Video Q&A Startup VYou Is Shutting Down Its Consumer Site To Focus On White-Label Opportunities
Video question-and-answer site VYou launched several years ago with a unique premise -- allow users to create video responses to questions posed to them by other community members. Now, about two-and-a-half years later, the company is sending an email to its community members informing them that its site will be shut down next week.
Rep. Bruce Braley Apologizes for '#TrailOfTears' Tweet
Rep. Don Young might not be the only member of Congress in need of some sensitivity training.
After the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Arizona Wildcats Thursday night in the college basketball tournament with a tie-breaking 3-pointer from LaQuinton Ross with 2.1 seconds left on the clock, Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, tweeted: "It's official. Ohio State is the luckiest team in the tournament. #TrailOfTears."
That #TrailOfTears hashtag quickly drew a negative response on Twitter, prompting Braley to delete the tweet within an hour. It was archived, nevertheless.
Braley, who is serving his fourth term in the House, then attempted to clarify his intent with a tweet-pology in the wee hours of the morning, explaining that he was identifying with the pain of Iowa State fans who suffered defeat at the hands of Ohio State last week.
"The 'tears' I was referring to were the tears of [Iowa State] Cyclone fans. I have removed the tweet & apologize to anyone who was offended," Braley, 55, tweeted.
The Trail of Tears is the route thousands of Cherokee traveled by foot, horse, wagon or steamboat from 1838 to 1839 after the U.S. government forcefully removed them from Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, which later became Oklahoma.
The National Park Service says that hundreds of Cherokee died during the grueling trek, while thousands more perished after being displaced.
The Braley story was first reported by the Des Moines Register. Braley is hoping to replace Iowa's retiring Sen. Tom Harkin in the U.S. Senate.
Braley's comment comes amid the furor created by Alaska congressman Young's referring to Latinos as "wetbacks" in an interview with public radio station KRBD published Thursday.
DDoS attacks continue to be the center of media spotlight.
We?re showcasing more of the controversy around Spamhaus in this week?s digest, together with a mish-mash of actionable email marketing best practices that boost conversion (eg. subject lines, autoresponders, social sharing). Pretty much something to pique everyone?s interest!
Global internet slows after ?biggest attack in history?
Spamhaus has been under siege for well over a week and this issue was thrown into international spotlight after the BBC picked this news nugget up with the controversial headline that it was slowing the ?global internet?.
While this might have caused initial panic among limited circles and networks, it was pretty much business as usual for most people. Gizmodo has a detailed account of the Internet Apocalypse ? that wasn?t.
What is a fact is that this is the biggest attack in Internet history with attacks peaking at 300Gbps (gigabits per second) versus the usual 50Gbps against banks.
The record for the biggest attack was previously held in 2010 at 100 Gbps.
Study: Nearly Two-Thirds of Companies Do Not Use Autoresponders
A study on 500 companies from the Inc. 5,000 list has revealed that nearly 25% of companies do not offer an online contact form. Other startling statistics:
Only 37% of companies use autoresponders and send follow-up emails after an online form submission.
Of companies that do use an autoresponder, 78% send follow-up emails within one hour of a form submission
Several best practices recommended by the study:
Follow up form submissions with a timely personalized email
Having an unsubscribe option
Having a call-to-action
Six email deliverability lessons that you can learn from SEO
Search engines do not index emails, but there are still some lessons from SEO that email marketers can learn.
Keep Coding Simple ? A majority of clients are not able to load emails laden with scripts.
Use Pre Headers ? This provides a meta description of your email
Find a good balance between Images and Text ? Using too many images can lead to delivery issues
Choose Keywords Wisely ? Certain words are used to determine if the sender is a spammer hence monitor deliverability when using words like ?free?
Be Recognisable ? Ensure email authentication processes are properly set up for a good sender reputation
Be Relevant ? The more relevant your content is to a recipient the less likely they are to ?mark as spam?
Case Study: Creativity vs. clarity in email subject lines
I?ve often wondered about this myself and the AWeber team provides the answer. Emails with clear subject lines had:
1,107% more comments
315% more tweets
331% more Facebook likes
617% more traffic
366% more email subscriptions
On average, each channel had 541% more response. For a detailed analysis on why detailed emails work better do read the full article.
Social Sharing Boosts Email CTR By 158% [REPORT + INFOGRAPHIC]
61% more users have social sharing buttons in their emails than last year. That?s good news for the industry as emails with social sharing buttons had 158% more clickthrough rate than those that did not. The average email CTR is 2.4% without social sharing and 6.2% with social sharing.
On this topic of social sharing, if you like what you are reading, why not sign up for our newsletter? And if you like our newsletter, we?d appreciate a social share!
Grizzly robot EV shrugs off difficult terrain, laughs at heavy loads
Like its namesake, Clearpath Robotic's Grizzly is most comfortable in the wild. Sure, this unmanned ATV is perfectly capable of handling paved streets. But the 26-inch wheels and eight-inches of ground clearance are really built for offroad excursions. The 80-horsepower all-electric motor is capable of reaching speeds of 11 mph and of towing loads over 1,300 pounds. In short, this thing is beast. Clearpath suggests the bot would excel at agricultural tasks, but it seems to us that plowing fields would be a waste of Grizzly's skills. Unless, of course, those fields happened to be on another planet. To see this mobile monster in action check out the gallery below and the video after the break.
Surviving Divorce: 18 How to Reconnect With The Authentic Self ...
During a wedding we were piece of the team. Compromise plus negotiations were a big piece of creating the partnership function. Even inside wise marriages you are able to lose sight of elements which create up that we certainly are over time. Little compromises plus options prepared lengthy ago have left pieces of we behind. If a relationship was from balance or abusive, it is very probably which we gave more of oneself away.
