Microsoft releases Windows 8.1, a year in making

This image provided by Microsoft shows updated Windows 8.1. Microsoft released its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs. Windows 8.1 still features the dual worlds that Windows 8 created when it came out last October. It features a touch-enabled tile interface resembling what's found in tablet computers and there's the old desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still reign. (AP Photo/Microsoft)

This image provided by Microsoft shows updated Windows 8.1. Microsoft released its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs. Windows 8.1 still features the dual worlds that Windows 8 created when it came out last October. It features a touch-enabled tile interface resembling what's found in tablet computers and there's the old desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still reign. (AP Photo/Microsoft)

This image provided by Microsoft shows the updated Windows 8.1. Microsoft released its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs. Windows 8.1 still features the dual worlds that Windows 8 created when it came out last October. It features a touch-enabled tile interface resembling what's found in tablet computers and there's the old desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still reign. (AP Photo/Microsoft)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Microsoft released its long-awaited Windows 8.1 upgrade as a free download Thursday. It addresses some of the gripes people have had with Windows 8, the dramatically different operating system that attempts to bridge the divide between tablets and PCs.

Windows 8.1 still features the dual worlds that Windows 8 created when it came out last October. On one hand, it features a touch-enabled tile interface resembling what's found in tablet computers. On the other, there's the old desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still reign. The update adds some new finger- and gesture-friendly shortcuts for touch-based apps, while restoring some respect for the desktop mode that a billion PC users have become accustomed to.

The release comes as sales of traditional desktop and laptop computers continue to decline because consumers are spending money instead on the latest smartphones and tablets. It also comes at a time of transition for Microsoft as the Redmond, Wash., company focuses on devices and services, not just software. Earlier this month, Microsoft struck a deal to acquire Nokia's phone business and patent rights for more than $7 billion. Microsoft is also searching for a new CEO to replace Steven A. Ballmer, who announced last month that he plans to retire within the next year.

The Window 8.1 update is free for current owners of Windows 8. Downloads started at 7 a.m. Thursday in New York, which corresponded to the start of Friday in New Zealand. Simply go to the Windows Store app to find it. It may take a few hours for updates to reach everyone. Computers with Windows 8.1 already installed will go on sale Friday local time. That's also when people will be able to buy stand-alone copies of Windows 8.1.

The changes range from the cosmetic to improved functionality:

RESTORING RESPECT FOR THE DESKTOP

START ME UP — The Start button is back in desktop mode, although not the way it was before Windows 8 came along. In Windows 7 and before, a click on Start would have brought up programs and important folders in a list. Now, one tap on Start flips you back to the new tile interface, where you can click or tap tiles to open programs. A long press brings up crucial settings such as the Control Panel.

BOOT TO DESKTOP — You can now start up the machine in desktop mode, bypassing the tiles for a short time. That removes some of the headache for companies that want to use Windows 8 but don't want to buy a touch-screen monitor for every employee.

TOUCH AND GESTURE UPDATES

ONSCREEN KEYBOARD SWIPES — The onscreen keyboard now includes the ability to type numbers or punctuation marks by swiping up or away from certain keys on the standard "QWERTY" layout, eliminating the need to toggle between numeric and alphabetic layouts. You can also select from suggested words mid-stream using side swipes and taps on the virtual spacebar.

GESTURE-ENABLED APPS — You can now wave in the air in front of the front-facing camera to get a response. For example, in the new app Bing Food & Drink, a right-to-left wave in "Hands Free Mode" flips through pages of a recipe.

QUICKER TILE ORGANIZING — You can tap and hold Windows tiles with your finger to move them. Another couple taps will allow you to resize them in one of four sizes. In the previous version, you had to go back to the mouse or touchpad and right-click on tiles to do this, and you were limited to two sizes.

EASIER APPS ACCESS — Finding all your apps takes just a swipe up on your start screen, as long as you don't do it from beyond the bottom edge. Before, you had to swipe up from the bottom edge, then tap on the All Apps button.

SMALL CONVENIENCES

AUTOMATIC UPDATES — Apps update in the background, replacing the constant reminders to go to the Windows Store to update the apps yourself.

SMALLER TABLETS — Windows 8.1 now has a home screen that looks good in portrait mode on screens measuring 7 inches to 8 inches diagonally.

LOCK SCREEN ACCESS — You can now answer Skype calls or take photos from the lock screen without having to log in. Just swipe down. You can also set other apps like Twitter to send notifications when the screen is locked.

FUNCTIONAL CHANGES

BETTER MULTITASKING — In Windows 8.1, you can run up to four apps at once side by side, double the previous amount, though you need a large, high-resolution monitor to do so (On their own, Microsoft's Surface tablets are not big enough for more than two). You can resize panes using a slider that moves side to side, instead of being limited to one larger window and one slender one. This is still not as capable as Windows 7 or in desktop mode, where you can open dozens of items in windows that can be resized horizontally, vertically and diagonally. And many app makers have yet to adapt, meaning some apps still appear as a thin sliver, even if you want them to take up half the screen.

GLOBAL SEARCH — Typing while on the tile-based start screen will pull up multiple search results — if applicable — from your computer, the Web and the Windows app store. If you're searching for a musician, you'll see a list of popular songs you can play using Xbox Music, and if it's someone famous (like President Barack Obama) you'll see biographical details, videos and other information. Before, you had to choose where to search: in apps, settings, computer files or on the Internet.

