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Why you should download the Disney Infinity: Toy Box app ahead of Infinity 2.0

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal | July 23, 2014

Until E3 2014, I had no idea what Disney Infinity really was--probably because I'm not exactly Disney's target demographic. So when I wandered over to the Disney Interactive booth during last month's gaming trade show, I was completely in the dark about how the company is helping along the whole video-game-toy-mash-up thing with its play sets, interactive figurines, and platform-agnostic gameplay.

Until E3 2014, I had no idea what Disney Infinity really was probably because I'm not exactly Disney's target demographic. So when I wandered over to the Disney Interactive booth during last month's gaming trade show, I was completely in the dark about how the company is helping along the whole video-game-toy-mash-up thing with its play sets, interactive figurines, and platform-agnostic gameplay.

And while what Disney has in store for Infinity 2.0, which launches later this year, is pretty awesome a collection of Marvel superheroes, in-game currency, and special Toy Box games it turns out that Infinity 1.0 (not the official name, but I'm going to call it that) offers comprehensive gameplay in its own right. I took a look at the app, Disney Infinity: Toy Box, and I think you should, too.

Enter: The Toy Box

At first glance, it looks like the Disney Infinity franchise leans heavily toward those with consoles and PCs. After all, the game is predicated on physical toy figurines with built-in NFC chips that players can place on special NFC readers that plug into their console or PC. Placing a figurine on the reader brings that toy "to life" in your game: The character pops up on your screen and they can move around, perform special moves, and pick up and use objects.

The character is now inside the Disney Infinity Toy Box, which is the sandboxy, open world of the Infinity franchise. In the Toy Box, your character can play through pre-made campaigns (much like a traditional video game), or you can build your own game world complete with varying terrain, obstacles, and enemies.

But the Toy Box is where Disney Infinity differs from similar game sets, such as Activision's Skylanders. The Toy Box is cloud-based and platform-agnostic, which means that you can access your Toy Box from any platform that Disney Infinity is available on, including mobile.

"You get the full Disney Infinity experience on the app," explains Ryan Rothenberger, senior producer for Disney Interactive. "We've made it truly platform-agnostic. You can pick up your iPad and start playing from wherever you left off on your console, play for a little while, and then go back to your console and keep going."

Most games are, at most, operating system-agnostic you can play them across iOS and Android, or Windows and Mac not platform-agnostic. In fact, Disney's platform-agnosticism is so comprehensive, Rothenberger says, that the company has actually patented the technology.

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Why you should download the Disney Infinity: Toy Box app ahead of Infinity 2.0

Seize the Franciscan moment, Rohr advises

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EAGER TO LOVE: THE ALTERNATIVE WAY OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI By Richard Rohr Published by Franciscan Media, $21.99

The ideas of Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr are ubiquitous. Thousands find them in the morning on their computer screens, grist for meditation; thousands more find them in his more than 30 books; others are taught them at the Center for Action and Contemplation, which he founded in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1986.

In all, Rohr's intent is to deepen contemporary spirituality by linking it to Christian mysticism and the contemplative tradition. In Eager to Love, he reclaims the mysticism inherent in the Franciscan legacy and he offers it as an alternative to the hierarchical, patriarchal and authoritarian Christianity that he suggests has primary responsibility for so much of contemporary agnosticism in the West.

He claims to want to "reignite the Franciscan revolution," which is universally accessible and inclusive, offering healing and liberation. As such, he is building a bridge between the Christian mystical tradition and estranged seekers of every ilk.

Eager to Love is neither a biography of Francis nor a history of the Franciscan order, but Rohr's reflections on the best aspects of the Franciscan heritage as lived out by its founder and its early worthies -- Clare, Bonaventure and Dun Scotus. The book's publication is timely, not only because Franciscan spirituality is foundational to Rohr's entire understanding of spirituality, but because the elevation of a Jesuit pope has made it so by his selection of name and his claiming as his own the Franciscan charism of poverty.