When you see oneself suddenly about your, without a partner, reconnecting with a authentic self is an significant, plus occasionally forgotten, step inside a healing task.
After each ending, there is a new beginning. This really is a wonderful time to look at the planet by fresh eyes. What appeals to we? What doesn?t? What colors draw we inside? Do we choose quiet or perhaps a great deal of sensory input? What are the favorite tastes? What makes we smile? What is the favorite flower, track, spot to sit?
Who inside the planet are we?????
When we slow down plus pay attention to the way you feel regarding the small points we begin to keep in mind a authentic self. Reconnecting with this element of you?ll provide we the strength plus self-confidence you ought to move forward inside a unique lifetime with ease plus elegance.
Here are certain tips which could help we inside recalling whom we absolutely are:
1. Start surrounding oneself with aspects which warm the heart or lift a spirits.
2. Look for 1 gorgeous thing to enjoy every day.
3. Switch items up. It?s the planet plus we reach result in the options today.
4. List a top 5 values plus employ them because a mantra for a lifetime.
5. Select 5 family values with a kids to guide the new family lifetime.
6. Check in before generating options. Listen to a heart.
7. Start a daily log.
8. Write a vision for a hot existence.
9. Make a list of the details you?re passionate regarding.
10. Write 5 factors you?re grateful for each evening.
11. Revisit the dreams we utilized to have for the lifetime.
12. Explore different designs of music, house decor, plus clothing.
13. Bring out a cool side.
14. Give your children versatility to express their creativity because we express yours.
15. Get an adventure ? do anything we constantly sought to do.
16. Create a vision board.
17. Surround oneself with individuals that inspire plus help we.
18. Tell a youngsters how much we love them. Frequently.
Life Coach, Linda Luke, supports customers inside reconnecting with their own inside guidance program plus clearing the thoughts, worries, values, plus practices which receive inside the technique of their having the lifetime they wish.
She has numerous training certifications plus is a graduate of the Spiritual Psychology Master?s System at the University of Santa Monica.
Linda supports customers by telephone over the country plus has free initial consultations. You are able to reach her through e-mail at: mailto:lifecoachlinda@gmail.com
Playdek Closes $3.8M Series A To Build A Digital Community Where Tabletop Gamers Can Feel At Home
Fresh from putting smiles on the faces of tabletop gaming geeks everywhere, with yesterday's news that it would be helping to bring Dungeons & Dragons to iOS devices later this year, mobile game publisher Playdek has closed a $3.8 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures, with IDG Ventures and ff Venture Capital also participating.
I wrote in No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner about Bill Clinton?s 2004 advice to John Kerry that he should consider supporting a ban on same sex marriage. I?m obviously not the only source: Newsweek independently reported the story eight years ago. My book came out six years ago and no one denied the accounts then or since then?until now. A Clinton spokesman told The New York Times that the anecdote was completely false. But the story is true and I stand by it. The long silence speaks more powerfully than a pro forma, convenient denial at this late date.
3-D printing is a quickly developing tool that allows young innovators to create products that are usually the exclusive province of high-cost manufacturers. Glenn Derene, senior technology editor at Popular Mechanics, demonstrates the basics of 3-D printing to Matt Lauer and explains the potential benefits of having one at home.
Declaring a truce with our microbiological frenemies
Mar. 28, 2013 ? Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.
Researchers have historically focused on microbes in the body as primarily pathogens that must be fought, said Eric Harvill, professor of microbiology and infectious disease. However, he said that recent evidence of the complex interaction of the body with microbes suggests a new interpretation of the relationship.
"Now we are beginning to understand that the immune system interacts with far more beneficial bacteria than pathogens," said Harvill. "We need to re-envision what the true immune system really is."
Harvill said that this reinterpretation leads to a more flexible approach to understanding how the immune system interacts with microbes. This approach should balance between defending against pathogens and enlisting the help of beneficial microbes.
While the role that some bacteria play in aiding digestion is better known, microbes assist in improving body functions, including strengthening the immune system and responding to injuries.
In some cases, attacking pathogens can harm the beneficial effects microbes have on immune system, according to Harvill. For example, patients on antibiotics have an increased risk of contracting yeast infections and MRSA.
"Viewing everything currently considered immunity, including both resistance and tolerance, as aspects of a complex microbiome management system that mediates interactions with the sea of microbes that surround us, many of which are beneficial, can provide a much more positive outlook and different valuable perspectives," Harvill said.
The system that includes bacteria and other microbes in the human body, or the microbiome, is much larger and more integrated into human health than most people suspect, according to Harvill.
"The human body has 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells," said Harvill.
Adding to the complexity is the adaptive capacity of the human immune system. The immune system can develop antibodies against certain pathogens, which it can reuse when threatened by future attacks from the same pathogen.
Harvill, who described his alternative viewpoint in the latest issue of mBio, said that some researchers have not yet accepted this broader approach to the immune system.
"Among immunologists or microbiologists this is an alien concept," said Harvill. "It's not part of how we have historically looked at the immune system, but it's a useful viewpoint."
Other researchers who study plant and nonhuman biology are already starting to embrace the concept. For example, plant biologists are beginning to recognize that viruses can help plants resist drought and heat.
"Within nonhuman immunology, this is not an alien concept because they have seen many examples of beneficial relationships between the host and its microbial commensals," Harvill said.
Harvill said adopting this new perspective could be the first step toward new medical treatments.
"This new viewpoint suggests new experiments and results will published," said Harvill. "And, hopefully, the concept becomes more and more mainstream as supporting evidence accumulates."