EMAIL UPDATE — The standard-issue Mail app now has a "power pane" on left-hand side with folders for updates from social networks like Facebook, messages from favorite contacts and newsletters. Some of these features work only with Microsoft accounts such as Hotmail and Outlook.com, though. A new "sweep" command deletes multiple messages with a couple taps.

BETTER BROWSING — No longer are you limited to 10 open tabs in the tile version of Internet Explorer. Before, Web pages automatically closed without prompts when you try to open more. You can open as many as you want now. Better yet, you can have two different websites displayed side by side, the way you've long been able to before Windows 8 came along.

FUN STUFF

XBOX MUSIC REFRESH — The music streaming app now optimizes playback over discovery with a layout that has more lists and smaller photos. It also adds the ability to create playlists from any website with a couple taps. When on a website featuring artists, swipe in from the right edge and tap the Share button followed by the Music button. It will create a song playlist based on those artists, which you can then stream for free.

PICTURE EDITING — A picture editor with pre-set effects comes with the update, allowing for photo touchups, cropping, contrast changes and other features.

XBOX ONE INTEGRATION — You can pick up where you left off if you start playing a video purchased on Xbox Video on a tablet and then watch the rest on Microsoft's upcoming game console, Xbox One.

___

Follow Ryan Nakashima on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rnakashi

___

Online:

http://windows.microsoft.com

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-17-Microsoft-Windows%20Tuneup/id-12c7ebe907be4c6195358ec1f9ffaff0
Category: gizmodo   Daft Punk   Miley Cyrus VMA   Katy Perry Roar   aubrey plaza  

For Obama, a frustrating health care rollout

File- Thgis Oct. 17, 2013 file photo shows President Barack Obama speaking in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Administration officials say about 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges, the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of President Obama's signature legislation. However, the officials continue to refuse to say how many people have actually enrolled in the insurance markets. Without enrollment figures, it's unclear whether the program is on track to reach the 7 million people projecting by the Congressional Budget Office to gain coverage during the six-month sign-up period. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

File- Thgis Oct. 17, 2013 file photo shows President Barack Obama speaking in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Administration officials say about 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges, the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of President Obama's signature legislation. However, the officials continue to refuse to say how many people have actually enrolled in the insurance markets. Without enrollment figures, it's unclear whether the program is on track to reach the 7 million people projecting by the Congressional Budget Office to gain coverage during the six-month sign-up period. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last week, President Barack Obama gathered some of his top advisers in the Oval Office to discuss the problem-plagued rollout of his health care legislation. He told his team the administration had to own up to the fact that there were no excuses for not having the health care website ready to operate on Day One.

The admonition from a frustrated president came amid the embarrassing start to sign-ups for the health care insurance exchanges. The president is expected to address the cascade of computer problems Monday during an event at the White House.

Administration officials say more than 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges. The figures mark the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of the insurance market place.

However, the officials continue to refuse to say how many people have actually enrolled in the insurance markets. And without enrollment figures, it's unclear whether the program is on track to reach the 7 million people projected by the Congressional Budget Office to gain coverage during the six-month sign-up period.

The first three weeks of sign-ups have been marred by a cascade of computer problems, which the administration says it is working around the clock to correct. The rough rollout has been a black eye for Obama, who invested significant time and political capital in getting the law passed during his first term.

The officials said technology experts from inside and outside the government are being brought in to work on the glitches, though they did not say how many workers were being added.

Officials did say staffing has been increased at call centers by about 50 percent. As problems persist on the federally run website, the administration is encouraging more people to sign up for insurance over the phone.

The officials would not discuss the health insurance rollout by name and were granted anonymity.

Despite the widespread problems, the White House has yet to fully explain what went wrong with the online system consumers were supposed to use to sign up for coverage.

Administration officials initially blamed a high volume of interest from ordinary Americans for the frozen screens that many people encountered. Since then, they have also acknowledged problems with software and some elements of the system's design.

Interest in the insurance markets appears to continue to be high. Officials said about 19 million people have visited HealthCare.gov as of Friday night.

Of the 476,000 applications that have been started, just over half have been from the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead in running the markets. The rest of the applications have come from the 14 states running their own markets, along with Washington, D.C.

Americans seeking health coverage through the Affordable Care Act must fill out applications before selecting a specific plan. The forms require personal information, including income figures that are used to calculate any subsidies the applicant may qualify for. More than one person can be included on an application.

The White House says it plans to release the first enrollment totals from both the federal and state-run markets in mid-November.

Obama will directly address the technical problems with the health care websites Monday morning during an event in the Rose Garden, according to the White House. Officials said the president finds the glitches unacceptable and will outline for the public steps the administration is taking to address the troubles.

Obama will be joined during the event by people who have already enrolled in insurance programs through the new exchanges. The administration has not said how many people have enrolled during the first three weeks of sign-ups.

An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press showed that the administration projected nearly a half million people would enroll for the insurance markets during the first month.

Officials say they expect enrollments to be heavier toward the end of the six-month sign up window.

Problems with the rollout were largely overshadowed by Republican efforts to force changes to the health care law in exchange for funding the government. That effort failed and the government reopened last week with "Obamacare" intact.

