← Previous Story VIDEO: Jeffrey M’tima knocks down Dominik Klein! Next Story → Norwegian Runar Sandefjord sign Serbian left back Petar Žujović Celje Pivovarna LaškCelje Pivovarna LaskoRK Gorenje VelenjeSlovenia Slovenian champions RK Celje Pivovarna Laško remain on the winning track after 11 matches in domestic Championship after they beat the biggest rival RK Gorenje Velenje 32:31 (14:17) in derby match. Visitors from Velenje played good first half, had +5 in 36th minute (20:15), but at the end, home team, led by outstanding performance of playmaker Miha Zarabec (12 goals,) have managed to turnover the match.Celje Pivovarna Laško : Gorenje Velenje 32:31 (14:17)Celje Pivovarna Laško: Lesjak, Skok, Blagotinšek 3, Ivić 1, Žuran 1, Janc 4, Razgor 1, Marguč, Poteko 4, Miklavčič, Slišković 1, Zarabec 12 (6), Kodrin, Kasal, Žvižej 5.Gorenje Velenje: B. Burić, Ferlin, Božović, Medved 1, S. Burić 3, Szyba 8, Skube 7 (3), Golčar, Šoštarič 3, Papež, Kleč 4, Dobelšek, Gams, Nosan 1, Dujmovič 3, Bećiri.STANDINGS:1. Celje Pivovarna Laško 11 – 222. Gorenje Velenje 11 – 203. Maribor Branik 10 – 184. Trimo Trebnje 10 – 145. Riko Ribnica 10 – 126. Jeruzalem Ormož 10 – 107. Krka 10 – 88. Urbanscape Loka 10 – 89. Slovan 10 – 810. Slovenj Gradec 2011 10 – 811. SVIŠ Ivančna Gorica 10 – 612. Istrabenz Plini Izola 10 – 413. Sevnica 10 – 214. Krško 10 – 2
In front of 400 spectators in Lausanne, Beach Handball rocked the shores of Lake Leman, the biggest lake in Switzerland, announced IHF.In the presence of Dr. Hassan Moustafa, President of the International Handball Federation, Mr. Marc Vuilleumier, City Counsellor of the City of Lausanne and Dr. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Handball Committee, the IHF in cooperation with the IOC, the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud organised a Beach Handball Exhibition match in order to present the sport to the international sports community.The spectators arriving in Lausanne from across Switzerland had a chance to witness a spectacular performance by teams composed of the best beach handball players in the world accordingly named by the most beautiful constellations of the night sky.In the women’s match, in a game not burdened by result, it was team Mira winning against team Vega 2:1. The girls showed a magnificent performance to the enthusiastic crowd and the it took amazing 12 series in the shoot out to decide the winner as Mira came on top 22:20.The men’s event was an equal affair just as well as both Sirius and Orion won a period each before going to shoot-out. The shoot was a magnificent demonstration of the attractiveness of Beach Handball. Spiced by a 720 degrees shot from Gil Pires, magical spinshots by Thigo Gusmao and a magnificent save by Jorge Oliva to decide the winner, Sirus won the match 2 periods to 1.Before the Main Event, the best beach handball teams in Switzerland in both men and women category also had a chance to show their skills to the crowd in Lausanne. The Beachqueens faced against the Luchadoras while Copacabale played against Lloret Beach Espana. To spice up the event and to demonstrate the grassroots work in the sport the International Handball Federation organized a Mini Handball Festival prior to the Event. ← Previous Story Who will stop this guy? Hombrados to play for Guadalajara! Next Story → The PanAm Games are on!
