It is a prank that has graced the pages of family photo albums since the year dot. But now President Obama has become the latest victim ? being given ?bunny ears? in a picture taken at a White House ceremony.
Mr Obama was targeted as he posed with members of the University of Connecticut women?s basketball team at an event to recognise their success in a national contest.
The jokers ? Connecticut Huskies centres Stefanie Dolson and Kiah Stokes ? struck after the team presented the President with a UConn jacket and a basketball signed by the squad.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday offered congressional Republicans a new corporate tax cut and jobs spending package he said might "help break through some of the political logjam in Washington" only to have GOP lawmakers immediately throw cold water on the idea.
The announcement and quick rejection underscored how elusive common ground is between the Democratic White House and Republicans in Congress on fiscal issues. The divide was particularly stark on the corporate tax proposal given that both parties generally have supported overhauling the code for businesses, although the White House and Republicans have differed on specifics.
Obama outlined his proposal in a speech at a massive Amazon.com plant in Chattanooga, his latest stop on a summertime campaign to refocus his agenda on the economy. He said "serious people" in both parties should accept his offer.
"I'm willing to work with Republicans on reforming our corporate tax code, as long as we use the money from transitioning to a simpler tax system for a significant investment in creating middle-class jobs," Obama said. "That's the deal."
But the office of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, complained that Obama's plan was simply a repackaging of proposals the White House has always supported.
"It's the opposite of a concession," spokesman Brendan Buck said, noting that Republicans want to link a corporate tax overhaul with changes in the individual tax code.
Like Republicans, the president previously has called for corporate tax reform to be coupled with an individual tax overhaul.
But his new offer drops that demand and calls only for lowering the corporate rate from 35 percent to 28 percent, with an even lower effective tax rate of 25 percent for manufacturers.
The White House also said the president will continue to seek changes to the individual tax rate as part of a larger "grand bargain" he wants with the GOP.
But with the prospects of such a deal growing increasingly slim, Obama advisers say they've opted to isolate an area on taxes where they believe they have more agreement with Republicans.
Tuesday's speech
The backdrop for Obama's remarks Tuesday was an Amazon.com fulfillment center, a massive, 1 million-square-foot warehouse in Chattanooga, Tenn. During a tour of the facility, Obama was shown how the company gets packages ready for delivery, from the employees who pull orders from three stories of floor-to-ceiling shelves, to loading into boxes sealed with water-activated tape and quality control
Amazon.com announced Monday that it would add 7,000 new jobs, including 5,000 more at U.S. distribution centers that currently employ about 20,000 workers who pack and ship customer orders.
A commercial property appraisal should be done to determine the value of real estate when one is seeking to sell land or to use it as collateral for a loan. There are steps that an appraiser should take to make sure the assessment is done well and without bias. The report that is generated spells out a lot of the steps that have been taken and will give one a reasonable view of how much a piece of real estate will sell for if it was put on the open market. The report should include the following information.
The abilities and independence of the appraiser will want to be known by the potential lenders in most cases. The appraiser will usually start their reports with a listing of their qualification to do this kind of work and what associations and training they have they allows them to be considered an expert in this field. The appraiser should also not have any financial interest in the properties that would present any type of conflict of interest in how much a building might be worth.
Another segment will explain to the reader about the physical aspects of the real estate. Basic information such as the square footage of buildings and acreages of land will be disclosed. Other pertinent information would include how far the nearest highways are that could facilitate the movement of goods. This could be a very valuable asset to a company involved in manufacturing.
The value of real estate can be subjective when looking at it in isolation from other properties around it. The way to combat this subjectivity is to analyze similar properties in the surrounding areas and how much they have sold for in the recent past. Real estate values fluctuate over time and properties can sell for different amounts depending on what is going on the economy.
A good report will have a listing of the properties that was used in the comparison. This listing should explain the reasons why those properties were chosen in the analysis. The information can be extremely useful in setting a monetary figure on the land and building.
Sometimes disputes arise over the value that was given to a business owner. One way to win that dispute is to show that the other properties used were insufficient to assist in making the assessment. If an owner can show other properties that are more comparable to their establishment, they might be able to get their building reassessed for a different value.
Other important information can include whether or not the land is in a flood plain. This can affect the desirability of the lands and buildings and drive down values. Being in a flood plain adversely affects insurance costs and can make the mortgage more costly.
Knowing the value of a piece land can be important. A person may want to know how much they can sell it for. A commercial property appraisal can help a business owner set the right price.
You can visit the website www.bryantassetadvisors.com for more helpful information about How A Commercial Property Appraisal Can Look
The African Union (AU) Commission Technical Adviser on climate change, Dr. Victor Fodeke has stated that increased usage of renewable energy and efficiency improvements will provide a lasting solution to various climatic problems caused by global climate change.
Fodeke said this in Lagos, at the opening ceremony of the 5th Alternative Power Exhibition tagged ?Save the World Power Green? an initiative of Lagos State Television in conjunction with Folub Eletrik Servz.
According to him, unlike oil, natural gas and coal, solar energy technology which is one of the most renewable energy alternatives available today emits no carbon dioxide which makes it environment friendly, adding that renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels, biomass power plants, solar thermal collectors, and biofuels are rapidly gaining wider attention.