The message of Francis, the saint, offers an alternative way of life, one anchored in a sacramental understanding of the world, an appreciation of contemplation as a different way of knowing, a wisdom that is nondualistic, and a pedagogy that teaches through living and being rather than through creedal affirmation.

According to Rohr, the starting point for Francis was not the reality of human sinfulness, but rather human suffering. He held up not the desire for self-perfection but rather the desire to enter into, to love, that which was other -- the poor, the outsider. As such, the Franciscan tradition is prophetic rather than priestly. It offers a third way of heterodoxy, one between traditional orthodoxy and heresy.

Although he includes many pages of endnotes as documentation, Rohr admits that he is not a scholar, but a popularizer who is laying out a different approach to the inherited Christian tradition. The strength of the book is his rendering of the many positive aspects of Francis' contribution and that of his early followers. Eager to Love is written to convince. Its language is exuberant, and while many ideas are provocative, Rohr's treatment -- and he acknowledges this -- is not systematic. He not only ranges widely over some eight centuries of church history with glances back to the life of Jesus and the early church, he also gives short shrift to many theological and philosophic issues.

Ever optimistic, Rohr sees the present moment as fecund, and his readers -- most of whom will be Catholics, disaffected or otherwise -- as pivotal in giving birth to a new understand of a very old mystical tradition.

Rohr both values the institutional church and suggests ways to survive within it. The autobiographical import of this statement is not lost on the reader. He admonishes Christians to give priority to Jesus and his message and to make use of both the inherited wisdom of the church and the protection it affords that message.

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Seize the Franciscan moment, Rohr advises

New method for reducing tumorigenicity in induced pluripotent stem-cell based therapies

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY -- The potential for clinical use of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for transplant-based therapeutic strategies has previously been hindered by the risk of dysregulated cell growth, specifically the development of tumors. The ability to use etoposide treatment to halt teratoma formation in iPSCs for the treatment of heart disease, specifically acute myocardial infarction, is demonstrated in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Stem Cells and Development website.

In the article 'Inhibition of DNA topoisomerase II selectively reduces the threat of tumorigenicity following induced pluripotent stem cell-based myocardial therapy' Saranya Wyles, Andre Terzic, Timothy Nelson, and coauthors, Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), discovered a strategy that alone or in conjunction with other methods could significantly reduce the risk of a tumorigenic event occurring. Their work demonstrates how pretreatment with genotoxic etoposide significantly lowered the threat of abnormal growths by removing the contaminated pluripotent cells and establishing an adjunctive therapy to further harness the clinical value of iPSC-derived cardiac regeneration.

"For anyone seeking to exploit iPSC technology in a clinical setting, the Mayo Clinic has described a strategy that significantly mitigates the risk of tumor development. Furthermore, the paper provides benchmark strategies for assessing the localization and persistence of cell-based treatments in a preclinical model," says Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.

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About the Journal

Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. Complete tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website.

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New method for reducing tumorigenicity in induced pluripotent stem-cell based therapies

Insights from the Behavioral Science Guy: The worst (and best) things to say to someone who is grieving

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Too many times, we avoid those in pain because we arent sure what to say.

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Editor's note: A version of this column was published previously at crucialskills.com.

Dear Joseph,

My husband recently passed away, and although Im sure they dont mean to hurt me, several of my friends and family members have made insensitive comments about my loss or the way I grieve. For example, people have told me, It was Gods will and Its time to get on with your life. I know they are trying to help, but I dont know what to say when somebody belittles my pain. How can I respond to seemingly insensitive comments about my husbands death?

Signed,

Dont Make It Worse

Im so sorry about your husband. Im especially sorry that the pain youre feeling has been compounded by others actions. I wish I could help with the first problem, but I hope to offer some helpful ideas for solving the second.

I asked readers to share their perspective. Many wrote back about their experiences from which three clear messages emerged.

