text:
Evolution of Mobility: The New Automotive Frontier
From horses to horsepower to self-driving technology, transportation is undergoing another paradigm shift. Let's explore the signs of transformation, with a look at rapidly-advancing self-driving tech, ride-sharing and subscription services chipping away at traditional car ownership. SPEAKERS: Karl Brauer, Executive Publisher, Cox Automotive Heiko Schmidt, GM, CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services, Electric), Mercedes-Benz USA Vince Zappa, President, Clutch Technologies
Related Videos
In Automotive
The New Mobility Revolution
A panel of experts will speak about the future of drones and self-driving technology and how they will revolutionize transportation.
What's Next for Transportation in the Smart City?
Learn how city planners, infrastructure providers and information architects are working together with transportation companies to design intentional expediencies for alternative transportation methods.
5G and Self-Driving Vehicles: A Policy Roadmap
Revolutionary technologies like 5G, self-driving vehicles and the internet of things are disrupting traditional models of transportation and communication, reshaping our communities and increasing mobility, consumer choice and connectivity.


text:
Freezing apples off my parents tree to use in a yummy pie or crisp!
It's been raining for days here and it makes it so hard to leave the house. I made myself get out to a coffee shop to study for a few hours this morning. Only a few more weeks and it's finally winter break!! Yay!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Jonathan Cainer
June's second big eclipse takes place later this week. Have you seen any magic in your life yet? Have unimagined possibilities arisen? If not, why not? Might it be because you have not really tried to reach for change? Have you dared to dream? Have you allowed yourself to stretch your imagination and open your heart? It's not too late. Think a positive thought. Invent a solution to an old problem. Don't tell yourself it can't work. Tell yourself that it can. No matter what sign you are… it CAN!
ARIES (March 21 – April 20)
People believe what they want to believe. They see what they want to see. They hear what they want to hear. That's why there are so many misunderstandings. We talk but we don't listen. We interpret signs and signals. We read meaning into messages. We assume agreement, often without good reason. We expect disagreement, even when there is far more common ground. As we approach a lunar eclipse, you are about to make a precious discovery. For a while after that you may not be sure what you believe. But then, you'll have clarity and confidence.
TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)
Write a letter but don't press send. Get your feelings down, then put them away. Press delete on the keyboard. Or set fire to the paper. Don't feel obliged to communicate your deepest truth to anyone else. Once you have fully articulated it to yourself you'll clear up all you need to and you'll see why it's such a good idea to be discreet. Understand what you need to understand then say only as much as anyone else can understand and accept. More than that, there is no point in saying. What matters is not that another knows the score – but that you do.
GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)
If it's not the winning but the taking part that counts, why do we bother with finishing lines? What's so exciting about watching some competitor shave a millisecond off some previous participant's best time? Why don't we just applaud the slowest or most creative contestant? People have a hollow obsession with getting the better of each other. This may have its place in sport, but your life is not a game and it is certainly not a competition. Go easy on yourself and others this week. The lunar eclipse suggests far less than you think is urgent.
CANCER (June 23 – July 23)
Think big. Be ambitious. Don't dismiss an idea just because it sounds far-fetched or turn down an offer because it might challenge an existing arrangement. Even if you've got practical concerns, you can accept the inspiration that accompanies a suggestion or the spirit behind a positive possibility… and then let this help you open up other doors in other areas of your life. The world is a big place. A lot of magic happens within it. It's simply not appropriate to assume that none of this is going to make its way into your world. A lunar eclipse later this week is your promise of a minor miracle happening very soon for you.
LEO (July 24 – August 23)
Do you think that, perhaps, you deserve a little break? How about some time off from struggle and stress? A holiday from controversy or conflict. It's a nice thought and it really ought to be a feasible thing. Probably, though, it won't come quite yet. Before you can walk away from a tense situation, you first have to resolve it – even if this means making things temporarily more stressful. Don't be put off by this. The eclipse, this week, is a kind of cosmic promise. It says that if, now, you do all you can for the best, the best is what you'll end up getting.
VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)
They say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." They say, "When you find a successful formula, stick to it." They say, "The old ways are the best ones." They say an awful lot of things, but they are not necessarily right. It is now time for a change. You cannot keep living your life by the same old set of rules. These are restricting you and becoming increasingly irrelevant. Something is broken. It needs to be fixed. A process is not working as well as it could. It needs to be changed. The right kind of progress is about to start happening. Give it the help it needs.
LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)
Remember the tale of the tiny mouse who extracted a thorn from an elephant's foot? The elephant never forgot. Did you once do a favour for a fairy? It looks as if you are about to be rewarded for a deed done long ago. Don't rest on your laurels. Do more this week, where and when you can. Still, though, don't be too surprised when someone allows or enables you to take part in a pleasing, profitable activity or to share a pleasurable experience. Previous doubts about your place in the world will soon be soothed. You're about to be well taken care of.
SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)
Breathe in please. Very good. OK. Hold it a moment. Then breathe out. That's great. Now repeat the whole exercise. What a natural you are. I think you're ready for the hard part now. Can you keep this up all day? And what about the ultimate challenge: can you keep this up in your sleep? Sounds daunting, doesn't it, when you put it like this. But of course, the magic of the reality is that it all happens automatically. Many things are better left to nature this week. Don't try to force what's going to happen naturally if it's going to happen at all. Deepen your trust.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)
Pick up one twig and try to snap it. It's easily done. Now pick up a bunch together and repeat the exercise. There's strength in numbers. There's also, though, if you happen to be a twig, the rather annoying drawback of needing to sit so close to all those other twigs. A lunar eclipse in your zodiac sign, this week, suggests that your desire for independence must play second fiddle to your need for support. There are people around who can help you now. There are offers of assistance already – and more can be easily elicited. Don't resent help. Accept it!
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)
When you have a talent, you often don't realise how special it is. To you, it seems natural. You can't quite believe that everyone else isn't blessed with the same ability. You forget that others need help to accomplish what comes so easily to you and you also forget that, to them, your special gift is of great value. Somewhere in your world, something is being taken for granted. That's not a situation that can be allowed to continue. There needs to be respect and recognition. It's time to hold your head high, and embrace the success now on offer to you.
AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)
Can you get a quart into a pint pot? Sure. You just have to condense it. A square peg into a round hole? Easy. Just sand the corners off the peg. Need to prove that two and two makes five? Go see a statistician; they can make numbers mean anything. There is more flexibility than you think in your current situation. Some things really are impossible. Others just seem impossible until you use your imagination. Mystics say a portal between worlds opens when there's an eclipse. Use your ingenuity and you'll certainly bring something amazing into being.
PISCES (February 20 – March 20)
Naturally enough, we get upset when we think about how short our time on this earth is. Yet what if we were to be told that we could live forever? Surely, that would be truly tragic. Outlive all our friends and contemporaries? Then who would we have left to relate to? Discover that they could all become immortal too? Hey! Surely if you knew them for all eternity you'd get bored with them? Treasure what you've got, while you've got it. And this week, while an eclipse brings the possibility of deep transformation, treasure what's changing, too.
To purchase a full personal chart reading based on your exact date, place and time of birth, or to hear Jonathan's weekly spoken forecast for your sign, visit www.cainer.com.
Comments are closed.


text:
View our New website
South Africa is gifted with wild game bird populations of which there are more than fifty species. More than twenty of these species are available as fair game and are shot regularly. These species include the Guineafowl, various Partridge species, Francolin species, eight species of doves and pigeons, Sandgrouse, Quail, various Duck species and Egyptian and Spurwing geese.
Karoo Wingshooting will turn your African bird hunting
safari into a great wingshooting experience. Guides are
particular to ensure that shooting takes place on the best concessions, ensuring you of a quality and worthwhile bird
hunt. Champagne Shooting are on offer. Basic & luxury
safaris are catered for.
"We specialise in hunting the ultimate African game bird,
the Greywing Partridge, classically over schooled English
Pointers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
We also offer excellent decoyed Waterfowl and volume flighted Pigeon shooting to our international clientele, as well
as a variety of other game bird species."
"Wingshooting in Africa - an Unexposed Jewel
to the International Shooting Sportsman"
**Totally Wild Game Birds are Hunted Exclusively**
Africa - where the Wild Game Bird Shooting Experience Surpass the Burden of a Heavy Bag!
Packaged Safaris
Open Season:
1 May to 15 July
Subpages (1): Partridge Shooting


text:
Where can I find market share for mobile phones and tablets?