?It?s very significant to note that contrary to popular opinion, a massive uptake of renewable energy and efficiency improvements alone can solve our global warming problem.
?Our contributions to the climate change crisis are often associated with global coal and oil use that is raising awareness towards new potential solutions to replace coal and oil with such as renewable energy initiative as well as biofuels.?
?The global market for renewable energy is growing dramatically; global investment in 2006 reached $38 billion, 26 per cent higher than the previous year. The time window available for making the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is relatively short.
?We can solve global warming, save money, create massive job and wealth as well as eradicate poverty, Improve air and water quality without compromising our quality of life. ?Strict technical standards are the only reliable way to ensure that only the most efficient transportation systems, industrial equipment, buildings, heating and cooling systems and appliances will be produced and sold.
Adetokunbo Agbesanwa, Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Fashola on School Advocacy and Environment who commended the initiator of the exhibition said the state government through its school environmental advocacy programme is currently training students and teacher on best environmental practices.
?We have put in place a robust environmental programme, we have waste and energy management clubs in the school to train the children on best environmental practices and on use of altanative sources of energy.?
Engr. Bode Adefolu, CEO Folub Eletrik Servz one of the 5 companies already at the exhibition said the exhibition will be on till Saturday adding that people are becoming to see the advantages of solar products as the their patronage has improved from that of last year.
According to Qwilt CEO Alon Maor, the rapidly expanding company will use the injection of capital in a drive to expand their international sales as well as recruiting people to their engineering teams in order to meet global network operator demand for its flagship product, the Qwilt QB-Series Video Fabric Controller.
In its third financing round since it?s founding in 2010, dynamic online video delivery solutions developer Qwilt Inc. has raised an additional $16 million in venture capital, making the total funding since their inception up to $40 million. For this round of funding Bessemer Venture Partners were the initial investors, who were soon joined by the company?s current investors Accel Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Marker LLC.
Qwilt was established in 2010 by Alon Maor, now the company?s CEO along with, Chairman Yuval Shahar and Dr. Giora Yaron who acts as a director of the company. Global headquarters for Qwilt are situated in Redwood City, California, where it retains its development center in Hod Hasharon, Israel while operating sales offices in the UK, Brazil, and Korea.
According to Alon Maor, the company?s success has been continuously driven by the dramatic demand for online video. A demand that is constantly straining both the capacity and performance of operator networks, and in turn creating a strategic dilemma for cable, broadband, and mobile service providers worldwide.
In order to keep pace with consumer demand whilst remaining competitive, operators of such systems are required need to simultaneously address three strategic imperatives.
?Improve consumer quality of experience,
?Cost effectively increase network capacity
?Monetize over-the-top video traffic across the networks.
Qwilt?s technology has been developed to enable operators to increase network capacity, and to do so at a fraction of the cost of a traditional network expansion, while simultaneously improving service quality for the viewers.
?We founded Qwilt with a vision to address the strategic problem of online video delivery for network operators. This investment from Bessemer, together with the ongoing commitment of our current investors, is further validation of our approach and momentum,? stressed Maor.
Billionaire Saudi Prince?Alwaleed bin Talal has warned shale oil and gas development poses a threat to the kingdom's economy, the Wall Street Journal's Summer Said reports.
In an open letter to Saudi oil minister Ali al Naimi [in Arabic], Alwaleed also warns the kingdom must diversify its revenue streams in the face of flagging oil demand.
A source translated the key portion of the note:
With all due respect to your Highness? viewpoint about shale gas and that it poses no danger on Saudi economy at ?the present time?, I was hoping that your Highness would also shed light and focus on the danger of this matter in the ?not-so-distant future?, especially that America and some Asian countries made big discoveries in shale gas extraction which will affect the oil industry around the world in general and Saudi Arabia in particular...
He also sent us the following summary of the letter's salient parts:
The third page calls on the government to decrease its dependence on oil and start investing in alternative energy sources like solar.
The fourth page is to the deputy oil minister after he told BBC that Saudi is not concerned about shale gas at the present time. Alwaleed says shale gas may not be a concern in the present, but it should be worrying for the future of Saudi energy exports.
The fifth page is similar to the fourth. His handwritten comment asks if indeed 92% of Saudi revenue is from oil and that we should pay more attention and shale gas and other energy developments around the world.
Here's Sky News' summary:
Prince Alwaleed said demand for oil from Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) member states was "in continuous decline".
He said Saudi Arabia's heavy dependence on oil was "a truth that has really become a source of worry for many.
...
"Our country is facing a threat with the continuation of its near-complete reliance on oil, especially as 92% of the budget for this year depends on oil," he said.
"It is necessary to diversify sources of revenue, establish a clear vision for that and start implementing it immediately."
Naimi recently denied?that shale posed a threat, but the prince challenges that view, Said says:
We disagree with your Excellency on what you said, and we see that raising North American shale gas production is an inevitable threat," Prince Alwaleed's letter said, in comments directed at Mr. Naimi.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? A little over a week after he was suspended by Ohio State coach Urban Meyer for an alleged assault against a woman, running back Carlos Hyde had his case dropped on Tuesday by Columbus police.
Police spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said the alleged victim chose not to pursue charges against the Buckeyes' leading scorer and second-leading rusher a year ago.
