IRL: IOGEAR GearPower GMP10K, SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming ...

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.

Anyone out there a fan of Sony's mirrorless cameras? How about Canon's premium glass? Good. We knew there'd be some of you. In any case, with this week's IRL, we'll be sharing everything you ever wanted to know about the Metabones Speed Booster, which fastens your full-frame EF lenses onto Sony's E-mount NEX cameras. And, of course, what would an IRL column be without an external battery pack? (Seriously, we can't live without 'em.)

IOGEAR GearPower GMP10K

External battery chargers are a dime a dozen. In fact, we've covered quite a few of them in past IRLs, and for good reason: since we travel so much and often find ourselves without a nearby charger, nearly everyone on the team relies on one to get us through trade shows.

I had the opportunity to take IOGEAR's GearPower GMP10K for a spin while traveling in Spain and California, and the external cell came in extremely handy. While your mileage will vary depending on the size of the devices you're charging, its 11,000mAh capacity got me through no less than eight charge cycles with some juice left over. As you can imagine, it's not the smallest external battery charger out there, but at least it fits in my backpack without taking up much room. The $80 pack may be overkill for the casual phone user, but it's definitely worth consideration if you have a packed travel schedule throughout the year.

-- Brad Molen

SteelSeries Free Mobile Wireless Gaming Controller

I just spent an idyllic afternoon with my 2-year-old daughter. We didn't go to the park because it was snowing. We didn't read books because, well, we just didn't fancy it. Instead, we sat on bean bags in the living room and played Proteus on my PC. It's a simple and beautiful game with no goal other than to wander around a magical island. It was the first time the kid ever played a computer game and the first time she held a controller. The one for my Xbox 360 was too big, so we tried a SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller instead. It was a perfect fit and she quickly got the hang of looking and moving using the analog sticks -- fortunately the game doesn't require any buttons, otherwise things might have gotten too tricky. It was 30 minutes of pure fun and I know she'll want to try it again soon.

From a parenting perspective, I don't know if this is a good idea. Our kindergarten deliberately keeps toddlers away from computers until they get older, on the basis that their real-world coordination should fully develop first. On the other hand, I remember playing 4D Sports Racing and Commander Keen with my little sisters, and I'm convinced it helped our coordination to develop, giving us all a head start when it came to learning to drive, ski and sail. My sisters weren't quite this young, though -- they were 7 or 8 years old at the time, not 2, which means this is uncharted territory in my family. But it's beautiful territory -- an island of falling blossoms and shooting stars -- and I can't think of a good reason to mark it off limits.

-- Sharif Sakr

Metabones Speed Booster

Which Sony NEX user hasn't gazed longingly from time to time at Canon shooters and their collection of sublime L series glass? Sure, there are some excellent E-mount lenses on the market, such as Sony's f/1.8 24mm Carl Zeiss Sonnar. But none of them sets one's heart aflutter like Canon's EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, a pricey lens that brings near-night-vision speed and ultra-fine selective focus. On the other hand, there are many reasons to eschew all things Canon in favor of Sony's E-mount models, like the NEX-C3. By chucking the mirror, these models are much lighter and cheaper than Canon's bulky full-frame DSLRs like the 5D Mark III, have easier-to-use video and seem to take still or moving images just as well as their more upmarket Japanese brethren, optics notwithstanding.

Now, though, there's a way to live in both worlds at once: Metabones' new Speed Booster. It adapts Canon full-frame EF lenses (not EF-S) to Sony's E-mount NEX cameras, with the added benefits of full image stabilization, limited autofocus capability and EXIF data, among others. Amazingly, by working as a so-called focal reducer, the definitely-not-endorsed-by-Canon Speed Booster also ekes out a full extra aperture stop from each lens, turning an f/2 model into f/1.4 for instance, while also increasing the FOV by a factor of 0.71x -- meaning a normal lens stays, well, normal. Finally, the designer of the lens, Caldwell Photographic, claims that the device actually makes attached lenses sharper and has the white paper to prove it.

All that sounds great, but how does it work? I've been using it with that 50mm Canon glass along with a 24mm f/1.4L USM lens and a NEX-5N, and the answer is: very well indeed -- provided you keep your autofocus expectations in check. Metabones says up front that "the autofocus speed is unfit for professional use for sure, and it would disappoint most enthusiasts." And that's true: it's absolutely not suited for action photography. However, for landscapes, still subjects and portraits, once it locks on after a bit of programmed hunting, focus is razor-sharp.

For video work, there's no continuous AF as with native lenses, but it's possible to focus while shooting by pressing the shutter button -- though any hunting will ruin the shot, of course, making manual focus the best option for most. Apart from that, the Speed Booster is one of the few photographic accessories I couldn't wait to use: the fit and finish were impeccable, optical quality appeared excellent, functions like auto-bracketing worked perfectly and changing settings like the f-stop in-camera worked just as it would with a NEX lens. At wide apertures like f/0.9 (!) on the 50L, there was some vignetting, but you would also see that on any full-frame camera, especially on an aperture setting that ridiculously wide open. Otherwise, it gave my Sony shooter much more artistic capability and flexibility while turning it into a low-light monster, literally -- as those L-lenses also dwarfed the wee NEX-5N.

-- Steve Dent

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/irl-iogear-gearpower-gmp10k-steelseries-free-mobile-gaming-controller-metabones-speedbooster/

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Advice On How To Become A Better Person | MySpareTime.net

Self-betterment can truly transform your life in a positive way. If you like the sound of that, then you might be wondering where to start. This article offers proven advice for creating your own successful self improvement plan.

A positive attitude will do wonders for your personal growth. Bad attitudes usually lead you to some place you would rather not be and nearly always impede progress. Stay positive and keep telling yourself that a pleasant, upbeat attitude is the way to reach your goals.

Have specific personal development goals that you can succeed with. If you have specific goals in mind, you will be better able to break down the path to accomplish this feat. This will make it simpler to overcome obstacles and you will be able to enjoy success.

When you are angry, count to ten before saying anything. Think of something that is calming and take a breath. Picture yourself remaining calm and saying only what you will not regret.

TIP! Not only is getting organized an achievement in itself, but it will help you to meet other goals faster. When you can break down your goals, it becomes much easier to achieve them.

