bosch schrodinger

Monday, January 28, 2013

NVIDIA's GeForce Experience gaming tune-up reaches open beta

NVIDIA wants to take the mystery out of gaming performance through its GeForce Experience. It's been hard to appreciate that when the app has been in closed testing for well over a month, however -- so it's good news that the company just recently opened the beta program to everyone. Along with bringing faster and better-looking graphics to the PC gaming masses, the public version widens the optimizations to include Core 2 processors, 2,560 x 1,440 displays and games like Far Cry 3 and Mechwarrior Online. There's no word yet on when the app will reach its finished form, although we hope it's sooner rather than later when Project Shield's remote PC game streaming will depend on GeForce Experience to run. For now, players running Windows can grab the beta at the source link.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, NVIDIA

Comments

Via: WinBeta

Source: NVIDIA

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/umwYRHsJ1I0/

gingrich wife cheryl burke sarah burke mega upload santorum wins iowa archer ibooks 2

Saturday, January 26, 2013

10 Great Ed Tech Guides for Teachers ~ Educational Technology ...

Effective integration of technology into education entails from us to be constantly updated about the novelties in the world of educational technology and it also requires us to have a solid network of like-mined educators ?from whom we can both ?learn how to improve our teaching practices in the light of the technologies used.

?As a teacher keen on using technology in his/her teaching, you definitely need to consider the following: First ask yourself if you are?familiar?with the concept of Personal/Professional Learning networks and whether or not you have set up your own, if you don't ?then here is a guide to walk you through the different steps to follow to create your PLN together with the web tools you will need for this purpose. Next, think about the Ed Tech blogs you are interested in or you want to follow. Are these blogs written by fellow teachers and educators ? How much authority ?( and therefore credibility ) these authors have in the field they blog about ? I know this might be time consuming to go about investigating every blog out there and this is why we have curated a list of trusted and well reputed blogs in educational technology, check it out here and make sure you keep track of what those bloggers post. What about social networking ? Do you know how to use social media to enhance your professional growth and what social media outlet to use? In case your answer is negative then check out this guide, it will help you leverage the power of social media for?professional?development?purposes.

All the things I have been talking about ?in the previous paragraph is called resource mining. It is like preparing your Master thesis or Doctoral dissertation and you need references; what you actually ?do is you go hunting for these references from peer?reviewed?and journal articles.....etc this hunt is called reference mining. This is the same strategy every successful teacher and educator employs be it in?regard?to integration of technology in education or anything else.?Resource?mining can help you expand the repertoire of your accumulated?knowledge?in any particular area and provide you with the know-how necessary to thrive in it.

Below are some great guides to help you with your Ed Tech ?resource mining. These guides are from Microsoft and are all geared towards giving you a hand in implementing technology in your classroom. I am adding them to the Best Ed Tech Guide List I have been compiling here.Check them out and share with us what you think of them.

1- Windows Live Movie Maker in The Classroom

"Learn how to use Windows Live Movie Maker to turn your photos and video clips into great-looking movies and slide shows for teaching."

2- Free Tools in The Classroom

"Free tools from Microsoft. Engage your students, energize a lesson plan, and save time using free tools for photos, videos, collaboration, and education"

3- Digital Storytelling in The Classroom

"When students create a movie or interactive slide show to tell their story, learning becomes personal."

4- Microsoft Office in The Classroom

"Improve collaboration and increase productivity with Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote."

5- Microsoft Web Apps

"Get helpful teaching tips on how to use Office Web Apps to access and share your documents."

6- Microsoft OneNote in The Classroom

"Microsoft OneNote 2010 gives teachers the ideal place to store their myriad resources and materials in a single, easy-to-organize location"

7- Windows 7 in The Classroom

"Download an e-book, watch videos, and learn to use Windows Live Movie Maker to make learning more personal with pictures and movies in your classroom."

8- Bing: Internet in The Classroom

"Bing is the decision engine that helps teachers and students quickly use Internet in the classroom to find what they need in a visual and organized way."

