first time, the researchers have described the way in which the protein's structure changes between two different conformations when it binds and transports a sugar molecule.

"In showing details of the molecular structure of the region that bind the sugar, our study opens up the opportunities to more efficiently develop new substances that may inhibit GLUT transporters", says Pr Nordlund at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, one of the researchers behind the study. "Information on the structure of the transport protein facilitates the development of better drugs in a shorter time. Such GLUT inhibitors could potentially be used to treat cancer in the future."

The study may be of significance not just to cancer research but also in the field of diabetes. GLUT plays a key role in diabetes since insulin works by activating the uptake of glucose from the blood by means of GLUT transporters in the cell membrane.

GLUT and the studied XylE transporter belong to the very large group of metabolite transporters called the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), which is important in many diseases and for the uptake of medicines in cells.

"Many aspects concerning molecular mechanisms for the function of GLUT transporters are probably common to many members of the MFS family, which are involved in a broad spectrum of diseases in addition to cancer and diabetes," says Pr Nordlund.

As well as membrane transporters, which have undergone in-depth analysis in the current study, many different membrane proteins pass through the surface membrane of the cells. Their significance to the cell function and the development of drugs has been noted before, not least through the Nobel Prizes that were awarded to researchers who used mechanistic and structural studies to map the function of two other major membrane protein families, G-protein-coupled receptors and ion channels.

###

The current study has been financed by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and The Danish Council for Independent Research.

Publication: 'Structural basis for substrate transport in the GLUT homology family of monosaccharide transporters', Esben M. Quistgaard, Christian Lw, Per Moberg, Lionel Trsaugues, and Pr Nordlund, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, online 28 April 2013, doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2569. EMBARGOED until Sunday 28 April 2013 at 18:00 UK time / 19:00 CET / 13:00 US ET.

Journal website: http://www.nature.com/nsmb

Contact the Press Office: ki.se/pressroom

Karolinska Institutet a medical university: ki.se/english

---

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ki-moc042613.php

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Who says Algerian civil society does not support the Polisario ...

By Nouh Anajjar

Morocco World News

Nador, Morocco, April 26, 2013

As I was listening to the radio this morning, shifting from one radio station to another searching for a worth-hearing piece of music or broadcasting program, I came across an Algerian Radio station that was covering the issue of the Moroccan Sahara from the perspective of Algerian political leaders and civil society. Without a doubt, it was a first-rate opportunity to listen to the arguments and attitudes of the other side vis-?-vis this thorny matter which has lately witnessed a surprising twist specifically due to the United States? most recent announcement concerning elaborating the missions of MINURSO in the Moroccan Sahara.

As a Moroccan, I?ve always been well aware of the Algerian stance toward the Moroccan Sahara. Algeria blindly supports the Polisario and it everlastingly advocates?for the right of the Saharan?population to obtain full independence from Moroccan sovereignty. I also mistakenly thought that only the Algerian government supports the Polisario, while civil society gives no importance to this issue.

To my amazement, I was traumatized when listening to the individuals in that broadcasting program accuse Morocco of being a colonizing nation and the Moroccan Sahara a colonized territory. They also untruthfully justified and rationalized?Algeria?s staunch-defending?stand towards supporting the Saharan people?s pursuit for autonomy Morocco and rationalized Algeria?s blind support for?Polisario as a matter of human rights. They alleged that Algeria is simply defending the rights of people to decide their own destiny, the same way it did with West Timor issue. According to these people, whom Morocco once helped defeat the French, Algeria is merely following the declaration of human rights, and if Algeria were to side with Morocco, it would imply a clear violation of this declaration.

An?outsider listening to their claims might even think that Algeria is the most politically stable and democratic nation? in the world. Needless to say, Algeria has ulterior purposes behind its support for the fabricated republic of Polisario, and this??is clear from its over- concern towards this issue. Apparently, Algeria supports?Polisario because it wants to have a getaway to the Atlantic ocean. By supporting the enemies of Moroccan?s territorial unity, Algeria aspires to get retaliation from Morocco over its disgraceful loss during the Sand war that took place in?1963 between the two countries over borders. Morocco won this war and it seems that Algerians still bitterly remember this incident and longs to find an occasion to take revenge from Morocco.

In addition, the guests of this?Algerian radio program wondered why Morocco is tenacious over the Western Sahara and why the Saharan citizens are not allowed to decide their own destiny whether to be Moroccan citizens under the Moroccan sovereignty or obtain their independence. They asserted that the Moroccan Sahara has been colonized since the 1884, and that the Spanish colonizers did not give it back to Morocco, and that Morocco imposed its hegemony over these territories by force after the Spanish withdrew from the region.

They also maintained that Morocco has had many failures, rioting, and socio-economic woes within the country. I detected an odor of joy and satisfaction from?these guests when they referred to the latest twist concerning the issue of Sahara. And how the United States, which is believed to be a strategic ally of Morocco and has always supported Morocco?s national cause and the proposal for self-government in the southern provinces, has turned its back on Morocco, and it is well in the way of supporting the right of Saharan people to decide on their destiny.

One of those guests?on this program suggested that France would do as United States has done and turn its back to Morocco as well. Upon hearing this, many queries began running through my mind as I tried to speculate and predict what would happen if Morocco were to be forced to surrender the Western Sahara to the Polisario.

Indeed it is a terrifying thought, yet such scenarios should be taken into account simply because in politics there is no eternal friends or perpetual foes?everything is interests-dependent. A country, which is an ally today can become an enemy tomorrow depending on its own interests.

? Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Source: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/04/88496/who-says-algerian-civil-society-does-not-support-the-polisario-2/

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China HSBC Flash PMI falls, points to tepid second-quarter recovery

By Kevin Yao

BEIJING (Reuters) - Growth in China's vast factory sector dipped in April as new export orders shrank, a preliminary survey of factory managers showed on Tuesday, suggesting the world's second-largest economy still faces formidable global headwinds into the second quarter.

The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index for April fell to 50.5 in April from 51.6 in March but was still stronger than February's reading of 50.4.

A sub-index measuring new export orders fell to 48.6 in April from 50.5 in March, reflecting weaker global demand as the U.S. economic recovery remains fragile and the euro zone is mired in recession.

The figures follow an unexpected contraction in export orders in March to Taiwan, one of the region's biggest providers of tech gadgets, signaling that Asia's trade-reliant economies may be losing further momentum.

Exports from South Korea, another big supplier to the global tech industry, fell by 3.1 percent for the first 20 days of April from a year earlier.

"New export orders contracted after a temporary rebound in March, suggesting external demand for China's exporters remains weak," said HSBC's China chief economist Qu Hongbin.

"Beijing is expected to respond strongly to sustain the economic recovery by increasing efforts to boost domestic investment and consumption in the coming months."

The Australian dollar fell to multi-week lows against the U.S. dollar, euro and pound after the data. Asia stock markets were lower across the region, with the CSI300 index of the leading Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listings down 1.8 percent.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its 2013 forecast for global growth to 3.3 percent, down from its January projection of 3.5 percent.

The latest PMI data may overshadow China's recovery in the second quarter after growth unexpectedly slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter from 7.9 percent in the previous three months.

The slowdown, which came despite a credit boom, suggesting the cash sloshing around the economy is not having the desired effect of stoking growth and could instead exacerbate property and inflationary risks.

China's industry ministry noted in a separate statement on Tuesday that companies had no strong desire to invest given weak demand and overcapacity, and it did not see any improvement in their difficulties operating in an uncertain and unstable global environment.

Still, the HSBC PMI has been above the 50-point level demarcating growth from contraction from the previous month since November 2012, though its failure to break above 53 indicates that the economic expansion it signals is only moderate.

Sub-indexes measuring both input and output prices fell in April, indicating overcapacity upstream and soft demand, according to the Flash PMI survey.

An employment sub-index also dipped as factory activity cooled, although China's job market is holding up relatively well despite slower growth.

The latest Reuters poll showed China's economic growth could pick up in the second quarter as the government boosts infrastructure spending.

Analysts in the poll expected full-year economic growth to pick up slightly to 8.0 percent in 2013 from 7.8 percent last year, its weakest rate since 1999.

China has set a 7.5 percent GDP growth target for 2013, a level Beijing deems sufficient for job creation while providing room to deliver structural adjustment.

The government is expected to step up infrastructure investment to cushion the economy against global headwinds, but a big stimulus package looks unlikely as Beijing plans to deepen reforms to put growth on a more sustainable long-term footing.

On Tuesday the China Daily newspaper quoted a researcher from the Ministry of Finance as saying that stimulus on the scale of that in 2008 was not necessary, as the economy is on an overall stable trend.

The final HSBC manufacturing PMI is scheduled to be published on May 2, a day after the official PMI.

(Editing by Eric Meijer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-hsbc-flash-pmi-eases-points-tepid-second-022436444--business.html

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Video: DPS: King discusses Revis trade, contract

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/51621924#51621924

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Syria says two bishops kidnapped by rebels

By Dominic Evans

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two prominent Syrian bishops, who had warned of the threat to religious tolerance and diversity from the two-year conflict in their country, were kidnapped on Monday by armed rebels in the northern province of Aleppo, state media said.

SANA news agency said the Syriac Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Archbishops of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, were seized by "a terrorist group" in the village of Kfar Dael as they were "carrying out humanitarian work".

A Syriac member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Abdulahad Steifo, said the men had been kidnapped on the road to Aleppo from the rebel-held Bab al Hawa crossing with Turkey.

Several prominent Muslim clerics have been killed in Syria's uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, but the two bishops are the most senior church leaders caught up in the conflict which has killed more than 70,000 people across Syria.

Christians make up less than 10 percent of the country's 23 million people and, like other religious minorities, many have been wary of the mainly Sunni Muslim uprising against Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Fears for their future if the rebels were to end 40 years of Assad dynastic rule, which ensured religious freedom without political rights, have increased with the growing strength of Islamist rebels and a pledge of allegiance to al Qaeda by the hardline Nusra Front rebels two weeks ago.

Steifo said Ibrahim had gone to collect Yazigi from the rebel-held Bab al-Hawa crossing because he had crossed there several times before and was familiar with the route.

The two men were driving to Aleppo when they were kidnapped, he added. Asked who was behind their abduction, Steifo said: "All probabilities are open."

"CHRISTIANS SUFFERING"

Last September Ibrahim said that hundreds of Christian families had fled Aleppo as rebels and soldiers battled for control of the country's biggest city.

"In its modern history Aleppo has not seen such critical and painful times...Christians have been attacked and kidnapped in monstrous ways and their relatives have paid big sums for their release," he told Reuters.

In the central city of Homs, which saw the heaviest bloodshed earlier this year, he said several churches and Christian centers had been damaged in the fighting.

"Until a few months ago the idea of escaping had not crossed the minds of the Christians, but after the danger worsened it has become the main topic of conversation."

