Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Canon PowerShot S120


The Canon PowerShot S120 ($449.99 direct) represents the yearly update to the company's high-end S series, taking the place of the S110. The camera offers several improvements over the previous iteration, including faster performance and 1080p60 video capture. The aesthetics are unchanged and it still uses a 12-megapixel, 1/1.7-inch CMOS image sensor, but the quicker shooting is noteworthy. Its image quality still can't match the Editors' Choice Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II, which packs a larger sensor into a similar body and adds a tilting rear LCD and support for an add-on EVF, but the Canon is a more affordable model.



Design and Features
The S120 is truly pocketable, measuring just 2.3 by 3.9 by 1.1 inches and weighing in at 7.7 ounces. It's only available in black, a departure from previous models with silver versions as options. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, another Editors' Choice winner with a 1-inch sensor, is very similar in size and design; it measures 2.4 by 4 by 1.4 inches and weighs 8.5 ounces. Like the original RX100, the S120 lacks a hot shoe, uses a fixed rear display, and features a control ring around its lens to adjust settings during shooting.





The lens features a 5x zoom ratio, which sounds low compared to superzoom models with smaller image sensors but is fairly standard for cameras in this class. It's a 24-120mm f/1.8-5.7 (35mm equivalent) design that offers a fairly wide angle and a medium telephoto range. The Nikon Coolpix P330 covers a similar range, and like the S120 its maximum f/1.8 aperture narrows as you zoom. You'll want to stick to wider angles when shooting in dim light; to get a compact camera with a wide-aperture lens throughout its zoom range you'll want need to look at a slightly larger model like the Olympus XZ-2, which packs a 28-112mm f/1.8-2.5 zoom.


There are just a few controls on the S120's body, but adjusting oft-used shooting settings is pretty straightforward. Up top are the standard power button, zoom rocker, shutter release, and mode dial. On the rear you'll find a control wheel that doubles as a four-way controller: Directional presses activate macro shooting mode, adjust exposure compensation and flash output, and toggle the amount of information shown on the rear display. There's also a movie button, and the standard playback and menu controls.



At the center of the control dial is the Function/Set button. Pressing this activates an on-screen overlay menu that provides access to the shooting settings: ISO, the metering pattern, white balance, the drive mode and self-timer, file format, and the internal neutral density filter. One other control on the rear, the Ring Function button, adjusts the behavior of the front control ring that surrounds the lens. By default it adjusts aperture or shutter speed depending on the selected mode, but it can also be configured to change the ISO, adjust the zoom or focus of the lens, apply exposure compensation, adjust white balance, or perform more esoteric adjustments. There's a wealth of customizability there, much like the similar ring found on the Sony RX100 and RX100 II.


The rear LCD is three inches in size and packs a 922k-dot resolution. That's double the resolution of the rear LCD that Fujifilm put in its stylish XF1. It's extremely sharp, so you can confirm that you've nailed a shot right after you've captured it. It's also touch-sensitive, which allows you to tap the area of the frame that you'd like to focus on. You can use the touch navigation to swipe through images in playback mode.



A few years ago Wi-Fi was a rare feature on digital cameras, but today it's almost expected. The S120 uses the same Wi-Fi implementation that Canon puts in its other point-and-shoot cameras, with a notable refinement. Gone is the requirement to plug the S120 into a PC in order to setup web services via the Canon Image Gateway service. You'll still need to set up an Image Gateway account via a browser, but now you can pair the camera with that account over Wi-Fi. Once it's set up you can post images and videos to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr when you're connected to a hotspot. The Samsung EX2F lets you do the same, but it lets you configure your accounts directly from the camera itself.


You can also transfer images directly from the camera to your iOS or Android device via the free Canon CameraWindow application. It's easy to setup: If you're out and about you'll be prompted to enter a password in your phone or tablet to connect to an access point that the S120 broadcasts. If you're at home and both your device and the S120 are connected to the same network, they'll find each other automatically. Other Wi-Fi functions are available that allow you to transfer images to your computer, print to a Canon Wi-Fi printer, or beam them wirelessly to another Canon camera.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/r1-BEiBx8nk/0,2817,2425503,00.asp
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Ruffato writes Brazil 'as I see it', and it's not pretty


By Kirsti Knolle


FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Brazilian author Luiz Ruffato grew up penniless, slept on the floor of a bus station for a month and shocks his fellow countrymen when he says that's still the way it is despite Brazil becoming an economic powerhouse.


