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Delta Charter School Robotics team wins state – The Franklin Sun

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Delta Charter School teacher Tara Dale just wanted her 5th-and-6th grade robotics team (DCS Storminators) to enjoy the moment at the state Vex Robotics competition Saturday at Holy Cross High in New Orleans on Saturday.

But when her team won first place in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Research, Teamwork Champions and Overall Excellence, the DCS team came back with more than a learning experience they came back as state champions.

The Excellence Award goes to the top all-around team on both robot performance and judged categories.

While each competition robot must be made with VEX-manufactured parts, it is up to each team to design its own robot by integrating various accessories and materials.

I just wanted the kids to enjoy the experience and compete, Dale said. Winning State was a real nice bonus.

In the Teamwork Challenge, each school teams up with another school and they share the points. The competition involves having their clawbot, which the students build, pick up hex balls and move them to certain areas worth a certain amount of points. They get extra points if they finish the round by balancing on the competition field bridge along with the other team.

Delta Charter named its robot MJ.

Dale, who teaches kindergarten through sixth grade at Delta Charter, will now take her DCS Elementary Team to compete in the World Vex Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Ky., April 23-25.

The team is comprised of 11 students.

The students were split into two teams, and their points are combined at the end of the competition.

Delta Charter's elementary team won the programming skills competition at Delhi Charter to earn the invitation to state.

There is also a Vex and Vex IQ challenge.

That changes every year so each year presents a new challenge, Dale said.

The students used a large poster display of Robots Help Autism to earn their first place in Stem Research Project.

Emily Dawkins teaches robotics to middle school and high school students at Delta Charter and asked Dale to begin a class for elementary students.

I have just always been interested in hands-on learning and project-based learning, Dale said.

Dale worked with DCS elementary students lastyear on Project Lead the Way Launch, which helped introduce them to robotics.

Project Lead the Way Launch is designed for elementary students to become problem solvers. Students use structured approaches, like the engineering design process. They apply STEM knowledge, skills, and habits of mind, and discover that trying different approaches and solutions is an essential part of the learning process.

Dale said her team used some of the same concepts as she taught last year.

You are judged on your Engineering Design Process notebook and each student is interviewed, Dale said. The notebook is similar to what engineers use.

Dale graduated from Monterey High.

But she was not part of the school's award winning moon buggy team of the past under then Monterey teacher Paul Glynn.

I wanted to, but I was not fast enough to push the buggy, Dale said with a laugh.

Delta Charter School is also seeking sponsors and donations to help the elementary team make the trip to Louisville.

Anyone wanting to sponsor or contribute can call Delta Charter School at 318-757-3202.

The competition will air on ESPN2.

We are excited to go to the World competition this year and excited to see what the future holds for these young engineers and the DCS Robotics program, Dale said.

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Delta Charter School Robotics team wins state - The Franklin Sun

The Future of Human-Centered Robotics – Electronic Design

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Luis Sentis will lead a session, A Developers Primer for Coding Human Behavior in Bots, at SXSW on Sunday, March 12, 2017.

Human-centered robotics hold a special place in the robotics field because they both mimic human sensing and cognitive behavior, and are designed to assist humans for safety and productivity. To explore human-centered robotics is to explore human beings and how we sense the world, analyze complex and often conflicting information, and act upon our findings, modifying perception, understanding, and action as new information is available.

Such machines could be of great practical benefit to humans on long space flights to Mars, for instance, or as human proxies in hazardous environments such as a chemical spill or even ordinary circumstances like education or elder care.

Obviously, creating human-centered robots poses many challenges in conception, design, and the hardware and software that support them. My own work in this burgeoning field focuses on designing high-performance series elastic actuators for robotic movements, embedded control systems, motion planning for dynamic locomotion, and real-time optimal control for human-centered robots.

Once we have a platform for human-centered robotics, and once we can create the hardware and software and the logic to drive them, we can turn to its real-world applications, which are many.

Most readers probably have only a passing acquaintance with human-centered robotics, so allow me to use this brief blog to introduce a few ideas about this topic and its challenges.

Humanoid and Human-Centered

Since perhaps the 1950s, television and the movies have often portrayed humanoid robotsrobots that take roughly human formentertaining us with how closely they mimic humans or by how far they fall short. Sometimes, in a dramatic plot turn, a humanoid robot becomes malevolent or uncontrollable by humans.

I prefer the term human-centered robot, because it most closely describes my field of endeavor: How to create a robot that is focused on assisting a human being; sometimes guided by a human, but also learning on its own what action or behavior would be most helpful to that human.

In my view, we do not yet have sufficient evidence to say that humanoid robots are most effective when interacting with humans. They may well be, but we do not have definitive data on the question.

However, it appears anecdotally true that humanoid robots fire the human imagination and that has its benefits. In addition to their portrayal in popular media, I have found that humanoid robots draw the most, well, human interest. Soon after creating one we named Dreamer in 2013, in the Human Centered Robotics Lab (HCRL) at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, we generally received more attention from curious students, engineers, investors andwouldnt you know itmovie producers. (Dreamer eventually had a bit part in Transformers 4 in 2014.) If humanoid robots help draw attention and interest to human-centered robotics, so be it.

Applications and Productivity

The more important aspect of this field is how to create human-centered robotics that sense their surroundings and either respond to human directions or intuit what actions would best serve their human counterpart.

Ive mentioned the possible robotic applications of space travel, perhaps as a companion to astronauts on a space walk, as a human proxy in hazardous environments or as a caregiver to an elderly person. In each case, the notion of productivity is different.

If you think of productivity for robotics generally in a manufacturing setting, it can be measured in terms of hours of work performed and profits earned. But in a long space journey to Mars, productivity will be measured instead in terms of the astronauts enhanced safety and ability to accomplish difficult tasks. In a hazmat spill, productivity might be measured in terms of human lives saved. In elder care, how well did a robot perform in changing bandages or applying ointment to a sore, preserving the persons health?

Robot Knows Best

Another quest in human-centered robotics is to create the ability of a robot to not just predict human behavior, but to perform what I call intervention. Whatever its level of complexity, can we build a robot with logic that assesses a situation for optimal actions, whether directed by a human or not? This translates to a robots ability to say to itself, Well, the human is operating the system in such a way. We could do better if computationally I have a hypothesis about what would be best for the human and intervene with that particular behavior.

This ability requires pairing social cognitive theories with mathematics. And I have found that advances are possible for what I call self-efficacy, which is basically the self-confidence to achieve a certain behavior.

At this point, self-efficacy can be achieved in very simple scenarios. One potential application is to use a human-centered robot to motivate students to solve problems by sensing and reacting to students level of engagement, then producing an interaction that motivates the student and enhances learning. I hope to demonstrate this and give attendees a chance to code such behavior in a human-centered robot at SXSW.

Touch and Whole Body Sensing

One major way in which humans interact is through touch. We place a hand on a shoulder or grasp someones forearm to gain their attention. Robotsparticularly humanoid ones with mobilityare likely to be large and quick, so touch becomes an important element in the safety of their human counterparts. We do not want a robot that runs into an astronaut on a space walk or pins someone to a wall. Thus, we are developing what I call whole body sensing. Though some in this field are pursuing something known as sensory skin, at the HCRL we have taken a more economical approach to minimize the amount of electronics needed.

We use a distributed sensor array on the robots surface, but they number in the dozens, not the thousands employed in sensory skin. Instead, we combine different sensing modalities internal to the robot, such as accelerometers, which aid stabilization, and vibration sensors that enable the machine to triangulate information on whats happening in the immediate environment. This enables the robot to respond to human touch, but within the context of other information it is receiving from its environment. We call this whole-body contact awareness, a combination of internal and external sensing and awareness.

