Sonos Retina-ifys Their iPad App

Screen Shot 2012-07-17 at 8.52.30 AMOne pet peeve I had with the Sonos system was the quality of the UI on high-res screens. While it is, after all, just a remote control, the app was Sonos' outward-facing experience and needed to be flawless. Now it is. The company just updated its iPad app to support Retina screens (no similar update for Retina MacBooks, sadly) and you can also change the Sonos volume by clicking the volume buttons on the iPad. Both are minor changes, but they are important in creating a smooth and consistent experience.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/OyYRzTOn3tU/

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Baxter Alzheimer's drug keeps four patients stable for 3 years

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Four Alzheimer's patients treated with an immune system therapy have seen their disease stabilize for at least three years, raising hope that the drug from Baxter International Inc will prove effective in larger trials.

Scientists say the study released on Tuesday is too small to show whether the drug will ultimately prove effective, but any sign of progress in Alzheimer's research is welcome. Scientists expect Baxter's results next year.

"Over the last few years there have been a lot of conspicuous failures with Alzheimer's drugs," said Dr. Norman Relkin of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Relkin presented three-year results on Baxter's study at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Vancouver.

Most Alzheimer's patients typically decline over three to six months, so to have the disease stabilize in four patients -all treated for three years with the same dose of the same drug - is "a very unexpected and very positive finding," he said.

There are no licensed drugs that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's, and currently approved medications only treat symptoms. The disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 5.1 million Americans and 35 million people globally.

Relkin presented three-year data on 16 patients in Baxter's Phase 2 study of Gammagard, which originally enrolled 24 participants.

Overall, all 11 study participants who got Gammagard for the full three years showed improvements in thinking abilities, behavior and daily functioning.

Of these, the four patients who received the most effective dose (0.4g/kg) for the full 36 months fared the best, showing no decline on several standard measures of cognition, memory, daily functioning and mood.

Many drugs fail despite very encouraging Phase 2 results, Relkin said. The real proof of Gammagard's effectiveness will come early next year with the release of results of the large-scale, Phase 3 study, which he is also leading.

Experts predict that without an effective treatment, the number of Americans with Alzheimer's will double by 2050 to more than 10 million, and related healthcare costs could soar above $1 trillion a year.

Other Alzheimer's treatments in late-stage clinical trials - Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc's bapineuzumab and Eli Lilly's solanezumab - use powerful, manmade antibodies to target a protein called beta amyloid that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Late-stage studies of bapineuzumab and solanezumab are expected within the next few months.

Gammagard is different from them. The drug is an intravenous immune system treatment made from natural antibodies taken from young, healthy blood donors. Known generically as intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG, the therapy is typically used to fight infections in patients with weakened immune systems.

Compared with solanezumab and bapineuzumab, which Relkin describes as "industrial-strength vacuum cleaners" used to remove beta amyloid from the brain, he says IVIG's natural antibodies are more like "gentle, whisk brooms."

"It may be that a gentler approach is a more realistic approach in the long run," he said.

RELATIVE INDEPENDENCE

Dr. Sterling Williams, an obstetrician/gynecologist from Silver Spring, Maryland, has watched the drug at work. His wife Joice, 71, is one of the four patients who has benefited from Gammagard and is completing her sixth year on the treatment.

"There has been some decline, but it has been very slow, and she is still relatively independent in functioning at home and in her activities of daily living," said Williams, who is also 71. "Every morning, she gets up, fixes breakfast, washes clothes, irons -- all of that is fine."

She becomes a bit confused in a new environment, such as a hotel, Williams said.

Some of the other study patients also still function independently. "They travel by themselves," Relkin said. "They take part in community activities. They volunteer."

Over time there have been declines, he said, but these have been consistent with normal aging.

Dr. Ralph Nixon, an Alzheimer's researcher at New York University Langone Medical Center, said the finding was encouraging because it is taking place in a population of patients who were already affected by the disease.

"It's one of the first trials to really show some signs of therapeutic benefit in an affected population," something he described as a "very meaningful and hopeful sign."

Dr. Laurie Ryan, program director for Alzheimer's disease clinical trials at the National Institute of Aging, one of the National Institutes of Health, said the study's findings suggested the treatment should be tested further.

If Gammagard does prove effective in the larger trial, supply and cost may limit its use.

Each dose contains pooled antibodies from the plasma of 1,000 blood donors. Typically, each of the two treatments a month that patients need costs between $1,500 and $3,000, depending on a person's weight.

If the drug works, the challenge will be determining which of the antibodies are actually helping patients and developing a product that is easier and cheaper to make, Relkin said.

