Monthly Archives: March 2010

Muslim Men came to San Francisco to hunt down Gay people

Posted on by

LR FOLLOW-UP

Shot SF victim in the face because he was Gay

New details emerging in the case of the three Muslim men who shot a Gay man outside a bar on Guerrero Street last week.

From the SF Appeal online newspaper, March 5:

spokesman Officer Samson Chan said... while officers were interviewing him [the victim of the crime] outside the bar, he spotted the same vehicle again driving by...

Police pulled the car over and found three men inside with a "rifle-style" BB gun and a video camera, which investigators later discovered had recorded the shooting, according to Chan.

The three men, Shafiq Hashemi, 21, Sayed Bassam, 21, and Mohammad Habibzada, 24, the driver, were arrested.

"The suspects did make a confession, basically stating that they came to San Francisco to target gay people," he said.

International Fatwa to Attack Gays

The Gay press from California to the East Coast has been reporting on the story, yet it has yet to break into the mainstream media outside of the Bay Area.

From Boston The Edge, "Three Arrested for Anti-Gay Attack" March 5:

The men, all 24 years old and all cousins, videotaped the attack, which was carried out at about 10:00 p.m. on Feb. 26. The victim was shot in the face... Authorities said they believed the men targeted the victim because of his sexuality.

A tenet of the Muslim religion as interpreted by some Islamic scholars is that active homosexuals should be put to death.

U.K.-based Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary, whose past sermons have included warning Muslims to "protect" their families from Christmas or face "hellfire," told the media last year that the religion prescribes death by stoning not only for sexually active gays, but also for heterosexual adulterers. Choudary indicated that being gay was not in itself sinful, saying, "If a man likes another man, it can happen, but if you go on to fulfill your desire, if it is proved, then there is a punishment to follow." However, the cleric said, "You don’t stone to death unless there are four eyewitnesses. It is a very stringent procedure." Choudhury then compared gay intimacy to bestiality, saying, "There are some people who are attracted to donkeys, but that does not mean it is right."

Tumbleweed Rover Ball Could Be Key to Exploring More of Mars [Mars]

Posted on by

Martian rovers with wheels are so 2009, man. And they get stuck in the sand way to easily. What we need is an army of tumbleweed beach ball robots surveying hundreds of miles of Martian surface. NASA's on the case.

The concept is mind-numbingly simple: It's a big, bouncing ball that's light enough to be pushed around Mars by nothing but the planet's wind. Wind that's known to be strong enough to create dust devils and clean Spirit's solar panels from time-to-time, so this little sucker could really get moving if conditions are just right.

That's precisely the idea—get moving; get moving fast; and get moving into wide swaths of the Martian landscape so humanity can start doing the kinds of surveys that will be necessary should we ever hope to actually set foot on Mars with a limb that's decidedly human, and not robot.

Test designs have already been deployed to Martian-like environments in Antarctica and Greenland, where they successfully traversed hundreds of miles of terrain without incident. These were inflatable designs that had the ability to deflate and remain stationary (to perform experiments), before re-inflating and continuing on.

So, exciting news for us here on Earth, and super exciting news for whatever might live on Mars—you guys could soon be on the receiving end of your very own ball pit. It'd be like Chuck E. Cheese's, but with less color and more NASA branding. And probing. Oh, the probing! [MSNBC]


speakers!

Posted on by

Hi could anyone please tell me where I can find specs for speakers inside mobile phones?

I'm designing a wrist personal alarm for my final year project so quite like my device to be small enough to be worn around the wrist but still have an effective alarm sound volume. Current alarms on the ma

Wonders of the solar system | Bad Astronomy

Posted on by

Starting tonight on the BBC, a new series premiers called "Wonders of the Solar System". The host is some guy named Brian Cox. He’s a particle physicist! I don’t see the BBC hiring me to do a show on the Large Hadron Collider, so this doesn’t seem fair. And I’m a little concerned about how much Brian knows about the LHC, anyway.

Still, it looks cool. Here’s the trailer:

Seriously, this will be awesome. I can’t wait to see it!


