The Latest Figures On Internet Video Viewers and Views | The Video ...

The world of online video changes on a daily basis. One new trend emerges only to be replaced in less than 24 hours by another viral hit. Tracking the figures of total viewers and their watching habits will help you adjust your Internet marketing campaigns. The viewing figures for January 2013 are just coming in and they show that users are embracing video even more than ever as part of their daily routines. Viewing of both meaningful content and video advertising has increased by a surprising amount.

About 180 million users watched videos during the month of January, with a total number of clips viewed estimated at 36 billion. These numbers account for all of the entertaining or educational content viewed on hosts like Youtube. The total number of video ads viewed during the month reached 9 billion at the end, making it a banner time period for many of the world?s largest advertisers.

Unsurprisingly, Google came out on top as the biggest supplier of video content for searchers and viewers alike. They own Youtube, which attracted the attention of 150 million viewers in the 30-day period. Of all the premium channels on the website, Vevo brought in the most attention, with 48 million of those viewers visiting them. Vevo also streamed the highest total number of clips during the time period but lost out in engagement to Machinima. Facebook came in second with the number of total viewers set at 57 million.

In total, over 80% of users around the world viewed at least one online video during January 2013. The average viewing time was set at around 5 minutes, but plenty of viewers watched well over an hour of content during the month. Video ads that received the most views stayed short and to the point, with the majority of them remaining under 30 seconds in length.

However, the time spent viewing advertising clips was still very low compared to the time spent on other content. Viewers only spent about 1% of their time on ads and the rest on more fulfilling content. This means that content with an educational, entertaining or informational slant remains the best bet for marketers looking for real engagement. Spend the bulk of your video marketing budget on useful content and stick only a small fraction of it in more obvious and direct ads.

Source: http://blog.wooshii.com/2013/02/the-latest-figures-on-internet-video-viewers-and-views/

Star Trek Into Darkness Heisman watch John McAfee Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao Jim DeMint

Namibia to cut corporate tax to encourage investment

WINDHOEK (Reuters) - Namibia, one of the world's largest diamond producers, announced plans to cut its corporate tax rate to 32 percent over the next two years in its 2013/14 budget on Tuesday to encourage investment.

It also said it would cut income tax by adjusting tax bands and expects economic growth to accelerate slightly this year to 4.3 percent.

Corporation tax in Namibia, which is also a major producer of uranium, is now 34 percent, one of the highest in southern Africa and compares with 28 percent in South Africa.

The tax rate does not apply to mining companies, including Anglo American and Rio Tinto, which pay higher tax rates averaging 37.5 percent and as high as 55 percent for diamond miners, plus other levies on top.

Finance Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, presenting the budget to parliament, said corporate tax would be lowered to 33 percent in the financial year ending in March 2014, and to 32 percent in 2014/15.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila also announced higher spending, mostly on health and education, for 2013/14. That will help push the budget deficit up to 6.4 percent of gross domestic product, from an estimated 2.8 percent in 2012/13, she said.

The minister said slowing economic growth and chronic income inequality had put pressure on public finances.

"Although our fiscal position is not as robust as it was four years ago, it nonetheless remains relatively strong," she said. "We, therefore, have limited room to pursue moderate fiscal expansion in a targeted matter."

She said a major financial markets reform bill was under consultation, while regulations to tighten capital outflows and increase domestic investment were about to be finalised.

A new Banking Institutions Bill that will limit foreign shareholding in Namibia's South African-owned banks, will be implemented this year.

Namibia's economy grew by an estimated 4 percent last year, slowing after a 4.8 percent expansion in 2011.

Foreign firms are also exploring the southern Africa country for gold, lead, zinc and iron ore.

Namibia expects government debt to grow to 27.8 percent of GDP next year, from 26.3 percent last year, the finance minister said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/namibia-cut-corporate-tax-encourage-investment-051026962--business.html

intc tupac andrew shaw hologram pulitzer prize winners nfl 2012 schedule gmail down

Justices Question Aspects of Voting Law (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287850078?client_source=feed&format=rss

sarah palin today show dallas tornado video 1940 census instagram for android dallas news dallas fort worth dfw

Neglect on Woodford County farm discovered with the - Louisville.com

A grisly find on a farm in Woodford County, Kentucky, located at 1975 Woodlake Road, and leased by Cheryll Jeffers, found many dead animals.

Many dead animals in stalls and other areas of the farm were discovered by authorities on Monday. It appears some of the animals have been dead for months.?16 horses, a donkey, dogs, cats, and chickens were found dead.

Some horses were found alive and authorities are looking to place them in homes who will take proper care of them.

Woodford County Animal Control is in charge of the investigation. If you can take in any of the surviving horses contact them at (859) 879-0598. Hay and water is being provided to those horses at the farm.

Unfortunately as the Equestrian Writer for Louisville.com I hear about this type of neglect too often these days. More needs to be done to support responsible rescues so they can take in more of the abandoned, neglected, and unwanted horses and other pets, and continue to offer the safety nets for these animals so they don?t end up like this.

I and other news organizations worked hard to help promote one of those rescues this past weekend, Buck Creek Valley Animal Rescue, to raise the needed funds to purchase the land they operate on. Losing just one of these rescues is devastating as the need is great right now to have them as the above severe neglect case points out.

Much has been accomplished in our Kentuckiana area to support these organizations but more still needs to be done. When I post a fundraising event in my articles for one of them I hope they will get the support they need by the public.

Photo; Courtesy of Carly Dolan

Source: http://www.louisville.com/content/neglect-woodford-county-farm-discovered-death-many-horses-donkey-chickens-dogs-and-cats

miley cyrus miley cyrus amazing race Cam Cameron Ada Lovelace 12/12/12 manny pacquiao

Triple H's milestone moments

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-08-27/triple-h-milestone-moments

Am I registered to vote Voter registration Election Election results 2012 exit polls Presidential Polls California Propositions

Travel & Leisure Blog's: Koh Samui Holiday Villa rentals - Gorgeous ...