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences supported this work.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State. The original article was written by Matthew Swayne.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
E. T. Harvill. Cultivating Our "Frienemies": Viewing Immunity as Microbiome Management. mBio, 2013; 4 (2): e00027-13 DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00027-13
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.
Congress adds cyber-espionage review for government tech purchases, scrutinizes Chinese products from Lenovo, Huawei
Huawei's having a tougher time getting its network tech into the US, but Congress is apparently looking to shore up its security with other Chinese manufacturers too and has added a new purchase review law for NASA, Justice and Commerce departments of the government. Reuters reports that these branches won't be able to buy any IT system equipment without a federal law enforcement official giving it the okay, after assessing "any risk associated with such system being produced, manufactured or assembled" in China. The new restriction is folded into a 240-page spending law document and Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei has already requesting that the US to abandon the law. While it's difficult to spell out the repurcussions yet, it could affect more than just the telecoms infrastructure that ZTE and Huawei were selling, with the ever-expanding Lenovo likely to be buffeted by the same new regulations -- stripped down or not.
University of Maryland breast cancer research pioneer Dr. Angela Brodie named AACR Academy Fellow
University of Maryland breast cancer research pioneer Dr. Angela Brodie named AACR Academy FellowPublic release date: 27-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Warmkessel kwarmkessel@umm.edu 41-032-889-194-101-532 University of Maryland Medical Center
Dr. Brodie best known for role in developing aromatase inhibitors
BALTIMORE March 27, 2013. Angela H. Brodie, Ph.D., a University of Maryland scientist whose research paved the way for a new class of drugs widely used to treat breast cancer patients around the world, has been selected by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) as a fellow of the newly created AACR Academy.
Dr. Brodie, professor of pharmacology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and scientist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, is one of 106 fellows who will be inducted into the AACR Academy on April 5, 2013, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. AACR said it created the academy "to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose major scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer."
The inaugural class of scientists was selected through a rigorous peer review process. According to AACR, the number of fellows in the class symbolizes the age of the Philadelphia-based professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research, which was founded in 1907.
"Our Board of Directors made the decision to establish the AACR Academy as a mechanism for recognizing scientists whose contributions to the cancer field have had an extraordinary impact," says Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), AACR's chief executive officer. "Membership in the Fellows of the AACR Academy will be the most prestigious honor bestowed by the American Association for Cancer Research."
Dr. Brodie's research laid the groundwork for a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors, which help to prevent recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women by reducing estrogen produced by the body, thereby cutting off fuel to the cancer cells. The drugs inhibit the production of aromatase, an enzyme that plays a key role in the biosynthesis of estrogen.
"Dr. Brodie's pioneering research, which has spanned more than 30 years, has saved the lives of thousands of women worldwide," says Kevin J. Cullen, M.D., the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor in Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. "The development of this class of drugs is arguably one of the most important therapeutic advances in treating women with breast cancer in the last quarter century."
E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says, "Dr. Angela Brodie's research into aromatase inhibitors is an excellent example of translating discoveries in the laboratory into therapies that improve the lives of patients. She never gave up on her vision of finding a new treatment with fewer side effects, and many women around the world have benefitted from her perseverance. Dr. Brodie richly deserves this honor. We are most fortunate to have her as an esteemed member of our faculty."
Dr. Brodie has received numerous honors for her research, including the prestigious Charles F. Kettering Prize from the General Motors Cancer Research Awards in 2005, the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research in 2006, and the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 2000. She has published more than 200 papers in peer-revised scientific journals. She is continuing her work with aromatase inhibitors and has expanded her research into prostate cancer, collaborating with Vincent C.O. Njar, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at the School of Medicine, on a new androgen synthesis inhibitor. The drug has been tested in a Phase I clinical trial, with preliminary results showing it is well tolerated and reduced PSA levels in most patients.
###
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, and the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu.
About the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, which is part of the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The center is recognized for its active clinical and basic science research program. It has comprehensive programs to treat all types of cancer and is a major referral center for patients throughout Maryland and the region. It has been recognized as one of the top 15 cancer centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2012-13. For more information about the center, go to http://www.umgcc.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
University of Maryland breast cancer research pioneer Dr. Angela Brodie named AACR Academy FellowPublic release date: 27-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Karen Warmkessel kwarmkessel@umm.edu 41-032-889-194-101-532 University of Maryland Medical Center
Dr. Brodie best known for role in developing aromatase inhibitors
BALTIMORE March 27, 2013. Angela H. Brodie, Ph.D., a University of Maryland scientist whose research paved the way for a new class of drugs widely used to treat breast cancer patients around the world, has been selected by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) as a fellow of the newly created AACR Academy.
Dr. Brodie, professor of pharmacology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and scientist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, is one of 106 fellows who will be inducted into the AACR Academy on April 5, 2013, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. AACR said it created the academy "to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose major scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer."
The inaugural class of scientists was selected through a rigorous peer review process. According to AACR, the number of fellows in the class symbolizes the age of the Philadelphia-based professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research, which was founded in 1907.
"Our Board of Directors made the decision to establish the AACR Academy as a mechanism for recognizing scientists whose contributions to the cancer field have had an extraordinary impact," says Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), AACR's chief executive officer. "Membership in the Fellows of the AACR Academy will be the most prestigious honor bestowed by the American Association for Cancer Research."
Dr. Brodie's research laid the groundwork for a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors, which help to prevent recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women by reducing estrogen produced by the body, thereby cutting off fuel to the cancer cells. The drugs inhibit the production of aromatase, an enzyme that plays a key role in the biosynthesis of estrogen.
