Wireless connections creep into everyday things

In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, photo, a woman sits on an eCooltra Connected electric scooters at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show, in Barcelona, Spain. The first wave of the wireless revolution was getting people to talk to each other through cellphones. The second, it seems, will be getting things to talk to each other, with no human intervention: cars that talk to your insurance company?s computers, bathroom scales that talk to your phone, and electric meters that talk to your air conditioners. So-called machine-to-machine technology all the buzz at this year?s largest wireless trade show, and some analysts believe these types of connection will outgrow the traditional phone business in less than a decade. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, photo, a woman sits on an eCooltra Connected electric scooters at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show, in Barcelona, Spain. The first wave of the wireless revolution was getting people to talk to each other through cellphones. The second, it seems, will be getting things to talk to each other, with no human intervention: cars that talk to your insurance company?s computers, bathroom scales that talk to your phone, and electric meters that talk to your air conditioners. So-called machine-to-machine technology all the buzz at this year?s largest wireless trade show, and some analysts believe these types of connection will outgrow the traditional phone business in less than a decade. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) ? A car that tells your insurance company how you're driving. A bathroom scale that lets you chart your weight on the Web. And a meter that warns your air conditioner when electricity gets more expensive.

Welcome to the next phase of the wireless revolution.

The first wave of wireless was all about getting people to talk to each other on cellphones. The second will be getting things to talk to each other, with no humans in between. So-called machine-to-machine communication is getting a lot of buzz at this year's wireless trade show. Some experts believe these connections will outgrow the traditional phone business in less than a decade.

"I see a whole set of industries, from energy to cars to health to logistics and transportation, being totally redesigned," said Vittorio Colao, the CEO of Vodafone Group PLC, in a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The British cellphone company has vast international interests, including its 45 percent ownership stake in Verizon Wireless.

Companies are promising that machine-to-machine, or M2M, technology will deliver all manner of services, from the prosaic to the world-changing. At U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.'s booth here at the show, there's a coffeepot that can be ordered to start brewing from a tablet computer, or an Internet-connected alarm clock. A former president of Costa Rica is also at the show, talking about how M2M can save massive amounts of greenhouse gases by making energy use more efficient ? enough to bring mankind halfway to the goal of halting global warming.

The M2M phenomenon is part of the larger drive to create an "Internet of Things" ?a global network that not only links computers, tablets and phones but that connects everything from bikes to washing machines to thermostats. Machina Research, a British firm, believes there will be 12.5 billion "smart" connected devices, excluding phones, PCs and tablets, in the world in 2020, up from 1.3 billion today.

But how does this transformation happen, and who stands to profit?

First, the devices have to be able to connect. That's not a trivial undertaking, especially considering that people don't upgrade washing machines or renovate their homes as often as they change cellphones and PCs. One company at the show, a Los Angeles-based startup named Tethercell, has an ingenious solution for battery-powered devices: a "fake" AA battery that houses a smaller AAA battery in an electronic jacket. It can be placed in a battery compartment with other batteries. Within a distance of 80 feet, some smartphones and tablets can then signal the "battery" to turn the device on or off. For instance, parents whose kids have a lot of noisy toys can turn all of them off with touch of a single button. A fire alarm could send a text-message warning that its battery is running low, rather than blaring an audio signal.

Unfortunately, a Tethercell from the first production run costs $35. Co-founder Kellan O'Connor believes the price can come down to $10, but that's still a non-trivial cost, and symptomatic of the high price of building out the Internet of Everything. For devices that need to connect at long range over a cellular network, the cost of radio components alone ranges from $10 to $70, according to analyst Dan Shey of ABI Research.

That's not expensive in the context of some big-ticket items, like cars, which have been forerunners when it comes to non-phone wireless connections. General Motors Corp. started equipping cars with OnStar wireless calling and assistance services in the mid-90s. At the show, it announced it is updating the service for faster data connections, enabling services like remote engine diagnostics and upgrades to the control software. AT&T Inc., which has been aggressive about getting into the M2M business, is ousting Verizon Wireless as the network provider for OnStar.

Colao, the CEO of Vodafone, gave an example of another "smart" car application that might seem intrusive to some: the company has been trying out a service in Italy that lets an auto insurance company know how much a car is being used, and charges premiums accordingly. It can also score the driver based on his or her driving style, and give pointers on how to handle the car more safely.

