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Therapeutic Focus 2013: Metabolic
The prevalence of diabetes and obesity is still high, despite many piecemeal attempts at treating these co-morbidities. Among drug makers' latest efforts: pills that address both at once. Noah Pines talks to analysts, marketers and doctors about the upside potential, and the pitfalls
Diabetes and obesity are two of the most well-known and highly publicized chronic metabolic conditions facing developed countries today. The two, which often occur concomitantly in patients, also pose an attractive area for drug makers—insulins, other injectables and pills generated over $29 billion in US sales last year, a 12% increase over 2011, according to data from Source Healthcare Analytics.
Yet, despite the abundance of existing medication classes for these rapidly expanding problems, there still remains substantial opportunity for better options. Obesity rates remain stubbornly high. A couple of drugs for the condition were recently approved—Vivus' Qsymia and Arena's Belviq—and both are in launch mode. (More on those later.)
Likewise, in type 2 diabetes (T2d), many patients ultimately don't achieve HbA1c control for a variety of reasons, including non-compliance. Companies are combining different mechanisms of action to offer more versatile treatment regimens.
Takeda is set to launch Nesina and two combination pills after securing FDA approval for its DPP-4-inhibitor-based family of products in January. One of Nesina's brethren, Oseni, integrates the active ingredient in Nesina with pioglitazone, making it the first DPP-4 + TZD combo pill.
In the pre-launch arena, drug makers' attempts at helping physicians get metabolic co-morbidities under control includes a couple of oral t2d drugs expected to go in front of the FDA over the next 12 months. The first is Johnson & Johnson's Invokana (canagliflozin). In clinical trials, it has shown good (but not great) A1c lowering, decent hypoglycemia rates and some weight loss benefit. That last trait is important, since obesity is so common among patients with T2d.
"Weight loss sells when you are dealing with type 2 diabetes," says Robert Busch, MD, an endocrinologist in private practice in Albany, NY. That is, it could be the hook that gets patients to adhere to these drugs on an ongoing basis.
Moreover, it's a benefit most patients don't get with the leading diabetes pill, Merck's DPP-4, Januvia. "DPP-4s are weight neutral," says Busch. "Januvia has the benefits of a sulfonylurea without hypoglycemia—that is what sells it."
Busch sees a future where companies that already market a DPP-4 and also have an SGLT-2 under their roof—like AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb, which market Onglyza and have the SGLT-2 Forxiga in development—may be able to combine them "and have a 'super A1c' pill for T2d." In this way, adds Busch, "[Canagliflozin] is particularly a threat to Januvia." In fact, data show Invokana beats Januvia in A1c-lowering.
And Invokana, if approved, could be added to other drug regimens, like GLP-1s, creating a regimen of two drugs for diabetes and weight loss with complementary mechanisms of action. The urinary glucose excretion induced by SGLT-2s has been associated with weight reduction, while GLP-1s (like Amylin's Byetta or Bydureon, and Novo Nordisk's Victoza) have weight-loss benefits though their initial indication is for diabetes.
The second late-stage SGLT-2, Forxiga (dapagliflozin), was rejected by FDA last year, after an advisory committee voted against the agent citing concerns about cancer risk and efficacy (it was approved in the EU, but rejected by NICE).
But "SGLT-2s are not going to be as easy to market as the DPP-4s," says Joachim Osther, who launched the first-in-class GLP-1 Byetta and its successor, Bydureon, when he was a brand director at Amylin. "The beauty of the DPP-4 is…what bonus A1c [control] that you get; there is zero cost in terms of the side-effect profile."
Not so with SGLT-2 drugs. "The safety profile is indisputably worse than the DPP-4s, so it is hard to think this is the first drug you'd rush out to use," says the Bernstein Research analyst Tim Anderson, MD. Yeast infections should keep certain patients off of these therapies.
Then again, says Osther, "Everyone knows this is a PCP-driven marketplace…and for them, having another oral option is a very positive thing." The question is, will the upside—some weight loss and A1c-lowering—resonate all that much?
"[The new class] is innovative to enough of a point where it is clinically relevant…but we have it barely making blockbuster status," adds Leon Henderson, MD, an analyst with inThought Research, part of Symphony Health Solutions. At press time, inThought had forecast Invokana, which would be the first in its class, to reach 2019 worldwide revenue of about a billion dollars.
Insulins are starting to be reinvented, as well, although it could be a while before the FDA approves an ultra long-acting formulation. Degludec from Novo Nordisk, now dubbed Tresiba, was to be a competitor to Sanofi's top product Lantus, a basal insulin. At press time, Novo announced that the shot won't be approved until it submits more data from a new trial, potentially delaying its arrival on these shores until at least 2015, possibly later. That goes for all formulations of degludec; Novo had been developing it with a rapid-acting insulin, dubbed Ryzodeg, and a Tresiba + Victoza fixed-dose combination.
The FDA asked Novo for the fresh data to flesh out a cardiovascular safety signal. The delay means less competition for Lantus in the US (degludec already cemented a thumbs-up in the EU and Japan), higher sales and more time to test its own ultra.
Now, back to the anti-obesity category. Joining Roche's Xenical/Alli on the obesity drug market, Arena's Belviq is just getting out of the gate this spring. And Vivus' Qsymia, which debuted last year, is not on a mega-blockbuster trajectory, due to the headwinds of past experience (See: Abbott's Meridia and Roche's Acomplia, both of which were withdrawn from the market, after approval, due to safety concerns), legal liability and a tough payer environment. It's a tightly controlled launch through a limited number of mail-order pharmacies. For the fourth quarter of last year, Qsymia sales were only $2 million.
"People are very cautious," says Henderson. "Regulators, physicians and patients have been burned in the past with obesity agents and the adversities that have caused all to be withdrawn from the market. People are being quite cautious in that respect."
Given the history of weight-loss products, Vivus is playing it slow, taking an educational approach and building trust with physicians who treat co-morbidities—cardiologists, endocrinologists and internists who see a lot of diabetes. "They are marketing it as a drug for people with metabolic syndrome," says Busch. "They are marketing it to the caregivers who treat the consequences of obesity."
Says inThought's Henderson, "[Vivus] seems to be navigating the reimbursement challenges perhaps better than expected, which is why we may see some acceleration in usage as time goes on. Doctors need to follow patients in specific ways. Third party payers are approving it at rate higher than initially anticipated."Busch says about 30% of his patients are covered due to the co-morbidities of hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
"If the patient is asking about it, then I prescribe it," says Busch. "I don't want to entice the patient with the weight loss—'You can lose 9-12% of your weight'—and then they find out it's not covered."
2012 ushered in a new era in weight-loss drugs, with the FDA's reversal on treatments such as Vivus Pharmaceutical's Qsymia and Arena's Belviq, but a potential competitor's recent success may shake up the clinical trial space.
Orexigen, which hopes to enter the weight-loss category with its experimental drug Contrave, has introduced an approach to clinical trials that's shrunk its ramp-up time by over a year. The secret: treat trials like product launches and start with a multi-pronged, consumer-friendly pitch.
By foregoing the slow-burn recruitment flow that typically begins with approaching a research organization and expands to include third-party recruitment when numbers lag, Orexigen did it all at once, shaving 14 months from what was expected to be a two-year process. The goal was 9,000 patients and the company garnered 100,000 responses.
"There's a good chance if they took two years to run and operate this study that [Orexigen] wouldn't have made it to the finish line," Neil Weisman, EVP of marketing firm Blue Chip, tells MM&M. Instead, Blue Chip came in at the start to help shape the messaging from both clinical and patient perspectives. This meant treating recruitment like a launch, with materials that resonated with the way patients perceive themselves—typical for advertising, but novel for clinical trials.