January 31, 2013 11:28 AM Subscribe
I need to find device-specific US market share for mobile phones and tablets. I can find plenty of info on mobile/tablet OS and browser market share, but I need % market share for Google Nexus, iPad Mini, etc.
From your mention of browsers, I assume you are looking for usage share, rather than current sales share. I haven't seen data this detailed in most reports, and you might have to pay to get it - specifically, I think ComScore would provide this data, but only to subscribers. You could also look at analytics companies reports (e.g) which are more likely to be free because they are releasing it to advertise their analytics product, but less likely to be as detailed.
posted by jacalata at 1:46 PM on January 31, 2013
posted by jacalata at 1:46 PM on January 31, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.


text:
I spotted the Chrysler on Mass. Ave., halfway between Harvard & Central Squares. These were last generation of true American hardtops---pillarless 4-door sedans. Getting rid of that B pillar required some engineering so the car wouldn't get the bends. Compare to the '66 Chrysler we posted from Harvard Square last winter.
I wonder if this '75 is the same car featured in a Curbside Classic post.


text:
I am trying to set environment variables during an install in order to pass them to PowerShell scripts that communicate with a SQL server instance during setup. It doesnt appear that SetupBuilder updates the environment variables at all. Here is what I found in the documentation:
On Windows NT-based systems, environment modification information is stored in the registry and a message notifies the system of changes when the installation completes. Any new processes, or existing processes that check for these messages, use the new or updated environment variables.
Does this mean that environment variables will not be updated until the SetupBuilder dialog completes? And if so, is there a way to force SetupBuilder to update the environment variables immediately so that I can pass them to my PowerShell script that checks for a specific environment variable.


text:
Characterization of temporally varying structure of reacting molecules is crucial for understanding the mechanism and function of a chemical reaction. However, it is not easy to capture the structure of such reaction intermediate in real-time, especially in the solution phase. Time-resolved X-ray liquidography (TRXL) was developed to directly monitor the molecular structural dynamics of chemical reactions in solution. Due to the structural sensitivity of X-ray scattering and superb time resolution of ultrashort X-ray and laser pulses, TRXL has been widely applied to understand the reaction mechanisms of a variety of molecules ranging from small molecules to proteins.
Halogen elimination reactions of haloalkanes have attracted much interest since their products are formed under a stereochemical control. TRXL was applied to identify the intermediates of the elimination reaction of 1,2-diiodoethane (C2H4I2). Upon irradiation at 267 nm, haloethane dissociates into a haloethyl radical and an iodine atom. Of particular interest is the molecular structure of the haloethyl radical because a bridged structure rather than an open classical structure (anti and gauche) had been proposed to explain the observed stereoselectivity of certain chemical processes but had never been directly observed. From the TRXL result, it was clearly elucidated that the bridged structure is strongly favored over the open classical structure, as was supported by quantum mechanical calculation.
The triangular metal carbonyl cluster Ru3(CO)12 is widely used as a catalyst in controlled photoactivated synthesis. However, the reaction mechanism and intermediates of the photocatalyst has been elusive. TRXL was used to probe the photoreaction of Ru3(CO)12 in cyclohexane, and a new intermediate (Ru3(CO)10 with only terminal CO ligands) was identified in addition to two μ-CO intermediates reported from previous studies using ultrafast IR spectroscopy. Also, it was revealed that the three intermediates, Ru3(CO)10 with only terminal CO ligands, Ru3(CO)11(μ-CO) and Ru3(CO)10(μ-CO), undergo different photodissociation pathways at 260 nm and 390 nm.
In the biological world, proteins play a crucial role in sustaining the life by performing their function in a precisely coordinated manner. One of the major objectives for biologists and chemists is to understand the operational mechanisms of proteins at the molecular level. As an effort to achieve this goal, TRXL and time-resolved X-ray Laue crystallography were applied to various proteins, e.g. hemoglobin and myoglobin. From the measurements, the tertiary and quaternary conformational changes of hemoglobin and myoglobin were visualized under physiological conditions. These results demonstrate that TRXL not only gives insights to the structural dynamics of proteins in their natural environment but also complements time-resolved optical spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.
The Mo and Ru carbenes are transition metal catalysts that can facilitate a variety of metathesis reactions among alkene, alkyne and allene substrates. To understand the quantitative relationships of catalyst-substrate association for diverse metathesis Mo and Ru catalysts, the preference for the substrates were examined by applying time-dependent fluorescence quenching. The studied substrate preferences are as follows: alkyne > alkene > allene for Mo-1 and Mo-2, allene > alkene > alkyne for Ru-1 and Ru-3, and alkyne > allene > alkene for Ru-2 and Ru-4 (Mo-1, Schrock Mo; Mo-2, Schrock-Hoveyda Mo; Ru-1, Grubbs first generation Ru; Ru-2, Grubbs second generation Ru; Ru-3:, Grubbs-Hoveyda first generation Ru; and Ru-4, Grubbs-Hoveyda second generation Ru). The result provides a new insight to the metathesis reactions and addresses the mechanism of reaction initiation in enyne or allenyne metathesis.
Professor Ihee and his research group have used time-resolved X-ray Liquidography (TRXL) to identify the intermediates of the elimination reaction of haloethane (C2H4I2). Upon irradiation at 267 nm, haloethane dissociates into a haloethyl radical and an iodine atom. Of particular interest is the molecular structure of the haloethyl radical because a bridged structure rather than open classical structure (anti and gauche) had been proposed to explain the observed stereoselectivity of certain chemical processes but had never been directly observed. According to the TRXL result, the bridged structure is strongly favored rather than open classical structure and is also predicted by quantum mechanical calculation.
TRXL was used to probe the photolysis of Ru3(CO)12 in cyclohexane, and a new intermediate (Ru3(CO)10 with terminal CO only) was identified besides the two μ-CO intermediates known from ultrafast IR spectroscopy. Three intermediates, Ru3(CO)10 with terminal CO only, Ru3(CO)11(μ-CO) and Ru3(CO)10(μ-CO), undergo different photodissociation pathways at 260 nm and 390 nm.
Professor Ihee demonstrates tracking of protein structural changes with pump-probe X-ray protein liquidography with picosecond time resolution. We investigated the tertiary and quaternary conformational changes of hemoglobin and myoglobin under nearly physiological conditions triggered by laser-induced ligand photolysis. By providing insights into the structural dynamics of proteins functioning in their natural environment, pump-probe X-ray protein liquidography complements and extends results obtained with time-resolved optical spectroscopy and X-ray Laue crystallography. We also identify a complex chemical mechanism and all atomic structures of five distinct structural intermediates of the blue light photoreceptor photoactive yellow protein (PYP) using time-resolved X-ray Laue crystallography.
Quantitative catalyst-substrate association relationships of diverse metathesis Mo and Ru catalysts to their substrates are determined directly by a general method based on FRET principle. The determined substrate preferences exhibit the order of alkyne > alkene > allene for Mo-1 and Mo-2, allene > alkene > alkyne for Ru-1 and Ru-3, and alkyne > allene > alkene for Ru-2 and Ru-4. (Mo-1, Schrock Mo; Mo-2, Schrock-Hoveyda Mo; Ru-1, Grubbs first generation Ru; Ru-2, Grubbs second generation Ru;Ru-3:, Grubbs-Hoveyda first generation Ru; and Ru-4, Grubbs-Hoveyda second generation Ru).
The citation counts presented above are as of January 2012
Reaction mechanism and the structures of reaction intermediates of chemical reactions are often hotly debated. However, the direct observation of these intermediates has proven quite elusive because the atoms are so small and the time it takes for them to slip past their neighbors is so short. The diffraction methods make use of photons or particles that can be produced in pulses shorter than 10-12s, and are therefore uniquely suited for structural determinations with ultrafast time resolution. Among many molecular systems, the structure of C2H4I radical that purportedly plays a crucial role in the stereoselective chemical reaction of diiodoethane (C2H4I2) has been identified using time-resolved x-ray diffraction by Hyotcherl Ihee and his coworkers (Science 309(2005):1223). The technique of picosecond time-resolved liquid diffraction can provide an unprecedented glimpse into the structures of reactive intermediates involved in solution-phase chemistry and can reveal the structural dynamics of more complex system such as organometallics and protein.
