Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry – Gameplay Walkthrough Part 8: Down With the Ship – Video

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Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 8: Down With the Ship
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Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag Freedom Cry - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 8: Down With the Ship - Video

Freedom High’s Joe Mixon selects Oklahoma

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Running back Joe Mixon made his long-awaited college decision, selecting Oklahoma during Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

The Freedom High senior, the nation's No. 1 all-purpose high school running back, according to Rivals, picked the Sooners over Wisconsin, UCLA and Cal.

Mixon, who scored a touchdown Saturday for the West team and was named the game's MVP, said the Sooners' strong performance in a 45-31 upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl helped seal the deal.

"It meant a lot. It did," Mixon said in an interview during Saturday's nationally televised game. "Once they won the Alabama game that shut the deal. Now I'm a Sooner. Let's get it."

But the year-long recruiting process was much more involved. He received 51 offers and made numerous recruiting trips. Mixon, a five-star recruit, wore No. 28 in Saturday's game -- the number of former Sooners star Adrian Peterson.

"I want to thank my family. I want to thank God. I want to thank my coaches and everybody back home for representing me," Mixon said before donning the Oklahoma cap on the telecast. "I came down here to represent them and put on a show for everybody."

Mixon, who is 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds, is among the most highly-recruited East Bay football players ever, along with past standouts De La Salle's D.J. Williams, Aaron Taylor and Amani Toomer, El Cerrito's Jamir Miller and Monte Vista's Kyle Wright.

"I'm just a Joe fan," Freedom coach Kevin Hartwig said. "He'll walk into a room and he just lights it up. ... There's been some great athletes to come out of the Bay Area, and he's definitely up there."

Mixon made his mark on a national stage on Saturday. He scored on a touchdown run in the first half. Earlier he turned a short pass reception into a big gain with some dazzling moves. After his touchdown, Mixon tossed the ball into the crowd before being interviewed on the sideline.

"It's well-deserved. Joe's a very special guy," Hartwig said of Mixon's big day. "He's a hard worker and he's earned everything he's got. It was fun to watch him play today on a national stage."

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Freedom High's Joe Mixon selects Oklahoma

Freedom High star Joe Mixon chooses Oklahoma

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Joe Mixon made his long-awaited decision, selecting Oklahoma during Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

The Freedom High senior, considered the nation's premier all-purpose high school running back, picked the Sooners over Wisconsin and UCLA.

Mixon is among the most highly-recruited East Bay football players ever, along with past standouts De La Salle's D.J. Williams, Aaron Taylor and Amani Toomer, El Cerrito's Jamir Miller and Monte Vista's Kyle Wright.

In his senior season, Mixon, who is 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds, rushed for 1,704 yards and 28 touchdowns in 11 games, including 470 yards and nine touchdowns in two North Coast Section Division I playoff games. During his three-year varsity career, Mixon amassed 4,281 rushing yards and 76 touchdowns.

Mixon had an impact in Saturday's game with a touchdown run in the first half, also turning a short pass reception into a big gain. After his touchdown, Mixon tossed the ball into the crowd before being interviewed on the sideline on the national telecast.

As a junior at Freedom, Mixon was part of a highly-touted Falcons trio of quarterback Dante Mayes and wideout/defensive back Darrell Daniels. Maes was a redshirt freshman at Nevada this season, and Daniels was moved to tight end at Washington.

Consider Mixon's decision another big win for the No. 11 Sooners, who upended third-ranked Alabama 45-31 on Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl.

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Freedom High star Joe Mixon chooses Oklahoma

Sources: Honda, GM to develop eco-car batteries

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Article posted: 1/4/2014 2:49 PM

Visitors gather around Honda NSX Concept I on display during the Taipei International Auto Show Sunday at the Taipei World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Associated Press

TOKYO Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are expected to jointly develop batteries for fuel-cell vehicles, with the aim of lowering the cost of fuel-cell cars by improving volume efficiency, according to sources.

The firms hope to take the initiative in the next-generation eco-car market, observers said.

A fuel-cell vehicle is viewed as the "ultimate eco-car" as it does not emit exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide while in operation.

Honda and GM plan to jointly produce a core part of a fuel-cell system that can create electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen in the fuel cell and oxygen in the air.

Unlike a gasoline-fuel vehicle, a fuel-cell car uses many special parts, and the production cost will likely be about $95,550 per unit. The automakers aim to lower the retail price of the cars by mass-producing its most costly special parts, according to observers.

Honda and GM formed a business alliance in July 2013 to codevelop auto parts for fuel-cell cars. Engineers of the firms have strengthened their cooperation in the hope of marketing a new-model car in 2020.

To expedite the development of fuel-cell cars, major Japanese, U.S. and European automakers have formed business alliances. In addition to the Honda-GM tie-up, Toyota Motor Corp. has formed an alliance with BMW AG, and Nissan Motor Co. does business with Daimler AG and Ford Motor Co.