Spin-offs

I hope this mere glimpse into the world of human-centered robotics piques your curiosity. It may serve to attract those who wish to work in the field. But the general public should also understand that advances in this field will eventually make their way into human-centered robotics in our homes, our businesses, manufacturing, agriculture, smart cities, the Internet of Things, you name it. Well have systems somedaywe already do, with limited abilitiesto sense human behaviors and intervene to produce optimal conditions based on an understanding of whats best for the people involved in a particular situation.

Today, we have smart thermostats that learn our preferences for heating and cooling our homes. Tomorrow, we may have human-centered robotic systems that optimize our cities.

Luis Sentis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. He also leads UT Austins Human Centered Robotics Laboratory and is co-founder of Apptronik Systems Inc., a contractor for NASA's Johnson Space Center.

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Robotics super regionals invade Tacoma this weekend – KOMO News

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

TACOMA, Wash. -- Hundreds of extremely smart teenagers and their robots will invade the Tacoma Convention Center for the First Tech Challenge Super Regionals this weekend.

The First Tech Challenge is a robotic competition where teams are given the task to design, build, program and operate robots.

"Our robot is doing a challenge that is worldwide," said Robert Winton. "Everyone is competing in the same game."

This season, the teams were issued their challenge in August of 2016.

Their goal was to design a robot that can scoop up whiffle balls and shoot them through a hoop, and also lift a yoga ball into a basket.

"It is an obstacle course mixed with basketball, in that we are shooting things, but also hopefully go for the dunk at the end," said Winton.

Winton, a senior at Seattle Academy, is part of team 2658 Tesseract who began building their robot last September.

"Our robot is a n 18 by 18 by 18-inch robot," said Winton. "We spent weeks brainstorming and doing prototypes out of cardboard and other material just to see if will work and if it is efficient."

Seattle Academy began their robotics club 7 years ago under the guidance of Chemistry teacher Gabe Cronin who has watched his program grow.

"It is hard to explain how proud we are," said Cronin. "When I think about the stuff on the robots, those are kid made decisions and kid constructed work and that is what we are going for."

The hard work paid off last month during the state championship, when Seattle Academy won part of the 1st place in alliance for Washington.

"It is extremely hard, it can be frustrating at times especially when thing so not work," said Winton. "It is a really challenging process, because there are so many things that can go wrong, but it is real cool when it all comes together at the end."

This weekend, Seattle Academy will compete head to head against more than 70 high schools from 13 states at the Super Regionals. The top teams advance to the First Championships in Houston in April.

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Robotics super regionals invade Tacoma this weekend - KOMO News

West Ward wins robotics championship – The Killeen Daily Herald

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

The West Ward Elementary School Wildcats robotics team is a state champion.

The 15-year-old club, with five years worth of regional plaques on the wall, brought home its first state level trophy following the FIRST Lego League event at Leander earlier this month.

To be honest, longtime robotics coach Alexis Sommers said she didnt think she would ever see it happen. But, this year, her students told her they had a good feeling.

After they performed for the judges, they said they could feel it, Sommers said Tuesday as she and her students and parents and other supporters dug into some celebratory pizza and ice cream.

Their feeling was correct and the West Ward team brought home one of seven trophies awarded at the state level among 53 teams competing. The Wildcats won for presentation, a nod to the students creativity and cooperation.

Fifth-grader AnnaleceFlewellen, the main scriptwriter for the state award-winning skit, said when they won the award, she screamed. Her coach cried.

This is like winning a state championship, Sommers said. They surprised me. The level of competition is intense.

To give perspective, the West Ward teacher and robotics coach pointed out that the FLL events include elementary and middle school teams.

It took West Wards team nine years to qualify for the state event. Since that time, the Cats have qualified for state every year five years in a row now.

I let them run with it, she said. This group is good at singing and acting. Thats where they excelled. It made me cry.

This years theme was Animal Allies, so the theatrically inclined team members put together a skit based on a frustrated pet owner and his three misbehaving cats.

The veterinarian calls in the cat whisperer, Flewellen, who diagnoses a series of easy-to-make pet toys, which calm the hyper cats.

The robotics competition awards trophies for core values, design, research/presentation and an overall championship. All teams that win trophies must be competitive in all areas.

The judges liked our creativity and humor, Flewellen explained. We were super-happy. I screamed.

The fifth-grader said she enjoys robotics because it combines technology like programming skills with the creativity of design and presentation, as well as teamwork.

A 28-year teacher, Sommers is a good example of the diversification that comes into play in robotics competition. She is most naturally an art teacher, but has embraced the technical creativity of building robots.

This group really worked on creativity, she said. Other teams counted on the technology, but its that innovation that is so important. You have to pay attention to all aspects.

Soon, in the West Ward hallway outside the classroom where Sommers keeps the schools robotics competition table, a state-level trophy will take up space along with multiple regional plaques and a new team will prepare to compete again.

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Paytm to continue free uploading of money – Business Standard

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

IANS | New Delhi March 10, 2017 Last Updated at 15:22 IST

Doing a quick U-turn in about 24 hours, digital payments firm Paytm on Friday suspended the two per cent charge it announced for adding money using credit cards.

"We are suspending the two per cent charge on credit cards for adding money to wallet, keeping users' convenience in mind. We will introduce new features to prevent credit card misuse in adding money," Paytm said in a blog post here on Friday.

With an intent to prevent the misuse of transfer to bank facility at 0 per cent, Paytm had earlier applied a refundable fee of two per cent on add-money through credit cards.

"At the same time, we are conscious that this move caused inconvenience to a large segment of our users, including those who are using their credit card for genuine transactions," it said.

The withdrawal of the two per cent charge apparently came in view of losing out to competition after mobile wallet major MobiKwik on Thursday announced that it would continue to offer free uploading of money.

"In order to popularise the government's vision of a cashless society, we at MobiKwik have decided not to charge two per cent on credit card recharges so that more people can transact online without having to worry about additional charges," MobiKwik founder and CEO Bipin Preet Singh said on Thursday.

Paytm had announced the two per cent charge, starting March 8.

For those who were charged, the amount was to be refundable in the form of a gift voucher to be used for recharging phones, paying bills, etc. through the Paytm wallet, it also said earlier.

Paytm had announced the charges because some users started funding their wallet with their credit cards and transferring it to the bank all for free.

--IANS

mm/in/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Doing a quick U-turn in about 24 hours, digital payments firm Paytm on Friday suspended the two per cent charge it announced for adding money using credit cards.

With an intent to prevent the misuse of transfer to bank facility at 0 per cent, Paytm had earlier applied a refundable fee of two per cent on add-money through credit cards.

"At the same time, we are conscious that this move caused inconvenience to a large segment of our users, including those who are using their credit card for genuine transactions," it said.

Paytm had announced the two per cent charge, starting March 8.

For those who were charged, the amount was to be refundable in the form of a gift voucher to be used for recharging phones, paying bills, etc. through the Paytm wallet, it also said earlier.

Paytm had announced the charges because some users started funding their wallet with their credit cards and transferring it to the bank all for free.

--IANS

mm/in/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

IANS

http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/wap/images/bs_logo_amp.png 177 22

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Paytm to continue free uploading of money - Business Standard

IN TRANSIT: The Idol Maker – Mumbai Mirror

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Simon Fuller, the man behind hit international reality shows (and also the Spice Girls), speaks to Mirror about his new venture.