Neighboring Iraq, where sectarian violence after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein forced half the Christians to flee, offers frightening parallels for Syrian Christians, while the revival of Islamists in the 2011 Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt also fills Syria's Christians with foreboding.

Writing in January, Yazigi said was important that the uprisings known as the "Arab Spring" should not jeopardize centuries of religious diversity in the Middle East.

"What is the spring without the diversity and richness of colors in comparison with the haze...of winter? Diversity is richness while monochromatic uniformity is a ticking bomb that kills its owner," he said.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-bishops-kidnapped-rebels-state-news-agency-192356296.html

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How Coffee Brings The World Together : Bay Area Bites - KQED

Post by Dan Charles, The Salt at NPR Food (4/22/13)

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Coffee is more than a drink. For many of us ? OK, for me ? it?s woven into the fabric of every day.

It also connects us to far corners of the globe.

For instance, every Friday, a truck pulls up to the warehouse of Counter Culture Coffee, a small roaster and coffee distributor in Durham, N.C., and unloads a bunch of heavy burlap sacks.

On any random day, that truck could bring ?10 bags from a farm in El Salvador; 20 bags from a cooperative in Burundi; two bags of a special coffee from Guatemala,? says Kim Elena Ionescu, one of the coffee buyers for Counter Culture Coffee. She travels the world, visiting coffee farms and deciding which beans the company will buy.

The best coffee, she says, comes from high altitudes, but you cannot grow it in places that freeze, ?so you need that mixture of high altitude and warm climate, which makes the tropics the place to grow it.?

All across Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia, people grow coffee.

In many tropical countries, especially poor ones, it?s a pillar of the economy; exports of green coffee beans, globally, are worth $15 billion a year.

Some of these farms, Ionescu says, are idyllic places, high in the mountains. Taller trees often shade the coffee bushes. Such scenes ?hearken a little bit to coffee?s homeland, which is Ethiopia,? Ionescu says. ?Southwestern Ethiopia is really lush, it?s got amazingly high altitudes, it?s green, misty.?

But honestly, even though there are millions of small, idyllic coffee farms, they aren?t producing the majority of the world?s coffee.

Most coffee isn?t specialty coffee. It?s just coffee: big cans of it, or instant coffee.

Forty percent of all coffee comes from Brazil, and the typical coffee farm in Brazil looks more like a corn farm in Iowa, Ionescu says ? ?coffee plants as far as the eye can see, unbroken by any kind of tree.?

When it?s time for harvest in Brazil, big machines roll through and strip off the cherrylike coffee fruit, with its valuable bean inside.

The second-biggest producer in the world is a surprise for many people: Vietnam. ?Not a lot of people, especially in specialty coffee, talk about Vietnam,? says Ionescu.

Vietnamese farmers grow a species of coffee tree called robusta. (The scientific name is Coffea canephora.) It grows fast and produces a big crop, but the bean has a bitter taste. It?s often used in blends, especially in Europe. But high-end coffee producers like Counter Culture avoid it. They stick to another species ? arabica.

This is one big divide in the coffee business. On one side is ?commodity? coffee; on the other, small companies like Counter Culture Coffee, or even big ones like Starbucks or Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, which sell coffee that?s been more carefully harvested and graded. These companies market coffee almost like wine, labeling where it came from and how it tastes.

At Green Mountain?s headquarters in Waterbury, Vt., tasters suck in mouthfuls of fresh brew, pause to reflect, then give each sample a score and talk about what their supersensitive taste buds picked up. ?Chocolate, melon, lime, subtle peach,? says one taster.

Specialty coffee like this accounts for only a small part ? probably 10 or 15 percent ? of the global coffee market.

Sometimes, these two sides of the coffee business seem to live in different worlds. But Counter Culture Coffee?s Ionescu says they sometimes come together in surprising ways.

?You know, what?s interesting to me is the large proportion of coffee growers who drink instant coffee, even on some of these idyllic hillsides in Central America,? she says.

Instead of drinking their own top-quality coffee, they export it to people who can pay more for it, such as Europeans or Americans.

Lindsey Bolger, director of coffee for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, says if you measure the amount of coffee consumed per coffee drinker, the world champions live in Nordic countries. ?Depending on which country, they?re up to eight cups of coffee per person, per day. In the U.S., we?re at maybe 2 or 2.5 cups of coffee per day,? she says.

Americans actually used to drink a lot more coffee. Per person, we drank almost twice as much during World War II.

People used to divide the coffee world neatly into producers, like Brazil, and consuming countries in Western Europe and North America.

Bolger says those clear lines are getting blurred. Brazil could soon overtake the United States to become the world?s single biggest coffee-consuming country, she says, and ?we?re seeing significant growth in consumption in regions like Southeast Asia, South Korea, Eastern Europe, India and the Gulf nations.?

The coffee experience, it seems, is more global than ever.

This is the first in a series of reports for Coffee Week. Along with our friends at Morning Edition, we?re bringing you the stories behind the coffee in your cup ? from the farms of Guatemala to the corner coffee shop.

Related Quiz at NPR:

Copyright 2013 NPR.

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Tags: coffee, Counter Culture Coffee, the salt

Category: NPR food, radio, sustainability, tea and coffee

Source: http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2013/04/22/how-coffee-brings-the-world-together/

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bloggervalley: AdSense Adds Link Unit Ad Previews For Higher ...

Google recently updated their Adsense link units to include thumbnails in the ad pages? in order to improve publishers' performance. From now on link unit ad pages will show previews of advertisers' landing page in addition to the usual text links. Tests conducted by Google showed thumbnail images generated higher CTR (Click-Through Rates), leading to increased publisher revenue and more conversions for advertisers.