Instead of bragging abut your achievements and awards, ask other people about what they have accomplished that they are most proud of. You?ll be able to find out about the wonderful things the people you know have accomplished, bringing about a new-found respect and admiration for them.

How healthy your body is, affects how healthy your mind is. Exercise on a regular basis, and eat a healthy diet filled with nutritious foods. Remember, a healthy, fit body can contribute to a healthy mind.

Improving your health is something that will take you far on your journey of self improvement. Everyone feels better when they in are healthy. A healthy lifestyle can make you feel wonderful and allow you to save money that would be otherwise spent on medical problems. Make a goal to improve your fitness and make healthy choices.

A good character trait is being humble. In the grand scheme of things, we are relatively insignificant. Everyone has the responsibility to learn and grow and we need to support each other in this quest. You?ll be open to more opportunities if you know this. Having an open mind to new situations will show you how much more there is to know.

TIP! Write a personalized affirmation. List the things that you love about yourself on a postcard.

Don?t seek comfort in the shopping mall. Shopping your stress away, or ?retail therapy? as some people say, is really more of a stress inducer, because it distracts you from the stress for a while but it all comes back with big bills and interest charges when the bills come in.

Silence your worries. It is often the case that the things you spend time worrying about will never actually occur. Think about the worst possible outcome, and then find a way to deal with that situation. This will help you feel prepared in the event of a tragedy but also keep living your life.

Building a better you starts with building leadership tendencies. Leadership can be defined in many ways, but most people like to define it as ?influence.? Understand the events in your life that make up your leadership journey. What experiences have had the greatest impact on your life? How did you use those events to better yourself? What skills would you contribute to a group? By carefully evaluating these questions, you can increase your awareness of your ability to function well in a team setting.

Often, the enemy of happiness is stress. Being subjected to sustained and extreme stress can have negative mental and physical repercussions. Getting rid of the stress that is in our minds is how we can think more clearly so that we can reach our goals. Set aside time daily to relax and be by yourself. This peaceful mental relaxation will refresh your mind, and improve your inner self.

TIP! Find books that inspire you. Such texts might include religious scripture, inspirational books, poetry and other forms of writing.

As this article has discussed, to help yourself you need to research, work and to make an effort to start changing your life today. Plus, you need to stick with your plans and have a lot of perseverance if you want to continue seeing the results roll in. You will find a great sense of accomplishment if you follow some of the wonderful tips above.

Read the following article, you might find it very interesting!
Are You Studying Relationship Psychology?

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Source: http://mysparetime.net/advice-on-how-to-become-a-better-person/

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Brad Pitt Talks World War Z

World War Z





Max Brooks' epic tome of a fictional time of global war against the undead is brought to life in this Paramount Pictures/Plan... Read More

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"World War Z" has been plagued -- no pun intended -- with bad buzz since undergoing reshoots last year. But when Moviefone was invited to a preview last week along with a select group of outlets, star and producer Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster seemed in good spirits and very excited about the nearly finished film, which will hit theaters June 21.

Pitt gave a brief intro to the 3D trailer and some exclusive footage, saying, "Four years ago, I knew nothing about zombies, wasn't really interested. Now I'm an expert." He added, "I wanted to make this film because I wanted to make a film my sons would enjoy before they get old. You will see we got a little carried away. I hope you enjoy it as much as my boys are. They're going to love it."

Forster (whose previous films include "Quantum of Solace" and "Monster's Ball") stayed after the footage for a Q&A where he addressed the re-shoots, how the movie is trying to offer a "new perspective" on zombies, and the first reaction from a test screening.

Here's what we learned:

It's not "just" a zombie movie
"For me, this is not just a zombie film," said Forster. "It's a film about a global crisis. Yes, it's a zombie film, but it speaks about some global issues." Pitt added, "We found much more than a zombie film. We found this global apocalypse, this 'zombie epidemic as worldwide pandemic' and that really interested us."

The movie's stunning visual twist of zombie swarms is also a metaphor
"The idea we had for the zombies came from nature, sort of this flocking and swarming," Forster explained. "In the George Romero films in the '70s, zombies were such a great metaphor for consumerism. For me, the metaphor was more about overpopulation today and that there are less and less resources. Their swarming is like their going after the last resources especially when the feeding frenzy starts."

Don't expect a lot of gore
Although Forster said he's a fan of TV's "The Walking Dead," "World War Z" will be rated PG-13: "Most of the gore and blood, I avoid it on purpose."

Do expect a "Contagion" approach to the zombies
Pitt's character is a former U.N. employee who's spent time problem-solving in hot spots like Africa and Bosnia. "He was able to come out alive out of these places, so at this point in the story, it's up to him to go on a quest to find 'Patient Zero'," Forster explained. Pitt's search takes him to Jerusalem, where the striking "zombie swarm" from the trailer occurs as they try to make it inside the "Salvation Gates" erected to keep them out.

"World War Z" won't be campy.
Forster's goal was to make the action feel "very real, that it could happen right now. It's a pretty intense ride. You're on the edge of your seat pretty much from beginning to end."

These zombies turn in an instant
"It's 12 seconds," Forster said of the ultra-fast conversion process. "There are some people who turn faster than others, which [Pitt] discovers that when he sees the first person change in Philadelphia," although as the virus mutates, some people transform faster than others.

The catchphrase from this just might be...
Forster quotes a line about the "World War Z" approach to taking out the undead: "'Spines are divine but knees are just fine,' So just basically if you hit them in the knees, they start crawling."

Everyone says they're happy about the re-shoots
"We shot the movie and put it together and we all felt the ending wasn't what we wanted it to be and could be better," Forster said. "We showed it to the studio and made a proposal and we went back and did some additional shooting and we are really happy now with the result. I prefer it and I think it's more powerful and works in favor of the story."

Pitt and Forster are still on speaking terms
Not only did the two amicably share a stage, but Forster sang Pitt's praises to the press, "For me, it was a really fantastic collaboration, because we share a lot of similar sensitivities. Developing this was a lot of fun and it worked out really, really positively, so I enjoyed the process tremendously."

Author Max Brooks gave them his "blessings"
"I met Max a couple of times," Forster said. "We spoke about the book and his intentions and I think, ultimately, he gave us his blessings. He hasn't seen the finished film yet but I am looking forward to showing it to him."

