Sunday, June 23, 2013

Building the Animatronic Terror That Trounced a T-Rex

Jurassic Park III may not be your favorite movie in the series. But that doesn't mean its effects weren't fantastic. In fact, the somewhat random third entry in the series boasted the biggest animatronic 'saur yet: the Spinosaur. Stan Winston Studios recalls the details of that behemoth's construction, and it's wild to watch.

Jurassic Park III's Spinosaur wasn't only more formidable than the T-Rex that had come before it; it was the biggest, heaviest animatronic dinosaur Stan Winston Studios ever managed to build, and though it might not have the same pop culture clout as it's predecessor, it's still an incredible accomplishment. Who needs CG, right?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/building-the-animatronic-terror-that-trounced-a-t-rex-542507847

nick young south dakota state long beach state beasley trailblazers michael beasley jermaine jones

Watson drops into 3-way tie at Travelers

CROMWELL (AP) ? Charley Hoffman lost his chance at winning last year's Travelers Championship on the 71st hole.

His tee shot on the difficult par-4 17th at the TPC of River Highlands found the pond that runs along the fairway and he finished second, missing out on his third PGA Tour win.

This year Hoffman is in a three-way tie for the lead heading into Sunday's final round and he expects a different outcome.

"Obviously if I get on 17 tee (in the lead), I'd be lying to say I'm not going to think about that tee shot," Hoffman said Saturday after his 4-under 66 tied him with Bubba Watson and Graham DeLaet at 10-under 200.

"But I'm a much more mature, better player than I was a year ago and don't feel uncomfortable on that tee shot."

Watson, who led by two shots when he began the third round and by four shots midway through it, made three bogeys in his last six holes to help create the logjam. DeLaet tied for the low round of the day with a 65.

Chris Stroud and Nick O'Hearn are one shot back of the leaders at 9 under, while Ken Duke's 65 put him alone in sixth place.

Justin Rose, less than a week after his U.S. Open victory, is 7 under and in a tie for seventh after a second straight 68.

After shooting a 61 in the opening round, Hoffman struggled and shot 73 on Friday. He bounced back with a 66 Saturday that included five birdies.

"I got off to a pretty quick start and then birdied 10, thought I was going to get going again," Hoffman said. "And then a little three-putt bogey on 12 sort of slowed things down."

Watson made three birdies in his first six holes Saturday and was ahead by four shots after the third. But bogeys on Nos. 13, 15 and 17 brought the 2011 Masters champion back to the field.

Watson, who won the 2010 Travelers, is trying to become the seventh man to win the event at least twice. Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson have also done it.

"I hit some shots today that were really good, quality shots," said Watson, who shot an even-par 70. "I got a couple bad breaks here and there, but that's golf. At the end of the day I still have a chance on Sunday and that's what we're always looking for."

DeLaet may be playing this week in New England but many of his thoughts are about his native Canada. The heavy rain and flooding in Alberta forced the PGA Tour Canada to cancel its event this week, just one of the many issues the area is facing.

The 2009 Canadian Tour player of the year has pledged to donate $1,000 for every birdie he makes this weekend and $2,500 for every eagle to help the relief efforts.

"It's a pretty small part, what we're doing, but anything helps," said DeLaet, a native of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. "There's a lot of help from everyone all across Canada."

DeLaet first made it to 10 under after beginning his back nine with four straight birdies. A bogey at the difficult par-3 16th put a slight damper on his round, but DeLaet finished strong by delicately rolling in a downhill putt from the fringe on the 18th hole.

"I did play well pretty much all day. I had a lot of good birdie chances on the front nine, just couldn't really seem to find the hole," DeLaet said. "Julien (Trudeau), my caddie, just told me to stay patient."

Watson began the day with a two-shot lead and immediately began to extend it. After saving par on the first hole with a sliding, 7-foot putt, Watson made birdie at No. 2 by hitting a wedge some 2 feet from the hole. He followed that by draining a 30-foot putt from the front edge on No. 3 for a second straight birdie.

Another birdie at the par-5 sixth gave Watson a four-shot lead and he seemed ready to lap the field. Watson also made relatively lengthy par-saving putts on Nos. 7 and 10.

The smallest cracks in Watson's armor appeared at the par-5 13th, where his drive faded too far left and ended up in a fairway bunker.

He was still short of the green after three shots and eventually made bogey, his first of the day and first in his last 30 holes.

He made another bogey at the easiest hole at the TPC of River Highlands, the 296-yard, par-4 15th. His drive left him just 50 feet from the hole but his putt through the fringe didn't make it up the steep hill in front of the green. A chip and two putts followed, moving Watson back to 11 under.

Watson's final bogey came on the 17th and was the result of a tee shot pushed left into a fairway bunker.

The lack of rain recently combined with an increase in the wind late Saturday made TPC of River Highlands, one of the shortest courses on tour, increasingly difficult for the players.