Going Green is Business as Usual

Posted on by

For those who think that turning your HVAC business into a green shop means abandoning old business practices for new ones, listen to my dad. A 74 year old upstate NY contractor who works a 60 hour work week, produces an ear-to-ear grin every time he receives an RFQ for a LEED-financed commercial co

Taking Responsibility?

Posted on by

The past few months haven't been kind to Toyota. More than 8 million cars recalled world-wide, including popular Corolla and Prius models, a Congressional investigation, and other public-relations reversals. The company says difficulties stem from trying to grow too quickly. How do you react? Did th

Quality Comes and Goes

Posted on by

Product quality, or the lack thereof, has dominated the news lately, with Toyota as exhibit one. But quality seems to go in cycles — companies that were once derided for poor quality later became synonymous with the best, only to fall again. And it's not just true in the auto industry. What ca

Google Gigawatts

Posted on by

It's hard to deny the positive value Google provides with its Internet search engine. Now, they're fast creating footholds in many mega-markets (online books, social networks, fiber-optic broadband networks). Google's latest giga-move was their request to be a utility; they asked for, and received,

Euro-Libertarian Geert Wilders interviewed by American Libertarian Bruce Bawer

Posted on by

From Eric Dondero:

Today we are running a three-part series over at our sister site Worldwide Liberty, of a recent interview conducted by American journalist Bruce Bawer with Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders.

Bruce is a former liberal reporter for the NY Times, who turned right-libertarian after 9/11. He authored the best seller, "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within." (Which I have read 5 times over, and is one of my all-time top 5 if not my number one favorite book). The book chronicles what life was like in Western Europe (Denmark, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Norway), immediately after 9/11. He goes into detail about the deep predjudice European Muslims have against Gays, and the violence they've committed against Homosexuals throughout Europe. He also describes the murders at the hands of Islamist assassins of film maker Theo van Gogh (photo - left), and Dutch MP and Presidential candidate Pym Fortuyn (photo - right).

Writes Bawer in the book's intro:

The European political and media establishment turned a blind eye to all this, selling out women, Jews, gays, and democratic principles -- even criminalizing free speech -- in order to pacify the radical Islamists and preserve the illusion of multicultural harmony.

Pym Fortuyn, Theo van Gogh murdered by Muslims on the Streets of Holland

Pym Fortuyn was the longtime Dutch MP, and leader of the Livable Netherlands Party (the forerunner of Wilder's Party of Freedom). An open homosexual, Fortuyn was a former leftwinger who turned rightwing libertarian after watching his beloved Netherlands being taken over by an increasingly radical Islamist element. He was considered the frontrunner for Dutch President in 2002. He was assassinated in the city of Hilversum, in North Holland by Volkert van der Graaf. Van der Graaf was described by the Euro-media as a "radical environmentalist." Yet covered up by the Euro-media was his conversion to Islam, months before the assasination.

Theo van Gogh, great-grand nephew of the famous Dutch painter, was assasinated in 2005 on the streets of Amsterdam. He was a friend of Pym Fortuyn and a member of the Dutch Republican Society. Van Gogh was a radical atheist, who despised all religion. In 2005, he produced a short film titled "Submission," which criticized Islam for its treatment of women. He was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri, a 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan citizen. As he pleaded for his life, Bouyeri stuck a long knife in his chest and twisted it, to the horror of passers-by.

Wilders was originally aligned with Fortuyn in the Dutch Parliament. Today he is widely considered the heir to the Fortuyn legacy.

Bawer, one of America's great libertarian authors, ignored by the official Libertarian Movement

His current work "Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom" (available at Amazon) continues in the same vain as his previous work. From Booklist:

Narrowing his scope from While Europe Slept (2005) but retaining its theme of radical Islamic assault on Western civil liberties, Bawer files a hefty brief of case reports on Muslim campaigns against free speech, primarily in western Europe but also in Canada and the U.S. Official infatuation with political correctness (PC), the determination that no one ever be offended, and multiculturalism, the dogma that all cultural perspectives are equally and universally valid...