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Insights from the Behavioral Science Guy: The worst (and best) things to say to someone who is grieving

Renal Tubular Acidosis RTA Internal Medicine for USMLE Step 2 prep www.anatomy2medicine.com – Video

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Renal Tubular Acidosis RTA Internal Medicine for USMLE Step 2 prep http://www.anatomy2medicine.com
http://www.Anatomy2medicine.com is the wold #39;s largest Video Library with 1200 hours of Medical Video Lectures covering 3000 Medical topics to help prep of med students across globe for USMLE,MRCP...

By: Murali Bharadwaz

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Renal Tubular Acidosis RTA Internal Medicine for USMLE Step 2 prep http://www.anatomy2medicine.com - Video

Paroxysmal Nocturnal hemoglobinuria Internal Medicine USMLE Step 2 www.anatomy2medicine.com – Video

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Paroxysmal Nocturnal hemoglobinuria Internal Medicine USMLE Step 2 http://www.anatomy2medicine.com
http://www.Anatomy2medicine.com is the wold #39;s largest Video Library with 1200 hours of Medical Video Lectures covering 3000 Medical topics to help prep of med students across globe for USMLE,MRCP...

By: Murali Bharadwaz

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Paroxysmal Nocturnal hemoglobinuria Internal Medicine USMLE Step 2 http://www.anatomy2medicine.com - Video

Thyroid carcinoma High yield Topic Surgery for USMLE prep www.anatomy2medicine.com – Video

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Thyroid carcinoma High yield Topic Surgery for USMLE prep http://www.anatomy2medicine.com
http://www.Anatomy2medicine.com is the wold #39;s largest Video Library with 1200 hours of Medical Video Lectures covering 3000 Medical topics to help prep of med students across globe for USMLE,MRCP...

By: Murali Bharadwaz

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Thyroid carcinoma High yield Topic Surgery for USMLE prep http://www.anatomy2medicine.com - Video

Davao Medical School Foundation MBBS admission from Chennai live at Polimer TV – Video

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Davao Medical School Foundation MBBS admission from Chennai live at Polimer TV
Davao Medical School foundation: Study MBBS at Philippines DMSF recognized by the World Health Organization We strive to constantly raise the bar for the qua...

By: Davao Medical School Foundation

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Davao Medical School Foundation MBBS admission from Chennai live at Polimer TV - Video

Should men at risk for cardiovascular disease receive earlier cholesterol treatment?

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY -- New guidelines on cholesterol treatment and cardiovascular risk assessment state that men have at least double the risk of dying from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or of having a heart attack or stroke as do women with a similar risk profile (based on age, smoking history, and cholesterol and blood pressure levels). The implications of this finding for when and how aggressively to treat high cholesterol are examined in an Editorial in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jomh.2014.1500 until August 22, 2014.

Stephen L. Kopecky, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and Ajay Nehra, MD, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, discuss the risk factors on which the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association based their new guidelines. They describe the value in developing 10-year risk and lifetime risk estimates and their use in educating patients and encouraging lifestyle changes. The authors note the omission of erectile dysfunction as a risk marker, and they explain the new cholesterol treatment recommendations in the Editorial entitled "Cardiovascular Risk and Cholesterol Management in Men: Implications of the New Guidelines."

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About the Journal

Journal of Men's Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online that covers all aspects of men's health across the lifespan. The Journal of Men's Health publishes cutting-edge advances in a wide range of diseases and conditions, including diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management strategies, and innovative clinical research in gender-based biology to ensure optimal patient care. The Journal of Men's Health addresses disparities in health and life expectancy between men and women; increased risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity; higher prevalence of diseases such as heart disease and cancer; and health care in underserved and minority populations. Journal of Men's Health meets the critical imperative for improving the health of men around the globe and ensuring better patient outcomes. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jomh.