"I think we've never seen the golf course like this, as firm as it is and as firm as some of the greens are," Watson said. "It's hard to get to certain points, so a lot of people probably played it safe."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/watson-drops-3-way-tie-travelers-220002037.html

Jael Strauss Alison Pill Sam Bacile sprint britney spears At&t Wireless 9/11

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Cheetah-Cub Is A Cat-Like Quadruped That's The Fastest Bot Of Its Size

cheetah-cub robotWe're still a ways away from electric sheep roaming the fields pretending to bleat but robotics researchers continue to look to nature for four-legged inspiration. Meet Cheetah-Cub, a European Commission-funded research project, out of Swiss University the ?cole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne's biorobotics lab, that's about the size of a house cat.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xtJsnQ17WnI/

Farrah Abraham Sex Tape Met gala lauryn hill teacher appreciation week Jodi Arias trial cinco de mayo Mike Jeffries Abercrombie

Kerry trip starts with tough Syrian, Afghan issues (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/314239816?client_source=feed&format=rss

scalloped potatoes the ten commandments charlton heston moses tulsa shooting doug fister the perfect storm

Obama to meet with privacy, civil liberties board

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is holding his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board Friday as he seeks to make good on his pledge to have a public discussion about secretive government surveillance programs.

Obama has said the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will play a key role in that effort. The federal oversight board reviews anti-terror programs to ensure that privacy concerns are taken into account.

The president is also tasking the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, to consider declassifying more details about the government's collection of U.S. phone and Internet records. Obama is specifically asking Clapper to review possible declassification of opinions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the surveillance efforts.

Obama's meeting with the board was taking place Friday afternoon, but the White House wasn't planning to allow press coverage. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the meeting would take place in the White House Situation Room "to allow for the discussion of classified matters."

"It's certainly more than a get-to-know-you session," Carney said.

The government has already lifted some of the secrecy surrounding the programs following disclosures earlier this month about their existence by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But the legal opinions from the highly secretive court remain private.

The privacy board was created in 2004 but has operated fitfully ever since, given congressional infighting and at times, censorship by government lawyers. The board was dormant during Obama's first term and only became fully functional in May, before the NSA programs became public.

The board's chairman, David Medine, said the five-member group has a "broad range of questions" to ask about the NSA's widespread collection programs. The board was given a classified briefing on the programs last week and plans to release a report eventually with recommendations for the government.

___

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

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-meet-privacy-civil-liberties-board-100342780.html

patrice oneal shamrock slainte the quiet man yellow cab dropkick murphys guernsey

Obama to nominate McSweeny to Federal Trade Commission

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to nominate Terrell McSweeny, a veteran of Vice President Joe Biden's staff, to be a commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, the White House said on Friday.

McSweeny, now chief counsel for competition policy at the Justice Department's antitrust division, would fill a Democratic slot on the five-member commission, which enforces antitrust law and laws against deceptive advertising.

The FTC normally has five commissioners, and no more than three can be from the same party.

The current vacancy was created when Edith Ramirez, a law school classmate of Obama and a Democrat, was elevated to the chairmanship after Jon Leibowitz departed in February.

The commission's other Democrat is Julie Brill. Rounding out the group are Republicans Maureen Ohlhausen and Joshua Wright.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

Because of the vacancy, there has been concern about deadlocks leading to inaction. In the case of a 2-2 vote by commissioners, the FTC takes no action.

The commission is in the process of considering several key mergers, including the proposed Office Depot Inc deal to buy rival OfficeMax Inc; and the television ratings company Nielsen Holdings NV plan to buy Arbitron Inc, which dominates radio ratings.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz and Jeff Mason; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-nominate-mcsweeny-federal-trade-commission-232806425.html

karl rove Election 2012 Results polling place comedy central philadelphia eagles obamacare Todd Akin

Aiming To Disrupt Payday Lending, a16z-Backed LendUp Now Offers Instant Online And Mobile Loans

Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 12.03.03 PMY Combinator-incubated LendUp launched in October with backing from Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, Kapor Capital and others, to bring a fresh solution to an old problem: You have to pay your bills now, but you don't have the money to pay them. Rather than turn to predatory lenders and banks, with their high interest rates, borrow money from friends or cover your eyes and hope they go away, what do you do?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/JgVSgMMUbrw/

yelp huntsville al channel 2 news adrienne bailon yelp stock honda classic news channel 5

New U.S. trade chief focused on India, striking deals

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on Friday said he expected growing trade problems with India to be a major early focus of his tenure, but stopped short of saying the United States should cut off benefits for that country.

"We have a number of concerns about the investment and innovation environment in India," Froman told Reuters in an interview shortly after being sworn into office. "It's something that we're very focused on."

Those concerns include India's use of compulsory licenses to suspend patents on U.S. drugs and localization policies that discriminate against foreign goods.

In recent weeks, members of Congress and business groups have sent a number of letters urging President Barack Obama's administration to take a tougher line, including when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in New Delhi next week for the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue.

Froman, who until recently was Obama's chief international economic affairs adviser, said he expected to raise the same concerns next month in Washington at the U.S.-India CEO Summit, and potentially in a future meeting of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum, which has not met since 2010.

The mounting concerns over India's trade policy comes as a long-time program to help developing countries export their goods to the United States is up for renewal.

Some lawmakers have suggested removing India from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program in retaliation for the country's trade policy moves.

Froman treaded carefully on that question, noting that many U.S. companies benefit from GSP, since it lowers their production costs by waiving duties on imports.

"So we need to take a careful look at that ... This is something we want to work with Congress on," Froman said.

Froman, whose friendship with Obama goes back to their days at Harvard Law School, takes over the top U.S. trade post at one of its busiest times in recent years.

The United States hopes to wrap up trade talks with Japan and 10 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year, and will hold the first round of talks on a proposed U.S.-EU agreement the week of July 8.

"It's a very full agenda that all revolves around creating jobs in the United States," Froman said.

Finishing talks on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership by December 31 is "an ambitious timetable, but that is the objective we have set out," he said.