9- Microsoft Mathemathics 4.0 In The Classroom

"From basic math to pre-calculus, Microsoft Mathematics 4.0 helps you visualize mathematical concepts."

10- Accessibility in The Classroom

"Technology can help make your education environment more accessible to those with special needs."

Source: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/10-great-ed-tech-guides-for-teachers.html

nfl uniforms andrew bailey the village dallas fort worth tornado dallas tornadoes dallas weather nike nfl uniforms

Cuba gets hard-wired Internet to outside world

17 hrs.

Peter Orsi , The Associated Press

HAVANA ??Cuba's state telecom monopoly confirmed Thursday that the island's first hard-wired Internet connection to the outside world has been activated, but said it won't lead to an immediate increase in access.

In a statement published in Communist Party newspaper Granma and other official media, ETECSA broke its long silence on the ALBA-1 fiber-optic cable, which island officials once boasted would increase capacity 3,000-fold.

Until now Cuba's Internet has been strictly via ponderous satellite links, and out of reach for the great majority of islanders. ETECSA said the new cable has been operational since August, initially carrying international voice calls, and the company has been conducting data traffic tests on the cable since Jan. 10.

"When the testing process concludes, the submarine cable being put into operation will not mean that possibilities for access will automatically multiply," ETECSA said.

"It will be necessary to invest in internal telecommunications infrastructure," the company said, adding that even then the goal is "gradual growth of a service that we offer mostly for free and with social aims in mind."

The $70 million ALBA-1 arrived on the island from Venezuela in February 2011 to great hoopla, but officials soon stopped mentioning the cable amid rumors of mismanagement and corruption involving the project.

Its status was unknown until this week, when U.S. Internet analysis firm Renesys documented evidence of faster data traffic to Cuba and concluded that the cable had been switched on.

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, an advocate for wider Internet dissemination, questioned whether the government would have said anything about the cable if Renesys and foreign media had not reported about it.

"(Hashtag) Granma says now it's necessary to build infrastructure for the (hashtag) FiberOpticCable to provide service!" she tweeted. "And what were they doing the past two years?"

Cuba has the second-worst Internet connectivity rate in the world, according to one study.

According to government statistics, about 16 percent of islanders have some online access, usually through their school or workplace and often just to an Intranet that also has email capability.

Just 2.9 percent of Cubans report having full access to the World Wide Web. However outside observers say the true number is more like 5 to 10 percent accounting for underreporting of dial-up minutes resold on the black market.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/cuba-confirms-hard-wired-internet-connection-outside-world-1C8109858

dexter dexter ny times paul mccartney Sandy Hook Victims new york times columbine

Friday, January 25, 2013

International adoptions by U.S. parents fall again in 2012

(Reuters) - The number of children adopted internationally by American parents fell 7 percent last year, continuing a multi-year decline brought on in part by tightened adoption rules, a U.S. State Department report showed on Thursday.

Some 8,668 children were adopted into U.S. families from abroad in the 2012 fiscal year, down from 9,320 the previous year, with more children coming from China than from any other country, the report said.

"This is a continuation of a trend," said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and the author of "Adoption Nation."

"There's no lack of, if you will, demand in this country," he told Reuters. "People would like to adopt more children; the issue is whether those children are available. And they're becoming less and less available, and that's what the numbers show."

The number of foreign children adopted by U.S. parents peaked in 2004 at 22,884, according to U.S. government figures.

China, which sent 2,697 children to the United States last year, has for years sent more children to American parents than has any other country, in large part due to its one-child policy. Ethiopia was the second most popular country for U.S. adoptions, with 1,568 adoptions last year.

Russia ranked third with 748 children sent to the United States. The report, covering the fiscal year ending on September 30, concluded before Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month banning Americans from adopting Russian children.

The ban is part of a package of legislation that responds to a U.S. law known as the Magnitsky Act, which excludes Russians from the United States who are suspected of involvement in the death in custody of anti-graft lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009 or of other human rights violations.

Russia's Supreme Court has ruled that, in cases where adoptions had been approved by courts before the new year, the children should be handed over to their new parents.