"We were in the middle of our investigation," Weiner said. "The most important thing left to do was interview the (alleged) victim. She met with investigators on Saturday and informed officers that she didn't want to pursue charges."
Weiner said the case against Hyde was officially closed.
Hyde had been suspended from all team activities in the wake of the incident, which occurred July 20 at a downtown bar. Ohio State and Meyer did not immediately offer comment on whether Hyde will be reinstated to the team.
Hyde, a 6-foot-2, 242-pound senior from Naples, Fla., scored 17 touchdowns and 102 points to lead the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record last fall. He gained 970 yards on 185 carries, coming within 30 yards of becoming the first running back in Meyer's coaching career to reach 1,000 yards in a season.
At the time of his suspension ? the same day three other Buckeyes were disciplined for off-the-field legal problems ? Meyer said, "I have a clear set of core values in place that members of this football program are constantly reminded of and are expected to honor. There are also expectations with regard to behavior. I expect our players to conduct themselves responsibly and appropriately and they will be held accountable for their actions."
The alleged victim approached police officers early on July 20 and said she was assaulted inside a bar at 303 S. Front St. Police looked into the allegation but Weiner said the case came to an end when she declined to pursue charges.
Ohio State opens its fall camp on Sunday. The Buckeyes' opener is Aug. 31 against Buffalo at Ohio Stadium.
In addition to Hyde, the other players disciplined on July 22 were star cornerback Bradley Roby and freshmen recruits Marcus Baugh, a tight end, and defensive lineman Tim Gardner. Each was involved in a separate incident.
Roby was arrested in Bloomington, Ind., and is facing preliminary charges of misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury for making contact with a bar employee. He was prevented by Meyer from representing Ohio State at last week's Big Ten football meetings in Chicago.
Baugh was removed from all team activities and will also sit out the first game of the season after being arrested for underage possession of alcohol and possessing a fake ID. Gardner, from Indianapolis was sent home and will not be a part of the 2013 team after he was charged by Columbus police with obstruction of official business.
Meyer has faced withering criticism in recent months for not meting out stiff discipline or controlling his players during his previous tenure as coach at Florida. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who played for Meyer at Florida, was arrested and charged with murder earlier this year and dozens of Gators players were arrested while Meyer was in charge there.
Asked about Hyde's situation during the Big Ten meetings, Meyer said, "We just have to evaluate the facts. And once I evaluate the facts, then we'll make some decisions."
___
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US players celebrate after defeating Panama 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Landon Donovan #10 of the United States holds the Most Valuable Player trophy after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann celebrates the team's win against Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Members of the United States celebrate winning the Gold Cup after defeating Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Bill Hamid #22 and Eddie Johnson #26 of the USA celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans watch game action between USA and Panama at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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A fan holds up a photo of Team USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann during the team's win against Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won 1-0. Klinsmann was banned from the bench during the match after being ejected during the semifinals. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Clarence Goodson #21 of the USA celebrates with his daughter after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans watch game action between USA and Panama at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Clarence Goodson #21 of the USA celebrates with his daughter after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Clarence Goodson #21 of the USA celebrates with his daughter after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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US fans watch play between the US and Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US defeated Panama 1-0. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Bill Hamid #22 and Eddie Johnson #26 of the USA celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Bill Hamid #22 of the USA celebrates after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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DaMarcus Beasley (L) of the US and Blas Perez of Panama fight for the ball during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Blas Perez of Panama gets a pat on the head from a teammate after the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final against the US on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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US fans cheers during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final against Panama on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Leonel Parris (C) and Roman Torres (L) of Panama vie with Brek Shea of the US during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Jairo Jimenez (C) of Panama vies with Brek Shea of the US during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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US players DaMarcus Beasley (L) and Kyle Beckerman celebrate after the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final against Panama on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Eddie Johnson of the US drapes a flag over his shoulders after the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final against Panama on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won the match 1-0. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan (2nd R) and Brek Shea (R) of the US celebrate after Shea scored against Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won 1-0. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan of the US celebrates after the US defeated Panama 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan (2nd R) and Brek Shea (R) of the US celebrate with their team after Shea scored against Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The US won 1-0. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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Brek Shea (C) of the US scores the winning goal as Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo (L) and Landon Donovan (R) of the US look on during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Donavan had the assist on the goal by Shea to defeat Panama 1-0. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan of the US celebrates after the US defeated Panama 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan (L) of the US fights for the ball against Roberto Chen of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans enter Soldier Field for the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match between the United States and Panama on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Panama v United States - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Kyle Beckerman #14 of USA fights for the ball with Gabriel Torres #9 of Panama in the first half at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field July 29, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans of the United States cheer as their team enters the field for warm-ups before taking on Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Panama v United States - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Panama fans tailgate before the start of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final between the United States and Panama at Soldier Field July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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Fans before the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match between the US and Panama at Soldier Field in Chicago , Illinois. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Landon Donovan #10 of the United States battles with Alberto Quintero #19 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Michael Parkhurst #15 of the United States knocks the ball away from Alberto Quintero #19 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Landon Donovan (L) of the US vies with Panama's Alberto Quintero during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Mix Diskerud #8 of the United States heads the ball away from Alberto Quintero #19 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Alejandro Bedoya #20 of the United States grabs Anibal Godoy #20 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans enter Soldier Field for the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match between the United States and Panama on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: USA players celebrate after a win over Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The United States defeated Panama 1-0. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Kyle Beckerman #14 of the United States is pushed to the ground by Alberto Quintero #19 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Eddie Johnson (L) of the US fights for the ball against Carlos Rodriguez (R) of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
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Fans before the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match between the US and Panama at Soldier Field in Chicago , Illinois. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Landon Donovan #10 of the United States battles with Alberto Quintero #19 of Panama during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match at Soldier Field on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Panama v United States - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Gabriel Torres #9 of Panama and Joe Corona #6 of USA fight for the ball in the first half at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field July 29, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Championship - 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 28: Fans of Panama cheer outside Soldier Field before the CONCACAF Gold Cup final match against the United States on July 28, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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Eddie Johnson (L) of the US vies with Panama's Roberto Chen during the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28, 2013 at Soldier Field in Chicago. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
The best current basketball coaches are the wise, talented and experienced men who lead the best men's college basketball teams in the country. These men lead the NCAA in career wins, have numerous championships under their belt and are among the best college basketball coaches of all time and the highest-paid current college basketball coaches too.