On another issue, Froman said the United States generally welcomed Chinese investment but that he could not comment on Shuanghui International's proposed takeover of Smithfield Foods because it was still under review.

He said he expected a decision on whether to suspend GSP trade benefits for Bangladesh by the end of June, following recent tragedies that have raised concern about working conditions in that country's garment sector.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-trade-chief-focused-india-striking-deals-170747172.html

pilar sanders andrew young real life barbie zipper armenian genocide asteroid mining ivan rodriguez

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Jezebel On Miley Cyrus, Ratchet Culture and Accessorizing With Black People | Gawker Getting Sued by

Jezebel On Miley Cyrus, Ratchet Culture and Accessorizing With Black People | Gawker Getting Sued by American Express Led Me Out of the Ruins of My Life | io9 12 Most Unfaithful Movie Versions of Science Fiction and Fantasy Books | Gizmodo The Mac Pro Recaptures the Spirit of Classic Workstations of Yore

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Kytwmbe7TmA/jezebel-on-miley-cyrus-ratchet-culture-and-accessorizi-523277420

thursday night football japan earthquake Star Trek Into Darkness Heisman watch Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao

Spurs and Heat tied at 95 to OT in Game 6

MIAMI (AP) ? LeBron James shrugged off a poor start to get 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to play that helped put Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs into overtime tied at 95 on Tuesday night.

James missed nine of his first 12 shots, but scored 16 points in the fourth to rally the Heat from a 10-point deficit. The Heat trailed 94-89 with 28 seconds to play, but James hit a 3 with 20 seconds to go and Allen drilled another to tie it.

Tim Duncan had 30 points and 16 rebounds in a performance straight out 2003. But he was scoreless in the fourth and the Spurs squandered a golden opportunity to close out the series and win their fifth championship.

Game 7, if necessary, is on Thursday night in Miami.

Mario Chalmers scored 20 points and Shane Battier hit three 3-pointers for the Heat, who trailed 75-65 after three quarters thanks to a throwback performance from Duncan.

But Chalmers and Miller hit 3s and James scored on a drive out of the fourth-quarter gates to get the Heat back in it at 77-73.

James eschewed his trademark headband in the fourth quarter, then spearheaded the ferocious comeback. He scored six straight points for the Heat, then fed Andersen, who made a free throw to pull the Heat within two at 82-80 with seven minutes to play.

James then blocked a layup by Duncan and scored on the other end to tie it and Ray Allen's reverse layup gave the Heat an 84-82 lead with six minutes to go.

The Heat led 89-86, but Tony Parker hit a step-back 3 and a layup to take back the lead.

After a vintage first three quarters from Duncan had the Spurs steamrolling toward the championship, James delivered a vintage performance of his own in the fourth. Tentative and flustered through the first three, James went into full-on attack mode in the fourth to force a Game 7.

It was the force-of-nature showing that had been all too rare for James in these finals, but the Heat have never needed it more after Duncan took it to them the first 36 minutes.

Duncan hit his first eight shots of the game, conjuring the dominant form that brought four titles to San Antonio between 1999 and 2007. But he long ago handed the reins of the Spurs offense over to Parker, letting the speedy French point guard take over as Duncan grew older.

Until Tuesday night.

After getting a vintage performance from Manu Ginobili in Game 5 to take control of the series, the Spurs got a throwback effort from Duncan to start Game 6.

With the Heat leading 40-33 and threatening to pull away with 7:30 to go in the first half, Duncan scored San Antonio's next 13 points to start a 17-4 run that gave San Antonio a 50-44 lead at halftime.

Duncan has never scored more points the first half (25) of a finals game in his career, a performance reminiscent of his 32-point, 20-rebound, seven-block game in Game 1 of the 2003 finals against New Jersey. But this one was so much more important.

They entered the game with title No. 5 sitting right there in front of them. They had two cracks to bring the trophy back home to San Antonio, but the last thing they wanted was to have to play a Game 7 against LeBron James on the road for the championship. There have only been five Game 7s in the finals since 1978, with the home team winning all those contests. The last road team to win a Game 7 for the title was the Washington Bullets over the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978.

Chalmers was 4 for 19 over his last three games, but came alive in this must-win for Miami. He made 5 of 7 shots, including two 3s, to get the Heat out quickly.

Wade seemed to tweak his left knee after being whistled for an offensive foul early in the first quarter, but he looked fine moments later when he dunked over Duncan to tie the game at 16.

It's been 12 games since the Heat have won two in a row, a startling stretch of inconsistency for a team that won 27 straight in the regular season and figured to turn this postseason into a coronation rather than a competition.

But the short-handed Chicago Bulls put up an inspired fight in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers took them the full seven in a rugged conference finals and the Spurs picked them apart in three of the first five games in this series.

For most of the last two months, the Heat have preferred to wait until they were in serious trouble before finding that extra gear that only they seem to have. Down 2-1 in the series, James, Wade and Bosh combined for 85 points to even the series.

It doesn't get any more serious than what the Heat faced when they walked into American Airlines Arena on Tuesday night.

One more uninspired performance from their three All-Stars, one more lazy night on defense, one more loss and the Heat were done for the season. The prospects of falling to 1-2 in NBA Finals appearances since James, Wade and Bosh united in 2010 loomed over a team that was constructed to win not just one title, but multiple crowns.

In the unflappable Spurs, the Heat may be facing their biggest challenge yet. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have teamed to win three championships, so they know what it takes to deliver in the finals. And youngsters like Green and Leonard have shown that even when LeBron and Co. flex their muscle, like they did in Games 2 and 4, they come right back at them.