"World War Z" is trying to reinvent the zombie genre.
"You're dealing with a genre that has been done many times, but you're trying to find a way in that still is new and fresh and different and have a new perspective to it," Forster said, pointing out a scene from the trailer: "You haven't seen that in a zombie movie before: An outbreak on an airplane."

Don't rule out a "World War Z" trilogy, as Pitt has previously mentioned.
"There could be more story to tell, yes," says Forster.

Earlier on Moviefone:

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927143/news/1927143/

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Kenyan Supreme Court upholds election result

A supporter of losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures as he protests with others in the rain in front of riot police guarding the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 30, 2013. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, in a verdict on a petition by candidate Raila Odinga appealing the election result, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A supporter of losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga gestures as he protests with others in the rain in front of riot police guarding the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 30, 2013. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, in a verdict on a petition by candidate Raila Odinga appealing the election result, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Kenyan police with clubs chase a small group of supporters of presidential candidate Raila Odinga after they ran down a street smashing shop windows in protest at the verdict of the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 30, 2013. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, in a verdict on a petition by candidate Raila Odinga appealing the election result, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Supporters of losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga hold posters designed as banknotes with his face on, as they protest the verdict of the Supreme Court in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 30, 2013. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, in a verdict on a petition by candidate Raila Odinga appealing the election result, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

FILE - In this Saturday, March 9, 2013 file photo, Kenya's president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta waves at supporters after winning the elections in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday, March 30, 2013 upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, in a verdict on a petition by candidate Raila Odinga appealing the election result, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

Losing presidential candidate Raila Odinga speaks to the media as he accepts the Supreme Court ruling upholding the election result, and urges unity amongst Kenyans, at a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 30, 2013. Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenya's Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president and the loser accepted that verdict, ending an election season that riveted the nation with fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence.

Jubilant Kenyatta supporters flooded the streets of downtown Nairobi, honking horns, blowing plastic noisemakers and chanting.

But supporters of defeated Prime Minister Raila Odinga angrily protested after the verdict and police fired tear gas at them outside the Supreme Court as well as in the lakeside city of Kisumu, Odinga's hometown.

Two young men participating in riots were fatally shot in Kisumu, police spokesman Masoud Mwinyi told The Associated Press, although it was not clear by whom, and residents there said they could hear gunshots late in the night.

Outbreaks of violence by Odinga supporters were also reported in some Nairobi slums and truckloads of police were called in to quell the demonstrations, according to reports on a police radio heard by an Associated Press reporter.

In a victory speech late Saturday, Kenyatta urged Kenyans to move past the election and pledged to "work with, and serve, all Kenyans without discrimination whatsoever."

"Above all, let us continue to pray for peace in our country," he said.

Odinga, who had challenged the election results, accepted the court ruling and urged national unity and peace.

"It is our view that this court process is another long road in our march toward democracy, for which we have long fought," he said. "The future of Kenya is bright. Let us not allow elections to divide us."

However, Odinga said it was unfortunate that some of his legal team's evidence had been disallowed by the court. This, he said after the court's verdict, means that "in the end Kenyans lost the right to know what indeed happened" in the counting of votes.

"Although we may not agree with some of its findings, and despite all the anomalies we have pointed out, our belief in constitutionalism remains supreme," he said. "Casting doubt on the judgment of the court could lead to higher political and economic uncertainty, and make it more difficult for our country to move forward."

Odinga wished Kenyatta success and said he hopes the incoming government "will have fidelity to our constitution, and implement it to the letter for the betterment of our people."

Saturday's Supreme Court verdict ? following a drawn-out court case that raised tensions across the nation ? means that Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president, is to be sworn in as president on April 9. He will become the second sitting president in Africa to face charges at the International Criminal Court.

Kenyatta and Deputy President-elect William Ruto both face charges that they helped orchestrate the 2007-08 postelection violence in which more than 1,000 people died. Both deny the charges. Ruto's trial is set to begin in late May; Kenyatta's is to start in July. Kenyatta has promised to report to The Hague.

Kenyatta's win may complicate the U.S. relationship with Kenya, which has the largest American embassy in Africa. Because of the ICC charges against Kenyatta, the U.S, Britain and other European countries have said they may have limited contact with Kenya's new president.

But Western powers can't completely sever the relationship. Kenya is a key component in the fight against the al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group al-Shabab. Additionally, as East Africa's largest economy, China is strongly courting Kenya's leaders, and the West will be loath to lose economic influence here.

The office of British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose government did not congratulate Kenyatta by name after he was declared the winner, said in a statement that Cameron wrote to Kenyatta on Saturday to note "his strong commitment to the partnership that exists between Kenya and the U.K." The statement said "the Kenyan people had made their sovereign choice" in electing Kenyatta.

The White House congratulated Kenyatta in a statement, which urged Kenyans "to peacefully accept the results of the election."

Lawyers for Odinga, the loser in Kenya's last two elections, had argued before the Supreme Court that the election was marred by irregularities and that Kenyatta did not win enough votes to avoid a runoff election. According to official results, Kenyatta won 50.07 percent of the vote, narrowly avoiding a runoff election against Odinga, who said his case before the Supreme Court would put Kenya's democracy on trial.

But the Supreme Court's unanimous decision, read out by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, said the election was "conducted in compliance with the constitution and the law" and that Kenyatta and Ruto were legally elected.

"It is the decision of the court that (Kenyatta and Ruto) were validly elected," the ruling said. The reasons behind the judges' decision were not given Saturday. The chief justice said a detailed judgment would be delivered within two weeks.

Unlike after the 2007 election, which degenerated into tribe-on-tribe violence that damaged Kenya's reputation as a stable country, this time Odinga said he had faith in the judiciary's ability to give him a fair hearing.

The court's ruling ended days of anxiety since March 9, when Kenyatta was declared the winner of the March 4 vote that many described as the most complex in Kenya's history. More than 12 million Kenyans participated in the election. Some observers had expected a low registration of voters because of apathy following the 2007-08 violence, but campaigns by Kenyatta, Odinga and other presidential candidates led to the highest registration in the country ever. Kenya's electoral commission registered 14.3 million people.

