2011's hidden cinematic gems

Every year there are movies that slip through the cracks -- say, the documentary that appears only briefly at a festival or the art film that quickly flashes across the marquee before it's pushed off by the latest Michael Bay monster. So, here's a little holiday break homework for you while you bask in the seasonal glow: a list of little gems from the past year that are too good to miss. Hope your local video store is well-stocked and your popcorn maker at the ready.

Another Earth

Another Earth is a sci-fi film where the idea is the biggest special effect. An accident stands between a young woman and a grieving composer, but the discovery of a parallel existence opens a world of possibilities.

Attack the Block

There's a reason this British import is making many of 2011's best-of lists. A first-time filmmaker serves up a manic romp that does justice to the action flicks of the '80s, without any of Super 8's audacious effects. A monster with glowing teeth meets ghetto gang-bangers: really, what else do you need to know?

Beginners

Much more than Christopher Plummer playing a gay man, Beginners is a touching, whimsical ode to love, life, healing -- and it has a talking dog.

Bill Cunningham New York

A documentary with a deft touch, Bill Cunningham New York is about a man who changed the way New Yorkers see themselves. Cunningham is the photographer behind the long-running New York Times fashion column On the Street. An urban sociologist of sorts, he has spent decades documenting how we dress. This is a movie about fashion, fads and the complicated man behind the camera.

Four Lions

Fearless and funny filmmaking at its best, Four Lions follows a terror cell of British Jihadists planning an attack in London -- that is, if they don't blow themselves up first. It's The Three Stooges-meets-suicide bombers, and no target is safe.

The Guard

Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson star in this most unusual of buddy movies. When a drug-smuggling ring makes inroads into rural Ireland, a FBI liaison is forced to work with a cantankerous county cop. Though it might sound conventional, The Guard -- just like Gleeson's character -- is never what it seems.

A Separation

From Iran comes a film that is utterly real and tragic. A husband and wife seek a divorce. An elderly parent's decline requires daily care. A caregiver, with a daughter, is hired. These are just the strands of the tale, but the way director Asghar Farhadi ties them into knots would do Anton Chekov proud. A Separation demonstrates heartbreaking, but unfussy, filmmaking that speaks to the claustrophobia of his country.

Pina

Filmmaker Wim Wenders has created a moving memorial to his friend, the late choreographer Pina Bausch, that will change the way you think about dance and 3D movies. The film is dance reduced to its basic elements: raw and vital, but also playful. As Bausch herself says: "Dance, dance...or else we are lost."

The Trip

A semi-improvised road movie about an actor and a comedian partaking in fine dining across North Britain, The Trip is my pick for funniest film of the year. Though silly, it also offers a shockingly bitter undercurrent that's easy to miss when you're crying with laughter.

The Whistleblower

Forgive the painful set-up and awkward exposition at the beginning of this film. Wait, because there are moments to come that will take your breath away. Based on Kathryn Bolkovac's true story, The Whistleblower sees Rachel Weisz play a U.N. peacekeeper who discovers a sex-trafficking ring in Bosnia. A typical film might have the heroine crash in, guns blazing -- The Whistleblower isn't that kind of film. Instead, director Larysa Kondracki explores what happens when a woman discovers something horrifying and is powerless to prevent it.

Rare Exports (A Christmas bonus)

You'll never view Santa the same way again.


Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/things-that-go-pop-blog/2011/12/2011s-hidden-cinematic-gems.html

The LHC Has Discovered Its First New Particle

Though researchers think the Higgs boson is running out of places to hide, the LHC has yet to provide conclusive proof of its existence. But the ATLAS experiment at the LHC--one of the two main experiments taking precise measurements of particle collisions--has found what is thought to be the first observation of a new particle at the world’s largest science experiment. Known as c_b(3P)--or Chi-b (3P)--observations of the particle should yield new insights into the strong force that holds atomic nuclei together.

The c_b(3P) particle is a newly observed means of combing what’s known as a beauty quark with its antiquark equivalent. It’s considered a boson like the Higgs, and like the Higgs it has long been thought to be there, theoretically speaking. It’s a more excited state of Chi particles already witnessed in previous collider experiments. But no one had actually seen it until now.

