Monthly Archives: March 2015

Rare Walt Disney World Resort Holiday Guide 1998 presented by Andrea Boardman and UniJet – Video

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Rare Walt Disney World Resort Holiday Guide 1998 presented by Andrea Boardman and UniJet
Walt Disney World Resort Holiday Guide presented by Andrea Boardman and UniJet 1998 a very interesting and well made disney world travel video featuring 2 british families and presented...

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Rare Walt Disney World Resort Holiday Guide 1998 presented by Andrea Boardman and UniJet - Video

Jos Manuel Barroso and Ana Botn among speakers at the WTTC 15th annual Global Summit in Madrid

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Comunidad de Madrid and Madrid City Hall confirm the event as one of the biggest milestones for Spains Travel & Tourism sector in 2015.

Jos Manuel Barroso will speak at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 15th annual Global Summit in Madrid, 15-16 April 2015. At a press conference at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum today, Spanish government authorities and WTTC announced that the theme for the Summit will be 'Disruption & Reinvention'. They also announced that the former President of the European Commission will speak at the prestigious global event alongside international business leaders including Ana Botn, Executive Chairman of Santander Bank. Up to 1000 people from around the world, including 300 chief executives, government ministers, thought leaders and media will come to Madrid for the Summit.

Co-hosted by Comunidad de Madrid and Madrid City Hall, with the collaboration of the Spanish Ministry of Tourism, the Summit will be held in Madrid's largest conference venue, IFEMA, and a Gala Dinner will take place at Palacio de Cibeles in the city centre.

Jos Manuel Barroso's presentation will discuss Europe's economic and political past, present and future and how Travel & Tourism stands as Europe enters a new political environment. Other speakers at the Summit include Luis Gallego, CEO, Iberia; Luis Maroto, President, Amadeus; Federico Gonzlez Tejera, CEO, NH Hotel Group; Petra Nemcova, philanthropist; Richard Leakey, anthropologist and conservationist; and David Scowsill, President and CEO, WTTC. The full list of speakers can be found at http://www.wttc.org/summits/the-global-summit-2015/speakers/

Leaders and industry experts will discuss the industry's global growth and the characteristics of tourism in the future. Thought leaders from inside and outside Travel & Tourism will give their perspective on some of the disruptive forces challenging the sector today including geopolitical risk, climate change and technology - and how the sector can respond to them. Tourism development in Spain will also be explored, with a focus on Madrid's emergence as a hub linking Spain to the rest of the world.

Travel & Tourism leaders from across the world and industry sectors, will come to the Summit including from aviation: Temel Kotil, CEO of Turkish Airlines, James Hogan, CEO of Etihad, and Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair; from the technology and distribution sector: Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Expedia, and CC Zhuang, CEO of Qunar; and from hospitality: Chris Nassetta, CEO of Hilton, Richard Solomons, CEO of IHG, and Chip Conley, Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy of Airbnb. David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, says the Global Summit is a must-attend event; "There is no higher event in the Travel & Tourism calendar for Travel & Tourism private and public sector leaders. Despite economic downturns, terrorist attacks, social unrest, extreme weather events and health pandemics, the Travel & Tourism sector remains resilient. This year's Global Summit will explore the state of Travel & Tourism around the world and where reinvention is necessary to maintain and grow market share".

The Spanish Ministry of Tourism, Comunidad de Madrid and Madrid's City Hall say the hosting of the global event in Madrid has great significance for the city and Spain.

Mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella has declared that "the celebration in the capital of the main event of the World Travel & Tourism Council is an extraordinary way to celebrate the good momentum that our touristic sector is experiencing; and corroborates the growth in the number of visitors to the city of Madrid during last year, with more than 8.3 million tourists.

"With this international meeting, Madrid will be, during the month of April, the world's capital for tourism, and the spotlight for trends that make a sector, that is strategic to our economy, grow. This annual appointment, which is celebrated for the first time in our country, will contribute to establish Madrid as a destination in the minds of nearly 1,000 experts in the travel industry, as well as sharing with the whole world the touristic, cultural, gastronomic, shopping and leisure attractions of Madrid", assured Botella.