Election day, though, did not go as planned. An electronic voter ID system intended to prevent fraud failed for reasons yet to be explained by the electoral commission. Vote officials instead used manual voter rolls.

After the polls closed, results were to be sent electronically to Nairobi, where officials would quickly tabulate a preliminary vote count in order to maximize transparency after rigging accusations following the 2007 vote. But that system failed, too. Election officials have indicated that computer servers were overloaded but have yet to fully explain the problem.

As the early count system was still being used, election results showed more than 330,000 rejected ballots, an unusually high number. But after the count resumed with the arrival in Nairobi of manual tallies, the number of rejected ballots was greatly reduced, and the election commission said the computer was mistakenly multiplying the number of rejected ballots by a factor of eight.

Odinga's lawyers told the Supreme Court this week that the switch from electronic voter identification to manual voter roll was contrived to allow inflation of Kenyatta's votes to take him past the 50 percent threshold. That accusation was vehemently denied by the electoral commission and Kenyatta's legal team.

___

Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, and Jason Straziuso in Mombasa, Kenya, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-AF-Kenya-Election/id-bd43b42566b34beaa18fdf0cb19b27cc

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Ed Sheeran Nearly Stabs Taylor Swift With 'Lord Of The Rings' Sword!

Red tourmate relives harrowing tale from when Swift was almost skewered by a prop.
By Cory Midgarden, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi

Ed Sheeran
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704641/ed-sheeran-taylor-swift-sword.jhtml

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Free Testing for Patients of Accused Oklahoma Dentist

Among the 7,000 patients who may have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis in an Oklahoma dentist's office are children, as their nervous parents wait to get them tested and grapple with how to explain the public health nightmare.

Deann Zavala took her four children to Dr. Wayne Scott Harrington, an oral surgeon who practices in Tulsa and Owasso. She said her youngest daughter had a tooth extracted.

"How do you look at her and be like, 'You could have AIDS?'" she told ABC News Radio.

The state dental board is offering free testing to Harrington's patients after a 17-count complaint revealed his allegedly poor sterilization practices could have put them at risk for contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B.

Patients received a letter from the Tulsa Health Department on Friday informing them of an inquiry into Harrington's practice and advising them to get screened.

Zavala, who said she trusted Harrington to care for her four children, was left shaken.

"If you can't trust a doctor and a dentist and ... the people that are supposed to do right by you ... who can you trust?" she said.

RELATED: Rogue Dentist May Have Exposed 7,000 Patients to HIV, Hepatitis

The dentist's alleged practices came to light after a patient who had no known risk factors other than receiving dental treatment in Harrington's office, tested positive for both HIV and hepatitis C.

"I could not believe it because I had just been there Feb. 28," Linda Grimm, a patient of Harrington's, told ABC News' Tulsa affiliate KTUL. "My worry now is my health issues that may develop."

ABC/KOCO,Oklahoma Board of Dentistry

Dentist Allegedly Exposed Patients to HIV, Hepatitis Watch Video Baby Born With HIV 'Functionally Cured,' Doctors Say Watch Video Thousands of Oklahoma Dental Patients Possibly Infected With HIV, Hepatitis Watch Video

After hearing about the infected patient on March 15, the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry conducted a surprise investigation of the dentist's practice on March 18, allegedly finding numerous sterilization and cross-contamination issues.

Investigators found two different sets of instruments -- one set for patients known to have infectious diseases, and another set for patients who were not believed to have infectious diseases.

Investigators also found that the autoclave, the machine designed to sterilize dental instruments meant to be tested each month, hadn't been checked in six years.

"We were just physically kind of sick," said Susan Rodgers, president of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. "The instruments that came out of the autoclave were horrible. I wouldn't let my nephews play with them out in the dirt." '

Harrington, who has been practicing for more than 30 years, may face criminal charges. The dentist voluntarily surrendered his state dental license and other permits, and a formal hearing before the dentistry board is scheduled for April 19.

RELATED: Oklahoma Dentist Could Face Criminal Charges

ABC News' Phoenix affiliate KNXV went to a home believed to be owned by Harrington in Carefree, Ariz. on Friday. A man believed to be Harrington declined to comment, and slammed the door.

Harrington and his staff told investigators that he treated a "high population of known infectious disease carrier patients," according to a 17-count complaint filed by the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry.

Drug cabinets were unlocked and unsupervised during the day, and Harrington did not keep an inventory log of drugs, some of which were controlled substances, according to the complaint. One drug vial expired in 1993.

"During the inspections, Dr. Harrington referred to his staff regarding all sterilization and drug procedures in his office," the complaint read. "He advised, 'They take care of that. I don't.'"

Harrington allegedly re-used needles, contaminating drugs with potentially harmful bacteria and trace amounts of other drugs, according to the complaint. Although patient-specific drug records indicated that they were using morphine in 2012, no morphine had been ordered since 2009.

Rodgers called the incident a "perfect storm."

ABC News' Sydney Lupkin and Katie Moisse contributed to this report.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wayne-scott-harrington-oklahoma-dentists-patients-free-testing/story?id=18845114

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Drones over America: How unmanned fliers are already helping cops

Nidhi Subbaraman , NBC News ? ? ? 3 hrs.

It was getting dark, and the sheriff of Nelson County, N.D., was in a standoff with a family of suspected cattle rustlers. They were armed, and the last thing anybody wanted was a shoot out.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which monitors police radio chatter, offered to help. Their Predator was flying back to its roost at the Grand Forks Air Force base and could provide aerial support. Did the sheriff want the assist?

Yep.

"We were able to detect that one of the sons was sitting at the end of the driveway with a gun. We also knew that there were small children involved," Sheriff Kelly Janke told NBC News, remembering that tricky encounter in the early summer of 2011. "Someone would have gotten seriously injured if we had gone in on the farm that night." He decided to wait.

The next day, the drone gave them an edge again by helping them choose the safest moment to make a move. "We were able to surprise them ? took them into custody," Janke said. They also collected six stolen cows.

Rodney Brossart, the arrested farmer, sued the state, in part because of the cop's use of a drone. But a district judge ruled that the Predator's service was not untoward.

When advocates express concern about government drones threatening people's privacy, the Brossart case is one they bring up. It's one of the first instances of a flying robot doing a cop's dirty work, and this kind of intervention is likely to be more and more commonplace, as the FAA fulfills a congressional mandate to increase its granting of drone permits ? certificates of authorization, or COAs.