The as-yet unpublished research should be a jumping off point toward a greater understanding of what holds the universe together. The Higgs gets a lot of air time, as it has proven the most elusive of the Standard Model puzzle pieces and is thought to be the particle that gives all others mass. But once a theory establishes how the universe got mass, it still has to demonstrate how that mass is held together at the fundamental level. That means understanding the strong force and the roles of particles like c_b(3P).

Geek out on some hard physics over at arXiv.


Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-12/lhc-discovers-its-first-new-particle

A Familiar Face in Uncharted: Golden Abyss

If the 97 stories haven't tipped you off, IGN has the PlayStation Vita. We've been using the thing nonstop, and at the top of our playlist is Uncharted: Golden Abyss. I've already written impressions about my first few hours with Nathan Drake's latest adventure, but as the chapters roll by, the juicy information keeps coming.


If you were like me, you probably wondered if Golden Abyss -- a tale set before the events of the original Uncharted game -- would feature familiar faces from the franchise. Today, I can tell you that Victor "Sully" Sullivan is in the game and looking quite a bit younger than he did in the original title. Take a look at the screenshots below and let me know in the comments how many years you think this is set before the first Uncharted game.


Source: http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215496p1.html

Best Strategy Games for iPad

In case you do not know, there are some really good strategy games for the iPad. Here is my top 10 best strategy games for iPad.

1. The Merry Manor HD

– Build your own merry manor with your own farm, grow fruits and vegetables and the most important part, go through all sorts of fun adventures! Your neighbours are Operator, a business cat, Oops Bunny, the owner of a local joint The Barn and Nostradramus, a restless scholar of a raccoon. They are always happy to help. Together you will find yourselves in many fun situations, tackle day-to-day challenges and build, build, build!High quality graphics, bright colours and ideal sound will satisfy even the most demanding player!You are offered whatever is required to create a unique and beautiful manor!See the transformation from a small farmer to a king, it isn’t easy but you can do it.


2. Pretty Pet Salon HD

–The best -selling salon sim in iTunes goes HD and is now availabale in iPad. Get ready to run your very own Pet Salon. Serve customers, earn money, and make your shop bigger. Hire your staff, and new employees with personality. Exciting achievements for you to collect. Keep an eye out for two celebrity customers, they will give your pet Salon a real surprise.Get to compete with your friends all over the world for the best and most successful Pet Salon out there!An addictive pet grooming game that will be a sure fire hit for pet lovers.

3. SimCity™ Deluxe for iPad

– Manage and build your dream city now available in iPad. Made for both dedicated and casual players alike, let your inner urban planner run wild with the world’s favorite city building simulation. As Mayor and City Planner, take delight in the immersive visuals, the bigger display, and responsive touch controls – all designed just for the SimCity™ Deluxe experience on iPad. With HD-quality graphics and realistic animation that provides vividly textured terrain that you’ll want to reach out and touch. Easily “fingerpaint” masses of trees, water, and land with a simple swipe of your finger. Think big and live larger with customized controls.Be ready to take on demanding challenges.

4. Battle for Wesnoth HD

–If you’re after something that merges both strategy and RPG, you’ve found the right game. Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based hex game set in the land of Wesnoth where you command mythical units like fire-breathing dragonfolk, griffin-mounted dwarves and elite elven archers. If you’re a fan of the desktop version, then this is definitely something you should add to your homescreen.

5. CityVille Hometown

–Create your CityVille Hometwon. Help the delightful characters, follow their stories, and be rewarded with special items. Watch your town grow with a wide variety of houses, businesses, and fantastic decorations that you can choose from. Name your businesses and residents to as you want to make your town unique.

6. Crime City HD

– Are you up to building criminal empires and crush your rivals?Want to become the toughest Mob Boss in Crime City HD! Rise through the ranks of the mafia and take over the city! Build up your hood, do heists, beat up people and fight other players! Get to explore HD exclusive areas, buildings and much more. Own 160+ Powerful weapons and cars that you can buy. Get to collect massive incomes from your properties, and get to enjoy it’s gorgeous graphics.

