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Friday, February 24, 2012
'Downton Abbey' finale gives PBS best numbers since 2009 (Reuters)
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - "Downton Abbey" ended its second season on a high note Sunday, giving PBS its highest ratings since the September 2009 premiere of Ken Burns' "National Parks."
Thursday, February 23, 2012
First Horses Shrunk by Hot Weather
News |
Evolution
The sizes of the earliest equines followed the ancient temperatures through major climate change, adding evidence to a centuries-old evolutionary theory
?| February 23, 2012
The first horses in North America would not have been able to hold their own in the Triple Crown. At just about 5.6 kilograms the Sifrhippus sandrae hoofed onto the scene some 56 million years ago about the size of a small dog.
But then a funny thing happened. In the next 130,000 years during the Paleocene?Eocene Thermal Maximum, these small equines got even smaller, reaching the tiny size of 3.9 kilograms?some 30 percent lighter than their initial heft. Just 45,000 years later, however, the genus had bulked up to seven kilograms. And the horses were not the only ones. Many other mammals in the area followed the same pattern.
These animals' sizes likely resulted from relatively rapid climate change, suggest the authors of a new study published online Thursday in Science.
The study "highlights the importance of temperature on evolution?particularly mammal evolution," says Felisa Smith, a professor of biology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, who wrote an essay on the findings in the same issue of Science. And it adds a new high-resolution tracking of body size and temperature during a crucial?and long puzzling?time in geologic history.
View a slide show of
Looking the small horse in the mouth
The researchers did not have complete skeletons to measure for all of the animals, so to track the size of the horses over time they looked at their teeth?in particular, their molars. "It turns out that teeth are much better than femurs," Smith says. A leg bone "does tell you something about size, but teeth are much better." And as far as teeth go, she says, "the best thing to know is the area of the first molar."
The teeth came from a fossil-rich area called Cabin Fork in Wyoming and are part of a substantial collection at the University of Florida built in part by study co-author Jonathan Bloch, an associate curator of vertebrate paleontology there. From the collection, the research team could estimate the size of about 44 diminutive adult horses.
Some 40 percent of other mammals in the area seem to have experienced similar shrinking and subsequent growth, notes co-author Ross Secord, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Nebraska?Lincoln. They stuck with the small horses, however, because they had much more solid records from which to accurately date the samples.
The researchers used oxygen isotopes left by freshwater in the fossils to track mean annual temperature from when the animals had been alive. In particular, they sampled the isotopes from teeth of a large, water-dwelling mammal Coryphodon. With these isotope readings, "you get a little, tiny window as to what the temperature was at that time," Smith says.
This close reading has excited Smith and others who have been tracking animal size over the ages. "Although we knew that temperature might set a maximum for body size," Smith says, the new findings actually present a mechanism?and do so in a very detailed manner, showing "how animals responded to a particular temperature at a particular place at a particular time."
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=bfd49492f454156f37f3eb64bdd7ae07
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Victorinox Swiss Army Slim Flight
Portable storage can take many forms, but here's a flash drive that's a dead ringer for something you might already carry?the Swiss Army knife on your key ring. The Victorinox Swiss Army Slim Flight (4GB) ($40 street) is a small, lightweight USB flash drive with an attractive design and a potent software package.?Although it may not be the cheapest drive you'll find, it's easily one of the finest looking.
Design
The Slim Flight (4GB) lives up to its Swiss Army name, with a handsome pocket knife?style swiveling cover, complete with an integrated clip to secure and easily open the drive. No larger than a traditional Swiss Army keychain pocket knife, the cover of the slim USB drive is metal, with a textured surface and the Swiss Army logo. Our review unit came in silver, but other colors?orange, pink, green, and blue?are available. The cover has a handy locking mechanism to keep the drive closed while it rattles around in your pocket or luggage, and the drive can actually be removed from the cover and swapped out for one with?more memory without your?having to purchase the entire product over again.
The "Flight" moniker comes from the fact that there is no knife component to this Swiss Army flash drive. Other models include a folding blade, but anyone who regularly deals with the TSA knows that you don't want your data to be confiscated at the airport.
The drive is also very slim, measuring 0.3 by 0.6 by 2.3 inches (HWD)?the same size as a keychain Swiss Army knife?and weighs only 0.4 ounce. No worries about blocking other ports when using the drive?this USB device is about as small as it gets.
Despite the small size, you'll be getting anywhere from 4GB to 64GB of storage capacity, with models ranging between $40 (for the 4GB model) to $225 (for the 64GB model). Our review model, the 4GB version, costs $10 per gigabyte, which is pricey, to be sure. The cost per?gigabyte lowers as the capacity?increases, with the 64GB model coming out to roughly $3.51 per gigabyte.