This update is available to all publishers except publishers in any of these countries:

• Austria, Brazil, China, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Turkey.

and publishers in any of these site verticals:

• Arts & Entertainment, Astrology & Divination, Biographies & Quotations, Body Art, Bollywood & South Asian Film, Cards & Greetings, Casual Games, Celebrities & Entertainment News, Christmas, Clip Art & Animated GIFs, Computer & Video Games, Crafts, Dating & Personals, Email & Messaging, Family-Oriented Games & Activities, Hair Care, Homemaking & Interior Decor, Humor, Maps, Mathematics, Men's Interests (Mature), Music Streams & Downloads, Online Games, Online Goodies, Online Image Galleries, Online Video, Photo & Video Software, Skins Themes & Wallpapers, Time & Calendars and Webcams & Virtual Tours.

Source: http://bloggervalley.blogspot.com/2013/04/adsense-adds-link-unit-ad-previews-for.html

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Source: http://jeansstderek.typepad.com/blog/2013/04/bloggervalley-adsense-adds-link-unit-ad-previews-for-higher-ctr.html

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How One Spoof Video Symbolizes The Energy And Brashness Of OpenStack, A Rising Cloud Power

At the OpenStack Summit last week, Tuesday’s keynote opened with?Dope’n'Stack E.N.T.E.R.P.R.I.S.E, a video that symbolizes the arrival of a new force of disruptors who see riches in building software and systems that will displace the legacy systems of old. It’s not a question anymore. OpenStack has the momentum to win, and it can thank this young group of developers and feisty systems gurus for making it happen. Companies that have long controlled the enterprise software and systems market are now at a distinct disadvantage. Their proprietary, closed-stack integrations don’t play in the new open cloud world that emulates the success of Internet-scale companies, such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Facebook. And this group of technologists knows it, making it abundantly clear last week in Portland. Cloudscaling CTO Randy Bias summed up OpenStack’s place in the market in a presentation this week, titled “The State of the Stack.” The presentation reviews the findings of a survey done with OpenStack users and relevant data about the overall community. State of the Stack April 2013 from Cloudscaling, Inc. OpenStack is as much a stack as is Linux or Java. That points to a future where it has a chance to become a standard for building out cloud infrastructure. It has the attention of startups and large enterprise companies. Successes have come with customers such as Bloomberg, Comcast, Best Buy, CERN Laboratories and the NSA, all which have built core technology on OpenStack. It has served as a stack to try new technologies, such as the Ceph storage system and any number of new networking technologies. What hypervisor OpenStack users deploy is one of the most telling signs of the shift and the adaptive?role that older, more established companies have had to take on. According to an OpenStack survey,?KVM has become the hypervisor of choice due to its open-management platform. It has no licensing fees and allows for free choice in how it is used. KVM is backed by Red Hat. Xen, it should be noted, became part of the Linux Foundation last week with the support of Amazon Web Services, which will have definite impacts on the market. Until this point, Citrix maintained a community edition of Xen, similar to the way Red Hat treats KVM. Other supporters include?AMD, Bromium, Calxeda, CA Technologies, Cisco, Citrix, Google, Intel, Oracle, Samsung, and Verizon. AWS uses the Xen hypervisor. It is also believed that Google

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/HcOL5hVjczs/

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New potential target for cancer therapy identified

Apr. 19, 2013 ? Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that alternative splicing -- a process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins -- appears to be a new potential target for anti-telomerase cancer therapy.

The enzyme telomerase is overexpressed in almost all cancer cells, and previous research efforts have failed to identify good telomerase inhibitors. The study by Dr. Woodring Wright and UT Southwestern colleagues in the April 4 issue of Cell Reports identifies a new approach for inhibiting telomerase, which is an enzyme that drives uncontrolled division and replication of cancer cells.

Alternative splicing allows genetic information to be assembled in different ways and is almost always controlled by DNA sequences that are immediately adjacent to the parts of a gene that code for protein. "In the case of the telomerase gene, we found that these controlling regions are located very far from the protein coding regions and that they contain unusual DNA sequences," said Dr. Wright, professor of cell biology and internal medicine. "Their unusual DNA structure suggests that humans regulate telomerase in a very different fashion that we may be able to exploit to develop inhibitors of the enzyme."

Most of the splice variants that telomerase makes are inactive, but Dr. Wright's team demonstrated that it was possible to shift the splicing to make even less active telomerase, potentially providing a new approach for cancer therapy.

Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of each chromosome. As DNA replicates, telomeres shorten each time a cell divides. Telomerase in human cancer cells is 10 to 20 times more active than in normal body cells. The increase provides a selective growth advantage to many types of tumors. If telomerase activity was to be turned off, then telomeres in cancer cells would shorten like they do in normal body cells.

"The oft-used analogy is that telomeres are like the plastic ends of shoelaces that protect them from fraying," Dr. Wright said. "Once the plastic becomes damaged and falls off, the shoelace can no longer be threaded effectively. The only solution at that point is to throw the shoelace away."

In most tissues, telomerase turns off during development, after which telomeres shorten and limit the number of times a cell can divide, eventually losing their capping function similar to the shoelace tip falling off. This timing also functions as a tumor-protection mechanism, since the limited cellular lifespan prevents pre-malignant cells from accumulating the mutations they need to become cancerous.

Preclinical studies have shown that inhibiting telomerase causes tumor cells to lose immortality, re-initiate telomere shortening, and eventually die. In the event that a tumor has already thoroughly developed, it may be surgically removed, and following conventional chemotherapy, telomerase inhibition could prevent rare surviving cells from having enough divisions to cause a relapse.