For example, Weisman said the patients they targeted didn't like the terms "very overweight" and "obese," and only a quarter of the patients who met the Contrave profile considered themselves "very overweight." So marketing materials eschewed those loaded terms.
The media mix included paid search, social media, television, traditional print media and direct marketing. Weisman said direct marketing proved to be the most effective recruiting tool. The website (thelightstudy.com) featured sales-like language. (Companies should ensure that any campaign language is compliant with FDA regulations for recruiting study subjects—Ed.)
When running metabolic-related clinical studies, recruiting volunteers is often easier in the community setting, says Robert Busch, MD, an endocrinologist in private practice in Albany, NY, who is a principal investigator on trials for such companies in the metabolic space as Eli Lilly, AbbVie and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Busch says his practice mines data from its EHR, calling patients who qualify for trials, as opposed to, say, study centers that advertise. "In the community setting," says Busch, "you use a central [investigational review board], so you can get studies off the ground quickly."
Once recruited, subjects are often eager to participate again, especially in trials designed to test a drug vs. an active placebo, where their medications are paid for. Says Busch, "These patients get very good care in their clinical trials, so they are requesting, 'Do you have any other trials that I can be in after the study?'" —Deborah Weinstein, with additional reporting by Noah Pines


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Swarovski offers a full statutory warranty covering manufacturing and material defects for genuine branded Swarovski products purchased from Swarovski own stores (including Online) or authorized Swarovski retailers. The warranty policy can be found under Customer Service at www.swarovski.com at any time. The terms of the warranty may vary between markets and regions. The warranty only covers damage that in the opinion of Swarovski or an authorized Swarovski retailer is not caused by accident or inappropriate use, ordinary wear and tear, modification, attempted repair, negligence or by failure to follow Swarovski's special product Care Advice. The Care Advice can be found under Customer Service at www.swarovski.com at any time.
Every item found to be defective under this warranty may be, at the discretion of Swarovski or an authorized Swarovski retailer:
1. replaced by an identical piece, if available:
2. substituted with a piece of comparable value; or
3. repaired depending on the degree of damage to the warranted product as well as on the feasibility and the availability of replacement parts.
The damaged product should be given to the closest Swarovski Shop or an authorized Swarovski retailer that will send it to the local Swarovski sales company. If products are sent by mail, they should be insured and sent by certified or registered mail, as Swarovski cannot be held liable for damage, loss, or theft incurred during transport.
This warranty service is provided free of charge. Please retain the purchase or delivery receipt, the gift receipt or the certificate of authenticity in case you have a warranty claim. The receipt or the certificate serves as proof of purchase and authenticity for products purchased and as evidence of entitlement to this warranty.
These warranty conditions apply if there are no specific warranty conditions granted for specific products. Swarovski reserves the right to amend or adapt these warranty conditions with implications for the future at its discretion at any time.
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Swarovski warrants that Swarovski branded products purchased from an authorized Swarovski retailer, including online at www.swarovski.com, are of merchantable quality and free from material or workmanship defects, provided they are subject to normal use. Swarovski will repair or may replace, in accordance with the provisions of this warranty policy, any Swarovski branded product during the duration of the warranty, explained in Question 4 below, if it is determined that the product has a material or manufacturer defect.
2. What is not covered under the warranty?
This warranty does not cover damage to Swarovski branded products caused by accident, misuse and abuse, modification, attempted repair, negligence after purchase, ordinary wear and tear, and/or failure to follow the product's Care Advice. Care Advice can be found in the Customer Service section at www.swarovski.com.
This warranty extends to the original purchaser of the Swarovski branded product and to subsequent owners of the product during the duration of the warranty. The purchase or delivery receipt, gift receipt, certificate of authenticity from Swarovski or an authorized Swarovski retailer serve as proof of purchase of the product; all owners of the product should retain the receipt or the certificate of authenticity in case they have a claim under this warranty.
For Swarovski in the US and the Swarovski Online Shop in the US, we offer a one year warranty for Jewelry and Accessories and a two year warranty for all other products. For Jewelry and Accessory items purchased prior to September 30, 2015 the previous 2 year warranty will be honored with the original receipt. Any warranty implied by state law on this product is also limited in duration to the length of this warranty. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, so the above limitation on implied warranties may not apply to you.
You may initiate a claim under this warranty by:
(1) Contacting Swarovski's customer relations department at 1-800-426-3088 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. After contacting customer relations you will receive a Return Authorization Form together with instructions to return your product in its original packaging, within 60 days, along with your receipt or certificate, to Swarovski's repair department. You will be responsible for shipping the product and any expenses related to shipping. We recommend shipping the product by certified or registered mail and insuring the product for its retail value. Swarovski is not responsible for loss, damage, or theft of the product during transit.
(2) Visiting Swarovski or an authorized Swarovski retailer. Bring your defective product, in its original packaging along with the receipt, to your nearest Swarovski store or authorized Swarovski retailer. For locations of an authorized Swarovski retailer please visit our Boutique Finder at www.swarovski.com
Eligibility of this warranty is determined upon receipt and inspection of the product. If it is determined that there is a material or manufacturing defect, the repair specialist will establish the options for replacement, substitution or repair, based on (1) the availability of replacement parts/product, and (2) the feasibility of repair. If it is determined that the damage is not a material or manufacturer defect, the After Sales Repair Policy would be in effect, thus allowing you the option of having Swarovski repair your piece at a cost to you. Please consult the After Sales Repair Policy for further action in the Customer Service section at www.swarovski.com.
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This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Missouri lawmakers plan to focus on teacher tenure this week.
The Legislature's Joint Committee on Education has scheduled a hearing on the issue Tuesday at the Capitol.
Missouri teachers generally receive tenure after working in a district for five years. But lawmakers have been debating revisions in the system for the past several years.
Critics contend that the process of firing teachers in Missouri is too expensive and too cumbersome. Supporters of tenure argue it allows teachers to become advocates for their students. They say significant changes could prompt good teachers to leave Missouri.


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Linda Jane Moore
Services for Linda Jane Moore, of Borger, will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 30, 2014, at Bunavista Baptist Church in Borger (Bunavista), TX, under direction of Minton-Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger and Rev. James Greer, with special music by Andy Dietz. Pallbearers will be the deacons of Bunavista Baptist Church Burial will take place prior to the funeral services in a private family graveside service at Westlawn Memorial Park. She laid in state 5-8 p.m. Saturday evening and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The family received friends at 111 Lakeview in Borger.
Linda's soul went home to rejoice with her Lord and Savior on the afternoon of Friday, June 27, in that place that he began preparing for her the moment she accepted Him as her personal savior decades ago. She was born on July 6, 1947, in Childress, Texas, and is preceded in passing by an infant son; her mother, Dorothy Louise Rule Snider; her father, Linus Ben Snider; her father-in-law, Jewel Raymond Moore; and mother-in-law, Carmon Duren Moore.
Linda grew up in Memphis, TX, the daughter of a high plains farmer and graduated from Memphis High School in May 1965. She met the love of her life and married her husband, Conny Mac Moore, in January 1965 and was happily married to him for over 49 years. Conny and Linda moved to Borger soon after Conny graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State in 1969. Linda lived a life full of joy as was evidenced by all those in the local and church communities that she impacted. Her daily approach to life was a testament to the strength and resilient spirit that only her Lord Jesus Christ could provide her. This was Linda's lifelong testimony – that even in the absence of herself or someone to speak for her, that her words, actions, and attitude might be a daily and constant testimony to the personal spiritual relationship that she had with her Lord and Savior by modeling His calling in her life.