For Ana Isabel Mario, Regional Minister for Employment, Tourism and Culture of Comunidad de Madrid, the celebration of this Summit gives the region "a unique opportunity to reinforce our status as a first category destination in an increasingly globalized touristic environment, especially in the emerging markets". Mario recalled that Madrid had to compete with other thriving destinations to be chosen as the host for this Summit, rising above them due to the impact the tourism sector has experienced during the last years in the region - 60% more tourists visited than 10 years ago. "We want this sector to continue growing as it employs 300,000 people in the region. That's why during the next four years we will increase by 30% our tourism inflow; increase individual tourist spending by 50%, reduce seasonal demand by 20% and increase travel during the low season".

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Jos Manuel Barroso and Ana Botn among speakers at the WTTC 15th annual Global Summit in Madrid

World Cup: Dhoni unimpressed with India's travel schedule of New Zealand

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Dhoni expressed his displeasure at the travel itinerary of his team that affected the players as many of them were drained due to change in time zone and odd hours of journey. (Getty Images)

Auckland: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday expressed his displeasure at the travel itinerary of his team during their trip to New Zealand which affected the players as many of them were drained due to change in time zone and odd hours of journey.

The Indian team had left Perth for Melbourne on March 7 and reached Auckland from Melbourne at midnight (New Zealand time). From Auckland, it was an hour-and-half's bus journey to Hamilton.

Auckland to Hamilton is a 25-minute flight and no big airbuses operate on that route. The ones that operate are 10-seater small air planes which certainly wasn't enough to carry a jumbo contingent of 33 (15 players and 18 support staff).

Perth is four-and-half hours behind Melbourne while Auckland is two-and-half hours ahead of Melbourne. The time difference does take a toll on the body when one is taking successive flights, which exactly happened with some of the members of the team.

When asked if he is now relieved knowing his quarterfinal opponents and the venue, Dhoni smiled and replied, "It's not about the opposition you play as at the quarter-final stage, more or less all the opponents are of same standard. It could have been both advantage and disadvantage playing in New Zealand as our spinners would be ineffective on smaller grounds. But yes, hope to get a decent business class seats so that we are properly rested before our next game!"

Indian team will be flying on March 16 to Melbourne for their quarter-final against Bangladesh scheduled on March 19.

"Actually if you check our travel schedule when we were coming to New Zealand, it wasn't a great one. As much as we have tried to manage, we couldn't because of the time that we landed in New Zealand, we had bus journey (Auckland to Hamilton). Lot of people had problems in adjusting with the change of time and it affected their sleeping pattern," Dhoni said taking a dig at those who chalked out the travel schedule.

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World Cup: Dhoni unimpressed with India's travel schedule of New Zealand

Forget jet-packs, virtual reality is technology's next big thing and it's here already

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Video will begin in 5 seconds.

Apple Watch unveiled

Samsung Gear VR: a whole new reality

The Age marks 20th anniversary online

Shapeshifting TV

The future of consumer tech

The REALM System is a new resistance-based technology that makes the world of virtual reality gaming feel a whole lot more real. Video supplied.

Forget jet-packs. As any serious geek will testify, today's technological Next Big Thing is consumer virtual reality, or VR.

The manufacture of VR headsets, along with the devices that deliver content to them, is easily the largest and bloodiest of the current global commercial electronics battlefields. Billions of dollars are being invested in research, development and marketing. Big names, from Mark Zuckerberg to Beyonce, are being invoked.

And in the midst of all this corporate Sturm und Drang, two tiny Australian companies, in Ballarat and Bondi, are about to reap the whirlwind.

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Forget jet-packs, virtual reality is technology's next big thing and it's here already

World champion searching for funding

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She has multiple world titles and in a very physical sport which includes sparring she is nicknamed Mouse. But dont let her diminutive stature fool you as Manurewas Melissa Timperley has arguably the most powerful reverse heel kick in the world. In fact she sometimes gets points deducted in competition for kicking too hard.

Timperley, 22 who is studying Sport & Rec at AUT Is a world champion at ITF Taekwon-Do and will be one of the key athletes for the for the New Zealand team as they start their build up towards the world championships in Jesolo, Italy in May this year.

At the previous world champs the team finished third at Benidorm, Spain while two years earlier they were the winning nation at the tournament which was held in Wellington.

Aside from a very intense and tough training regime under the guidance of Master Paul McPhail at the Paul M Gym in Papakura, Timperley now has to raise the finance to make it to Italy and the world champs. Over the years her parents have been essential when it comes to funding trips around the world, however for this trip shes still needing to come up with around $7000.