7. Wedding Dash 4-Ever

– It’s up to best friends Quinn and Flo to keep everything under control, when Quinn’s mom unexpectedly arrives in town and shakes up her home, business, and love life. While Mom is making suggestions at every turn, help quinn manage more weddings, keep the bride and groom happy, plan dream weddings and get more in Play First’s most romantic time management game. Get to host weddings in 5 trendy venues like a Japanese Garden and Vineyard. Up for a challenge, get to tackle 9 wedding day disasters including Bridezilla, Groom Kong, and a Food Fight before they upset the guests and happy couple!


8. Tower Defense: Lost Earth HD

–While searching for resources that have been exhausted on Earth, you followed the probe across the galaxy searching for habitable planets. Take command of towers and special weapons to hold your defense against endless waves of enemies on the hostile alien planet. Tower Defense: Lost Earth takes classic defense games to a whole new world. With 4 different game play modes with different objectives. 5 Different World Themes and 10 enemies with different behaviors.A game that supports English, français, Deutsch.

9. Sentinel 3: Homeworld

–Take the fight to the alien homeworld and unleash a massive arsenal of weaponry, A challenging campaign featuring 20 levels across 14 distinctive & demanding maps. Get endless modes for all maps with online highscores. The classic mode allows you to compete for scores in a pure skill-based mode. Comes with stunning graphics &fx, with high redolution Retina Display support.Also offers 15 level campaign, new commander, new weapons, new enemies and more.

10. Hotel Dash 2: Lost Luxuries

–Start your adventure with Hotel Dash 2: Lost Luxuries, PlayFirst’s wildest time management game! This year, DinerTown is a strong candidate to host the International French Fry Festival. Get to help Flo and Quinn excavate themed hotels built many years ago, and turn them into retro-chic resorts! Tap and slide to glide down zip lines, prep rooms, cater to guests’ requests, and renovate each hotel with unique accents. Will you restore enough hotels to host the festival, or will a sneaky competitor sabotage your efforts. Get to restore all five nature-themed hotels: Swiss Chalet, Bubbly Submarine, Chilly Ice Palace, and more. Get to meet unique guests like the scuba diver, genie, and snowboarder.

Source: http://www.ipad3-release.com/2011/best-strategy-games-for-ipad/

BenQ launches E2200HD in India

BenQ corp has launched the first 22 inch or so to say 21.5 inch 1080p Full HD LCD monitor. The monitor is equipped with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution with 300 cd/m2 brightness. It comes with VGA and HDMI inputs with a headphone jack.

The LCD has a 16:9 aspect ratio and has a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.

The E2200HD comes with integrated speakers and can render content from STBs, camcorders and DVD players. The LCD Monitor will be available for only Rs. 13,500 which is a pretty neat price for what you are getting.

Source: http://technews.in/reviews/plasma_and_lcd/benq_launches_e2200hd_in_india/

Paul McCartney has new album for Valentine's Day

Paul McCartney has collaborated with Diana Krall, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder on an album of standards to be released in time for Valentine's Day.

McCartney announced the project Monday, as he released the first of two original songs on the album to fans on his website. There are only two new songs on the album – My Valentine and Only Our Hearts.

But love is clearly in the air for the former Beatle, who married American Nancy Shevell in October.

His song list includes romantic works from the American Songbook, by composers such as Cole Porter and Harold Arlen. And it comes out just ahead of Valentine’s Day on Feb. 7.

McCartney says he and John Lennon were inspired in their own writing by some of the standards, which he first heard when his father performed them at home on piano.

McCartney worked with Vancouver-based Krall and her band in recording the as-yet-untitled album, and Clapton and Wonder also make appearances.

McCartney says he’s been thinking about the project for 20 years and, at age 69, figured “if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/12/19/paul-mccartney-valentine-album.html

Touchless smartphones and TVs could be on sale in 2012

So you've lost your TV remote control. Again.

Not to worry, says a tiny Israeli start-up company called XTR3D - soon you'll be able to flick through channels and adjust the volume using only... your hand.

You'll just have to turn your palm towards the screen, and zap away without ever getting off the couch.

And no need for under-the-skin electronics or fancy microchips.

Instead, the TV - or rather gesture recognition software installed inside - will "read" your moves and execute appropriate commands, without any need for physically pressing any buttons.