Amazingly and very dissapointedly, Bruce, who lives in The Netherlands and part-time in Norway, is shunned by the American libertarian movement; No feature write-ups at Reason, no invites to address the Cato Institute, no meetings with top leaders of the Libertarian Party. This despite the fact that he's a self-avowed "libertarian." But his views, that Islam represents the greatest of threats to the liberties of Americans, don't fit the template of the left-leaning on foreign policy Libertarian establishment. To give credence to Bawer (or Wilders for that matter), would put these Left-Libertarians in the uncomfortable position of acknowledging the threat to our Liberties from Radical Islamism.

But Bruce is an absolute hero to Right libertarians. His activism, and certainly the activism of Geert Wilders, serve as a great inspiration to this website, and our movement of pro-defense libertarianism.

Geert Wilders: The World's Greatest Defender of Liberty

From Bruce Bawer (Intro to Video series):

Geert Wilders, a member of the Tweede Kamer and head of the Freedom Party, is a target for countless individuals in the Netherlands who would murder him in the name of Islam, and is obliged to spend his life behind all these layers of protection in order to avoid the unthinkable. In the last decade, after all, there have already been two assassinations of famous Dutch critics of Islam, Pim Fortuyn in 2002 and Theo van Gogh in 2004. And yet Wilders’s opponents in parliament, whose lives are shaped by the impact of the high-level security procedures that have become an everyday routine at their workplace, act as if the very threat that makes these procedures vitally necessary is a chimera. Indeed, to listen to them, and to the media, and to the great majority of the professors and commentators and business leaders who make up the Dutch establishment, is to acquire the distinct impression that it is Wilders himself, and not his Islamic would-be murderers, who represents a danger to Dutch society.

In the interview that follows, I cite an opinion piece that appeared on Thursday in Trouw, a major Dutch newspaper (I mistakenly refer to it as having been in De Volkskrant), in which Thomas Mertens, a law professor at universities in Nijmegen and Leiden, argues that Wilders, by seeking so urgently to clarify for the general public the truth about Islam, is actually undermining the central precept that underlies the Dutch social contract which has been in place for centuries: namely, the agreement among members of different faith traditions to tolerate their theological differences – to close their eyes, as it were, to one another’s truth claims. What Mertens and others like him refuse to acknowledge is that the willingness of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans, and others to agree to disagree about theological abstractions has no relevance whatsoever to the present situation, in which the Netherlands, and the West generally, are confronting a faith tradition for whose most committed adherents theological abstractions have calamitous real-world consequences – not only terrorist attacks but such appalling practices as polygamy, forced marriage, honor killing, and the execution of apostates, gays, and adulteresses.

Indeed, what we are speaking of when we speak about Islam is a religion whose holy book calls for the conquest of infidel-run territories in the name of Allah – a religion, that is, whose guiding beliefs leave no room for the kind of live-and-let-live mentality that Mertens and his ilk think, or pretend to think, can still be relevant in a country whose largest cities will soon have Muslim majorities. In a nation whose guiding philosophy for centuries has been “don’t rock the boat,” Wilders has dared to challenge this traditional attitude and address these terrible realities, and it is for having done so that he is now on trial for speaking his mind – and speaking the truth.

For more information on Bawer's books and activities as well as links to the European right libertarian movement visit: BruceBawer.com

control and safety sytem for small skids

Posted on by

what is the proper and optimize solution if you want to control standalone skid for example (pumps and tanks) with very Little control points and more Little shutdown points?

Do we need separate control and safety system for this small system or we use one control system to do both process and

Jay Barbree Needs A Fact Checker

Posted on by

Keith's note: Apparently no one does fact checking for NBC's Jay Barbree any more. In this video he says that NASA has spent "$10 billion" on the Constellation program and that NASA Is "close to completing it". He also claims that it would cost "$5 to 6 Billion to shut this program down" and that "70 to 100,000" NASA and contractor jobs would be lost. He also claims that "Mission Control would go dark in Houston at the Manned Spacecraft Center ... as well as installations in California and Utah." He then says "America will be going to third, fourth, and fifth place" in space. As for where the policy came from he says "I cannot find anybody to tell me that President Obama's fingerprints are on this [plan] ... the only fingerprints that I know are on this plan are from lower level bureaucrats." In closing he says "We need to get to the bottom of this because pretty soon we could be killing a lot of astronauts".