Cellular connections are creeping into smaller, cheaper devices. Ecooltra, which rents out electric scooters by the day in Spain, wants to connect them to the Internet, which would let renters figure out through their phones where there's a scooter for rent and how much of a charge is in its battery. The feature is perfect for quick, impromptu rentals by the hour. Adding "smarts" to the scooters in the shape of a cellular modem would turn the company from a conventional rental service to a "scooter-sharing" business, much like car-sharing services like Zipcar.

Once devices are connected, the next problem is getting them to talk to each other, and making sense of what they're saying. ABI's Shey says this is the real business opportunity in M2M, more valuable than making the modems or providing the wireless connections. He believes that's driving a behind-the-scenes scramble of deal-making at the show, as companies like AT&T seek to bolster their ability to support M2M by acquiring companies that provide a "middle layer" of software between the devices and their owners.

For connections between devices in the home, like that remote-controlled coffee-pot, Qualcomm touts its AllJoyn project, which it seeks to make an industry standard. Currently, the main ways for devices to connect to each other and figure out what they can do, like Bluetooth and DLNA, are too limited and difficult to use, said Rob Chandhok, president of Qualcomm Innovation Center.

With AllJoyn, "there's nothing to stop you from making a speaker that listens for notifications and turns them into speech, so you hear, 'Hey, you left the refrigerator door open!'" Chandhok said. "You take very simple things and connect them, and people build experiences on top of them. That's what we're trying to do."

Jose Maria Figueres, the former president of Costa Rica, is now the president of the Carbon War Room, an organization co-founded by billionaire Richard Branson to promote cutbacks in greenhouse-gas emissions through smart private enterprise. Figueres believes M2M has huge potential to wring efficiency out of energy-guzzling activities, and could reduce emissions equivalent to 9.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2020 ? roughly equal to the combined emissions of India and the U.S. today.

Vodafone provided one example of how this might be done. The city of Groningen in the Netherlands has put sensors in the trash containers that serve public-housing units. They alert trash haulers when they need to be emptied, saving on unnecessary trips and reducing fuel use by 18 percent.

With M2M, "in many cases you have information moving instead of us moving," Figueres said.

In another example, Dutch authorities started controlling their street lights wirelessly rather than with "dumb" timers. They save on energy by dimming the lights if traffic is scant, but can also turn them on early if the day is dark.

Could M2M be overhyped ? a promise that won't deliver? The wireless industry is no stranger to rosy projections that don't pan out. Shey, the ABI analyst, thinks M2M will deliver, but perhaps not in a sexy, flashy way. When machine-to-machine connections are created, he said, it's usually not because someone is making a big bet on the future, but because they save money.

"It's about gaining more out of the asset that you have, like a truck. When it needs maintenance it gets maintenance at the right point. Or ensuring that the vending-machine guy only goes to the vending machine when it's empty," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-27-Wireless%20Show-Internet%20of%20Everything/id-7dab9ca2d8a441efbedc8c3cb7b53470

marinol

Miss. mayorial candidate found dead, homicide suspected

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) ? A Mississippi mayoral candidate was found dead Wednesday and the case is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.

Coahoma County Coroner Scotty Meredith said the body of 34-year-old Marco McMillian was found on the Mississippi River levee Wednesday at about 10 a.m.

The 34-year-old McMillian was running for mayor of Clarksdale, a Blues hub where actor and Mississippi native Morgan Freeman co-owns a music club with Bill Luckett, who also is running for mayor.

Meredith said the body was found between Sherard and Rena Lara and was sent to Jackson for an autopsy. He declined to provide further details or speculate on the cause of death.

The sheriff's office said Wednesday in a news release on its Facebook page that a person of interest was in custody, but had not been formally charged.

The department also said authorities had been looking for McMillian since a man crashed the candidate's car into another vehicle on Tuesday. McMillian was not in the car. The sheriff's office said deputies responded to the two-car crash on U.S. Highway 49 South near the Coahoma and Tallahatchie county lines on Tuesday about 8 a.m.

Will Rooker, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, declined to release other details. He said the investigation is ongoing.

McMillian was a Democrat. Campaign spokesman Jarod Keith said McMillian's campaign was noteworthy because he may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.

McMillian's campaign said in a statement that words cannot describe "our grief at the loss of our dear friend."

"We remember Marco as a bold and passionate public servant, whose faith informed every aspect of his life," the statement said.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute, which supports gay and lesbian candidates for political office, tweeted: "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Marco McMillian, one of the 1st viable openly (hash)LGBT candidates in Mississippi."