"Dr. Brodie's pioneering research, which has spanned more than 30 years, has saved the lives of thousands of women worldwide," says Kevin J. Cullen, M.D., the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor in Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. "The development of this class of drugs is arguably one of the most important therapeutic advances in treating women with breast cancer in the last quarter century."
E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says, "Dr. Angela Brodie's research into aromatase inhibitors is an excellent example of translating discoveries in the laboratory into therapies that improve the lives of patients. She never gave up on her vision of finding a new treatment with fewer side effects, and many women around the world have benefitted from her perseverance. Dr. Brodie richly deserves this honor. We are most fortunate to have her as an esteemed member of our faculty."
Dr. Brodie has received numerous honors for her research, including the prestigious Charles F. Kettering Prize from the General Motors Cancer Research Awards in 2005, the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research in 2006, and the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 2000. She has published more than 200 papers in peer-revised scientific journals. She is continuing her work with aromatase inhibitors and has expanded her research into prostate cancer, collaborating with Vincent C.O. Njar, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at the School of Medicine, on a new androgen synthesis inhibitor. The drug has been tested in a Phase I clinical trial, with preliminary results showing it is well tolerated and reduced PSA levels in most patients.
###
About the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, and the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu.
About the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center
The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, which is part of the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The center is recognized for its active clinical and basic science research program. It has comprehensive programs to treat all types of cancer and is a major referral center for patients throughout Maryland and the region. It has been recognized as one of the top 15 cancer centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in 2012-13. For more information about the center, go to http://www.umgcc.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Backpack mapping system captures intelligence in tough-to-get-to places
Mar. 26, 2013 ? Engineers at APL have developed a portable mapping system -- carried in a backpack -- that can be used to automatically create annotated physical maps of locations where GPS is not available, such as in underground areas and on ships.
Produced for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS) captures a floor-plan-style map of the area traversed, as well as 360-degree photos and sensor readings of that area using a combination of lasers and sensors. The system improves upon algorithms once developed for robots -- which are not practical for all environments -- and has a built-in allowance for normal human movement, like walking.
Using light, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, EMAPS works while operators walk through an area carrying the unit in a backpack. Designed mainly to detect and map environmental threats on ships and in other tough-to-get-to locations, EMAPS' novel algorithms also associate critical environmental data, such as radiation or radio frequency signal levels, with map locations.
The basic EMAPS unit is an approximately six-inch cube that weighs less than four pounds (smaller than a brick), and includes a 270-degree laser scanner that measures the distances to walls and features in the environment. "EMAPS virtually takes pictures with every step," says Jason Stipes, of the Force Projection Department. "Using this technology, we can map almost every nook and cranny of targeted locations, capture that intelligence, and store it. Sensors can also detect threats, such as radiation or chemicals, and include them in our map."
A second laser scanner is available to allow 3-D data collection, while an inertial sensor measures the roll, pitch, and yaw of the system to compensate for steps taken by the user. In addition, a removable camera system can be used to capture omnidirectional images along the walker's path. A GPS receiver can be connected to EMAPS to allow for georegistration of the data, and an onboard computer stores and processes data in real time.
Stipes says EMAPS has collected more than 100 hours of mapping data from a wide array of GPS-denied environments, including ships, underground storage facilities, Army training areas, and buildings such as the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The maps include paths that are several miles long, in environments ranging from office buildings to complex engine rooms of ships at sea.
"The EMAPS software addresses a number of challenges using specially developed algorithms," says Stipes. "Working with DTRA, APL engineers have created software to efficiently map data without boundaries while using a fixed amount of computer memory. And, while previous algorithms fail in open areas and long, smooth hallways, we have been able to design algorithms to map these challenging environments."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
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.
The curtain is about to go up at a new theater dedicated to Japan's centuries-old kabuki-za performing art, sited in a high-tech venue in a 29-storey Tokyo office building.
The theater in the upscale Ginza shopping district, which will open to the public at the start of next month, will let audiences use portable monitors to read subtitles to explain the sometimes difficult to understand art form.
The service will be available only in Japanese at first. But theater managers hope to include foreign language services, starting with English, over the coming months, a spokesman told visiting journalists Monday.
Another feature is the pit below the stage, which is now 16.45 meter (54 feet) deep -- nearly four times what it was. The pit allows for props, actors and scenery to emerge from the bowels of the building.
Despite the high-tech fixes, the theater retains many elements of the original interior as well as the facade, which evokes medieval Japanese castles and temples with its curved roofs and red paper lanterns.
In the 400-year-old stylized performing art, all-male casts perform in extravagant costumes and mask-like facial makeup.
The new four-storey playhouse, with an 1,800-seat capacity, is the fifth version of the theater, whose history dates back to 1889.
The previous building, erected in 1951 to replace one heavily damaged in World War II, was demolished in 2010 due to worries over its ability to withstand earthquakes.
The theater is now housed in a 143-meter (470 feet) skyscraper, the tallest building in the area.
APNewsBreak: $1.7M penalty proposed in Exxon spill
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Federal regulators proposed $1.7 million in civil penalties against Exxon Mobil Corp. on Monday for safety violations linked to a pipeline rupture that spilled an estimated 63,000 gallons of crude oil into Montana's scenic Yellowstone River.
In a notice sent to the company, U.S. Department of Transportation regulators alleged a chain of bad decisions by Exxon leading up to the spill and in its immediate aftermath. That included Exxon employees' failure to close an upstream safety valve, which could have significantly reduced the size of the spill after it was first detected.
As a result, the agency said, oil continued gushing into the flooding river for almost an hour after the break was noticed by pipeline controllers in Houston.