Cops and flying robots
At the moment, there are only 327 active COAs, all held by these organizations, and all for unarmed crafts, of course. A tiny sliver of these permits are in the hands of law enforcement agencies, and from them, we're seeing the first glimpses of drone use in policing and emergency response.

"The FAA has approved us to cover a 16-county area," Sheriff Bob Rost of Grand Forks County, N.D., said of their COA. "To look for missing children, to look for escaped criminals and in the case of emergencies." In the spring, they will use two mini-copter drones ? a trusty DraganFlyer X6 and an AeroVironment Qube ? to check on flooded farms.

The police department in Arlington, Texas, also recently got FAA clearance to fly their drones after two years of testing. The two battery-powered Leptron Avenger helicopter drones won't be used for high-speed chases or routine patrol, the department explains. In fact, the crafts will be driven in a truck to where they're needed, and when they're launched to scope out incidents, local air traffic control will be informed.

In Mesa County, Colo., the police department has used drones to find missing people, do an aerial landfill survey and help out firefighters at a burning church. For them, it's seen as a cost-cutting technology.

"It's the Wal-Mart version of what we'd normally get at Saks Fifth Avenue," said Benjamin Miller, who leads the drones program in Mesa County, comparing drones to manned helicopters that would otherwise give police officers help from the sky.

In Seattle, the police department received an FAA permit ? but had to give back its drones when the mayor banned their use, following protests in October 2012.

Protests and red tape
"Hasn't anyone heard of George Orwell's '1984'?" the Seattle Times quoted a protester as saying. "This is the militarization of our streets and now the air above us."

Protesters, not just in Seattle, seek more legal definition of what a drone can or can't do, and debate whether or not current laws sufficiently protect citizens from unauthorized surveillance and other abuses.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks of police drones as an inevitability ? "We're going to have them," he recently said in a radio interview ? while those on the police (and drone) side say the fears are unfounded.

"This hysteria of [a drone] hovering outside your backyard taking a video of you smoking a joint, it's just that ? hysteria," said Al Frazier, an ex-cop from Los Angeles who is now an assistant professor of aeronautics at the University of North Dakota, and a deputy at the Grand Forks sheriff's office.

The reason the sky isn't lousy with drones already mostly has to do with red tape. The FAA's highly restricted drone application for government agencies is supposed to take about 60 days, though unofficially, we're told it's much longer. COAs are also very strict about where, when and by whom a drone is flown.

"I think there are many agencies who would like to use [drones] for public good, but they're stymied by the process," Frazier said.

That's likely to change ? and soon. Last February, Obama signed a mandate that encourages the FAA to let civil and commercial drones join the airspace by 2015. This will take new regulations from the FAA for safe commercial drone flight, and it may take some convincing of local anti-drone activists (who sometimes don't differentiate between drones great and small). It may even require the passing of a few new privacy laws.

Folks like Frazier and Miller don't see the permit process getting easier any time soon but eventually ? inevitably ? and for better or worse, your local police department will get its drone.

Nidhi Subbaraman writes about technology and science. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

Related:

The drones are coming ... but our laws aren't ready

Anticipating domestic boom, colleges rev up drone piloting programs

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Analysis: NKorea threat may be more bark than bite

University students punch the air as they march through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. Placards read: ?Let?s crush the puppet traitor group? and ?Let?s rip the puppet traitors to death!? (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

University students punch the air as they march through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 29, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. Placards read: ?Let?s crush the puppet traitor group? and ?Let?s rip the puppet traitors to death!? (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

North Koreans punch the air during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. The placard reads: "U.S. forces, get out!" (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

North Korean army officers punch the air as they chant slogans during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

North Koreans gather during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 28, 2013. Tens of thousands of North Koreans turned out for the mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader Kim Jong Un's call to arms. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Across North Korea, soldiers are gearing up for battle and shrouding their jeeps and vans with camouflage netting. Newly painted signboards and posters call for "death to the U.S. imperialists" and urge the people to fight with "arms, not words."

But even as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is issuing midnight battle cries to his generals to ready their rockets, he and his million-man army know full well that a successful missile strike on U.S. targets would be suicide for the outnumbered, out-powered North Korean regime.

Despite the hastening drumbeat of warfare ? seemingly bringing the region to the very brink of conflict with threats and provocations ? Pyongyang aims to force Washington to the negotiating table, pressure the new president in Seoul to change policy on North Korea, and build unity inside the communist country without triggering a full-blown war.

North Korea wants to draw attention to the tenuousness of the armistice designed to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, a truce Pyongyang recently announced it would no longer honor as it warned that war could break out at any time.

In July, it will be 60 years since North Korea and China signed an armistice with the U.S. and the United Nations to bring an end to three years of fighting that cost millions of lives. The designated Demilitarized Zone has evolved into the most heavily guarded border in the world.

It was never intended to be a permanent border. But six decades later, North and South remain divided, with Pyongyang feeling abandoned by the South Koreans in the quest for reunification and threatened by the Americans.

In that time, South Korea has blossomed from a poor, agrarian nation of peasants into the world's 15th largest economy while North Korea is struggling to find a way out of a Cold War chasm that has left it with a per capita income on par with sub-Saharan Africa.

The Chinese troops who fought alongside the North Koreans have long since left. But 28,500 American troops are still stationed in South Korea and 50,000 more are in nearby Japan. For weeks, the U.S. and South Korea have been showing off their military might with a series of joint exercises that Pyongyang sees a rehearsal for invasion.

On Thursday, the U.S. military confirmed that those drills included two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers that can unload the U.S. Air Force's largest conventional bomb ? a 30,000-pound super bunker buster ? powerful enough to destroy North Korea's web of underground military tunnels.

It was a flexing of military muscle by Washington, perhaps aimed not only at Pyongyang but at Beijing as well.

In Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un reacted swiftly, calling an emergency meeting of army generals and ordering them to be prepared to strike if the U.S. actions continue. A photo distributed by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency showed Kim in a military operations room with maps detailing a "strike plan" behind him in a very public show of supposedly sensitive military strategy.