"When you walk through the streets of Brazil, you will see what you read in my books," Ruffato, the son of an illiterate washerwoman and a popcorn seller, told Reuters in an interview at the Frankfurt Book Fair.


Ruffato gave the fair's opening speech last week which instead of praising Brazil and its achievements dwelt upon many of the themes that the 52-year-old addresses in his novels.


His themes are the consequences of rapid industrialization, social deprivation and the problems faced by women and homosexuals in his country.


In his early and still most famous work "There Were Many Horses", published in 2001, he describes the chaos, violence, misery and decadence of mega-city Sao Paulo.


"We are still a country in which not everyone has the right to homes, education, healthcare and recreation. They are rather privileges for only a few," he said in his keynote speech that shocked even some of his supporters.


"We are a paradox country," he said.


Ruffato's words were in sharp contrast to the Brazilian government's official message of rapid economic development and opportunity for all. His work scarcely dwells on the clichés of modern Brazil - its beach culture, carnivals and caipirinha cocktails. His reality is different.


"Brazilian society raises a number of perspectives and mine is one of them," he told Reuters following his keynote address, which earned him a standing ovation.


"Normally I don't drink but tonight I have to," he said with a smile, surrounded by people and visibly trying to shake off his nervousness.


Ruffato knows all too well what he is talking about. Coming from a small town in the state of Minas Gerais in eastern Brazil, he was lucky to receive an education.


That only happened when the director of a private school noticed Ruffato selling popcorn with his father and took him under his wing.


Later, Ruffato moved to Sao Paulo and slept at a bus station for about a month until he received his first pay check and could afford to pay for a bed in a boarding house.


OUTRAGE


Ruffato said he does not believe Brazilians' outrage at their government has subsided yet following a wave of nationwide protests that rocked Brazil in June, because the inciting factors remain.


Just as Brazil hosted the Confederations Cup, a dry run for next year's World Cup soccer tournament, more than a million people took to the streets.


They were livid about corruption, poor public services and billions of dollars of public money being spent on the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which are also to be held in Brazil.


Their patience ran out when the government raised the cost of tickets for public buses. The protests that followed were the biggest in Brazil since the end of military dictatorship during the late 80s.


"The outrage is still there, but it hasn't yet developed into a real movement," Ruffato said. "The potential that everything starts from scratch is there."


According to Ruffato, 10 percent of Brazil's white population controls 75 percent of its wealth. About 46,000 of Brazil's 200 million people own half the land. And a third of adults are illiterate or nearly so.


"The American phenomenon that you can achieve anything if you only work hard doesn't exist in Brazil," Ruffato said. "I am a big exception."


(Editing by Michael Roddy and Tom Pfeiffer)



Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ruffato-writes-brazil-see-not-pretty-152954617.html
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Boehner sees his control of House Republicans slip away (Washington Post)

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President Crisis and the Obama Years

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Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2013/10/15/president_crisis_and_the_obama_years_317895.html
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Foreign coaches punted as Australia fails on world stage


By Nick Mulvenney


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Three foreign coaches have paid the price for Australian humiliation on the international sporting stage this year and the search for a new soccer coach is taking place against a backdrop of hostility to "mercenaries" from overseas.


In a miserable 2013 tempered only by golfer Adam Scott's triumph at the U.S. Masters, a proud sporting nation has endured the continuing travails of their once all-conquering cricket team and the defeat of the Wallabies rugby team at the hands of the British and Irish Lions.


The latest humiliation came when the Socceroos, fresh from qualifying unconvincingly for next year's World Cup finals, were handed back-to-back 6-0 thrashings in friendlies against former world champions Brazil and France.