TOUGHENED REGULATIONS

Part of the decline in adoption numbers can be attributed to the signing of the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption, Pertman said.

The convention entered into force for the United States in 2008 and improved regulation of international adoptions to try to cut down on corruption. But it also slowed down adoptions and led to a shutdown in some countries.

The other factor contributing to the decline is that some countries are changing the way they view and handle their intercountry adoptions.

One of those countries is China, which has begun to re-examine whether it can afford to lose the large number of baby girls it allows to leave the country to international adoptive parents, Pertman said.

Most adoptions from China involve girls, because many parents there prefer to have their one child be a boy for social and economic reasons. China has created hurdles for international adoptive parents as it has sought to build up its own domestic adoption program.

As a result of the geopolitical changes making it more difficult for Americans to adopt from abroad, they are having to wait longer to bring a child to the United States, Pertman said. Average wait times are now between two and five years, depending on the country, he said.

"The people who suffer most as a consequence of this are the children who remain in orphanages, who will not have a family in their own country or in the United States," Pertman said.

The largest number of adoptions in the United States continues to come from within the country's foster care system, which accounts for over 50,000 adoptions a year, Pertman said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/international-adoptions-u-parents-fall-again-2012-045031489.html

H c mitt romney mark zuckerberg mark zuckerberg maurice jones drew Yash Chopra

Company Hiring Hot Girls to Seduce Inside Info From Competitors

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/01/company-hiring-hot-girls-to-seduce-inside-info-from-competitors/

sweet home alabama etch a sketch the host hoodie hoosiers temperance world bank

Azarenka beats Stephens; sets up final vs Li

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus receives treatment during her semifinal match against Sloane Stephens of the US at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts during her semifinal match against Sloane Stephens of the US at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Sloane Stephens of the US reacts during her semifinal match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus leaves Rod Laver Arena to take a medical time out during her semifinal match against Sloane Stephens of the US 405at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves to Sloane Stephens of the US during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Julian Finney,Pool)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Victoria Azarenka had to endure some anxious moments before and after her win over American teenager Sloane Stephens.

Li Na wasn't flustered at all in an easy victory over No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova.

The result is that Li will play for the Australian Open title against Azarenka, who ended Stephens' unexpected run to the semifinals that included a quarterfinal upset of 15-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Another player who had little trouble Thursday was defending champion Novak Djokovic, who looked like he was conducting a tennis clinic in overpowering No. 4 David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in just 1 hour, 29 minutes.

"I played perfectly," he said in a post-match TV interview. "I played incredible tennis."

Djokovic will attempt to win his third consecutive Australian Open when he plays the winner of Friday's semifinal between Roger Federer and Andy Murray in Sunday's championship match.

While Li's 6-2, 6-2 win over Sharapova, who set a tournament record in dropping only nine games in five matches en route to the semis, never appeared in doubt on Thursday, Azarenka added some drama in the second semifinal on Rod Laver Arena.

Azarenka needed six match points to finish off a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Stephens that included a medical timeout after the American broke her serve to pull within 5-3 in the second set. After leaving the court for medical attention, the Belarusian returned to break Stephens' serve to end the match.

"Well, I almost did the choke of the year," Azarenka told an on-court interviewer immediately after the match. "At 5-3, having so many chances I couldn't close it out."

Australian Open officials said the tournament doctor reported that Azarenka had left knee and rib injuries.

"I just felt a little bit overwhelmed. I realized I'm one step away from the final and nerves got into me for sure," Azarenka said.

The 23-year-old Belarusian's on-court comments after the match led to speculation about the timing of her medical timeout. She didn't help herself in a second television interview after the match that suggested the pressure of trying to close out the match was getting to her.

"I couldn't breathe. I had chest pains," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack. After that it wasn't my best, but it's important to overcome this little bit of a struggle and win the match."

In her official post-match news conference ? more than an hour after she finished playing ? Azarenka felt a need to explain her comments immediately after the match.