Sea views rarely come better than in Koh Samui, which forms one of the 180 islands in the spectacular land of Thailand. This magnificent island boasts beachfront vacation rentals with seaview, private swimming pools and other facilities that make a vacation here a wonderfully memorable encounter.

This beautiful destination could be defined as Heaven. With its impressive mountain-top views, clear azure seas, powdery beaches and stunning jungles, Koh Samui is the holiday destination of a lifetime. The island additionally offers incredible time-honored delicacies, a very nice welcome from locals, and plenty of activities to get involved in should you wish to come away from the beautiful expanses of beach or your personal garden property for a little bit of adventure packed adventure.

With water sports such as diving and snorkeling, not to mention treks around the island and visits to surrounding islands, Koh Samui helps to make for a really good break for anyone looking for action and exciting activities.

Places to stay

Koh Samui holiday villas are something else. Your wonderful holiday in Thailand is packed with the spice of cultural life. You could choose to stay in beachfront villas with a seaview, garden apartments in which you can unwind in seclusion if you want to, and you may find swimming pool villas too.

Properties in Koh Samui are practically like a five star home away from home. Located in this virtually indescribable city of richness, the holiday property rentals at the island resort can just be described as stunning. Whether or not you are searching for standard sized accommodation as a base to relax in after a full day of outdoor activity, or if you favor the indulgence of a garden or swimming pool property, then you will find it here.

What to Do and See

The ambiance on the island can differ around town but wherever you want to go you will get a friendly greeting. There are immense beaches all over the island where you can find a wide variety of sports such as deep-sea fishing from traditional local boats, diving and scuba that you can find offered on most of the large beaches, including Big Buddha Beach. If you prefer to take in the seaview and sunbathe whilst you are here, smaller sized less busy beaches still have quaint facilities that you can use whilst you are there.

If you want to take a breath and play a bit of a golf, a large golf course is available, which is popular with tourists and after a hard hot day of working through a fantastic 18 holes you can opt to use one of the spa's around the island where Thai massages are offered in friendly settings.

At Asian Villa Rentals our website showcases some of the most indulgent vacation property rentals on the resort island of Koh Samui. Our accommodation is the best and we place you directly connected with the property owner or manager, as well as allowing you to book an available property instantly. Visit our site to see more of our beautiful holiday villas and to reserve your vacation today.

Source: http://travel-leisure-blogs.blogspot.com/2013/02/koh-samui-holiday-villa-rentals.html

Argo american idol bonnaroo robin roberts Ashley Morrison El Chapo Guzman ufc

Nokia 105 and 301 candybar phones announced at MWC, offer simplicity on the cheap

Think Nokia's all about Lumias these days? While the Windows Phone brand is still the company's primary point of focus, it doesn't mean Nokia isn't still cranking out millions of basic phones for emerging markets around the globe. With that in mind, the Finnish phone giant has outed two such handsets at its event at Mobile World Congress. Sure, they aren't much to look at, but Nokia feels it's still an important element of its strategy to dominate the lower-end market segment.

The first cellular telephone unveiled at this morning's event is the Nokia 105, which is about as simple as they come these days. Once it arrives on the market this quarter, you'll be able to grab one for €15 ($20) in either cyan or black. It contains such features as a flashlight and FM radio, and the noteworthy bullet point is its month-long battery life (standby time). The second half of the pair is the 301 (pictured above), which is a bit more fancy at €65 ($85). It will come with a 3.2MP camera with panorama mode, sequential shots and a clever little self-portrait mode that audibly prepares you for your next glamour selfie. Additionally, the 301 lets you take advantage of Mail for exchange, Nokia Xpress internet (which compresses data down by about 90 percent) and HSPA connectivity with video sharing. Dual and single-SIM options will be available in Q2 of this year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Nokia

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZFFiQmHWzX0/

nashville predators king arthur king arthur there will be blood there will be blood nigel barker 420

On Latinos not winning Latino Congressional districts (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287481154?client_source=feed&format=rss

freddie mac kristin cavallari rough riders joy division norco rand paul detained asexual

Partners in Even the Closest Relationships Need Space for ...

?The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development.? -Rainier Maria Rilke, poet

One of the ongoing polarities in any relationship ? whether between marriage partners, parents and children, or friends ? is the balancing act of closeness and distance. This is the ongoing dance of intimacy, and the key is to learn to move toward and to move away without seeing either polarity as right or wrong, good or bad. To forge the bonds of relationship takes time together but also takes time apart lest the bonds begin to feel too tight or binding.

In my last blog about the tug-of-war in relationships, I described the predictable stages of closeness and distance as the bond of intimacy develops over time, working towards the goal of mutual interdependence. What happens when a family goes through times of increased stress due to loss, trauma, illness or rapid change?

Stress and the Tug of War

When anxiety goes up in a family or relationship in times of rapid change, each of us has a preference for one side of the polarity. When stressed, young children cling more to one or both parents, whereas adolescents often do the opposite and pull away, locking themselves into their bedroom and refusing to talk. What do you do? What does your partner do? Is it more painful for you to be more distant from loved ones or do you feel panicked when a loved one is overly dependent on you?

It can help to become more familiar with the places that scare you. If you grew up in a family with poor boundaries ? perhaps your parents wanted to know everything about you and would hover too close and be angry when you wanted to be left alone. When stressed out, you may long for the solitude you were never granted, pushing loved ones away when you are anxious.

On the other hand, if you grew up in a family that highly valued independence and was more loosely connected or if you lost a parent prematurely due to death or divorce, then when stressed, you may cling to loved ones, fearing abandonment over anything else.

Once you are more aware of where you naturally fall on this polarity and how you try to compensate for the pain of your past, then you can make different choices in the present moment. The first step is to notice what happens when you are feeling anxious or stressed out. Do you try to sooth your anxiety by seeking out more closeness with your partner or do you want to be left alone even more than is typical for you?

Why is this a problem? So what if you want some extra attention or extra time away? The problem is that your partner may take this personally. She may think, ?If he really loved me, he would want to talk to me when he is hurting.? The truth is that your partner (or parent or child) can love you and still be unable to meet your needs when you are stressed.