The blame for the latter defeat in Paris last weekend was apportioned less than two hours after the final whistle with German coach Holger Osieck, summarily dismissed by Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief executive David Gallop.


Rugby coach Robbie "Dingo" Deans was given a full three days after a third test hammering in July that decided the Lions series before the New Zealander "stood down" to end five-and-a-half years in charge of the Wallabies.


The main event of the cricket year had not even been reached when South African Mickey Arthur was the victim of a shock pre-emptive strike, his short reign curtailed after a 4-0 defeat in India but before the Ashes series against England.


Both were the first foreigners to be put in charge of the respective teams and both were succeeded by Australians.


With public sentiment, as represented by the media, resolutely behind giving a local man a chance to coach the Socceroos, FFA chairman Frank Lowy on Tuesday all but called off the global search for Osieck's replacement.


"When we appointed Holger (Osieck) coach three years ago, I recall I said words to the effect `I hope the next coach will be an Australian'," Lowy, the billionaire owner of the Westfield Shopping empire, told reporters.


"That was the plan and is still the plan.


"Three names are being talked about and it's not wrong that we have three possible Australian candidates."


The three candidates are Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou, Central Coast Mariners manager Graham Arnold and Western Sydney Wanderers mentor Tony Popovic.


All have enjoyed success in Australia's top flight A-League, but have limited international coaching experience barring Arnold, who managed the Socceroos in a caretaker role from 2006-07.


Their nominations are likely to please Sydney Morning Herald columnist Andrew Webster, who wrote that Osieck's demise highlighted the "folly" of using foreign coaches to lead Australian national teams over long periods.


"Osieck and his predecessor, Pim Verbeek, are technocrats who never embraced the unique Australian manner in which we play on the international stage: punching above our weight, against nations with far larger player numbers to choose from.


"Foreign coaches don't bleed like home-grown ones. They are merely fulfilling a contract."


NO QUICK FIX


The examples of the Australian cricket and rugby union teams suggests, though, that taking the coaching job back "in-country" is no quick fix for a struggling team.


Arthur's replacement, Darren Lehmann, oversaw a 3-0 defeat in England and his team face an uphill struggle in the return series, which starts in Brisbane on November 21.


Ewen McKenzie was handed the Wallabies job ahead of World Cup-winning South African Jake White but has lost two tests each to New Zealand and the Springboks, only tasting victory in his first six matches against Argentina.


Postecoglou initially urged caution over the groundswell of support for an "Australian only" approach to recruitment but on Tuesday, after two days in which he firmed as media favourite for the post, conceded that an Australian would have more invested in the job.


"An Australian has to live in this country once he's finished that job," he told SEN radio.


"I think there's some sense in saying that if there's an Australian who's ready for it, then that would be the way to go."


Whoever takes the job, though, will inherit a very different squad from that Dutchman Guus Hiddink took over in 2005, a generation of players who blossomed into Australia's finest.


Given the current team just managed to squeak past the likes of Oman, Iraq and Jordan to get to Brazil, there is a case for suggesting that, whether led by Australian or foreigner, expectations for the Socceroos might be a little bit too high.


(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by John O'Brien / Pritha Sarkar)



Source: http://news.yahoo.com/foreign-coaches-punted-australia-fails-world-stage-141529496--sow.html
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Lauren Conrad Flashes Engagement Ring; Jenna Dewan-Tatum Reveals Post-Baby Body: Today's Top Stories


Lauren Conrad flashes her engagement bling from fiance William Tell on a trip to the supermarket with her hubby-to-be. Plus, Jenna Dewan-Tatum looks amazing after baby on the cover of Self magazine: See Us Weekly's top stories from Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the daily roundup.


1. Lauren Conrad Flashes Engagement Ring, Shops With Fiance William Tell Post-Announcement: Pictures


Mazel tov, you guys! Lauren Conrad and William Tell got engaged over the weekend, and the newly betrothed pair celebrated by...hitting the supermarket?