Based in Tel Aviv, XTR3D is one of the developers of such motion capture technology, and it has just received $8m (£5m) investment bound to give "touchless" tech another push - and according to the firm, bring the first motion control smartphone into the market as early as next year.

US electronics giant Texas Instruments is among the investors.

Although the Israeli firm follows in the footsteps of Microsoft's Kinect, the multi-directional gesture control gaming console that was launched last year and has since been selling like hot cakes despite the average $200 price tag, its technology is quite different.

The Kinect has depth sensors, multi-array microphones and RGB cameras that provide the software with the information it needs to track both voice and gestures.

XTR3D, on the other hand, uses ordinary 2D cameras - such as a webcam of a computer or the one in your smartphone - to extract 3D out of a 2D image.

This creates the same three-dimensional effect as on the Kinect.

According to the Tel Aviv start-up's spokesman Roy Ramati, XTR3D's technology has all the advantages of a 3D camera without any of the disadvantages - it can work in broad daylight, is much cheaper and uses a lot less power.

"And it can be installed into any consumer electronics device," adds Mr Ramati.

Dor Givon, XTR3D's founder and chief technical officer, adds that it is even possible to play a proper Kinect game on a regular laptop that has the software, touchlessly controlling the device from a distance of a few centimetres to up to 5m away.

And, he says, anyone will be able to afford it.

"Our target is to penetrate the market, so it will be something for everyone to try out," says Mr Givon.

"New devices will have the interface embedded in them, with older ones you will be able to download the software from the app store."

Besides gaming and switching TV channels, the existing prototypes include a PC where it is possible to flip through a PowerPoint presentation just by waving your hand, a tablet and a smartphone that have features such as using gestures to create the effect of a joystick, to click, swipe, zoom in and out with a pinch gesture, and a GPS device that can be controlled touchlessly while driving.
Ultrasound and optical

Despite being at the forefront of gesture-controlled technology, XTR3D is not the only firm aiming to make our world touchless.

Various kinds of motion detection have been around for a while.

For instance, simple gesture recognition such as hovering your hand near a water tap or a toilet flush to activate them are becoming more and more common.

And after Microsoft paved the way with Kinect, bringing new digital dimensions to the gaming world, other companies followed.

Microsoft itself is now actively trying to expand Kinect's use into other industries.

Recently, it announced that it would release a commercial version of the Kinect software development kit in early 2012.

Microsoft has also teamed up with about 200 businesses in more than 20 countries - among them car manufacturer Toyota and digital advertising firm Razorfish - for Kinect to reach well beyond gaming.

"The Kinect can sense your entire body for interaction with the device, and we're only scratching the surface of what can be done because beyond computing there's a lot of scenarios where this kind of natural user interaction could be really powerful, a real paradigm shift," says Shahram Izadi, a researcher from the Microsoft Research Centre in Cambridge, England.

And the creator of the chip that powers the motion-sensing part of the Kinect, an Israeli company called PrimeSense, is now selling a gadget that has the same hardware as Microsoft's device.

Once hooked up to a regular computer, it can provide a Kinect-like experience without the Kinect.

Apple has also filed patents that involve allowing users to touchlessly "throw" content from one device to another, for example from a tablet onto your TV screen.

Another electronics giant, mobile chip maker Qualcomm, has recently bought a small Canadian firm GestureTek.

It targets three devices: tablets (including eReaders), smartphones and TVs, and uses a combination of cameras and ultrasound.

Ultrasound sensors are there for close range "no-look" gesture control - they pick up movements with help of a microphone instead of an optical camera, explains Qualcomm's director of technology Francis MacDougall.

"One issue the Kinect has is an inability to track close to a device. The default design can track no closer than 50cm - great for TVs but not so good for tablets and smartphones," says Mr MacDougall.

"So Qualcomm has placed multiple audio sensors - microphones - into their handset designs to isolate the voice location in 3D space while filtering out everything else.

"This technique is extremely low power and can track the hand within one to 15cm of the phone."
Touchless world

Imagine that you are driving a car and your child is on the back seat watching a movie on a tablet - you don't have to divert your attention from the road, but just by making a gesture near the tablet you would be able to pause it or turn it off.

And such possibilities are endless, says Mr MacDougall.