Some Republicans are now calling for the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The White House says it has complete confidence in her. House Republicans have scheduled a hearing next week to look into the rollout problems.

White House allies say they're confident the problems are being addressed.

"There's no question the marketplace website needs some improvement," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., one of the architects of the law. "The administration needs to fix the computer bugs and I'm confident that they're working around the clock to fix the problems."

___

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-20-Obama-Health%20Care/id-68dc16340ffb4b53bc3ac1ead8543cab
Similar Articles: What Does Government Shutdown Mean   pittsburgh steelers   lsu football   Kendrick Lamar diss   raven symone  

Mickey Rooney's Stepson SETTLES Elder Abuse Suit for MILLIONS

Mickey Rooney
Stepson Settles Elder Abuse Suit
FOR MILLIONS

Exclusive

Mickey Rooney's stepson now concedes he owes the famed actor $2.8 million for allegedly siphoning off a ton of money from Mickey's financial accounts, but there's a GIGANTIC catch.

Christopher Aber and his wife, Christina, have just settled with Mickey's conservators, after allegations they played funny with Mickey's money.  There were also allegations the couple deprived Mickey of food, meds, and even blocked him from leaving his home.

The whole thing escalated when the 93-year-old actor testified before Congress on elder abuse.

So now Christopher and Christina -- who have declared bankruptcy -- have folded.  So how, you ask, can Mickey get $2.8 mil?  Well under the settlement, Christopher and Christina have a homeowner's insurance policy that arguably covers this type of wrongdoing.  So Mickey's lawyers think they can use the settlement to go after the insurance company and get their dough.

Here's the rub.  The insurance company has already made it clear ... it's not paying anything because the alleged abuses were intentional, and that's not covered under the policy.

So Mickey's lawyers are now going to sue the insurance company and demand not only the $2.8 mil but also punitive damages for bad faith denial of coverage.

Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2013/10/16/mickey-rooney-settlement-lawsuit-elder-abuse-insurance/
Tags: goog   foxnews   Kaepernick  

Verizon is trying out a scheme where it'll offer same-day delivery for phones ordered online--first

Verizon is trying out a scheme where it'll offer same-day delivery for phones ordered online—first in Philadelphia, then hopefully in NYC, Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Just in case you really, really need that new handset right now.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/verizon-is-trying-out-a-scheme-where-itll-offer-same-da-1446278680
Related Topics: Ed Sheeran   Phillip Lim Target   Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   brandon jacobs   raven symone  

Apple Pushes New Version Of OS X Mavericks GM To Quash Last Minute Bugs

The consensus is that Apple currently plans on announcing the details of OS X Mavericks availability and pricing during this week’s event in San Francisco. We’re hearing that, in order to kill some last-minute bugs, a quiet update has been made to the Gold Master version of Mavericks previously shipped out to developers.

Apple has pushed out updated “Gold Master” versions of its OS before, but it does so very rarely. Once an OS goes to a GM build, it’s a statement that the bits are pretty much ready for public consumption. Most of the time they do not change at all until release. At this point only bugs that could affect first-run experiences or upgraders are likely to be the cause of such a new release. We don’t know exactly what the bugs are, just that this was not a “planned” update and that some last-minute patches were the cause, but that it was also not a mistake. Apple is just getting Mavericks in ship-shape.

The Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac noticed the build number change earlier today, which went from 13A598 to 13A603 if you’re interested in that sort of thing. We had heard that a “new GM” build of Mavericks was inbound, but had assumed it would be a full-on push through Apple’s developer portal. In this case, it has apparently simply changed the build that it’s offering from its servers to the new edition. That would fit with bug fixes that could affect upgraders, as they’ll simply get the new version from the MAS.

All of this points to Apple being fairly prepared to announce Mavericks at Tuesday’s event and ship it out to customers fairly shortly thereafter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GTVdGWjjuSQ/
Related Topics: stenographer   Ian Somerhalder   Once Upon A Time In Wonderland   big bang theory   Catching Fire trailer  

As Life Goes On

• 
  
  Reputation:
  Words written:
  Words per post:
  Joined:
  Last visit:
  Location:
  Website:
  
  

  
  

We were on a cruise ship. Something went very wrong, we are now stuck on a small island with little supplies

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, “As Life Goes On”. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

First post:
•
1 post
• Page 1 of 1

This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "As Life Goes On"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

God1

Member for 0 years

---

---

First post:
•
1 post
• Page 1 of 1

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Our Sponsors

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, and support from people like you. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

© RolePlayGateway, LLC | with the support of LocalSense

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/w8JfOvCHzqg/viewtopic.php
Similar Articles: banksy   foxnews   Malcom Floyd   Boulder Flooding   Danica McKellar  

Did You Know Mother Nature Had Missiles Before We Did?

Plants have evolved all kinds of wonderful mechanisms that let them disperse their seeds and reproduce, from puffy dandy lions to maple keys that spin their way to the ground. But none are quite as impressive as the squirting cucumber, which launches its seed pods like tiny high-speed missiles.

Read more...

Source: http://gizmodo.com/did-you-know-mother-nature-had-missiles-before-we-did-1446968968
Related Topics: homeland   Léon Foucault   iTunes Radio   dallas cowboys   Robocop  

This Insane Six-Axis 3D Printer Even Works On Curved Surfaces

Still upset about breaking the handle on your favorite mug? A 3D printer can make it as good as new, and thanks to researchers at the University of Southern California, the process is even easier now since they've developed a printer that can build directly on curved surfaces.