The agency also faulted the company for not addressing flood risks and not taking adequate measures to prevent a spill.
The July 2011 rupture of the 12-inch pipeline under the river near Laurel fouled 70 miles of the Yellowstone River's banks, killing fish and wildlife and prompting a massive, months-long cleanup.
Investigators chalked up the immediate cause to floodwaters that damaged the line and left it exposed. It ruptured under pressure from debris washing downriver.
Exxon spokesman Patrick Henretty said the company was disappointed in the government's findings, which he said appeared to contradict an investigative report released in December that said Exxon took "reasonable precautions to address the flooding."
Henretty added that Exxon was still reviewing Monday's notice. He said the Irving, Texas-based company has already altered its training program and procedures on the use of remote-control valves that can be used to shut down pipelines quickly when accidents occur.
Investigators previously said the size of the spill could have been reduced by about two-thirds if pipeline controllers had acted more quickly.
In Monday's notice, the agency said there had been "numerous indications" that the 20-year-old Silvertip pipeline had been installed in an area prone to seasonal flooding and erosion.
Nevertheless, when the Yellowstone was flooding in 2011, Exxon chose to keep its pipeline operating even as at least one other company decided to shut down another line in the same area, the agency said.
Exxon's "failure over an extended period of time to recognize those threats ... was a major cause of the failure," Transportation officials said in Monday's notice.
City officials in Laurel had warned Exxon that the riverbank was eroding. The company, however, continued to run crude beneath the Yellowstone after finding that a section of pipeline leading away from the river was still buried more than 6 feet deep.
The DOT issued a proposed compliance order directing Exxon to conduct training for supervisors and pipeline control room workers, including on the proper operation of remote control valves. The order said Exxon must complete the training within 30 days.
It was not immediately clear whether the training cited by Henretty would fully address the government's proposal.
Exxon has 30 days to appeal or the proposal will become final.
The company has previously acknowledged responsibility for the spill and pledged to work with state and federal officials to make sure the cleanup is adequate.
Exxon spent $135 million on its response to the spill, including cleanup and repair work. The damaged section of pipeline has since been replaced with a new section buried dozens of feet beneath the riverbed.
The accident helped prompt a national debate over the adequacy of federal regulations for the nation's sprawling, 2.6-million-mile network of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. In Silvertip's aftermath, Congress passed measures intended to make sure pipelines that cross major waterways are sufficiently buried to protect them from the type of damage the Silvertip line sustained.
Under current rules, companies must bury pipelines 4 feet beneath a riverbed and inspect them periodically. Those rules are being reviewed by the Department of Transportation for potential changes.
In a statement, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said his agency will hold companies accountable for adhering to federal safety standards.
"It is our priority to ensure that America's transportation system is the safest in the world," LaHood said.
Montana officials are continuing to investigate the natural resource damages caused by the Silvertip spill. Results are expected possibly in the spring.
That process is separate is separate from a $1.6 million settlement reached earlier this year between the state and Exxon over the company's water pollution violations.
Contact: Michael Bishop michael.bishop@iop.org 01-179-301-032 Institute of Physics
Up until now, the invisibility cloaks put forward by scientists have been fairly bulky contraptions an obvious flaw for those interested in Harry Potter-style applications.
However, researchers from the US have now developed a cloak that is just micrometres thick and can hide three-dimensional objects from microwaves in their natural environment, in all directions and from all of the observers' positions.
Presenting their study today, 26 March, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, the researchers, from the University of Texas at Austin, have used a new, ultrathin layer called a "metascreen".
The metascreen cloak was made by attaching strips of 66 m-thick copper tape to a 100 m-thick, flexible polycarbonate film in a fishnet design. It was used to cloak an 18 cm cylindrical rod from microwaves and showed optimal functionality when the microwaves were at a frequency of 3.6 GHz and over a moderately broad bandwidth.
The researchers also predict that due to the inherent conformability of the metascreen and the robustness of the proposed cloaking technique, oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects can be cloaked with the same principles.
Objects are detected when waves whether they are sound, light, x-rays or microwaves rebound off its surface. The reason we see objects is because light rays bounce off their surface towards our eyes and our eyes are able to process the information.
Whilst previous cloaking studies have used metamaterials to divert, or bend, the incoming waves around an object, this new method, which the researchers dub "mantle cloaking", uses an ultrathin metallic metascreen to cancel out the waves as they are scattered off the cloaked object.
"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," said co-author of the study Professor Andrea Alu.
"The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth. We have shown that you don't need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial."
Last year, the same group of researchers were the first to successfully cloak a 3D object in another paper published in New Journal of Physics, using a method called "plasmonic cloaking", which used more bulky materials to cancel out the scattering of waves.
Moving forward, one of the key challenges for the researchers will be to use "mantle cloaking" to hide an object from visible light.
"In principle this technique could also be used to cloak light," continued Professor Alu.
"In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials and this concept could put us closer to a practical realization. However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects.
"Still, we have envisioned other exciting applications using the mantle cloak and visible light, such as realizing optical nanotags and nanoswitches, and noninvasive sensing devices, which may provide several benefits for biomedical and optical instrumentation."
###
From Tuesday 26 March, this paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/15/3/033037/article.
Notes to Editors
Contact
1. For further information, a full draft of the journal paper or contact with one of the researchers, contact IOP Publishing Press Officer, Michael Bishop:
Tel: 0117 930 1032
E-mail: Michael.Bishop@iop.org
IOP Publishing Journalist Area
2. The IOP Publishing Journalist Area (http://journalists.iop.org/journalistLogin) gives journalists access to embargoed press releases, advanced copies of papers, supplementary images and videos. In addition to this, a weekly news digest is uploaded into the Journalist Area every Friday, highlighting a selection of newsworthy papers set to be published in the following week.