As the decorated head coach of the Duke Blue Devils since 1980, Mike Krzyzewski is easily regarded as the best current college basketball coach today. Set to surpass 1,000 career wins going into the 2013-14 season, Coach K as he is fondly known, doesn't just dominate in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with four titles but also the world as he'd led the US Men's Olympic Basketball Team to two gold medals.
While Krzyzewski is an easy favorite, there are dozens of other stellar college basketball coaches deserving of recognition. Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, John Calipari of Kentucky, Bill Self of Kansas and Rick Pitino of Louisville have all earned respect in the league as the best of the best. But some of the very best coaches don't play in the NCAA Division I. Take Harry Statham of McKendree for example. His over 1,000 wins over nearly 50 years top that of Coach K's yet coaching a Division II school puts him in a different category of elite.
So whether you judge the best current college basketball coaches by the number of titles they've won, how they've led your favorite team to a Cinderella run in March Madness or just that they've brought an ailing program back to greatness, surely you can find a way to rank these best current NCAA basketball coaches. Vote for your picks, add any not listed or re-rank this list of the best current college basketball coaches!
WINK News has learned SPC Brandon Bertolo, who attended Estero High School, was found dead in a Fort Campbell training area.
Funeral services for SPC Bertolo, will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, August 8, 2013 at Coral Ridge Funeral Home, Cape Coral, Florida.
Our partners at the News-Press have learned Bertolo?s body was found at approximately 8:30 a.m. in a training area near South Group Patrol Road, outside of main post, a few miles west of Cole Park Golf Course on Friday.
Bertolo had been considered AWOL by the Army, according to a Fort Campbell press release issued Thursday afternoon, which said the soldier was under investigation on an unrelated matter.
You can find more information at the following link:
[unable to retrieve full-text content]It also boasts of a facility with KiwiBank, which funds Dorchester's home equity release loans used by elderly homeowners to borrow against the value of their homes. F&P Finance, which is behind the Farmers Card and the Q ...
When it comes to shipping video game consoles to gamers on time, "I don't think the management of the supply chain is their core competency," R.W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian told NBC News.
We've all heard the story: the long lines of Apple fans lining up outside the store, breathlessly awaiting that first chance to get their hands on the new iPhone. But when it comes to video game consoles, the throngs of die-hard gamers are all the more feverish simply because the wait has been longer, the anticipation higher.
Despite the fact that the video game industry is now on its eighth generation of console hardware, it still seems like every new release of an Xbox or PlayStation is, on some level, a disaster. Pre-order quotas are quickly maxed out, and impatient gamers turn to eBay or (God forbid) Craigslist to pay an extra premium just to get their gadget of choice in time for the holiday season.
Even the Wii U, which Nintendo itself has admitted isn't selling all that well, faced supply setbacks when it launched last year. And it doesn't look like things are shaping up to be any different for the $499 Xbox One or the $399 PlayStation 4 ? both consoles received record-breaking pre-orders, and the gaming press has already started warning of possible shortages after Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian predicted as much in an interview with GameSpot.
Judging by the excitement for the consoles, the demand is clearly there. So why is meeting it with a proper supply so tricky? Sebastian told NBC News that with all the moving parts that Sony and Microsoft have to coordinate in time for a tight holiday release window, things get, well, "complex."
"There's a lot of gyration in the supply chain," Sebastian said. "It's hard to get everything together at the same time."
What, exactly, is "gyration in the supply chain"? Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, explained. "The manufacturers have to plan production for two or three years out, so they tend to plan to make 10 (million) to 12 million consoles annually at the outset, and adjust upward or downward based on demand," Pachter told NBC News in an email. "They probably haven?t commenced manufacture yet, and will probably do so in mid-August ? notice we haven?t seen leaked pictures from the assembly line yet. That means around 1 million per month, and it takes time to ship to retail. We?ll probably get 2 ? 3 million of each globally at retail by year-end."