Linda will be missed by all that knew her, but all that know the Lord may rest assured that we will be reunited in glory once again.
Linda is survived by her husband, Conny Moore of Borger; her son, Stephen Moore with wife, Jana Moore, of Denton, TX; her daughter, Sarah Moore with wife, Pema Lin, of San Francisco, CA; as well as her four grandchildren: Mackenzie Moore, Simeon Moore, Logan Guadin and Charis Moore, all of Denton, TX.
Linda is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Tom Dewey of Childress, TX; her brother and sister-in-law, L.B. and Peggy Snider of Amarillo, TX; and her brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Pat Snider of Memphis, TX.
Memorials can be given to the Bunavista Baptist Church or to Gideons International.


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The Law Firm of Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Announces Investigation into Possible Breaches of Fiduciary Duty by the Board of BioClinica, Inc. in Connection with the Sale of the Company to JLL Partners, Inc.
Feb 01, 2013, 03:43 EST
NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky is investigating the Board of Directors of BioClinica, Inc. ("BioClinica" or the "Company") (NasdaqGM: BIOC) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of state law in connection with the sale of the Company to a holding company controlled by JLL Partners, Inc.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120409/MM84375LOGO )
Click here to learn how to join the action: http://zlk.9nl.com/bioclinica-bioc/, or call: 877-363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you.
Under the terms of the transaction, BioClinica shareholders will receive $7.25 for each share of BioClinica stock they own. The investigation concerns whether the BioClinica Board of Directors breached their fiduciary duties to BioClinica stockholders by failing to adequately shop the Company before entering into this transaction and whether JLL Partners, Inc. is underpaying for BioClinica shares, thus unlawfully harming BioClinica stockholders. In particular, at least one analyst set a price target for BioClinica stock at $9.00 per share.
If you own common stock in BioClinica and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972, http://zlk.9nl.com/bioclinica-bioc/.
Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. The firm has extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. The attorneys at Levi & Korsinsky have been appointed by numerous courts throughout the country to serve as lead counsel on behalf of shareholders in major securities lawsuits and have successfully recovered multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of investors. For more information, please feel free to contact any of the attorneys listed below. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Joseph Levi, Esq.
Eduard Korsinsky, Esq.
30 Broad Street - 24th Floor
New York, NY 10004
Tel: (212) 363-7500
Toll Free: (877) 363-5972
Fax: (866) 367-6510
SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP


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Justin Timberlake has shared his top tips for entertaining and given advice on how to throw the perfect party.
The SexyBack star enjoys organising events at his home, from barbecues to murder mystery dinner parties, and he reveals the secret to being a good host is to make sure all your guests have enough to eat and drink.
He tells Bonappetit.com, "The key to good hosting is to make sure everyone has enough to eat - and booze on. In my house, we tend to host Sunday barbecues... If you're hosting people, you want them to feel like they're in their own home. I don't like things to be too formal. I've hosted Halloween murder mystery dinners where people had to search through the house for clues.
"We did one that was Prohibition era-themed. The girls showed up as flappers and the guys showed up in waistcoats and pinstripes. At some point, people will drink enough to be hungry, so you need enough food. I've hosted parties where I'll have an In-and-Out (burger chain) truck show up later on in the evening. You know everyone will be hungry again."


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Bella By Alethea Medspa 6 ReviewsBella is the best!
I've been going to Bella for years for the pixel laser treatments. Love the results and my glowing complexion! Alethea and staff are delightful. I wouldn't go anywhere else.
Athletic Fitness Equipment Repair 2 ReviewsProblem free work
I needed to have my weight system moved to another town. I am very happy with the effort and quality of service. Would definitely use them again should the need arise. They are very interested in delivering quality service in a timely fashion.
Premier Fitness Source 3 Reviewsreally great store experience
Can't say enough good things about the experience at this place. You can try anything out before you make a decision which is important. Easy to do business with.
Elite Edge Training Center 10 ReviewsBest Training Gym in Atlanta!
Elite Edge is the best place to get into shape in Atlanta! The trainers are knowledgeable and by far the best I have ever worked with. They are professional and friendly and have the experience to work around any injuries to ensure you can get a great work out and not hurt yourself if you have specific issues. The classes are intense and fun and you will not find these types of workouts anywhere else! The environment is friendly so even if you are just starting out you will not feel out of place. Everyone goes at their own pace with the same goal of getting fit and looking and feeling better. If you always steer away from traditional gyms then this is the place for you!
BodyPlex 8 ReviewsExcellent Service During an After Membership
I thoroughly enjoyed BodyPlex Buford for several years. I paid a very fair price and got excellent results from their trainers. When I left the gym, the owner George Niblack was very helpful in negotiating my exit with the billing company. I highly recommend George and his gym.


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Wednesday calendar
Findlay Senior Center, 339 E. Melrose Ave.; fitness center open, 5 a.m.-9 p.m.; billiards, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; SilverSneakers Splash, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Birchaven; low-impact cardio toning class, 9-9:40 a.m.; conversation and needlecraft, 9-11 a.m.; SilverSneakers, 10-10:50 a.m.; water exercise class/open swim, 10-11 a.m., Birchaven; Delay the Disease/Parkinson's, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.; lunch, pork loin with dijon-apple relish, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; SilverSneakers circuit, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; cards, 1:30-4 p.m.; Millstream Band practice, 1:30-2:30 p.m.; open Wii bowling, 1:30-3:30 p.m.; outdoor pickleball, 6-8 p.m.
Alcoholics Anonymous, closed discussion, 6:30 a.m., Pioneer Club; Fresh Start, book study, 10 a.m., Seventh-Day Adventist Church; closed discussion, noon, Pioneer Club; closed discussion, 5:30 p.m., Seventh-Day Adventist Church; open discussion, 7 p.m., St. Wendelin Catholic Church, Fostoria; closed discussion, 7 p.m., Catalyst Community Church; open discussion, 7 p.m., Dry Haven, Fostoria; closed book, 8 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church annex.
Flag City Morning Rotary, meeting, 7:30 a.m., Findlay Country Club.
Al-Anon, meeting, 10 a.m., First Presbyterian Church, room 206, 2330 S. Main St.
Whirlpool Retirees, dinner, 11:30 a.m., Luke's, Bluffton.
Kiwanis Club of Findlay, meeting, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., the Dock at St. Marks United Methodist Church, 800 S. Main St.
Daughters of Union Veterans 1861-1865, Marietta Mungen Tent 152, meeting, 1:30 p.m., Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, Blanchard Room.
UAW Local 1033 Retirees, monthly meeting, 5 p.m., the Blue Room, Kirby.
To submit a Calendar notice, call 419-427-8444 and leave a message. Messages must be recorded by noon the day before the event, and by noon on Friday for a weekend or Monday event. Only Calendar items can be accepted at this number.


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A little bit late to the party, Skype has finally added video calling support to its Android app. The company released version 2.0 of Skype to the Android Market this morning, featuring a brand new interface and SMS messaging support as well.
Now for the bad news. Skype's video calling feature will only work on the following phones:
- Google Nexus S
- HTC's Desire S
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
To be able to use video calling, you'll need an Android device with "Android Version 2.3 and above with a front-facing camera." If your phone doesn't meet these requirements, hang in there. Skype plans to add support for more phones in the near future.
It wasn't long ago that Skype was the de facto video chatting application. Their desktop application was pretty good most the time, and their cheap calling plans didn't hurt either. Today, Skype seems to be having a hard time bringing that success to other platforms. One of those platforms is the web, where many companies are already building high-quality, multi-person video calling web apps. But Skype doesn't even have a web app yet.