North Korea cites the U.S. military threat as a key reason behind its need to build nuclear weapons, and has poured a huge chunk of its small national budget into defense, science and technology. In December, scientists launched a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket using technology that could easily be converted for missiles; in February, they tested an underground nuclear device as part of a mission to build a bomb they can load on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.

However, what North Korea really wants is legitimacy in the eyes of the U.S. ? and a peace treaty. Pyongyang wants U.S. troops off Korean soil, and the bombs and rockets are more of an expensive, dangerous safety blanket than real firepower. They are the only real playing card North Korea has left, and the bait they hope will bring the Americans to the negotiating table.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said North Korea's "bellicose rhetoric" would only deepen its international isolation, and that the U.S. has both the capability and willingness to defend its interests in the region.

Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, isn't convinced North Korea is capable of attacking Guam, Hawaii or the U.S. mainland. He says Pyongyang hasn't successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

But its medium-range Rodong missiles, with a range of about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers), are "operational and credible" and could reach U.S. bases in Japan, he says.

More likely than such a strike, however, is a smaller-scale incident, perhaps off the Koreas' western coast, that would not provoke the Americans to unleash their considerable firepower. For years, the waters off the west coast have been a battleground for naval skirmishes between the two Koreas because the North has never recognized the maritime border drawn unilaterally by the U.N.

As threatening as Kim's call to arms may sound, its main target audience may be the masses at home in North Korea.

For months, the masterminds of North Korean propaganda have pinpointed this year's milestone Korean War anniversary as a prime time to play up Kim's military credibility as well as to push for a peace treaty. By creating the impression that a U.S. attack is imminent, the regime can foster a sense of national unity and encourage the people to rally around their new leader.

Inside Pyongyang, much of the military rhetoric feels like theatrics. It's not unusual to see people toting rifles in North Korea, where soldiers and checkpoints are a fixture in the heavily militarized society. But more often than not in downtown Pyongyang, the rifle stashed in a rucksack is a prop and the "soldier" is a dancer, one of the many performers rehearsing for a Korean War-themed extravaganza set to debut later this year.

More than 100,000 soldiers, students and ordinary workers were summoned Friday to Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang to pump their fists in support of North Korea's commander in chief. But elsewhere, it was business as usual at restaurants and shops, and farms and factories, where the workers have heard it all before.

"Tensions rise almost every year around the time the U.S.-South Korean drills take place, but as soon as those drills end, things go back to normal and people put those tensions behind them quite quickly," said Sung Hyun-sang, the South Korean president of a clothing maker operating in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. "I think and hope that this time won't be different."

And in a telling sign that even the North Koreans don't expect war, the national airline, Air Koryo, is adding flights to its spring lineup and preparing to host the scores of tourists they expect to flock to Pyongyang despite the threats issuing forth from the Supreme Command.

War or no war, it seems Pyongyang remains open for business.

___

Lee is chief of AP's bureaus in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Seoul, South Korea. She can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean. Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-29-NKorea's%20Battle%20Cries/id-63ac49854e1746d59248a06ab25783ca

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House Speaker admonishes fellow Republican for immigrant slur

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Friday condemned a reference to migrant workers made by fellow Republican Representative Don Young, calling the comments "offensive and beneath the dignity of the office."

Young referred to migrant workers as "wetbacks" in a radio interview aired in his home state of Alaska on Thursday, but issued an apology late in the day after criticism. The term is considered a slur against illegal immigrants who crossed into the United States from Mexico.

"My father had a ranch. We used to hire 50-60 wetbacks ... to pick tomatoes ... it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It is all done by machine," Young said in the interview.

The lawmaker was speaking about the economy and technology. In an initial apology, he said he did not realize the term was considered offensive.

In a later statement on Friday, Young called the term "insensitive" and "a poor choice of words."

"That word, and the negative attitudes that come with it, should be left in the 20th century, and I'm sorry that this has shifted our focus away from comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

Boehner issued a statement saying there was "no excuse" for the comments.

"Congressman Young's remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds. I don't care why he said it - there's no excuse," he said.

Young, who has spent 40 years in Congress, also is facing a House ethics investigation into possible misuse of campaign funds, failure to report gifts and other offenses. The ethics investigation is similar to an earlier Department of Justice inquiry, which produced no charges.

(Reporting by Kim Dixon; Additional reporting by Yereth Rosen; Editing by Jackie Frank and Ian Simpson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-speaker-admonishes-fellow-republican-immigrant-slur-165553667.html

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Consumer data support sturdy first-quarter growth picture

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending rose in February and sentiment among Americans perked up this month, further signs of an acceleration in economic activity in the first quarter after a near stall in late 2012.

The data on Friday also showed a rebound in income growth, putting the economy in a better shape to deal with tighter fiscal policy, particularly the $85 billion in across-the-board federal government spending cuts, known as the "sequester."

"The economy is in a good place now in terms of momentum and strength and it will need it as the government spending cuts will take something off growth as the year progresses," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.

Consumer spending increased 0.7 percent last month after a 0.4 percent rise in January, the Commerce Department said.

Though part of the increase in spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, was because of higher gasoline prices, Americans also bought long-lasting goods such as automobiles and spent more on services.

After adjusting for inflation, spending was up 0.3 percent after advancing by the same margin in January. That prompted some economists to bump up their first-quarter economic growth estimates.

Barclays raised its gross domestic product estimate by 0.7 percentage point to 3.3 percent. Macroeconomic Advisers lifted their estimate by three-tenths of a point to 3.5 percent.

The economy grew at only a 0.4 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter.

A separate report showed households this month shrugged off the deep government spending cuts, focusing instead on the steady labor market improvement, which is starting to boost wages.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment rose to 78.6 from 77.6 in February.

"Consumers have discounted the administration's warning that economic catastrophe would follow the reductions in federal spending, and consumers have renewed their expectation that gains in employment will accelerate through the rest of 2013," said survey director Richard Curtin.

And they have reason to be optimistic. Income increased a healthy 1.1 percent after tumbling 3.7 percent in January.

Personal income had increased sharply in December as businesses rushed to pay dividends and bonuses before tax hikes took effect this year. That also skewed income data for January.