2. Jenna Dewan-Tatum Reveals Stunning Post-Baby Body on Self Cover: Husband Channing "Loves My New Figure"


Note to Self: Jenna Dewan-Tatum looks unbelievably stunning on your November cover. The Witches of East End star certainly fits the magazine's cover-girl mold -- she looks toned and sexy as can be in the image -- but what's different about its latest top-billed star is that just two months prior to the photo shoot, the actress gave birth to Everly, her baby girl with actor Channing Tatum!


3. Kim Kardashian's Engagement Ring From Kris Humphries Sells at Auction for $749,000


Someone really, really wanted Kim Kardashian's hand-me-down bling. The reality star's engagement ring from ex-husband Kris Humphries sold at a Christie's auction in NYC on Tuesday, Oct. 15 for a whopping $620,000, Us Weekly can confirm.


4. Heidi Klum, Seal Share Friendly Kiss 18 Months After Filing for Divorce: Picture


Looks like Heidi Klum and Seal are -- in the immortal words of Tim Gunn -- making it work. The ex-lovebirds, who split in January 2012 after seven years of marriage, reunited on Saturday, Oct. 12, to celebrate daughter Lou's 4th birthday, and appeared to be back on friendly terms.


5. Exclusive: Stacy Keibler's Boyfriend Jared Pobre Surprises Her for 34th Birthday With Round-the-World Trip, Bond-Themed Party


Now THAT's how you give a present! Stacy Keibler was gifted with one surprise after another by new boyfriend Jared Pobre this past week, topped off with an extravagant James Bond-themed birthday party on Monday, Oct. 14, that all but floored the Supermarket Superstar host.


Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/lauren-conrad-flashes-engagement-ring-jenna-dewan-tatum-reveals-post-baby-body-todays-top-stories-20131510
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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Research team wins grant to continue development of portable sensor

Research team wins grant to continue development of portable sensor


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Public release date: 15-Oct-2013
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Contact: Keith Herrell
keith.herrell@uc.edu
513-558-4559
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center





CINCINNATIUniversity of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue development of a portable sensor that will be used to measure metal levels in humans.


The portable sensor will combine lab-on-a-chip sensing with microfluidics to measure a sample derived from a few droplets of blood for manganese and lead in participants. Such a point-of-care sensor would provide faster results than traditional blood testing methods, be more convenient for study participants and be more environmentally friendly.


Led by Ian Papautsky, PhD, the principal investigator, the research team represents a true collaboration at UC, bringing together investigators from three colleges: Papautsky, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Systems; Erin Haynes, DrPH, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Environmental Health; and William Heineman, PhD, a professor in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry.


The sensor will be validated in conjunction with the CARES (Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study) project, a related effort in eastern Ohio communities. Haynes is principal investigator of CARES, a partnership between UC and several communities that is looking at air pollution and its effects on child neurodevelopmentparticularly related to manganese, a neurotoxic metal used widely in the production of steel, aluminum alloys, batteries and fertilizers. The sensor will also test for the presence of lead and cadmium, both of which also have demonstrated health risks.


The CARES research team has 407 participants aged 7 to 9. Subjects participated in several activities designed to test their ability to learn and coordinate their movements. Parents completed questionnaires about their children and samples of hair and blood were collected from the children for analysis. (The blood is currently drawn from a vein, but use of the sensor would involve a single prick such as those used for allergy testing.)


"Providing health care providers and scientists the ability to measure in real time whole blood metals in a clinic or research study setting would be fantastic," says Haynes, adding that it currently takes three to nine months for blood metals results to be returned from the laboratory. "This wait time is unacceptable for study participants who may have high levels of concern about their exposure."


Development of the sensor began with a previous grant from the NIH, intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research, which enabled Papautsky, Haynes and Heineman to demonstrate a proof-of-concept version of the sensor. The new version, the focus of the current effort, will go directly into a USB port, Papautsky says, adding that the team will also explore reducing its size (the sensor itself is about the size of a matchbox cover) and integrating control electronics into a more compact system.


"Our multidisciplinary team has already taken the first steps toward developing the sensor and has demonstrated its feasibility through pilot tests," says Papautsky. "We are now poised to fully develop the sensor system for point-of-care application."