Read more: Debra Manchester McMannis, PsychCentral

Source: http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/02/25/partners-in-even-the-closest-relationships-need-space-for-themselves/

world bank kim kardashian flour bomb hunger games box office xavier joan crawford joan crawford john goodman

Video: Looking ahead to 2016

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032608/vp/50927929#50927929

wmt human nature arkansas football blackhawks howard johnson levon helm firelight

2013 NFL Free Agents: Skills-Position Players Teams Must Be Wary Of

The NFL free agency period?will begin on March 12, and it will be a great opportunity for teams to fill holes in the hopes of making a run at Super Bowl 48.

However, there are some players on the market that may look attractive, but they do come with inherent risks that make them an unsafe bet, and that can be for several reasons.

Perhaps one of these players is injury-prone and could break down at any second, or maybe a certain free agent has proven to have a lackluster attitude in the past.

Let's take a closer look at which players fit the bill.

?

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB

When healthy, Bradshaw is a solid back who can gain 1,000 yards or more per season and even catch the ball out of the backfield. But the key words in that statement are "when healthy."

Bradshaw has battled injury problems over the past few seasons and has missed a total of six games?during that stretch?(four in 2011, two in 2012).

That may not seem like a lot of time missed, but you have to factor in exactly what has caused him to be in the trainer's room. Bradshaw has battled foot and ankle injuries during his career, both of which are surgically repaired (per Ohm Youngmisuk of?ESPNNewYork.com).

Of course, feet and ankles are the foundation of running backs in the NFL, so those issues must be a concern. Adding to that, Bradshaw will be 27 when the 2013 NFL season begins and is right up against the normal shelf life of running backs in this league.

?

Dwayne Bowe, WR

Bowe can be a No. 1 receiver for many teams in this league and has put up stellar numbers to prove it. After compiling 995 yards through the air in his rookie season, Bowe has gained 1,000 yards or more in three of the last five seasons.

He likely would have gained 1,000 last year as well, but his season was cut short by three games due to injury. With numbers like those, what could possibly be concerning about Bowe?

Here is what one scout had to say about Bowe, per Peter King of Sports Illustrated:

"I am scared to death of [Kansas City wideout] Dwayne Bowe. Like him a lot, but not sure what we'd be buying if we signed him. Too much baggage."

What is that baggage, you ask?

According to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, it's Bowe's propensity to drop passes and his fluctuating weight. More importantly, Bowe has been known to be selfish during his time in the league. All of those factors should?be a deterrent for teams looking to spend big money on him.

?

Danny Amendola, WR

Amendola has the potential to be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL today, but his small frame (5'11", 188 lbs.)?isn't helping him stay on the field.

The 27-year-old compiled 666 yards through the air last season but did so in only 11 games thanks to injury. In 2011, Amendola played in just one game after dislocating his elbow in the season opener.

He's as talented as they come, but sadly Amendola has problems being a consistent contributor because he's always in the trainer's room. His knack for getting injured over the past few seasons is certainly not good for a guy who makes his living over the middle.

Amendola could be as good as Wes Welker for whichever team decides to sign him, although it remains to be seen if he can survive a full season.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1541649-2013-nfl-free-agents-skills-position-players-teams-must-be-wary-of

imbibe msg network ray j anthony shadid gary carter this means war bobby brown

Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence, and Christoph Waltz: Behind the scenes at the Oscars

Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lawrence, and other Oscar winners and presenters talked backstage. Anne Hathaway took home the Best Supporting Actress prize for the movie 'Les Miserables,' while Jennifer Lawrence took Best Actress for 'Silver Linings Playbook,' and Christoph Waltz snagged Best Supporting Actor for 'Django Unchained.'

By Associated Press / February 25, 2013

Anne Hathaway (second from right), Daniel Day-Lewis (l.), Jennifer Lawrence (second from left) and Christoph Waltz (r.) took the four Oscar acting prizes.

John Shearer/Invision/AP

Enlarge

OSCAR IS TRIP FOR LAWRENCE

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Jennifer Lawrence's performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" was flawless enough to capture the best actress Oscar. She wasn't so adroit in claiming the trophy.

Lawrence stumbled as she took the steps to the Oscar stage, falling to her knees in her flowing Dior gown. That drew a sympathetic ovation from the auditorium.

She remained endearingly flustered during her acceptance speech, thanking her family, those who worked with her on the film and wishing a "Happy Birthday" to a fellow nominee, Emmanuelle Riva of "Amour," who turned 86.

"Look at this dress. I tried to walk up stairs in this dress," Lawrence said of her white, floor-length gown. "I think I stepped on the fabric and they wax the stairs."

Lawrence said she thought of a "bad word" to say when she tumbled but kept it to herself.

She had already been bleeped by ABC when she let loose with a four-letter word while joking with Kristin Chenoweth on the red carpet.

?Lynn Elber

___

QUICKQUOTE: BEN AFFLECK

"I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It's good, it is work, but it's the best kind of work. There's no one I'd rather work with." ? Ben Affleck, thanking his wife, Jennifer Garner, as he accepted the best picture Oscar for "Argo."

?Christina Hoag

___

ACTING GODS, TOGETHER

For a moment, it looked the Oscar stage had turned into the Mount Olympus of acting, with British actor Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep standing together.

Though he's not known for comedy, Day-Lewis got a big laugh when he turned to Streep, who had just presented him the best-actor trophy ? his third ? and said he'd actually originally been slated to play Margaret Thatcher, the role Streep won the Oscar for last year in "The Iron Lady."

And, he added, Streep had actually been director Steven Spielberg's original choice for Abraham Lincoln.

"I'd like to see that version," Day-Lewis quipped.

With his win for "Lincoln," Day-Lewis became the first person to win three best-actor Oscars. Streep has won three Oscars too, one of them as supporting actress.

?Jocelyn Noveck

___

QUICKQUOTE: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS

"I love it when people are completely inarticulate giving speeches because it says the same thing in a different way." ?Daniel Day-Lewis backstage, discussing the unpolished thank yous he gave after winning the lead actor award for "Lincoln."

