Electronic Arts' fight over NFL avatars attracts big media attention

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Big media companies, including the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, have lined up to support video game maker Electronic Arts in seeking a new court hearing regarding EAs use of likenesses of former NFL players.

According to the media companies, the First Amendment issues at stake in the lawsuit could have broad impact on the entertainment and media industry.

A wide range of speech was put in danger, when EA was found to be unprotected by the First Amendment in the lawsuit, according to a brief written by lawyers for the media companies.

EA is continuing to fight the 2012 lawsuit over its popular Madden NFL game. Former NFL players including Vince Ferragamo sued EA, alleging that the company hasnt paid them or sought their permission to use their likenesses in the game.

EA is based in Redwood City, California, but the Madden game is made in Maitland, a suburb of Orlando, where the company employs 800 people.

EA tried to argue that the First Amendment protects its rights to use the likeness of well-known people, but a judge and an appeals court ruled against that argument last year.

Electronic Arts now seeks a rehearing on the First Amendment question, saying that the court missed some important issues in its previous rulings. Thats when the big media groups got invovled.

The media groups are asking the court to clarify the law for the benefit of video game makers, film producers, songwriters, and other creators.

If the use is relevant to the underlying expression in the work, the First Amendment should almost always protect the use (except when a use explicitly misleads consumers as to origin or sponsorship), according to the media groups arguments.

The media companies said they are focused on speech other than commercial advertising, so the definition of commercial advertising is also in play for the dispute.

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Electronic Arts' fight over NFL avatars attracts big media attention

One year on, Elliptic's secure Bitcoin vault is slowly filling up

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Home News Security One year on, Elliptic's secure Bitcoin vault is slowly filling up Bitcoin vaults turn out to be eerily like real ones

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London-based secure Bitcoin vault Elliptic is slowly adding new pieces to its startup jigsaw, last week appointing former Bitcoin Foundation director Kevin Beardsley as the firms new head of business development.

Its another fillip for a firm that in January gained ISAE 3402 accreditation from auditors KPMG, a critical piece if financial architecture for a company that wants to make Bitcoins a respectable form of investment secured using its Vault platform.

So a year into operation, where is this unusual business today? According to co-founder and CTO Adam Joyce the firm is finding customers from Londons financial sector among investment funds and trading houses which increasingly view Bitcoins as a respectable, investment-grade asset.

Naturally, they need somewhere secure to keep these as well as automation to minimise the sort of friction that surrounds so many other financial assets. This turns out not to be easy to build.

Elliptic has had to engineer a tie up to have the Bitcoins stored with it insured in a policy underwritten by Lloyd's of London (based on the price on the day a claim is made). Bitcoins have an odd reputation, Bitcoin startups more so, which is why Joyce is keen to emphasise the financial engineering of being able to offer insurance and the sort of financial respectability of being accredited by KPMG and based in London.

Many of our customers require a custodian that complies with certain standards. Our accreditation by KPMG allows certain customers to use us, says Joyce. We always ensure we act in a compliant way.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of this business is that it is reinventing the world of physical security and paper online virtual currencies might be assume to have abolished. No matter how much clever software the small but expanding team builds, the core of the company is a special room full of computers and other storage hardware that are not only not connected to the Internet but have never been connected to the Internet.

These are the among loneliest computers in the world, so isolated Joyce says that the keys made by them emerge sometimes on paper.

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One year on, Elliptic's secure Bitcoin vault is slowly filling up

Cruise and climate change top the agenda for World Responsible Tourism Awards 2015 at WTM

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Brighton, UK (PRWEB UK) 2 March 2015

The prestigious awards scheme, co-founded and organised by Responsible Travel, is part of World Travel Markets World Responsible Tourism Day the largest day of responsible tourism action in the world which takes place on Wednesday, 4 November and celebrates the most inspiring and innovative examples of responsible tourism in practice globally.

Tourism businesses, organisations, initiatives and destinations across the industry are now being invited to submit themselves for consideration in the 2015 awards at http://www.worldresponsibletourismawards.com/submissions by Monday 6th April 2015.

Commenting on the variety of organisations expected to submit themselves for consideration, Responsible Travel managing director Justin Francis says The principles of responsible tourism can apply to any business, mainstream or niche its what makes the awards so exciting.

We want to play an active role in creating and encouraging a more caring tourism industry and the winners of these awards, big or small, will set examples the rest of the tourism industry can and should follow.

Im very excited about being able to discover and share their stories this year.

The 2015 Awards reflect some of the key trends in responsible tourism with a new category Best Innovation for Carbon Reduction searching out some of the most successful, replicable examples of innovation in carbon reduction in the tourism industry in light of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year. 2015 will also see the return of a category for cruise lines, with submissions invited for the Best Sea or River Cruise.