← Previous Story Men’s Junior WCH 2015: Egypt to challenge European TOP teams for the trophy! Next Story → Helle Thomsen resigns in Swedisn NT Big final will be held tonight when Danish and French generation 1994 meet in the last match before senior stage (23 hrs CET). Denmark beat Germany 28:26 (15:13) in the semi final, while France had no easy job against fighters from Egypt 32:30 (15:12).11:00 Spain vs. Romania – Placement Match 7/8Referees: BOUALLOUCHA Ismail (TUN) / KHENISSI Ramzi (TUN)13:15 Belarus vs. Sweden – Placement Match 5/6ERDOGAN Kursad (TUR) / OZDENIZ Ibrahim (TUR)15:30 Germany vs. Egypt – Placement Match 3/4ALVES ROCHA Adriano (BRA) / MAGALHAES DA SILVA Daniel (BRA)FINAL18:00 Denmark vs. France – FinalReferees: LAH Bojan (SLO) / SOK David (SLO)
The EHF has announced that two players, one male and one female, from the Ukrainian national beach handball teams have tested positive for banned substances.The testing was carried out by the EHF Anti-doping Unit at the Men’s and Women’s 18 Beach EURO in Ulcinj, Montenegro played on 29, 30 June and 1 July 2018.Analysis of the samples took place at a World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory.All relevant documentation has now been forwarded to the EHF Court of Handball.Source: EHF Beach handball ← Previous Story SHOCK IN GYOR: Yvette Broch stops career Next Story → Celje PL – Dobrogea SUD ended after 30 minutes
FOLLOWING A FATAL stabbing incident yesterday gardaí are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in the Ormond Square area yesterday.John Maguire, aged 51-years-old, died after he was attacked at his home in Ormond Square, Dublin 7.Gardaí at the Bridewell in Dublin received a 999 call at approximately 2.30pm yesterday.Multiple stab woundsMr Maguire was found to have severe stab wounds to the neck and back. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3pm.The body was moved to the City Morgue in Marino and a full post mortem examination will be carried out at 10am this morning.A Garda family liaison officer has been appointed to the family. Mr Maguire had lived in the area for over ten years.Information appealInvestigating gardaí are appealing for information in relation to this incident and they are particularly anxious to hear from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the general area of Ormond Square from 7.30am yesterday morning.If you have any information please contact the incident room at the Bridewell Garda Station on 01-666 8200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666-111.Read: Man dies after Smithfield stabbing>
THE GOVERNMENT EXPECTS to take nearly 6 per cent more in tax revenue or an extra €2.2 billion next year.Budget figures published last week and republished in a written answer this week show that in nearly all tax areas, the government expects to increase its income next year.Siginficiantly the government expects an 83 per cent increase in the amount of local property tax it takes in 2014.This is because the charge will be levied on property owners for a full year and not the six months that it was levied for this year.Of the so-called big four, the government expects to take €10.7 billion in VAT (up 3.6 per cent), €4.4 billion in Corporation Tax (up 0.6 per cent), €17 billion in Income Tax (up 8.3 per cent) and €4.8 billion in excise duty (up 2 per cent).The only area of taxation where the government does not expect to take more money next year than this year is Capital Acquisitions Tax which is expected to fall by nearly 6 per cent of from €405 million to €380 million.Read: Dáil passes Social Welfare Bill which implements Budget 2014 cutsMore: Hundreds of separated dads concerned over “unjust” tax credit change
ITV NEWS HAS broadcast video footage purportedly showing the suspects and victims at the heart of the domestic servitude case in London.The images were obtained from a 1997 documentary which examined the suspicious circumstances of the death of a British woman. Sian Davies died after falling from a window in the Maoist group’s Brixton house and there are suggestions that the youngest woman rescued last week is her daughter.The pictures show suspects Aravindan Balakrishnan and Comrade Chanda outside the inquest into the commune member.Chanda, now 67, pictured in a wheelchair in 1997. (Image: ITV News)There is also footage of women at the door of the group’s home. The broadcaster reported that two of the women are those at the centre of the investigation.The Irish woman in the video has been identifed as Armagh native Josephine Herivel by British media. It is believed that she is the well-educated daughter of mathematician John Herivel who was a World War II