It is a new pop group, actually. The idea of a group that had different members from different countries was something I have been thinking about for many years now, shares Simon Fuller, best known as the creator of the Idol series (American Idol, Indian Idol), a popular reality TV franchise. For Fuller, who was in Mumbai to scout talent for his new venture, reality TV shows is not the only feather in his cap. He is certified as the most successful British music manager of all time by Billboard magazine, and has managed superstars such as the Spice Girls (when they were at their peak), David and Victoria Beckham, Kelly Clarkson and the late Amy Winehouse.

The primary motivation was my interest in the notion of a global star. In my mind, I feel that the viewers will perceive it both as local and global. Local, because the artiste from their country will be interesting to watch, and global, because they will get to see all these other artistes, says Fuller about his new venture, which will see talents from 11 countries, including India, forming a group called Now United.

To bring together this group, they have already selected two people from each of the 11 countries. The selected participants will be taken to Los Angeles where the final 11 for the group will be chosen. The idea is that when they come together, everything that they do will be seen by everyone. Every dance class, recording session, hair and makeup session, media training class the whole journey will be filmed and will be open for everyone to see. You can learn everything that the real group learns; you can attend everything that they have attended, says Fuller. My thinking and the big idea is that everybody, even the viewers, is in the group. These 11 participants will become the voice that connects everyone out there, who, in turn, will also learn and participate in real time with them, he adds.

The man, who is known for his gamut of reality shows, had a different vision when he first started to conceptualise the show. His original idea of a reality show was about integrity, talent and making dreams come true. But nowadays, shows focus more on a contestants back story than his/her talent in some cases, the participants socio-economic status or personal situations are used to gain the audiences sympathy. I think the producers were forced to mix it up to make it more interesting. Thats not interesting to me. That was never the point in any of my shows, he remarks.

What sets Fullers new project apart from his earlier ones is that this will be showcased on an online platform, and not on telly. The site will also give others a chance to showcase their talents by uploading videos. The process for the project is an evolving one. The people wholl be following this platform can be part of this group as well. So, the group is always changing. This will not be a proper group which stays together forever. We can change it whenever we want to. Its almost like a football or cricket team. If someone really great comes up then well put them in the team and take someone out. Or we could swap a country and bring another one, says the 56-year-old entrepreneur.

Two girls have been chosen from India one from Rajasthan and another from Mumbai. The audition process was conducted through various local dance and music schools in different cities in the country.

Fuller plans to go live with the project in October. He cautiously adds that the project might start slowly, as theres no rush (because its not a televised series), and that people may join in late but they can always go back to the beginning to see how the journey began. My ultimate dream would be when we do an arena show to have the group on stage but everyone in the audience should also know the dance routines and songs. So, while the 11 kids will be on stage, when you look around, everyone else also is a part of the group, says Fuller.

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IN TRANSIT: The Idol Maker - Mumbai Mirror

The Legal Reality Of Virtual Reality – Forbes

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Forbes

The Legal Reality Of Virtual Reality
Forbes
Many of the legal issues that arise (or will arise) in connection with virtual reality are tried and true intellectual property issues that are not unique to VR, but many have a unique spin given the unexplored U.S. legal terrain of the technology. 1 ...

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The Legal Reality Of Virtual Reality - Forbes

How Google Is Revealing Unmapped Areas of the World in Virtual Reality – Singularity Hub

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Technology companies left and right are developing new gadgets to advance virtual reality as an immersive entertainment and gaming platform. Others however, like VR producer Chris Milk, have hopes that the technologys potential will extend far beyond sheer entertainment.

One way this is being achieved is by using VR to transport viewers into the lives of others to create empathy and understanding, which weve seen in films such as Clouds Over Sidra and with New York Times The Daily 360.

Now, tech giant Google has taken on this challenge in their recent VR project, Rio: Beyond the Map, an effort to map Rio de Janeiros legendary favelas, which they launched at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

More than 1.5 million Rio residents live in the favelasequivalent to one in every five people in the city. But for many locals and tourists alike, the favelas remain an unmapped and mysterious area.

In an attempt to breakdown this invisible wall that divides Rio, Googles Beyond the Map video experience uses 360-degree footage and a virtual host whos a favela resident to take viewers on a tour to explore the favelas and tell some of the stories of the individuals who live there.

Beyond the Map began as a project called T No Mapa (Its On the Map in English), where the company worked with a local nonprofit AfroReggae to train 150 favela residents in digital mapping techniques. These efforts over the last two years have helped Google map over 26 favelas and 3,000 local businesses. The project also helped some favela residents gain a mailing address for the first time.

A narrator in one of Googles 360 videos of the favelas says, Most people only know the favelas through the newscrime, poverty, and violence. But thats only a small part of the storythe favelas are not simply a place, they are a people, and to understand them, you must go inside and see for yourself.

She later says, When you arent on the map, you dont exist. But we do exist.

Beyond the Map is just one example of how technology like VR can amplify otherwise unheard voices and stories from around the world. As VR becomes more sophisticated and affordable, more impactful and creative projects will unfold.

Image Source: Shutterstock

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How Google Is Revealing Unmapped Areas of the World in Virtual Reality - Singularity Hub

Virtual Reality Filmmakers Tackle Smuttynose Island Murders – New Hampshire Public Radio

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Imagine if you could be transported to a different place and time. Where would you go? For Daniel Gaucherand his film crew, that place is Smuttynose Island, off the New Hampshire coast. And the time? 1873, the year of the infamous Smuttynose Island murders. And they want you to be there, too, through the power of virtual reality. But filmmakers have a lot to learn when it comes to using this technology.

Its a frigid winter day. The sky is a brilliant blue. Its gusty, and the ocean looks choppy and cold. And in the distance, a lighthouse shines bright white on the rocky coast.

This is exactly the kind of place Daniel Gaucher was looking for. "I was looking for something that said New England, and had a sense of place," he says.

Gaucher is the director and co-creator of a film called Marens Rock." It's based on the true story of Maren Hontvet, who in 1873 was able to hide from a man who had already murdered two people in an incident known as the Smuttynose Island murders.

"Maren, in her night clothes in March with her tiny little dog, was able to hide in the crevice of a rock and elude this murderer all night long," Gaucher says.

But Marens Rock isn't just a historical New England horror story. Its a 360-degree immersive virtual reality (VR) film. It puts you right in the time and place of the story, and theres no turning away.

Its great in VR to have that sense of fear, that sense of whats behind you and things you dont know. A sense of dark spaces. And VR is the kind of medium that will put you right in there and tap right into those basic emotions.

Gaucher explains that during a traditional film, horror or otherwise, you can escape. If you're scared or upset, you can look away or grab onto the person next to you.

"But when you're immersed in VR, you do have to be a little bit aware of the audiences level of sensitivity because there is no escape."

And if you're not careful, a really horrifying film might have the potential to become really, truly horrific in VR.

"We're not sure that it's potentially more traumatizing than in other media, but I think if we look at the results so far and if we look at these strong illusions, there are good reasons to think that it could be traumatizing."

Thats Dr. Michael Madary. He is a post-doctoral researcher at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, and is co-author of the first code of ethical conduct for using and consuming VR technologies.

While he emphasizes that they don't know for sure if VR has more potential to traumatize than traditional media, he says creators who do use VR have a lot of responsibility.

"I guess what filmmakers might want to keep in mind is that they're using a new technology, and in effect what they're doing is running experiments."