?Hannah Dreier

___

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/p_2t2p6Sn1o/Anne-Hathaway-Jennifer-Lawrence-and-Christoph-Waltz-Behind-the-scenes-at-the-Oscars

Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz Java Gangster Squad school shooting oscar nominations C7 Corvette

Daytona put to work again after accident at track

Injured spectators are treated after a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driver Kyle Larson's car hit the safety fence sending car parts and other debris flying into the stands. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Injured spectators are treated after a crash at the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driver Kyle Larson's car hit the safety fence sending car parts and other debris flying into the stands. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Kyle Larson (32) goes airborne and into the catch fence in a multi-car crash involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Parker Kligerman (77), Justin Allgaier (31) and Brian Scott (2) during the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Track workers repair the safety fence along on the front grandstands, where Kyle Larson's car hit it on the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Not long after a horrific crash caused carnage in the main grandstand of Daytona International Speedway, workers swept in to hurriedly make repairs.

Rest assured, NASCAR's biggest race will go on.

The green flag is set to drop Sunday for the Daytona 500 less than 24 hours after a last-lap crash injured at least 30 spectators and ripped apart a chunk of fencing that protects the mammoth seating areas at stock car racing's most famous track.

Large chunks of debris, including a tire, landed in the stands after Kyle Larson's car launched into the fence about 200 feet from the finish line during a race in the second-tier Nationwide series.

Speedway President Joie Chitwood declared the track will "be ready to go racing," and there were no plans to move fans who have those same seats where the wounded were strewn about Saturday.

This was the third time in four years the track has needed major repairs on Daytona 500 weekend. The 2010 race was interrupted for more than two hours because of a pothole in the track. Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer in last year's race, igniting a raging inferno that caused another two-hour delay.

"We're very confident that we'll be ready," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president of racing operations. "As with any of these incidents, we'll conduct a thorough review and work closely with the tracks as we do with all our events, learn what we can and see what we can apply in the future."

Chitwood said there where wasn't enough time to replace a gate in the damaged section of fencing, which allows fans to walk from the grandstands to the infield. Otherwise, it might be difficult to find any evidence of where the wreck occurred.

The speedway president stressed that all safety protocols were met, perhaps preventing a more tragic result.

"Our security maintained a buffer that separates the fans from the fencing area," he said.

NASCAR and track officials didn't know how much fencing would need to replaced or repaired. Sections of the impact-absorbing soft walls had to be fixed, too.

But the track's recent history with expediting repairs was expected to speed along the process.

"You try to prepare for as much as you can," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "You also take away and learn from every incident."

The horror in the stands marred what had been a week of celebration that kicked off with Danica Patrick becoming the first woman to win a pole in the premier series.

Wreckage flew into both the upper and lower decks, and emergency crews treated fans on both levels. There were five stretchers that appeared to be carrying fans out.

A forklift was used to pluck Larson's engine out of the fence. There was a tire in the stands.

Across the track, fans pressed against a fence and used binoculars trying to watch. Reporters were ordered to leave the area.

Hours after the wreck, the fence was down and soft walls were being repaired as TV news helicopters hovered above the track.

Elsewhere, it was business as usual as the track underwent its makeover for "The Great American Race." The stages for driver introductions and the pre-race concert were already in place, as were the generators on pit road. The Daytona 500 logo was being painted on the grass and other track signage got a touch up. If not for the steady buzz from the welding done on the fence, it would have looked like any other late Saturday night before the 500.

Fans seated in the area of the wreck uploaded videos on YouTube that showed fans fleeing in horror and covering their heads as tires and an engine hurled their way. Most of the videos were soon removed from the video-sharing site.

NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said the removal was ordered "out of respect for those injured. Information on the status of those fans was unclear and the decision was made to err on the side of caution with this very serious incident."

The scene was similar to a 2009 race at Talladega Superspeedway ? Daytona's sister track in Alabama ? when Carl Edwards' car went sailing into the fence on a last-lap accident.

O'Donnell said NASCAR and track officials would continue to strengthen safety standards as needed.

"We'll evaluate the fencing and see if there's anything we can learn from where gates are," he said. "I think we need to take the time to really study it and see what we can improve on, if we can. Certainly, the safety of our fans is first and foremost and we'll make that happen."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-24-NASCAR-Daytona%20500-Repairs/id-1fc17947e2b04ad1aa28997120da135f

Ray Lewis Murders 2013 Super Bowl Commercials illuminati illuminati joe flacco Go Daddy Superbowl Commercial 2013 nfl

Michigan Credit Union League: Michael Vorce lawsuit stories add insult to injury (Guest column)

David Adams is chief executive officer of the Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates.

By David Adams

If a convicted murderer or rapist sued the family of his victim, would the Grand Rapids Press publish the story and add embarrassing insult to injury by shaming the loved ones of the victim of a brutal crime?

This might seem outside the realm of possibility for a venerable and trusted news organization. And yet, in the world of serious, non-violent crime, this is exactly what your paper did in its story on Feb.13, "Michael Vorce sues, says Lake Michigan Credit Union shares blame in his $27 million scheme."

Michael Vorce is a convicted criminal who is serving time for stealing money from 9 banks, among them, one of Grand Rapids' largest, strongest and most trusted credit unions, Lake Michigan Credit Union.

The credit union and its members, officers and directors were the victims of the crime which occurred. The $3.4 million stolen by Mr. Vorce from the credit union would have otherwise been invested in the community in the form of small business loans or consumer loans for college education, home improvements or car loans.

And the paper didn't even try to get the numbers right. The credit union's share of this elaborate fraud scheme was only $3.4 million, not the $27 million shared by the other banks who were likewise victimized.

RELATED: Michael Vorce lawsuit against credit union is frivolous, should be tossed, magistrate says

And yet, the criminal, according to your story, says that the credit union and its employees share the blame for his theft. Remarkable! Is that so different from a rapist saying that his victim was just asking for it? And would your paper print such diatribe from a perpetrator of a crime without regard for the victims?