The technique, time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS), is an enhanced version of WAXS, which has generally been limited to millisecond time-resolution. TR-WAXS improves its time window for observing the kinetics of protein conformational changes by about a millionfold, down to the nanosecond range. Hyotcherl Ihee and his coworkers devised TR-WAXS and demonstrated its capabilities by using it to visualize nanosecond conformational changes in hemoglobin caused by photodissociation of carbon monoxide. They also used it to watch cytochrome c fold and to observe nanosecond conformational changes in myoglobin. (Nature Methods, 5, 881 (2008)) William A. Eaton, a protein physical chemist at NIH, said that TR-WAXS could make it possible to watch enzymes work and to see how enzyme conformational changes play a role in enzyme function.
One of the most fundamental questions in biology, chemistry, and physics is how the molecules interact, so called, reaction mechanisms. Our laboratory strives to understand the reaction mechanisms in molecular detail in gas phase, solution phase, and solid phase spanning amorphous phase, polycrystalline and single crystals. Traditionally, femtosecond spectroscopy has been used to achieve this goal, however, spectroscopic data, in most cases, fail to provide direct information on the structural changes such as bond lengths and bond angles. To remedy this, we combine the traditional femtoscience with direct structural tools such as diffraction, EXAFS, and NMR. These techniques can be applied to a wide range of systems, encompassing small molecules, nano-scale complexes, and macromolecules such as polymers, proteins and DNA. A typical experiment is conducted in a pump-probe manner; an optical pulse such as femtosecond laser pulse is directed to the sample of interest to initiate a desired reaction, and after a well-defined time delay, a probing pulse such as an ultrashort x-ray pulse is sent to the sample undergoing a reaction. Then, the signal resulted from the interaction of the reacting system and the probing pulse captures the molecular actions in real time. Since the measured signal (in this case, diffraction signal) is a function of molecular structures, the time-dependant data at various time delays contains a clue to the molecular reaction mechanisms and a novel data analysis of the time-resolved signal finally reveals the mechanism.
Protein Structural Dynamics: Time-Resolved X-ray Crystallography
Our laboratory is interested in the reaction mechanisms of various
proteins such as a blue light photoreceptor, bacteriorhodopsin,
phytochrome, and LOV2 domain. These proteins play indispensible roles
in the signal transduction pathway of a cellular system. The
time-resolved X-ray Laue diffraction on a single crystal is currently
the only method which can provide us detailed real-time structural
information in sub-nanosecond time resolution at room temperature.The experiment is conducted at a third generation synchrotron facility such as ESRF and APS as the time-resolved X-ray liquid experiment. The difference is that the long-range order found in a single crystal enhances the diffraction signal and reduce the background significantly. Diffuse signal from disordered molecules becomes sharp peaks. Generally, a ns or fs laser pulse triggers the protein dynamics in a single crystal of proteins and a polychromatic, ultrashort X-ray pulse from a beamline of a synchrotron radiation facility sweeps through the single crystal. The resulting diffraction pattern is then recorded in a charge-coupled device (CCD) based detection system. Typically a better time resolution can be achieved when the single crystal is kept still and a polychromatic X-ray beam is used for diffraction unlike a traditional X-ray crystallographic experiment where a diffraction pattern of a monochromatic X-ray beam is measured on an oscillating crystal. However, our laboratory is also developing a new technique of achieving a better time resolution with the traditional monochromatic X-ray pulses so that a wider range of protein reactions can be studied.
Molecular Dynamics of Small Molecules, Nano-Scale Molecules and Macromolecules in Solution: Time-Resolved X-ray Liquid Diffraction
Third-generation synchrotron radiation facility such as European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and Advanced Photon Source (APS) can generate an X-ray pulse as short as 100 picoseconds (ps, 10-12). Our laboratory conducts time-resolved experiments by utilizing such an ultrashort X-ray pulse as a probe. Of great interest is the molecular structure of short-lived intermediates and solute-solvent interactions in solution phase. X-ray has a much longer penetration depth than electron does, and this characteristic makes X-ray suited for solution studies. Although the current time resolution is generally behind that of time-resolved electron diffraction, a future X-ray source based on free electron laser technology will realize femtosecond (fs, 10-12) time resolution, opening up a new possibility of capturing the movement of molecules in real time. So far, a series of successful time-resolved X-ray diffraction experiments have been conducted on reactions of various small molecules and we are currently expanding this technique to study macromolecules such as nano-scale complexes and proteins.
Ab-Initio and DFT Quantum Chemical Calculation
and Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Modern scientific advances have confirmed that experiments alone cannot provide a full story and convincing explanations on complex reaction mechanisms. Therefore, all our experimental endeavors accompany theoretical calculations including both ab-initio and DFT quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Selected examples are molecular structures of short-lived intermediates, the photo-reaction of solute molecules in solution, and reaction pathway of proteins.
Electron Diffraction
With the advance of fs laser technology and electron gun design,
the time resolution of ultrafast electron diffraction has reached
near 1 ps. This impressive time resolution has enabled us to capture
the molecular structure of short-lived intermediates. However, the
fundamental bond-making and bond-breaking processes occur in femtosecond
regime, which is beyond the current technology. Our laboratory is
developing a next-generation ultrafast electron diffraction technique,
which is femtosecond electron diffraction (FED). This new technique
is based on a light-driven RF electron gun producing a near-relativistic
electron pulse. Upon realization of this new technique, a molecular
vibration will be directly captured, fulfilling one of chemists'


text:
Mike considers the interaction of the regulatory and legal environments to draw some conclusions on pension scheme funding in the current environment.
Following the Brexit referendum, subsequent Bank of England policy responses and PM comment implying that 'hard Brexit' is our most likely course, there have been significant falls in gilt yields and the pound. Although we have seen some small recovery in fixed yields, real yields remain stubbornly negative and inflation expectations have increased. The consequences for Defined Benefit pension scheme funding are material, with many trustees and employers facing substantially increased deficits that, in the absence of market change, will need addressing in their next valuation.
This position has led to market discussion around the validity of the most common funding models, which link liability discount rates to an 'expected' investment return, which are predominantly linked in turn to (falling) gilt yields. Commentators argue that, as gilt yields have fallen so far, the link to future investment returns is broken and actuaries should change their funding models to allow for higher future expected investment returns. It is assumed that by 'taking a long term view' of investment and acknowledging that the majority of assets don't need to be realised for pension payments now, the risks of the approach are suitably mitigated.
In this circumstance, it is worth thinking through some of the issues around funding and why, apart from a regulatory duty, pension promises might be funded in the first place.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, pension promises were commonly considered to be deferred pay. Paternalistic employers withheld some of their employees' earnings with a promise to pay them later, after retirement. Whilst there was generally significant flexibility about increases to benefits in deferment and payment, most Companies and their employees expected these increases to be paid. The removal of these flexibilities eliminated a company safety valve, changing the nature rather than the scale of the promise.
Similar defined benefit promises are seen around the world and the key risk to employees' pensions is the insolvency of the company before pensions are received. Different approaches to protecting employees from the failure of the promise have developed in different countries, often reflecting different cultural realities.
In Sweden many schemes continue to operate on an unfunded, pay as you go, basis. Employee security is provided through a mutual insurance provider that steps in to pay the pensions when companies fail. Interestingly, the insurer is often effective in obtaining assets to support the pension promises of weakening employers, which then serves to reduce the impact on the insurer solvency and helps to maintain affordable premiums for ongoing companies.
In the UK, where we separate the pension promise from the company and then fund the promise over time, some different considerations are relevant:
For trustees these facts create a hard target – to aim for full 'buyout' funding by the time the company fails. Given that it is not possible to have certainty over company survival for a long enough timeframe and that insurance buyout costs are tied, by reserving requirements, to gilt yields, this makes a move away from a gilt based valuation approach risky and potentially inappropriate from a trustee perspective. Trustees should be seeking to work closely with their sponsoring companies towards a more robust, insurance type, position before failure becomes a likelihood, rather than afterwards, when the necessary cash will almost certainly not be available.
This conclusion doesn't imply that trustees should not take any risk or that alternative funding approaches are not possible. However, working within the current framework, there is a clear tension between these 'alternative' funding approaches and the trustees duty to pay benefits in full.
Request for proposal


text:
Chat with Keith Law
Welcome to SportsNation! On Thursday, MLB Insider Keith Law will be here to take your questions on anything baseball related.
Law is the senior baseball analyst for Scouts Inc. Before joining ESPN, Law served as special assistant to the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays and was a writer for Baseball Prospectus.
Send your questions now and join Law Thursday at 1 p.m. ET!
More Keith Law: Search | Chats | MLB Draft | MLB draft blog | Law blog
Keith Law (1:08 PM)
I refuse to submit to the fascist mindset that says chats must begin at the top of the hour!