And "Maren's Rock" certainly is an experiment. Gaucher has 20 years of professional experience under his belt, but he says just about every step in the VR filmmaking process has been like a blank slatewhether it's finding the line between what's scary and what's potentially traumatizing, or trying to direct a scene without getting in the 360-degree shot.

"The rules for the medium haven't been written yet. This is 100 years of film/AV language, and this is a whole new chapter. Were talking about having to completely re-address everything we've been taught. EverythingIve learned for 20 years is going to be different now."

But he says the uncertainty, as well as the creative and intellectual challenges that come with this new technology, is what's driven him to really delve into the medium.

"I just realized the impact that shooting in VR was going to have, specifically on post-production industry. And that as editors, we were going to have to learn a whole new language of what was acceptable and effective, and what was just too much in VR."

Gaucher is currently teaching a course on VR film production at Emerson College in Boston.

And as "Maren's Rock" makes its way through post-production, Gaucher says he and his collaborators aren't even close to finished with virtual reality.

"Theres lots of other things that are begging to be experienced, and I'm dying to keep pushing this thing forward."

Marens Rock is on track to be released around mid-May, possibly on Samsung Gear.

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Virtual Reality Filmmakers Tackle Smuttynose Island Murders - New Hampshire Public Radio

Facebook Wants You to Livestream Your Virtual Reality Gaming – Fortune

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Samsung Gear 360 CameraSamsung

Facebook just made it easier for virtual reality video gamers to broadcast their car racing and space battles to their friends.

The tech giant said Friday that has debuted its Facebook livestreaming to the Samsung Gear VR headset. This means that Gear VR owners can broadcast their gaming sessions directly to Facebooks social networking service so that others can watch the action.

The Samsung Gear VR is the virtual headset created in a partnership between Samsung and Facebook ( fb ) . Facebook provides its Oculus VR software while Samsung manufactures the headsets.

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Unlike Facebooks Oculus Rift VR headset that requires a computer to operate, the Gear VR is powered by Samsung phones with the Android operating system.

Facebook users who watch one of the Gear VR livestreams will see a first-person perspective of the gaming session in real time. They can also leave comments on Facebook that appear to the left of the gaming screen.

As of now, the livestreaming feature is only available to Gear VR owners who dont live in the U.S., but Facebook said the feature would debut to everyone in the coming weeks.

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Facebook did not say when it would introduce its livestreaming feature to its Oculus Rift device. The social networking company premiered its livestreaming service to all of its users nearly a year ago.

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Facebook Wants You to Livestream Your Virtual Reality Gaming - Fortune

Potential Visitors Can Experience Philadelphia In Virtual Reality … – CBS Philly

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

March 10, 2017 12:58 PM

(credit: Visit Philadelphia)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Fans of Philadelphia and potential visitors can now see the city in a new way.

Visit Philadelphia is introducing an immersive tour of the City of Brotherly Love on a virtual reality headset.

Visitors will be able to explore 25 panoramic, 360-degree photos; watch a three-minute, 360-degree video; and view the video in virtual reality.

Every day we give online visitors compelling reasons to plan a trip to Philadelphia, and we believe this new view of the city will give the 20 million people who use visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com each year even more reasons to visit and do more while theyre here, said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia.

Viewable on desktop, smartphone or tablet, the VR experience shines a light on over two dozen sites and attractions across the city.

Visit Philadelphia says highlights include the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Franklin Institutes rotunda, featuring the 20-foot Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.

DIY St. Patricks Day Party Guide

A Taste Of Philly Wine Week

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Potential Visitors Can Experience Philadelphia In Virtual Reality ... - CBS Philly

Frozen Dead Guy Days: The story behind Nederland’s most famous resident – The Denver Channel

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

NEDERLAND, Colo. -- The16thannual Frozen Dead Guy Days begins Friday in Nederland, inspired by the bizarre tale of the town's most famous -- albeit deceased -- resident.

For 27 years, "The Frozen Dead Guy's" body has, in theory, been cryogenically preserved on dry ice in the mountains overlooking the town, and the only way to see him is to go with the man paid to keep him on ice.

"I'm supposedly the only guy with keys," said Brad Wickham, opening the door to the now world-famous Tuff Shed. "I hope some day when he is reanimated, we can talk about all the fun we had bringing ice up here every two weeks."

The story goes something like this:Bredo Morstoelwas a minor public official in Norway, and when he died in 1989 his grandson, TrygveBauge, had him cryogenically preserved in the hopes he could one day be re-animated.

The body was eventually moved to Nederland, where Baugehad plans to build his own cryonics lab unit he was deported.

Now, Bauge pays Wickham $9,000 per year to buy and deliver between 900 to 1,200 pounds of dry ice every two weeks and cover his grandfather's frozen sarcophagus.

"It's basically a thin metal casket. It's been chained down to prevent theft," said Wickham, who said Bredo has never thawed out on his watch, but the previous iceman may have missed some runs. "He may have gotten pretty warm by cryonic standards, let's just put it that way. But I don't think ever over 32 degrees."

Next to the Tuff Shed, the abandoned cryonics lab is filled with boxes of notes, worthy of a mad scientist.

"I picture him sitting over a dim light bulb, Archimedesstyle, scribbling," said Wickham with a smile, pointing to the painting that was done by Bredo. "Trygve was really close to his grandfather."

And while the town fought having a frozen body in a neighborhood, it has since embraced the idea, naming an annual festival after it.

"It's not much, but I guess it suits him," said Wickham, closing the shed. "Stay cool, grandpa!"

Fore more on Frozen Dead Guy Days,click here.

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Frozen Dead Guy Days: The story behind Nederland's most famous resident - The Denver Channel

Speakers lay stress on use of alternative medicine – The Nation

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

KARACHI - Speakers at a meeting of Shura Hamdard, Karachi chapter, urged the government on Friday to promote alternative medicine to solve the public healthcare problem in the country.

The meeting was held on the theme Public healthcare and government responsibilities and it was presided over by Justice (r) Haziqul Khairi at a local hall.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, vice chancellor of the Hamdard University, said that solution to public healthcare problem was in implementation and promotion of alternative medicine, particularly Unani Medicine, which was based on herbs, plants and other halal things and could be used with confidence in Islamic countries.

Unani Medicine is comparatively cheaper. Its herbs and medicinal plants can easily be grown in the country; thus, it is economical and will save foreign exchange. It suits our weather and temperament, he said. If we heed to the promotion of Unani Medicine, we will not only be able to solve our health problems but also help other countries solve their health issues, he said.

He said it was Hamdard, which played a key role to introduce Unani Medicine in the country, regulate its medicines and standardise its education. It took the Unani Medicine degree to the level of higher education and many students did MPhil and PhD at the Faculty of Eastern Medicine at Hamdard University.

He said that a hospital of Eastern Medicine set up by Hamdard University was providing free health services to the people of areas where no health services were available.

A seed, QUINOA, brought from a country of Latin America, is being cultivated at the botanical garden of Hamdard University. It is like rice in taste and has the size of millet (bajra). It is a good substitute for rice, can be grown in saltish water and is useful for diabetic patients, Prof Hakim Hannan informed.

Journalist Zubaida Mustafa said that healthcare was a fundamental human right, even WHO stressed on every country to give this right to its citizen but in our country access to health care was a big issue. A big and costly hospital was useless for the poor, she said, adding that in a country where less than 0.25 per cent of GDP was being spent on healthcare creation of such situation was obvious. There was one nurse on four doctors in our country and the main purpose of doctors now was to make money, she said.