Login details will also give free access to IOPscience, IOP Publishing's journal platform.
To apply for a free subscription to this service, please email Michael Bishop, IOP Press Officer, michael.bishop@iop.org, with your name, organisation, address and a preferred username.
Demonstration of an ultra-low profile cloak for scattering suppression of a finite-length rod in free space
3. The published version of the paper "Demonstration of an ultra-low profile cloak for scattering suppression of a finite-length rod in free space" (J C Soric et al 2013 New J. Phys. 15 033037) will be freely available online from Tuesday 26 March. It will be available at http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/15/3/033037/article.
New Journal of Physics
4. New Journal of Physics publishes across the whole of physics, encompassing pure, applied, theoretical and experimental research, as well as interdisciplinary topics where physics forms the central theme. All content is permanently free to read and the journal is funded by an article publication charge.
IOP Publishing
5. IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of IOP. Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. Focused on making the most of new technologies, we're continually improving our electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/
The Institute of Physics
6. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.
It has a worldwide membership of around 40 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policy makers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific communications. Go to http://www.iop.org
The German Physical Society
7. The German Physical Society (DPG) with a tradition extending back to 1845 is the largest physical society in the world with more than 59,000 members. The DPG sees itself as the forum and mouthpiece for physics and is a non-profit organisation that does not pursue financial interests. It supports the sharing of ideas and thoughts within the scientific community, fosters physics teaching and would also like to open a window to physics for all those with a healthy curiosity.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Michael Bishop michael.bishop@iop.org 01-179-301-032 Institute of Physics
Up until now, the invisibility cloaks put forward by scientists have been fairly bulky contraptions an obvious flaw for those interested in Harry Potter-style applications.
However, researchers from the US have now developed a cloak that is just micrometres thick and can hide three-dimensional objects from microwaves in their natural environment, in all directions and from all of the observers' positions.
Presenting their study today, 26 March, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, the researchers, from the University of Texas at Austin, have used a new, ultrathin layer called a "metascreen".
The metascreen cloak was made by attaching strips of 66 m-thick copper tape to a 100 m-thick, flexible polycarbonate film in a fishnet design. It was used to cloak an 18 cm cylindrical rod from microwaves and showed optimal functionality when the microwaves were at a frequency of 3.6 GHz and over a moderately broad bandwidth.
The researchers also predict that due to the inherent conformability of the metascreen and the robustness of the proposed cloaking technique, oddly shaped and asymmetrical objects can be cloaked with the same principles.
Objects are detected when waves whether they are sound, light, x-rays or microwaves rebound off its surface. The reason we see objects is because light rays bounce off their surface towards our eyes and our eyes are able to process the information.
Whilst previous cloaking studies have used metamaterials to divert, or bend, the incoming waves around an object, this new method, which the researchers dub "mantle cloaking", uses an ultrathin metallic metascreen to cancel out the waves as they are scattered off the cloaked object.
"When the scattered fields from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each other out and the overall effect is transparency and invisibility at all angles of observation," said co-author of the study Professor Andrea Alu.
"The advantages of the mantle cloaking over existing techniques are its conformability, ease of manufacturing and improved bandwidth. We have shown that you don't need a bulk metamaterial to cancel the scattering from an object a simple patterned surface that is conformal to the object may be sufficient and, in many regards, even better than a bulk metamaterial."
Last year, the same group of researchers were the first to successfully cloak a 3D object in another paper published in New Journal of Physics, using a method called "plasmonic cloaking", which used more bulky materials to cancel out the scattering of waves.
Moving forward, one of the key challenges for the researchers will be to use "mantle cloaking" to hide an object from visible light.
"In principle this technique could also be used to cloak light," continued Professor Alu.
"In fact, metascreens are easier to realize at visible frequencies than bulk metamaterials and this concept could put us closer to a practical realization. However, the size of the objects that can be efficiently cloaked with this method scales with the wavelength of operation, so when applied to optical frequencies we may be able to efficiently stop the scattering of micrometer-sized objects.
"Still, we have envisioned other exciting applications using the mantle cloak and visible light, such as realizing optical nanotags and nanoswitches, and noninvasive sensing devices, which may provide several benefits for biomedical and optical instrumentation."
###
From Tuesday 26 March, this paper can be downloaded from http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/15/3/033037/article.
Notes to Editors
Contact
1. For further information, a full draft of the journal paper or contact with one of the researchers, contact IOP Publishing Press Officer, Michael Bishop:
Tel: 0117 930 1032
E-mail: Michael.Bishop@iop.org
IOP Publishing Journalist Area
2. The IOP Publishing Journalist Area (http://journalists.iop.org/journalistLogin) gives journalists access to embargoed press releases, advanced copies of papers, supplementary images and videos. In addition to this, a weekly news digest is uploaded into the Journalist Area every Friday, highlighting a selection of newsworthy papers set to be published in the following week.
Login details will also give free access to IOPscience, IOP Publishing's journal platform.
To apply for a free subscription to this service, please email Michael Bishop, IOP Press Officer, michael.bishop@iop.org, with your name, organisation, address and a preferred username.
Demonstration of an ultra-low profile cloak for scattering suppression of a finite-length rod in free space
3. The published version of the paper "Demonstration of an ultra-low profile cloak for scattering suppression of a finite-length rod in free space" (J C Soric et al 2013 New J. Phys. 15 033037) will be freely available online from Tuesday 26 March. It will be available at http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/15/3/033037/article.