March Skies

Posted on by

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s going to be another nice day here, I’m going to hoe out the observatory.  Skies are starting to show promise from the “normal” cloudy state. Since I just fixed some electrical issues the scope is back in business and after doing a calibration etc., I want to try and get a look at the little asteroid in the video, not sure if I can but the fun is in the trying.

Looks like my bees came through the winter in fine shape.  Spring can’t possibly get here fast enough!

Video

2010 Toyota Stalling and ignition sticking problem

Posted on by

On occasion when I start my 2010 Toyota it will run for about three seconds and then stall/shut-off. This problem will repeat itself six, seven times before finally starting. Also during this same time my ignition will stick once or twice and the motor continues to turn over until I actually turn th

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 and G10 Micro Four Thirds Cameras: G2 Gets Touchscreen Control, Both Get HD Video [Microfourthirds]

Posted on by

Panasonic has pulled the sheets off two new Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras: the touchscreen DMC-G2 and the super light G10. Both shoot 720p video, but the G2's bendy, touch control screen makes it a Micro Four Thirds stand out.

The DMC-G2 is the direct descendant of the Lumix G1, the first ever Micro Four Thirds camera. It has a 12.1MP Live MOS sensor and shoots 720p video in AVCHD lite, activated by a dedicated video record button. But its real claim to fame: being the first interchangeable lens system camera with a bendy, twisty touchscreen that can be used to control the camera.

The 3" LCD screen has that 460,000 dot resolution goodness you're looking for and some neat features you might not be expecting. Focus can be adjusted by touching the desired subject on the screen, and photos can be snapped giving it an additional tap. It rotates 180 degrees side to side and tilts 270 degrees up and down—basically you can get to it no matter how you're holding the camera.

Also, it's available in black, red, and blue. Cool.

The G10 is more of an introductory affair, boasting the claim as the lightest micro four thirds to still sport a digital viewfinder. To make things easy, G10 offers a bevy of beginner friendly settings: Intelligent Auto mode, MEGA O.I.S. for eliminating shaky hand-blur, Intelligent Exposure and more.

The G10, like the G2, has a 12.1MP Live MOS sensor and can grab 720p HD video. The camera has a 460,000 dot 3" LCD as well as a 202,000 dot equivalent viewfinder.

Both the G2 and the G10 come with the new Vario 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 compact zoom lens (35mm equivalent to 28-84mm) as part of their kit.

Pricing will be announced a month before the cameras ship. Check below for full press releases.

LUMIX DMC-G2, WORLD'S FIRST* INTERCHANGEABLE LENS SYSTEM CAMERA WITH TOUCH-CONTROL MOVABLE LCD

Panasonic LUMIX G2 Features a 3-Inch Touch-Screen, Allowing for Quick and Intuitive Setting Changes, such as Focus, with a Single Touch

Secaucus, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today announces the LUMIX DMC-G2, the world's first* digital interchangeable lens system camera with a movable LCD that allows for touch-control, and the successor to the award-winning and revolutionary LUMIX G1, which was the world's first Micro Four Thirds digital camera. The intuitive touch-control shooting elevates the camera's operability, letting the user adjust auto focus (AF) simply by touching the subject on the large 3.0-inch 460,000-dot high- resolution LCD. The LUMIX G2, also shoots 720p High Definition video using the AVCHD Lite format, and joins the LUMIX G10, also introduced today, as the latest models in the LUMIX G Micro System.

With the touch-screen operation, users can even snap a photo by touching the LUMIX G2's screen. Additionally, the touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting but also during playback. Users can touch one thumbnail viewed among many to quickly and easily see the full size of the desired photo. Also, to view images one-by-one, photos can be dragged across the screen to browse as though flipping the pages of a book.

