Category: News

In an in-depth chat with the February issue of Latina Magazine, “Louboutin” songstress Jennifer Lopez lashed out at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for snubbing her 2007 biopic El Cantante. The singer/actress was royally annoyed when her name wasn’t among the Best Actress nominees at the 2008 Academy Awards – and can only imagine that film critics didn’t get around to seeing her portrayal of Puchi, the tough-as-nails wife of drug-addicted salsa pioneer Hector Lavoe (played by Jennifer’s real-life hubby, Marc Anthony.)

Sorry, J. Lo, but we’re going to have to respectfully disagree. Selena was definitely this girl’s finest hour. If anyone deserved an Oscar nod for El Cantante, it was Marc. He turned in a wonderful performance as Lavoe, if I do say so myself.

Jennifer tells Latina: “I feel like I had that [Oscar worthy role] in El Cantante, but I don’t even think the academy members saw it. I feel like it’s their responsibility to do that, to see everything that’s out there, everything that could be great.” “Well, it is a little bit frustrating. It was funny; when the Oscars were on, I had just given birth on the 22nd, and the Oscars, I think, were a day or two later. I was sitting there with my twins—I couldn’t have been happier—but I was like, ‘How dope would it have been if I would’ve won the Oscar and been here in my hospital bed accepting the award?’ ‘Thank you so much! I just want to thank the academy!’ But we joked about it. It’s all good. Things will happen when they’re supposed to happen. I have the utmost faith and no doubt that it will one day, when and if it’s supposed to. You can’t get all crazy twisted over it.”

Jennifer Lopez On Marriage To Marc Anthony: “Everything is great about my marriage. First and foremost, we love each other, truly love each other in a way that’s very deep and meaningful, not in a superficial sort of way. There’s a deep respect, admiration and love for each other. We honestly believe that we make each other better people…We force each other to be better, and I think in a relationship, that’s how it should be. You shouldn’t be with somebody if he makes you feel less than who you are.”

Jennifer Lopez On Fame: “Your world becomes smaller, so yeah, it is a weird reality. You stop doing things like having a key in your pocket, opening the door for yourself because you become so busy. All of a sudden, somebody takes that over for you. You do lose touch a little bit; anybody who says they don’t is a liar. Your life is not like a person who goes to work, opens their door, goes to the grocery store. I lived that life for 20-something years, and now my life is different, but I have my foot in both worlds…..”

Jennifer Lopez On The Future: “The experience of living is very important for an artist, for somebody who has to express those emotions. I feel I’m about to leave my whole life behind and go to the next thing. I really mean that: Bye-bye, house; bye-bye, everything. Next thing, here I come. Let’s go. Maybe a year and a half ago, I wasn’t ready, but now I am. There’s no tentativeness, no doubt, no fear.”

Thanks to a good December, the 2010 Ford Mustang topped the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in sales in 2009. Ford sold a total of 66,623 Mustangs while Chevrolet sold 61,618 Camaros.

Even though Camaro sales topped the Mustang month by month towards the end of the year, a strong boost in December helped Mustang take the lead. Ford sold 6,327 Mustang units in December, 62 percent more than a year ago and much more than the 3,627 the Dearborn automaker sold in November.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that the 2010 Mustang was offered in two other variants including the convertible and the Shelby GT500.

Either way, things should get interesting next year with the debut of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, 305-hp V6 2011 Mustang and the new 412-hp 5.0L V8 Mustang.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: StraightLine

Entertainment information and technology leaders to align to provide media companies new options for increasing customer satisfaction and revenue

Collaboration will enable powerful navigation, search and discovery of Movies, Television and Music across on-air, online and personal media libraries

Tribune Media Services (TMS), a leading provider of entertainment information databases, and Gracenote®, a leading digital entertainment information and technology company, plan to team up to enable new and better ways for consumers to organize their media collections, explore and discover entertainment content and enhance their entire home media experience.

The strategic alliance will combine the value of TMS’ deep database of TV, movie and celebrity information with Gracenote’s Global Media Database and industry-leading media identification and management solutions.

The relationship will help device manufacturers and service providers deliver unprecedented ways for their consumers to recognize, navigate, search and discover television, movie and music content seamlessly across multiple digital devices.