For instance, how about answering a phone when you're cooking, eating or driving without touching the screen or even having to look at it? Or turning pages on an eReader with swipe gestures? Or skipping to the next song with a swipe or pausing it with a palm raised?

These touchless features are pretty much what other companies working in the area have been promising to deliver, but one that relates to TV control is quite unique to GestureTek.

"We're working on face recognition that will be used to identify each member of the family and bring up custom interfaces as part of a next generation 'smart TV' interface," says Mr MacDougall.

To achieve that, the firm is turning to optical solutions, similar to those used by XTR3D - the standard forward-facing 2D camera and in some cases a stereo set-up - two standard 2D camera sensors spaced a small distance apart to calculate the 3D location of any features in the scene.

However the companies around the world are doing it - with regular or infrared cameras, or with ultrasound sensors, one thing is certain, says Mr MacDougall.

"Gesture is definitely heating up!"

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15970019

For the First Time, Predator Drones Participate in Civilian Arrests on U.S. Soil

A Customs and Border Protection Predator B (or MQ-9 Reaper)

A somewhat strange story emerged yesterday involving an extremist antigovernment group, a North Dakota sheriff’s office, and six missing cows, but there’s a much larger story behind this brief legal tangle between local law enforcement and the Brossart family of Nelson Country. When Alex, Thomas and Jacob Brossart were arrested on their farm back in June after allegedly chasing the local Sheriff off their property with rifles, they became the first known U.S. citizens to be arrested on American soil with the help of a Predator drone, Stars and Stripes reports.

They will not, however, be the last. Most U.S. citizens are aware that US. Customs and Border Protection owns and operates a handful of aerial drones along the nation’s northern and southern borders (eight Predators to be exact), but when Congress authorized the use of drones along the borders in 2005 it was thought that they would be used strictly to curb illegal immigration and to detect smuggling routes.


But a provision allowing for “interior law enforcement support” is being given fairly liberal interpretation by both the Customs and Border Protection crews that operate the drones and local law enforcement that sometimes wants to borrow CBP’s aerial assets. Local police in North Dakota say they’ve called upon the two Predators operating out of Grand Forks Air Force Base at least two dozen times since June.

These drones are unarmed Predator B drones (known as MQ-9 Reapers elsewhere in the operational lingo), the same “hunter/killer” model employed across the globe in the War on Terror (but without the Hellfire missiles). They are being used for surveillance and situational awareness only, law enforcement officials say. But the fact that they’re being used at all--and especially without anyone higher up the chain of command acknowledging that local police have access to and are using Predator drones routinely--stirs up all kinds of privacy issues. As Stripes notes, it also skirts the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the U.S. military from taking on a police role within the United States.

In the case of the Brossart boys, apparently the sheriff showed up on their place with search warrant in hand seeking access to the family’s land to search for six missing cows thought to be on the premises. The Brossarts--who reportedly are not huge fans of the federal government in general and belong to an antigovernment group that the FBI considers extremist--brandished rifles and allegedly ordered the sheriff off the property. The sheriff complied, but then asked for support from the nearby drone unit, which happened to have a Predator in the air returning from a routine recon of the U.S.-Canada border.

Local law used the drone to keep an eye on the Brossart place overnight and the next day were able to determine via the drone footage that the three Brossarts in question were out on the property and unarmed (there’s a more thorough account of this if you click through to the Stripes piece). All said, the local police were able to sweep in and arrest the Brossarts without firing a shot or ending up in some kind of armed standoff.

To local law enforcement, it’s a good story about technology working to avoid violent confrontations and assist cops in their day-to-day serving and protecting. But it’s also troubling. From a privacy standpoint, the use of military surveillance drones over American cities is fraught with issues. Then there’s the fact that--up until now--very few people seem to have any idea this is going on. The government peering into your backyard, Big Brother is watching, etc. etc.--it’s the kind of thing that’s going to have to be talked about as technologies like drone aircraft become more ubiquitous, both abroad and at home.

Oh, and the six cows were located by police. No word on whether the Predators were scrambled for that part of the operation.