For as much as James and the Heat had riding on this finals appearance, the Spurs may have even more. Duncan is 37, while Ginobili will soon turn 36 and is in the final year of his contract, giving the feeling that after so many premature proclamations of demise for this core group,

And the Spurs have played with the urgency and desperation that comes with those stakes. Game 5 was essentially a must-win for them if they wanted to avoid having to win the last two games of the finals on the road, something no team has ever done.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spurs-heat-tied-95-ot-game-6-035846053.html

world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta neil diamond kashi orange crush

Tokyoflash intros Kisai Intoxicated watch with a built-in breathalyzer (video)

Tokyoflash Kisai Intoxicated watch

Many partygoers want to keep their alcohol in check, but we don't know many who want to lug around a dedicated breathalyzer, no matter how small it may be. Tokyoflash may have found a happy medium for those drinkers by tucking a breathalyzer into its new Kisai Intoxicated watch. Blow into a sensor and the LCD will change to a color reflecting the alcohol intake: green is sober, yellow is buzzed and red is well over the line. There's also a mini-game to test reflexes in those less-than-certain moments. Buyers seeking some temperance in their lives will want to act quickly, however -- Tokyoflash will only sell the Kisai Intoxicated at a discounted $99 price during its first 48 hours on sale.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Tokyoflash

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/19/tokyoflash-kisai-intoxicated-watch/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

the cutting edge fox 8 news angelina jolie leg daytona artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Would this have been legal? | Kiwiblog

June 13th, 2013 at 11:00 am by David Farrar

Tom Pullar-Strecker at Stuff reports:

Chorus made an expensive gamble in rejecting a deal that would have seen it paid just under $14 a month for wholesale copper broadband connections, according to sources close to the failed negotiations.

Chorus? share price has been on the slide since the Commerce Commission proposed slashing the regulated price of wholesale copper broadband connections by about $12 a month to $8.93 in a draft decision in December.

But the company is understood to have chosen to take its chances persuading the commission to set a higher price or on government intervention.

It is understood all major telecommunications retailers agreed on the compromise price and Communications Minister Amy Adams, who would have had to regulate it over the head of the Commerce Commission, was informed.

The compromise was brokered by the Telecommunications Forum, whose chief executive, David Stone, declined to comment.

I?m not ?lawyer, and welcome comment from lawyers who work with competition law. But I thought competitors couldn?t all sit down together and try to negotiate an agreed price level.

It didn?t eventuate in this case, but I think the possible precedent is somewhat alarming. The Commerce Commission is the appropriate body for pricing of monopoly utility services, not a private gathering of retailers with no input from consumers.

Tags: broadband, Commerce Commission, TCF

Source: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2013/06/would_this_have_been_legal.html

st. bonaventure ira glass swain match day nene dark shadows trailer nate mcmillan

10 Things to Know for Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. TURKEY PRIME MINISTER TO FACE PROTESTERS

Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with activists today comes after hours of clashes in Istanbul between protesters and police who fired tear gas into the crowds.

2. NSA HEAD TO FACE CONGRESS

Gen. Keith Alexander will field senators' questions about the surveillance by U.S. spy agencies after many called for an end to them.

3. OPENING THE DOOR FOR IMMIGRANTS

In Spanish and English, the Senate pushes contentious immigration legislation over early procedural hurdles as Obama urges "The moment is now."

4. THE STORM THAT COULD HIT 1 IN FIVE AMERICANS

The derecho, a weather event that could span hundreds of miles from Iowa to Maryland, is likely to generate tornadoes, power outages and oppressive heat.

5. CLEVELAND KIDNAP SUSPECT HEADS TO COURT

Ariel Castro was to be arraigned today on hundreds of charges related to the kidnapping and rape of three women found in his home.

6. STUNNING WORDS FROM THE VATICAN

Pope Francis says a "gay lobby" is at work at the Vatican and acknowledges he isn't particularly adept at administration, notes from a private audience reveal.

7. WIKILEAKS CASE TO FOCUS ON GITMO

Prosecutors plan to present evidence of detainee assessments that Pvs. Bradley Manning acknowledge leaking and may reveal details about al-Qaida leaders' movements.

8. LEAKER'S GIRLFRIEND 'STILL SHOCKED'

Lindsay Mills' father says he doesn't know where his daughter is now; she wrote, "my world has opened and closed" after revelations that Edward Snowden leaked classified secrets.

9. ANOTHER REASON BRITS ARE HAPPY ABOUT ROYAL BABY

Officials hope the birth next month of an heir to the throne could boost consumer confidence and the UK's sluggish economy.

10. NONSTARS STAND OUT AS SPURS BLOW OUT THE HEAT

Danny Green scored 27 points and Gary Neal made six 3-pointers while scoring 24 as San Antonio drubbed Miami 113-77, taking a 2-1 lead in the finals series.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-things-know-today-101340019.html

bruce weber google maps 8 bit mirror mirror texas relays meniscus robyn the colony

Exclusive: Goldman offers top clients automated block trading

By Lauren Tara LaCapra

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc has quietly offered some top clients a tool that allows them to plug into its trading system and buy or sell large blocks of stock electronically.

The technology is part of a broader platform called Marquee, details of which not been previously reported, but were confirmed to Reuters by Goldman executives. It is the latest attempt by a Wall Street bank to automate block trading, a small sliver of the equities business that is still handled mostly by humans rather than specialized computer programs.