This kind of sensationalized reporting is clearly only focused on trying to entertain readers as opposed to showing any sensitivity for the victims of serious crimes.

As expected, this frivolous and baseless lawsuit is on track to be tossed out of the legal system. On Thursday, Feb. 21, Magistrate Judge Scoville issued an 8-page report and recommendation in which he finds that ?First and most fundamentally, the plaintiff lacks standing to assert the claims set forth in the complaint,? and that the complaint suffers from ?numerous, fatal defects.?

The magistrate has recommended that the suit be dismissed. This comes as no surprise, yet again begs the question why your publication would rush to cover such nonsense.

While the volunteer board members and employees of this not-for-profit credit union may not be victims of a violent crime like murder or rape, they still feel the emotional pain not only from the loss of funds on their watch, at no fault of their own, but they feel the distress created by this frivolous lawsuit that you chose to publicize in your paper. You owe the credit union and its officials an apology.

RELATED: Grand Rapids guest column archive

But I am not worried about the reputation of Lake Michigan Credit Union. Its loyal members know what the credit union stands for. This credit union was lending to families and small businesses during the depth of the recent recession when other banks were financially crippled and unable to lend.

This credit union has stayed solid as a rock in the communities it serves while other big banks have left for greener economic pastures.

I am not worried about the reputation of the credit union. I worry about the future of the Grand Rapids Press and other newspapers that fail to take responsibility for such reckless journalism and that this lack of journalistic integrity might spread to victims of other crimes, whether violent or not.

The paper owes its readers an apology, along with a commitment to protect the innocent by not giving a forum to the vindictive voice of the guilty.

Dave Murray is the Grand Rapids community engagement specialist. Email him at dmurray@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @ReporterDMurray or on Facebook.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/opinion/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/02/michigan_credit_union_league_m.html

leann rimes pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha Butch Jones thursday night football japan earthquake Star Trek Into Darkness

Steve Jobs Art: A Birthday Tribute - Business Insider

Summary

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers... More ?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-art-a-birthday-tribute-2013-2

san francisco chronicle kourtney kardashian pregnant kourtney kardashian pregnant billy cundiff super bowl tickets birmingham news lee evans

Canyon Lakes Golf Club

Canyon Lakes Golf Club is located in: San Ramon, CA

Phone:? 925-735-6511

Website: http://www.canyonlakesgolfclub.com

Course History:

Canyon Lakes Golf Club can be found near San Ramon, CA. Mount Diablo is nearby and offers a stunning view as you traverse the course. The Par 71 course is suitable for players of all skill levels and offers enough of a challenge for even professional players. The scenery is simply magnificent and the course is quite fun to play.

Tournaments are frequently held at the course and they also offer the option to reserve your own tournament by calling the clubhouse and arranging the details. The course offers many different specials to encourage players to bring their children or to come early for extra savings.

The course is nearly 6,000 yards long and was designed by Ted Robinson. The grass is primarily Bermuda and the course is currently managed by International Golf Maintenance. The course first opened in 1968 and has been a favorite of locals and visitors since that time. The slope rating is 190 and the overall course rating is 68.2. The public is more than welcome to play and the course provides scorecards at the clubhouse.

What You Need to Know:

This course does enforce a speed of play rule. Please play accordingly. Since the price of the golf cart is included in a round of golf, all players are encouraged to use them, particularly after 3pm.

The course does have a dress code and also enforces rules of conduct. No denim of any kind is allowed on the course and players are asked to wear collared shirts as well as proper golf shoes. Tank tops are strictly prohibited as are sweat suits or running suits. The course asks all golfer to refrain from bringing alcoholic beverages and the time limit for each round is 4 and a half hours.

Video golf lessons are available from the staff and the pro shop is well stocked with all the latest gear and apparel. Tee times may be booked up to seven days in advance, but can only be reserved by phone. The course does offer a special for junior golfers where they can play free if an adult is present. Please see their website for more details.

The clubhouse is open for lunch Monday through Thursday and serves breakfast on Weekends. Lunch and dinner are also served at the club and catering is available for special events. The staff at the course includes:

Clint Warrell, General Manager

David Lindeman, Golf Professional

Alberto Canedo, Superintendent

Playing Hints:

This course is quite hilly, so it may take some time to master. The water hazards in particular can be very difficult. It usually takes around three full rounds to familiarize yourself with this course before you can start doing very well and scoring better.

View Larger Map

Fees:

All prices include golf cart

PRIME TIME: Saturday, Sunday, Holidays

7:00-11:00?????? 18 holes?????????? $82.00

11:00-1:00?????? 18 holes?????????? $67.00

1:00-3:00???????? 18 holes?????????? $52.00

After 3:00?????? 18 holes?????????? $42.00

7:00-8:00???????? 9 holes $32.00

After 1:00?????? 9 holes $35.00

WEEKDAYS

Mon/Tue/Wed 18 holes?????????? $55.00

Thurs/Fri????????? 18 holes?????????? $65.00

Mon-Fri after 1:30????? Twilight?????????? $42.00

Mon/Tue/Wed 9 holes $30.00

Thurs/Fri????????? 9 holes $35.00

Mon-Fri after 2:00????? 9 holes $27.00

SENIOR SPECIAL (55+)

Mon-Fri?????????? 18 holes?????????? $42.00

Sat-Sun after 1:00?????? 18 holes?????????? $45.00

Originally posted 2008-11-23 05:51:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.
Categories:

CA, golf courses, San Ramon

Source: http://www.golfballdriver.com/canyon-lakes-golf-club/

adele MBTA national signing day Solomon Islands Mary Leakey Side Effects weather nyc

Honey, It's Electric: Bees Sense Charge On Flowers

Flowers are nature's ad men. They'll do anything to attract the attention of the pollinators that help them reproduce. That means spending precious energy on bright pigments, enticing fragrances and dazzling patterns.

Now, scientists have found another element that contributes to flowers' brand: their distinct electric field.