McMillian was CEO of MWM & Associates, described on its website as a consulting firm for nonprofit organizations. He had recently served as international executive director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Jimmy Hammock, the fraternity's international president, praised McMillian in a Facebook post for making "an incredible difference in his community and in Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity."

A statement from the historically black fraternity said he had secured the first federal contract to "raise the awareness of the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color for the Fraternity." It noted that Ebony Magazine had recognized him in 2004 as one of the nation's "30 up-and-coming African Americans" under age 30.

McMillian also worked at Alabama A&M University and Jackson State University in the past. Photos on McMillian's website appear to show him with a younger Barack Obama and with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia Democrat.

___

Follow Mohr on Twitter at http://twitter.com/holbrookmohr

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/homicide-suspected-miss-candidates-death-235102580.html

Australian Open Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz

Invention opens the way to packaging that monitors food freshness

Feb. 27, 2013 ? Millions of tons of food are thrown away each year because the 'best before' date has passed. But this date is always a cautious estimate, which means a lot of still-edible food is thrown away. Wouldn't it be handy if the packaging could 'test' whether the contents are still safe to eat? Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology, Universit? di Catania, CEA-Liten and STMicroelectronics have invented a circuit that makes this possible: a plastic analog-digital converter. This development brings plastic sensor circuits costing less than one euro cent within reach. Beyond food, these ultra-low-cost plastic circuits have numerous potential uses, including, pharmaceuticals.

The invention was presented last week at the ISSCC in San Francisco, an important conference on solid-state circuits.

Consumers and businesses in developed countries throw away around 100 kilograms of food per person (*), mainly because the 'best before' date on the packaging has passed. That waste is bad for consumers' budgets and for the environment. Much of this wastage results from the difficulty in estimating how long food will stay usable. To minimize the risk of selling spoiled food to consumers, producers show a relatively short shelf life on their packaging.

Less than one cent

To fight food waste, producers could include an electronic sensor circuit in their packaging to monitor the acidity level of the food, for example. The sensor circuit could be read with a scanner or with your mobile phone to show the freshness of your steak, or whether your frozen food was defrosted. Researcher Eugenio Cantatore of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e): "In principle that's all already possible, using standard silicon ICs. The only problem is they're too expensive. They easily cost ten cents. And that cost is too much for a one euro bag of crisps. We're now developing electronic devices that are made from plastic rather than silicon. The advantage is you can easily include these plastic sensors in plastic packaging." The plastic semiconductor can even be printed on all kinds of flexible surfaces, which makes it cheaper to use. And it makes sensor circuits costing less than one eurocent achievable.

The very first printed ADC

The researchers have succeeded in making two different plastic ADCs (analog-to-digital converters). Each converts analog signals, such as the output value measured by a sensor, into digital form. One of these new devices is the very first printed ADC ever made. "This paves the way toward large area sensors on plastic films in a cost-effective way through printing manufacturing approaches," says Isabelle Chartier, Printed Electronics Business developer at CEA-Liten. The ISSCC rated the papers on these inventions as highlights of the conference.

Missing link

The new plastic ADCs bring applications in the food and pharmaceuticals industries within reach. A sensor circuit consists of four components: the sensor, an amplifier, an ADC to digitize the signal and a radio transmitter that sends the signal to a base station. The plastic ADC has been the missing link; the other three components already exist. "Now that we have all of the pieces, we need the integration," says Cantatore. He expects that it will still take at least five years before we can expect to see the new devices on supermarket shelves. Other potential applications are in pharmaceuticals, man-machine interfaces and in ambient intelligence systems in buildings or in transport.

Complex mathematics

Making this development was no easy task. The electrical characteristics of 'ordinary transistors' are highly predictable, while those of plastic transistors vary greatly. "All plastic transistors behave differently in the low-cost production processes at low temperatures," explains Cantatore. "That makes it much more difficult to use them in devices. You need complex mathematical models to be able to predict their behavior accurately."

The printed ADC circuit offers a resolution of four bits, and has a speed of two hertz. The circuits printed by CEA-Liten include more than 100 n- and p-type transistors and a resistance level on transparent plastic substrates. The carrier mobility of the printed transistors are above the amorphous silicon widely used in the display industry.

(*) 'Global Food Losses and Food Waste', a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2011

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Eindhoven University of Technology, via AlphaGalileo.

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

---

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/jqdsdEvt1WQ/130227085905.htm

bath salts heart shaped box

Protecting fish from antidepressants by using new wastewater treatment technique

Feb. 26, 2013 ? Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a new technique to prevent pharmaceutical residues from entering waterways and harming wildlife.