Dr. Wright said the alternative splicing method also could be useful for regenerative medicine, because telomeres in our stem cells shorten with age and that eventually compromises their function. "Under the right circumstances, increasing or decreasing telomerase activity could profoundly affect our treatments for both cancer and aging," he said.

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Journal Reference:

1. Mandy?S. Wong, Ling Chen, Christopher Foster, Radhika Kainthla, Jerry?W. Shay, Woodring?E. Wright. Regulation of Telomerase Alternative Splicing: A Target for Chemotherapy. Cell Reports, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.03.011

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/yGGk58a8mm8/130419160713.htm

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Mayor tweets "we got him" after manhunt ends

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (Reuters) - A man who identified himself as the father of two brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings said on Friday he believed his sons had been framed and pleaded with police to spare his younger son who was still on the run. U.S. police said they killed Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and were conducting a massive search for his brother and suspected accomplice, Dzhokhar, 19, on Friday after the bombings killed three people and wounded 176. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bostons-mayor-tweets-got-him-bombings-manhunt-ends-011425567.html

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Gabby Giffords eviscerates weasely Senators who killed the background check bill (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/299939604?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Yankees SS Jeter leaves complex for medical exam

NEW YORK (AP) ? Yankees captain Derek Jeter has left the team's minor league complex in Florida and gone for a medical exam on his injured left ankle.

Jeter went to see Dr. Robert Anderson, who operated on the All-Star shortstop's left ankle in Charlotte, N.C., after it was broken last October.

New York manager Joe Girardi said Thursday that the exam was not scheduled.

The 38-year-old Jeter was hurt in the opener of the AL championship series. He played sparingly in spring training and started the season doing recovery work at the team's complex in Tampa, Fla.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-18-BBA-Yankees-Jeter-Exam/id-2f8dbf2597ca4ea5b2fbde3e615da809

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Six Dividend Paying Stocks I Purchased For My IRA | iStockAnalyst ...

I recently opened an IRA, and allocated the funds equally in the following six dividend stocks:

Chevron Corporation (CVX), through its subsidiaries, engages in petroleum, chemicals, mining, power generation, and energy operations worldwide. The company has raised dividends for 25 years in a row, and has a ten year dividend growth rate of 9.60%/year. Currently, this dividend achiever trades at 9 times earnings at yields 3%. Check my analysis of Chevron.

Philip Morris International Inc. (), through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products. The company has raised dividends for 4 years in a row. Currently, the stock trades at 18.60 times earnings at yields 3.60%. Check my analysis of Philip Morris International.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of various products in the health care field worldwide. The company has raised dividends for 50 years in a row, and has a ten year dividend growth rate of 11.70%/year. Currently, this dividend champion trades at 16.90 times earnings at yields 3%. Check my analysis of Johnson & Johnson.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) franchises and operates McDonald's restaurants in the United States, Europe, the Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America. The company has raised dividends for 36 years in a row, and has a ten year dividend growth rate of 28.40%/year. Currently, this dividend champion trades at 19.30 times earnings at yields 3%. Check my analysis of McDonald's .

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) owns and operates energy transportation and storage assets in the United States and Canada. The company has raised dividends ever since it went public in 2011, yields 3.80% and is projecting to grow them by over 10%/year for the foreseeable future. Check my analysis of Kinder Morgan.

Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) provides mobile telecommunication services worldwide. The company has raised dividends since 1989. Since 2002, the annual dividend in British Pounds has increased from 1.47 pence/share to 9.52 pence/share in 2012.. Currently, this international dividend achiever yields around 5%.

The reason why I purchased these companies is because they were attractively valued at the moment, provided decent entry yields and the opportunity for growth in earnings and dividends going forward.

By making this IRA contribution, I was able to reduce my tax due by more than half. The amount I put in that IRA produced an instant tax savings that was equivalent to over one third of its value in taxes. This also made me review my paychecks closer, and I noticed that I pay in taxes an amount that could easily cover 60% of my expenses. This was the tipping point that made me think about reducing tax expenses, in order to accumulate as much funds in my name, both in taxable and tax-deferred brokerage accounts. Most people do not even realize the amount of taxes they pay each year, because they are automatically withdrawn from their paychecks.

Long-term readers might have sensed the fact that I am a big fan of early retirement. According to my 2013 goals, I discussed how I would be able to retire in five ? six years. As a result, I have always discussed that I keep most of my investable assets in taxable brokerage accounts. It made sense for me to only put the bare minimum in tax-deferred accounts such as 401 (k) only to get the company sponsored match. Since 2009, I have consistently ended up owing money to the government come April 15. What I realized over the past year is that the taxes I end up paying do not provide a specific benefit to myself. These taxes help pay for roads, defense, education and public services, but the payment of them was costing me a lot of money. Just looking at my paychecks I recently realized that I need to make a change. As a result, I am going to contribute the maximum I can in 401 (k) plans and IRA's, in order to reduce my taxable income. Any tax savings from deferring my spending will be directly realizable to moi, although there are a few obstacles to that.

The first issue is that there are limited investment options for 401 (k) plans. For IRA's however, it is possible to put individual dividend paying stocks. As a portion of my total portfolio however, I do not foresee the sum of 401 (k) and IRA accounts to exceed 15% ? 20%. If I choose to retire in five years, I should be able to convert my 401 (k) into an IRA, and invest the money as I see fit. This is not an ideal situation, but any money I put into a 401 (k) would translate into immediate returns of over 1/3 the invested amount, because of tax savings. To me, investing in index funds and not in individual dividend stocks is worth generating a 33% return through the instant tax savings. Most of my current 401 (k) money is in an old 401 (k) from my last employer that I left in the prior year. I plan to roll this into an IRA, which would allow me better flexibility with my investments.