Sadia Rashid, president of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, said that councils of Unanani Medicine and Homeopathy had already been formed and working in the country with enough budget. Justice (r) Zia Pervez, Col (r) Mukhtar Ahmed Butt, Zafar Iqbal, Naushaba Khalil, Prof Muhammad Rafi, Com (r) Sadeed Anwar Malik, Dr Abubakar Sheikh, Usman Damohi, Khalid Ikramullah Khan and Prof Dr Akhtar Saeed Siddiqui also spoke.

Premier U.S. Hospitals Are Selling Unproven Alternative Therapies … – KQED

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Theyre among the nations premier medical centers, at the leading edge of scientific research.

Yet hospitals affiliated with Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and other top medical research centers also aggressively promote alternative therapies with little or no scientific backing. They offer energy healing to help treat multiple sclerosis, acupuncture for infertility, and homeopathic bee venom for fibromyalgia. A public forum hosted by the University of Floridas hospital even promises to explain how herbal therapy can reverse Alzheimers. (It cant.)

This embrace of alternative medicine has been building for years. But a STAT examination of 15 academic research centers across the U.S. underscores just how deeply these therapies have become embedded in prestigious hospitals and medical schools.

Some hospitals have built luxurious, spa-like wellness centers to draw patients for spiritual healing, homeopathy and more. And theyre promoting such treatments for a wide array of conditions, including depression, heart disease, cancer, and chronic pain. Duke even markets a pediatric program that suggests on its website that alternative medicine, including detoxification programs and botanical medicines, can help children with conditions ranging from autism to asthma to ADHD.

Weve become witch doctors, said Dr. Steven Novella, a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine and a longtime critic of alternative medicine.

STATs examination found a booming market for such therapies: The clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, is growing so fast, its bursting out of its space.

Just in the past year, the teaching hospital connected to the University of Florida began offering cancer patients consultations in homeopathy and traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia launched an institute whose offerings include intravenous vitamin and mineral therapies. And the University of Arizona, a pioneer in the field, received a $1 million gift to boost practitioner training in natural and spiritual healing techniques.

Even as they count on these programs to bring in patients and revenue, several hospitals were reluctant to talk to STAT about why theyre lending their distinguished names to unproven therapies.

Duke Health declined repeated requests for interviews about its rapidly growing integrative medicine center, which charges patients $1,800 a year just for a basic membership, with acupuncture and other treatments billed separately.

MedStar Georgetown quietly edited its website, citing changes to its clinical offerings, after a reporter asked why it listed the energy healing practice of reiki as a therapy for blood cancer. Cleveland Clinic struggled to find anyone on its staff to defend the hospitals energy medicine program, ultimately issuing a statement that its responding to the needs of our patients and patient demand.

And the director of an alternative medicine program at another prestigious hospital declined to speak on the record out of fear, he said, that his remarks would be construed as fake news and stir a backlash.

The rise of alternative therapies has sparked tension in some hospitals, with doctors openly accusing their peers of peddling snake oil and undermining the credibility of their institutions.

By promoting such therapies, Novella said, physicians are forfeiting any claim that we had to being a science-based profession.

As for patients? Theyre being snookered, he said.

The counterargument: Modern medicine clearly cant cure everyone. It fails a great many patients. So why not encourage them to try an ancient Indian remedy or a spiritual healing technique thats unlikely to cause harm and may provide some relief, if only from the placebo effect?

Yes, as scientists, we want to be rigid. But me, as a physician, I want to find whats best for a patient. Who am I to say thats hogwash? said Dr. Linda Lee.

A gastroenterologist, Lee runs the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center, which offers acupuncture, massage therapy, and reiki a therapy that the centers website describes as laying on hands to transmit Universal Life Energy to the patient.

Lee and others who promote alternative therapies are careful to say that they can supplement but cant replace conventional treatments. And they make a point of coordinating care with other doctors so that, for instance, patients dont get prescribed herbal supplements that might interact badly with their chemotherapy.

Here at UF, we do not have alternative medicine. We do not have complementary medicine. We have integrative medicine, said Dr. Irene Estores, medical director of the integrative medicine program at the University of Florida Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla.

Online Promotions Offer Scant Evidence

But while those cautions may come through in the clinic, the hospitals also promote alternative medicine online often, without any nuance.

Dukes Integrative Medicine store, for instance, sells Po Chai Pills that are touted on the hospitals website as a cure for everything from belching to hangovers to headaches. The site explains that taking a pill harmonizes the stomach, stems counterflow ascent of stomach qi, dispels damp, dispels pathogenic factors, subdues yang, relieves pain. None of that makes sense in modern biomedical terms.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals website touts homeopathic bee venom as useful to relieve symptoms for arthritis, nerve pain, and other conditions. The site does tell patients that the biological mechanism for the treatment is unexplained but asserts that studies have been published in medical journals showing homeopathic medicines may provide clinical benefit.

Asked about the therapy, Dr. Daniel Monti, who directs the integrative health center, acknowledged that the data is largely anecdotal, and said the hospital offers the treatment only rarely, when there are few other options. But those caveats dont come through on the website.

Novella gets alarmed when he sees top-tier hospitals backing therapies with scant evidence behind them. Patients only want [alternative medicine] because theyre being told they should want it. They see a prestigious hospital is offering it, so they think its legitimate, said Novella.

The perpetuation of these practices is a victory of marketing over truth, said Steven Salzberg, a biomedical engineer at Johns Hopkins who lectures in the medical school. If a hospital is offering treatment thats based on fantasy, it undermines the credibility of the institution.

The debate burst into the public view earlier this year when the medical director of the Cleveland Clinics Wellness Institute which markets a variety of alternative therapies published an articleraising discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.

Cleveland Clinics chief executive, Dr. Toby Cosgrove, disavowed the article. And the clinic told STAT last week that it will take down its online wellness store and stop selling homeopathy kits.

But Cosgrove has stood up for the general principle of offering alternative treatments.

The old way of combating chronic disease hasnt worked, Cosgrove wrote in a column posted on the hospitals website. We have heard from our patients that they want more than conventional medicine can offer.

A Booming Market for Natural Therapies

Theres no question that patients want alternative medicine. Its a $37 billion-a-year business.

The typical American adult spent about $800 out of pocket in 2012 on dietary supplements and visits to alternative providers, such as naturopaths and acupuncturists, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitals have taken note. A national consortium to promote integrative health now counts more than 70 academic centers and health systems as members, up from eight in 1999. Each year, four or five new programs join, said Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, the chair of the consortiums policy working group.

In most cases, insurers wont cover alternative therapies theres simply not enough evidence that they actually work so patients pay out of pocket: $85 for acupuncture, $100 for reiki, $38 for pills made from thyme and oregano oils that promise to harmonize digestive and respiratory function.

To be sure, not all such integrative medicine clinics are big profit centers. Many are funded by philanthropists, and some hospitals say their programs operate at a loss but are nonetheless essential to woo patients in a highly competitive marketplace. If they failed to offer natural therapies, some hospital executives fear they would lose a chance to attract patients who need more lucrative care, such as orthopedic surgeries or cancer treatments.

The integrative medicine center at Thomas Jefferson, for instance, is part of an enterprise strategy for growth and development, Monti said.

The people running the hospitals are doctors, but they also have MBAs. They talk of patients as customers. Customers have demands. Your job is to sell them what they want, said Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York Universitys medical school. Too often, he said, the attitude is, Were damn well going to do it if the guys down the street are doing it.