The new water treatment technology -- called membrane distallation -- separates drug residues from sewage with the help of district heating, says Andrew Martin, a professor at KTH's Institute of Energy Technology who worked on the development project with IVL and Scarab Development AB.

Martin says that water vapor passes through a thin, hydrophobic membrane of material similar to Goretex, and through an air gap, where it condensed onto a cold surface. Drug residues collect on one side of the membrane and pure water on the other.

"There is currently no technology capable of doing this cleaning process on a large scale," Martin says. "And for the membrane distillation process to work, the water temperature does not need to be very high, which is good."

Pharmaceutical residues in wastewater have been found to alter fish behavior and could even affect the growth of algae. A recent study at Sweden's Ume? University shows even low levels of Oxazepam detected in the Fyris River, in central Sweden, caused perch to become more antisocial, risk prone and active, making them an easier target for predators such as pike. The study measured levels of Oxazepam found in the perch, which were six times higher than in the water itself.

The study also indicated that the release of anti-anxiety drugs can affect entire ecosystems in a waterway, possibly contributing to an increases or decreases in the incidence of algae.

In a test of the membrane distillation technique at Hammarby Sj?stadsverket in Sweden, researchers found a level of 282 nanograms of Oxazepam per litre of wastewater. After ordinary treatment, that level of pharmaceuticals would essentially remain unchanged when the water is returned to the local waterway. But when treated with the membrane distillation system, the concentration was reduced to less than 2 nanograms per litre.

"Of all the 20th century-tested drugs, it is only the remains of the antidepressant Sertraline that we failed to clear 100 percent," Martin says. "We have some theories, but cannot yet explain why."

Martin and his colleagues are now awaiting results from the next step in the evolution of the technique. They are testing membrane distillation with drug residue levels that are nearly 10 times higher. "These samples are out for analysis right now," he says.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by KTH The Royal Institute of Technology.

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

---

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/fs6za3HLe-8/130226081157.htm

lisa lampanelli lisa lampanelli bronx zoo memphis grizzlies celebrity apprentice grizzlies bronx zoo crash

Farview Ski Team: Skiing strong into spring!

For the past four years, Farview Park has been home to one of the only neighborhood ski teams in Minneapolis.

Made possible through the collaboration of Minnesota winters and the Loppet Foundation, the Farview Ski Team meets biweekly for practice in Theodore Wirth Park.
"I wasn't sure how they were going to like it at first," said Louis Oatis, who has been supervising the youth in the program since the beginning. Oatis meets the skiers at Farview and then takes them to Wirth where they strap on their poles and ski freely on the hills into the wintry nights.

Youth from Farview Park have been involved in the Loppet Foundation ski and bike program for four years. Initially the team was formed to train for the City of Lakes Tri-Loppet, an event where the youth learned to canoe, mountain bike and trail run. As the seasons changed, the Loppet Foundation talked with Oatis about carrying the summer program through the winter with cross-country skiing.

"I told them I knew a few kids that were not into basketball or football. This was something new to try," said Oatis.

Largely, Scott Kyser, who has seen the athletes develop throughout the years, has coached the team.

"Scott knows the kids and the kids know him. They love him," said Oatis chuckling. "He teaches them technique; how to go up and down the hills, and stop. They are really beginning to know the ins and outs of the sport."

Even as temperatures dip near zero, the Farview Ski Team shows up ready to rock the trails.

"They keep coming back," said Oatis. "I think they feel unique about it. Skiing is something not a lot of people can do. They know that it is a commitment to be on this team. It's great because for those that stick with it, they get the hang of skiing, they seem to enjoy it more."

The Loppet Foundation provides team jackets, which Oatis distributes for practices and races.

Babette Kamba said that she found out about the Farview Ski Team through Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Winter Program Guide. Although living closer to Harrison, Farview was the only north Minneapolis park with a ski team, so she brings her son to Wirth weekly to meet the team for practice.

"It is rare to have such positive winter experiences," said Kamba. "I want him to have these life long skills.We live close to Wirth and it is a way to be healthy in the winter."

Oatis said several of the youth talk about skiing in high school. The Loppet Foundation is hoping that by planting more ski teams in north Minneapolis schools and parks, this uniquely urban winter sport can be learned and embraced by more youth. "It's a way to be active in the winter," said Oatis, who has also learned to ski as a result of the program.

With recent fresh coats of snow, the Farview Ski Team will keep skiing well into spring.