The most common 3D printer design on the market has a print head with just three axis of movement, which means the printer and the table have to remain perfectly flat and stable at all times. But with six axis of movement, the print head on this creation works on angled and even curved surfaces, meaning a replacement handle could be printed directly onto a mug.

The catch, of course, is that the printer involves far more components than the models offered by companies like Makerbot, which means they'll be expensive to build and maintain. So if and when they're perfected and made ready for primetime, they'll likely only be affordable to companies in need of rapid prototyping systems, or those who intend to turn an immediate profit. In other words, don't expect Makerbot to release a six-axis model anytime soon. [Fabbaloo via Boing Boing]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-insane-six-axis-3d-printer-even-works-on-curved-su-1445522451
Related Topics: michael beasley   Colin Kaepernick   Manny Diaz   Lady Gaga Vma   usher  

Egypt: Relations with United States in 'turmoil'

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's foreign minister said Wednesday that relations between his country and the United States are in "turmoil" following Washington's decision to suspend delivery of tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to Egypt.

The suspension, announced last week, came in response to the unrest in the wake of the July 3 military coup that ousted Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, and that led to the deaths of hundreds in police crackdowns.

In an interview with state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said that there is "unrest in relations" between the two countries, warning that the strain could affect the whole Middle East region. The interview was published Wednesday.

However, Fahmy said he was "not worried about this turmoil in relations," because it's also a chance for the two to "better evaluate their relationship in the future."

The Obama administration's decision to cut off military aid was meant as a warning that it no longer can be "business as usual" with Cairo, as President Barack Obama put it last week.

In announcing the decision, the State Department did not say how much of the $1.5 billion in annual military and economic aid to Egypt was affected. It held up the delivery of Apache helicopters, F-16 fighter jets, M1A1 Abrams tank kits, which are put together in Egyptian factories, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

But the U.S. decision is more of a symbolic slap than a punishing wound to Egypt's new military-backed government for its slog toward a return to democratic rule.

The military-backed government enjoys the support of wealthy Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These oil-rich states have poured billions of dollars into Egypt's anemic coffers and to continue the common fight against Islamists.

The U.S. also is withholding $260 million in cash assistance to the government in Cairo until "credible progress" is made toward an inclusive government set up through free and fair elections.

The U.S. said it will keep providing support for health and education and counterterrorism, spare military parts, military training and border security and security assistance in the volatile Sinai Peninsula.

Near-daily attacks against Egyptian security forces and soldiers in Sinai have increasingly resembled a full-fledged insurgency.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-relations-united-states-turmoil-115119232.html
Tags: bart   courtney stodden   james spader   NFL.com   Jose Iglesias  

Why Democratic Rep. Israel Voted For The Bill

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

 

Renee Montagne talks to Representative Steve Israel of New York about the congressional deal that ended the partial government shutdown and addressed the debt ceiling. Israel is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=236033145&ft=1&f=3
Category: julio jones   calvin johnson   kenya   Justin Morneau   danity kane  

The Week in Pictures: Aftermath Edition (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/335122330?client_source=feed&format=rss
Similar Articles: clemson   alabama football   act   Robocop   Don Jon  

How a Lost Boy Used Google Earth to Find His Way Home After 25 Years

Last year, we heard the amazing story of Saroo Brierley, the Indian "lost child" who used Google Earth to find his way home after 25 years. This stirring video produced by Google features Brierley telling the story in his own words. It's pretty crushing.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dV5a6VGcSD0/how-a-lost-boy-used-google-earth-to-find-his-way-home-a-1446315507
Category: Cnn.com   Joseph Gordon-Levitt   Sloane Stephens   twerk   Chromecast  

Colo. shooting lawyers battle over sanity evidence

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Colorado theater shooting case are battling over what evidence can be admitted during James Holmes' murder trial — all in an attempt to build up or tear down the case that he was insane.

The latest evidence in dispute is a set of statements Holmes made to investigators trying to figure out how to disable the elaborate array of explosives found in his apartment after the attack.

At a pretrial hearing Thursday, prosecutors presented testimony aimed at showing that authorities had to question Holmes even though the lawyer he requested wasn't present.

Aurora police Lt. Thomas Wilkes said the explosives were so dangerous that authorities considered detonating them and blowing up the whole building, and possibly threatening several nearby buildings, rather than send a technician in.

Court records show Holmes was questioned for 38 minutes at the jail about the explosives but specific details of what was discussed haven't been released.

FBI agent Garrett Gumbinner, who was among the investigators questioning Holmes, said they asked him about the materials he used and the ignition systems.

"Most of the bomb technicians on the scene and myself had never seen anything like it. Based on the fact that it had three fusing devices, it was very sophisticated," he said.

The system included a pyrotechnics firing box that would have been triggered by the remote control unit of a toy car left along with a boom box set to play loud music.

On Wednesday, lawyers sparred over evidence seized from Holmes' car and computers. That included signs that one computer was allegedly used for an Internet search on the words "rational insanity" and photos on his cellphone of himself holding firearms.

"The issue is, was he sane or insane at the time," said Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor now in private practice.

Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to more than 160 counts of murder and attempted murder. His attorneys have acknowledged he was the shooter in the massacre, which killed 12 people and wounded 70 others at a suburban Denver movie theater, but they say he was in the midst of a psychotic episode at the time.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and to have Holmes executed Colorado law requires that they first convince the jury that Holmes was legally sane — that he knew the shootings were wrong.

The defense has been fighting to exclude any evidence that prosecutors might use to make that point, such as researching definitions of insanity or planning the attack.

Holmes' lawyers argued the evidence from his car should be thrown out because police didn't get a warrant before searching it. They said evidence from the computers should be tossed because a search warrant was overbroad.

Prosecutors said police had no time to seek a warrant to search the car because they feared it might contain explosives or hazardous material that threatened officers and the public. They introduced a photo showing the location of Holmes' car outside the Aurora theater and called law-enforcement officers to testify to the potential threat.

Holmes' trial is scheduled to start in February.

___

Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colo-shooting-lawyers-tussle-over-sanity-evidence-043417827.html
Category: cleveland browns   cher   michael beasley   grandparents day   Lincoln Memorial  

How to improve the audio quality of calls on iPhone

We've all undoubtedly been in a situation where we've had to take a call while there was lots of background noise going on around us. This can make it hard for the person on the other end to distinguish what we're saying. Luckily, iOS has some options that can help us improve call quality through noise cancellation as long as you're running iOS 7 or later. Here's how to enable the option:

1. Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone.
2. Now tap on General.
3. Tap on Accessibility.
4. Scroll down and under the Hearing section, enable the option for Phone Noise Cancellation.

That's it. While this isn't fool proof, it can help to reduce as much noise as possible when you're in a loud environment. This should help your caller be able to hear you better.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/SI1F7kxaslQ/story01.htm
Similar Articles: brandon jacobs   eminem   auburn football   ny times   yemen  

A Donkey in Fox’s Clothing?

Megyn Kelly's new Fox nightly news program, The Kelly File, premiered last week.

Photo courtesy Matt Gagnon/Creative Commons

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was the biggest winner of election night 2012 who was not running for public office. That evening, after Fox analysts had called Ohio and the election for President Obama, Karl Rove infamously began to express doubts about the results. In what is the only bit of television theater from that night anyone will ever remember, Kelly, who was co-anchoring Fox’s coverage, was tapped to question the decision desk directly, and she gamely stalked the halls of Fox News to authoritatively question the stat wonks who had made the call. (A Fox insider told New York’s Gabe Sherman about Kelly’s walk, “This is Fox News, so anytime there’s a chance to show off Megyn Kelly’s legs they’ll go for it.”) “We are actually quite comfortable with the call in Ohio,” one of the analysts told Kelly. This was not sufficient to convince Rove, who attempted a sort of one-man filibuster on the election results, such a blatant flouting of fact that it made Kelly’s earlier question to Rove seem prescient. “Is this just math you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better,” she had asked, “or is it real?”

And thus, the dueling legends of Megyn Kelly were born: Kelly the unflappable, impeccable Fox News star, and Kelly the unflappable, impeccable Fox News star who maybe knows Fox News is crazy. While nearly everyone around her lost their senses, Kelly remained the perfectly poised adult: gracefully navigating a contentious situation, upholding the integrity of Fox News without alienating conservative powerhouses, and making captivating television all the while.

That night, Fox saw an anchor they should commit to. The Kelly File, her new nightly news program, started last week and makes her Fox’s first new host since 2003. It airs directly following The O'Reilly Factor, and after just two episodes, it’s become the most watched show in the demo on cable news.

Willa Paskin is Slate’s television critic.

That night last fall, liberals also saw someone to admire. Kelly’s assured handling of Rove’s temper tantrum solidified her burgeoning reputation as the Fox News anchor who, when push came to Karl Rove’s shoving, would behave like a member of the reality-based community. If she was not quite a donkey in Fox’s clothing, maybe she wasn’t a party-line ideologue in one either.

Kelly has set herself apart by doing things Fox News personalities don’t usually do: She had issued a skillful and fast correction to Fox’s missed call on the Affordable Care Act, she “destroyed” a conservative who had called her maternity leave “a racket,” and she had taken her colleagues to task for disparaging families in which women are the primary breadwinner. Writing about that last incident on The New Yorker’s website, Amy Davidson—while complimentarily calling Kelly “the brains of the Fox News operation”—noted that Kelly “does not describe herself as a feminist, which may be why it’s all the more fascinating when, every now and then, she decides to act like what others might describe as one.” Kelly, to put a spin on an old cliché, is the Fox News host liberal women would most like to have a glass of sav blanc with.

That is, until they watch an episode of The Kelly File. One week into the show’s run, it is clear that to understand Kelly as anything other than a dedicated Fox News shill is a deluded fantasy. It is, to paraphrase Kelly herself, just wishful thinking you do as a Democrat to make yourself feel better. The skills that Kelly displayed on election night are real: She really is smarter, more appealing, and more polished than any other Fox News personality—none of which obviates her totally pernicious dedication to keeping Fox viewers within the Fox bubble, facts be damned.