The other platform where Skype has missed the boat is mobile. We're glad Skype is finally bringing video calling to Android, but the Android Market is already packed with video calling apps. Sometimes these are even better than Skype's offering. Tango, for example, doesn't require you to have Gingerbread or even a front-facing camera. Or fring, which lets you video chat with up to three people. In the two most important battlefields of the future, Skype is not even ready to fight yet.
But I could be wrong. How many of you still use Skype on your desktop PCs and phones on a regular basis? Prove me wrong in the comments.
LUXEMBOURG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Skype today announced an updated version of its Skype for Android app — Skype for Android 2.0, bringing Skype Video Calling to the currently fastest growing mobile OS1.
"We are committed to bring Skype Video Calling to as many platforms as possible and are delighted to deliver on this with our new updated Skype for Android app"
With the new version, users will be able to make and receive free2 1-to-1 video calls over Skype between their Android phone and other Skype contacts on the iPhone, Mac, Windows PCs and even TVs3. Skype for Android with video works over Wi-Fi or 3G data connections and can be downloaded for free from the Android Market or Skype.com/m using any phone browser.
"We are committed to bring Skype Video Calling to as many platforms as possible and are delighted to deliver on this with our new updated Skype for Android app," said Neil Stevens, Skype's vice president and general manager for product and marketing. "With approximately 30 million concurrent users logging into Skype at any given time4 and making up to half a million simultaneous video calls5, Skype for Android with video makes it even easier for users to share moments with their contacts wherever they are."
In addition to video calls, users can also make calls to landlines and mobiles around the world, as well as send SMS's to friends and family anywhere in the world at great Skype rates. All this comes with a complete redesign of the Skype for Android user interface. There's a new main menu on the Skype app for Android where users can navigate easily through their contacts, access their Skype profile to change personal details or see the balance of their Skype Credit. Finally a new mood message box at the top of the Skype app menu makes it easier than ever for users to share how they are feeling, what they've seen, or what they're up to.
For this first phase of launch, handsets that support video calling include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.


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Knight's tour
A knight's tour is a sequence of moves of a knight on a chessboard such that the knight visits every square only once. If the knight ends on a square that is one knight's move from the beginning square (so that it could tour the board again immediately, following the same path), the tour is closed, otherwise it is open.
The knight's tour problem is the mathematical problem of finding a knight's tour. Creating a program to find a knight's tour is a common problem given to computer science students.[1] Variations of the knight's tour problem involve chessboards of different sizes than the usual 8 × 8, as well as irregular (non-rectangular) boards.
The knight's tour problem is an instance of the more general Hamiltonian path problem in graph theory. The problem of finding a closed knight's tour is similarly an instance of the Hamiltonian cycle problem. Unlike the general Hamiltonian path problem, the knight's tour problem can be solved in linear time.[2]
The earliest known reference to the knight's tour problem dates back to the 9th century AD. In Rudraṭa's Kavyalankara[3] (5.15), a Sanskrit work on Poetics, the pattern of a knight's tour on a half-board has been presented as an elaborate poetic figure (citra-alaṅkāra) called the turagapadabandha or 'arrangement in the steps of a horse'. The same verse in four lines of eight syllables each can be read from left to right or by following the path of the knight on tour. Since the Indic writing systems used for Sanskrit are syllabic, each syllable can be thought of as representing a square on a chess board. Rudrata's example is as follows:
For example, the first line can be read from left to right or by moving from the first square to second line, third syllable (2.3) and then to 1.5 to 2.7 to 4.8 to 3.6 to 4.4 to 3.2.
One of the first mathematicians to investigate the knight's tour was Leonhard Euler. The first procedure for completing the Knight's Tour was Warnsdorf's rule, first described in 1823 by H. C. von Warnsdorf.
In the 20th century, the Oulipo group of writers used it among many others. The most notable example is the 10 × 10 Knight's Tour which sets the order of the chapters in Georges Perec's novel Life a User's Manual.
The sixth game of the 2010 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov saw Anand making 13 consecutive knight moves (albeit using both knights); online commentors jested that Anand was trying to solve the Knight's Tour problem during the game.
Schwenk[4] proved that for any m × n board with m ≤ n, a closed knight's tour is always possible unless one or more of these three conditions are met:
- m and n are both odd
- m = 1, 2, or 4
- m = 3 and n = 4, 6, or 8.
Cull et al. and Conrad et al. proved that on any rectangular board whose smaller dimension is at least 5, there is a (possibly open) knight's tour.[2][5]
Number of tours[edit]
On an 8 × 8 board, there are exactly 26,534,728,821,064 directed closed tours (i.e. two tours along the same path that travel in opposite directions are counted separately, as are rotations and reflections).[6][7][8] The number of undirected closed tours is half this number, since every tour can be traced in reverse. There are 9,862 undirected closed tours on a 6 × 6 board.[9]
The number of all directed tours (open and closed) on an n × n board for n = 1, 2, … are:
- 1; 0; 0; 0; 1,728; 6,637,920; 165,575,218,320; 19,591,828,170,979,904. (sequence A165134 in the OEIS).
Finding tours with computers[edit]
There are quite a number of ways to find a knight's tour on a given board with a computer. Some of these methods are algorithms while others are heuristics.
Brute-force algorithms[edit]
A brute-force search for a knight's tour is impractical on all but the smallest boards;[10] for example, on an 8 × 8 board there are approximately 4×1051 possible move sequences,[11] and it is well beyond the capacity of modern computers (or networks of computers) to perform operations on such a large set. However, the size of this number gives a misleading impression of the difficulty of the problem, which can be solved "by using human insight and ingenuity ... without much difficulty."[10]
Divide and conquer algorithms[edit]
By dividing the board into smaller pieces, constructing tours on each piece, and patching the pieces together, one can construct tours on most rectangular boards in linear time - that is, in a time proportional to the number of squares on the board. [5][12]
Neural network solutions[edit]
The Knight's Tour problem also lends itself to being solved by a neural network implementation.[13] The network is set up such that every legal knight's move is represented by a neuron, and each neuron is initialized randomly to be either "active" or "inactive" (output of 1 or 0), with 1 implying that the neuron is part of the final solution. Each neuron also has a state function (described below) which is initialized to 0.
When the network is allowed to run, each neuron can change its state and output based on the states and outputs of its neighbors (those exactly one knight's move away) according to the following transition rules:
where represents discrete intervals of time, is the state of the neuron connecting square to square , is the output of the neuron from to , and is the set of neighbors of the neuron.
Although divergent cases are possible, the network should eventually converge, which occurs when no neuron changes its state from time to . When the network converges, either the network encodes a knight's tour or a series of two or more independent circuits within the same board.
Warnsdorf's rule[edit]
Warnsdorf's rule is a heuristic for finding a knight's tour. The knight is moved so that it always proceeds to the square from which the knight will have the fewest onward moves. When calculating the number of onward moves for each candidate square, we do not count moves that revisit any square already visited. It is, of course, possible to have two or more choices for which the number of onward moves is equal; there are various methods for breaking such ties, including one devised by Pohl[14] and another by Squirrel and Cull.[15]
This rule may also more generally be applied to any graph. In graph-theoretic terms, each move is made to the adjacent vertex with the least degree. Although the Hamiltonian path problem is NP-hard in general, on many graphs that occur in practice this heuristic is able to successfully locate a solution in linear time.[14] The knight's tour is a special case.[16]
The heuristic was first described in "Des Rösselsprungs einfachste und allgemeinste Lösung" by H. C. von Warnsdorf in 1823.[16] A computer program that finds a knight's tour for any starting position using Warnsdorf's rule was written by Gordon Horsington and published in 1984 in the book Century/Acorn User Book of Computer Puzzles.[17]
See also[edit]
- Abu-Bakr Muhammad ben Yahya as-Suli
- George Koltanowski
- Longest uncrossed knight's path
- Eight queens puzzle
- ^ Deitel, H. M.; Deitel, P. J. (2003). Java How To Program Fifth Edition (5th ed.). Prentice Hall. pp. 326–328. ISBN 978-0131016217.