"If you think demand will exceed that figure, there will be a shortage," Pachter added. With major retailers like Best Buy, Amazon and GameStop vying for more launch units, "allocations are especially tough, because everyone wants as many as they can get."
Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games at economic research firm IHS Global Insight, agreed, adding that the international dimension of global launch only makes organizing the supply chain all the more difficult.
"All console companies aim to have a smooth launch with as few 'lumps' in the distribution chain as possible," Harding-Rolls wrote in an email to NBC News. "Distribution smoothness depends on a number of factors: amount of total inventory (how quickly factories can build products that don't fall apart), regional allocations (how many sales are expected across major sales territories) and sales channel negotiations (agreements with retail stores)."
When a product launches across multiple regions at the same time, he said, consumer electronics companies "are more likely to get 'lumpy' distribution which will lead to shortages within specific channels because it is a more complex go-to-market process." When a shortage occurs in one region or another, "the speed at which manufacturers can respond to squeezed supply depends on willingness to spend on quicker shipments and availability of additional product."
Jordan Selburn of IHS told NBC News that this kind of bottleneck dramatically hampered Sony's initial launch of the PlayStation 3 in 2006 because the console's Blu-ray was built with blue laser diodes, a "brand-new piece of tech that just ran into a shortage." This time around, however, Selburn says that the technology inside both of the next-gen systems isn't groundbreaking enough to make production as difficult or time-consuming.
"They're not encountering fundamental questions about: can it be built?" Selburn said of Sony and Microsoft. As a result, he thinks any real difference in initial sales will come down to how gamers react to software policies like Microsoft's controversial online requirements ? an issue that Selburn estimates gives Sony twice the demand for the PlayStation 4 than what Microsoft now has for the Xbox One.
The 'Apple effect'? But that doesn't mean there won't still be impatient gamers this holiday season, Melissa Otto, an analyst at TIAA-CREF, told NBC News. While all the sound and fury about having to wait a few extra weeks for a console might frustrate the individual consumer, Otto said that, from a broader perspective, it's actually great marketing.
"I'm not sure it's something they struggle with," Otto said of console manufacturers supplying enough units. "I would argue that it's actually something they create. Whenever a new console cycle begins, these companies have a tendency to limit the supply to gauge the demand and create buzz. And then once the buzz starts and the momentum kicks up, the supply continues to be limited which magnifies the value of the actual product."
It's easy to see what Otto means. Neither Sony nor Microsoft would comment specifically about their current launch plans, but both companies told NBC News that demand for their respective consoles has been strong.
"Consumer reaction to PS4 has been phenomenal," a representative from Sony told NBC News in a statement. "We will try our best to meet all demand needs, but it?s very possible that demand will outstrip supply at launch." A spokesperson for Microsoft, meanwhile, wrote in an e-mailed statement that "we are pleased with the enthusiasm consumers have shown as Xbox One preorders are trending ahead of Xbox 360 during the same time period and have sold out at most major U.S. retailers."
Other analysts agreed with Otto's assessment that Sony and Microsoft might be aiming for what she called "the Apple effect" in their statements about demand outstripping supply. But Sebastian, who still estimates that Microsoft is better equipped to turn out as many as two times more Xbox One units than Sony is prepared to release of the PlayStation 4, said that the long life-cycle of these products has always made their launches a bit more bumbling.
"I don't think the management of the supply chain is their core competency," Sebastian said.
Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: Yannick.LeJacq@nbcuni.com.
A couple weeks back, we told you about the Ohio golf course that procured two of those Bubba Watson hovercrafts. It was impossible to watch the accompanying clip without imagining oneself behind the wheel, jetting around recklessly and taunting the unfortunate suckers on the course who were playing regular golf with regular golf carts. So awesome.
Then Darren Rovell had to go and ruin everything with his facts:
While this policy of protecting their dual $58,000 investments makes sense from Windy Knoll?s perspective, getting driven around at 5 miles per hour by some skittish caddy sorta makes the whole idea of hovercraft golf carts a bit less compelling.
In a way, the president conceded on Wednesday that his critics had been right for months: Obama's strategy for effecting change is to run a non-stop campaign. He's giving as many as eight speeches over the next couple months, with one on infrastructure in Florida on Thursday. In his speech in Illinois, Obama made clear why he was doing it. It takes two to legislate, and the House of Representatives refuses to budge. The risk Obama faces is that Americans don't really seem to want to dance, either. 2013 is no 2012.
RELATED: Obama's Favorite Word: 'Frustration'
Over the weekend, the president's advisors started pitching Wednesday's speech at Knox College. On Sunday, Politico reported, Obama's communications chief Dan Pfeiffer sent an email to White House reporters with subject line, "I don't normally do this."
Hey everyone, I don't usually write emails like this ? But I just finished reading the draft of a speech the President plans to deliver on Wednesday, and I want to explain why it's one worth checking out.
Perhaps that draft speech differed from the one that was delivered, but the verdict on the speech itself was largely that it trod well-worn ground. The Washington Post put it well: "You could be forgiven if you thought you had heard President Obama?s speech on the economy today before. Because you have. For most of the 2012 campaign." Which, as we pointed out, was part of the point: get people refocused on Obama's campaign goals.