The second issue is that funds in tax-deferred accounts such as 401 (k) and IRA cannot be easily accessed at a whim. There is a 10% early withdrawal penalty on money that is withdrawn prior to ages 55 for 401 (k) and 59 ? for IRA's. In addition to that, investors need to pay ordinary tax rates on money that is distributed. Investors in Roth IRA's can withdraw contributions without any penalties, but they do not get a tax break for contributing today.

So to summarize, I am better off getting tax deduction today that allows me to save an amount each year, which is lost for me when paying taxes. I am much better off to have some claims to money in the future even if accessing it is more difficult, than to simply throw it away (by giving it to the federal and state and local governments). The rate at which I will accumulate individual dividend stocks in taxable brokerage accounts would decline from 3 new purchases a month to 2 purchases every month. An interesting fact is that when I increased my 401 (k) contribution from 6% to 10%, my paycheck decreased only by % .

Throughout my early retirement, I expect that the majority of income will come in the form of dividends, distributions and some 1099 business income. This would put me in a lower tax bracket, which is why distributions from an IRA in early retirement would still be a cheap way to withdraw money if I had to, even with the 10% penalty on distributions. However, if I choose to go to Substantially Equal Periodic Payment arrangement, I might end up withdrawing dividends from that IRA, without having to pay the 10% penalty. I found two calculators behind SEPP here and here. Depending on your age at retirement, the distribution you can take without paying the 10% penalty could cover 50% - 75% of your annual dividend income earned from that particular portfolio, assuming a current yield around 3.50% - 4%.

Full Disclosure: Long CVX, PM, JNJ, MCD, VOD, KMI

Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6388211/six-dividend-paying-stocks-i-purchased-for-my-ira

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Parents can help their children avoid alcohol pitfalls during transition from high school to college

Apr. 16, 2013 ? Prior research has shown that the transition from high school to college is a particularly vulnerable time, associated with increased alcohol use and risk of negative alcohol-related consequences. While studies have examined the effectiveness of prevention programs to address this problem, few have examined which students may benefit the most. A study of student characteristics has found that parent-based interventions (PBIs) can be effective even among those students feeling high peer pressure to drink alcohol.

Results will be published in the September 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"College matriculation is a vulnerable transition for many youth for many reasons," said Michael J. Cleveland, research assistant professor at the Prevention Research Center at The Pennsylvania State University and corresponding author for the study. "Increased freedoms and autonomy -- from parental control and from the structure of high school -- as well as instability -- as new friendships and romantic relationships form -- may lead to increased opportunities, and social pressures, for young people to experiment with alcohol and other substances."

Rose Marie Ward, associate professor of health promotion at Miami University, Ohio, agreed. "The transition from high school to college is constantly marked as a crucial time for alcohol interventions," she said. "PBIs stress that during this crucial transition period, communication between the parent and teen ? is highly important."

"The PBI we examined is designed to encourage parents to maintain communication with their son or daughter, consisting of an informational handbook that is distributed to parents of incoming students during the summer before matriculation," said Cleveland. "The handbook is fairly short -- about 22 pages -- and includes an overview of college student drinking, strategies and techniques for communicating effectively with teens, and tips on discussing ways to help teens develop assertiveness and resist peer pressure. The last section of the handbook is an in-depth discussion of the major reasons teens drink alcohol, including information about how alcohol affects the body. This section also addresses the issues of parent norms and permissibility with respect to alcohol use in their teens."

The researchers used data from a randomized control trial delivered to 1,900 incoming college students (988 females, 912 males) divided into four groups: non-drinkers, weekend light drinkers, weekend heavy episodic drinkers, and heavy drinkers. Student characteristics were: injunctive peer norms, which measured participants' perceptions of their friends' approval or disapproval of four specific drinking activities; descriptive peer norms, which asked participants to write how many drinks they thought were typically consumed on each day of the week by their close friends; and personal attitudes toward alcohol use.

"We examined these particular student characteristics because there is strong evidence that links these characteristics to increased risk of alcohol use," said Cleveland. "We wanted to see if these characteristics could help explain why the intervention works better for some students compared to others."

Results showed that injunctive peer norms were key, as was the timing of the PBI.

"Our study found the effectiveness of the PBI at preventing escalation to risky drinking was different for certain groups of students, and that these effects depended on when the PBI was delivered and whether or not parents were given a 'booster,'" said Cleveland. "We found that the strongest effects of the PBI were among students who -- although they themselves reported light to moderate use of alcohol -- reported very high levels of their friends' approval for drinking alcohol."

"These results demonstrate that during the transition into college, parents can still influence their teens' alcohol consumption patterns," added Ward. "Specifically, peer approval interacted with, or combined with, the PBI to predict drinking transitions. However, this study indicates that a PBI prior to the enrollment of college, and some times with booster information provided during the first year of college, is more effective than one provided after the teen starts college. PBIs are effective. This study emphasizes that their effectiveness may be determined by the beliefs of the teen."

"Our findings should be placed in the context of other evaluations of the PBI, all of which show that this intervention is a low-cost but effective tool that prevents escalation of drinking during this transition," said Cleveland. "The materials covered in the handbook are all strategies that parents can do. Both parents and peer groups are among the strongest influences on young adults transitioning to college; both continue to have influence even as young people transition from adolescence to young adulthood."