- ^ a b Conrad, A.; Hindrichs, T.; Morsy, H. & Wegener, I. (1994). "Solution of the Knight's Hamiltonian Path Problem on Chessboards". Discrete Applied Mathematics. 50 (2): 125–134. doi:10.1016/0166-218X(92)00170-Q.
- ^ Satyadev, Chaudhary. Kavyalankara of Rudrata (Sanskrit text, with Hindi translation);. Delhitraversal: Parimal Sanskrit Series No. 30.
- ^ Allen J. Schwenk (1991). "Which Rectangular Chessboards Have a Knight's Tour?". Mathematics Magazine: 325–332.
- ^ a b Cull, P.; De Curtins, J. (1978). "Knight's Tour Revisited" (PDF). Fibonacci Quarterly. 16: 276–285.
- ^ Martin Loebbing; Ingo Wegener (1996). "The Number of Knight's Tours Equals 33,439,123,484,294 — Counting with Binary Decision Diagrams". The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics. 3 (1): R5. Remark: The authors later admitted that the announced number is incorrect. According to McKay's report, the correct number is 13,267,364,410,532 and this number is repeated in Wegener's 2000 book.
- ^ Brendan McKay (1997). "Knight's Tours on an 8 × 8 Chessboard". Technical Report TR-CS-97-03. Department of Computer Science, Australian National University.
- ^ Wegener, I. (2000). Branching Programs and Binary Decision Diagrams. Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics. ISBN 0-89871-458-3.
- ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Knight's Tour". MathWorld.
- ^ a b Simon, Dan (2013), Evolutionary Optimization Algorithms, John Wiley & Sons, pp. 449–450, ISBN 9781118659502,
The knight's tour problem is a classic combinatorial optimization problem. ... The cardinality Nx of x (the size of the search space) is over 3.3×1013 (Löbbing and Wegener, 1995). We would not want to try to solve this problem using brute force, but by using human insight and ingenuity we can solve the knight's tour without much difficulty. We see that the cardinality of a combinatorial optimization problem is not necessarily indicative of its difficulty.
- ^ "Enumerating the Knight's Tour".
- ^ Parberry, Ian (1997). "An Efficient Algorithm for the Knight's Tour Problem" (PDF). Discrete Applied Mathematics. 73: 251–260. doi:10.1016/S0166-218X(96)00010-8.
- ^ Y. Takefuji, K. C. Lee. "Neural network computing for knight's tour problems." Neurocomputing, 4(5):249–254, 1992.
- ^ a b Pohl, Ira (July 1967). "A method for finding Hamilton paths and Knight's tours". Communications of the ACM. 10 (7): 446–449. doi:10.1145/363427.363463.
- ^ Squirrel, Douglas; Cull, P. (1996). "A Warnsdorff-Rule Algorithm for Knight's Tours on Square Boards" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- ^ a b Alwan, Karla; Waters, K. (1992). Finding Re-entrant Knight's Tours on N-by-M Boards (PDF). ACM Southeast Regional Conference. New York, New York: ACM. pp. 377–382. doi:10.1145/503720.503806. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ Dally, Simon (ed.). Century/Acorn User Book of Computer Puzzles. ISBN 071260541X.
External links[edit]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Knight's Tours.


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With more than 1,500 contributors, the High Line Flickr Pool gathers some of the best photographs of the park. The images are displayed in a rotating gallery on our Web site, giving High Line fans from afar, and those New Yorkers stuck in the office a great way to keep track of park life.
This year we are expanding our merchandise program, and among the new offerings will be frame-worthy prints of the High Line. When looking for photographs to be featured as prints, of course we knew where to go.
We've selected five of our favorite horticulture images from the Flickr Pool, and we need your help picking one of them to reproduce as a High Line Print.
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Then, with permission from the photographer, the winning image will be offered as a print from the High Line Web Shop and on the High Line at our Merch Cart.
All purchases will support the ongoing maintenance and operations of the High Line.


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Cat steals food from confused baby... LOL!
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There's now a book written just for cats by a cat...
She asked which cat had been in the shelter the longest, brings home deaf toothless senior love bug
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Trainer suggested a spray bottle to get her cat off the table... cat hilariously defiant
Cat has huge sneeze and it's adorable
Lions fatally maul poachers who broke into reserve to hunt rhinos
Cat who saved owner's life by keeping her awake when she suffered a blood clot is given award


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By Patrick WaurzyniakSenior Editor
With today's complex multitasking machine tools, simulations of manufacturing processes are becoming much more pervasive, both in metalcutting operations simulated with the latest NC simulation and verification packages and at a more macro level through highly realistic 3-D plant-floor visualization systems.
The latest simulation software tools offer much more automation of tasks, easing the demands of programming the complex multitasking/multifunction machines that have become more popular as those systems' prices have fallen. In addition, developers of enterprise-wide PLM systems have beefed up the collaborative capabilities of their simulation systems, enabling engineers to stretch the global reach of 3-D simulations in assembly planning and validation, 3-D mockup, virtual commissioning, and other advanced simulation functions.
Getting precise simulations of NC metalcutting operations are a must with many aerospace/defense applications where a mistake can cost manufacturers dearly when cutting expensive titanium or other exotic alloys. Likewise, many of the components in medical manufacturing operations consist of the most expensive metals, including titanium and cobalt chrome molybdenum, necessitating simulating, verifying, and optimizing NC cutting operations often performed on the most complex new mill-turn and multiaxis/five-axis machining centers.
"The general trend in industry is more automation of more tasks, which in turn creates more complex automation processes," notes Bill Hasenjaeger, product manager, CGTech Corp. (Irvine, CA), developer of the Vericut NC simulation, verification and optimization software. "This consequently requires us to enhance Vericut to simulate these more complex processes. Multifunction machines, such as complex mill-turns, are a good example of this increasing process complexity. Throw in automated part transfer and workholding, flash tools, head-changers, facing heads, and you start to see the complexity of modern CNC machining."
Multifunction machine tools perform both milling and turning operations, he notes, allowing the tool to either spin in milling or instead the tool can be stationary and index each insert into position, acting as a turning tool. "We have to support that. With machine tool headchangers, you've got a machine that actually changes the head. On a robot, it would be called changing the end-effector, but on a CNC machine it would be changing the head that holds the cutting tool," Hasenjaeger says. "Or you've got a milling machine that can mount a facing head on it automatically and it turns the machine from a milling operation into turning operations. So you start ganging all these things on one machine, it becomes a pretty complex multi-step process that the NC program's controlling, and we increasingly have to simulate that complicated process."
Simulations often are complicated not only by the part shape but also the multiple processes required to product a part, he adds. "The fundamental part shape can be relatively simple, but the processes to produce it can be quite complicated. How critical the process is, is somewhat related to either the schedule on the part, the cost of the materials, or the cost of the in-process part," Hasenjaeger points out. "It's also the risk of failure. If the risk of failure is high, the cost of failure is high, and then simulation is increasingly more critical."
Being capable of simulating the actual G-code of machine tools is essential to success in metalcutting simulations, according to many observers. The most advanced NC simulation software packages offer simulation of machine-tool G and M-codes instead of just checking CAD/CAM output.