Block trades involve at least 10,000 shares or $200,000 worth of stock and are often used to get clients out of a pinch. When clients really want to buy shares or must offload shares, they are willing to pay a little more to guarantee liquidity and hands-on service. Prices are set based on the bank's inventory and market conditions - the more Goldman wants to reduce its exposure to a stock, the cheaper it is for a client to buy. The more the firm wants the stock, the costlier it becomes for the client.

The idea of automating block trading isn't new, but some previous attempts have faltered. The pressure to make it work has increased as banks look for ways to boost profits in the low-margin equities business. Several other banks, including Barclays Plc , Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp , are trying to migrate block trading to electronic platforms.

"Everyone brings a different twist to the way they're trying to solve a common problem, which is: How do you continue to bring high-touch service in an industry that's facing downward commissions revenue?" said Adam Sussman, director of research at TABB Group, a market research and advisory firm. "The industry as a whole has to cover more clients with fewer people."

Banks have been forced to take a fresh look at their equities businesses after years of weak trading volumes and shrinking commissions. Brokerages took in an estimated $12.8 billion in equity commissions last year, down 23 percent from 2007, according to TABB. The firm expects commissions to rise this year on higher volumes, but remain well below the pre-financial crisis levels.

Goldman's $8.2 billion in overall equities trading revenue last year was down 27 percent from fiscal 2007. Its $3.1 billion in equity commissions were down 33 percent from fiscal 2007.

From dark pools and high-frequency trading to E*Trade accounts, technology has replaced many things humans once did. While robot-like machines now rule many aspects of equities trading they have not displaced humans in block trading because some clients still prefer talking to a person before making a huge trade.

Marquee's block-trading algorithm takes seconds to execute the trade, compared with the minutes or hours it can take human traders. It is also cheaper for the client and, over the long run, Goldman executives hope it will be cheaper for the bank as well.

"Clients said they had a sense of urgency and that it's really expensive to trade these blocks," said one Goldman executive involved in the system's development.

Goldman executives insisted the new tool was not created to cut jobs, and that getting human traders' cooperation is key to Marquee's success. But they acknowledged that, if it does take off, traders' jobs could be at risk in the long-term if they cannot transition into roles that increase Goldman's returns.

TRADERS VERSUS ROBOTS

Earlier attempts automate block trading flopped. Traders who worried that they would lose their jobs to machines routinely undercut their robot competitors on pricing. Plus, technology was not up to snuff.

In 2004, Bank of America Securities launched a platform called Premier Block Trading, or PBT, to build market share in equities trading. But PBT's pricing algorithm was easy for clients to game because it gave blanket quotes a few cents above or below prevailing market prices, according to several people familiar with its history.

The traders at Bank of America took advantage the system's shortcomings, pricing trades more cheaply than PBT to keep client business, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

Bank of America closed down PBT within a couple of years, after suffering big losses on its development and rollout.

A Bank of America spokeswoman declined to comment on the old block-trading program, but said the bank launched a platform called Instinct Natural earlier this year that matches buyers and sellers for block trades. Henry Mulholland, head of Americas equities at Bank of America, said the bank will be adding the capability to use its own balance sheet to facilitate block trades electronically as well.

Meanwhile, this year NYSE Euronext said it was shuttering its New York Block Exchange venture after failing to attract enough business.

Goldman executives declined to specify client discounts for using Marquee. They said it's too early to tell how much money Marquee will save the bank because the system has many functions and the rollout to clients is still in early stages.

Inside Goldman, Marquee is also used for risk management and profit-and-loss analysis for the bank's equities business. Early developers of Marquee in the 1990s first called the software "Marty," after Martin Chavez, who oversaw its development and is now global co-chief operating officer of equities. The name changed as its functions expanded and it became used more widely used inside the bank.

Custom versions of Marquee's block-trading tool were rolled out to a small group of preferred clients in a 2012 beta test, and it was launched more widely this year. The tool covers roughly 1,000 stocks, as well as commonly traded ETFs. About 1 million client trades have been processed through Marquee so far.

If it is successful, Goldman is considering expanding the platform into other markets, such as fixed income.

(Reporting by Lauren Tara LaCapra; editing by Paritosh Bansal, Martin Howell and Alden Bentley)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-goldman-offers-top-clients-automated-block-trading-174252013.html

detroit red wings jose canseco zimmerman derek fisher lyrid meteor shower hippocrates andrew breitbart

The Xbox One Isn?t That Expensive

The Xbox One will retail at $499, Microsoft announced at the E3 Conference on Monday. The price may seem steep, but it?s not that far out of the ordinary. Adjusted for inflation, the PlayStation 3 and Sega Saturn were both more expensive than the Xbox One. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 4, which retails at $399, is the cheapest PlayStation yet in adjusted dollars. How much you spend on games is up to you.

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/map_of_the_week/2013/06/the_cost_of_consoles_through_the_years_from_nes_to_xbox_one_charted.html

Australian Open Girls Hbo Golden Globes homeland homeland Miss America 2013 Aaron Swartz

Quantum Invisibility Cloak Hides Objects from Reality

For youtube videos, paste embed code directly in the text box

-

Members do not need to provide an address

-

Rate Article

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Total votes: 0 Select Comment Validation Method
Member
Name/URL (Guest)
FaceBook (Guest) Member Commenting:


Authenticate with Facebook before submitting

OR


Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more. Please verify that you are human: Register for LabSpaces
Make your LabSpaces comments count. Start earning LabSpaces points by becoming a member! Learn more.

Please authenticate before trying to post a comment.