RELATED: How the GOP Wants Obama to Cut a Deal with the GOP
With a heavy dose of bashing Republican obstructionism. If the thinking is that an appeal to the people can somehow stir Republicans to action, it's not clear how a rehash of 2012 arguments at a lower temperature will do the trick. Even in the best of times, as Jonathan Chait wrote in May, the ability of a president to bend the world to his will is limited. Doing it with the same rhetoric, lower approval ratings, and less attention seems like a doomed proposition.
RELATED: Can Obama Sell Universal Preschool to the GOP?
And with a weakened campaign infrastructure. Organizing For Action, meant to provide the sort of off-year infrastructure that Obama enjoyed during his reelection, has struggled to find its feet. This August, the group plans to launch a series of actions meant to spur Obama's slumbering base into action. As the group's own map shows, however, its strength is largely in areas that already support the president and his agenda. A few OFA actions and an Obama speech seems unlikely to convince voters in Mississippi to rail against their Congressmembers.
RELATED: Everyone Still Really Hates Congress, but Democrats Can Make the GOP Look Good
Politico's Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown?think part of the idea is just to re-energize Obama himself.
Obama has embarked on this week?s series of policy speeches to improve his own ambiguous frame of mind and take a comforting spin in the way-back machine, like a veteran chart-topper revisiting smaller, friendlier haunts on a comeback tour.
It's not clear what this means. That the Obama who sold out Shea in 2012 will play CBGB in 2013 just to stay fresh? Who knows. If the president thinks it will take a few shows at a suburban Houlihan's to get the cobwebs off, this permanent campaign thing may not work out that well.
RELATED: The Key Demo for Obama's Economic Speeches: Republican Senators
Obama is giving another speech today, by the way. The Hill explains:
President Obama will push for new infrastructure projects and investments as he hits the road again Thursday, traveling this time to Jacksonville, Fla., for his third consecutive speech on the economy. ?
The White House chose the port as the site of the speech because it is home to two projects ? a container terminal and a rail yard ? that the administration expedited last year as part of a broader infrastructure push.
Perhaps this is the speech that can do the trick, can energize the people to force the House into action on the president's priorities. But don't be surprised if it, too, sounds familiar. After all, the president has made similar infrastructures pitches before. Like in March. In Florida.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]In the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was initially driven into shutdown by the magnitude 9.0 quake; its emergency generators then failed because they were inundated by the tsunami. But the greatest damage to the complex, and the greatest release of radiation, may have been caused by explosions of hydrogen gas that built up inside some of the reactors. That hydrogen buildup was the result of hot steam coming into contact with overheated nuclear fuel rods covered by a cladding of zirconium alloy, or "zircaloy" -- the material used as fuel-rod cladding in all water-cooled nuclear reactors, which constitute more than 90 percent of the world's power reactors. When it gets hot enough, zircaloy reacts with steam to produce hydrogen, a hazard in any loss-of-coolant nuclear accident. A team of researchers is developing an alternative that could provide similar protection for nuclear fuel, while reducing the risk of hydrogen production by roughly a thousandfold.
The federal government may be one step closer to keeping tabs on consumers? health care information with a new data hub compiling personal information from a host of government agencies and newly collected health status information.
Some experts warn it could get even more invasive over time.
The Data Services Hub will be the primary computer program to verify eligibility for Obamacare exchanges. But the program will collect and compile such massive amounts of information that lawmakers and experts are increasingly fearful of privacy infringement.
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Pat Meehan warned The Daily Caller News Foundation that the program is a ?massive data grab? and will put citizens? private information at risk.
But the program, which has been receiving heat over the large amount of personal data it will connect from various government sources, will also add health status to the mix ? an addition Meehan finds distrubing
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Marilyn Tavenner, whose department will oversee the Hub, told lawmakers last week that the limited health information required will be relevant to the type of coverage they receive under Obamacare exchanges.
?Well,? Meehan asked TheDCNF, ?other health circumstances might change coverage ? will we have to be reporting to the government other health changes as well??
Michael Cannon, the Cato Institute?s director of health policy studies, warns it could.??The economics of Obamacare require that the federal government will have to do more to delve into people?s medical care,? Cannon told TheDCNF.
The government?s problem lies in an Obamacare requirement for a certain level of coverage for a certain price, creating ?huge incentives for insurers to avoid the sick,? Cannon explained. ?Insurers have to provide coverage to customers for $10,000 when the person uses $100,000 in medical care.?
One attempt to alleviate price fixing problems is CMS?s Risk Adjustment Program, which would give subsidies to insurance companies with the sickest patients. But Cannon argues that this system will inherently lead to more government snooping.
?Well, how do they know which insurance companies have the sickest patients? The only way they can do that and keep costs under control is to delve into the illnesses that people have and the treatments they?re receiving to verify if these people are actually sick,? Cannon told TheDCNF. The adjustment will require more federal intrusion in the health of the masses.
And the Data Services Hub could be the means to that end. The hub is already set to collect what it calls ?limited? personal health information, pertaining only to pregnancy status, blindness, and disability status.
On top of these disclosures, Meehan warned that more and more information could be wrangled out of consumers. ?When CMS articulates what they?re asking for now, they say ?including but not limited to? in all the descriptions,? the congressman told TheDCNF, leaving a window open to adding more federal agencies to the sharing program or increasing the amount of health information to be included in the Hub.