For instance, watching The Kelly File, you would think the Republicans were more popular than the president. Since her new show has been on air, Kelly has never willingly shared the terrible approval ratings of Republicans in Congress, though she has vociferously supplied Obama’s low approval ratings and the low approval ratings of Congress as a whole.  In its first week, The Kelly Files has been fixated on how the shutdown was briefly keeping death benefits from soldiers who have died since the government closed. In the post-Benghazi era, this means determining “when” Barack Obama “knew” that families were being denied benefits, and when he decided to “do something” about it, even though the problem was brought up and addressed in a matter of days. Kelly aired a “gotcha” clip of Fox’s Ed Henry grilling Press Secretary Jay Carney that is downright Rorschachian: It looks to me like the White House dealt with the issue as quickly as possible, but looks to Fox News like a White House cover-up.

Nearly all the stories on The Kelly File turn on wedge social issues. A segment about a teenager who was returned to a house with a sex offender in it made it to air because the girl was allegedly being forced to have an abortion. There was a piece about the war on Christmas. A sequence about the 1980s killing of a DEA agent got play because the Obama administration has not protested the release of his killer from Mexican prison strongly enough. Kelly, her head, as usual, cocked slightly to the left to indicate deep listening, calmly took in a guest explaining that the Democrats don’t want to talk with Republicans because you “never have a real conversation with your adversary, it humanizes them,” before, seconds later, quoting Lenin: “Socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state.”

But then there are moments when Kelly exhibits her no-nonsense charm. In a segment on Las Vegas union workers hurling insults at tourists, a panelist said that Obama and Harry Reid have called people worse names in just the last few days, suggesting that such abuse and violence was typical of the left. At this, Kelly intervened, a little sarcastically. “You have maybe overstated your case. I don’t think we want to dismiss the entire left in the country as violent,” she said. Then she added, “I will say in [the union’s] defense that one time one guy parked me in and I could not get out of my car on either side, and I put a little note on his car and all I wrote on it was ‘Loser!’ And it made me feel so much better. And maybe they are experiencing the same thing. It was very cathartic for me. I cop to it.”

This may be a silly story, but I found it charming—and also terrifyingly savvy. Kelly dropped this anecdote into one of the least contentious stories she aired last week. (Even the Democrat on the panel thought cursing at tourists wasn’t a great strategy.) It burnishes her reputation as something other than a Fox automaton, without alienating any Fox partisans (it’s a cute story). Megyn Kelly has convinced both the right and the left that she’s a bold truth-teller because of her willingness to call bullshit one out of the 100 times bullshit should actually could be called.

Kelly is, in a way, like Laura Bush, a likeable woman who once evinced a leftish streak—voting Democrat before her marriage—that allowed liberals to project upon her a more palatable politics, a flight of fancy that inspired an entire novel.  Every single day, Kelly demonstrates her devotion to Fox News ideology. But because the only tidbits that regularly reach non-Fox News watchers are viral videos of Kelly doing something rare for a Fox News anchor—pointing out that all liberals are not violent, say, or arguing maternity leave is good—liberals can harbor the fantasy that Megyn Kelly might be that mythical being: A Fox News anchor to disagree with only some of the time. It’s not true, but it’s a very comforting to believe, because Megyn Kelly is going to be with us for a very long while.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/television/2013/10/megyn_kelly_is_not_a_liberal_the_kelly_report_on_fox_news_reviewed.html
Similar Articles: Alexian Lien   Mayweather vs Canelo   tupac   Tami Erin   Beyonce Haircut  

“We must increase our debt limit so that we can pay our bills.” (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/334804594?client_source=feed&format=rss
Tags: Baby Hope   raiders   jennette mccurdy   Manny Diaz   Beyonce Haircut  

Feel Old Yet? Roddick And Blake Will Play On Senior Circuit

James Blake addresses the crowd during an interview with Mary Joe Fernandez after losing on day three of the 2013 U.S. Open.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

James Blake addresses the crowd during an interview with Mary Joe Fernandez after losing on day three of the 2013 U.S. Open.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Neither of them is over 35 years old. One of them played in ATP World Tour events just months ago; the other did so last year. But none of that will keep recently retired tennis players Andy Roddick, 31, and James Blake, 33, from joining a circuit of senior players.

The pair will be playing in the PowerShares Series, a touring set of one-day tournaments featuring tennis legends such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. By joining the tour, Roddick could eventually get a chance to play alongside his former coach, Jimmy Connors.

We will pause here to acknowledge that any of the people listed above would make short work of us on any court, under any conditions. And it can be debated that the PowerShares Series isn't a traditional senior tour, as its minimum age requirement is that players be just 30.

But we also confess to a moment of dubious shock after reading this headline in The Los Angeles Times: "Andy Roddick, James Blake join senior tennis tour."

"I am looking forward to playing on the PowerShares circuit," Roddick says, in a report on the Tennis site. "Having a chance to stay connected with tennis and compete on a limited basis through events like these fits perfectly with my life these days."

A look at the PowerShares site shows that it features a Tennis article identifying it as "the newly-named senior circuit" last year, when it changed its name from the Champions Series. The tour was founded in 2005 by a group that includes former tennis star Jim Courier, who plays in many events.

If you're wondering about the age cutoff for other senior tours, so were we:

In tennis, the ATP Champions Tour requires that players be retired and meet career criteria, such as holding a world No. 1 ranking or being a Grand Slam finalist.

While some sources report the Champions Tour requires that players are at least 35, Roddick is scheduled to play a tour event in early 2014, when he'll still be 31. The Champions Tour is also said to require a player be at least two years past their retirement; details about its policies weren't available for review at the time of this post.