Chair of Judges, Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism explains why the cruise category is so important this year. The cruise industry is one of the largest sectors of the tourism market, but also one of the most irresponsible, and progress towards more responsible cruising has generally been slow.

One of the primary purposes of the Awards is to identify good practice and to challenge and inspire others to follow.

After the success of the panel on freshwater cruising at WTM in November 2014 where three businesses were able to report in detail on their impressive Responsible Tourism practices, we are keen to see how far the cruise industry has come and what can be learnt from this years Awards.

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Cruise and climate change top the agenda for World Responsible Tourism Awards 2015 at WTM

Wonkblog: The best places in the world to visit while the dollar is this strong

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This is a great time for Americans to travel internationally. A host of factors have come together to make the prospect more affordable: the American economy is showing real strength, the dollar has greater buying power compared to almost all worldwide currencies, and hotel prices overseas are down, sometimes significantly.

TripAdvisor recently released its survey of 2015 hotel room pricesshowing an average seven percent decline overseas overall -- and an even bigger drop of nine percent in Europe. That decline came from a combination of better currency exchange rates for Americans using dollars and lower rates set by hotel owners.TripAdvisor found hotel nightly booking prices down almost 13 percent in France, almost 11 percent in Germany, and more than eight percent in Spain and Italy compared to 2014. There are surprising deals, too, in Sweden and Norway where hotel prices are down 19percent and 17 percent, respectively.

Throughout the world, in fact, from Russia to Brazil and Turkey, there are deals to be had. You can use this interactive map to see where hotel prices have fallen the most. Below, a top 10list, as well as a deeper dive into the strength of the dollararound the world.

Top 10 biggest hotel price declines: Country, average hotel room price a night, decline from last year

It's not just hotels, however. The economic slowdown in Europe has led to an overall decline in prices. While prices rose slightlyin Germany and France -- .1 percent --prices were down in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and many other countries. So shoppers can find bargains in accommodations, food and local products.

Meanwhile, the stronger dollar makes the differences even bigger. The dollar is worth 21 percent more than it was a year ago against the euro.

Partly as a result, on the leisure side, Europe is really, really hot, said Kurt Crowl, senior vice president of Connoisseur Travel in Washington. Iceland is very popular. Extremely popular. There are now direct flights from our area. Its new and different and for somebody whos done Europe, its an alternative to that.

The dollar has also gained buying power against countries that don't use the euro. The dollar is up 79 percent against the Russian ruble over the past year. And Ukrainian officials areconcerned that unrest has driven the value of the local currency so low that the dollar isworth three times as many hryvni as it was last year.

You can use this map to explore currency declines across the world:

Across Scandinavia, the dollar is up 29 percent against the Swedish krona, 25 percent against the Norwegian krone and 21 percent against the Danish krone. TripAdvisor found hotel prices in Sweden, Norway and Denmark down 19 percent, 17 percent and 11 percent this year.

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Former UN World Tourism Organization top official Geoffrey Lipman Joins Civic Resource Group International as Special …

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LOS ANGELES, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Civic Resource Group Int'l (CRG) today announced the appointment of Geoffrey Lipman as Special Advisor, Global Travel & Tourism. CRG has also entered a strategic partnership with Greenearth.travel of which Mr. Lipman is Chairman.

Professor Lipman will work with CRG specifically to promote green growth and sustainability related to Travel & Tourism, which is a key component of CRG's international expansion plans in the government and related civic sectors in 2015. Lipman's stature and experience in the industry will reinforce the Company's commitment to promote Sustainable Tourism on a global level.

In addition to serving as Chairman of Greenearth Travel, Lipman is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on New Models of Tourism. He is President of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), Chair of GreenGrowth2050.travel and founder of the Maurice Strong University Network for Sustainable Tourism. Lipman holds visiting Professorships at Universities in Australia, Belgium, Korea and UK. He is co-author of two books and numerous articles on Green Growth & Travelism.

Lipman joined the International Air Transport Association in the 1960s, ultimately leading its government relationships, before his appointment as the first President of the World Travel & Tourism Council from 1990 to 1999. Between 2006 and 2010, he served as Assistant Secretary General and spokesperson of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He was a Member of EU Commissions on Aviation Liberalization and on Tourism Employment.

About Greenearth.Travel:

Greenearth.travel is an EU-based global research and commercial network to advance Green Growth & Travelism (Travel and Tourism) as a key engine of sustainable trade and development. It is currently building the "SUN" consortium to help deliver climate responsive Travel & Tourism.