While most hospitals declined to give specific revenue figures, STAT found indications of rapid growth.

Were literally bursting. We have to convert office space to clinic exam rooms, said Shelley Adler, who runs the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. It offers a wide range of services, including Chinese herbal medicine, massage therapy, and Ayurveda, an ancient healing system from India based on the belief that health results from a balance between the mind, body, and spirit.

The center is on pace to get more than 10,300 patient visits this fiscal year, up 37 percent from 2012. Its expanding its clinical staff by a third.

Duke Universitys integrative medicine clinic, a stunning space with arching wood ceilings and an indoor garden, has seen strong growth: Total visits jumped 50 percent in 2015, to more than 14,000, Dr. Adam Perlman, the executive director, told IntegrativePractitioner.com. (He declined to talk to STAT.)

The centers membership count also jumped, up 25 percent to 885, Perlman said. If all members paid the list price, that would bring in more than $1 million a year just for primary care.

At the University of Pittsburghs Center for Integrative Medicine, meanwhile, our volume pretty much has increased steadily, even when weve had recessions and financial downturns, said Dr. Ronald Glick, the medical director. The center now treats about 8,000 patients a year.

Many hospitals have also expanded into more general wellness offerings, with classes in healthy cooking, tai chi, meditation, and art therapy. UCSF offers a $375 class on cultivating emotional balance (and a free class on laughter yoga). Mayo Clinic sells a $2,900 signature experience, which includes consultations with a wellness coach.

And the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital offers specialized stress management services to help patients deal with conditions including cancer, infertility, and menopause. John Henry, the owner of STAT, has contributed funding to the Benson-Henry Institute.

Wellness programs which are designed to ease stress and encourage healthy behaviors are seen by many clinicians and hospitals as key to slowing Americas epidemic of chronic disease. They dont tend to draw sharp criticism, except for their cost.

Its the alternative therapies promoted as a way to treat disease that raise eyebrows.

Energy Healing Takes Root

Despite their deep wells of medical expertise, many top hospitals are offering to help treat serious medical problems with reiki a practice based on the belief that lightly touching patients can unleash a cosmic energy flow that will heal them naturally.

STAT found that it is widely used by academic medical centers, including Johns Hopkins, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, part of Partners HealthCare in Boston.

So, wheres the evidence supporting it?

There is none, according to a division of the National Institutes of Health that funds research into alternative medicines. It says the practice has not been shown to be useful for any health-related purpose and adds that there is no scientific evidence that the natural healing energy its based on even exists.

Asked about the Cleveland Clinics promotion of reiki, Dr. Richard Lang, the recently named interim director of the clinics Wellness Institute, said he hadnt had a chance to think about it. I dont know that I could give you a plus or minus on that, he said. Lang served as a vice chair of the Wellness Institute for nearly a decade before taking the top post.

Pressed for a more substantive answer, the clinic sent a statement saying it offers energy medicine as a complementary therapy, not as a replacement solution. But its website only briefly alludes to a patients broader care team in describing a full range of emotional and physical issues that can be treated with energy therapies, including autoimmune diseases, migraines, hormonal imbalances, and cancer treatment support and recovery.

Academic medical centers often boast that theyre more rigorous in evaluating alternative therapies and weeding out scams than a for-profit wellness center might be.

The important thing about practicing in an academic center is that we must hold ourselves to certain standards, said Estores, the medical director at the University of Floridas integrative medicine clinic.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Glick echoed that sentiment: Were an academic institution [so] were offering services that have greater evidence basis [and] scientific explanation.

But that evidence isnt always rigorous.

The University of Florida, for instance, is using Facebook to advertise an herbal medicine workshop for providers and the public that promises to answer questions including, How can we stabilize or reverse Alzheimers disease?

Asked about the evidence for that statement, Susan Marynowski, the herbalist presenting the workshop, cited several papers and a book chapter that she said showed herbs, in conjunction with lifestyle adjustments, could reverse Alzheimers-associated memory loss. However, at least two of those papers were small collections of case studies published in a journal with a reputation for less-than-rigorous review. (Marynowski said she knew the studies size and design limited the strength of their conclusions, but that she was not aware of the journals reputation.)

At Pittsburgh, the integrative medical center does take care to note on its website that alternative therapies generally have not been subjected to the same level of research as standard medical approaches.

But the site then goes on to promote dozens of treatments for everything from ADHD to whiplash, saying they have appeared to be beneficial in this and other complementary medicine clinics. (Glick noted that the body of research had grown since he wrote the caveat on the website in 2003.)

Its not Black and White

Perhaps the most prevalent alternative treatment STAT found on offer is acupuncture. Its promoted for more than a dozen conditions, including high blood pressure, sinus problems, infertility, migraines, and digestive irregularities.

A 3,000-year-old Chinese therapy, acupuncture is based on the belief that by stimulating certain points on the body, most often with needles, practitioners can unlock a natural healing energy that flows through the bodys meridians. Research suggests it helps with certain pain conditions and might help prevent migraine headaches but it also suggests that the placebo effect may play an important role.

Its value in treating other conditions is uncertain, according to the NIHs center on integrative medicine.

Several major insurers, including Aetna, Anthem, and regional Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates, cover acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain and nausea. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wont pay for acupuncture, dismissing the scientific evidence as insufficient.

Still, its important for physicians to keep an open mind, said Lang, the interim director of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

He said, for example, that he used to avoid referring patients for acupuncture, until he saw the benefit it provided to some of them. I have seen it work in some chronic pain situations, said Lang. It can be very helpful. If it doesnt work, I dont know that youve lost anything. If it does, you do get to a better place.

And while the evidence of its efficacy is not ironclad, neither is the evidence for various pharmaceutical therapies that are routinely provided by hospitals and covered by insurance. Some of those solutions, such as opioids to treat pain, have resulted in addiction and harm to patients.

Advocates of alternative medicine say its difficult to test some alternative therapies through rigorous clinical trials, primarily because treatment techniques vary from patient to patient. (The federal government does, however, spend roughly $120 million a year to fund research through the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.)

They note, too, that traditional doctors sometimes stray from proven treatments, for instance when they prescribe medicines off-label for conditions the drugs have not been approved to treat.

We do use things that arent necessarily 100 percent evidence-based, but I would argue thats also true within all of medicine, said Dr. Jill Schneiderhan, co-director of the University of Michigans integrative family medicine program. I feel like its not black and white.

This story was originally published by STAT, an online publication of Boston Globe Media that covers health, medicine, and scientific discovery.

Premier U.S. Hospitals Are Selling Unproven Alternative Therapies ... - KQED

Kale is coming for everything you eat and then you – MarketWatch

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Is kale no longer cool? The proof is in the baby food.

Yes, kale has come for your baby food, along with your vitamins and supplements, deli dip and frozen breakfast entrees.

These are among the more surprising food categories with kale seeing significant sales growth in the last year, according to an analysis by Nielsens Product Insider tool, which uses ingredient data from Label Insight, done for MarketWatch.

Not only is kale is coming for everything you eat, but Americans seem to be going for it, increasingly buying kale-infused wholesome snacks, pasta sauce, fresh sausage, and even fish food, according to the sales figures.

Those areas have seen sales dollars increase by as much as 391% (frozen breakfast entrees) and 143% (fish food) between Feb. 2016 and Feb. 2017.

Dollar sales of vitamins and supplements with kale grew by 125%, and pasta sauce with kale by 60%.