Nick (Chesterbrook, PA)
Is it not Thursday at 1:00 PM?
Keith Law (1:09 PM)
Or maybe I was at the dermatologist because the last biopsy showed an abnormality. It could be either one.
Christian (Washington, DC)
Did Rafael Soriano "blow" Tommy Hanson's ROY chances by denying him his 10th win last night? Hanson was dominant.
Keith Law (1:09 PM)
If Hanson's RoY chances still depend on his win total, then we are making no progress whatsoever.
Dave (Thousand Oaks, CA)
I don't remember Craig Biggio or Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken or any number of other players having so much praise showered on them for tying Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list. But then I remembered that a hit for the Yankees counts at least 50% more than a hit for any other team. So it's really like Jeter has 4081.5 hits, isn't it? No wonder everyone is so excited!
Keith Law (1:10 PM)
Like I said on Mike
matt (norwalk, ct)
KLAW - who from the draft outside of Strasburg and Axley will crack your personal top 100 this winter?
Keith Law (1:11 PM)
The last two years I've had 12-15 guys from the most recent draft on my offseason top 100.
Keith Law (1:11 PM)
I forgot that Failchat 1.0 doesn't like ampersands. The Jeter response was: "Like I said on Mike and Mike this morning, if Jeter played for Minnesota, no one would be paying half this much attention, and Mauer would be heading towards a unanimous MVP."
Vern (SF)
Your thoughts on Bumgarner's debut? Velo is still down, but he showed some great mound presence, in my opinion. Especially for a 20 year old. I see a lot of Mark Mulder in the kid.
Keith Law (1:12 PM)
Didn't see because I was at Miller Park, but a scout who was there called it very disappointing - not just velo but the breaking ball was soft.
Mick (Chicago)
How invasive are MLB orgs scouting Europe? Are they ever going to find players in Russia, France, Germany, etc. that will make it worth the expense?
Keith Law (1:13 PM)
I believe nine teams scout actively over there, employing at least a part-time scout dedicated to Europe. There absolutely will be - have already been - quality prospects coming from there, including Rick Vandenhurk, Max Kepler (Twins), Alex Liddi (M's), and Alessandro Maestri (Cubs).
Steve (CT)
What do you make of UNC's Matt Harvey? What round could you see him going in after his cape summer?
Keith Law (1:14 PM)
Jason (SF)
Can you, or anyone for that matter, explain what the hell is going on with Buster Posey? Sabean and Bochy have always had a love affair with "experience veterans", but now it seems like this has become a tug of war between the manager and managment.
Keith Law (1:14 PM)
Sabean said on KNBR the other day that he didn't see how a guy a year out of college could challenge Bengie Molina, so I wouldn't depict this as manager vs management.
Josh (Lincoln, NE)
Yay, let's all celebrate Derek Jeter being 53rd on the all-time hit list. Can we dedicate the chat to him?
Keith Law (1:15 PM)
Someone asked on Twitter whether I thought this or Roberts' 3 seasons of 50 doubles was more impressive. Good time for the #noneoftheabove hashtag.
Julie Benz (OK)
Hi, Keith. Is this the year Edinson Volquez finally wins RoY?
Keith Law (1:18 PM)
No, but I'm considering him for my top 100 prospects list.
Joe (Wilson (SC))
You Lie!
Keith Law (1:20 PM)
Like a dog.
DJ (Thomas Twp, MI)
Keith the fame of playing in the NY media market is a big boost, but the media pressure of playing and performing in NY vs Minn is off the charts. Playing well day in and day out on that stage makes your achievements that much more special.
Keith Law (1:20 PM)
Marty (Stratford, Ct)
Klaw, which is more overrated: The Cathcer in the Rye / Derek Jeter
Keith Law (1:21 PM)
Catcher in the Rye. Best thing I can say about that book is that it's where I learned the word "prostitute." (I was 10.)
Anders (NYC)
What's worse: the save statistic or W/L record?
Keith Law (1:22 PM)
W/L record.
J.B. (Dunmore, PA)
Can Jason Heyward be a difference maker for the Braves in 2010 or is this just something a delusional Braves fan would believe?
Keith Law (1:23 PM)
I would not bet on him being a difference maker at age 20, even in the 4A League. Justin Upton needed a full year in the majors to reach that level.
Chris (Dallas, TX)
The Rangers are obviously involved in European scouting. That's where they landed Derek Holland, right?
Keith Law (1:23 PM)
And Joel Czech Republic. He's a stud.
Jared (Minny)
Como vem mais equipas nao chamar mais corredores ou defensores para o final das situacoes de jogo em setembro?
Keith Law (1:25 PM)
That made me laugh. Jared posted this a few times - he's asking why more teams don't recall speedy guys or defense-only guys in September - in English, but I didn't answer (since I think it's obvious - money and 40-man spots), so he posted it in Portuguese. Good use of the accents, Jared.
Bryan (Tampa)
Carl Crawford or Desmond Jennings?
Keith Law (1:27 PM)
Depends on your time frame. Next five years, I'd probably take Jennings. 2010 only, Crawford.
Nick (Chesterbrook, PA)
Why did you learn Portuguese?
Keith Law (1:27 PM)
Business trip to Lisbon in 2000. I don't speak it, I just know a few hundred words, and I can usually guess at others because they resemble Spanish.
Michael (Virginia)
Entao, so preciso escrever em portugues para receber uma resposta?
Keith Law (1:28 PM)
No, posting in Portuguese does not guarantee an answer. The two ways to get an answer are 1) ask better questions or 2) post in Zamonian.
Reed (Claremont, Ca)
Best prospect in the Orioles' system- Jake Arrieta, Josh Bell, or Zach Britton?
Keith Law (1:29 PM)
I think I'd go Bell, Britton, Arrieta. I could flip the first two. I've never been in love with Arrieta - solid 3 or 4 ceiling.
Louie (Philly)
Should I drop out of law school? It kind of sucks.
Keith Law (1:29 PM)
Who on earth told you to start?
Brett (Seattle , WA)
How good can Matt Kemp become? If he cuts down on his strike outs could you possibly see him as being one of the premier players in the league?
Keith Law (1:29 PM)
I'm pretty sure he already is one of the premier players in the league.
Nora (St. Louis)
Do you buy into the argument some are making that Hanley Ramirez is more valuable than Albert Pujols?
Keith Law (1:32 PM)
No. I think you could make a case for Utley, but not Ramirez, although let's face it - when Pujols hits his 50th homer, that's going to seal it.
Joe (New York)
Better upside, Brad Holt or Jenrry Mejia?
Keith Law (1:33 PM)
Mejia. Holt didn't acquit himself well in AA, despite all the reports of this wonderful curveball he supposedly had developed.
Jason (St Louis)
I don't know if you know the answer to this, but I'll try anyway. Do you know how much Boras is involved in the actual negotiating of contracts for his clients? For instance, he had several of the top unsigned players leading up to August 17th. There is no way he was on the phone with all those teams in the final hour. Does he only get hands on for the big boy clients?
Keith Law (1:34 PM)
You're assuming deals announced on the 17th were negotiated on the 17th. MLB was throttling deals, even threatening teams not to announce them early for fear it would drive up other bonuses.
Zane Mistry (Mississauga)
Do you miss Tim Horton's?
Keith Law (1:36 PM)
No, but while we're on the subject of coffee, I tried Alterra yesterday in Milwaukee and was very impressed. I had been listening to mlb.com's Matthew Leach drone on and on and on about the place, and I figured if I didn't try it he'd never shut up.
Kevin (KC)
If you ran the Royals' starting today, what's your first order of business? Sign Yuni to an extension? Every other moron in this organization gets one
Keith Law (1:38 PM)
Someone I know well with KC told me after I wrote that the Royals shouldn't give Dayton an extension that we're not friends any more. The entire organization has gone mad - you are simply not allowed to criticize them.
Aron (STL)
you were in Milwaukee yesterday did you take in that great start by wainwright?
Keith Law (1:40 PM)
And the great one by Carpenter. Seven of my last eight big league games have been under 3 hours, the exception being the Hoffman BS on Tuesday, when Ken Macha was hellbent on finding the one guy in his bullpen who would absolutely, no-doubt lose that lead.
Elier (Denver)
Hey Keith, about Franklin Morales, is he a starter next year? He has stuff just as filthy as Jimenez from the left side. He is too good to be an 8th or 9th inning guy.
Keith Law (1:40 PM)
Agreed, would absolutely try him back in the rotation next year.