About the Societies

Journal of Men's Health is the official journal of the International Society of Men's Health (ISMH), American Society for Men's Health, Men's Health Society of India, and Foundation for Men's Health. The ISMH is an international, multidisciplinary, worldwide organization, dedicated to the rapidly growing field of gender-specific men's health.

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Should men at risk for cardiovascular disease receive earlier cholesterol treatment?

Some food companies are quietly dumping GMO ingredients

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Listen Story audio 4min 47sec

A tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, Vt., includes a stop at the "Flavor Graveyard," where ice cream combinations that didn't make the cut are put to rest under the shade of big trees.

One recently deceased flavor has yet to be memorialized there: Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, one of the company's best-sellers. Ben & Jerry's CEO Jostein Solheim says the company had to remove the key ingredient, Heath bars made by Hershey, and rework the flavor. Its replacement is called Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch. (Some fans have blasted the company in online forums, claiming it doesn't taste as good.)

The reason for the change? Hershey makes Heath bars with genetically engineered ingredients, and Ben & Jerry's has made a pledge to remove all GMO ingredients from its ice cream.

The company has taken a vocal stand in recent years in support of states looking at legislation that would require manufacturers to disclose food that is made with genetic engineering. And Vermont recently passed a law that will require labeling starting in 2015. Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield recently launched a campaign to help fill the coffers of Vermont's crowd-sourced defense fund set up to combat lawsuits over its labeling law.

The news that Ben & Jerry's is taking a stand on a controversial issue is no surprise; it's part of the company's calling card. But some other mainstream companies are carefully and much more quietly calibrating their non-GMO strategies.

General Mills' original plain Cheerios are now GMO-free, but the only announcement was in a company blog post in January. And you won't see any label on the box highlighting the change. Grape Nuts, another cereal aisle staple, made by Post, is also non-GMO. And Target has about 80 of its own brand items certified GMO-free.

Megan Westgate runs the Non-GMO Project, which acts as an independent third-party verifier of GMO-free products, including Target's. She says her organization knows about "a lot of exciting cool things that are happening that for whatever strategic reasons get kept pretty quiet."

The Non-GMO Project has certified more than 20,000 products since it launched in 2007, and Westgate says this is one of the fastest growing sectors of the natural food industry, representing $6 billion in annual sales. But just because they're testing the water doesn't mean most mainstream companies are ready to start publicizing their changes.

Nathan Hendricks, an agricultural economist at Kansas State University, says big food producers are trying to gauge what direction consumers are headed in. "Ultimately," he says, "these big companies aren't just friends with Monsanto or something. They want to make a profit, and they want to be able to do what's going to make them money." So they'd better have a product line in the works if consumer sentiment starts to shift more heavily toward GMO-free food.

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Some food companies are quietly dumping GMO ingredients

Novel methods may help stem cells survive transplantation into damaged tissues

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY -- Stem cells offer much promise for treating damaged organs and tissues, but with current transplantation approaches stem cell survival is poor, limiting their effectiveness. New methods are being developed and tested to improve the survival and optimize their therapeutic function after transplantation, as described in a Review article in BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.

In the article 'Preconditioning Stem Cells for In Vivo Delivery,' Sbastien Sart, Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) and Teng Ma and Yan Li, Florida State University (Tallahassee) examine the leading strategies for preconditioning stem cells prior to transplantation to prepare them for the environment often found in damaged tissue. Preconditioning methods might include exposing stem cells to microenvironments characterized by reduced oxygen levels, heat shock, and oxidative stress, creating three-dimensional stem cell aggregates or microtissues, and using hydrogels in which to embed or encapsulate the cells.

"This article provides an extensive review of the current methods of stem cell preconditioning for transplantation," says BioResearch Open Access Editor Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. "It also highlights the cutting edge technologies employed to do this."

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About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal led by Editor-in-Chief Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and Editor Jane Taylor, PhD. The Journal provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.

About the Publisher

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Novel methods may help stem cells survive transplantation into damaged tissues