code-breaker for the British army.The Daily Telegraph reports that he was part of the Bletchley Park team that cracked the German Enigma ciphers in 1940. The newspaper says Josephine has two sisters who she grew up with in Belfast but was estranged in the 1970s after moving to London for study, getting caught up in the commune.Obituaries for her father mention only two daughters, Mary and Susan.The second woman, a 67-year-old Malaysian called Aishah Waham, also appears in the video.Image: ITV NewsAccording to press reports from 1978, both women were arrested during a raid on the Brixton property.It emerged this week that the two suspects, 73-year-old Balakrishnan and his 67-year-old wife Chanda, were leaders of a Maoist collective that has links with at least 13 properties in London.Extreme communists, they admired China’s Mao Tse Tung and recruited people with similar ideologies.Read: London slavery case couple were leaders of a Maoist collectiveMore: Suspect in London slavery case is older than first thoughtRelated: Slavery suspects linked to 13 properties across London
THE HEINEKEN CUP returns next weekend and all four Irish provinces remain in the mix to qualify for the knock-out stages.This is how the sides are shaping up going into their crucial back-to-back December ties. Injuries to key players such as Nick Williams, Iain Henderson and Rory Best [out until February] may hinder hopes of securing bonus point wins against the Italians. Anscombe would trade the absence of Henderson and Williams against Treviso to get them back, and fit, for tougher tests to come in January.Craig Gilroy scores a try against Edinburgh. INPHO/Presseye/Darren KiddMUNSTER v Perpignan – 8 DecemberThe two-time Heineken Cup champions have started the season in winning, if not scintillating form. The summer retirement of Ronan O’Gara has been offset somewhat by Ian Keatley and, to a reliable back-up extent, JJ Hanrahan. Highlights of the season thus far have been home wins over Leinster [league] and Gloucester [HCup], and away to Glasgow.Munster’s European defeat away to Edinburgh, however, will loom large unless a double over Perpignan can be mustered. The Top 14 side lost 30-23 to Heineken Cup finalists Clermont on Friday and are floating mid-table after failing to impress away from home.Apart from Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo, Rob Penney’s men are close to full strength going into their two matches with the French side. Paul O’Connell and Keith Earls bought came through Friday’s win over Dragons unscathed and prop Dave Kilcoyne will have a point to prove to Ireland coach Joe Schmidt after sitting out the November Series.Toulouse v CONNACHT – 8 DecemberPat Lam’s beleaguered troops take on a Toulouse outfit third in their domestic league and averaging over 20 points per game. The French side, who can call on Maxime Medard, Louis Picamoles and Thierry Dusuatoir, edged Saracens 17-16 in their last outing [in October] and will see the Connacht games as steady stepping stones on their way to an unbeaten finish in Pool 3.A Robbie Henshaw try was the only Connacht highlight in their 43-10 loss in Scotland. INPHO/Russell CheyneConnacht snapped an annoying trend of narrow losses, this weekend, by losing 43-10 away to Edinburgh.John Muldoon, who has returned from a six-week injury lay-off, implored his teammates to make massive improvements ahead of a crucial period. “We can’t doll it up any way. We let ourselves down, we let the jersey down and we let our fans down,” declared Muldoon.VIDEO: Paddy Jackson creates classy try for Darren CavePenney hails Keatley’s ‘wonderful’ kicking game for Munster Northampton v LEINSTER – 7 DecemberMatt O’Connor’s men are well poised, having beaten Ospreys away and Castres at home. They have overcome a slow league start to secure some narrow wins and climb the Pro12 standings. Saints were briefly tested by Paul Warwick’s Worcester on Saturday before scoring three tries in the final 20 minutes to win 33-10.Leinster will hope to have international stars Sean O’Brien, Cian Healy and Jamie Heaslip back for their away trip to Franklin’s Gardens. The presence of Brian O’Driscoll [concussion/calf] and Rob Kearney [ribs] place them on their coach’s fitness wishlist.ULSTER v Treviso – 7 DecemberMark Anscombe’s side lost their opening Pro12 fixtures but recovered their senses, and 2012/13 form, to start scoring tries and winning ties. Paddy Jackson has grown in stature with each passing week and unsung heroes such as Darren Cave and Roger Wilson have kept the province ticking over.Treviso have underwhelmed in the league and lost out to Leicester and Montpellier to effectively end their European interests.