"When simulating the actual NC code, it is necessary to emulate the CNC and how the CNC is connected to the machine tool," says Hasenjaeger. "This emulation feature, which in Vericut is called Vericut Machine Configuration [VMC], is critical to the entire simulation. The emulation must be extremely flexible to be able to configure it to match the CNC machine's exact behavior. This is very important because modern CNC controls are customized by each machine builder. A Siemens 840D control connected to a DST five-axis machine can look and behave differently than the same CNC connected to a Matsuura five-axis machine."
Simulating from something other than the actual CNC program that will go to the workshop, say APT CL or some internal intermediate toolpath format, is simply not enough, Hasenjaeger adds, as too many things change when a CAM system's internal path is postprocessed to create the NC program.
With the latest Vericut version 7.2, users also can integrate the package directly into the manufacturing process. A recent new feature, NC Program Review, allows users to review previously processed and saved simulations, step forward and backwards in the NC program at a highly detailed level, and determine the exact cause of NC program problems.
"Many people don't realize Vericut contains automation tools that allow our customers to automate its simulation and build it into their manufacturing engineering systems," Hasenjaeger explains. "Some of our end users run Vericut as a 'black-box' inspection tool—they don't use it interactively, but instead automatically submit NC programs to Vericut, and then view the simulation results as a kind of 'go/no-go' test." If an error is detected, the operator can then use Vericut interactively, he adds, to evaluate the problem and apply corrective measures as needed.
A newcomer to the US market, French software developer Spring Technologies Inc. (Cambridge, MA, and Paris) started offering its suite of simulation software recently to customers in North America. The 28-year-old company's NCSIMUL Solutions suite of tools consists of NCSIMUL simulation, a complete G-code verification solution that offers toolpath preview with precise cycle time calculation; the Optitool utility for optimizing cutting conditions; and NCDOC, a module to standardize shop-floor documentation.
With its NCSIMUL suite, Spring Technologies has a large installed base in Europe with deployments at manufacturers including aerospace giant Airbus, Safran, Eurocopter, and automotive transmission builder ZF Group. The company established resellers in Canada in 2005 and in 2008 in the US before formally creating its US subsidiary in Cambridge in 2010, notes Silvere Proisy, Spring Technologies Inc. general manager. The developer last year tripled its number of US customers, Proisy says.
"A couple of important components of the product that jump out are the type of graphics that we display—we really dig into the detail to see specifically what your machine is doing," notes Brian Basiliere, Spring Technologies account manager, in describing NCSIMUL Version 8.9. "The second that would be paramount is our Toolpath Preview, which is based on the kinematics of the machine tool and can show the actual acceleration and deceleration of the machine. It's literally a virtual representation of the machine tool."
In addition, Spring is launching a new tool-referencing feature, extending the solution to a 3-D cutting tool library for the CAM simulation linked to real tools and accessories management in the workshop, Proisy adds.
For less complicated two to four-axis parts, simulation is not as critical as it is with more complex parts on five-axis or mill-turn machines, Basiliere notes. "If you do two or three-axis machining, the CAM system's simulation may be enough even though the toolpath has to go through the postprocessor." With four-axis contouring, simulation becomes critical, Proisy adds of machining mission-critical parts like aerospace impellers or fuel rods for nuclear plants.
"With many parts that cost a lot of money to produce, such as a piece of titanium, making a mistake will cost far more than our software," Basiliere states. "If you have a simulation tool, you can machine the part accurately the first time."
The medical device industry also has shown a lot of interest in simulation systems for parts such as bone screws, he adds, where the size and tolerances have to be exacting. Manufacturers cutting parts for the micromachining and nanomachining markets are turning to simulation packages to ensure getting quality results the first time, adding that "simulation at that level is no problem for our software."
Ease of use is another key area, states Proisy, noting that training for NCSIMUL requires only two days for new users. "One thing where we address that is machine tool builders' macros, and second is the ease of use, a single process," Proisy says. "We have a limited number of icons, every icon with a specific purpose."
For complex turn-mill operations, Methods Machine Tools Inc. (Sudbury, MA) turned to software developer CAMplete Solutions Inc. (Kitchener, ON, Canada) to construct CAMplete TruePath Turn/Mill, a package that Methods currently exclusively sells for Nakamura-Tome multitasking machines sold in the US and Mexico.
The development agreement between Methods and CAMplete evolved over the last few years after Methods had used CAMplete's TruePath CAM software on its machines, recalls Rich Parenteau, Methods Machine Tools director of application engineering. "They started in the five-axis field, with flow checking for the stock car and Formula One racers, trying to do a flow check on a motor, then machining that exact flow check to get the desired result, which is very difficult with five-axis," Parenteau says.
"When you're dealing with multitasking, whether it's two, three or four turrets or B-axis, the multitasking scenario of turn-mill gives you at least two things going on at once," Parenteau says. "You have to determine, from a safety perspective, what you can do and when something has to wait—that's why they call it a wait code—something has to wait for something to be completed before you can continue. The wait codes in the programming of the machines are duplicated in the software so you can see that happening and determine that time phase much more accurately to take advantage of reducing that wait time to a minimum."
The CAMplete Turn/Mill package simulates the exact G-code off the postprocessor as Nakamura designed the machine to do, Parenteau notes. "We also have the exact acc and dec [acceleration/deceleration] of the axes in the software, so when you check it in the machine, you will get consistent results at 25% or 100%," Parenteau observes. "And that's crucial—in many software programs that don't have that acc and dec, you check it at 25% and it looks good. You go to 100% and you have a crash, because you're not accurate enough to simulate when it's at full acc and dec, and there's a slight difference in those positionings in full acc and dec speed."
The software also takes advantage of Nakamura multitasking machines to give the highest accuracy possible, he notes. Another major advantage is reduced setup times, he states, with CAMplete allowing machinists to do full setups off-line while the machine is cutting.
A provider of both NC-level simulation software and enterprise-wide PLM systems, Siemens PLM Software (Plano, TX) continually works to develop more synergy between its plant simulation and robotics visualizations, as well as enhance the NC simulation within its NX CAM software.
In its latest NX 8 CAM software, users can take advantage of enhanced levels of NC simulation and verification, notes Siemens PLM Software's Vynce Paradise. "We're always trying to produce better simulation drivers of G and M codes, with simulation of things like tool changes," Paradise says. "There is more programming in a 3-D model environment and we encourage users to bring in a 3-D machine tool model, where they're actually programming in the context of the machine."
Simulations in NX also allow viewing dynamic tool motion on the screen, where the programmer can grab a dynamic model of the machine tool and the head will articulate and move along with the key elements of the machine assembly, he notes. "That can be very interesting for programmers to see dynamically. We're also obviously looking for collisions, against the part and against the machine, and the program will indicate that within certain limits—it'll show you that machine limits are being exceeded, or that you can't get a tool to that position."
The Siemens software simulates off the G-code, he adds. "The accuracy depends on how good the driver software is. What the driver software is doing is taking the G-code and it's emulating, pretending to be the controller software. The analogy that I use here is that it's like a flight simulator," Paradise states. "The driver software is critical on how well you interpret and simulate the G and M code. That's all part of the driver system software. The ultimate of this is to take the software that's used within the real machine controller, as we do with the Siemens Virtual Numerical Control Kernel [VNCK]. We can embed that in NX CAM—it's the same as the core software on the Siemens Sinumerik machine controllers—and you've got a very complete simulation set."
With the latest enterprise PLM systems, engineers can much more easily collaborate, breaking down some of the traditional barriers between the design side and manufacturing engineering, notes Tom Hoffman, director of manufacturing engineering solutions, Siemens PLM Software. PLM has provided the mechanism for simulation software to evolve over recent years and cross previous barriers in manufacturing operations, from part manufacturing to assembly manufacturing, while ensuring that quality remains high across both domains, he says. Today's systems like Siemens' Teamcenter manufacturing process management coupled with the Tecnomatix suite of digital manufacturing and simulation applications and NX CAM software share data and promote collaboration from the start of a project.