In professional golf, the standard minimum age to join a senior tour is 50.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/15/234875595/feel-old-yet-roddick-and-blake-will-play-on-senior-circuit?ft=1&f=1003
Category: Common App   patriots   parenthood   Never Forget 9/11   Rihanna  

'The Lion King' to set new milestone on Broadway

NEW YORK (AP) — "The Lion King" has more reason to roar — it's on pace to end the week as the first Broadway show to earn $1 billion.

According to The Broadway League, the show ended last week with a 16-year gross of $999,267,836, and it regularly pulls in between $1 million and $2 million a week over eight performances at the Minskoff Theatre.

The show, featuring the music of Elton John and Tim Rice, including the Academy Award-winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," brought the 1994 animated Disney movie to life onstage in 1997. Director and designer Julie Taymor created the memorable costumes, puppetry and scenic design.

"This humbling milestone is a testament to the vision and artistry of Julie Taymor," producer Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions, said in a statement.

"For nearly 17 years she has been (the) guiding creative force and an inspiration to the show's brilliant cast, musicians and crew. But above all, we thank our loving audiences who continue to be moved and delighted night after night at the Minskoff Theatre and all around the world."

"The Lion King" has been a model of consistency in its march through records. In April 2012, it swiped the title of Broadway's all-time highest-grossing show from "The Phantom of the Opera," despite "Phantom" having almost a full 10 years' head start. The Disney show opened in November 1997, while "Phantom" debuted in January 1988.

Overall, the show has made $5 billion across 21 global productions including shows in Japan, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and Brazil. This summer, Disney announced the show's total touring box-office gross in North America alone had reached $1 billion.

Part of its longevity is due to the movie tie-in, simple-to-understand story, family friendly themes and the fact that it's a spectacle not dependent on big-name stars — important for attracting tourists whose command of English might be weak. Some 11,215,000 have seen it on Broadway, according to data from The Broadway League.

The show is breathing down the neck of "Les Miserables" for the title of fourth longest-running Broadway show, behind only "Chicago," ''Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera." ''Les Miserables" closed in 2003 after 6,680 shows and "The Lion King" will end this week with 6,621.

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

___

Online:

http://www.LionKing.com

• Performing Arts
• Arts & Entertainment
• The Broadway League
• The Lion King
• Broadway show
• Julie Taymor

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lion-king-set-milestone-broadway-143951635.html
Similar Articles: bart   Nate Burleson   adam levine   Hannah Anderson   phil mickelson  

Kristen Bell Marries Dax Shepard

By Lex October 18, 2013 @ 3:33 PM

It’s official. The outspokenly politically correct couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard finally tied the knot. You may recall that these two sanctimonious vegetarians publicly stated that they would not get married until all their gay and lesbian friends had a similar ability to do so. Of course, that didn’t stop them from creating a child earlier this year, which if my sex-ed memory serves me, their gay and lesbian friends have no ability to do. Not phased by moral inconsistencies, Kristen and Dax waited until DOMA was overturned earlier in the summer to declare how awesomely happy they were for gay justice and that they would now be getting married. Which means we can officially start the divorce clock. Self-righteous couples can never co-exist for very long. They have to live with that unnerving feeling that their spouse thinks they are better than they are. And, they do.

Photo Credit: Esquire

Source: http://www.wwtdd.com/2013/10/kristen-bell-marries-dax-shepard/
Tags: iOS 7   freedom tower   nfl scores   Disney Infinity   bachelorette  

Federal shutdown affected US in ways unseen

In this Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 photo, Carter Howard sits and watches a cartoon during his asthma treatment at his home in Northbrook, Ill. On the days when asthma gives Carter the most trouble, his mother is reminded how doctors at Rush University Medical Center had to stop submitting applications for research grants to study childhood asthma and other diseases and disorders due to the federal government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 photo, Carter Howard sits and watches a cartoon during his asthma treatment at his home in Northbrook, Ill. On the days when asthma gives Carter the most trouble, his mother is reminded how doctors at Rush University Medical Center had to stop submitting applications for research grants to study childhood asthma and other diseases and disorders due to the federal government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 photo, Monique Howard holds Waldo as she caresses her son Carter's head while he sits through his asthma treatment at their Northbrook, Ill., home. On the days when asthma gives Carter the most trouble it reminds her about how doctors at Rush University Medical Center had to stop submitting applications for research grants to study childhood asthma and other diseases and disorders. Hospital officials have said the shutdown could have delayed funding for nearly half a year. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

FILE - In this June 24, 2013 file photo, storm clouds pass over downtown Chicago. The federal government shutdown may have seemed like a frustrating squabble in far-off Washington, but in Chicago, it crept into our lives in small, subtle ways _ from missed vegetable inspections to inaccessible federal websites. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2013 file photo, despite signs stating that the national parks are closed, people visit the World War II Memorial in Washington. The federal government shutdown may have seemed like a frustrating squabble in Washington, but it crept into our lives in small, subtle ways _ from missed vegetable inspections to inaccessible federal websites. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 photo, Monique Howard, right, holds Waldo as she talks with her son Carter after his asthma treatment at their home in Northbrook, Ill. Howard is worried that federal government shutdown might set research for childhood asthma back five or six months. "It just seems to me like a lot of these studies are going to be scrapped or they will have to restart them," she said. "It is just so frustrating as a parent." (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

CHICAGO (AP) — Our food was a little less safe, our workplaces a little more dangerous. The risk of getting sick was a bit higher, our kids' homework tougher to complete.