"With the LUMIX G2, Panasonic is pleased to continue to lead the evolution of the Micro Four Thirds platform and also be the first in the industry to offer a touch-screen interchangeable lens system camera," said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Touch-operation is a user interface with which many consumers are both familiar and expect, and we think the LUMIX G2's touch-operation makes it easier and quicker to take photos and videos that have professional-like effects."

Using the touch-screen operation, once a user locks onto a subject, the LUMIX G2 enables AF Tracking and will track the subject as it moves within the frame. Then, with a touch on the screen, users can select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The Multi-area AF sets a group of AF points according to the composition. While using the manual focus, users can enlarge a subject by touching it and then choosing to enlarge it by 1x, 5x or 10x and then smoothly moving the part by dragging it on the screen. With this touch operation, menu settings can be changed quickly; cutting the time it takes to navigate using standard cursors. However, all setting changes can still be done using the control pad, if preferred.

The LUMIX G2 records 1280 x 720 HD videos in the AVCHD Lite format, which increases recording capacity and is highly compatible with audio-visual equipment. With a dedicated video record button, users can easily start recording a video. To complement its high-quality video capabilities, the LUMIX G2 features advanced audio options, as sound is recorded with Dolby Digital Creator and an optional accessory stereo microphone can be attached. A Wind Cut function further enhances the sound as it helps reduce noise caused from background wind.

The 3.0-inch touch-operation LCD has a wide-viewing angle and rotates 180° from side to side and tilts 270° up and down, providing approximately 100% of field of view. This free-angle LCD with a touch-screen operation makes it possible to both view and touch the screen from any angle. The double Live-View function offered by the high-resolution, 460,000-dot free-angle Intelligent LCD and 1,440,000-dot 1.4x (0.7x) Live View Finder allows users to see the settings' results before pressing the shutter.

The 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor featured in the LUMIX G2 offers the best of both worlds – the outstanding image quality of a CCD sensor, and the lower power consumption of a CMOS sensor. Advanced technology enables it to read four channels of data simultaneously, helping the LUMIX G2 to deliver 60 frames-per-second Full-time Live View images, while faithfully reproducing high-resolution images with fine detail and rich gradation. Plus, with the high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which has been re-engineered to further improve image quality.

The new high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II supports the new image processing technology Intelligent Resolution, which enables the recording of beautiful photo and HD video with high quality signal processing. With Intelligent Resolution technology, three areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation – are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges increased clarity, while simultaneously giving a moderate accentuation to the textured areas so they look finely detailed. For the soft gradation areas, the improved noise reduction system of the Venus Engine HD II is applied to achieve a smoother effect. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way, resulting in images that are naturally clear.

For users looking for additional creative options for both photos and videos, the LUMIX G2 delivers. While shooting HD video, users can set the camera in "P" mode – to change the aperture for professional-like movie effects where the images blur into focus. For still photos, the LUMIX G2 features the My Color mode with a total of seven preset effects – Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, and Silhouette while also keeping the Custom mode, which lets users manually set the color, brightness and saturation levels and save their favorite settings into memory.

On the other hand, for beginner users not yet ready for manual modes – the LUMIX G2 features iA (Intelligent Auto), a popular setting in the LUMIX point-and-shoots that automatically engages features and settings for optimal image quality by detecting the shooting environment. Panasonic iA is available in both still photo and video recording settings and a new dedicated iA button, which illuminates in blue when engaged, makes it even easier to use this handy feature.

Other features of the LUMIX G2 include:
• Dust Reduction System: If dust or other foreign matter gets inside the camera when you're changing lenses, it could cling to the image sensor and show up as a spot in your photos. The Dust Reduction System in the G2 helps eliminate this possibility by placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.
• Included Software: PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition makes it possible to sort and organize photos. Videos can be uploaded directly to YouTube using the built-in YouTube uploader – even in HD quality. It also lets you create a 360-degree rotation panorama file in .MOV files. The software is compatible with the Windows 7.

The Panasonic LUMIX G2 will come equipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for a wide variety of scenes, everything from dynamic landscape to portrait. Additionally, the LUMIX G2 is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds System lenses, allowing users even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera.