(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/baxter-alzheimers-drug-keeps-four-patients-stable-3-153202584--finance.html

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Windows Buying Guide | Home Improvement Companies

The good news about Windows is that it has reviewed an incredible number of styles, options and prices. The bad news? With all these features, you feel so helpless in a sea of ??possibilities. Rest assured, ladies and buyers: You know the saying about the world of Windows to navigate.

Make Mines Energy Efficient

?These days, when it comes to Windows, it is all about energy efficiency,? said Lance Premeau, product and market analyst for Kolbe windows and doors. Based on an acute awareness of public , most manufacturers of energy efficiency as part of their marketing games, benefit consumers and enthusiasts. Features such as windows and argon-filled low-emissivity coatings have become commonplace and credit the most recent federal income tax for qualified products from windows, updating Windows is one of the most popular of all home improvement projects.

However, in certain types of windows, energy efficiency does not tell all they cracked up to be. A good guideline is to ensure that Windows on the performance levels required by the Energy Star program of the Federal Energy. If this is the case, it is with the Energy Star label.

But the label is not that the windows are automatically entitled to taxation. To qualify, the window U-factor and solar heat coefficient, the less than or equal to 0.30. Counters U-factor of the thermal insulation of buildings and measures solar temperature coefficient extent to which a heat transfer blocks of product sunlight. These measures are standardized by the National Fenestration Rating NFRC performance and appear on the product label.

The federal tax credit equal to 30 percent of administrative costs of the product or a maximum of $ 1,500. The installation is not covered by credit insurance. Note that Windows-qualification of December 31, 2010 will vest. Congress is currently examining the possibility of extending the tax credits.

What do they cost?

You pay about $ 150 for a 3?4 meter double hung, white vinyl windows with double glazing and low emissivity coating in a hardware store. Upgrading the argon gas-filled triple-glazed windows and fiberglass frame and get your price north of $ 400 for the window the same size. Special coatings and other custom options grid, a leading manufacturer can push the price to $ 800.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Source: http://www.collegecarecenter.org/windows-buying-guide.html

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Leap Motion taps former Apple iAd VP Andy Miller to be President and COO

Leap Motion taps former Apple iAd VP Andy Miller to be President and CEOApple's former iAd VP (and Quattro co-founder) Andy Miller only just took a job as a general partner at Highland Capital last year after leaving the gang in Cupertino, but he's now already moving on to another fairly high profile gig. Leap Motion has announced today that Miller will become its new President and CEO COO, placing him in a central role at a company that's facing the rather difficult task of actually delivering the goods after wowing most everyone with its new gesture control technology. As Fortune notes, however, the move doesn't come as a complete surprise. Highland Capital is backing Leap, and Miller himself has reportedly been spending about 80 percent of his time on the company over the past few months. In a statement, Miller said that he's "been fortunate to work with some of the most influential figures and companies in the technology industry, and I'm as excited about the Leap as I've ever been about a technology," adding that the "potential for the Leap is limitless, as it is going to fundamentally change the way we interact with so many devices in our lives."

Update: Leap Motion has reached out and informed us that Miller will be President and COO, reporting to current CEO and co-founder Michael Buckwald. The official press release can be found after the break.

Continue reading Leap Motion taps former Apple iAd VP Andy Miller to be President and COO

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Leap Motion taps former Apple iAd VP Andy Miller to be President and COO originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/17/leap-motion-andy-miller-ceo/

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High-speed camera tracks ping-pong ball in flight

10 hrs.

Camera operators at sports events have to have catlike reflexes in order to capture the quick movements and frequent redirection of the ball and players. Researchers in Japan have created an automated camera system that may be able to track those objects better than the most seasoned cameraman. In action, it's almost uncanny how well it works.

Part of the difficulty of operating such cameras is that they are very large, with heavy lenses and complex controls. And even when the operator is assisted mechanically in moving this huge object, the limitations of human reflexes come into play: it may take a highly?trained cameraman a tenth of a second (100ms) or more to respond to a sudden change in the gameplay, perhaps causing the ball to leave the camera's frame momentarily.

The Ishikawa Oku Laboratory at the University of Tokyo has addressed both these concerns by making it so not only is the object in view tracked automatically, but the camera doesn't have to move at all. Instead, what the camera sees is controlled by a pair of small mirrors that can be moved quickly and precisely. They've named them?"saccade mirrors," after the tiny, quick movements made by human eyes.