A UKRANIAN ANTI-government activist who disappeared a week ago appeared on television today, his face badly beaten and with wounds to his hands, saying he was kidnapped and tortured by abductors who “crucified” him.Dmytro Bulatov, 35, who was one of the leaders of anti-government protest motorcades called ‘Automaidan’, was taken to hospital after he appeared on Ukrainian TV 5th channel.“They crucified me. They punctured my hands,” he said, pointing to marks on the backs of his hands.“They cut off my ear, slashed my face. There’s not a single alive spot on my body. But I am alive, thank God,” he said.Bulatov was reported missing on 23 January. He was involved in several motorcade protests in which scores of cars would drive to the homes of Ukrainian leaders.In the biggest such protest, about 2,000 cars drove to the country residence of President Viktor Yanukovich at Mezhyhirya, outside Kiev, on 29 December. They came within 300 metres of his residence before being stopped by security roadblocks.Traffic police have started attempts to identify participants in the ‘automaidan’ demonstrations and protest groups say that about 20 people so far have been detained for questioning.Opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko, who visited Bulatov in hospital, said: “What was done to Dmytro was an act to frighten all citizens who are being active now.”A friend of Bulatov’s said: “We know that they (his abductors) did not feed him. We know that they abandoned him in a wood and we know he managed then to get to a village.“He was able to call friends,” said Yuri Zozulya.Yanukovich, 63, went on sick leave on Thursday, leaving a political vacuum in a country threatened with bankruptcy and destablised by anti-government protests.The protests began after Yanukovich rejected an EU trade deal in favour of closer ties with and a financial bailout from Russia.Copyright 2014 Thomson Reuters/ Click for Restrictions.Read: Russian men drink too much vodka…and it’s killing them
YouTube: ClipCompilation Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa which went green for St Patrick’s Day. Picture: Tourism Ireland/Twitter HERE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps…THINGS WE LEARNED Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin plans to ask Taoiseach Enda Kenny to reopen a module of the Moriarty Tribunal next week in light of new allegations about a payment made by Michael Lowry but Kenny, speaking in New York today, has already ruled this out.Three men have been arrested following the stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in Westport, Co Mayo last night. The boy is seriously injured in hospital.St Patrick’s Day celebrations brought thousands out onto the streets of Dublin and towns and cities across the country today. Here are the best pictures from the day’s events.Cyprus may go as far as calling an extra bank holiday to stop people from taking their money out of the banks in the wake of a controversial bailout deal which will see some savers lose a tenth of their money.The weather was rubbish all week and it will continue to be rubbish and cold next week unfortunately.While Ireland’s rugby men failed miserably the women triumphed gloriously sealing a Six Nations Grand Slam with a 6-3 win over Italy today. The President was among those to send his congratulations to the Irish women.THINGS WE LOVEDOur favourite astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield, wearing a green bowtie and playing Danny Boy in space.These 13 things we didn’t know about St Patrick’s Day.Paddy’s Day in Lego form: ‘Pot of Gold!’ Pic: Debbie Hickey/StudioTenTHINGS WE SHAREDThis brilliant collection from Buzzfeed of famous gun scenes from movies replaced with thumbs-up.This fascinating revelation that Ireland’s national colour isn’t really green.This lovely bit of milk bottle nostalgia.And finally we’re a bit late to this but Beyoncé performing her hit song ‘Single Ladies’ with Justin Timberlake is worth a watch:
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This is a seminal moment for social housing in this country and if Labour allows this Bill to pass they have completely abandoned any pretence of social justice.‘A ridiculous ploy’Gwen Connell was homeless earlier this year but is currently living in a two-bedroom apartment with her three daughters. She said she was also evicted from her home due to rent hikes.Connell said the Bill is “just another ridiculous ploy by Labour and the government to reduce council lists”.It’s just tactics when nothing is really being done about the situation.”Connell added that the new HAP system means “people like myself can be thrown off council waiting lists”.“We will be passed over to private landlords where we can be evicted at any time and can never truly settle,” she said, adding: “Families don’t need to be put through this.”Utter failureSocialist TD Ruth Coppinger said that the Bill will “further decimate the Labour party” and “accelerate their extinction” as the party holds both the departments of social protection and housing.“It will completely and utterly fail. Have they learnt nothing?”Coppinger noted that 4,000 – 9,000 social houses were built annually during the 1970s, compared to just 300 last year.“The big big problem is people have nowhere to live.”The newly-elected Dublin West TD said that the new legislation also “makes it easier for councils to evict people” and allows housing authorities to deduct money from people’s social welfare payments if they fall behind in paying their rent.Nobody should be allowed to be evicted on the basis of a rent increase given the homeless epidemic.