Source: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-12/first-us-citizens-have-been-arrested-help-predator-drone

Intel and LG deal brings WiDi streaming to HDTVs without the dongle

Intel's Wireless Display tech has promised to pull together properly equipped laptops and nearby HDTV screens since its debut last year, but until now always required an extra add-on for the TV side of the equation. That will change next year, thanks to an agreement by the chipmaker with LG promising its Cinema 3D Smart TV line will be the first ones with WiDi built right in. Just like it does with existing dongles, compatible devices can stream content (including HDCP protected video like DVDs and Blu-rays, as of Sandy Bridge) to the display while displaying something different on their own screen, and don't require an active WiFi or internet setup to make it all happen. The press release (included after the break) promises demonstrations next month at CES, while some manufacturers like Philips have included similar technology, we'll see if this becomes a standard feature.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/intel-and-lg-deal-brings-widi-streaming-to-hdtvs-without-the-don/

WordPress Plugin Releases for 12/13

New plugins

Admin Bar Backend Search provides various search forms in the Dashboard.

WP-ImageZoom enables you to view details of large images.

Updated plugins

Fast Secure Contact Form lets your visitors send you a quick e-mail message and blocks all common spammer tactics. Additionally, the plugin has a multi-form feature, optional extra fields, and an option to redirect visitors to any URL after the message is sent.

FoxyPress is a custom plugin made to integrate FoxyCart e-commerce functionality into your WordPress website.

Scripts n Styles allows Admin users the ability to add custom CSS (at the bottom of the head tag) and JavaScript (at the bottom of the body tag) directly into individual Post, Pages or any other registered custom post types.

WordPress SEO is an all in one solution to search engine optimize your WordPress blog: SEO titles, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps and much more.

Source: http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2011/12/13/wordpress-plugin-releases-for-1213-2/

Method predicts size of fracking earthquakes

Small earthquakes are a recognized risk of hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking', a procedure in which companies unlock energy reserves by pumping millions of litres of water underground to fracture shale rock and release the natural gas trapped inside. Researchers now say that they can calculate the highest magnitude earthquake that such an operation could induce — though it won't determine the likelihood of a quake occurring.

The model is crude, but it should be “good enough” to use in the field, says Arthur McGarr, a geologist at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, who presented the work yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, California. “The method could help engineers trying to plan for future earthquakes know what to plan for,” he adds.

McGarr's team says that the quantitative method is applicable to any operation that involves injecting fluid deep underground. Apart from fracking, such activities include the disposal of fracking fluids — in which companies get rid of their drilling water by pumping it into disposal wells — as well as geothermal-power generation and carbon dioxide sequestration.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for fluid-injection operations to cause detectable earthquakes. The number of such tremors has increased over the past decade as the amount of deep fluid injection has risen, says McGarr. Fracking itself is thought this year to have spurred quakes in Lancashire, UK — of magnitude 2.3 and 1.5 — and Gavin County, Oklahoma, of up to magnitude 2.8 (see 'Fracking caused British quakes').

Straightforward relationship

McGarr and his team studied seven cases of quakes induced by fluid injection. They included the Oklahoma fracking site where 8,900 cubic metres were injected; a scientific bore hole in Germany, where an injection of 200 cubic metres of salt water caused a magnitude 1.4 earthquake; a geothermal-energy project on the outskirts of Basel, Switzerland, that was terminated after an injection of 11,600 cubic metres of water triggered a series of quakes of magnitude up to 3.4; another in Cooper Basin, Australia, where a 20,000-cubic-metre injection resulted in a magnitude 3.7 quake; and a liquid-waste-disposal project in Colorado in the 1960s, where an injection of 631,000 cubic metres triggered earthquakes of magnitude up to 5, the largest yet seen as a result of fluid injection.

The researchers found a proportional relationship between the volume of fluid injected and the magnitude of the earthquake.

“If you inject about 10,000 cubic metres, then the maximum sized earthquake would be about a magnitude 3.3,” says McGarr. Every time the volume of water doubles, the maximum magnitude of any quake rises by roughly 0.4. “The earthquakes may end up being much smaller, but you want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” says McGarr. The relationship is straightforward, but it is the first time that anyone has quantified it, he adds.

McGarr has also developed a similar method — now in standard industrial use — to work out the maximum size of earthquake that can be triggered as ore is extracted in underground mining¹. This work “builds on the same concept”, he says.