John (NY)
I may be missing some finer point of roster rules, but why not call up Ike Davis for a little? It seems logical to try to call up a guy on a hot streak, especially if you've been playing meaningless games for a long time already.
Keith Law (1:42 PM)
They'd have to clear a 40-man spot, carry Davis on the 40-man all winter (and next winter, if he hasn't earned the spot), pay him at least $50K next year even if he doesn't see a day in the majors, plus pay him $30-40K this year ... plus he's scheduled to go to the AFL, so they might want to give him the few weeks off. The only argument I could see for recalling him would be if they thought he might be their 1b next spring.
Christian (San Diego)
Your thoughts on Alcides Escobar based on the series, you think he is ready to take over at SS and allow the Brewers to trade Hardy for some pitching?
Keith Law (1:43 PM)
I have a post about 80% done on Escobar, Gamel, and Rasmus that is late because of my doctor's appointment. I should be filing later today.
Dan (Chicago)
Is MLB's antitrust exemption obsolete?
Keith Law (1:43 PM)
Aron (STL)
Klaw so you saw the Carp game do you think Holliday had a shot at the one bloop hit to keep the NO-NO? It looked to me that he laid up a bit?
Keith Law (1:43 PM)
No, I thought that was a hit off the bat.
Sam (OC)
Keith, do September call-ups count as service time?
Keith Law (1:44 PM)
Yes, they get a day for every day in the majors.
Andrew (New York, NY)
Hits for the Yanks, greatest franchise in sports, mean nothing. They are not even worth talking about, but make sure you give the OBP of the top ten players in the Cape Cod league. And please, do not forget to let us know which High School pitcher can really make bats miss. Tell me about the virtues of Clay Bucholz and how 'Doc' is unhittable, that is what you NEED to talk about. Morons like you wrote Jeter off, Billy Beane never won a title, neither did any of the other nerds you worship. Jeter has 4 rings, remember that slim.
Keith Law (1:44 PM)
I don't even think this is a $5 fine. It's dumb enough to be real.
Tuttle (Michigan)
Hi, KLaw. Do you think Bumgarner's reduced velo and K/9 is a bit of dead arm, an unreported injury, Giant mishandling of his mechanics again, or a bit of his having peaked in HS, like the girl who sat beside me in Chemistry?
Keith Law (1:45 PM)
I don't know that they've changed or mishandled his mechanics, but I would definitely be concerned about the velo loss. If he's 88-90 with an average slider from that slot, he's more likely to end up in the pen than the rotation.
Tim (Oakland)
What are your thoughts on Brandon Crawford? It seems like the struggles he had before the draft have come back after he was moved up from A ball.
Keith Law (1:46 PM)
Same as always - just a glove.
Mike (San Diego)
Call me ignorant, but I guess I don't really understand the concept of whether a team is a large or small market team. I thought that the size of a team's city was the main determining factor, but there have been many times that I have heard Houston or Arizona being referred to as a small market team despite both being in one of the 10 largest cities in America. Do you think you could try to help clear up the confusion?
Keith Law (1:48 PM)
It's really not about market size, but revenue base. There are high-revenue and low-revenue teams, and that's only partly tied to winning. If the Pirates reel off 3 straight 100-win seasons, they still won't be a high-revenue team. Market size affects a team's revenue ceiling.
Steve (Boston)
Andrew (New York, NY)-Please stop giving Yankees fans' bad names. Just please.
Keith Law (1:48 PM)
He can't help himself. I refused to worship at the altar of Derek Jeter. All infidels must be destroyed.
Jay (NY)
Keith, I'm a HUGE Red Sox fan and an even bigger Yankee hater. But I really can't understand how most experts devalue Jeter's contributions to his team and the game. Sarcasm aside, the guys gonna end up with 3000 hits and rightfully, in the Hall of Fame.
Keith Law (1:49 PM)
I haven't argued with either point; I think he'll probably end up in the mid-3000s in hits and finish in the top 10. I just don't understand why we're making a big deal about him taking over the top spot in hits for the Yankees. Would we do this for the Pirates? Cleveland?
Jared (Minny)
Not to belabor the point, but if a kid in single A is never going to be a regular in the majors so service time doesn't matter, but he's a better fielder than your shortstop, why not bring him up if you have a roster spot? Makes more sense than the dumb logic to expand to 40 guys does.
Keith Law (1:50 PM)
Well, then you have to decide in October whether to carry him all winter or outright him off the roster, at which point he might be claimed (since he's got 3 options left).
Trey (Austin)
When was the last time Bumgarner touched mid 90's? Are these reports just being passed down from year to year and everyone assumes he's still maintaining a plus fastball based on his A and AA results?
Keith Law (1:51 PM)
I had several 93s from him in his first outing this spring, when, in theory, he should have just been warming up.
Jason (St Louis)
Can Brendan Ryan be a full time starter at SS next year? That is one slick glove he's got.
Keith Law (1:53 PM)
Not much bat, though - he's a fringy starter, although given what some teams run out there (in the same state) they could do a lot worse.
lardin (Bristol, CT)
"Would we do this for the Pirates? Cleveland?"Thats just it KLAW, we are NOT talking about the Pirates or Cleveland. We are talking about the NY Yankees. The greatest franchise in the history of sports. Home of some of the greatest all time players.
Keith Law (1:56 PM)
They're the greatest franchise in the history of sports? Who said that? Oh, wait, the YANKEES said that. I guess we should believe them.
Kevin (KC)
Okay, no $5, seriously what would you do to fix the Royals. They're lost but we're being told to "trust The Process."
Keith Law (1:57 PM)
Shouldn't the Process eventually bring Some Results? I don't see any signs of progress there, particularly on the pitching side.
Jeff (US)
Why do we alway hear how good a player is in a TEAM sport by how many championships rings they have? Is that truly a good valuation of a player, did he win it by himself?
Keith Law (1:58 PM)
Pretty sure Clay Bellinger has a couple of rings. I'm surprised his retirement didn't merit a special commemorative edition of the New York Times.
Captain Bluebear (Zamonia)
How mnay times have writers either compared a player to Derek Jeter or said he was going to better than Derek Jeter?
Keith Law (2:00 PM)
I can't remember one.
Trey (Austin)
Casey Kelly with the bat: 224/305/313... is it safe to say this should be the end of the SS experiment and 2010 should start in AA Portland as a SP?
Keith Law (2:01 PM)
I think it's up to him, but yes, I believe his future is on the mound.
Corey Patterson (Milwaukee)
I'm batting lead off again! Yippee!
Keith Law (2:01 PM)
Your new nickname is "Tank." Because when you lead Corey Patterson off, you're trying to...
Jack (NYC)
Keith....looking over your last chat, you said that you liked McCutchen from the Pirates for ROY in the NL....are you serious?? It should be a runaway victory for the Marlins Chris Coughlan!! Leads all rooks in BA and On Base %...while playing a position he had never played before. This kid is the real deal!! Your thoughts....care to reconsider??
Keith Law (2:02 PM)
That's awesome. McCutchen has the higher slugging percentage, so you just ignore it. Oh, and he plays a tougher position and plays it very well, so you ignore that too. No, I wouldn't care to reconsider, but you should.
Mike (Chippewa Lake, OH)
Carlos Santana now has league MVP's in consective seasons. Any chance Cleveland actually goes with this guy in April? Or do you think they'll convince themselves that the Schoppach/Marson platoon is more effective...
Keith Law (2:05 PM)
I'm shocked they didn't bring him up - he's on the 40-man already, and he should be their starter next spring, but the lack of a promotion now doesn't bode well for his chances of getting the job in April.
Tom (NY)
I'm a Mets fan, but when you pass names like Ruth and Gehrig on just about any list...I think a little extra hype is ok.
Keith Law (2:05 PM)
Yeah, I remember when Al Oliver passed Gehrig on the hits list, we got a day off school.
Rich (Hailey, ID)
Brenden Ryan is "fringy?" The guy is hitting .285-.300 and does not make errors.
Keith Law (2:07 PM)
He's hitting .285-.300? Who the hell is he, Heisenberg? (Or an electron, I suppose.) He's hitting .288/.333/.392, which is a good example of an empty batting average.
Andrew (Rochester)
Bonus points to anyone capable of naming any other team's all time hits leader
Keith Law (2:09 PM)
Just off the top of my head, I'll go with Gwynn (Padres), Cobb (Tigers), Aaron (Braves), Musial (Cardinals), Mays (Giants), and Brett (Royals). Is it Young for the Brewers? How many bonus points do I get? Oh, and you know the funny part? Those franchises have each had a 3000-hit player. Which the Yankees haven't.