The LUMIX DMC-G2 and other LUMIX G Micro System digital cameras can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds standard via an optional mount adaptor DMW-MA1 and with the prestigious Leica M/R Lenses via DMW-MA2M or MA3R. Other accessories include external flashes, filters, a remote shutter, HDMI mini cables and a variety of stylish straps and bags. To learn about the Panasonic LUMIX Micro Four Thirds System and all the available accessories, visit http://www.panasonic.com/lumix. The Panasonic LUMIX G2 will be available in red, blue and black models and pricing and availability will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date.

PANASONIC LUMIX G10, WORLD'S LIGHTEST* DIGITAL INTERCHANGEABLE LENS SYSTEM CAMERA WITH A VIEWFINDER

Compact and easy-to-use, the LUMIX G10 shoots high-quality photos and HD video and is an approachable alternative for users new to system cameras

Secaucus, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today introduces an addition to its Panasonic LUMIX G Series, the LUMIX DMC-G10, the world's lightest* digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder, which packs a host of advanced digital camera functions designed to be easy-to-use for users new to system cameras. The new compact and portable LUMIX G10, which can record High Definition (HD) video in addition to high-quality still images, joins the LUMIX DMC-G2, also introduced today, as part of the Panasonic LUMIX G Series.

"The LUMIX G Micro System has revolutionized the photography industry ever since the release of the Panasonic G1, the world's first interchangeable lens system camera based on the Micro Four Thirds System standard," said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "We continue to expand this award-winning LUMIX G Series, and with its easy-to-use features and compact size, we expect the G10 to attract a lot of new users who want to step-up from their point-and-shoots."

The LUMIX G10, with its incredible compact body and portable design, uses a mirrorless structure as part the Micro Four Thirds System standard, eliminating a number of components that are found in a conventional interchangeable lens camera, including the mirror box and optical viewfinder unit. This innovative structure allows for the LUMIX G10 to be the world's lightest system camera in a compact digital camera design that is a desired feature for new users. Adding to its lightweight body, the LUMIX G10 will come equipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for shooting a wide-range of scenes, from dynamic landscape to portrait.

Panasonic designed the LUMIX G10 to be easy to use offers iA (Intelligent Auto) mode – with its shooting assist functions that have proven extremely popular in LUMIX compact cameras. Panasonic's iA (Intelligent Auto), an easy shooting mode with automatic optimization according to the scene in either photo and video recording, is helpful to beginner users unfamiliar with an interchangeable lens system camera. With the new dedicated iA button, which illuminates in blue when engaged, activating this mode is even easier and can be used to shoot both photos and videos.

When shooting still photos, iA offers the following: MEGA O.I.S., which helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motion blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves; Intelligent Exposure optimizes exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced properly; Intelligent Scene Selector detects the most common shooting situations – Portrait, Night Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery, Close-up and Sunset – and switches to the appropriate Scene mode automatically – no setting changes needed.

The LUMIX G10 can record 1280 x 720 HD video in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats. Users can enjoy recording HD videos while taking advantage of the high quality lens and the flexibility to change to other lenses. Even users new to recording videos will find the LUMIX G10 makes it easy. Panasonic's iA for video offers the following: Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom; Face Detection** automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion; Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows; Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Close-up, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality.

With AF Tracking, the LUMIX G10 can lock onto any subject and keep it in focus even if it moves – making it easy to get beautiful, clear shots of moving subjects, such as children and pets. Simply aim, lock, and shoot. The Face Recognition function remembers registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face using Category Playback. The contrast AF system adopted by the LUMIX DMC-G10 is not only accurate and easy to use, but also very fast. Users can choose from a wide range of AF modes, including AF Tracking, 1-area AF, Face Detection AF/AE and 23-area AF.

The LUMIX G10's Live View Finder, with a resolution of 202,000-dot equivalent, 1.04x (0.52x*) retains the viewability of an optical viewfinder and displays information about its settings that users can see without removing their eye from the subject. The 60 fps Live View is powered by the Live MOS sensor, which takes signals directly from the image sensor and sends them continuously to the LCD, in real time. Both the Live View Finder and LCD provide approximately 100% field of view. This allows the user, when composing a shot, to check the framing accurately from corner to corner. The 3.0-inch large 460,000-dot high-resolution LCD with wide viewing angle automatically controls the brightness according to the situation as an Intelligent LCD.