Papautsky is director of the Ohio Center for Microfluidic Innovation at UC, where the sensor is made, and has a long-standing interest in the use of microfabrication techniques and microfluidics to study and solve public health problems. Heineman is an electrochemist whose research interests include sensors and microfluidic systems for chemical analysis.


"This is a real collaborationwe didn't just meet to write the proposal," says Papautsky, noting that his and Heineman's teams meet regularly and also stay in contact with Haynes, who originally brought the idea of the metals sensor to Papautsky. "It's a true research enterprise."


The research team has tested the sensor for safety and effectiveness in existing human blood samples. It aims to test it in the field over the next four years, drawing a subset of participants from the CARES study cohort.


Ultimately, Papautsky says, commercialization is likely, with possible broad use of the sensor in clinic, research and international health care settings.


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Research team wins grant to continue development of portable sensor


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]
Public release date: 15-Oct-2013
[


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]

Contact: Keith Herrell
keith.herrell@uc.edu
513-558-4559
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center





CINCINNATIUniversity of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue development of a portable sensor that will be used to measure metal levels in humans.


The portable sensor will combine lab-on-a-chip sensing with microfluidics to measure a sample derived from a few droplets of blood for manganese and lead in participants. Such a point-of-care sensor would provide faster results than traditional blood testing methods, be more convenient for study participants and be more environmentally friendly.


Led by Ian Papautsky, PhD, the principal investigator, the research team represents a true collaboration at UC, bringing together investigators from three colleges: Papautsky, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Science's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Systems; Erin Haynes, DrPH, an assistant professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Environmental Health; and William Heineman, PhD, a professor in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry.


The sensor will be validated in conjunction with the CARES (Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study) project, a related effort in eastern Ohio communities. Haynes is principal investigator of CARES, a partnership between UC and several communities that is looking at air pollution and its effects on child neurodevelopmentparticularly related to manganese, a neurotoxic metal used widely in the production of steel, aluminum alloys, batteries and fertilizers. The sensor will also test for the presence of lead and cadmium, both of which also have demonstrated health risks.


The CARES research team has 407 participants aged 7 to 9. Subjects participated in several activities designed to test their ability to learn and coordinate their movements. Parents completed questionnaires about their children and samples of hair and blood were collected from the children for analysis. (The blood is currently drawn from a vein, but use of the sensor would involve a single prick such as those used for allergy testing.)


"Providing health care providers and scientists the ability to measure in real time whole blood metals in a clinic or research study setting would be fantastic," says Haynes, adding that it currently takes three to nine months for blood metals results to be returned from the laboratory. "This wait time is unacceptable for study participants who may have high levels of concern about their exposure."


Development of the sensor began with a previous grant from the NIH, intended to encourage exploratory and developmental research, which enabled Papautsky, Haynes and Heineman to demonstrate a proof-of-concept version of the sensor. The new version, the focus of the current effort, will go directly into a USB port, Papautsky says, adding that the team will also explore reducing its size (the sensor itself is about the size of a matchbox cover) and integrating control electronics into a more compact system.


"Our multidisciplinary team has already taken the first steps toward developing the sensor and has demonstrated its feasibility through pilot tests," says Papautsky. "We are now poised to fully develop the sensor system for point-of-care application."


Papautsky is director of the Ohio Center for Microfluidic Innovation at UC, where the sensor is made, and has a long-standing interest in the use of microfabrication techniques and microfluidics to study and solve public health problems. Heineman is an electrochemist whose research interests include sensors and microfluidic systems for chemical analysis.


"This is a real collaborationwe didn't just meet to write the proposal," says Papautsky, noting that his and Heineman's teams meet regularly and also stay in contact with Haynes, who originally brought the idea of the metals sensor to Papautsky. "It's a true research enterprise."


The research team has tested the sensor for safety and effectiveness in existing human blood samples. It aims to test it in the field over the next four years, drawing a subset of participants from the CARES study cohort.


Ultimately, Papautsky says, commercialization is likely, with possible broad use of the sensor in clinic, research and international health care settings.


###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

[


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| Share Share

]

 


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoca-rtw101513.php
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