Neal (Toronto)
Tony Fernandez leads for the Jays. I am throwing a party in 2021 when Aaron Hill passes him.
Keith Law (2:10 PM)
Wouldn't have guessed that one.
stan (ny)
you're telling me i'm not getting a day off when david wright passes ed kranepool on the mets all-time list?
Keith Law (2:10 PM)
That is not an argument to bring up in favor of the Mets' franchise.
Justin (Blacksburg )
What's your take on the AL MVP? Do you believe the best player, Joe Mauer should get it; or the best player on the best team, Jeter?
Keith Law (2:10 PM)
Best player. Which is probably Mauer, but could be Jeter, and is definitely NOT Teixeira.
Matt (Baltimore)
KLaw, a couple weeks ago you mentioned a balanced schedule wasn't economically feasable for baseball. When you have teams from different divisions competing for the same wild card spot, how about we look at what is fair for competition and the integrity of the game?
Keith Law (2:12 PM)
MLB is a business. Their first motivation is going to be profit. Fairness is not a major concern.
Doug ((NYC))
Craig Biggio = all-time leader in hits for Astros.
Eric (Chicago)
That's ok KLAW, there's not going to be anyone close to breaking Cap Anson's record...don't see anyone doing it on that team!
Matt (Boston)
Red Sox - Yaz, White Sox Baines, Orioles- Ripken, Tampa - Crawford? , Tigers- Cobb
Keith Law (2:13 PM)
So, um, it's not really that hard.
Matt (Milwaukee)
Keith, I'm at Alterra right now in Milwaukee up from Chicago. There is a chance I have to move up here because my job (architecture) in Chicago left me a long time ago and my girlfriend being from the Good Land thinks we should move here. I'm from the Cape and want to move back to Boston. Given my job, shouldn't I put my foot down and demand to move back east or should I let the simpler life of cheese curds and cheap beer, plus lower cost of living influence me to move up here?
Keith Law (2:13 PM)
Lower cost of living sounds very appealing. And Milwaukee is a pretty good place to live if you don't mind 300 inches of snow every winter.
Keith Law (2:14 PM)
VK in DC - funniest comment of the chat, but I can't post that, anywhere.
Jason (CT)
Keith- Does Thole's lack of power and avg defense make him a career backup?
Keith Law (2:15 PM)
If he can get on base at a .370 clip in the majors and play average defense, he's an everyday player. Have you seen what passes for an everyday catcher right now? Kendall? Bengie?
Nick (Milwaukee)
hey - its only 270 inches of snow. And wasn't it Molitor, not Yount?
Keith Law (2:16 PM)
Molitor had 2281 in Milwaukee (thank you, baseball-reference). Young was over 3000.
Jack (Chicago)
Hasn't Matt been spoiled by living in Chicago? 10 times the city Boston is. Nice work though finding a Midwestern girl...those NE girls....yikes.
Keith Law (2:17 PM)
I think I'd take Boston over Chicago (but New York over either). Although Phoenix is beckoning ... I understand you can buy a 2000 square foot house out there for only $19.95!
John (Detoit)
You meant 'Yount' right?
Keith Law (2:18 PM)
Yes - did I type something else?
Drew (Minneapolis)
Mark Teixeira is 995th on the all time hits list. When is the party?
Keith Law (2:18 PM)
When he reaches 994th.
Andy (Denver)
Did you make it to Snooze for breakfast in Denver before heading to Coors Field? What did you think?
Keith Law (2:19 PM)
Very good. Even with the wacko sitting next to me.
greg (harrisburg)
Reimold for AL ROY?
Keith Law (2:21 PM)
I'd probably go Romero, Niemann, Andrus.
Kyle (Phoenix, ARZ)
Bigger disappointement: Hosmer or Moustakas?
Keith Law (2:23 PM)
The Hosmer promotion was yet another inexplicable KCR move of the last 12 months, so I'm not holding his stats against him. Of course, I don't think the Hosmer promotion is even top five among inexplicable KCR moves with the Jacobs trade, the Yuni trade, playing Aviles when he was hurt, not overnighting Hosmer's prescription glasses, and the Gutierrez trade.
Jeff (NYC)
Keith, I read in Neyer's chat that you have a vote in the NL Cy Young award this year. Is this the only vote you have? How does the BBWAA determine this?
Keith Law (2:24 PM)
That's the only vote I have this year. The secretary of the BBWAA, Jack O'Connell, determines who gets the awards - I don't know his process.
Bill (Toronto)
There's no way people are going to vote for Romero which is a shame considering how good he's been after a lackluster minor league career. Any chance I don't have to hear "they should have taken Tulo" for a while at least?
Keith Law (2:25 PM)
Well, maybe when they find a long-term answer at shortstop.
Larry (NYC)
Hey Keith what do you think about the insane joba rules as of late having him go out there pitching 3 innings each? If 90% of this game is mental then you have to think the yankees are really screwing up this guy's game.
Keith Law (2:25 PM)
I thought when I saw him in late August that he didn't look like he knew whether he was coming or going on the mound.
Frank (Texas)
How good was the gutierrez for the rangers?
Keith Law (2:26 PM)
I'm still trying to find out what exactly Gutierrez did to make KC sour on him; before the season, they were gushing over him as the sleeper guy in their system. Then they trade him for a defensive catcher and a 5th outfielder. I'd like to at least hear the explanation.
Zeth (Altoona, PA)
Pedro Alvarez is basically a clone of Bobby Bonilla, right? (And this is not a bad thing)
Keith Law (2:27 PM)
It's not a similar skill set to me - more swing and miss and more raw power with Alvarez, plus the platoon split issue.
Jen (Pitts)
Organization farthest away from a winning season: Nationals, Orioles, Pirates, Royals?
Keith Law (2:28 PM)
Royals or Nationals.
Ryan (Pasadena)
Is it safe to assume Heyward isn't getting called up this year? Why not give the kid a taste?
Keith Law (2:29 PM)
As far as I know he's not coming up, for the reasons mentioned above about unnecessary callups.
Scott Feldman (Arlington, TX)
Any chance I sneak into the Cy Young consideration?
Keith Law (2:30 PM)
I think you'll get some votes for your W/L record, but he's not top 5 in the league right now. Greinke should run away with it, with Felix second.
Wyatt (Hoboken, NJ)
This is the first year in a long time where I am very excited about the Yankees doing well in the playoffs. The other years going in I always had some serious doubt about their chances. I think a St Louis vs NY World Series is coming. What do you think?
Keith Law (2:31 PM)
Best overall team in the majors. But they enter the playoffs with one really reliable starter. Burnett in the postseason? How confident are you?
Jeff (Tampa, FL)
Future Rays ace? Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson
Keith Law (2:32 PM)
Davis over Hellickson.
Klaw, I posed a question last week to Crasnick regarding Ken Macha and the likelihood of him keeping his gig in with the Brewers. He dismissed the idea outright saying it was the pitching dooming the team. Well, of course the loss of Sheets and Sabathia hurts, but doesn't the manager also have to take some heat for this as well? Also, I'm not real sure Ken Macha even has a pulse.
Keith Law (2:33 PM)
Pulling Mat Gamel from a PH appearance down four runs because TLR went to the pen for a lefty was absurd. Gamel : Brewers :: Posey : Giants.
Allen (Lubbock)
How good do you think Clayton Kershaw is going to become? Are we talking a decent starter or a guy who is going to be a future Cy Young winner?
Keith Law (2:33 PM)
Cy Young potential.
CC (New York)
Sorry Scott, Zach, and Felix...I think I got this Cy Young thing just about wrapped up. After all, I DO pitch for the greatest franchise in the history of sports franchises.
Keith Law (2:33 PM)
I'm sorry, I can't believe I didn't think of that.
Keith Law (2:33 PM)
Thanks for the questions - I'll be back next week.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.


text:
Learn To Take Pictures With These Simple Tips
You need to have some knowledge of what to look for and expect from bettering your photography skills. You need to know what resources are available to you and who can provide you answers as to what you need for your future best wedding photographers in goa. The tips below can help you with how to start.
Change the direction of your camera's flash to avoid the appearance of red eye. When a flash goes off directly in line with someone's eyes, the result can be red eye. Reducing red eye will improve the quality of your pictures and give your subjects a more realistic appearance.