The 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor and the new Venus Engine HD II help to separate chromatic noise from luminance noise and apply the optimal noise reduction to each, so users can capture clear and beautiful images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels. The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which has been re-engineered to incorporate the new image processing technology, Intelligent Resolution, enables the recording of beautiful photo and HD video with high quality signal processing. With Intelligent Resolution technology, three areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation –are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges increased clarity, while simultaneously giving a moderate accentuation to the textured areas so they look finely detailed. For the soft gradation areas, the improved noise reduction system of the Venus Engine HD II is applied to achiever a smoother effect. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way, resulting in images that are naturally clear.

All Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras are equipped with the highly-efficient Dust Reduction System. If dust or other foreign matter gets inside the LUMIX G10 while changing lenses, it could cling to the image sensor and show up as a spot in your photos. However, with the Dust Reduction System, it helps eliminate this possibility by placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.

Other features of the LUMIX G10 include:
• My Color mode with a total of seven preset effects – Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, Silhouette. Also includes Custom mode, which lets users manually set the color, brightness and saturation levels. For beginners, the LUMIX G10's full-time Live View function lets users see how these settings will affect the images before they shoot, making it easier to capture the exact mood or atmosphere desired.
• Scene modes total 26, including the Peripheral Defocus mode, which lets users take a photo where the foreground is in focus and background is blurred – or vice versa. This popular effect can be intimidating for a beginner, but in the Peripheral Defocus mode, by simply selecting the objects to be blurred and focused using the camera's keypad, it is simple for photographers of any level.
• Exposure meter can be displayed in the P/A/S/M shooting modes. The correlation between shutter speed and aperture is shown, with a color-coded warning system that alerts users when the settings are not in the proper range. For those new to system camera digital photography, this makes it easy to learn proper settings both visually and logically, enhancing their photography skills.

The Panasonic LUMIX G10 is compatible with Micro Four Thirds System lenses, allowing users even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera. In addition to LUMIX G lenses, the LUMIX DMC-G10 and LUMIX G Micro System can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds standard via an optional mount adaptor DMW-MA1 and with the prestigious Leica M/R Lenses via DMW-MA2M or MA3R.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic LUMIX G10 will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. It will be available in black. To learn about the Panasonic LUMIX Micro Four Thirds System and all the available accessories, visit http://www.panasonic.com/lumix.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT STANDARD ZOOM LENS FOR LUMIX G SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS

SECAUCUS, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today introduces a new interchangeable lens for its LUMIX G Micro System, the ultra-compact and lightweight LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens offers versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for a wide variety of scenes, everything from dynamic landscape to portrait. The LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens will be part of the kit lens for the latest additions to the LUMIX G Series of digital cameras: the LUMIX DMC-G10 and LUMIX DMC-G2, also introduced today.

The new LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens incorporates Panasonic's MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), which makes it easy to shoot clear photographs, even in low-lit situations, by suppressing the blur caused by a shaky hand. Adopting an inner-focus system driven by a stepping motor, the superior optical design realizes outstanding smoothness to support the high-speed AF (Auto Focus) system of LUMIX G cameras. When mounted on any of these cameras, this new lens allows users to maximize all of the AF system's functions.

With its minimum focus distance of 30cm even at full zoom, this lens provides a maximum photographic magnification of 0.32x (35mm equivalent). Seven aperture blades make up a circular aperture diaphragm to produce an attractive smoothness in out-of-focus areas even when shooting at a large aperture. The LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens system uses multi-coated lens elements that reduce blur, helping to deliver superior performance. This new lens system also features excellent contrast even at its highest zoom level. The inclusion of an aspherical lens improves optical performance by minimizing distortion, even at the 28mm wide end. For more information on the Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras, lenses and accessories, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/lumix.