LITTLE SIGN OF FISCAL DRAG

A 2 percent payroll tax cut expired on January 1 and tax rates for wealthy Americans also went up. The consumer spending and sentiment reports were the latest to show little sign the tighter fiscal policy has been a major drag on the economy.

Employment growth accelerated in February, factory activity touched a 1-1/2 year high and first-time applications for unemployment benefits have only increased moderately in March.

Last month, the income at the disposal of households after inflation and taxes increased 0.7 percent in February after dropping 4.0 percent in January.

With income growth outpacing spending, the saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - rose to 2.6 percent from 2.2 percent in January.

The higher gasoline prices pushed up inflation, with a price index for consumer spending rising 0.4 percent after being flat for two straight months. February's increase in the PCE index was the largest since August.

But a core reading that strips out food and energy costs rose only 0.1 percent after increasing 0.2 percent in January, showing no sign of underlying inflation pressures.

Over the past 12 months, inflation has risen 1.3 percent after rising by the same margin in the period through January.

Core prices were up 1.3 percent, well below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target. They also had risen 1.3 percent in the 12 months through January.

The benign inflation picture should give the U.S. central bank room to continue with its monetary stimulus as it seeks to boost job growth.

The Fed said last week it would maintain its monthly $85 billion purchases of mortgage and Treasury bonds until it saw a substantial improvement in the job market.

"This is plenty of ammunition for all those Fed officials, who currently do not want to scale back the degree of monetary accommodation," said Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist UniCredit Research in New York.

"For investors this must looks like Goldilocks: Better economic data and ongoing monetary accommodation at the same time."

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani, additional reporting by Luciana Lopez in New York; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-consumer-spending-rises-supports-sturdy-growth-picture-123723020--business.html

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Thousands of Amazon S3 data stores left unsecured due to misconfiguration

Will Vandevanter, of Help Net Security, made a rather disturbing discovery: thousands of Amazon S3 data "buckets" were improperly configured and left exposed to prying eyes. Vandevanter started his probe by generating URLs using the names of major companies and sites that use Amazon's cloud storage service. In the end he uncovered 12,328 of the so-called buckets -- 1,951 of which were visible to the public. Those folders were home to some 126 billion files that contain everything from personal data hosted by a social networking service, sales records, video game source code and even unencrypted backups of databases. By default, S3 accounts are set to private, which means these stores of potentially sensitive data had to be flipped to public manually -- most likely by accident. Amazon has responded to the discovery by alerting users who might have inadvertently made their files publicly accessible. If you've got an S3 account of your own, now would be an excellent time to double check your own settings. And if you're looking for more details of Vandevanter's research, hit up the source link.

Filed under: Internet, Amazon

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Via: The Verge

Source: Help Net Security

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/thousands-of-amazon-s3-data-stores-left-unsecured/

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NASA provides a super-speed look at Webb Telescope progress

Mar. 27, 2013 ? NASA released a new sped-up, 32-second video that shows engineers working on some of the James Webb Space Telescope's flight components to integrate them together to ensure they will work perfectly together in space.

The "NASA Webb Clean Room at Super-speed" video was filmed in the giant clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and produced at Goddard. The video is available on a NASA website in HD at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11220 . Testing of the two flight instruments that have been delivered to Goddard has been ongoing in the past several months.

? Larger image Engineers and scientists at Goddard have begun assembling the four science instruments together. In a recently released video from NASA clean room personnel are shown installing the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) instrument into a larger structure called the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) structure. The ISIM structure is the larger skeletal structure in the video, and the FGS is the object on the end of a balance beam being moved by a crane.

"This is the integration of the FGS/NIRISS instrument onto the ISIM structure," said Scott Lambros, Webb Instrument systems manager at Goddard. "This is the first of the four instruments to be integrated on the structure and is a very exciting time. It clearly shows we are moving into a new phase, from development, into the integration and then testing phase."

The FGS is actually one half of a combination instrument with the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) science instrument. The FGS will enable the telescope to accurately and precisely point at the correct, intended objects for it to observe.

"The Webb telescope fine guidance sensor which provides pointing stability, or image stabilizer control, has been installed and being readied for testing together with other instruments in the ISIM," said Ray Lundquist, ISIM systems engineer at Goddard.

The FGS is packaged together as a single unit with the NIRISS science instrument and is developed and provided by the Canadian Space Agency and its prime contractor, COM DEV.

The ISIM is the whole integrated system of instruments on the Webb. It's one of four major elements that comprise the Webb Observatory flight system. It contains the four science instruments that will detect light from distant stars and galaxies, and planets orbiting other stars. The ISIM itself provides electrical, computational and heat management services for the science instruments.

"The MIRI instrument will be the next to be integrated onto the structure within the next month, with the NIRCam and NIRSpec instruments to follow later this year," Lambros said.

Another video was released last year produced by the Space Science Telescope Institute of Baltimore, Md., in the "Behind the Webb" series. That video, called "Canada's Dynamic Duo," took viewers behind the scenes where the instruments were created, and is on-line.

The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb is the successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Webb's four instruments will reveal how the universe evolved from the big bang to the formation of our solar system. Webb is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

To download the "NASA Webb Cleanroom at Super-speed" HD video, visit: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?11220

To see a related "Behind the Webb" video on FGS and NIRISS, visit: http://webbtelescope.org/webb_telescope/behind_the_webb/16

To learn more about the ISIM, visit: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/instruments/ISIM.html

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/nasa/~3/NTWSp1TkuZ4/130327113937.htm

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The Need for Web Analytics & Tracking in Digital Marketing | Web ...

Realizing the massive power of internet, most of them have opened online outlets to promote their business products and services. With the advent of smart phones & tablets, the usage of internet has increased enormously. Thereby most of the companies and organizations have gone mobile to reach millions of potential mobile users. E-commerce businesses also became a big hit with high return on investment by meeting the client?s requirements on time, every time. Hence the competition increased in ecommerce and online businesses due to high-end profit.

As the competition increases, there arises the need to track and analyze the business products and services on web to lead the way with high return on investment (ROI). The major reason to have web analytics & tracking is to boost up the sales and services based on region, and the requirements of the end-users.