If you would like to remain anonymous, please enter a new name and link below


Friends

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128593/Quantum_Invisibility_Cloak_Hides_Objects_from_Reality

Tubby Smith Marriage Equality opm passover Florida Gulf Coast University Aaron Craft school closings

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Obama: For immigration reform, the "moment is now" (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/312050551?client_source=feed&format=rss

bachelor finale courtney robertson ben flajnik hunger games premiere red meat bachelor ben jon hamm kim kardashian

How To Find Real Ideas For An Internet Work From Home Business ...

There are many great parts of having your own home business enterprise, but there are disadvantages, especially when you are unaware of what you are doing. Doing some homework can help you avoid some common mistakes home businesses. Here are some excellent ideas to help you create an excellent work from home business thrive.

Starting home businesses can be hard but enjoyable work. You must first find the business niche first. Do all the research before aggressively pursuing only one thing. Be certain to network with other successful home business entrepreneurs.

Set a specific time of day when you will no longer accept business calls. Remember your family, your family, and your social contacts.

Join discussion groups and online forums about home business enterprise-related topics. This can be a good way to network with others in your field and to establish a name for yourself.

An office is necessary when you are based at home business. It does not have to be large, but it should be comfortable.

Before you begin marketing and selling products, you should make sure to find out what the price range for it is in the current market. Do not talk negatively about others to garner business, just make yourself look good!

Create a detailed home business plan that works for you.You have the ability to change this plan if you need to. You should occasionally review your plan from time to time and update it if necessary.

Having a website for selling your products is essential when beginning a home business enterprise. This gets your message out to the widest audience that can produce higher sales and will definitely increase sales.

Choose the business that is likely to succeed. Check out the current market to see how much competition you?ll have. It can be hard to get into a business with tons of competitors. Evaluate the business prospects before you begin.

It can be extremely easy to become engulfed by work when you live and work in the same place.

Politely inform uninvited or early guests that you are busy working. If they still visit, have them wait quietly in a separate room until you are on break and ready to have company.

You need to be sure that your business plan is detailed and understood before investing a ton of money. He or she can give you with an analysis that is objective. Once you have the blueprint in place, start working! Once your online business is up and running, you can make your plan more detailed.

Many home businesses are active in online communities.

Do not write off deductions at tax time.Never make a claim things that are solely for primarily personal things.

Since you?ll be at home where you usually are relaxed and comfortable, set a solid work schedule for yourself so you are less apt to slack off in the comfort of your own home.

The ideas you find here will allow you to invest your time in succeeding, not failing. This will give you more time ? time which you can put back into your home business enterprise.

For more information about legitimate ways to make money, check out the online marketing techniques. I?m sure you?ll like it!

Source: http://zaykar.com/business/how-to-find-real-ideas-for-an-internet-work-from-home-business

glee masters live frozen four Rehtaeh Parsons National Sibling Day march madness Masters Leaderboard 2013

Forest Labs to add Icahn rep to board, avert proxy fight

(Reuters) - Forest Laboratories Inc said on Tuesday it will add a representative of Carl Icahn as an independent member to its board, averting a new proxy battle with the billionaire investor.

The specialty drugmaker said the appointment of Vincent Intrieri, 56, would expand the board's size to eleven from ten directors. Intrieri has worked for various Icahn-related entities since 1998 and sits on a number of boards, including Chesapeake Energy Corp, Forest said.

Icahn is Forest's second largest shareholder, owning about 11.5 percent of the drugmaker's outstanding shares.

"As part of the agreement, Mr. Icahn has agreed to vote the shares that he controls in support of Forest's 11 director nominees and not run a proxy contest" at the annual meeting, Forest said in a release.

Icahn has been highly critical of Forest leadership in recent years, arguing that the company has been badly managed and underperforms industry peers. He claimed the company was ill-prepared for the patent expirations of its top-selling medicines - the antidepressant Lexapro and Alzheimer's treatment Namenda - and for not having a succession planning for longtime Chief Executive Howard Solomon.

Forest said certain standstill restrictions, which limit Icahn's involvement with the company, will remain in effect as long as Intrieri serves on the board.

Icahn and the company have been in discussions over the course of the year, hoping to avoid a third proxy battle in as many years, Reuters reported last week, citing sources.

Just one of Icahn's four proposed directors was voted onto the Forest board following last year's proxy fight.

"We are happy to have been able to avoid the necessity for a distracting fight so that management's energies, as well as our own, can be focused on more productive purposes," Icahn said on Tuesday in a Forest press release.

Forest last month announced that Solomon would retire at the end of this year after running the U.S. drugmaker for more than 35 years, and said an independent board committee was evaluating internal and external candidates.

In the past year the company has launched new medicines and its shares have outperformed the S&P 500, muting some of Icahn's past criticisms.

Forest shares were off 2.7 percent at $39.92 on a down day for the broader market.

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson and Bill Berkrot; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/forest-labs-add-icahn-aide-board-avert-proxy-142319749.html

Andre 3000 Keyshawn Johnson Mara Wilson Cullen Finnerty maria menounos Mermaids New Evidence Raspberry Pi

New Myspace takes it back to the future

This publicity image released by Myspace shows a screen shot from the newly designed Myspace.com. Tim and Chris Vanderhook unveiled the new MySpace.com, Wednesday, June 12, 2013, revealing a site that combines social networking with streaming music that is focused on the creative community. There are new features aimed at helping artists connect with their followers, an app and a radio function. (AP Photo/Myspace)

This publicity image released by Myspace shows a screen shot from the newly designed Myspace.com. Tim and Chris Vanderhook unveiled the new MySpace.com, Wednesday, June 12, 2013, revealing a site that combines social networking with streaming music that is focused on the creative community. There are new features aimed at helping artists connect with their followers, an app and a radio function. (AP Photo/Myspace)

(AP) ? Tim and Chris Vanderhook think Myspace had it right ? at one point. And they believe they've revived and improved that formula for success as the revamped first titan of social media debuts its latest incarnation.