The lab focuses on high-speed vision and mechanisms; not long ago they showed off a robotic hand that would beat you every time at rock-paper-scissors by observing your move as you made it, and instantly choosing the winning one, quicker than the eye could detect. This system uses a similar high-speed, computer-vision setup (shooting at 1000 frames per second), but instead of tracking gestures, it's tracking the position and movement of an object and relaying that information to the saccade mirrors.

Watch how quickly the system can track a ping-pong ball in flight:

It only takes around 3.5ms for the mirrors to change position, even if it's a major shift. That means that the camera could switch between two players on opposite sides of the field 20 times before a human cameraman could react to one of them moving. It's still not fast enough that there's no lag when something changes direction quickly, but it's only perceptible when watching in super-slow motion.

The camera setup shoots in 1080p and the lab's description of the technology suggests they will be pitching it to broadcasters and camera companies for more widespread adoption.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews.com. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/high-speed-camera-could-track-speeding-ball-puck-or-player-887210

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The Benefits of Outsourcing Help Desk Support ? Los Javelin

Many companies have discovered the benefits of outsourcing as a method of staff augmentation, without increasing staff volume. Delegating to assure good results is done every day and a reputable outsourcing IT company, like this one, can help you achieve cost savings, increase and improve the manager's time for marketing and improve staff efficiency, and that's just the beginning.
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In short, businesses simply have too many tasks to complete each day. Owners are susceptible to overworking and never carving out enough time for other elements that could use focused attention. Generally, by outsourcing IT work it provides a business to connect with a larger client base while saving money in the process.
?
Research has shown that in-house help desk support generally creates long delays for customers; frequent multiple contacts before the issue is resolved, high turnover rates and a poor understanding of performance. On the other hand, outsourced IT can reflect in calls and emails answered quickly, measured customer satisfaction, very little rework required, and all processes gaining in efficiency.

Here are three ways to improve your business:

Get a Handle on Your Call Control

Outsourcing can generate a better call control strategy and typically has an immediate impact because it reduces the call length without sacrificing service. Agents work vigilantly to provide good service but it can be tough to guide the call to a successful completion. Outsource tech providers are well versed in managing the call process and service level objectives. Resulting in speedier call control with a reduced cost. Outsourcing creates a balance between the benefits and the costs.
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Larger Call Centers

Businesses can increase the IT staff and boost customer satisfaction with outsourcing. The simplest way to boost your help desk support is by outsourcing the work. As a general calculation many businesses experience a 20 percent in crease of production within an 8 hour shift.

Map and Improve Call Processes

An outsourced support team can determine the primary reasons why customers call, then map, and improve how to handle the calls. Outsourced IT staff improves your approach that results in decreased costs, shorter call lengths and better call objectives.

The Benefits of Cost Analysis

Most businesses fail to do a thorough analysis of running their call center. It is invaluable to determine total costs, not just the direct labor per hour, but all incidental costs, to access the benefits of outsourced solutions.
?
Managing time effectively is always a challenge. We work daily, squeezing a million things to do into 24 hours, leaving very little time to get much done. Our hurried lifestyle and mantra to 'do more', 'become more,' and a host of other distractions keep us on our toes.
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The outsourcing of your help desk can very surely result in cost control, customer satisfaction, revenue generation and overall productivity for the business.

Source: http://www.losjavelin.com/2012/07/16/the-benefits-of-outsourcing-help-desk-support/

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NLP Meta Programs ? A Spatial Complement Approach ...

Recorded at Communicating Excellence NLP Practitioner Training Newcastle.

NLP meta programs explored spatially. The explorer has some goal or outcome in mind and their goal is explored within the context of meta programs. Notice the very important use of exploring the complement of the desired state/spatial position.

Source: http://www.communicatingexcellence.com/2012/07/16/nlp-meta-programs-a-spatial-complement-approach/

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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

It's Monday, which means it is time for you to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 8:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat too.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/V4bI3DfBf6w/

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[News] Yakuza 1 and 2 HD possibly hitting PS3 in Japan

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Yakuza 1 and 2 HD possibly hitting PS3 in Japan

A Japanese release list posted by Sega contained a little surprise before it was pulled. An HD collection of Yakuza 1 and 2 for PS3.

The list, which has since edited and reposted to remove the collection, showed a December 1st release for the package, with a 5,229 yen price point (or $66 USD). Yakuza 5 is also due for release in December in Japan.

It's likely that Sega will announce this in the not-to-distance future. With Sega's recent attitude about releasing games that aren't sure-fire hits, maybe don't get your hopes up for a North American release.

Reported by Rhody Tobin

Source: http://andriasang.com/con1xm/yakuza_hd/


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Source: http://www.honestgamers.com/articles/10419.html

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