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Sources: Honda, GM to develop eco-car batteries

Six great Kiwi beaches

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OHOPE BEACH, BAY OF PLENTY: A long stretch of sand, plenty of sun and a sense of seclusion.

MANU BAY, WAIKATO: One of three world-class point breaks near Raglan.

OAKURA BEACH, TARANAKI: Black sand and surf with New Plymouths Paritutu rock in the distance.

WAITARERE BEACH, MANAWATU: A wide, legal road popular with quadbike and dirtbike riders.

CAROLINE BAY, TIMARU: Smooth and safe, an ideal beach for families.

With so many beautiful beaches, we are spoilt for choice. Six locals give the lowdown on a top seaside spot in their region, and why you should visit.

Ohope Beach,Bay of Plenty

While many holidaymakers in the North Island head to the Coromandel, those after a bit of quiet seclusion go to Ohope Beach. It's easy to find your own spot on this long, sandy stretch, one of the sunniest places in the country. A lack of development means it still feels like a 70s beach town.

How to get there: Fly into nearby Whakatane Airport or Rotorua Airport and then drive for about an hour. If driving, you need to go through Whakatane and from there it's a 10-minute trip. You can also get there via Opotiki if you're heading around the coast.

Best for: Relaxing. The nicest spot is West End, where you'll also find the best waves if you're keen to do some surfing. The beach is safe for families and it has a surf club which operates in summer. If you get tired of lazing around on the beach, there is a mix of walks to historic pa sites, through wildlife reserves, and to hidden beaches.

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Six great Kiwi beaches

Some beaches open for sport shellfish harvest

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The Point Whitney Lagoon near Brinnon in Hood Canal is open now through March 15 for clam harvest.

In a state Fish and Wildlife news release a survey indicated that the clam population has decreased, requiring an earlier season that will attract fewer harvesters.

Belfair State Park in Mason County on Hood Canal is now open through Aug. 31 after state Fish and Wildlife surveys found that the clam population can sustain a longer season. The Belfair oyster season is also open year-round.

The clam and oyster season at Fort Flagler State Park in Jefferson County near Port Townsend is open now through April 15, and May 15 through Dec. 31.

Surveys taken showed the clam population at Fort Flagler can maintain a longer season this year. The split season avoids a one-month seaweed season at Fort Flagler.

Many other Hood Canal beaches are also currently open for either oysters clams. Check the state Fish and Wildlife website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ for specific beaches. Before hitting a beach, call the shellfish hotline at 866-880-5431.

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Some beaches open for sport shellfish harvest

New SC beach hotels could face stiffer building rules

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Water from the Atlantic Ocean flows around a palm tree, a slide, and dunes in Myrtle beach after hurricane Floyd passed by Myrtle Beach in 1999.

JASON CLARK File Photograph

COLUMBIA, SC A 26-year-old state policy that allows developers to construct high-rise hotels along flood-prone beaches faces scrutiny this year as South Carolina lawmakers examine the financial and environmental risks of building too close to the ocean.

Since the state adopted a sweeping beach management law in 1988, coastal regulators have interpreted the act to mean they could ease development restrictions when taxpayer-funded beach renourishment projects temporarily widen the seashore.

The Department of Health and Environmental Controls interpretation has allowed for construction of towering condo projects on some beaches and plans for mansions on others.

But the states stance on the law has drawn criticism from taxpayer groups and environmentalists.

Critics say DHECs interpretation violates the spirit of the 1988 law, which was intended to push new development projects back from the seashore over time. They say it is foolish to count on artificially widened beaches paid for by taxpayers to buffer new development from hurricanes and rising seas.

Now, state Sen. Ray Cleary is pushing to change the law, making it clear that new buildings can no longer be developed closer to the ocean than the existing line of beach development.

A bill the Murrells Inlet Republican introduced last month would prevent state regulators from ever moving the states building restriction line closer to the ocean. That would affect new buildings, including hotels, as well as new golf courses.

Regulators now will shift the line toward the ocean if communities renourish beaches, but critics say the sand will eventually wash away.

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New SC beach hotels could face stiffer building rules

A Former Mars Rover Scientist Says The Boomer Generation Could Be Independent Forever

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When the Mars Rover was in production in the '90s, NASA senior computer scientist Rich Levinson noticed a limitation in its ability to make reactive decisions. The Rover could avoid falling off a cliff, but it didn't have the capability to backtrack or plan other routes of navigation. That's when he learned about a little-known term and much-needed brain process called executive function.

According to the National Center for Disabilities, executive function is a set of mental processes needed to perform activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space. Ranging from mild to severe, the cognitive impairment of executive function affects more than 16 million people according to the most recent CDC report. The growing senior population is particularly at risk as they are expected to comprise 20% of the total U.S. population by the year 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

At the time, executive function wasn't talked about much among clinicians, let alone the public, yet Levinson connected the dots.