This alliance will provide media and technology companies with advanced solutions that offer three key benefits:

• Consumers will be able to easily organize and enrich their personal media libraries. Combining Gracenote’s DVD/Blu-ray, Digital File, and Streaming VideoID(TM) recognition technologies and core metadata with TMS’ deep and rich TV and Movie and Celebrity information will provide consumers with a simple way to organize their home media collections and enrich them with detailed descriptive information and images.
• Video service providers will have new ways to increase customer satisfaction through better recommendations and guides. The Gracenote-TMS solution will enable important upgrades to recommendation engines and program guides.
  • Consumers will be able to search and browse the world of television, movies and music thanks to deeply linked databases that show the relationships connecting programs, films, and recordings and the actors, directors and musicians who created them.
  • Gracenote’s recognition technology enables recommendations to be based on a consumer’s existing collection of digital media files and DVD/Blu-ray discs.
  • Consumers will be able to fluidly and effortlessly navigate from a film or TV program on DVD/Blu-ray to related upcoming programming available from broadcast, VOD or broadband services.
• Video service providers will have new ways to increase revenue. Providing better recommendations and guides will allow video service providers to increase up-sell opportunities. Whether a consumer is enjoying a program on-air, a DVD/Blu-ray or digital music files, service providers can present consumers with numerous opportunities to see related content available via Video-On-Demand, digital download or disc rentals.

“Consumers need help discovering the content they’ll like the best and managing their digital collections,” said Jay Fehnel, Vice President, TMS Entertainment Products.

“By combining TMS’ vast descriptive metadata, images and program schedules with the power of Gracenote’s technology, we can help consumers find their best entertainment options more quickly and easily.”

“Consumers are amassing large TV and movie collections and are looking for a simple way to organize them, and want to learn more about their favorite movies, shows, actors and directors. Consumers also want to find other titles that are in line with their tastes,” said Jim Hollingsworth, SVP of Sales and Marketing, Gracenote.

“By aligning with TMS, we will be able to bring a leading provider of entertainment information together with the industry standard in media recognition and search technology to deliver the most comprehensive media management and discovery solution on the market.”

Gracenote and TMS capabilities will be demonstrated at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 7-10 in Gracenote’s booth in the LVCC South Hall 3, #31106.

About Tribune Media Services

Tribune Media Services’ Entertainment Products division is an international leader in entertainment navigation. TMS provides industry-leading databases of TV, movie and celebrity information; guides in print, online and on-screen formats; and advertising and marketing services to build audiences.

The company also produces Zap2it.com, the web site that connects engaged entertainment fanatics to popular TV shows, celebrities, movies, events and other fans.

TMS metadata powers leading guide products which reach millions of consumers in 40 countries through clients including Microsoft, Google, TiVo, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, IMDb and The New York Times.

For more information about TMS Entertainment Products visit TribuneMediaServices.com.

About Gracenote

A pioneer in the digital media industry, Gracenote combines information, technology, services and applications to create ingenious entertainment solutions for the global market.

From media management, enrichment and discovery products to content identification technologies, Gracenote allows providers of digital media products and the content community to make their offerings more powerful and intuitive, enabling superior consumer experiences.

The company’s solutions integrate the broadest, deepest, and highest quality global metadata and enriched content with an infrastructure that services billions of searches a month from thousands of products used by hundreds of millions consumers.

Gracenote’s customers include the biggest names in the consumer electronics, mobile, automotive, software and Internet industries. The company’s partners in the entertainment community include major music publishers and labels, prominent independents and movie studios.

Gracenote, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, is headquartered in Emeryville, California.

For more information, please visit gracenote.com.

Gracenote is a registered trademark of Gracenote, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Dana Gage, 817-275-5161
Executive Director, Division Marketing
[email protected]

Veronica Skelton, 415-342-3435
PR Director, Gracenote
[email protected]

VMECA VBF-series Suction Cup (/Vacuum pad)

Feature and Strengths

¢º Enhancing the adhesion to the surface
¢º Good lifting force can be achieved with this cup in the vertical plane
¢º Prevent transformation when lifting metal thin plate

Suitable for Handling

¢º Veneer Sheets
¢º Sheet Metal
¢º Automotive panels and door
¢º Plywood
¢º Glass

VTEC/VMECA suction cups are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes, materials and configurations. The standard pads range from 2mm to 400mm in diameter, with lifting forces of up to 1,300kg at -90kPa.
Many type of object and meterials can be lifted, flat, curved, smooth, coarse, dense and porous.
All the cups are manufactured to very high standards, and cups can be ordered separately or complete with pad fitting.