Researchers at Ohio State University say they've found a way to use food waste as an alternative to some of the carbon black in tires. Photo: OSU/Tell Collective

By contrast, kale on its own only saw dollar sales increase by about 5% over the last year, according to the Nielsen data.

The curly green vegetable has even invaded yogurt, frozen sweet goods, condiments and meat imitation products, the data shows. Those categories have seen less dramatic growth, and even sales slumps, since early 2016.

Another new frontier where kale has been popping up: pet food, as MarketWatch reported last summer.

Dog food was a top kale-containing category by total dollar sales, according to Nielsen, with the categorys sales dollars growing 66% since last year.

Read more: As more people eat healthy, their pets are getting kale and avocado

But before you bow to Big Kale, recall that the vegetable in and of itself does not a healthy food make.

Companies can add a dash of kale to make any food, including junk food, look like a superfood, said Lindsay Moyer, a senior nutritionist at the nonprofit advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. Kale is sometimes a marketing ploy that gives foods a health halo.

Related: McDonalds has ditched wraps as should we all

The front of a package may have a prominent green, leafy display, only to have kale rank far at the bottom of its ingredients list, Moyer said.

Instances of kale-as-ornament, appearing in supplement, pill or powder form, may even defeat the purpose of eating kale in the first place.

Its not the whole vegetable. It doesnt have fiber or water, its not as filling, Moyer said. But I think the idea is enticing to people. Of course youd want to find an easy way to get more kale in.

But it isnt always easy to tell what kind is in a product, noted Kristin Kirkpatrick, lead dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute and author of the new book Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent EpidemicFatty Liver Disease. Generally, unless a product advertises it, the addition of kale likely wont be a full serving of the vegetable, she said.

Consumers should try taking a step back and asking yourself if this is a healthier choice than the real food and 99.9% of the time, I dont think it will be, she said. Getting some kale in a piece of sausage is never going to be healthier than a kale salad. Never.

Kale in baby food might be an exception, though, she said, since it could help babies form their palate around vegetables, rather than solely around sweet fruits such as pear and apple.

See more: Heres the real secret to losing weight and staying thin (Hint: Youre not going to like it)

The best and healthiest way to get your kale fix is the vegetable itself, eaten in salads, slaws, stir-fry and more, both Moyer and Kirkpatrick said.

But for the vegetable-averse, do products containing kale powder have any value?

Im hard-pressed to say that, Moyer said. Often times in these processed foods, chips and things, kale powder comes after the oil or even the salt its just such a small amount.

The kale trend has gone so far that its even infiltrated nail polish, notes Moyer: Sephora sells a NailKale Superfood Base Coat that claims to be infused with kale extract to strengthen nails.

Original post:

Kale is coming for everything you eat and then you - MarketWatch

Il-76 flown beyond service life before fatal engine explosion – Flightglobal

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Investigators probing the fatal crash of a Sun Way Ilyushin Il-76TD heavy freighter in Karachi have determined the aircraft had been operating beyond its approved service life when it suffered an uncontained engine failure.

Analysis of the Georgian-registered aircrafts dynamics, using flight-data recorder information, indicates it had taken off with a weight of 195t, in excess of the 190t recommended in the flight crew operations manual.

The outboard right-hand Soloviev D-30 engine sustained a second-stage disk failure in its low-pressure compressor after the jet (4L-GNI) took off from runway 25L on 27 November 2010.

Pakistans Safety Investigation Board states that the aircraft was capable of maintaining flight with a single engine failure, and a wings-level attitude could have been maintained with aileron and rudder input.

But examination of the control inputs suggest the aircraft must have sustained extensive damage during the engine explosion and subsequent fuel fire.

The inquiry believes the Il-76 received damage to its flaps, and lost lift on the outer half of the starboard wing, causing the aircraft to bank to the right.

Modelling of the accident sequence indicates that eliminating 20% of the starboard wings flaps would have been sufficient to generate the roll moment registered on the flight-data recorder.

Taking into consideration low altitude and speed it was almost impossible to counter this situation by input of the flight controls, says the inquiry.

The aircraft banked 71 to the right, despite full deflection of ailerons and strong rudder input, and struck the ground about 1min after lifting off.

None of the eight occupants of the freighter survived the crash, and the fatalities also included three people on the ground.

The inquiry noted that, on two occasions earlier in the week of the accident, the crew had experienced difficulty in starting the outboard right-hand engine.

It was not possible to exactly determine the reason [for] abnormal starts of [the engine], says the Safety Investigation Board, but it suggests the most probable issue was reduction of compressor efficiency arising from worn blades.

Investigators add that the likely cause of the engine failure was fatigue cracking in a low-pressure compressor disk.

The condition of the 26-year old aircraft and its engines came under considerable scrutiny during the inquiry.

Investigators state that the carrier did not provide complete aircraft or engine logbooks to the probe, nor did it provide relevant records on service-life extensions to engines.

The lack of information has led the inquiry to conclude that all four engines were being operated beyond the service life established by the powerplant manufacturer, and that the manufacturer had not approved a life extension.

Investigators add that the Ilyushin design bureau assigned a calendar-based service life of 20 years for the jet, which expired in May 2004.

The aircraft was operated beyond its assigned life without approval of the designer, says the inquiry.

Although all four engines were located in the main debris field, some parts of the outer right-hand engine including low-pressure compressor blades and disks were found beneath the flight path about 1,900-2,400m from the end of the runway, and 1,200-1,400m before the crash site wreckage.

Analysis pointed to characteristics suggestive of fatigue cracking, due to fretting corrosion, in the second-stage disk. Since the logbooks of the engine were unavailable, the inquiry could not determine whether remedial measures to address this problem were implemented.

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Il-76 flown beyond service life before fatal engine explosion - Flightglobal

We are taking steps to overhaul economy through knowledge-based … – TheNewsGuru (satire) (press release) (blog)

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

The Federal Government says it is taking steps to see Nigeria move from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based innovation-driven one.

Minister for Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu stated this in Abuja at the final of the yearly National Examinations for the 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (YONSPA).

The competition was organised at the 774 Local Government Areas across the country and the best 37 students were selected to represent each state of the federation, including the FCT.

What we are doing today is very significant; it is also very historic and means a lot for our country.

We want Nigeria to move away from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based innovation driven economy.

We can only do that if we have the best of Nigerians studying science and engineering; and that is why we have taken this decision to bring in competition which used to be a part of our national life, but for a long time we discarded it.

We want you to know that if you are good, your nation will reward you.

Onu also said the best participants would be recognised at the countrys Technology and Innovation Exposition coming up later in the year.

The minister said, the expo, which would be the first of its kind in Nigeria, would bring together investors, inventors and innovators to assist in commercialising the countrys research findings and market its products both locally and internationally.

He added that the best students would be part of the countrys delegation to an international Olympiad also coming up later in the year.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Belema Wakama, had said that the criteria for grading the students would be fair.

Wakama noted that Nigeria had gifted scientists, who were doing well in other parts of world.

She, therefore, advised the participants to ensure they were listed among them.

According to her, the ministry intends to monitor the progress of the students to ensure that their interests in STI were on track.

Mr Ekanem Udoh, the Director, Science and Technology Promotion, said the competition was organised to enable the youth to key into science programmes.

Udoh reiterated that the winners would be given awards and would be supported in their educational pursuits.

The essence of this competition is to encourage our youths to participate in Science, Technology and Innovation, to see to what extent we can allow our youths to buy into the science programmes of this country and indeed the world.

The competition started last year through competitions at the local government levels then to the state levels and today we are witnessing the national finals.