Cannon warns, ?There?s a built-in need in Obamacare for the federal government to have more and more access to people?s medical information.? With such pressures on federal regulators it seems unlikely that the data sharing program, which two experts alleged in?USA Today?will be the ?largest consolidation of personal information in the history of the republic,? will be limited to just three categories of health information.
Along with the federal government?s collection of ever-increasing amounts of personal health data comes increased security risks. Meehan told TheDCNF he is unsatisfied with CMS?s cyber security protocols, after his questioning during a House hearing last week forced Tavenner to admit she?d never attended an FBI or Department of Homeland Security briefing on preventing cyber attacks against the data hub.
CMS has instead relied on ?government security? to deal with privacy issues, but Meehan stressed to TheDCNF that ?the best systems in the world are proving to be tremendously challenged in being able to prevent intrusion.?
The data hub, which is not part of any legislation, ?was created by people who are just trying to effect the Affordable Care Act. They?re not addressing what?s happening every day with cyber intrusions,? Meehan said.
Cato Institute health care reform expert Michael Tanner is more concerned about who will have access to the data even without security problems.
?You have thousands of untrained people working with this data. There?s an old military rule that says it?s tough enough for two people to keep a secret, let alone three ? and here we are and we?re going to have thousands,? Tanner told TheDCNF.
CMS documents list seemingly endless agents with access to the information. Federal and state government agencies, contractors, consultants, nonprofits, and vaguely-identified Navigators, Agents,and Brokers will all have?access to the private information.
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sales of Apple Inc's iPhone blazed past Wall Street estimates in the third quarter, with U.S. shipments up 51 percent, lifting its stock 5 percent even as profit fell.
The world's largest technology company said Tuesday that profit fell 22 percent as gross margins fell below 37 percent from more than 42 percent in the year-ago quarter.
The company sold 31.2 million iPhones last quarter - far more than the estimated 26 million, and 14.6 million iPads.
Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said in an interview that iPhone sales rose 51 percent in the United States from a year earlier, and 66 percent in Japan.
The solid showing eased concerns that growing competition is hurting demand for Apple's top-selling product as the global smartphone market matures.
Rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is facing a similar challenge with its Galaxy phones. The company, which like Apple has had a track record of beating forecasts, issued a disappointing earnings forecast earlier this month.
Apple's stock, which has fallen 20 percent since January, rose 5 percent to $437.94 in after-hours trade. It closed at $418.99 on Nasdaq.
"The iPhone number should provide some comfort to investors who were worried about smartphone demand. That's one of the reasons the stock is up. Expectations were not strong for this quarter," said Shannon Cross of Cross Research.
Apple earned $6.9 billion, or $7.47 a share, on revenue of $35.3 billion. That compared with a profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 a share, on revenue of about $35 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Wall Street's average forecast was for revenue of $35.02 billion and earnings per share of $7.32, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
WORRY NOT?
Investors' biggest long-term concern about Apple is whether the company has lost its innovative edge after re-imagining at least three major consumer electronics markets, with iTunes and the iPod, the iPhone and then the iPad.
Since launching the iPad mini last fall, the company has yet to update its major devices.
Apple forecast revenue of $34 billion to $37 billion this quarter, slightly below Wall Street's average projection of $37.04 billion.
It estimated a margin of 36 to 37 percent. Gross margins came in at 36.9 percent in the third quarter, sharply below 42.8 percent a year ago, as Apple sold more cheaper older model iPhones along with the new iPhone 5 model.
"It's pretty remarkable that they are selling as many phones as they are, given that it's not a new product," said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of Destination Wealth, which owns Apple shares. "That's really the key for them; they've got to come up with a new product."
(Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic, Jennifer Saba and Alistair Barr; Editing by Richard Chang)
[unable to retrieve full-text content]The remains of the earliest European fort in the interior of what is now the United States have been discovered by a team of archaeologists, providing new insight into the start of the U.S. colonial era and the all-too-human reasons spoiling Spanish dreams of gold and glory.
A magnetic pen for smartphones adds another level of conveniencesPublic release date: 24-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lan Yoon hlyoon@kaist.ac.kr 82-423-502-295 The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Utilizing existing features on smartphones, the MagPen provides users with a compatible and simple input tool regardless of the type of phones they are using
Daejeon, Republic of Korea, July 24, 2013 A doctoral candidate at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a magnetically driven pen interface that works both on and around mobile devices. This interface, called the MagPen, can be used for any type of smartphones and tablet computers so long as they have magnetometers embedded in.
Advised by Professor Kwang-yun Wohn of the Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT) at KAIST, Sungjae Hwang, a Ph.D. student, created the MagPen in collaboration with Myung-Wook Ahn, a master's student at the GSCT of KAIST, and Andrea Bianchi, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University.
Almost all mobile devices today provide location-based services, and magnetometers are incorporated in the integrated circuits of smartphones or tablet PCs, functioning as compasses. Taking advantage of built-in magnetometers, Hwang's team came up with a technology that enabled an input tool for mobile devices such as a capacitive stylus pen to interact more sensitively and effectively with the devices' touch screen. Text and command entered by a stylus pen are expressed better on the screen of mobile devices than those done by human fingers.