After a complete analysis of the website?s user behavior, decisions are made to implement an effective strategy to reach more number of potential end-users. By implementing web analytics, we can track and monitor,

- By how the customers get to know about our products/ services
- The search terms used by the users
- The most visited page by the users
- The least visited page
- The number of visits that turns in to conversations, etc

Moreover, we can even get you the reports of the behavioral analysis of your website visitors, with which any required modifications can be done that your website visitors have always been looking for. The installing may be simple but for the set up and effective maintenance of the web analytics, well trained professionals are required. The process is incorporates,

- Understanding the client?s website objectives (e.g., lead generation, content, customer support, sales)
- Defining the strategic goals (buying an item, downloading a PDF, filling in a form)
- Setting up key performance indicators to measure the success of marketing campaigns over time
- Creating Analytics profiles on Google/ Yahoo/Bing or any other tools
- Setting up of Analytics tracking code
- Setting up of conversion Goals on Analytics
- Setting up of Filters on Analytics to customize the reports
- Tagging of marketing campaigns
- Designing Analytics Dashboard with the most valuable reports

Google analytics is said to be the worth for its pricing and outstanding that provides ongoing reports and analysis of the website traffic statistics and web marketing campaigns (e.g., pay per click advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), banner advertising, e-mail marketing). Thus web analytics are mean to scale up the business online with futuristic approach.

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Source: http://www.blazedream.com/blog/web-analytics/the-need-for-web-analytics-tracking-in-digital-marketing/

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Sony speakers combine NFC and WiFi / Bluetooth for minimal streaming effort

The whole syncing thing proving too much effort for your music listening habits? Fear not -- two new streaming speakers from Sony are embracing the world of near field communication to take some of the trouble out of playback. The speakers come in two flavors -- the CMT-BT60B does Bluetooth streaming and the similarly alphanumeric CMT-BT80WB will stream via Bluetooth, WiFi or AirPlay. Both speakers feature aux inputs and USB for charging (and playback, in the case of the BT80WB). As for, you know, making sound, both feature Magnetic Fluid Speakers and S-Master amplifiers. They'll be hitting parts of Europe in May and the UK in June.

Filed under: Sony

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/X-QV-BeET9E/

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Newtown Families in Bloomberg Anti-Gun Ads

The families of four victims from the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary appear in two new anti-gun TV ads out this morning, part of an effort to reinvigorate a lagging campaign for new gun controls.

"Don't let the memory of Newtown fade without doing something real," Terri Rousseau, the mother of slain teacher Lauren Rousseau, says in an emotionally charged appeal.

The ads also feature personal testimonials from Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis; Chris and Lynn McDonnell, parents of 7-year-old Grace McDonnell; and Jillian Soto, sister of teacher Vicki Soto, 27. All talk about their loved ones and what it was like to learn the tragic news on Dec. 14, 2012.

You can see the spots HERE and HERE.

The ads, which will run only in Connecticut, come as that state's legislature considers state-level gun control measures. They were produced by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" and released in conjunction with a "National Day to Demand Action" taking place today across the country.

President Obama's outside advocacy group - Organizing for Action - is also part of the effort. More than 100 events are planned, organizers said.

At the White House later this morning, Obama will surround himself by victims of gun violence, their families and law enforcement officials to add his voice to the campaign. The Newtown families appearing in the ads are expected to attend.

The president and other advocates are still calling for legislation to impose comprehensive background checks; limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines; and an assault-weapons ban. But such measures face increasingly tough odds of passage in Congress.

Earlier this week, three Republican senators threatened to filibuster next month's expected Senate debate on a package of gun-control measures. That package does not include an assault-weapons ban, although Senate Democrats say it will get a vote as a separate amendment to the bill.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-families-bloomberg-anti-gun-ads-123407674--abc-news-politics.html

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Marital conflict causes stress in children, may affect cognitive development

Public release date: 28-Mar-2013
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Contact: Sarah Mancoll
smancoll@srcd.org
202-289-7905
Society for Research in Child Development

Marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children, and witnessing such conflict may harm children's stress response systems which, in turn, may affect their mental and intellectual development.

These conclusions come from a new study by researchers at Auburn University and the Catholic University of America. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Researchers looked at 251 children from a variety of backgrounds who lived in two-parent homes. The children reported on their exposure to marital conflict when they were 8, providing information on the frequency, intensity, and lack of resolution of conflicts between their parents. The study gauged how children's stress response system functioned by measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of activity in the parasympathetic branch of the body's stress response system. RSA has been linked to the ability to regulate attention and emotion. Children's ability to rapidly solve problems and quickly see patterns in new information also was measured at ages 8, 9, and 10.

Children who witnessed more marital conflict at age 8 showed less adaptive RSA reactivity at 9, but this was true only for children who had lower resting RSA. In addition, children with lower baseline RSA whose stress response systems were also less adaptive developed mental and intellectual ability more slowly.

"The findings provide further evidence that stress affects the development of the body's stress response systems that help regulate attention, and that how these systems work is tied to the development of cognitive ability," explains J. Benjamin Hinnant, assistant professor of psychology at the Catholic University of America and one of the researchers.

###

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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-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Mancoll
smancoll@srcd.org
202-289-7905
Society for Research in Child Development

Marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children, and witnessing such conflict may harm children's stress response systems which, in turn, may affect their mental and intellectual development.

These conclusions come from a new study by researchers at Auburn University and the Catholic University of America. The study appears in the journal Child Development.

Researchers looked at 251 children from a variety of backgrounds who lived in two-parent homes. The children reported on their exposure to marital conflict when they were 8, providing information on the frequency, intensity, and lack of resolution of conflicts between their parents. The study gauged how children's stress response system functioned by measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of activity in the parasympathetic branch of the body's stress response system. RSA has been linked to the ability to regulate attention and emotion. Children's ability to rapidly solve problems and quickly see patterns in new information also was measured at ages 8, 9, and 10.

Children who witnessed more marital conflict at age 8 showed less adaptive RSA reactivity at 9, but this was true only for children who had lower resting RSA. In addition, children with lower baseline RSA whose stress response systems were also less adaptive developed mental and intellectual ability more slowly.

"The findings provide further evidence that stress affects the development of the body's stress response systems that help regulate attention, and that how these systems work is tied to the development of cognitive ability," explains J. Benjamin Hinnant, assistant professor of psychology at the Catholic University of America and one of the researchers.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/sfri-mcc032113.php

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