Zwick offers significant improvements in Melt Index Measurement

Zwick’s new Aflow extrusion plastometer was presented to industry specialists for the first time at the 18th testXpo international testing technology forum. “With this instrument we have demonstrated that new developments leading to significant improvements are possible even for really classical methods such as MFR/MVR determination,” states Florian Liebert, who as product manager oversaw development of the new plastometer.
A glance at Aflow confirms that it does indeed represent a new direction in melt index measurement. Designed for 50 kg test loads, the instrument presents a compact appearance. Florian Liebert explains: “This is basically because the instrument uses state-of-the-art force control in place of the usual individual weights. We have been installing force and position-controlled drives in testing machines at Zwick for many years and they are also commonly employed in rheometer construction. It seemed logical to apply this proven technology to high-quality extrusion plastometers as well.”
The advantages of this technology are that it makes melt index determination significantly easier and more reliable. It offers the option of controlling the start position specified in the standards by means of superimposed force and speed control. At the start of measurement the instrument identifies the amount of polymer in the extrusion barrel and determines independently, on the basis of pre-set limit values, the load to be used in the pre-heating phase. This is a crucial advantage when polymers with unknown MFR are being tested, and also when operators have not adhered precisely to the specified charge quantity.
Load application via electromechanical drive provides greatly improved load control during the test. Weight application in classical instruments almost always involves percussive loadings; these are greatly reduced with Aflow. Multi-stage tests in particular, i.e. tests with various test loads, are largely impact-free using this instrument. Residual material at the end of the test can easily be extruded using the maximum test load of 50 kg, saving testing time.
The new Aflow is equipped with a pneumatic device for cleaning the extrusion barrel. This is a simple and fast two step process – the operator positions a cleaning pad and presses a button. Admittedly many polymers require the procedure to be repeated several times, but it is still considerably easier than manual cleaning.
This device can also be used for pre-compacting the test material directly after charging. The advantage is that pre-compacting is performed in a uniform manner, reducing operator influence and giving more consistent results.

Aflow has all the features of Zwick’s existing product range, including automatic parameter control (APC), by which the optimum test parameters are determined and applied during the test. It also includes automatic bubble detection, which eliminates measurements distorted by air-bubbles.
The temperature in the extrusion barrel is generated by four heating elements, allowing Aflow to achieve a temperature accuracy of better than + 0.3°C over the relevant area of the barrel.
The instrument is usually controlled via a PC with testXpert® II test software. Up to six Aflow and Mflow instruments can be managed and controlled by one PC. Highly operator-friendly stand-alone operation is also available, however.
“This instrument has been developed for testing-laboratories with a very high throughput, where testing is carried out continuously in three-shift operation. Here every movement counts and equipment must be highly robust and reliable in operation,“ is Florian Liebert’s summary of the development concept behind the new product. It will also appeal to customers who simply appreciate the operating convenience which the new Aflow offers.

VINSPEC SP – Inline process control for thickness of the antireflection coating at PV-wafers

Winner of the CELL AWARD 2009 in the category: Best technology for silicon feedstock and wafer processes

VINSPEC SP is a joint development between tec5 in Oberursel/Germany, specialists for industrial spectroscopic measuring systems and VITRONIC in Wiesbaden/Germany, the machine vision specialists whose camera based inline quality inspection systems are already integrated into several hundred automated PV cell and module production lines.

Innovative Aspects
In contrast to traditionally used imaging systems VINSPEC SP employs a high end diode array spectrometer, which offers a direct method to measure physical properties of one or more coating layers, instead of indirect calculations from colour values. From this data the layer thickness is determined with an accuracy of better 1 nm. The data from the 9 observed spots allows effective screening of the overall properties of the wafer. Owing to high speed spectroscopic technology, this data is collected on-the-fly (~250 ms, depending on belt speed), without interruption of the feeding process. The probe is connected to the instrument via optical fibers, allowing for small and robust probes. In addition the concept of remote probes allows for easy maintenance since measurement electronics including the light source can be accessed without interfering with the running production line.