The same goes for the other 50 plus competitors in the senior and junior team including previous world championships medalists such as Carl Van Room, Mark Trotter, Estelle Speirs, Ethan Parker and Brendan Doogan amongst others.

"I have a sparkmypotential as a start to raise funds. Obviously its difficult to raise the money to travel and my parents have been fantastic supporters of me, but I cant rely on them all the time. I love representing New Zealand and love competing at the top level. So far competing in the sport I love has given me the opportunity to travel the world. It costs, but it also gives me amazing experiences and confidence and who knows where it could eventually lead me, maybe stunt work in the future. Im not sure," says Timperley.

Other athletes are working to pay for their trip to the world champs or using savings, plus other forms of fundraising.

There are four core events: Patterns; Sparring; Power Test; Special Technique. Within each of these events there are both individual and team categories. The categories are further split into junior (under 18) and senior (over 18) classifications, and there are separate male and female divisions. In the case of individual patterns, competitors are further classified by black belt rank, and individual sparring is split into six weight divisions. In addition to the four core events there is also Pre-arranged sparring, which is a pairs competition that has only junior and senior classifications

The world championships will be held 27-31 May 2015 at Jesoio, Italy with nations such as Poland, Argentina and Germany regarded as New Zealands biggest rivals for medals. New Zealand also has a strong junior team which will compete at the tournament.

The Kiwi teams have their own personal training regimes along with weekly trainings in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington as well training camps each month in the lead up to the world championships.

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World champion searching for funding

World Cup 2015: MS Dhoni Not Pleased With India's Travel Schedule of New Zealand

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Travelling has affected sleeping patterns: Dhoni

Auckland: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday expressed his displeasure at the travel itinerary of his team during their trip to New Zealand which affected the players as many of them were drained due to change in time zone and odd hours of journey. (Dhoni's Aura Bigger Than Tendulkar's)

The Indian team had left Perth for Melbourne on March 7 and reached Auckland from Melbourne at midnight (New Zealand time). From Auckland, it was an hour-and-half's bus journey to Hamilton.

Auckland to Hamilton is a 25-minute flight and no big airbuses operate on that route. The ones that operate are 10-seater small air planes which certainly wasn't enough to carry a jumbo contingent of 33 (15 players and 18 support staff). (Dhoni Welcomes Pressure Placed on India)

Perth is four-and-half hours behind Melbourne while Auckland is two-and-half hours ahead of Melbourne. The time difference does take a toll on the body when one is taking successive flights, which exactly happened with some of the members of the team.

When asked if he is now relieved knowing his quarterfinal opponents and the venue, Dhoni smiled and replied, "It's not about the opposition you play as at the quarter-final stage, more or less all the opponents are of same standard. It could have been both advantage and disadvantage playing in New Zealand as our spinners would be ineffective on smaller grounds. But yes, hope to get a decent business class seats so that we are properly rested before our next game!"

Indian team will be flying on March 16 to Melbourne for their quarter-final against Bangladesh scheduled on March 19.

"Actually if you check our travel schedule when we were coming to New Zealand, it wasn't a great one. As much as we have tried to manage, we couldn't because of the time that we landed in New Zealand, we had bus journey (Auckland to Hamilton). Lot of people had problems in adjusting with the change of time and it affected their sleeping pattern," Dhoni said taking a dig at those who chalked out the travel schedule.

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World Cup 2015: MS Dhoni Not Pleased With India's Travel Schedule of New Zealand

In Depth: You don't need a crazy powerful PC to run Windows 10 – here's the proof

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Microsoft's decision to have a common operating system blueprint that can run from an internet-of-thing device to a (super) computer means that Windows 10 has been built from the ground up to run comfortably on low-performance parts.

The fact that it shares the same minimum hardware requirements as Windows Vista (at least for the Premium experience) is a fantastic achievement but that's only part of the story; Windows 10 actually runs better than its beleaguered ancestor. Much better.

We tried an experiment at TechRadar to see how low Windows 10 could go. I sourced the most ancient (but probably not the slowest) processor that could run it. Microsoft says that it needs to have at least a 1GHz clock rate with IA-32 or x64 architecture as well as support for NX bit, PAE, and SSE2.

A CPUID view of the Mesh PC

The oldest processor that fits the bill is the AMD Athlon 64 3200+, a part first introduced to the market in September 2003, 11 and a half year ago. It's slow (about half the Passmark score of the Baytrail-based Intel Atom Z3735G found in many entry level, sub-100 tablets) but I chose not to underclock it.