Features and Performance
The Slim Flight (4GB) comes with some software preinstalled, courtesy of Victorinox. The software includes encryption tools, zero-footprint anonymous browsing, password management, and automatic file backup. These sorts of tools are invaluable when travelling for business, where you may be separated from your laptop or don't have consistent access to any one PC. Unfortunately, these tools are Windows only.
Setting up the encryption is simple, but it does involve a few minutes and multiple steps, so be prepared to spend some time with the installation wizard. First you set up a password for the drive. Next, you have the option of creating an encrypted partition on the drive. When you set up the encryption, the wizard includes a slider that lets you choose how much of the drive you want to encrypt. You can choose anywhere from the full capacity of the drive to as little as 10MB.
The software also includes options for Internet browsing, letting you either sync your favorites and bookmarks between multiple computers or browse safely on any system. The safe browsing mode opens up its own copy of Internet Explorer in "no trace" mode which, as the name implies, leaves no traces of your browsing on the PC. The safe browsing utility also lets you delete the history, cookies, favorites, and temporary files of either the local Internet log files or the USB-based browser. Extending the online communication tools further, there's also a tool to back up and sync your Outlook files to and from the USB drive.
In performance tests, the Swiss Army Slim Flight scored 631 points in Futuremark PCMark 7's storage benchmark, slightly ahead of the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB) ($14 street, 4 stars), which scored 623. Despite the slightly better performance, and identical read speeds (24.52 MBps), the Victorinox Swiss Army Slim Flight has a slower write speed. In our timed test transferring 4.93GB of data, the Slim Flight had a write speed of 5.82MBps, while the DataTraveler Locker+ pulled ahead with a speed of 9.65MBps.
All in all, the Victorinox Swiss Army Slim Flight is the sort of drive you want to buy if you aren't worried about losing your flash drive. It's attractive, but not too bulky to carry on your key ring. It's filled with goodies like bookmark syncing, password management and easy to use encryption. It's also a bit more expensive than generic drives, without being dramatically faster. It's a smart buy, but you'll pay for what you're getting.
More flash drive reviews:
??? Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB)
??? Victorinox Swiss Army Slim Flight
??? SanDisk Ultra microSDXC Card 64GB
??? IronKey Personal S200
??? Kingston DataTraveler 150 (32GB)
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/CFtuiOka2V4/0,2817,2400504,00.asp
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Buying and Selling Cars Using Free Classified Ads Website
Are you thinking of buying or selling Cars, SUVs, Trucks, Vans, Classic Cars, Motorcycles, Off Road Vehicles, Aircrafts or boats? Finding the right buyer or seller is always a challenging task. You will have to find the right source from where you can search for the automobiles of your choice and automotive items and parts.
Until few years ago when we wanted to buy cars, SUVs or trucks we had to visit the showroom and if we wanted to buy a used vehicle, then we will have to scour the newspapers looking for advertisements from the owners that sell their cars, SUVs, trucks vans or their boats. This used to be a highly time consuming task.
Those who wanted to sell their cars, motorcycles or off road vehicles, received very little exposure to their newspaper classified ads. Moreover, it cost them a lot of money. However today you can get vast exposure to your sales ads on the internet. There are number of classified ads sites where you can post your sales ad.
You will also be able to post photos of your cars and SUVs. Free classified ads websites get huge traffic and your sales ads will get highest visibility possible on the internet. Moreover, when people search for a specific model car, SUV, van, water craft boat or other automotive items and parts, there are good chances that your ad will get listed in the search results. This again will get a lot of attention from the internet users.
Online classified ad sites therefore helps both buyers and sellers. These websites create a common platform where buyers and sellers of cars, SUVs, classic cars, motorcycles can meet. You can find free classified ads websites that will allow you to get basic listings free of charge. By using a free classifieds ad site you not only get the required exposure for your sales ad but you will also be able to save a considerable amount of money.
You will be able to post your classified ads in just few clicks from the comfort of your home. The same applies to searching for the best deals on cars, motorcycles, off road vehicles, aircraft, boats, vans, trucks etc. You will be able to get the best products and deals lined up in a matter of few seconds. You cannot expect such a fast way to find the best cars deals or SUV deals.
The right place therefore to buy and sell your automobiles and automotive items and parts is to visit a reliable free classifieds website. This website allows you to post or search free classified ads using a very simple process. This is a high traffic website that will guarantee highest online exposure for your vehicles that you would like to sell.