To create photographic images that resemble paintings, try having your photos printed onto matte or semi-gloss papers, then painting them by hand with photographic oils or pastels. These items can be picked up at most art supply stores and many camera shops. The most popular paints are made by Marshall's and are created specifically for use on photographs.
Make sure you're holding your camera properly to get the best photograph. You want to make sure you have your arms tucked against your sides and one hand should be under the lens to support it. This will help reduce any movement and insure that you're able to get good photos.
- If you are having difficulty holding your camera straight, purchase a tripod.
- A tripod will go a long way in helping to keep your camera in place, so you can focus on other variables other than balance.
- Tripods work great if you are in the wilderness or on an uneven terrain.
- A dSLR is a necessity if you're aiming to be serious about your photography.
These professional quality cameras allow you to view your photograph as you take the shot. Full frame DSLR cameras will provide the largest image sensor, enabling you to capture extremely detailed photographs.
The "S" stands for shutter speed. Use low shutter speed to get sharp pictures when capturing by professional photographers in punes. Set the shutter speed to higher speeds for creating a more experimental pre wedding photographers in pune picture. This is a cool feature to use when getting photos of fireworks or tail lights on a car. It is an easy way to get artistic features in your photos.
Blur the background when shooting photos of people. When the background is fully focused, it can detract away from your subject, making it harder for you to keep your viewer's attention on the right pieces of your photo. This loss of focus is achievable by increasing the distance between the person and the background.
Use a polarizing lens filter on your camera to minimize glare from direct sunlight and to create an even distribution of light. This is essential when shooting in direct sunlight, but also can be beneficial in any lighting situation.
Think of polarizing lens filters as sunglasses for your camera. They are inexpensive, easy to attach and have the added benefit of protecting your expensive lenses from scratches.
As you have seen in the above tips, there is a lot of knowledge you can acquire before learning how to better your own photography skills. Do everything you must to find out what you can do to take better shots and how to apply that to your future photos
Animation Used in Post Production Industry
Computer animation is the most demanded trends in the market today after jobs. The animation technology is getting simpler day by day due to the various effective and friendly softwares and so is the opportunities in this field. Many institutes are offering training and getting a good admissions for the courses.
Mostly it is done in the manual way. The first method is to create a series of cartoon frames and then combining together into a film. Another method was by using physical models. Here these models are placed and an image was captured. Similarly different physical models are selected having their captured image and these models are moved simultaneously. Thus the process continues.
But today all the above methods are replaced by the computer animations. In this animation is created using computer software using computer graphics. By computer graphics we can create moving images by the aid of computer. In both 2D and 3D format. Computer graphics is used to display images of any size on computer screens which would be impossible to display on normal condition. For this various algorithms and techniques are employed for generation computer graphics output. Animation involves moving the camera in a more technical way following the law of physics.
Computer animation can be made with the help of computer and software. Cinema 4D, Poser, Amorphium etc are some of the example of software used for this purpose. Numerous software product choices are accessible and costs to differ as per the sophistication of the projects.
Animators add their creative skills and perfection in their projects that is the only reason for a good animation. Their creative vision gives a liveliness to the virtual object that seems like a real one.
Forms of Animation:
Scripting System is the oldest used method where the animator writes a script in animation language
Behavioral Animation: It is also simulates procedural animation where an object behaves following the instructions given by the animator.
Procedural animation: It is a type of animation that automatically generates as a result of other action.
Computer animation is used in various fields like movies, advertising, video games, web designing etc. This industry is gaining popularity from the last few years because of its wide range of applications.
How to Present The Concept of 3D Animation?
The presentation that will grab the attention of the customers must deal with the technology. There are some of the ideas which are definitely keeping you higher than what you expect for the whole. There is issue which is needed to be explained in a way to make it quite clear.
To present the project with the help of 3D animation is really a boon in the field of corporate sectors and the industrial purposes. There are some of the ideas that are simply made live with the help of proper animation. Creative arts are needed to be ensured with time and perfection. All these are taken with the ideology to create something new and innovative. These are taken with the ideology to perform best in terms of marketing.
Creativity is there all over the place now you need to pick and choose the format by which you can deliver it. Fundamental aspects will remain the same but the process will really differ in logic. The presentation will certainly help you to get a laud format.
Creating a valuable message with the whole concept is a new aspect. All the ideas will relieve in a way to get into a fundamental aspect. Even if you are going for a new momentum then it must be assured with the physical satisfaction of the visual expectation.
It acts as an effective device that helps in transforming you from the present world to a state of illusory. The unique and innovative presentation helps in lifting the brand identity of that company. The main goal of the company to pull the traffic's attention to the presentation in such a way they will be absorbed into the format and they are completely enthralled.
If you are interested in promoting a product, then you have to be very careful about the presentation and make sure that it will be of high standard and of rich quality. Before the presentation, it is always advisable to have a storyboard where you will have to write down the procedure of the presentation so that it will be easy for you to present it in the correct sequential pattern. Through the presentation using 3D animation, the entire history of the product should be given in brief as it will be possible for the prospective buyers to capture the basic information about the product.
The interior designers, interior decor as well as entrepreneur are very much skilled in this parameter and they work efficiently. They have a fair knowledge about the concept of the art of the 3D animation studio and will work accordingly. They are very much dedicated towards their work and they understand the interest of the customers'.
All the companies who have adopted this art of 3D format are soaring high in the sky and have earned its fame and popularity. They will be successful in promoting the product and they will be identified across the world due to its brand image and can earn its success.
Flash Animation And Its Basic Features
Animation companies come up with so many different types of technologies every now and then. Flash animation is one such technology. It is an animation type created with the help of Adobe Flash platform. Since the mid-2000s, It became very popular and since then it is being used on a very large scale. Any video making company makes sure that their animators are well-equipped with this animation technology.
The basic features of flash animation include media effects, drawing tools and simple and complex interactions. Let us the basic features in details:
Drawing Tools
Simple graphics and illustrations can be created in Adobe Flash with its drawing tools. Flash then saves these graphics as vector images. Vector-based images are smaller as compared to the bitmaps. Hence they are much advantageous and the animation files can be stored in lesser space. For making quick drawings, flash animation is very useful and better option than using other sophisticated drawing applications.
Media Effects
Media effects are categorized into animation, video, sound or audio and slideshows. I am going to explain step by Step.
In animation, you take the image created with Flash drawing tools and then you do the following things:
- Change the image size.
- Move the image to other places
- Change in color or brightness of the image
- Rotation of the image
- Any combination of the above
Different objects may have their own animation properties as well. The development of complex animation can need other software.
Sound or audio and video
The animators can add sound or audio effects and also videos to the flash animation.
Sounds make a video more effective.
Slideshows that have audios or videos are created using Flash.
For controlling the animations in Flash, user interactions like buttons, menus and programmed effects can be used.
For tasks like starting or stopping the animated videos, buttons can be used.
2. Menus
These are similar to buttons and used for web navigations.
3. Programmed effects
Complicated interaction functionalities can also be used in Flash.
The 3d, 2d Flash Video Services are blooming every day. The competition is very high and every flash animation company makes efforts to make the best videos. Videos attract more customers and its helpful in growing business online.
Tips To Choose a Postcard Printing Company
Postcards have been a medium of communication among people living at a distance earlier. Family friends and relatives used to connect with each other over postcard letters. Even business information was also exchanged through them. No longer are these existent. However, companies are trying to revive the use of postcards however in a different manner. Several types of prints are used on them to give them all new definition. Businesses are now using them to advertise their services and maximize their business goals.
Check out the printing options
When it comes to printing postcards, you get a carried number of printing options. Check out a local printing house for the options they provide at printing. Make sure to choose a company that offers more than one printing options. This way you can be sure that your printing needs will be taken care of in a well-organized manner. Check out their catalogs, brochures and other such things to find out what they offer.
Make use of offset printing
Offset printing is known to be the best printing method in the market. If you are a starter, this can be a cost-effective option for you. And if the printing is in bulk, this will be an added advantage. Business, companies and other such organizations can take the advantage of this opportunity when they have to send out a large number of cards.
Another advantage of offset printing is that it helps in maintaining the consistency and color perfection. Thus, look for printers that promise to keep up industry standards and has a genuine certification.
Determine your time frame
If you are on a tight schedule make sure to choose companies that are capable of delivering same day postcard printing in NYC. This will give you flexibility as well as efficiency in work. At the same time make sure you are guaranteed to get best quality printing.