“I do question whether the government have leant anything from the hammering they got in the election,” she added.Related: New campaign launched to help families in danger of losing their homeRead: Social housing waiting list falls to almost 90,000 households A HOMELESS MOTHER has said that the Housing Bill set to be passed in the Dáil is an attempt to make the government “look better” without bringing about any real change.Tamara Kearns, who is living in emergency housing with her husband and two children, said that people in receipt of the new Housing Assistance Payment will be deemed as housed and taken off the social housing list.She said the government is “trying to slash the 90,000 waiting list and make it look better for themselves”.“My family became homeless because my husband’s wages were cut and we could not meet the spiralling rents in Dublin,” Kearns said.She is a member of the Housing Action Group who have called for rent controls to be introduced. The organisation will stage a protest outside the Dáil at 6pm today. The Bill will be debated in the chamber from 6 to 7.30 pm and 9 to 10.30 pm.A number of other TDs have also called for the Labour Party to reconsider its support for the Housing Bill with independent TD Catherine Murphy saying last week:
MINISTER FOR FINANCE Michael Noonan has said he no longer believes Ireland will require €2 billion in cuts and tax increases in Budget 2015.This is despite the International Monetary Fund and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council both advising the government to stick to the planned cuts.Speaking to reporters this morning in Luxembourg, Noonan said the Commission and the IMF are looking at outdated information, as previous calculations suggested that it would take a €2 billion adjustment to ensure the deficit falls below 3%.“Now there’s data coming through,” the minister explained, “some of it soft data, some it anecdotal, which seems to me, we will not require that level of adjustment, but I am not in a position to say how much leeway we’ll have.”We will get the deficit below 3% by 2015, and no matter what it takes, we’ll do it.He also noted that while “we were in the programme they had this concept which they sometimes have in Europe about measuring the level of effort you put into things”.“The volume of the adjustment was important,” the minister said.Now that we are out of the programme it’s simply like other countries.He also dismissed the EU Commission’s investigation into Apple’s tax arrangements in Ireland as “old news” since it was discussed in Congress.“The Commission have not come at it from a tax perspective, they have come at it from a state aid perspective which is a different space, and obviously if they think it’s state aid it has to be investigated,” he said.“We think it isn’t, we think we will win the case ultimately.”Read: The IMF is back in town, and it’s not mad on the Government’s mortgage strategy >More: Spending watchdog tells Government to stick to €2 billion austerity target >
President Barack Obama said today the crash of a Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine was a “terrible tragedy” and said US officials were trying to establish if any Americans were on board.“The world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia/Ukraine border. And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy,” Obama said, before going ahead with a previously scheduled event in Wilmington, Delaware.Obama said his first priority was to determine whether there were any US citizens aboard the crashed jet.“I have directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian government,” Obama said.“The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why.“And as a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the passengers, wherever they call home,” Obama said, before continuing with his remarks highlighting plans to revive America’s transportation infrastructure.Earlier, the White House said that reports that the Malaysia Airlines plane had crashed in eastern Ukraine had come through while Obama was on the phone with President Vladimir Putin, and that the Russian leader had noted them during their conversation.Meanwhile the British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: Source: David Cameron/Twitter Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 came down near the town of Shaktarsk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said it may have been shot down.For more on Malaysian Airline’s MH17 crash click here>>>
I’m shocked and saddened by the Malaysian air disaster. Officials from across Whitehall are meeting to establish the facts.— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) July 17, 2014
SpaceX is trying to buy a hamlet inside its Texas rocket-launch site because it ‘did not anticipate’ there’d be any ‘significant disruption’ to residents who live there SNAPCHAT HAS BEEN testing its geofilters feature for some time now, but now everyone can use the feature — if you’re physically in the right place.Geofilters let you add specific, location-based filters to your photos. For example, if you snap a picture in Manhattan, you’ll see different geofilters compared to if you were in Venice.None appear to be available in Ireland, yet.Some think Snapchat may eventually monetize geofilters by stuffing ads into them when you send snaps from certain locations.To see which geofilters your current location unlocks, all you have to do is swipe right on the preview screen before you send a snap.Here are a few examples. A car plowed through the main hall of Trump Plaza in New Rochelle, New York 16-year-old Greta Thunberg met with Obama and chided senators, saying they’re not trying hard enough to fight climate change 