New Journal of Physics
4. New Journal of Physics publishes across the whole of physics, encompassing pure, applied, theoretical and experimental research, as well as interdisciplinary topics where physics forms the central theme. All content is permanently free to read and the journal is funded by an article publication charge.
IOP Publishing
5. IOP Publishing provides publications through which leading-edge scientific research is distributed worldwide. IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics (IOP), a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to support science through the activities of IOP. Beyond our traditional journals programme, we make high-value scientific information easily accessible through an ever-evolving portfolio of community websites, magazines, conference proceedings and a multitude of electronic services. Focused on making the most of new technologies, we're continually improving our electronic interfaces to make it easier for researchers to find exactly what they need, when they need it, in the format that suits them best. Go to http://ioppublishing.org/
The Institute of Physics
6. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society promoting physics and bringing physicists together for the benefit of all.
It has a worldwide membership of around 40 000 comprising physicists from all sectors, as well as those with an interest in physics. It works to advance physics research, application and education; and engages with policy makers and the public to develop awareness and understanding of physics. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is a world leader in professional scientific communications. Go to http://www.iop.org
The German Physical Society
7. The German Physical Society (DPG) with a tradition extending back to 1845 is the largest physical society in the world with more than 59,000 members. The DPG sees itself as the forum and mouthpiece for physics and is a non-profit organisation that does not pursue financial interests. It supports the sharing of ideas and thoughts within the scientific community, fosters physics teaching and would also like to open a window to physics for all those with a healthy curiosity.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
Scientists have successfully bred a certain type of endangered Panamanian amphibian ? the limosa harlequin frog ? for the first time. ?The development is key because populations of the itty-bitty frog, which is smaller than a quarter as a babya certain type of endangered Panamanian amphibian ? the limosa harlequin frog ? for the first time. ?The development is key because populations of the itty-bitty frog, which is smaller than a quarter as a baby, are declining in its native country.
"This new generation is hugely inspiring to us as we work to conserve and care for this species and others," said Brian Gratwicke, international coordinator for the project and a research biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, one of six partners in the effort.
To get the small amphibians to mate, researchers went to great lengths. They built a rock platform to mimic the underground caves in which the frogs breed, and piped in oxygen-rich water between 72 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (22 and 24 degrees Celsius), according to a release from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Young frogs only feed on algal mats coating rocks. So scientists with the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, which bred the frogs, also painted the rock platforms with spirulina algae and then let it dry. When placed inside the enclosure, the algae grew ?and fed the animals.
Young frogs can fit easily on a U.S. quarter with room to spare, and adults don't get much bigger, growing to slightly larger than an inch in length.
For all their trouble, the scientists were rewarded with hundreds of tadpoles from one pair of frogs, and nine youngsters from another, the release noted. These frogs are of the "chevron-patterned" variety; there are also plain-colored forms of limosa harlequin frogs that scientists are trying to breed.
The frog is threatened by habitat loss, development, water pollution and climate change, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Amphibians are also threatened by chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease that kills the animals; due in part to the disease, up to one-third of amphibian species are threatened worldwide.
The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project has successfully bred other challenging endangered species, including crowned treefrogs, horned marsupial frogs and toad mountain harlequin frogs, the release noted.
The frogs will eventually be released into the wild, where the scientists hope they will help replenish the animal's dwindling numbers.
Email Douglas Mainor follow him @Douglas_Main. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?or Google+.Original article on LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
In jailhouse interview, Sandusky says witness misinterpreted shower
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Jerry Sandusky said in interview excerpts broadcast Monday that a key witness against him misinterpreted him showering with a young boy in Penn State football team facilities more than a decade ago.
Sandusky told documentary filmmaker John Ziegler, in recordings played on NBC's "Today" show, that he does not understand how Mike McQueary concluded "that sex was going on" when he witnessed Sandusky showering with a boy in 2001.
"That would have been the last thing I would have thought about," Sandusky said during what Ziegler described as 3? hours of interviews. "I would have thought maybe fooling around or something like that."
McQueary, a graduate assistant in 2001, testified at trial that he heard "skin-on-skin smacking sound" and had no doubt he was witnessing anal sex.
In a transcript posted online, Ziegler said he asked Sandusky whether McQueary was wrong when he said they made eye contact during that incident.
"I don't know that he's lying," Sandusky replied. "I think that he would be uncertain about it and he may have said that I thought that I saw him. But he wouldn't have known that. How could he have known that?"
McQueary's father, John McQueary, declined comment, and there was no answer at McQueary's lawyer's office early Monday. Mike McQueary has filed a defamation and whistleblower lawsuit against Penn State over how he was treated after Sandusky's arrest.
The boy, identified as Victim 2 in court records, was not a witness at trial. A team of civil lawyers has said they are representing Victim 2 and posted online audio recordings of voicemails purportedly from Sandusky and left for the boy.
Sandusky also told Ziegler he was not sure whether head coach Joe Paterno, who was fired after Sandusky's November 2011 arrest, would have let him keep coaching if he suspected Sandusky was a pedophile. Sandusky was investigated by university police for a separate shower incident in 1998, but remained one of Paterno's top assistants through 1999.
"If he absolutely thought I was, I'd say no," Sandusky said. "If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that."
When Ziegler asked Sandusky whether he would admit touching some of the boys inappropriately, Sandusky responded that he didn't do it, according to the transcript posted on www.framingpaterno.com .
"Yeah, I hugged them," Sandusky said, according to Ziegler. "Maybe I tested boundaries. Maybe I shouldn't have showered with them. Yeah, I tickled them. I looked at them as being probably younger than even some of them were. But I didn't do any of these horrible acts and abuse these young people. I didn't violate them. I didn't harm them."