The federal government shutdown may have seemed like a frustrating squabble in far-off Washington, but it crept into our lives in small, subtle ways — from missed vegetable inspections to inaccessible federal websites.

The "feds" always are there in the background, setting the standards by which we live, providing funds to research cures for our kids' illnesses, watching over our food supply and work environment.

So how did the shutdown alter our daily routines? Here's a look at a day in the life of the 2013 government shutdown.

WAKING UP

That sausage patty on your breakfast plate was safe as ever because meat inspectors — like FBI agents — are considered "essential" and remained at work. But federal workers who inspect just about everything else on your plate — from fresh berries to scrambled eggs — were furloughed.

The Food and Drug Administration, which in fiscal year 2012 conducted more than 21,000 inspections or contracted state agencies to conduct them, put off scores of other inspections at processing plants, dairies and other large food facilities. In all, 976 of the FDA's 1,602 inspectors were sent home.

About 200 planned inspections a week were put off, in addition to more than 8,700 inspections the federal government contracts state officials to perform, according to FDA spokesman Steven Immergut. That included unexpected inspections that keep food processors on their toes.

It worried Yadira Avila, a 34-year-old mother of two buying fruit and vegetables at a Chicago market.

"It's crazy because they (the FDA) sometimes find the bacteria," she said.

The FDA also stopped doing follow-ups on problems it previously detected at, for example, a seafood importer near Los Angeles and a dairy farm in Colorado.

And what about the food that made it to your plate? The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which furloughed 9,000 of its 13,000 workers, said the shutdown slowed its response to an outbreak of salmonella in chicken that sickened people in 18 states.

OFFICE HOURS

At a warehouse, factory or other worksite, a young minority exposed to racial slurs by his boss had one fewer place to turn for help. Federal officials who oversee compliance with discrimination laws and labor practices weren't working, except in emergencies.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was not issuing right-to-sue letters, so people could not take discrimination cases into federal court, said Peter Siegelman, an expert in workplace discrimination at the University of Connecticut's law school.

Workplaces weren't inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One result? Employees could operate dangerous equipment even if not trained or old enough to do so.

"The afternoon before the shutdown we got a complaint of a restaurant where a ... 14-year-old was operating a vertical dough mixer," said James Yochim, assistant director of the U.S. Department of Labor's wage and hour division office in Springfield, Ill. "We (were) not able to get out there and conduct an investigation."

Yochim's office also put on hold an investigation at another restaurant of children reportedly using a meat slicer.

HOME SAFE

Getting around was largely unaffected. Air traffic controllers were on the job, flights still taking off. Trains operated by local agencies delivered millions of commuters to their jobs.

But if something went wrong, such as the mysterious case of a Chicago "ghost train," people were left in the dark.

On the last day of September, an empty Chicago Transit Authority train somehow rumbled down the tracks and crashed into another train, injuring a few dozen passengers. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched investigators, and they kept working when the shutdown started the next day because they were "essential." But the agency furloughed others whose job is to explain to the public what happened.

So millions of commuters used the transit lines without knowing more about what caused the crash.

The CDC slashed staffing at quarantine stations at 20 airports and entry points, raising chances travelers could enter the country carrying diseases like measles undetected.

In the first week of the shutdown, the number of illnesses detected dropped by 50 percent, CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds said. "Are people suddenly a lot healthier?" she wondered.

STUDY TIME

Children learned the meaning of shutdown when they got home and booted up computers to do homework. From the U.S. Census bureau site to NASA maps, they were greeted by alerts that said government sites were down "due to the shutdown."

Linda Koplin, a math teacher in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, asked her sixth-grade pupils to use a reliable online source to find the highest and lowest elevations.

"They were able to find all the elevations for the rest of the continents but they couldn't find information for their continent," Koplin said.

It was the same at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., where social studies teacher Robin Forrest said government statistics are more important because of so much dubious information on the web.

"We try to steer our kids toward websites and databases that are legitimate, the same way we would college students," he said.

NIGHT, NIGHT

After hours is when the shutdown arrived at many people's homes.

Monique Howard's 5-year-old son, Carter, has the most trouble with his asthma at night, when his breathing is labored. Her family dreams of a cure, the kind doctors are hunting through federally funded research grants at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

During the shutdown, the doctors had to stop submitting grant applications to study childhood asthma and other diseases and disorders. Hospital officials said the shutdown could have delayed funding for nearly half a year.

"I have met some of these doctors who are close to breakthroughs, and if this sets us back five or six months, it just seems to me like a lot of these studies are going to be scrapped or they will have to restart them," Howard said. "It's just so frustrating as a parent."

There was a comedic effect, too. The shutdown might have saved raunchy entertainers from punishment for obscene or offensive language on late-night TV and radio.

The Federal Communications Commission investigates broadcast misbehavior only if viewers or listeners complain. During the shutdown, callers heard a voice with a familiar ring: "The FCC is closed."

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-18-Shutdown-The%20Average%20Day/id-b98a2458b93f4be4b779ba0042f03f0a
Category: nfl scores   Conjuring