The MagPen utilizes magnetometers equipped with smartphones, thus there is no need to build an additional sensing panel for a touchscreen as well as circuits, communication modules, or batteries for the pen. With an application installed on smartphones, it senses and analyzes the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet embedded in a standard capacitive stylus pen.
Sungjae Hwang said, "Our technology is eco-friendly and very affordable because we are able to improve the expressiveness of the stylus pen without requiring additional hardware beyond those already installed on the current mobile devices. The technology allows smartphone users to enjoy added convenience while no wastes generated."
The MagPen detects the direction at which a stylus pen is pointing; selects colors by dragging the pen across smartphone bezel; identifies pens with different magnetic properties; recognizes pen-spinning gestures; and estimates the finger pressure applied to the pen.
Notably, with its spinning motion, the MagPen expands the scope of input gestures recognized by a stylus pen beyond its existing vocabularies of gestures and techniques such as titling, hovering, and varying pressures. The tip of the pen switches from a pointer to an eraser and vice versa when spinning. Or, it can choose the thickness of the lines drawn on a screen by spinning.
"It's quite remarkable to see that the MagPen can understand spinning motion. It's like the pen changes its living environment from two dimensions to three dimensions. This is the most creative characteristic of our technology," added Sungjae Hwang.
Hwang's initial research result was first presented at the International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces organized by the Association for Computing Machinery and held on March 19-22 in Santa Monica, the US.
In the next month of August, the research team will present a paper on the MagPen technology, entitled "MagPen: Magnetically Driven Pen Interaction On and Around Conventional Smartphones" and receive an Honorable Mention Award at the 15th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2013) to be held in Germany.
In addition to the MagPen, Hwang and his team are conducting other projects to develop different types of magnetic gadgets (collectively called "MagGetz") that include the Magnetic Marionette, a magnetic cover for a smartphone, which offers augmented interactions with the phone, as well as magnetic widgets such as buttons and toggle interface.
Hwang has filed ten patents for the MagGetz technology.
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.
A magnetic pen for smartphones adds another level of conveniencesPublic release date: 24-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lan Yoon hlyoon@kaist.ac.kr 82-423-502-295 The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Utilizing existing features on smartphones, the MagPen provides users with a compatible and simple input tool regardless of the type of phones they are using
Daejeon, Republic of Korea, July 24, 2013 A doctoral candidate at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a magnetically driven pen interface that works both on and around mobile devices. This interface, called the MagPen, can be used for any type of smartphones and tablet computers so long as they have magnetometers embedded in.
Advised by Professor Kwang-yun Wohn of the Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT) at KAIST, Sungjae Hwang, a Ph.D. student, created the MagPen in collaboration with Myung-Wook Ahn, a master's student at the GSCT of KAIST, and Andrea Bianchi, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University.
Almost all mobile devices today provide location-based services, and magnetometers are incorporated in the integrated circuits of smartphones or tablet PCs, functioning as compasses. Taking advantage of built-in magnetometers, Hwang's team came up with a technology that enabled an input tool for mobile devices such as a capacitive stylus pen to interact more sensitively and effectively with the devices' touch screen. Text and command entered by a stylus pen are expressed better on the screen of mobile devices than those done by human fingers.
The MagPen utilizes magnetometers equipped with smartphones, thus there is no need to build an additional sensing panel for a touchscreen as well as circuits, communication modules, or batteries for the pen. With an application installed on smartphones, it senses and analyzes the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet embedded in a standard capacitive stylus pen.
Sungjae Hwang said, "Our technology is eco-friendly and very affordable because we are able to improve the expressiveness of the stylus pen without requiring additional hardware beyond those already installed on the current mobile devices. The technology allows smartphone users to enjoy added convenience while no wastes generated."
The MagPen detects the direction at which a stylus pen is pointing; selects colors by dragging the pen across smartphone bezel; identifies pens with different magnetic properties; recognizes pen-spinning gestures; and estimates the finger pressure applied to the pen.
Notably, with its spinning motion, the MagPen expands the scope of input gestures recognized by a stylus pen beyond its existing vocabularies of gestures and techniques such as titling, hovering, and varying pressures. The tip of the pen switches from a pointer to an eraser and vice versa when spinning. Or, it can choose the thickness of the lines drawn on a screen by spinning.
"It's quite remarkable to see that the MagPen can understand spinning motion. It's like the pen changes its living environment from two dimensions to three dimensions. This is the most creative characteristic of our technology," added Sungjae Hwang.
Hwang's initial research result was first presented at the International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces organized by the Association for Computing Machinery and held on March 19-22 in Santa Monica, the US.
In the next month of August, the research team will present a paper on the MagPen technology, entitled "MagPen: Magnetically Driven Pen Interaction On and Around Conventional Smartphones" and receive an Honorable Mention Award at the 15th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2013) to be held in Germany.
In addition to the MagPen, Hwang and his team are conducting other projects to develop different types of magnetic gadgets (collectively called "MagGetz") that include the Magnetic Marionette, a magnetic cover for a smartphone, which offers augmented interactions with the phone, as well as magnetic widgets such as buttons and toggle interface.
Hwang has filed ten patents for the MagGetz technology.
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.
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Public release date: 24-Jul-2013
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