Ziegler, who is working on a defense of Paterno, said the interviews were conducted during three sessions, and told the AP on Monday that additional excerpts will be posted online over the coming days. He also has exchanged correspondence with Sandusky that he does not intend to release.
Wick Sollers, a Paterno family lawyer, said in a statement released Sunday that Sandusky had an opportunity to testify at trial but "chose not to do so."
Penn State issued a statement that said Sandusky's latest remarks "continue to open wounds for his victims, and the victims of child sexual abuse everywhere."
Sandusky, 69, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted last year of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals.
Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker scored 16 points apiece and Wichita State hit a season-high 14 3-pointers, including seven straight late, to knock the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament 76-70 on Saturday.
The Shockers (28-8) advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2006, while Gonzaga becomes the first top seed to be eliminated.
Gonzaga survived a scare in the second round against Southern but couldn't hold up against a fellow mid-major from Kansas whose motto is "play angry."
The Shockers face the winner of Sunday's game between La Salle and Ole Miss.
Wichita State had the Zags down 13 early. Though Gonzaga (32-3) fought back, the barrage of 3s was too much for the small school from Spokane, Wash.
Kelly Olynyk scored 26 points to lead Gonzaga, and Kevin Pangos had 19.
Google partners local media in Ghana to produce more online content
You Are Here: Home ? ICT ? Google partners local media in Ghana to produce more online content
Page last updated at Sunday, March 24, 2013 17:17 PM //
Google Ghana is committed to assisting the Ghanaian media to make their online presence more relevant and generate additional revenue, Estelle Akofio-Sowah, Country Manager of Google has said.
?The media and journalists in particular are the main producers of content online and that is where our (Google) engagement is with the media, Mrs Akofio-Sowah said in a chat with executive members of the Network of Communication Reporters, Ghana, (NCR Ghana) in Accra.
She said the online department or unit within media houses in Ghana was still new that needed all the support from its management because of the potential it had to propel high the organisation?s image and ways of raising extra funds.
For us at Google, Mrs Akofio-Sowah said, our Sub Saharan goal is to build an internet ecosystem and make it relevant and useful for people. ?We want to give Africans the reason to come on the internet everyday and make it part of their life,? she added.
Google has supported a number of local media houses such as Citi FM, YFM and Multimedia Group (Joy FM) helping them to build their internet infrastructure. This kind support, Mrs Akofio-Sowah noted would be extended to many more media institutions in the coming months and years but that would be based on a particular institution?s arrangement with Google Ghana.
To enable Google achieve its global mission of making information universally accessible, Mrs Akofio-Sowah said Google focuses on increasing access to the Internet and making it more relevant to users across the world, which also make the media an important partner.
Google Ghana, according to her, aims to regularly meet with media houses management, especially the online department in order to understand their priorities and needs and how they could use the vast internet-based Google applications to enhance their objectives and make their work more relevant and beneficial to their stakeholders.
?We want to encourage the media to create more content online and how they can make money through their products,? Mrs Akofio-Sowah repeated.
She said through Google Ad Sense product, a media house could become an Ad Sense Partner and begin to make some money when an advertisement appeared on their websites. ?Once you become an Ad Sense Partner, you can share revenues with Google by allowing it (Google) to advertise on your websites. The more people click to open the ads on the website, the more money you make?, she explained.
In order to help reduce the cost internet and barriers to access, Mrs Akofio-Sowah said Google had invested a lot in infrastructure in many countries across the globe. ?We have invested in the fibre optic cables, satellite and transmission??
In addition, she said in Ghana, ?We (Google Ghana) have put in Google Cash Service and every time someone uploads video to YouTube he gets cash locally. It also helps operators to save money locally.?
In the education sector, the Country Director of the largest search engine in the world, said Google had introduced the Google Apps Supporting Programme (ABSP), which is an enterprise version of its gmail to support tertiary institutions to improve on their internet infrastructure in order to benefit fully from Google apps.
?For the universities we give them grants to help them to build up their internet infrastructure. The University of Ghana and Central University have so far received their grants from Google Ghana.?
?We have worked with schools and institutions to bring cost of internet down?Google Apps Education edition offers all the tools necessary for schools to control IT costs, while improving productivity,? she noted.
Google Ghana has targeted 11 universities so far for the support which would be delivered depending on the infrastructure need of particular university.
Mrs Akofio-Sowah said under Google?s ?Africa, Get Your Business Online? project, about 9,000 businesses in Ghana had so far been engaged and all today were making good use of the internet as their businesses can now be felt online. ?About 99 per cent of them are Ghanaian businesses,? she said.
NCR Ghana is a registered body and an affiliate of the Ghana Journalists Association, consists of seasoned journalists drawn from all the major media houses in Ghana (both print and electronic).
The Network exists to serve as the main interface between the public and the telecoms/ICT industry, through comprehensive and veritable reportage from the perspective of both consumers and industry players.
Video question-and-answer site VYou launched several years ago with a unique premise -- allow users to create video responses to questions posed to them by other community members. Now, about two-and-a-half years later, the company is sending an email to its community members informing them that its site will be shut down next week.
Fresh from putting smiles on the faces of tabletop gaming geeks everywhere, with yesterday's news that it would be helping to bring Dungeons & Dragons to iOS devices later this year, mobile game publisher Playdek has closed a $3.8 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures, with IDG Ventures and ff Venture Capital also participating.
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Public release date: 27-Mar-2013
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Google Ghana is committed to assisting the Ghanaian media to make their online presence more relevant and generate additional revenue, Estelle Akofio-Sowah, Country Manager of Google has said.