Flowers taylor their displays toward the sensory capabilities of their pollinators. Bees can see visible and ultraviolet light, they have precise olfactory receptors, and now we know they can also detect electric fields.

• Visible
• Ultraviolet
• Fragrance
• Electric

Visible spectrum. Certain bright colors and petal shapes attract certain pollinators.

Kevin Collins

Ultraviolet (false color). Bees and other pollinators can see the ultraviolet end of the spectrum. They are guided by patterns on flowers that are invisible to humans.

Kevin Collins

Ultraviolet (false color). Bees and other pollinators can see the ultraviolet end of the spectrum. They are guided by patterns on flowers that are invisible to humans.

Kevin Collins

Fragrance plume (artist's depiction). Bees follow specific odors to locate flowers and, once they arrive, use scent maps to move toward the center of the flower. Fragrance that clings to a bee provides information for other bees back at the hive.

Adam Cole/NPR

Electric field (artist's depiction). Flowers have a weak negative electric charge relative to the air around them. Different flowers have different electric fields, often with charge concentrated at the tips of the petals.

Adam Cole/NPR

Anne Leonard, who studies bees at the University of Nevada, says our understanding of pollinator-flower communication has been expanding for decades.

"Flowers do a lot of things you might not expect," Leonard says. "We observe they have these distinct bright, beautiful colors, patterns, scents."

But we don't often stop to consider that this incredible display is all an attempt to attract bees and other pollinators. These displays don't just consist of things humans notice. There are also patterns in the ultraviolet spectrum, petal temperatures and textures and shapes.

"We've found that by producing these combinations of sensory stimuli, the plant basically makes its flowers easier for the bee to learn and remember," Leonard says.

That means the bee can forage more efficiently, and flowers are more likely to be pollinated.

"This is a magnificent interaction where you have an animal and a plant, and they both want this to go as well as possible," says Gregory Sutton of the University of Bristol in the U.K. "The flowers are trying to make themselves look as different as possible. This is to establish the flower's brand."

Sutton and a team of researchers led by Daniel Robert have just uncovered a whole new layer to flower brands.

"We found that flowers can use electric fields," Sutton says.

That's right ? electric fields. It turns out flowers have a slight negative charge relative to the air around them. Bumblebees have a charge, too.

"When bees are flying through the air, just the friction of the air and the friction of the body parts on one another causes the bee to become positively charged," Sutton says.

It's like shuffling across a carpet in wool socks. When a positively charged bee lands on a flower, the negatively charged pollen grains naturally stick to it. The Bristol team wondered if bees were aware of this electrostatic interaction.

So, they designed an experiment ? one described in this week's Science magazine. The researchers built a small arena full of fake flowers. Each flower was simple ? a stalk with a small steel dish at the top. Half of the "flowers" held delicious sugar water. The other half held quinine, a substance that bees find bitter and disgusting.

When bumblebees explored this false flower patch, they moved around randomly. They chose to land on sweet flowers just about as often as bitter flowers.

But when the sweet flowers carried a small charge, the bees learned pretty quickly to choose the charged flowers. And when the electric charge was removed? They went back to their random foraging.

The bees had recognized the electric field, and had learned to use it to find sweet flowers. But that's not all.

"In the seconds just before the bee lands, there is electrical activity in the plant," Sutton says.

The plant's electric field is changed by the proximity of that positively charged bee. And once the bee leaves, the field stays changed for 100 seconds or so. That's long enough for the altered field to serve as a warning for the next bee that buzzes by. She won't stop to investigate a flower that's already been visited.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/02/22/172611866/honey-its-electric-bees-sense-charge-on-flowers?ft=1&f=1007

blake griffin dunk on kendrick perkins kendrick perkins steve jones emily maynard kola boof burmese python ferris bueller

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 review: Gone fishing

GSMArena team, 23 February 2013.

Introduction

Modern smartphones are essential tools for urbanites, but they are usually left behind on a trip to the great outdoors. Not the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 though, it will gladly join in the adventure and isn't afraid of a few knocks or a dive.

Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2 official images

What sets the Galaxy Xcover 2 apart from most other phones is the IP67 certification. The first digit, the 6, means that the phone is completely dust tight and won't let anything inside, even if you take it through the dirtiest, dustiest places. The second digit, the 7, is for water resistance. The Xcover 2 can survive under up to 1m of water for as long as 30 minutes.

The Xcover 2 will make the dive worthwhile too - it can take 720p underwater footage @ 30fps with its 5MP camera. Here are the rest of the highlights of the phone, plus some low points.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support
• 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
• 4" 16M-color LCD capacitive touchscreen of WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution
• Android OS 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with Nature UX
• 1 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, 1GB of RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, face and smile detection, image stabilization
• VGA secondary camera
• 720p HD video recording at 30fps; Underwater shooting mode
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support; DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity and GLONASS; digital compass
• 4GB of inbuilt storage, microSD slot
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB v2.0 port with MHL
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• FM radio with RDS

Main disadvantages

• Big and heavy, even for a water resistant phone
• Reflective screen with poor color rendition
• Battery could have been bigger

The specs are not top-of-the-line, especially considering that the sleek Sony Xperia V and Xperia Z are also waterproof, but you wouldn't want to risk an expensive flagship in the wild anyway.

The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean at launch. It has TouchWiz 5.0 and Nature UX on top of that so you basically get the same great software package that the Samsung Galaxy S II has right now (and very close to that of the Galaxy S III).

A notable, but easily overlooked feature is the Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. This Bluetooth revision represents an ultra-low-energy wireless connection, designed to stay constantly on. If you haven't figered it put so far, it is really popular with the latest batch of training body sensors. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 comes with an app to track your workouts with a Polar Bluetooth heart rate monitor, but other sensors - heart rate, cadence, etc. - typically come with free Android apps too.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover in our office

Other important considerations for a handset with such an outgoing personality (pun intended) would be the sunlight legibility of the screen, the battery life, the beefy storage for a large music collection, and GPS positioning, too. That's because the Galaxy Xcover 2 is more likely to be used for hiking, running, at the beach or even at a construction site, rather than at the cozy confines of an office (where something like the Galaxy S III mini would be the better choice).