Benefits
High speed spectroscopic technology allows for short sampling intervals and therefore the possibility of inline process analysis of photovoltaic wafers. Statistics over the 9 measured spots
give precise information about layer thickness, uniformity, major defect areas and overall quality of the coatings on the wafer. Resultant shorter cycle times, a more detailed layer characterization and more information to react to changes in product quality. The possibility to obtain full spectroscopic data in the UV/VIS/NIR-range allows for characterization of multiple layers, making this method ideal for immediate process feedback control.
Together with the benefits of an easy and intuitive graphical user interface which is well known and proven with VINSPEC systems, an industrial spectrometer unit, as well as state of the art communications to line PLCs and MES is a new highly efficient process optimization tool that pays off in a very short time. All measurement results are stored and can be accessed for statistical analysis.
The same spectrometer system is also available without inline add-ons for use as measurement tool in labs.

Does the blind rivet nut follow the turning in the bore? Tecfast GmbH has the solution for the problem. Simple and practical for the production of hexagon bores with the new broaching tool.

From now on the production range of Tecfast Verbindungssysteme GmbH will be expanded with this tool. It offers you simple broaching of hexagon profile bores for anti-twist-secure reception of hexagon blind rivet nuts for M6, M8, M10 and M12.

With mechanical actuation, hexagon profile bores can be generated by only one side of the workpiece. It can be inserted into all usual materials and stainless steel to 5 mm wall-thickness and a tensile strength up to 700N/mm2.

If you think all high-end products are stupid expensive or mammoth monstrosities, the MiniWatt vacuum tube integrated amplifier should change your mind.

What differentiates high-end gear from mass market technology is performance; mainstream manufacturers know sound quality isn’t much of a priority for most buyers, so they build their products to sound just good enough.

By high-end standards at least, the MiniWatt is dirt cheap, just $229 (shipping is $40). And measuring just 5 by 4 inches, the little guy can fit anywhere. Powerful it’s not, just 2.5 watts for each channel, but that should be plenty for desktop applications with wee speakers, like the Audioengine P4s I recently wrote about.

Not convinced? Over at ToneAudio magazine, they hooked up the MiniWatt to a pair of $3,500 Zu Essence tower speakers and were blown away by the sound—so much so that ToneAudio named the amp “Product of the Year” in its budget audio category.

You can get yours in black, silver, gold, red, blue, or green.

Downsides: You get just a single stereo input, but you could add some sort of external switcher to accommodate more sources. You have to buy your own AC power cord; the MiniWatt doesn’t come with one.

The mini wonder is garnering raves from a number of audiophile magazines worldwide, and I think that’s just great. If you’re curious about the sound of tubes, here’s your chance to get in on the fun.

This story originally appeared on CNET

We told you a few months back about how TV host and author Dr. Mehmet Oz was offering his readers the silly advice to purge their pantries of, among other things, foods containing high fructose corn syrup. In doing so, the pop doc was pulling a bit of nutritional wizardry by confusing pure fructose with high fructose corn syrup. The latter is only about 55 percent fructose—roughly the same as table sugar. Apparently, ignorance is bliss in the Land of Oz. On Monday, Dr. Oz appeared on CNN’s Joy Behar Show to once again spin confusion about corn sugar:

OZ: Yes, I know it’s terrible. It’s terrible but it’s true. And of course the other big thing is high fructose corn syrup.

BEHAR: A lot of things have it.

 

OZ: Yes because it’s cheap sugar but it’s poisonous to the liver.

Dr. Oz refers to high fructose corn syrup as “poisonous” without offering any evidence. (Hint: There isn’t any.) And if he wants to be taken seriously, he might use an actual medical dictionary to pick his words, instead of relying on hyperbole.

Alas, despite Dr. Oz’s tornado of scaremongering, people are not dying every time they have a soft drink or eat baked goods. That’s because high fructose corn syrup is perfectly safe and nutritionally no different from table (cane or beet) sugar. Sugar is sugar, and it’s fine in moderation.

Oh, yes—so what’s the Man Behind the Curtain’s solution to this supposedly sugary apocalypse? Oz recommends that viewers use agave nectar (which he spells out as “aguave”) to sweeten their drinks. Ironically, agave nectar contains much more fructose than “high fructose” syrup and table sugar—as much as 92 percent.

If Dr. Oz is concerned about these studies showing the negative effects of pure fructose, why would he recommend that viewers reject lower fructose sweeteners and start using sugars that are high in fructose? It doesn’t make much sense. Of course, he is a TV personality. He’s got to drive ratings somehow. Whipping up a panic is a simple way to do it. Everybody’s looking for the easy-to-remember food rule—just ask Michael Pollan. But being easy to recall doesn’t make “advice” worthwhile.