"I was looking at the brain's operational properties at the same time as we were studying autonomy for robotics and realized there was a connection between executive function and the robotic systems that we were trying to combine planning and reaction to Artificial Intelligence," he recollects.

If you increase your planning time, you can explore more possibilities and then compile them down into reflexes. Then when you get into a situation where you have to make a very quick reactive response, you actually can do a little more. In 1996 Levinson started NASA spin-off BrainAid to address those very problems.

Enter Planning and Execution Assistant and Trainer (PEAT), Brainaids customizable smart-planning software. Unlike other task managing systems, PEAT automatically reorganizes a person's schedule based on their real-time task approval and customizable app integration. PEAT's cloud-based dashboard allows clinicians to view and share data collected from users' actions. The clinical integration helped teachers of autism organization PACE log outbursts and behaviors of autism students.

PEAT's customizable plug-in strategies help patients in overwhelming situations by selecting icons that walks them through therapist-suggested prompts such as "Wait five seconds before you speak," or "take a walk."

"We log when the patient presses the reaction icon and select a coping strategy so the therapist knows when they are doing the strategies on their own, Levinson says.

Entering its seventh year funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, PEAT is helping ameliorate another four-lettered cognitive killer--PTSD. The Palo Alto Department of Veterans Affairs clinical neuropsychologist Harriet Katz Zeiner says PEAT is a much-desired invisible aid for the vets. "We don't find PEAT being rejected like others [cognitive aids] because it's great at being unobtrusive in a social setting, she says. Its not like a cane and the world doesn't havent to know that it truly is an assistant.

PEAT began integrating with wearable assistance in 2007, with an experimental RFID reader bracelet called iBracelet that would fail but set the stage for a new wave of wearables. Today, BrainAid is working with the AFrame Digital smartwatch to monitor heart rates and send the data to PEAT, which will then automatically cue the user of coping strategies. Last summer, the company began integrating with the Pebble smartwatch, which acts as a leash for mobile devices and displays tasks on its simple interface.

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A Former Mars Rover Scientist Says The Boomer Generation Could Be Independent Forever

Is ‘Paranormal’ scary good?

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You have to hand it to the keepers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise -- after four movies set in anonymously upscale houses, the new chapter takes us to a working-class apartment complex in Oxnard, Calif. While it's exciting to see a hit series take on an almost entirely Latino cast as just a matter of course, the new zigs only barely balance out all the familiar zags.

"Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," the latest in a seemingly endless array of "put the camera down and run, fool" fright flicks, will certainly please fans who are happy to get more of the same with each successive film. But if, like me, you're suffering from "Paranormal" burnout, the change of scenery won't feel like enough to make a difference.

Recent high school grad Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) -- who has just bought his first hand-held camera, go figure -- spends the summer hanging out with best pals Hector (Jorge Diaz) and Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh). All is not well, however; the creepy lady downstairs, considered by many to be a bruja, is murdered by class valedictorian Oscar (Carlos Pratts) not long after Jesse lowers a camera through the vent and catches his neighbor painting a strange symbol on a naked woman's stomach.

Bing: More about 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones'

Jesse and Hector (and the camera, of course) later sneak into the lady's apartment and find all sorts of creepy books, not to mention a cache of VHS tapes that will be familiar to anyone who's been following the series. Suddenly, Jesse seems to have strange powers, and his old Simon machine is answering yes/no questions like a Ouija board, and the family dog is freaking out, and Jesse's abuelita heads to her local bodega santero for help in driving the evil out of her house.

More at TheWrap: 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones' Will Haunt 'The Hobbit' at Box Office

"The Marked Ones" makes a noble effort to shake up the franchise, but it doesn't commit to anything that might prevent the sixth, seventh and eighth chapters that are no doubt in various stages of production. Mexican mysticism might have made a more palatable opponent to the wicked witches than the bland bourgeois agnosticism of the previous chapters, but the film winds up being not all that interested in pursuing the idea.

Instead, we get a very predictable progression from "check out my cool powers" (any found-footage movie about a teenager suddenly endowed with magical abilities can't help but call "Chronicle" to mind) to screaming and bleeding and running.

Writer-director Christopher Landon delivers a few good scares, and not always where you expect them, but where he really excels in the cast and their performances; their exchanges feel spontaneous and unforced, vital for a found-footage movie, and Landon (with the help of casting director Carla Hool) has assembled a charismatic and empathetic group of actors. (Particularly the scene-stealing Jorge Diaz, who all but walks away with the movie.)

"Paranormal Activity" fans will certainly appreciate the effort that Landon (who has written every installment since the second one) makes to ground the tale in series canon. And he's to be applauded for ethnically diversifying this studio cash cow since, after all, it's the franchise itself that's the star and not any of the actors.

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Is 'Paranormal' scary good?