"Parents should remember that their opinion still influences their teen," said Ward. "Even if the teen has an established drinking pattern, the parent's communication concerning drinking can impact or alter the teen's alcohol consumption. At the same time, clinicians should remember that teens are still listening to their parents. When guiding a teen about their alcohol use, the clinician might encourage the teen to share materials with their parent and to have discussions concerning alcohol use, driving under the influence, drinking enough to pass out, or frequent heavy drinking. In short, the clinician might elicit the help of the parent."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Michael J. Cleveland, Brittney Hultgren, Lindsey Varvil-Weld, Kimberly A. Mallett, Rob Turrisi, Caitlin C. Abar. Moderation of a Parent-Based Intervention on Transitions in Drinking: Examining the Role of Normative Perceptions and Attitudes Among High- and Low-Risk First-Year College Students. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/acer.12126

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/bbmtRVY9jH8/130416161825.htm

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FOR KIDS: Building a better battery

Researchers develop a way to make batteries that hold more charge and don?t weaken with age

Researchers develop a way to make batteries that hold more charge and don?t weaken with age

By Sid Perkins

Web edition: April 15, 2013

Enlarge

Researchers designed a way to make better batteries using supersmall sulfur particles coated with titanium dioxide, shown here.

Credit: Seh et al., Nature Communications (2013)

Battery designers face many challenges, but two stand out. One is developing small, heavy-duty batteries. These units hold a really big charge. The other is being able to recharge such batteries hundreds of times without them losing their ability to hold a boatload of energy. A team of scientists now reports having achieved both feats. It involved adding sulfur to their battery?s recipe.

Oh, and unlike earlier attempts to build sulfur-based batteries, these aren?t prone to explode.

Visit the new?Science News for Kids?website?and read the full story:?Building a better battery

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349684/title/FOR_KIDS_Building_a_better_battery

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91% Jurassic Park: An IMAX 3D Experience

All Critics (94) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (93) | Rotten (8) | DVD (38)

The enthralling man-vs.-nature parable based on the late Michael Crichton's best-selling novel hasn't aged one bit.

The 3-D process adds not just dimension but depth - a technological extension of cinematographer Gregg Toland's deep-focus innovations in The Grapes of Wrath and Citizen Kane. The change in perspective creates greater intensity.

I'm a fan of this movie. It is thrilling, and the 3-D treatment is a nice enhancement.

This movie doesn't just stand the test of time, it transcends it.

"Jurassic Park" remains an absolute thrill from a Spielberg in top form: Funny, scary, fast-moving and full of just-right details.

"Jurassic Park" was impressive in 1993. Twenty years later, it's flawless.

[Looks] better not only than effects-driven movies of the same period, but better, frankly, than half of what gets released nowadays.

Kids who love dinosaurs will love it. And who doesn't?

confirms both Spielberg's mastery of cinematic thrills and the comparatively empty bombast of today's summer tentpole movies, even the better ones.

Jurassic Park shows us a director in transition, and the film captures his transformation in its own kind of cinematic amber.

[The] 3D [conversion] provides the definitive version of this classic film. Jurassic Park has been transformed with with artistry, nuance and sophistication, and it's an absolute must-see during this brief run.

The 3D effects had me nearly jumping out of my seat. Some say Hollywood is converting too many old films to 3D. But, "Jurassic Park" was the perfect choice. There's nothing more fun than sharing a seat with a snapping dinosaur.

Spielberg treats us as he does his characters, leading us into a strange land and expecting us to make it out with all our faculties intact; it's a tall order, given the heart-stopping, bloodcurdling, limbs-numbing excitement packed into the second hour.

It is as if time has passed the movie by. "Jurassic Park" remains solid entertainment, but the awe and wonder have faded.

The thrill of seeing live dinosaurs on screen is not as acute today as it was 20 years ago admittedly, but there is still some 3D awe left in the creations that roared 65 billion years ago...

The 3D isn't pushed on the audience, but it does reveal the amount of depth that Spielberg actually put into the film 20 years ago.

While it's not the most profound of Spielberg's works or the most entertaining from a popcorn perspective, it's one of the most technically flawless movies he's ever produced.

Jurassic Park 3D is like being reunited with an old friend; an old friend that wants to eat you and maul you to death, but still. A classic is reborn in glorious IMAX with a vibrantly stunning use of 3D.

If releasing the film in 3-D is the only way to get it back in theaters, then the gimmick is an acceptable addition. The 3-D is good. But when a movie is this near flawless, nothing is needed to make it better.

The 3D conversion ruins everything, like the comet that killed the dinosaurs, making Jurassic Park the rare amusement I'd prefer to revisit at home.

A beast of a movie is gifted a superfluous-but-superb rouging of the cheeks, offering fanatics something new to study while newcomers will be ruined for any future television airings.

The tasteful Jurassic Park 3D conversion injects new wonder and excitement into one of the most captivating adventure movies ever made.

There is nothing like experiencing this fabulous, larger-than-life, groundbreaking movie where it was meant to be experienced. And in 3D!

This is an immensely entertaining film, as long as you can overlook the many minor flaws that permeate its structure. (Complete Content Details for Parents also available)

But really, what makes "Jurassic Park" great is that it is a Steven-Spielberg-master-class in constructing action set-pieces.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jurassic_park_an_imax_3d_experience_1993/

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Guards, detainees clash in pre-dawn raid at Guantanamo

U.S. military guards raided the largest camp at Guantanamo Bay early Saturday and fired four non-lethal shots as they moved detainees into solitary cells to suppress a widening protest, military officials said in a statement. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

By Michael Isikoff, National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News

U.S. military guards raided the largest camp at Guantanamo Bay early Saturday morning and fired four non-lethal shots as they moved detainees into solitary cells to suppress a widening protest, military officials said in a statement.