Once again, Mehmet Oz continues to ignore scientific reality. If he only had a brain…

Sorry for the dearth of material the last week. After all, I am just a scrub blogger and I did take a trip down to Tampa to watch my boys survive a never-say-die Northwestern team. Now that all is right in the world (except the temperature) we’ll try and get some more up this week.

If you’ve paid any attention to the bowls and are in the pick em contest, you’ve noticed that the favorites are getting pounded. In tonight’s Orange Bowl, played appropriately enough in Landshark Stadium, nee Dolphin Stadium, nee Pro Player stadium, nee Joe Robbie stadium, the favorite is Georgia Tech, but don’t sell the Hawkeyes short. Hopefully we’ll have a better game than the Fiesta bowl last night, which was anything but festive.

Stay warm AND thirsty, my friends.

© fanblogs.com

View the original post or comment on Orange Bowl Open Thread…

Facebook is apparently really against against the idea of virtual euthanasia. Last week, we wrote about how it was blocking Seppukoo, a silly app that would let you kill your Facebook account. This week after people started talking about a similar service called the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine (which is similar, if a bit more inclusive — it will delete all your web 2.0 profiles — and entertaining — you get to watch the deletions in realtime), Facebook again rushed forward to block access. Apparently Facebook has no sense of humor at all when it comes to you actually leaving its service.

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This reminds me a bit of the Brazil – Retreaded Tyres case:

Mexico will limit imports of inefficient used cars … the energy ministry said on Tuesday.

…

Stakeholders in the domestic auto market have long lobbied for limits to be placed on the import of older used cars from the United States to help support the domestic market.

"Older used cars from the United States": I wonder if that includes a relatively fuel efficient, but older, Toyota Corollas or Honda Accords.

There are also going to be fuel efficiency standards.

I was pretty skeptical when I tried Pillsbury Easy Frost Frostings because I just don’t care for store-bought frostings too much. They may be easy to use, and it is certainly convenient to have a can in the back of the pantry in case of a cake-frosting emergency, but they tend to be flat and artificial tasting. They don’t compare to the flavor of a quick homemade buttercream. That said, the Easy Frost had an unusual can design to it that promised it would make both frosting and filling cupcakes a breeze because it has a built-in decorator tip on top of the can, so I couldn’t resist giving it a shot.

I’m glad I did because it lived up to its promise of being a “no-fuss frosting.” It piped out easily onto the tops of cupcakes (much easier than any frosting that comes from a standard can!) and you can insert the applicator tip into the cupcake to add a squirt of frosting to the center. The frosting also tasted very good – not just good compared to a canned frosting, either. It was fresh and flavorful. The three varieties I tried, Velvety Cream Cheese, Decadent Chocolate Fudge and Vanilla Dream, all had good flavors and the Cream Cheese and Fudge in particular had a lot more depth to them than I have gotten from other store-bought frostings.

One can will frost a whole two-layer cake (as pictured on my cake above), but the best use is for cupcakes because you can’t beat the convenience of the built-in pastry tip. The cupcakes will look perfect every time. Plus, the can will keep any leftovers fresh until the next time you need frosting. This is one frosting that is worth keeping in the pantry (especially if you have kids who like to decorate and bake), because while I’ll stick to homemade frostings for the most part, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a can of Easy Frost if I had some on hand.

The Independent:

Concern as China clamps down on rare earth exports

By now, you know the details of Google’s first Google-branded, Google-sold “superphone,” the Nexus One: huge AMOLED touchscreen, thin-and-light form factor, available unlocked on T-Mobile, pervasive voice input, etc. And many have already reached for the easiest narrative in which to fit Google’s announcement: the Nexus One is Google’s attempt at an iPhone-killer.

But regardless of the simple conflict stories that the Nexus One announcement evokes, the reaction on Twitter and the comment thread for our liveblog show that the tech-savvy public already understands that the Nexus One is just another Android phone—the latest and greatest Android phone, and possibly even the latest and greatest smartphone—but an Android phone nonetheless.

The Nexus One may or may not be an iPhone killer (it probably isn’t), but it doesn’t matter, because the Nexus One was arguably the least significant thing that Google announced today. The real news at Google’s event this morning—news that could shake up the mobile industry just as thoroughly as the original iPhone announcement—wasn’t a phone at all, but a URL: http://google.com/phone. An online storefront that, if successful, could knock one of the major pillars out the current, much-reviled US carrier model and result in faster, cheaper, more flexible service for mobile users. Here’s how it works.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

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