About Civic Resource Group (CRG):

Civic Resource Group International is one of the world's leading providers of digital government solutions. Founded by Gregory Curtin, Ph.D. CRG pioneered Civic Connect, its Mobile/Cloud/Data First platform and product line. Since 2000, CRG has been "Fulfilling the promise of technology" for clients in the broad public sector, helping them to harness digital advances to effectively connect with their audiences. CRG is a new breed of Company, innovating digital solutions that support Sustainable Communities, Efficient Public Services, Engaged Citizens and Better Quality of Life.

Media Contact: Genia Kushner geniak@civicresource.com

This release was issued through Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

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Where spirituality meets education

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An old woman, of French origin is seated in a Garden, wearing a beatific smile.

Surrounding her are many people - educators, spiritual seekers, mothers asking her questions The questions are all about children: How do I create silence in my class? How do I react when I see my child constantly asking for material things? What should I do when I see a child lying? And so on. In the background there are children dressed in white playing. The old woman is The Mother, the Spiritual collaborator of Shri Aurobindo. And the setting is the Shri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry.

So, why are questions about children being directed to a spiritual teacher? An understanding of the background of these two great people - Shri Aurobindo and The Mother, would be helpful.

Shri Aurobindo was an Indian Nationalist, philosopher and a poet who joined the Freedom movement and was imprisoned by the British Government.

In his Tales of prison life he writes, The only result of the wrath of the British Government was that I found God. Else readers may think that suffering is the only fact of prison life. On discovering his spiritual impulse, he later moved to Pondicherry and worked on his spiritual aspirations.

Mira Alfassa, born in France, known to her followers as The Mother came to Shri Aurobindos spiritual retreat in 1914. And became his spiritual collaborator. She brought with her varied and rich experiences including her associations with the likes of Monet and Rabindranath Tagore.

She had a deep interest in children and founded the school in the Ashram where she worked closely with teachers and children and defined her educational philosophy. Her book titled On Education reveals her profound understanding of children and education in the light of spirituality.

There are two distinguishing features that stand out from other educators in Mothers approach to education.

One is her conviction that education begins at birth, or even before birth. Two, her extraordinary focus on physical education.

She believed that education of the child began from the time of conception. She believed that the nature of the child to be born is greatly influenced by the mothers aspirations, will and the physical environment.

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Astronauts finish 5-hour spacewalk despite water found in helmet

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Story highlights Spacewalk last more than five hours; crews have spent more than 1,171 hours spacewalking Astronaut Terry Virts found a small amount of water inside his helmet

In a tweet, the space agency said astronaut Terry Virts experienced water inside his helmet, just as he did Wednesday, but "it's a known issue; no concern."

The spacewalk lasted five hours and 38 minutes, NASA said.

"Crews have now spent a total of 1,171 hours and 29 minutes conducting space station assembly and maintenance during 187 spacewalks," the agency said in a release.

NASA previously said the suit worn by NASA astronaut Virts has a history of "sublimator water carryover." Water in the sublimator cooling component can condense when the suit is repressurized after a spacewalk, causing a small amount of water to push into the helmet, NASA said.

NASA said International Space Station managers had "a high degree of confidence" in the suit.

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti examines Terry Virts' helmet.

EXPAND IMAGE

On the upcoming spacewalk, Virts and Barry Wilmore installed antennas to provide data to visiting vehicles and deploy 400 feet of cable along the edge of the station.

Virts said he first noticed traces of fluid and dampness in his helmet Wednesday while he was waiting for the crew lock cabin to repressurize.

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Astronauts finish 5-hour spacewalk despite water found in helmet

Flight Brings Us Closer to Balloon-Powered Space Tourism

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Late last week, a company came one step closer to sending tourists to the edge of space using ginormous balloons, breaking a record for the worlds highest parafoil flight. Arizona-based World View carried the parafoila large, wing-like parachuteto the edge of space using its ballon, and had it fly back to the ground. It also carried experiments designed by students from Montana State University and the University of Northern Florida.

The experiments, which tested high-definition video and computer equipment at high altitudes, arent the news here. Neither is reaching that altitude. World View has flown to this height and higher before. Last year, it acquired the tech Paragon StratEx used in October to float Google exec Alan Eustace up to 135,000 feet before he detached and dove/plummeted back down. Researchers have been sending similar balloons to edge-of-space altitudes for years, transporting payloads and collecting data.

The significance of World Views latest endeavor lies in the downward flight of the parafoil, a fundamental piece of the projected designs its manned tourist expeditions. The company wants to load its passengers into a flight capsule, attach that to a massive (as in roughly-the-size-of-a-football-stadium massive) polyethylene balloon filled with gas, and float them up to the destination altitude. After a leisurely two-hour jaunt through near-space, the capsule will begin its return trip, using the balloon initially and then transitioning to the parafoil to glide back to Earth.