The first two, screen and battery, we'll be looking at in the following hardware chapter and only then we'll see how good the Xcover 2 is in handling its more sophisticated smartphone alter ego.

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_s7710_galaxy_xcover_2-review-892.php

buckyballs buckyballs awake mario batali lone ranger aaron brooks dave matthews band

Can India?s Democracy Defeat Corruption?

Indian social activist Anna Hazare waves to his supporters.

Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters

NEW DELHI?Anna Hazare dresses like Mahatma Gandhi (white homespun cloth, round spectacles) and uses Gandhian tactics (nonviolent protest, hunger strikes) to fight the corruption he believes is damaging India. In 2011 and 2012, he mobilized hundreds of thousands of Indians, many of them members of the new middle class, to support his "fasts unto death." Following a 12-day hunger strike in August 2011, he forced a panicked Indian government to agree to a series of demands for anti-corruption legislation.

Hazare's campaign was successful in part because his language echoes that of India's founding fathers and in part because he had the support of the staggeringly large and diverse Indian media. In the past two years alone, journalists from more than 100 television channels and countless newspapers in multiple languages helped tell the story of a telecom minister who was arrested and jailed for improperly selling licenses, costing the state as much as $40 billion, as well as that of an army general who said he had been offered a bribe of $2.7 million to buy substandard trucks.

News stories have also featured reports of officials taking apartments meant for veterans' families, the distribution of illegal mining licenses, the purchasing of parliamentary votes, and the crooked construction contracts written for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This is nothing new: By one calculation, corruption has cost the Indian state more than $460 billion since independence in 1947. The amounts of money involved do seem to have grown exponentially, but then India's economy has been growing exponentially, too.

Of course, big corruption scandals are commonplace in the developing world (and the developed world, for that matter). Yet the scale and relative peacefulness of the corruption debate in India may be unprecedented. In Russia, the anti-corruption movement that organized several big protests in 2011 has been stamped out with arrests, police harassment, threats, and violence. In China, corrupt deals at the highest levels take place in secret, with nosy journalists kept far away. Even when accusations are made?as they were against party leader Bo Xilai?trials are masked by rumors and obfuscation.

But unlike China, and unlike Russia, India is a democracy. And although the Indian political system is imperfect in ways too numerous to list here, the central authorities most of the time do respect free speech and free press. Civil society works. Freedom of association works. The question now is how well India's other democratic institutions work. Protests over corruption?or, more recently, the rape and harassment of women?make the television news. But can they create the deep institutional changes to party financing, to regulation, to policing, and to courts that the new Indian middle class demands?

Around New Delhi, there is no agreement about whether six decades of bad habits can be broken. Clearly, Hazare's campaign has now lost steam?in Hyderabad last week, only a small crowd showed up at one of his rallies?perhaps because his personality began to overwhelm his cause (one columnist called him a "moral tyrant" presiding over a "comical anti-corruption opera"), and perhaps because many now realize his favored solution?an omnipotent ombudsman?is insufficient.

Others throw their hands up at the scale of the problem, which is much broader than even the reported scandals suggest. Indians pay bribes to get birth certificates for their children and death certificates for their parents. They find business, any kind of business, impossible to conduct without payoffs. In her book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo describes a boy from the slums who is wrongly accused of a crime, thus dragging his entire family into a netherworld of corrupt police, lawyers, and politicians.

But the optimists feel sure that something is changing. The writer Gurcharan Das, speaking of the telecom scandal, points out that "never before have people"?he means high-ranking people?"actually gone to jail. That's new." Shashi Tharoor, a government minister, notes that the protests have led to the creation of legislation that had been "stalled for four decades." If anything, the demonstrations that followed the horrific rape and murder of an Indian college student on a New Delhi bus in December provoked an even faster reaction from legislators, who have already taken statements from 80,000 Indian women and recommended dozens of changes.

The next question is whether apathetic voters can be moved by these changes, whether they will support clean politicians, whether they will rally behind programs for political and even constitutional reform. India's next choices matter, and not just for India. A better governed India would be the best possible advertisement for the benefits of democracy across the developing world.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=de7771c2e13744a41a1b6b32e3ea4189

Perry Hall High School bill cosby us open bill nye Hurricane Isaac 2012 Snooki Baby terrell owens

NBA Trade Deadline: Should The Chicago Bulls Have Gone After J.J. Redick? Carlos Boozer?s Contract Should Have Been Swapped for Andrea Bargnani? What Is Luol Deng?s Future?

Earlier this season, general manager Gar Forman was in the market for a taker for Carlos Boozer?s immense contract, as well as another shooter to shore up the Bulls poor three-point percentage. But the club may have missed out on both opportunities

The Bulls are ranked 24th from beyond the arc, and allowed Central Division rival Milwaukee to snag sharpshooter J.J. Redick on Thursday. The Indiana Pacers were also linked to Redick before the deadline. Chicago was clearly aware of Redick's value, after trying to pry him from Orlando Magic in 2010.

Averaging a career-high 15.1 points and nearly 40 percent from three over seven seasons with the Magic, Redick went to the Bucks, along with Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith, in return for Doron Lamb, Tobias Harris, and Beno Udrih.

To be fair, the Magic reportedly coveted a young player, and got two in Lamb and Harris, and Udrih?s expiring $7.8 million contract.

Also the Bulls may have passed on Redick because he is looking for a long-term deal this summer, and Chicago does not have the cap room to re-sign him for several reasons.

The Bulls had very few young chips to offer, and the Magic were not a team interested in taking on Boozer?s contract, since they?re already hoarding cap space for the summer of 2014. Orlando has about $23 million committed to player contracts for the 2014-15 season, putting them more than $40 million below the expected cap that year.