The Vanderhooks unveiled the new Myspace.com Wednesday, revealing a site focused on entertainment that combines social networking with streaming music. There are new features aimed at helping musicians, writers and other artists connect with their followers, an app and a radio function.

"Today more than ever there's this need for a creative ecosystem that kind of caters to the creative community and that's both a social network and the streaming services attached," Tim Vanderhook said. "For us when we looked at it, we really talked to a lot of artists and ... they all said, 'I use all these various platforms but none of them really do what we need.' What they really needed, they explained to us, was a home."

The launch comes nearly two years after the Irvine, Calif.-based Specific Media owners teamed with Justin Timberlake to buy the ailing website for $35 million, a fraction of the $560 million News Corp. paid for it in 2005.

The new owners briefed media this week in the run-up to release. Timberlake was not made available, but the company says he provides the strategic vision for the company and was the person behind the idea of focusing on the creative community.

The Vanderhooks believe the previous owners made a mistake when they tried to compete with emerging force Facebook. At its peak, they believe Myspace was driven by a sense of discovery and sharing. Bands, for instance, would post songs, tour schedules and blogs for fans to follow. It was more direct than a website and gave users the first true sense of social media's larger possibilities.

"Everyone had a lot of fun on Myspace at one point," Chris Vanderhook said. "It's easy to kick it and say, oh, yeah, Myspace sucks now, but everyone had fun on Myspace before. It's just that they didn't keep pace with technology and they didn't keep up with the times."

The site continues to help those bands (or filmmakers or writers) with analytics that measure fan response and other tools to help them grow.

And by focusing on artists initially, they're gambling fans will soon follow in large numbers.

"We think the creative class is about 38 million people in the United States and growing every single day," Tim Vanderhook said. "And by really servicing that group, we think reaching out to one level past that ? all of their fans and the creative consumers that like this type of entertainment ? we think are going to be critical to our success."

The deal to purchase Myspace drew plenty of attention ? partly for Timberlake's involvement and partly for what seemed the foolhardy nature of the venture. Even the Vanderhooks admit Myspace was on a downward spiral that should have ended in the site's demise. But they became infatuated with it in 2008 as they watched it fade and were convinced it could be rescued.

The revamped site debuts at a particularly competitive time, however, with Apple launching iRadio this week and other established brands like Google moving into the streaming field using the subscription model, the radio model or both.

The Vanderhooks don't start from scratch, however. They say the site still has 27 million users in the United States and about twice that worldwide. Those users will be switched to the new site Wednesday and the previous version will disappear.

"Keep playing up the crazy angle so when people actually do decide that we made a good decision, it will serve our ego even bigger," Chris Vanderhook said with a laugh. "To the average person out there they think you're totally nuts, but no, I don't think we're crazy, to be honest."

___

Online:

http://Myspace.com

___

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-06-12-Myspace%20Makeover/id-290765246c654a09933d8923aa495612

wmt human nature arkansas football howard johnson levon helm firelight world peace elbow

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

What's the problem with PRISM?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? When the federal government went looking for phone numbers tied to terrorists, it grabbed the records of just about everyone in America.

Why every phone number?

"Well, you have to start someplace," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told NBC News on Monday.

That breadth, that willingness to sweep up enormous information on Americans with no ties to terrorists, is making it hard for the Obama administration to tamp down controversy over a separate program, called PRISM, to monitor Internet traffic.

In short, critics ask, if looking for terrorists means collecting every American's phone records, how can anyone believe the president when he says Americans aren't being monitored on the Internet?

"These things are very narrowly circumscribed," Obama said. "They're very focused."

The Internet program came to light last week in documents published by The Washington Post and Guardian newspapers. It allows the NSA to reach into the data streams of U.S. companies ? Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Google and others ? and grab emails, video chats, pictures and more.

Just how much the government seizes is unclear. Clapper says it is narrowly focused on foreign targets, and technology companies say they turn over only information that's required by court order.

But after reading a leaked court document last week that allowed NSA to sweep up millions of American phone records, Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said, "The question is how broad the orders are they're giving these companies."

PRISM was born late in George W. Bush's administration, but its bloodline can be traced to the frenzied aftermath of 9/11.

It used to be that, when the federal government wanted to read a foreigner's Yahoo or Microsoft emails, it needed a judge's approval. After the attacks, Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to get to skip that oversight and read U.S.-based email accounts in real time.

When the New York Times revealed the existence of that program, the Bush administration appealed to Congress, saying court approval was too arduous. There were too many emails to monitor. Getting warrants for each one took too long.

"In certain cases, this process of obtaining a court order slows, and in some cases may prevent, the government's efforts to conduct surveillance of communications that are potentially vital to the national security," Kenneth Wainstein, then the Justice Department's top national security prosecutor, testified in 2007.

Sometimes, the government would sweep up Americans' emails, but not intentionally.

"As a matter of due course, if you're targeting something foreign, you could inadvertently intercept an American," said Michael McConnell, the director of national intelligence at the time.