The US is building a case against Iran in the attacks on Saudi Arabia, but Trump is in no rush to act Source: SnapchatGeofilters require you to turn on location services to allow Snapchat to sense where you are, but Snapchat doesn’t store the location data.To enable geofilters, you’ll need to first head over to your phone settings. For iPhone users, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.Toggle Location Services on and then scroll down and make sure the individual Snapchat app is toggled “On” too.Next, open Snapchat and tap the settings cog in the top right corner.After choosing the “Manage” option, you can now toggle on Filters, which will enable geofilters.And you’re finished!You can now discover new geofilters just by walking around to new places, just remember to swipe right to cycle through the options. Source: Snapchat/YouTube- Steven TweedieRead: 17 hilarious times Snapchat and fine art were the perfect union >More: Rich Kids of Snapchat is exactly as horrifying as it sounds >
People have been hacking together ways to control their Windows PCs using Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller for months now. Microsoft had promised for months that they would open up the Kinect to developers looking to use it for PC applications and games, but never said when that development kit would be ready. Today, Microsoft finally took the wraps off of the Kinect for Windows SDK and made it available to the public.Microsoft Research‘s official Kinect SDK is free, in beta, and available to any interested developer looking to come up with a way to use Kinect to control a Windows PC application or interface. Microsoft also says they’re working on a version of the SDK specifically for commercial applications. The goal is to give the Kinect new life as a PC peripheral and not just an attachment for the Xbox 360 games console.AdChoices广告The SDK can be downloaded from the Microsoft Research website, and both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions are under 22MB. The kit includes a smaple game which you can see a video of below:Microsoft wants to see Kinect motion controllers used in kitchens, doctor’s offices, or repair shops, where people often have dirty fingers or difficulty using a computer while doing their job at the same time. Ideally you could use a Kinect to interact with a PC while you’re cooking without having to run and wash your hands to use a keyboard and mouse, or in a doctor’s office where you’ve already washed up but don’t want to risk contamination from using a computer.It remains to be seen if there’s real demand for Kinect on the PC beyond tech demos of future user interfaces and interesting but unrealistic ways to play PC games like World of Warcraft with motion control. Now that the SDK is official and a commercial one is on the way, we may see some fresh interest at least in the short term.Learn all about the SDK at Microsoft Research, via GeekWire
Firefox 9 hit Mozilla’s servers yesterday, and now it’s rolling out as an automatic update for both desktop and mobile users. On your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, you’ll be enjoying JavaScript performance that’s up to 30% faster. The new Android version, however, offers some more in-your-face improvements.The biggest change you’ll notice has to do with Firefox moving from Mozilla’s XUL interface to one built using Android’s native elements. That change has led to dramatically faster start-up times and reduced memory usage in Firefox 9 on Android.The new Firefox tablet interface has finally landed as well. As you may have seen before in looks at the nightly or beta builds, Firefox 9 introduces a thumbnailed tab strip along the left edge for quick switching between web pages. Mozilla has also introduced the Action Bar (at the far right of the Awesome Bar), which you can tap to access your downloads and add-ons. Action items allow you to share pages, save as PDF, and search for text in-page — just as tapping the menu button on your Android smartphone does while browsing with Firefox.There’s also a touch of Boot to Gecko at work in Firefox 9 for Android. Web developers can leverage a bit of direct access to smartphone or tablet hardware, as Mozilla has introduced camera access via HTML5 input fields. If you want to see the HTML5 camera input tag in action, head on over to the demo page Mozilla has posted. It’s a slick example of where things are headed, and it’ll allow web apps to let you do things like scan QR codes for input right inside your browser.More at Mozilla
Ever since Apple introduced the MacBook Air in 2008, the laptop/netbook replacement has been doing swift business. Apple likes selling products that are minimalist in design, and it’s hard to deny how beautiful the machine is. Now, as has been rumored before, it looks as though the 11- and 13-inch Air models are set to be joined by a 15-inch version next month.As usual, Apple doesn’t talk about future products, but that doesn’t stop other manufacturers who support Apple’s devices from discussing details. At the UK CU Exposed tech show held at the London Film Museum yesterday, one well-known Apple accessory company stated the 15-inch MacBook Air will arrive in April.According to Electricpig, this company specializes in Mac docks, and is totally convinced the new laptop will appear next month. As for what this means for the MacBook Pro, Apple will only produce the 17-inch model going forward, with the 15-inch Air replacing the rest of the line-up.Introducing a 15-inch Air will be welcomed by many Apple fans. Combining the super-thin form factor of the Air with a larger display makes sense for a lot of users who enjoy/require the extra screen real estate. What will be lost is the optical drive, and apparently the Ethernet port is disappearing too. You can argue neither component matters much anymore with most software offered for digital download, and wireless connections being the norm.If the 15-inch Air rumor turns out to be true, Apple doesn’t even have to think about how to price it. The high end 13-inch MacBook Air costs $1,599, where as the 15-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,799 rising to $2,199. Apple can just match the Pro pricing for a 15-inch Air and likely increase profit margins significantly due to fewer components being required.Even if it doesn’t happen in April, the success of the Air coupled with Apple’s desire for ever “cleaner” designs, make it inevitable the MacBook Pro will be replaced eventually.Read more at Electricpig