He notes that the latest work doesn't give the probability of an earthquake actually occurring: that depends on other factors, such as the strength and permeability of the rock.

Max Wyss, director of the World Agency for Planetary Monitoring and Earthquake Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland, said that the study was a “good review” of the situation but did not achieve what is really needed — working out the maximum induced earthquake that can be tolerated at any given location. “We need to do better at estimating the risk for society from the earthquakes,” he says.

McGarr’s team hopes to submit the work for publication soon, with further case studies.


Source: http://www.nature.com/news/method-predicts-size-of-fracking-earthquakes-1.9608

Samsung Galaxy Note vs. Dell Streak 5... fight!

Sure, some may have had a good ole laugh at the Streak 5, arriving with enough display real estate to border on tablet territory -- in fact that's what Dell sold it as. Fast forward a year, and it looks like that weighty slab of phone -- or tiny tablet, depending on your interpretation --was simply ahead of its time. Most phone manufacturers are now skating around the five-inch mark, and Samsung even went a little further. With the Galaxy Note recently paying a visit to the FCC, we thought it was time to see how these two barely-phones stacked up against each other. We're leaving the technical specs aside at this point -- you can check the reviews for those -- but we can still line them up and take plenty of photos of the resulting face-off. The full gallery awaits below.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/09/samsung-galaxy-note-vs-dell-streak-5-fight/

Samsung introduce Galaxy S2 LTE White HD Super-Amoled

This website is one of the leading portals for information on future Organic Light Emitting Diode display and lighting technology.Since 2004, the platform has provided information on new products, technologies and trends.


Samsung has launched the Galaxy S2 in white HD onwhich the color of ceramic white is applied to the front and back side, delivering clean, simple and elegant looks and feels. For a few weeks Samsung introduced the Galaxy S2 with LTE and Super-Amoled-HD in black. The HD Super AMOLED display has a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 180 degree wide viewing angle, a 16:9 screen, guaranteeing to deliver a revolutionary mobile multimedia experience. This display features also PenTile technology and not true RGB pixels.


Source: http://www.oled-display.net/samsung-introduce-galaxy-s2-lte-white-hd-super-amoled/

O2 launches London 4G high-speed broadband trial

Telefonica-owned mobile network O2 is switching on the UK’s first commercial 4G mobile network in London today, with users able to experience speeds of up to 100Mbps.

Twenty five 4G sites will blanket-cover London, from Hyde Park to Greenwich, to the financial capital of Canary Wharf, as well as the political heart of Westminster, Kings Cross and the South Bank areas of the city.

While only connecting around 1,000 people at first, including citizens and business owners, it is hoped that this trial will be a foot in the door to faster and more reliable speeds in the British capital.

O2 has over 22 million users, making it the UK’s second largest mobile network behind Everything Everywhere, the company behind the joint venture merging Orange and T-Mobile.

Moving on from from an initial trial in Slough, west of the capital, London’s trial will run until mid-2012. It will enable the mobile network to gauge exactly how users’ access 4G technology, whether it is beneficial, but also fill a major gap between ‘not-spots’ in the capital.

Some parts of England have also undergone 4G trials, such as in the dark-depths of Cornwall, where mobile reception is in some cases non-existent. The trial will begin early next year.

While 4G technology has already been in force for the last few years in the United States, the UK has fallen behind not only against its American cousins, but around Europe and the rest of the world.

But the upcoming spectrum auction is causing headaches for the four major mobile networks, including Vodafone, and O2 — the network behind the trial.

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom is hoping to hold the 4G spectrum auction towards the end of 2012. But because the spectrum will not be available to use until the year after, a steady roll-out of 4G services will be delayed until an expected mid-2013.

Earlier this month, a UK parliamentary committee told UK mobile networks to “stop fighting” over the spectrum auction, which has caused the delay of the sale.

O2 and Vodafone continue to threaten legal action should Ofcom allow fourth-place network Three to purchase some of the spectrum for its minimum price, with other networks claiming the move amounts to “state aid”, and would give the network an unfair advantage over the larger networks.

4G LTE network access is expected to go live across the UK from 2014.



Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/london/o2-launches-london-4g-high-speed-broadband-trial/885?tag=content;search-results-river