"It allows for much more broader collaboration across the enterprise," Hoffman says. "The silos of information are being exposed and shared more than in the past." With systems like Tecnomatix 10, the simulation/digital manufacturing suite, the discrete plant model is being extended outside of the typical plant throughput analysis, he notes. "You can simulate anything—baggage handling, shipyards."
Lean efforts with value-stream mapping and line balancing can take advantage of increased collaborative capabilities of today's systems, he notes. "They're making this connection that brings the top floor of the central engineering function and the shop floor together. In the old days, engineering teams spent countless hours performing field checks working with plant engineers on the site. Today these changes can be documented with local staff and accessed at central engineering, providing access to these changes immediately and expediting the engineering decision process."
Additional capabilities include leveraging simulations in work instruction packages, using the PLM environment to perform dynamic document updates and enabling advanced viewing of 3-D within the documentation instead of static information.
"Simulation is the driver behind a lot of this," Hoffman states. "Over the years, we've kept adding tools to it—different anthropomorphic models and human analytics, and more capabilities in the robotic simulation environment. We're driving simulation in an event-based way that allows engineers the ability to perform logic-driven simulation incorporating devices such as a PLC. This integrated environment, a combination of hardware and virtual, drives the simulation through either the hardware or the virtual to validate the actual code used in the production. You can check and verify the programming, so the old days where you'd do your work in simulation and throw it over the wall to implementation teams is less of a problem and allows them to perform simple floor changes if necessary." ME
This article was first published in the April 2012 edition of Manufacturing Engineering magazine. Click here for PDF.


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Why Softbank Turned to France for an Emotional Robot
In Japan, robots play important roles in factories, at street festivals, in movies and comic books, and even in themed restaurants where humans impersonate machines instead of the reverse.
With robots all around, why did Softbank Corp., the Japanese telecommunications company, turn to a French startup to create a robot that Softbank hopes Japanese consumers will welcome into their homes? Softbank this week introduced the humanoid machine, called Pepper, at a news conference in Tokyo, billing it as the first robot that can sense people's feelings.
"For me, the robot is like Jiminy Cricket," said Bruno Maisonnier, chief executive of Paris-based Aldebaran Robotics, referring to Pinocchio's sidekick in the Disney film of that name. "The star is not the robot. The star is the person," he said in an interview Friday.
"Nobody in Japan is thinking like this," Mr. Maisonnier said. "There are all these left-brain robots."
Softbank chief executive Masayoshi Son put it similarly at the Thursday news conference, saying he had been moved as a young boy by the main character of the animated television show "Astro Boy," who was unable to feel emotions.
Mr. Maisonnier said Pepper — which sidles up to humans and tries to engage them in conversation –could play a variety of roles, from nurse to babysitter to portable entertainment provider. Had Pepper been available in 2003, when a heat wave killed thousands of elderly people in France, he said, the robot could have saved lives by reminding them to drink water or by calling ambulances when they collapsed.
Softbank plans to begin selling Pepper next year in Japan, which has a rapidly aging population, at a price of Y198,000 ($1,950).
A number of other Japanese companies, including NEC, Sony and Hitachi Ltd., have developed robots with humanoid features or functions, but so far none has caught on in a big way with consumers.
In 2005, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries introduced Wakamaru, which bears a resemblance to Pepper — both have human-like heads and arms, and move around on a broad base like that of a chess piece. But Wakamaru was discontinued after a few years.
In a speech in May at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described plans to modernize the Japanese economy by investing in robotics.
"We will create a new industrial revolution through the use of robots," he said. "I will swiftly formulate a master plan for this and incorporate it into my growth strategy."
During a visit to Japan in April, U.S. President Barack Obama exchanged soccer passes with Asimo, a robot developed by Honda Motor, declaring later that the experience was "a little scary."
"The first thing is, people have to like the robots," Mr. Maisonnier said. "I want my grandmother to love the robot in her home. She has to be able to control him, to interact."
Mr. Maisonnier said he became interested in robotics after reading science fiction novels, and learned about electronics from mail-order courses. He quit his career as a banker to found Aldebaran in 2005.
Mr. Son visited Aldebaran in 2011 after expressing an interest in buying a small stake in the company, Mr. Maisonnier said. The two hit it off, sharing a vision of emotional robots. Softbank acquired the company two years ago for about $100 million.
"He ended up staying eight hours," Mr. Maisonnier said. "At the end of the afternoon he made his decision."
That kind of impetuousness has been a hallmark of Mr. Son's career at Softbank, where he has assembled a vast collection of startups and other tech investments under the company's umbrella. Now investors are watching to see whether he will make an offer for T-Mobile US., the fourth-largest U.S. mobile phone network, which he wants to combine with Sprint, the third-largest, which Softbank already controls.
Neither Mr. Son nor Mr. Maisonnier shed any light on when such a bid might come, but Mr. Maisonnier said the Softbank boss hasn't lost his stomach for bold moves.
"If you do reasonable things, you can only make small steps," Mr. Maisonnier said. "If you go beyond reasonable, you can do big things. It's my way of thinking and it's his way of thinking."


text:
Boris the cat, is a person who will go way out of their way to help you, they will do anything they possibly can to make you feel better about your self, or your situation. This perticular person was braught up to be your guidenece, and to help you through anything you need help with. This is a one a in a million person, who always looks on the bright side, always walks around with a smile, always makes a joke out of everything, and trys to laugh it off. This is the person you will love, and you know that they will not judge you, no matter what you've done for what reason, they will always be there for you, no matter what. If you do get close enough to that person, as a friend, they will even get them selves into fights just to protect you, just to be that friend, that missing link, that older brother, that guaridan angle you've always wanted as a child. That best friend. This person will never leave you. They will listen, they will understand, they will talk you through your problems, they wont say anything if you don't want, or they will try give you adcive and help you through it. If you ever meet a person as great as this, never let them go.
You happen to be going through trouble at home, and at school. You feel there is no where you can go to for advice, or a shoulder to lean or cry on, then you remember that one special person that you can turn to, no matter what time of night or day, no matter how big or small your "problem" is, or even if you just want a chit chat because you're feeling down, this person will know, and will be there. Boris the cat will be the best thing that will come into your life, a person that you will never forget.
by boristhecat January 17, 2008
buy the domain for your recipe vlog


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Giveaways and contests can be worth your time
When Erin Thompson was pregnant with her daughter Lillian, the North Tonawanda mom got everything she needed – and then some – by entering online contests.
She won a stroller, a bassinet, a swing, a high chair, a very expensive breast pump, two toddler walkers and a hospital bag filled with supplies.
She has also won three Kindle e-readers, hundreds of dollars in gift cards, a meet and greet with celebrity chef Paula Deen, a CrockPot, DVDs, toys, shoes, dozens of books and a 2-foot-tall chocolate Easter bunny.
Her luck was so incredible, people started joking that she had a horseshoe in her belly instead of a baby.
Donald Weis of East Aurora won a Corvette in Tops Friendly Markets' Monopoly sweepstakes by collecting game pieces he received at the checkout. He opted to take the cash prize and pocketed $50,000 ($12,500 of which went toward federal taxes).
Christine Musielak of North Tonawanda has won a slew of exotic trips and vacations. Most recently, she won a trip to the Kentucky Derby.
Whenever you're invited to "Roll up the rim to win" or urged to "Tell us how we're doing and be entered to win $10,000!" on the bottom of a takeout receipt, your first thought might be, "Does anybody ever really win these things?"