Creating 3D models and animating them requires a lot of skill and takes years of practice before you become a professional. Typically an artist will have a mannequin sitting next to their PC as an aid to getting a pose right. But that mannequin can only act as a guide rather than a direct input for an on-screen model in a package like Maya or 3ds Max.Researchers at the University of Tsukuba and the University of Electro-Communications in Japan are aiming to change that by introducing a mannequin peripheral.It is called the Qumarion and consists of a physical mannequin that can be posed in multiple sitting and standing positions. Using QUMA technology, the data from 32 sensors and 16 joints on the model is relayed via USB to the 3D modeling software on a PC. The feedback is instant, allowing an artist to fine tune the pose on the real model and see it copied by the character on-screen.Although it looks perfect for the creation of 3D model posing and key frame animation, the creators believe it will mainly be used to create poses that then get traced over for 2D comic illustrations.At $750 for the complete kit, it’s not overly expensive for an artist to pick up and start experimenting with. At the very least, it should offer a better starting point with a model on screen than having to manually set a pose using a keyboard and mouse.The University of Electro-Communication isn’t new to the area of novel peripherals. Last year researchers there converted the vibration units contained in Sony’s DualShock controllers into a phantom vibration feedback system. Its aim is to make the feeling of getting stabbed or shot in a game more real.More at DigInfo.tv
Whether it has been driven by the science fiction aspect of entertainment in our lives today, or a general interest about our neighboring planets, we’ve always wanted to know if there is life on other planets. According to NASA, fueled by the research with by the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers, there was a time when Mars was capable of supporting life.A resent NASA conference (available below) explored the results of experiments conducted during the exploration of Mars with Curiosity and Opportunity, two of the rovers that have been sent to the Red Planet for remote analysis. The most recent rover, Curiosity, was sent with what is essentially chemistry lab on wheels, as well as a massive laser for more in-depth experiments on the surface of Mars. The discovery of an ancient streambed by the Curiosity team has allowed them to state definitively that there was a time when microbial life could have thrived on the surface of Mars.Curiosity’s SAM and CheMin instruments have been working with sampled picked up from the streambed, and have discovered what are considered key chemical ingredients needed to support life. The Gale Crater sediment was found to contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur among other necessary ingredients. This information leads scientists to believe that there was a time where the surface of Mars was wet, and these materials would have existed in clay that lay under the water. At some point, a dramatic change led to the harshly acidic and salty surface that covers Mars today.NASA scientists are now able to picture an ancient Mars that would have been grey with life instead of the red that exists now. The Mars Science Laboratory notes that these discoveries are just the beginning to reveal the history of this planet, and what may have existed on the surface well before we started looking up and wondering if we were alone in the Universe. Curiosity has everything on-board needed to continue researching the surface for years to come.Watch the full 70 minute video here:
If you’re one of the many who experience the first generation Furby toys in your childhood, you can stop cringing now. Supertoy Teddy is an attempt at Siri-style natural language communication inside a WiFi-enabled teddy bear.Smartphones are trying really hard to feel more like personal assistants in some really basic ways right now. Siri and Google Now serve different purposes for some people, but they both rely on offsite processing of natural language for commands. You speak into your phone, and the command happens quite quickly in most cases, but the actual processing of that information happens elsewhere. As a result, it is difficult to put this kind of technology in what would otherwise seem like really obvious places.In order to make it work seamlessly, whatever you want to interact with using natural language would have to be connected to the Internet, and it would have to be backed by a system that could process that language. Supertoy Robotics thinks they have what it takes, and they are going to stuff the technology inside a teddy bear to try it out.Using a robotic mouth with a voice box that will sync with the words being said, Supertoy Teddy will act autonomously once you turn it on. You won’t have any control over the bear, save for the control you gain by speaking to it.The teddy bear is designed to learn from your conversations and adapt to become a more personalized companion experience. This means you can teach the bear to be nice and polite, or dark and sarcastic. You can issue basic commands to acquire the time, weather, or a horoscope for example. Much in the same way Siri searches for the correct information, the teddy bear will as well.Supertoy Teddy sounds like it could be a really great idea on paper, but in order to make this bear a reality for the masses a Kickstarter project has been created to help finish the hardware and the underlying technologies for search and language.One thing is absolutely certain, these bears will be nothing like those first generation Furby toys.
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