The unusual pre-dawn raid, ordered by Cmdr. Rear Adm. John W. Smith, was prompted by detainees' efforts to cover surveillance cameras, windows and glass partitions -- blocking views by guards -- amid an ongoing hunger strike that has now spread to more than 40 detainees and required officials to order some prisoners to be force fed through tubes. ??

During the raid, "some detainees resisted with improvised weapons, and in response, four less-than-lethal rounds were fired. There were no serious injuries to guards or detainees," according to the statement released by the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo.

Carlos Warner, a lawyer who represents detainees, said in an email to NBC News the raid was "a major event" and accused military officials of "escalating the conflict."

---

Warner also said the military timed the raid just after an International Red Cross delegation left the facility.

?They are doing exactly what they shouldn't be doing - provoking men who have nothing to lose and who are ready to die. These actions will drive the men closer to death, so yes the situation is rapidly deteriorating,? he added.

A White House spokesperson said: "We have been monitoring the situation at Guantanamo closely and were informed by DOD in advance of the Task Force's plan to transition detainees at Camp VI from communal to single-cell living to ensure their health and security."

In recent weeks, as the hunger strike has spread among detainees, human rights groups have called on the Obama administration to fulfill its promise to shut down Guantanamo and step? up its efforts to return detainees who have been cleared for release to their home countries.

Lawyers for the detainees said they have been told of detainees losing consciousness and coughing up blood due to the hunger strike.

The Saturday morning raid occurred in Camp VI -- the largest at Guantanamo -- where detainees deemed "compliant" live in communal areas and are given special privileges. But military officials said that, in order to "reestablish proper observation" of the detainees, military forces began moving the detainees back into "single cell" confinement, triggering the resistance that led them to fire shots. Officials have said in the past that guards are equipped with rubber bullets.

Last month, U.S. military officials denied any detainees' lives were in danger but acknowledged that resistance and frustration among the detainees is growing, a development that a senior general said is because they are ?devastated? that President Barack Obama?s pledge to shut down the facility has not been fulfilled.

White House officials say they remain committed to closing Guantanamo but have been blocked from doing so by Congress, leading officials to close the small State Department office charged with finding new homes for the detainees.

Related:

Pentagon ponders Gitmo overhaul amid growing detainee unrest

'Non-lethal round' fired at Gitmo detainees in soccer field incident, US military confirms

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/2aae8904/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C130C177365990Eguards0Edetainees0Eclash0Ein0Epre0Edawn0Eraid0Eat0Eguantanamo0Dlite/story01.htm

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Bilbo And Snow White In All-Out War For Movie Awards Best Hero

Fans are coming out in full force to show their support; voting is open until right before the winner is announced at Sunday's show.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Martin Freeman as Bilbo in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1705528/movie-awards-best-hero.jhtml

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What would the killer app actually do?

I recently predicted in this column that whatever phone-type integration Facebook was cooking up would be a game-changer for the company. Boy was i wrong. Early reviews of whatever the heck it is that Facebook is debuting tomorrow suggest that, at the very least, an interface that replaces an interface and actually hurts functionality isn't going to be well-loved.

It got me to thinking, though. Given the current state of smartphone technology, just what type of accouterment would have to come with a new phone in order for it to truly qualify as game-changing? Yes, a bendable screen would be cool, but in terms of functionality -- eh. Functionally, what's the killer app? I assume that Samsung, Google, Apple, HTC and others have teams of smart people whose sole job it is to figure out what innovation would make life easier, simpler, more secure.?

SEE MORE: Revealed: A progressive super PAC was reportedly behind the secret McConnell taping

Since the United States still hasn't come to terms with scarcity of bandwidth, a lot of the good stuff that smart phones should do aren't able to be done. So maybe the killer app will have to wait a national broadband policy that truly lets everyone browse and download as much as they want. ?

Absent that, money. Commerce. With near-field chips in ubiquitous use and the credit industry infrastructure already in place, I wonder why rapid cashless commerce isn't being pursued aggressively by everyone. Maybe it is, and maybe I'm missing it. I know of pilot programs, like V.Me from Visa, which takes me halfway there. But there's no technological barrier i know of to a seamless experience that would let you use your smartphone, right now, to pay for parking at street spaces, at parking machines, to serve as a stand in for a credit card at Top Man, or whatever store you browsed this afternoon, to scan in IRS refund checks that you've received; to integrate sites like Mint.com with all of your activity instantly, so that you can protect yourself from fraud, and use your retina image or fingerprints to identify yourself, or a voice print to confirm it, or enter in a pin code that would authenticate a transaction. ?It can be seamless.?

SEE MORE: 3 reasons why a guard might help a prisoner escape from jail

The technology is there. The individual apps are there. The backbone is there, even absent any significant broadband expansion. I think the company that figures out the corporate politics of getting everyone to work together and to use a common standard with common sense security mechanisms -- they're going to find that writing the software into the phone is relatively easy. And that's a phone I will want to buy.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/killer-app-actually-235700869.html

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Portia de Rossi: ?You Have to Really Want Kids? ? and I Don?t

"There comes some pressure in your mid 30s and you think, 'Am I going to have kids so I don't miss out on something that other people really seem to love?'" de Rossi tells Out in their May issue.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/WV4JrHWFP-o/

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