Congress agreed. No more warrants.

With that, PRISM was born.

Now, the government needs only explain to Congress and a secret court exactly how it intends to collect information like emails, Skype video conferences and Facebook messages. Once the court approves the collection rules, the government can grab anything it wants.

Judging from the documents released by the Post and Guardian, PRISM takes a lot of data and quickly. An NSA document said PRISM was the eavesdropping program "used most" by the agency.

The law says the government must limit its surveillance to people "reasonably believed to be located outside the United States."

But everything hinges words such as "targeting" and "collecting," which have unique meanings in the spy world.

As the classified court order released last week shows, officials can grab phone logs from everybody and still say they haven't targeted or collected information on a single American. Only when an analyst reaches into the archives and looks at the information has something been collected.

Clapper uses a library analogy: The government can fill its shelves with books containing the phone numbers of Americans, who they're talking to, how long they talk and where they call from. That doesn't count as collection.

"To me, collection of U.S. person's data would mean taking the books off the shelf, opening it up and reading it," he said.

To which Timm replied: "Clapper has a different definition of 'collect' than most human beings."

At this point, the government has offered little assurance that PRISM isn't doing for Internet traffic what Clapper says the government does for phones: seizing vast amounts of data, including some belonging to Americans, and then selecting foreigners for specific scrutiny.

When Obama told Americans that PRISM was thoroughly reviewed by a secret court, that was little comfort to Timm.

"This is the same court that would approve the vacuuming up of all the call logs of American citizens," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/whats-problem-prism-203441280.html

dick cheney hcg drops reason rally mad hatter azerbaijan ryan howard ps i love you

Monday, June 10, 2013

Engadget's pre-WWDC 2013 live broadcast from San Francisco!

Engadget's preWWDC 2013 live broadcast from San Francisco!

Apple's 2013 edition of its notorious Worldwide Developers Conference is soon to be underway. But, while we wait for Tim Cook & Co. to hit the stage, who better than our own Tim Stevens and Darren Murph to strike up a conversation about what the Cupertino-based company may have in store for us. All signs point to a seventh major revision of iOS, but will we also see the fabled iWatch? How about the long-rumored iRadio music service? The clock's ticking, so join us after the break as we'll be broadcasting live from outside Moscone West, in beautiful San Francisco.

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w3hm05UnxHA/

Green Coffee Bean Extract september 11 9/11 Memorial 911 masterchef Dictionary.com Chicago teachers strike

Italian maestro dies in Florence, famed in Chicago

ROME (AP) ? An Italian music company says maestro Bruno Bartoletti, who was associated with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for a half-century, has died a day before his 87th birthday.

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino said Bartoletti died in a Florence hospital Sunday after a long illness.

In a career that saw Bartoletti conduct into his 80s, he served as the first music director of Chicago's Lyric Opera, starting as guest conductor there in 1956, when he was relatively unknown. Conducting frequently in Italy, Bartoletti was artistic director at Maggio Musicale from 1986-1991. He also conducted in Buenos Aires and at Milan's La Scala.

A funeral was scheduled for Monday in Sesto Fiorentino, a Florence suburb where the maestro was born. Bartoletti did his music studies at Florence's conservatory.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italian-maestro-dies-florence-famed-chicago-152448534.html

Bonnie Franklin sinkhole Real Madrid Vs Manchester United Duck Dynasty sequestration Van Cliburn Sequester

Tyler the Creator Blasts Critic as "Whore," May Lose Australian Visa

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/06/tyler-the-creator-blasts-critic-as-whore-may-lose-australian-vis/

this means war bobby brown suzanne somers colbert colbert report legionnaires disease underwear bomber

John Malkovich saves bleeding man in Toronto

Celebs

2 hours ago

John Malkovich.

Getty Images file

John Malkovich.

John Malkovich had a definite case of right place, right time last Thursday in Toronto, when he rushed to the aid of a bleeding tourist, according to multiple reports.

Ohio residents Jim Walpole, 79, and his wife Marilyn were visiting Canada when Jim stubbed his toe and fell into the street after leaving a restaurant. Something sharp sticking out of nearby scaffolding slashed his throat, and he began bleeding.

"The way he was spurting I thought it was the carotid (artery) or the jugular (vein)," his wife, who was trained as a nurse, told CBC News.

Fortunately, Malkovich -- in town to appear in the theatrical production of "The Giacomo Variations" -- was standing outside smoking a cigarette, and rushed over. He used his scarf to help stop the blood flow. (Malkovich wasn't alone; Chris Mathias, a doorman from the hotel and Ben Quinn, the owner of the restaurant where the Walpoles had just eaten, also stopped to help.)

"I was bleeding so bad on my neck, and Chris brought him a towel and John kept pressure on my bleeding neck and then Quinn kept me from turning over and made me stay there until EMS arrived," Walpole told the Toronto Star.

He didn't recognize the two-time Oscar nominee, however. "I asked, 'What's your name?' He said, 'John.' And I didn't ask the last name 'cause I didn't figure I'd remember it anyhow."

An ambulance took Walpole to St. Michael's Hospital nearby, where he was released after receiving 10 stitches.

While neither of the Walpoles think they've seen any of Malkovich's films, Marilyn plans to remedy that now -- perhaps during her husband's recovery period. "I'm going to watch all of them that I can," she said.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/john-malkovich-rushes-aid-bleeding-man-toronto-6C10261380

the night they drove old dixie down levon robbie robertson the curious case of benjamin button secret service prostitute rich ross april 20