The computer that housed it is a Mesh computer, one that comes with an Nvidia-powered Asus motherboard with onboard graphics, four 256MB DDR memory modules, a 40GB hard disk drive, a DVD ROM drive and even a floppy disk drive.

An antiquated Mesh PC computer is the host.

Installing Windows 10 TP proved to be a straight-forward task. Load it on a USB drive containing Windows 10 (you can use this Windows 7 USB drive tool) and voila! The whole process didn't take longer than on any other recent machine we loaded with Windows 10. Well done to Microsoft for maintaining compatibility with hardware that's more than a decade old.

Once in, I wired the computer and downloaded the latest drivers, still no hiccups. Even with less than 1GB of RAM (64MB of it is shared with the video subsystem), Windows 10 is surprisingly nice to use, which bodes well for anyone looking to get it running on an old computer.

The innards of the beast

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In Depth: You don't need a crazy powerful PC to run Windows 10 - here's the proof

Zadzooks: Helldivers review

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Super Earths greatest soldiers take the fight to hostile alien planets in the co-operatively addictive Helldivers (Sony Computer Entertainment and Arrowhead Game Studios, rated Teen, $19.99).

Up to four players control a squad of elite warriors in the year 2084 as they roam the Milky Way Galaxy and carry out hundreds of missions to help protect the Federation.

Through a top-down perspective, the action involves a twin-stick shooting mechanic on the controller to run and gun over terrain as soldiers target and eliminate massive bugs, deadly cyborgs or the mysterious, thought-controlling, Illuminates.

The game plays like an expanded homage to the Paul Verhoevens movie Starship Troopers.

The tongue-in-cheek propaganda of faux newscasts beckoning humans to join the fight or the constant brainwashing messages by a government spreading managed democracy across the galaxy was just the start. Now add the insane, near humorous, carnage unleashed during battles and I was definitely chanting Johnny Ricos mantra, kill em all.

The Helldivers, much like in the more massive game Destiny, kind of look like a mash up of Mandalorian bounty hunters from Star Wars or Clone Troopers wearing upgradeable helmets, armor and flowing capes.

Before diving into battles and to further my emersion into the mythology, I checked out the Helldivers encyclopedia, found on the command ship. From the encyclopedia, you can learn more about the war, Super Earth politics and details about the various species trying to wipe out humanity.

Each mission begins with a choice of planets and requires that soldiers use a Hellpod to drop in (think Halo 3: ODST). Once on the surface, with a definitive thud, they can escape the embedded pod. They then complete detailed objectives such as securing a post, activating and defending a launch pad, destroying bug nests or turning on oil extractors, all while under the barrage of enemy attacks.

Besides using a variety of weapons that can fire bullets, laser beams and lightening arcs, they can call in the full might of the military with equipment called Stratagems to help hold off assaults.

These helpers eventually range from ammo depots to jump packs (a jet boost to fly out of harms way), automatic gun turrets, a shield generator, artillery barrage, airstrikes, an SOS beacon (to call other Helldivers in), a carpet of anti-personnel mines, an armored personnel carrier and even an EXO-44 Walker exosuit.

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Zadzooks: Helldivers review

Biotech Stock Mailbag: Neuralstem, Genfit, Intercept, Amarin

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BOSTON (TheStreet) --A question about Neuralstem (CUR - Get Report) and its stem-cell therapy for ALS kicks off this week's Biotech Stock Mailbag.

Steve writes, "If 47% of the people responded well and their progression of the disease slowed considerably, then I see this as a huge success for a disease with no cure. I don't have ALS or know anyone that does, but if I had it, I would immediately want the treatment knowing that there is a 47% chance that I will respond positively to it and it would DRASTICALLY slow the progression of the disease. Wouldn't you agree, or am I missing the point somewhere?"

Eight of the 15 (53%) ALS patients enrolled in the study saw their ALSFRS scores fall from an average of 40 to 14 over nine months. This is a rapid decline in muscle function and suggests NSI-566 accelerates the progression of ALS.

If you believe 47% of patients in the Neuralstem study benefit from NSI-566, you can't ignore the 53% of patients who fare far worse and may actually be harmed by the stem cell therapy.

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Biotech Stock Mailbag: Neuralstem, Genfit, Intercept, Amarin