Source: http://www.insightnews.com/sports/10343--farview-ski-team-skiing-strong-into-spring

Newton

Exclusive: Goldman to begin fresh round of job cuts - sources

REUTERS - Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to begin a fresh round of job cuts as early as this week, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, with its equities-trading business bracing for bigger cuts than fixed-income trading.

The cuts come at the time of year in which the Wall Street bank typically gets rid of its weakest 5 percent of employees across the entire firm. But as the trading business continues to suffer from weak volumes and earnings, the losses are expected to be deeper in some businesses.

Equities trading will likely see cuts bigger than 5 percent, while fixed-income trading, which took big hits last year and has had better volumes, will likely see cuts of less than 5 percent, the sources said. The number of shares traded on major U.S. exchanges this year is down 7.2 percent.

It is unclear whether the cuts in totality will be larger than Goldman's typical 5 percent culling across the firm.

Big banks globally have been cutting staff for the past few years, as weak trading and dealmaking volumes and increased costs have put pressure on shareholder returns. Banks including Morgan Stanley , Bank of America Corp , Citigroup Inc , and UBS AG have all laid off staff or announced plans to cut thousands of jobs in the past year or two.

Goldman's latest round of dismissals follows the bank's layoffs of 3,300 employees, or 9 percent of its workforce, over the past two years.

Earlier this month, Goldman's new chief financial officer, Harvey Schwartz, said that laying off more workers may be the way that banks generate higher returns on equity for shareholders. The metric is important because it shows how much profit banks can squeeze from their balance sheets.

Last year, Goldman's return-on-equity was 10.7 percent, an improvement from 2011, but still well below its historical highs above 30 percent. Schwartz said he does not see Goldman's returns last year as "aspirational for the long term."

"I think the industry will migrate to higher returns because they will have to," Schwartz said, adding that it might be "a question of excess capacity coming out of the industry over a period of time."

(Reporting By Lauren Tara LaCapra and Katya Wachtel; Editing by Kenneth Barry; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-goldman-begin-fresh-round-job-cuts-sources-193110132--finance.html

Russell Means Taylor Swift Red Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock

Giveaway: A Kid-Friendly Gift Set from Art.com (a $390 Value!)

Enter for your chance to win two framed prints and one stretched canvas from Art.com's new Wee Society collection in our giveaway this week.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/0p5YfkedZj4/

leah messer

Network Effect: SingTel-Owned Amobee Expands Mobile Ad Platform To Cover Its Globe, Optus And Telkomsel Holdings

When the pan-Asian mobile carrier SingTel paid $321 million to acquire mobile ad platform SingTel in May last year, the thinking was that the Singapore-based SingTel could use Amobee to serve targeted ads to its 480-million mobile subscriber base across the region. Some eight months after the deal has closed, that network effect is coming into play: today Amobee is announcing that it will take over all mobile ads for SingTel, as well as Globe in the Philippines, Optus in Australia and New Zealand and Telkomsel in Indonesia. The deal is exclusive and will mean that all four carriers will be served ads through Amobee’s PULSE mobile ad platform — which was initially developed by Amobee in California but has since been integrated into SingTel’s servers in the Asia-Pacific region. Initially, this deal will cover 200 million users, Amobee says, but will be extended out to eventually cover all of SingTel’s 480 million subscribers. Overall, SingTel is active in 20 countries. Amobee continues to work with other carriers that are not part of the SingTel group. These include AT&T and Sprint in the U.S., Vodafone and Telefonica, as well as others across Europe and the Middle East. But the Asia-Pacific portion of its business is now growing. Whereas last year it made up 10 percent of Amobee’s revenues, this year that rose to at least one-third. The idea is for SingTel to gain better control over ads across its network of operations, and offer publishers a more attractive, targeted advertising option than going with one of the other established players — such as Google, the king of the mobile advertising hill. “Instead of competing against Google, it?s about doing something different,” noted Mark Strecker, COO for Amobee, in an interview with TechCrunch. “A lot of carriers are looking for alternatives to Google.” That strategy, of course, will take on a new twist for SingTel in the coming years. SingTel is one of the 18 carriers that has signed on to work with Mozilla in the development of the Firefox OS for mobile (and the two partner on investments to boost that ecosystem, too, such as this $25 million investment in mobile search startup Everything.me). One of the promises of the new HTML5-friendly platform is that it will give carriers a bigger say in how mobile services are localized for their respective customer bases. That will include what ads get delivered,

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/XUF48RG_5zg/

kevin rose sessions march madness scores doonesbury padma lakshmi daughtry lakers trade