Joannes Pedrini is author of this article on Buying and Selling Cars classified. Find more information about Free Classified Ads here.
Author: Joanne Pedrini
:
Source: http://e07.net/buying-and-selling-cars-using-free-classified-ads-website/
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Monday, February 20, 2012
3 skiers killed in Wash. avalanche; 4th survived
King County Sheriff's officers and other emergency officials work along Highway 2 near Stevens Pass ski resort in Skykomish, Wash., near where three skiers were killed in an avalanche Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. The avalanche swept the three skiers about a quarter-mile down an out-of-bounds canyon at the popular resort. A fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device, authorities said. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Erika Schultz) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; SEATTLEPI.COM OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
King County Sheriff's officers and other emergency officials work along Highway 2 near Stevens Pass ski resort in Skykomish, Wash., near where three skiers were killed in an avalanche Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. The avalanche swept the three skiers about a quarter-mile down an out-of-bounds canyon at the popular resort. A fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device, authorities said. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Erika Schultz) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; SEATTLEPI.COM OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Ajai Sehgal, with King County Search and Rescue, works at a staging area near Stevens Pass ski resort in Skykomish, Wash., near where three skiers were killed in an avalanche Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012. The avalanche swept the three skiers about a quarter-mile down an out-of-bounds canyon at the popular resort. A fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device, authorities said. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Erika Schultz) MAGS OUT; NO SALES; SEATTLEPI.COM OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
STEVENS PASS, Wash. (AP) ? Well-equipped and familiar with the terrain, about a dozen expert skiers were making their way through a foot-and-a half of fresh snow when an avalanche hit them in an out-of-bounds area near a popular Washington ski resort.
Three men were killed Sunday when they were swept about a quarter-mile down a canyon, and a fourth skier caught up in the slide was saved by a safety device, authorities said. The large group had split into three smaller groups before the avalanche, but all the backcountry skiers were buried to some extent. Those who were able to free themselves rushed to dig out the victims and unsuccessfully performed CPR on the three, believed to be in their 30s and 40s.
"Most of the people involved in this were well-known to the ski community up here, especially to the ski patrol," said Deputy Chris Bedker of the King County Sheriff's search-and-rescue unit. "It was their friends who they recovered."
The Stevens Pass fatalities were part of a deadly Sunday on Washington ski slopes. A male snowboarder was killed in a separate avalanche incident at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle, authorities said.
The men who died on Stevens Pass tumbled approximately 1,500 feet down a chute in the Tunnel Creek Canyon area, King County Sheriff's Sgt. Katie Larson said.
The fourth skier who was swept down the mountain about 80 miles northeast of Seattle was a woman who appeared to avoid a similar fate because of the avalanche safety device she was wearing, Larson said.
ESPN.com identified the survivor as professional skier Elyse Saugstad, who said she used an airbag after the avalanche hit. ESPN Freeskiing editor Megan Michelson was among the skiers and was uninjured, it said.
Michelson said the initial slide was about 30 feet wide and three feet deep, but quickly grew as it swept away Saugstad and the three victims.
Saugstad said she immediately deployed the airbag from her backpack, crediting it with saving her life.
"I was completely buried except for my head and hands" after coming to a rest, she said.
Two of the victims were found nearby, while the third was carried "several hundred feet" farther down the mountain, Saugstad said.
Michelson said the remaining skiers called for help and skied the length of the avalanche track looking for victims, Michelson said.
"The debris pile at the bottom was massive," Michelson said.
Initial reports of the avalanche reached the sheriff's office just after noon, and for some time it wasn't clear whether the other skiers had also been swept up in the slide.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center on Sunday issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet, saying warmer weather could loosen surface snow and trigger a slide on steeper slopes. The elevation of the avalanche wasn't immediately clear.
At mid-afternoon, the temperature at the base of the Stevens Pass ski resort was 24 degrees, with light winds and good visibility. The temperature at the top of the mountain was 22 degrees, according to the resort's website.
John Gifford, the ski area's general manager, said Sunday that the resort had received 19 inches of snow in the past 24 hours.
He described the area as a popular backcountry skiing zone that can be easily accessed from the resort.
He said the slopes there are steeper than at the resort and lack the resort's avalanche control
"You need to be a highly skilled skier to do that," he said.
Stevens Pass is one of the most popular outdoor recreation areas in the state, with visitors flocking to the scenic site to go cross-country, back-country and downhill skiing, as well as snowshoeing and backpacking.
Across the West, there had been 13 avalanche deaths this season as of Thursday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks avalanche deaths in the U.S.