These students have come as the best students from all the states of the federation to compete.

The minister has made a statement and these students will be supported all the way through their education.

He has also invited them to the Technology and Innovation Expo on April 3rd where he will formerly present awards to the first, second and third winners at this competition.

Alberta Obiekezie, one of the participants said the competition was important as it was an avenue for young Nigerian scientists to come together for the development of the country.

The essence of this kind of competition is to bring in future scientists, to bring students from all over the country, at least to test their scientific ability for a better future, Obiekezie said.

NAN

See original here:

We are taking steps to overhaul economy through knowledge-based ... - TheNewsGuru (satire) (press release) (blog)

Canada Invests $325 Million in the Fish and Seafood Sector – Yahoo Finance

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - Mar 10, 2017) - Canada's fish and seafood sector is an integral part of the economic and social fabric of so many coastal communities across the country, especially in Atlantic Canada-that's why the Government of Canada is today investing $325 million in this important part of the economy through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund. Under the Atlantic Growth Strategy, the Government of Canada and the Atlantic provinces are collaborating to grow the region's economy, including resource-based sectors, and build a vibrant future for Atlantic Canada. The Atlantic Fisheries Fund is a key component of this initiative, aimed at stimulating innovation, with a focus on growing opportunities and increasing their value to meet market demands for sustainably sourced, high quality fish and seafood products.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, today announced the establishment of the Atlantic Fisheries Fund to drive innovation in Canada's fish and seafood sector. Innovation in this sector, which is integral to the region's economy, means more jobs for fishers in hundreds of small coastal and Indigenous communities across the Atlantic Provinces.

This new investment under the Atlantic Growth Strategy will help strengthen the Atlantic economy and increase job opportunities for Atlantic Canadians. Funding for this new initiative is in addition to existing federally funded programs. The Government of Canada and the Atlantic Provinces will collaboratively develop parameters of the Atlantic Fisheries Fund. Engagement with Indigenous communities and stakeholders will contribute to shaping the program, developing partnerships and priority areas for investments in Canada. Further details on the Atlantic Fisheries Fund will be provided in the coming months.

Quote

"Our government is committed to working with all partners to make Canada's fish and seafood sector more innovative, productive and sustainable-which means good middle-class jobs for Atlantic Canadians. The world is demanding sustainably sourced, high quality fish and seafood products. The Atlantic Fisheries Fund will drive innovation in this sector, helping Canada meet these demands. This will boost the economy and increase employment opportunities for middle class Canadians in coastal communities."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Quick Facts

Jobs versus or for the environment? – Budgeeter News

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

The panel featured Minnesota Sen. Erik Simonson (DFL-Duluth), Virginia City Councilor Nevada Littlewolf, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) executive director Rolf Weberg and Jodi Slick, CEO of Ecolibrium3, a Duluth nonprofit that focuses on energy issues. Duluth City Council President Joel Sipress served as moderator.

Sipress opened by saying, "Northeastern Minnesota has historically been a resource-based extractive economy that is struggling, and has struggled for many decades with long-term economic decline. And so when a private company comes along and says, 'We want to invest millions of dollars to build a facility and to create X number of jobs,' that's really enticing.

"There are things we can do to build a regional economy that is sustainable, that is eco-friendly, and yet at the same time provides for the economic needs of the people of this region. But when we offer that vision we're basically offering plans and strategies and visions against a promise that we have the money to invest tomorrow in employment. And again, in a region where people struggle economically, that can be a hard sell, the tangible reality that 'we've got millions of dollars to invest in this facility' versus 'we've got great ideas about building an eco-friendly sustainable regional economy.' And the reason I share this is not to make us despair, but to kind of point to the challenge we have."

Simonson spoke of the Job Creation Fund, which provides grants to help existing businesses expand. But the grants haven't been going to Northeastern Minnesota, because "perhaps not enough things are happening in this region that match up with those parameters." The Legislature needs to create programs with fit with the various regions, he said. He also brought up the Angel Tax Credit program, which provides tax credits for investment in small businesses. From 2010 to 2015 there were 263 businesses invested in in Hennepin and Ramsey counties but only four in St. Louis and Lake counties.

On the plus side, he noted, the Small Business Development Center in Tech Village has been extremely helpful to local businesses, he said. He also supports development decisions being made at the local level. "I want to get the feedback about what the state can do to help you facilitate the development," he said.

Littlewolf said that contrary to the stereotype about Iron Rangers, many of them are enthusiastic about sustainability. She spoke of the restoration of Olcott Park Greenhouse, the Rutabaga Project to grow local food, the farmer's market, the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability, the annual Earth Fest (April 22) and urban revitalization by turning vacant lots into community gardens.

Littlewolf noted how people driving into Virginia from Duluth come over the hill and see all the mines, but also the windmills. "This is the world we live in," she said.

Jodi Slick said, "Talking about green jobs, where we don't have to have that argument about jobs versus the economy, is not necessarily a new conversation." Nine years ago in Duluth there was a widespread planning effort to look at the issue and resulted in an "amazing amount of work."

The city's coal-fired steam plant is literally feet from Lake Superior, but it can be retro-fitted to change fuel source and be more far efficient, reusing hot water rather than dumping it into the sewer. Conversion would be a job-creating project; the city is trying to get funding from the State Legislature and Slick hopes it will launch next year.

NRRI, located in the monolithic former Air Force defense building in Hermantown, was created by the Legislature in 1983 after the mining industry began struggling. NRRI's mission is to "develop sustainable, natural resource-based industries." Weberg spoke of NRRI's many projects helping businesses with research and development, such biomass and the use of recycled materials.

The forum was sponsored by the group Duluth for Clean Water. A video of the forum may be found at duluthforcleanwater.org.

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Jobs versus or for the environment? - Budgeeter News

HIKE NETARTS BAYOCEAN SPIT – North Coast Citizen

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Danzig

Official Flier

Netarts, Oregon Hike along Bay Ocean Spit road, learn about coastal bays & estuaries, and discover the history of a lost town. This guided hike is part of the Explore Nature series of hikes, walks, paddles and outdoor adventures. Hosted by a consortium of volunteer community and non-profit organizations, these meaningful nature-based experiences highlight the unique beauty of Tillamook County and the work being done to preserve and conserve the areas natural resources and natural resource-based economy.

This unique 4 mile journey is an easy to moderate walk that winds along and over dunes at the intersection of the ocean and Tillamook Bay. Expect to navigate through puddles and mud, scamper up sand banks, and navigate around storm washed trees. FREE and open to the public, the hike will be led by Chrissy Smith of Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS and Kristen Penner of Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative.

Experience the unique story of our coastline, the story of a long lost town buried beneath the salal, and learn about new efforts to preserve Tillamooks historical legacies. Join us in discovering the natural wonders and history of this special place!

Date & Time: Hike is scheduled for March 25, 2017 from 1pm 4pm.

Event Information: There are no bathrooms or drinking water facilities on this hike. Please bring water and snacks. Weather on the Oregon Coast is unpredictable and trails can be slick and muddy. Please be prepared and bring appropriate gear and clothing.

Difficulty: Easy to moderate 4 mile hike over flat gravel road, sand, moderate to steep sand dunes

Location: Bay Ocean Peninsula County near Cape Meares, OR. The park is a 20 minute drive from downtown Tillamook. Please register for driving directions.

Cost:No charge. Tax-exempt donations to Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS to enable programs like this are encouraged, but not required.

HIKE NETARTS BAYOCEAN SPIT - North Coast Citizen

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