For this variety of manned near-space travel to become even remotely feasible, World View must first prove its parafoil (which it calls the ParaWing) can be relied upon to act as both the safety net and the landing mechanism from 100,000 feet. Setting this record proves parafoil flight from that height is possible. From here, World View will move forward to testing parafoil descents with heavier payloads.

Compared to rocket-powered offerings from space tourism companies like Virgin Galactic and XCOR, World Views balloon scheme has some advantages. Visitors get to spend several hours in the near-space environment, rather than a few minutes outside of the atmosphere. Floating up to altitude, instead of rocketing up, promises to be a more serene experience and doesnt require special training or equipment. Passengers wont be weightless, but there is a bar onboard (who doesnt want to pop bottles 100,000 feet up?). And it will be less expensive than other suborbital flights.

Dont confuse less expensive with inexpensive. A ticket to reserve your ride in the flight capsule is still going to set you back $75,000. And even though the capsules will float to the edge-of-space, they dont actually go into space, which is something of a bummer for anyone looking to say theyve actually been to the final frontier and willing to spend that kind of cash. World View doesnt have plans to launch their first flight until the end of 2016, but if a balloon ride to the point where aeronaut meets astronaut sounds like your idea of a good time, you may want to get a head start on setting aside some money.

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Space Weather experts meet at United Nations workshop

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Around 150 scientists, from more than 30 countries gathered in Fukuoka, Japan, today to assess the status of space weather instruments (ground and space-based), data access, availability, and collection and modelling efforts to advance space weather research and to improve space weather forecasting.

Space weather, or the Sun's effects on near-Earth space, can cause disruptions and failures of communications satellites in geostationary orbit, or even severely damage ground-based infrastructures.

Opening the 2 to 6 March United Nations/Japan Workshop on Space Weather, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Expert on Space Applications, Mr. Takao Doi, a former astronaut and veteran of two space flight missions, said; "Understanding and eventually being able to forecast space weather is not only of scientific interest, but also has economic value by helping to protect space and ground-based infrastructures such as satellites, electric power plants and oil pipelines that are susceptible to space weather effects".

The Workshop will also review international cooperation activities in addressing space weather-related matters such as possible further cooperation towards a global space-weather monitoring capability. This capability will also be necessary for future human exploration of Solar Systems, when astronauts travel beyond the protecting confines of the Earth's magnetic field.

Hosted by the International Centre for Space Weather Science and Education (ICSWSE) of Kyushu University on behalf of the Government of Japan, the Workshop is being held under the umbrella of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI), a programme of international cooperation to advance space weather research and applications.

Further information is available on the Workshop webpage at http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SAP/act2015/japan/index.html

The Workshop is part of a long series of conferences organized within the Basic Space Science Initiative (BSSI) under the United Nations Programme on Space Applications.

See more at http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SAP/bss/index.html

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Space Weather experts meet at United Nations workshop

Image: Simulating space for JWST's four infrared instruments

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3 hours ago Credit: NASA/Goddard/C. Gunn

Building a space telescope is no mean feat. Conditions here on Earth are drastically different from those experienced in orbit around our planet. How do we know that any telescope built in our controlled laboratories can withstand the harsh environment of space?

Luckily, we can recreate space-like conditions using simulators such as this thermalvacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, USA. In this image, the chamber is not in action, as shown by the presence of a photographer wielding a torch on the sidelines. When switched on, multiple pumps suck all the air out to create a space-like vacuum, and the temperature can drop to a toe-curlingly low 253C.

However, the real star of this image is the futuristic gold-coloured frame and its contents. This frame holds the Integrated Science Instrument Module, a structure containing the science instruments for 2018's James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Along with the frame, this module weighs about as much as an elephant and houses four instruments to observe in the infrared, a part of the spectrum that is key for exploring the origins of the Universe and the properties of very distant cosmic objects.

This capability is the reason for the chamber's extremely low temperature: infrared light is emitted by warm objects. To avoid infrared emissions from the telescope itself interfering with JWST's observations, the entire telescope must be cooled to very low temperatures.

In space, JWST will make use of a giant sunshield to keep it completely in the shadows. This will keep the telescope at 233C.

The JWST team hit a milestone last summer as all four science instruments passed their cryogenic testing in this chamber. The three near-infrared units were cooled to around 233C, while the mid-infrared instrument reached an even lower 266C, for a total of 116 days. For more information, read here.

After these tests, one of the units the Near InfraRed Spectrograph was removed and fitted with new detectors and 'microshutters', a new technology to study hundreds of celestial objects simultaneously using minuscule windows the width of a human hair. When this upgraded instrument is returned, the entire module will continue with further environmental tests to reproduce the conditions endured during launch and in space.

Explore further: Improved vision for James Webb Space Telescope

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Image: Simulating space for JWST's four infrared instruments