Though he has career averages just under 17 points and 10 rebounds, moving Boozer and the two years and $32 million left on his deal is more important to Chicago?s long term plans, especially with forward Luol Deng. The Bulls leading scorer this season at 16.8 points per game, Deng is a free agent in 2014, and will command a top dollar deal. Unless they are willing to pay the astronomical luxury tax rates that kick in next season, the Bulls cannot afford to pay both Deng and Boozer.

Deng is currently the third highest paid player on the squad, and will command a raise considering his contributions on both ends of the court, and durability. Deng has played in 299 out of a possible 382 games since 2009, can guard either forward position, and is capable of help defense along the perimeter. In 2014, the Bulls have roughly $56 million in contracts for Derrick Rose, Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Taj Gibson. That leaves a maximum of 11 roster spots to fill with about $15 million, and Deng possibly on the outside looking in.

The Toronto Raptors were reportedly interested in sending off disappointing Italian forward Andrea Bargnani. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, hasn?t lived up to his lofty expectations, but his contract is far more reasonable than Boozer?s. Bargnani has two years and $23 million left on his deal, and could have potentially stretched defenses for Chicago guards like Richard Hamilton and eventually Rose to penetrate to the lane.

Ultimately the Bulls avoided paying Redick, but with Boozer's contract still on the books, may have missed an opportunity to keep Deng in the future.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/nba-trade-deadline-should-chicago-bulls-have-gone-after-jj-redick-carlos-boozers-contract-should

gunner kiel gunner kiel groundhog soulja boy punxsutawney phil ground hog groundhog day 2012

MacTech, Microsoft team up to offer Office for Mac support credential

Got Macs? Got Office? For support personnel who want to show the world that they know which end of a pivot table goes into a stylesheet and how to upgrade PowerPoint for full compatibility with Exchange Server 2013*, your opportunity has arrived.

MacTech's upcoming seven-city BootCamp II tour, which provides a full day of seminars for people supporting the Mac in small to medium size business and other contexts, now has a frontloaded (and free) certification option for Microsoft's new Office for Mac Accredited Support Professional credential. For a half-day ahead of the BootCamp, attendees can learn all about Office installation, deployment, troubleshooting and much more.

While the Office credential program, including the final evaluation and certificate, is free, MacTech BootCamp II itself is $299 for early-bird registrants, $499 for regular registration. The tour kicks off in Seattle in early March, so check to see when it's coming to your neck of the woods. If you do sign up, be sure to use our TUAW reader affinity link to make sure you get your special benefit!

*Yes, those are nonsensical support challenges. Congratulations, you passed the first quiz.

Share

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/02/21/mactech-microsoft-team-up-to-offer-office-for-mac-support-crede/

sandra fluke kellie pickler costa rica kevin hart living social Earthquake Costa Rica Clinton speech

Google to sell Internet glasses to contest winners

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, file photo, Google co-founder Sergey Brin stands on stage during a bill signing by California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., for driverless cars at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Google said Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, it is giving a few more people a chance to pay $1,500 for a pair of the Internet-connected glasses that the company is touting as the next breakthrough in mobile computing. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, file photo, Google co-founder Sergey Brin stands on stage during a bill signing by California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., for driverless cars at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Google said Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013, it is giving a few more people a chance to pay $1,500 for a pair of the Internet-connected glasses that the company is touting as the next breakthrough in mobile computing. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google is giving more people a chance to pay $1,500 for a pair of the Internet-connected glasses that the company is touting as the next breakthrough in mobile computing.

The product, dubbed "Google Glass," will be offered to "bold, creative individuals" selected as part of a contest announced Wednesday. Participants must live in the U.S. and submit an application of up to 50 words explaining what they would do with the Google Glass technology. Entries must include the hash tag "ifihadglass" and be submitted through Google Plus or Twitter by next Wednesday. Google did not say how many glasses it will sell this way.

Winners will receive the "Explorer" version of Google Glass, a forerunner of the product that is expected to be released to the mass market next year. Google Inc. already sold an unspecified number of the glasses to computer programmers who also paid $1,500 apiece at a company conference last June.

The people picked to buy this next batch of glasses will be notified in mid- to late March. They will have to travel to New York, Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay area to pick them up.

Google Glass is supposed to perform many of the same tasks as smartphones, except the spectacles respond to voice commands instead of fingers touching a display screen. The glasses include a tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye and run on Google's Android operating system for mobile devices.

Because no hands are required to operate them, Google Glass is supposed to make it easier for people to take pictures or record video wherever they might be or whatever they might be doing. Online searches also can be more easily conducted by just telling Google Glass to look up a specific piece of information. Google's Android system already has a voice search function on smartphones and tablet computers.

In the latest demonstration of the product's potential, Google posted a video showing people wearing the glasses while skydiving, riding a rollercoaster, skiing, riding a horse and even swinging on a trapeze. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., also posted photos of the glasses in five different colors: charcoal, tangerine, shale, cotton and sky blue.

To gauge how people might use its glasses, Google is encouraging entrants in its contest to include up to five photos and 15 seconds of video with their applications. The company doesn't want to see any nudity or violence. "Basically, don't add anything you wouldn't be OK with your Mom seeing," Google advised.

Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of technology known as "wearable computing."

When he demonstrated the glasses at last June's company conference, Google co-founder Sergey Brin acknowledged the company was still working out bugs and trying to figure out how to extend the product's battery life. Brin has been overseeing the work on Google Glass, which the company first began developing in 2010 as part of a secretive company division now known as Google X.

Now that Google Glass is no longer a secret, Brin is often seen wearing the product in public. He sported a pair of the glasses during a Wednesday appearance at an event announcing the creation of a $3 million annual prize for outstanding achievements in medicine and biology. Brin, who owns Google stock currently worth nearly $20 billion, is helping to fund the annual awards.

Brin has said the mass-market version of Google Glass will cost less than $1,500, but more than a smartphone.

___

Online:

How to apply: http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-to-get-one/

Video of Google Glass in action: http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-it-feels

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-02-20-US-Google-Glass/id-3cef9d8ab91341eba6c58a4884398ecd

student loan forgiveness ufc 145 weigh ins record store day 2012 detroit red wings jose canseco zimmerman derek fisher