Experts have said the risk of additional slides in the region could remain high all season. They attribute the dangers in part to a weak base layer of snow caused by a dry winter.
Avalanche deaths are more common in the backcountry than at ski resorts. Out of about 900 avalanche deaths nationwide since the winter of 1950-51, 32 were within terrain that was open for riding at ski resorts, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
___
Associated Press Writer Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.
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ICE Long Beach shootout: As immigration cauldron boils, ICE agents buckle
The Long Beach, Calif., shooting that left one Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dead and another wounded comes as the Obama administration has moved to improve morale among embattled ICE agents.
The internecine shootout that ended with one Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dead and another critically wounded in Long Beach, Calif., on Thursday comes on the heels of an Obama administration effort to relieve dysfunction and morale problems within a frontline agency tasked with enforcing the nation's border laws.
Skip to next paragraphThe shootings came during an apparent counseling session between ICE supervisor Kevin Kozak and a lower-ranking supervisor, Agent Esequiel ?Zeke? Garcia, where a third agent was in the room as a witness. During the hearing, Mr. Garcia allegedly drew his service weapon and shot Mr. Kozak six times. The third agent drew his weapon and killed Garcia.
ICE Director John Morton flew to Long Beach Friday to meet with the wounded ICE supervisor and the agent who killed Garcia.
"Both of these men came to work yesterday never imagining if they would literally be fighting for their lives, but that is exactly what in fact happened, and they were tested in a very dangerous way and showed incredible fortitude," Mr. Morton said.
Morton's response to the deadly, puzzling drama is the latest attempt to confront problems rooted in the agency's creation in 2003, when it was formed as a merger between U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
As early as 2005, the Office of the Inspector General began noting troubling operational dysfunction within the nation's immigration enforcement ranks.
?Where collegial interactions should characterize relations between employees of the two organizations, we have been told of competition and, sometimes, interference. These organizational conditions have led to the articulation of mismatched priorities, competition and, at times, operational inflexibility," the OIG wrote.
More troubling, the OIG found at the time that agents reported seeing little action from the top to deal with the problems. ?We encountered concerns that institutional rivalries, duplication of functions and insularity of view were tending in a negative direction," according to the report.
Experts say that tensions within ICE remain high on a number of fronts. According to published reports, the Long Beach office, under Mr. Kozak, had become a hotbed of discontent, some of it linked to the INS-Customs rivalry. Kozak came from the Customs bureaucracy while Garcia began his career under the INS.
?While you might believe the mainstream media narrative that this was just a workplace rage incident, it?s actually?far deeper than that,? conservative talk show host and workplace attorney Debbie Schlussel writes on her blog. ?It?s a direct result of how bad things have gotten under the Obama administration and John Morton.?
The shootings came after a year when the agency scored some of its biggest immigration busts on record, with over 2,000 immigration scofflaws, including some violent ex-convicts, rounded up in a series of national sweeps last summer.
The agency has also been at the forefront of a White House administration effort to force ICE employees to use prosecutorial discretion to stop prosecution of undocumented immigrants who have deep ties to the US, an effort that has been widely criticized, even vilified, by agents in the field.
Meanwhile, there are other signs of an agency in turmoil. Aside from Thursday's shooting, there were three other incidents in 2011 where ICE agents were caught up in illicit activities.
Last fall, a supervisor in the agency's South Florida office was arrested on child pornography charges. Also last fall, an ICE agent was arrested for drug smuggling following a car chase. In May, an ICE agent in New York was arrested and charged with stealing government property and selling it on eBay.
Last month, Morton addressed a Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey where ICE was ranked 222nd ?on a list of 240 federal agencies, proposing a new initiative to tackle ?morale? problems.
?Although ICE, as a relatively young agency, has faced challenges that other more mature, long-established agencies have not faced, these challenges do not diminish our concern about the rankings,? Morton wrote. ?We want to improve the satisfaction of our employees who work every day to carry out our critical mission.?
Morton promised a series of ?town halls? to gauge the situation and propose initiatives to improve morale.
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Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Forest, the Trees, and the Next Big Thing
They say hindsight is 20/20. By now, everyone knows about the fastest-growing site on the web. Yet, for a period of time in 2011, despite all the signals pointing toward the phenomena, most in Silicon Valley weren?t able to sniff out the trend even though, looking back, the clues were right under our noses. I wanted to write this post to offer a theory as to why the Valley, at large, missed this trend. Additionally, I want to underscore that this post is less about Pinterest, and more about how even the most focused, attentive audiences can miss the forest for the trees.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/HgfhNCELl8U/
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