Thompson, Weis, Musielak and many others are proof that the answer is yes.
"A lot of people said to me, 'Wow, you never see anyone you know win,' " said Weis. "People said, 'You know, I didn't even bother [with the contest].' "
In fact, 71 of the 200 winning ticket holders for Tops' recent Golden Anniversary sweepstakes threw away their winning tickets – forfeiting their guaranteed consolation prizes and their shot toward unlocking a vault filled with $250,000.
No one is saying you should quit your day job to make a living entering contests. But for those Western New Yorkers who love to try their luck, we've got some advice on how to maximize your chances of winning.
• Divide and conquer. Use websites that compile and vet contests for you. Websites such as Sweeps- advantage.com and SweetiesSweeps.com do a lot of the work that will help you narrow down which contests are worth entering and which ones may not be worth your time.
The sites weed out contests that are scams, then organize them by category: where they're being held (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, a blog or manufacturer's website), prize (money, trips, merchandise), how many times you can enter (once, daily, monthly), how to enter (online, by mail, with a photo, essay or by garnering votes) and tips to increase your chances of winning, such as what times of day are best to enter.
• Look for quick deadlines. Contests that run for a year will garner more entries than contests that run for a week. Shorter is better.
• Pay special attention to bloggers with small audiences. Companies often send bloggers samples or products to use in giveaways to try to create buzz about their brand. Unless it's someone like Perez Hilton, bloggers tend to have a very small pool of readers. If they host a giveaway, the pool of people who will actually enter to win it is even smaller.
That's how Erin Thompson, the uber-lucky mom from North Tonawanda, won so much loot, including one of her Kindles. Contestants were asked to comment on a blog as their entry into the giveaway. Thompson's comment was chosen from among just 25 entries.
"There are so many out there online. The possibilities are endless," Thompson said.
• Aim low. Clearinghouse websites will show how many times a contestant has clicked on any given contest, so you'll get an idea of how many people have entered to win a prize and, in turn, how good your chances are of winning.
Sure, you might as well throw your name into the hat with millions of others trying to win a dream home or a $1 million prize, but you might want to focus your time on contests where the competition is a little less stiff.
• Narrow the field. Look for local contests. When Tops held its Golden Anniversary sweepstakes last year, the contest was basically restricted to New York and Pennsylvania, where Tops has stores, and further narrowed to the people who actually shop at those stores.
Last year, Tops gave away more than $3.3 million in cash and prizes, including a $250,000 cash prize and $10,000 in tuition. Nearly 5,000 people at Tops' 150 stores received game pieces good for a prize worth $10 or more. (Don't get too excited: The odds of winning the grand prize were still 31 million to 1, but you get the idea.)
You can also pare down the competition by entering contests available only to specific genders, age groups or other criteria.
• Tell your friends. When you share links to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest-hosted contests on social media, you'll often receive additional contest entries for every friend who submits an entry through your link.
• Enter as often as you're allowed. If you can enter once a day, do it.
• Set your computer to "autofill." Filling out contest entries is much quicker if you don't have to submit your information by hand every time. If you use Mozilla Firefox, try the Autofill Forms extension. If you use Google Chrome, give the Autofill extension a try.
• Do the work. Not everyone wants to take the steps necessary to enter an essay contest or photo competition. If you enjoy writing or photography, you'll find less competition when entering those kinds of contests.
The same goes for contests that require you to collect information, enter bar codes, answer questions or hunt for clues.
• Avoid widely advertised contests. The more people who know about it, the more people who are entering to win.
• Watch out for scams. Prize winnings will not come unsolicited. If you didn't enter to win an iPad with a certain company, you're not going to win one. Don't click links sent via email, Facebook or Twitter to enter contests or claim prizes. Don't ever send money or personal information such as credit card, bank or social security number to redeem prizes.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Friday, August 22, 2014
Tales from the Tavern Cellar: A DnD BX Basic Reboot
21 comments:
"The more I read the more I realized this was just someone's attempt to re-invent an already working wheel, because they feel *their* ideas are better then what was already written as the best selling RPG of its time. Seems like the thing to do, right?"ReplyDelete
Isn't that the entire reason that ANY Fantasy Heartbreaker exists at all?Replies
Or, you know, the rest of RPGs?Delete
Making up homage games is fun. It's fun to use your brain and computer to make things up and share them.ReplyDelete
With the Internet being a place seemingly made to share the worst things in the world with each other: crime, war, misery, disease, nasty arguments... it's so nice to play this hobby where all the conflict is of a dramatic nature, and people make up fun games to play to bring people together.
It's not that far divorced from BX D&D... Just because he doesn't use 3-18 for stats, it's still the same outcome. The bonus is -3 to +3 -- the exact same as the stats give you in BX D&D. He uses ascending AC instead of descending and the saving throws are basically the same.ReplyDelete
Same classes, same spell lists, same monsters... I'm not sure I see the issue. It's not a direct retro-clone. He even says it's a reboot. Isn't that what the OSR is all about? Taking old games and tweaking them to cut out all the crust?
Looks like he used some True20 concepts, if I remember my divergent d20 systems correctly. I don't like the saves (they could have been simplified, as well), but otherwise... no problem here.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 22, 2014 at 12:08 PM
Getting a kick out of the Magic User Level Advancement Chart. I guess if it were the Magic User Saving Throw Advancement Chart those numbers would change, too.ReplyDelete
Also digging that some demi-humans, seemingly as separate from myself as a cast spell, can raise my attribute bonuses.
Step 1: Surround self with lots of elves (as only "some" will increase my bonus)
Step 2: Watch Dex bonus exceed +3
(easy targets are easy)
Interesting, the -3 to +3. I am doing my 0e game without the 3-18 too. But it's just -1 to +1. Almost identical mechanic.ReplyDelete
Never cared much for point buy methods (after all, this is supposed to be FUN), so I'd either convert D&D stats or simply have players roll 2d4-5 for attributes. Other than that, it's not too bad. Not what I'm looking for in a game, but nothing to knock eitherReplyDelete
Weird. This review pretty much sums up the entire OSR.ReplyDeleteReplies
How does this sum up the "entire OSR"? I'm curious.Delete
" The more I read the more I realized this was just someone's attempt to re-invent an already working wheel, because they feel *their* ideas are better then what was already written as the best selling RPG of its time. Seems like the thing to do, right?"Delete
It's fun. It isn't hurting anybody. I like it.Delete
I like my version more of course! But more is better.
If that criticism is leveled at this game, then it must fairly be leveled at every OSR ruleset is what I am saying.Delete
Roger that and +1Delete
Have to agree here - someone tweaked Basic and put a PDF of it on the internet? I'm finding it hard to be shocked.Delete
I dig the art on it :) I've always been a fan of anime.ReplyDelete
i dig everything except the art... sorry Vincent. lol. what's the contact info for the creator of this game. i'd gladly donate some of my own art to this project.ReplyDelete
i take back a bit of my dislike for the art. some of the art is really nice. seriously, what's the creator's blog/contact info? this looks like a cool project.ReplyDelete
Hey Crusty, next time you feel the urge to post, try listening to this instead.ReplyDelete
This is the most interesting game you've linked to in a while. It's inspired by B/X but does some interesting things with it. The art is mostly borrowed art (fine for a freebie) but I admit I expected the hate the anime stuff (which I think is the original art portion) and ended up liking the "feel" it gave. I'm...I think I'll actually print it out. This is a lot more fun than yet another carbon copy replica of B/X.ReplyDelete
Didn't Pokemon Jr outsell D&D, if "best selling" is what count?ReplyDelete
I'm not sure why you'd have any association at all with anything OSR related if that last paragraph sums up your views.
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