"I think I just really misunderstood what (the on-court interviewer) asked me because the question was I had few difficulties and why I went off," Azarenka said. "I completely thought of a different thing, why I couldn't close out of match, you know, that I had few difficulties.

"So I understand the whole situation right now, but it just really (is a) simple misunderstanding of a question. I guess it was my bad."

Pressed again to explain her earlier TV comments, Azarenka said: "I did say that. I did say I couldn't breathe. It was locked. That came from my back. "

Stephens didn't think the timing of the medical break affected the outcome of the match.

"It's happened before. Last match, match before, I've had people going for medical breaks, going to the bathroom," she said. "Didn't affect me. Just another something else that happens."

The temperature hit 97 degrees during the second women's semifinal, slightly hotter than it had been when Li beat Sharapova to reach the Australian Open final for the second time in three years.

The semifinal started badly for the 25-year-old Russian, serving double-faults to lose the first two points and conceding a break in the first game.

Li was the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final when she lost to Kim Clijsters at Melbourne Park in 2011. She had her breakthrough a few months later when she won the French Open, beating Sharapova in the semifinals along the way.

The crowd got behind Li early in the match, yelling "Come on, Li Na!" and others yelling "Jia You!" which is "Come on" in Chinese. After she broke Sharapova to take a 5-2 lead, the Chinese fans in the crowd shook Chinese flags and shouted again, "Jia You!"

"I don't know what happened, (but) I always play well here, so thanks guys," said Li, who was playing her third Australian Open semifinal in four years. "I just came to the court feeling like, 'OK, just do it.'"

Li's coach, Carlos Rodriguez, who worked with retired seven-time major winner Justine Henin, pumped his fist over his heart after Li won the game.

Sharapova had control in her next service game, but Li scrambled from side to side and pushed the reigning French Open champion to go for the lines, getting a series of unforced errors and another break.

The sixth-seeded Li has been working since August with Rodriguez, and credits him with reviving her career with a renewed emphasis on condition.

"I'm happy. I know I have a tough coach, a tough physio," Li said, looking across to the stands and adding: "You don't need to push me anymore. I will push myself."

Sharapova, who lost the 2012 Australian final in straight sets to Azarenka, admitted it was hard to get into the match against Li.

"She was certainly much more aggressive than I was, dictating the play. I was always on the defense," said Sharapova, who could have gained the No. 1 ranking by reaching the Australian final.

Djokovic was stretched to five sets in a 5-hour, 2-minute fourth-round match against Stanislaw Wawrinka, then lost a set against Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

But the hard-serving Djokovic was at his sublime best on Thursday night, converting all of seven break-point chances while not facing any on his serve. Now unbeaten in five Grand Slam head-to-heads with Ferrer, he allowed his opponent only four points in the first four games of the last set.

"I felt very comfortable and very confident from the start," he said. "I wanted to be aggressive on the court. This is definitely one of the best performances I ever had in my career."

Ferrer double-faulted to set up match point, then lost the match on the following point when he floated a backhand long.

The Spaniard was pleased to have made it as far as he did in the tournament.

"I prefer to play worse in a semifinal than in the first round," Ferrer said. "Of course, I am not happy with my game tonight, but this is tennis."

With such a light workout during his match, Djokovic went back out to center court at Rod Laver Arena an hour later during a legends doubles match involving his friend, retired Frenchman Henri Leconte.

To much laughter from the crowd, Djokovic, dressed in a mock medical costume, pretended to give Leconte treatment at the side of the court.

Later, he was all business while talking about the final against either Federer or Murray.

"It can only do positive things to my confidence at this stage of the tournament," Djokovic said of his easy win. "I have a great feeling about myself at the moment."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-24-Australian%20Open/id-5b446e2cc6f84299878d75fb2ec08c38

phillies Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing

Debug 6: Adam Saltsman and Hundreds

Guy and Rene podcast for 90 minutes with Adam Saltsman before hitting a wall and tumbling to their deaths. Also, designing Canabalt and Hundreds, sketching in Flash and Flixel, and the power of swinging ropes.