Look for customized printing services
If you have a preference, go for a company that offers custom postcard printing in Astoria. If you need the same you should be making sure to choose the best company that provides similar services. Sending personalized postcards to business contacts is a brilliant idea to enhance your business. In the long run, these cards will remind them the services your company provides. You can also use them to promote your business. You can also put all the necessary business information, offers and discounts and promote all upcoming events in them. In a way, they improve your branding strategies and are found to be effective.
Get a quote
The last but not the least thing is to get quotes from different printing houses. This will help you be in your budget. But never disregard considering the quality. This is because quality comes first. Do not compromise the quality of the postcards for a few bucks.
So, when you are considering the above facts you can be sure that you are choosing the best printing house. Now it is for you to decide what you want in your postcards.
3D Animation And Its Types
The Animation keeps an essential place in the world of media, in fact, it is everywhere in the virtual world. Talking about the definition and meaning of animation, it is normally described as the technique of making the mirage of movement and the mirage of creating a change by using the quick display of a series of images that vary to one another negligible.
The concept is to create an impression of continuous motion by making use of rapid display of pictures that minimally vary from one another. Talking more about the ideas, to make the illusion, the motion works on the principles of phi phenomenon.
In the ideas about 3D Animation, the pictures used are 3 dimensional. The fact that it is so satisfying to the eyes would be the fact it can be found from all potential directions and follow almost all of the natural laws of Physics. This will make the 3D animation appear so realistic. The individuals who are specialized in the art of animation often known as animators. Let's take a look at the various types.
Types of 3D Animation –
There are several types of 3D Animation techniques. In the recent times, it has been used extensively which include fine work of art of the 21st century such as toy story, despicable me, frozen, Shrek, how to instruct your own dragon, and many others.
The essential types of 3D Animation are Claymation, Motion Capture Animation, Stop Motion Animation, and CGI- Computer Created Photographs. Every one of these types makes full use of techniques depending on the backgrounds, objects, and puppets which are computer-generated, and crafted by hands as well.
If we begin talking about each of the mentioned type stop-motion animations is a technique where almost all the 3D characters and the background are created and crafted by hands. All the things which have been created by hands are organized as per the requirement of the scene and after that, the pictures are clicked. Claymation makes utilization of clay models and is actually a type of stop-motion animation. CGI has utilized in every non-animation based film.
Comparing the animation techniques of a past era to the computer-based techniques of the contemporary, the art of animation has come a long, long way. Not to mention, it includes also saved lots of time that were first used in drawing images of the animated characters.
Best of Injection Moulding Service With Tools
One can see injection moulded products everywhere ranging from small parts to large casings for equipments. Manufacturers of consumer and industrial products may choose to have their own in-house injection moulding division or better still, outsource it to specialists.
Why employ injection moulding services? The answer is that injection moulding is a sophisticated and highly precise process where a number of factors affect the product's appearance, characteristics and also price.
There are many aspects to design in injection moulding:
Product design: This aspect needs very careful consideration to get it right on all counts. The designer must consider appearance of the product, its structural strength, the material to be used for injection moulding and the mould type that will be used for its production to make it easy for mould designers and for the process itself. This is a skill only very experienced professionals in injection moulding services possess.
Mould design: A variety of factors go into the process of mould design. The mould designer will base his mould design on the product design. Another consideration is how many cavities the mould should have, dictated by the quantity required to be produced. Longevity of the mould will dictate the material used in making moulds. Materials used for moulds can range from hardened steel to prehardened steel, aluminium and copper. Each has different thermal and dimensional characteristics as well as longevity. The material used for moulding is another important consideration. Melting point, flow rate, structural integrity of product, shrinkage, speed of production, size of the product and also the machine on which the mould will be used are all factors that must be considered with great care. The designer needs to consider the draft or ejection angle and also the size of gates through which material is injected into the cavity. Matters can become quite complicated when one considers the use of hot runner moulds where the designer has a tough challenge to design all the intricate parts, heating arrangement and placement of nozzles, manifolds, hot valves and heaters for optimal performance, especially when the mould is large and has multiple cavities.
Cost optimization: A mould designer also needs to factor in cost optimization. Just focusing on the material to be used, machine on which mould will be mounted and the mould design is not sufficient. Cost optimization is equally important especially in bulk production. Experienced designers have full knowledge about various thermoplastic materials and know just how thick or thin the walls need to be, where to place ribbing and supports to impart structural strength with minimum use of material. Reduction of waste in the final moulded product is another thing to be considered.
Plastic injection moulds are expensive and take a lot of time for manufacture especially if they are complicated and have multiple cavities in a hot runner design. It is usual to first design a sample mould to find if the design concepts work and, if not, to carry out modifications after the testing. Testing is carried out for viscosity to know fill rate and pattern. Tests on the gate seal let engineers know if they have to adjust tooling to ensure full sealing. Testing is also carried out for mould temperature, coolant flows, pressure, fill time and melt temperatures to optimise the process of moulding. Testing and quality control assures perfection in the mould manufacture and eliminates rework that can be quite expensive.
Just creating a perfect mould for the process is not sufficient. It must be matched with the injection moulding machine to ensure consistency in the moulded product. The process, of course starts with mould design and then extends to manufacturing where the machine, usually with computer control, enables operators to set various parameters.
Professionals in Ealing Can Help You Transform Your Home or Business
It may be time for a brand new look, and with the help of painters and decorators in Ealing, it isn't hard to accomplish. They can help you to come up with the best concept for the changes. They will make sure you are happy with what they plan to do and the cost involved. You may have very specific ideas or you may need them to come up with a creative idea for you.
What can they Offer?
Most painters and decorators in Ealing are very creative, and the sky is the limit! There isn't much they aren't willing to dive in and do. They thrive on bringing those concepts to live before your eyes. They know how to use various tools, techniques, and types of supplies to create something original and remarkable.
When it comes to painters and decorators in Ealing, their skills and dedication can greatly vary. You need to hire a professional who is easy to work with and communicates well. They need to have skills but also be passionate about helping you obtain top notch results. Don't dive in without doing your homework about them. You don't want to be disappointed with the work!
What is the Scope of your Project?
Some projects are very small and others are quite elaborate. Make sure the painters and decorators in Ealing you want to do the work are able to handle the size of project you have in mind. They should offer you a free consultation where you can discuss the scope of your project. This is the ideal time to show them where the work will be completed.
They can share with you the different phases they will need to put in motion for the project to be completed. If it is for your business, you may be concerned about how the work will affect your employees or your day to day business operations. Is it possible for them to work on the project after hours to reduce such interruptions?
Before you reach out to painters and decorators in Ealing though, have a good idea of their work quality. It shouldn't be hard to get a look at pictures from their website or feedback from other clients. When you do consult with them, ask them to show you before and after images of jobs they have done. This will help you to see the spectrum of their services.
How long will it take for the job to be completed? Keep in mind, they may need to spend plenty of time removing old materials and prepping the surface. They need a good foundation to be able to create the new look upon. The amount of time will depend on the complexity of the project and all it entails. They should be able to share with you how long it will take from start to finish.
The painters and decorators in Ealing also need to share with you the cost of the project before they dive in. You need to feel confident the price is fair and it fits in your budget. Depending on who you hire, a deposit may be required at the time they get supplies and start the job. The balance will be due when it is completed.
For larger scale jobs, the contractor may ask you to pay a percentage of it at regular intervals as they progress with it. This is to ensure they have funds coming in while they take the allotted amount of time to complete the job for you. Such specifics should be in a written contract both parties sign.
Why is 3D Interior Rendering a Must For Architectural Projects?
Some of the designers are part of major 3D rendering companies in USA. These designers are well known for 3D interior rendering services. 3D interior rendering is a process in which the interior designs of a particular building is converted into 3D designs. The 3D interior rendering helps a client to understand how the interiors will be done by an architect. An architect, on the other hand, can seek the help of a 3D interior rendering services company to get their work done.
The architects always have a handful of projects and attention has to be given to other projects as well. When an architect is stuck with a client over one project, it becomes a huge problem. Sometimes, after a project has been completed, the client might say that he thought the project would look different. Hence, with 3D interior rendering, the architect saves time for both himself and the client, and will also ensure a smooth and great finished architecture. 3D interior rendering services not only help in this aspect but in many aspects. Here are some of the important uses of opting for a 3D interior rendering service.
During a rendering process, the designers actually use real-life furniture's, colors, and textures in the design process. This is extremely important during a construction because this will give an idea to the client as to how the finished project will look like. It also gives a sense of satisfaction and relief to him and he won't be bothered much about design failure.
3D visualizations are much cheaper than real-life exhibits. If a client wants to see a model, the architect has to set up the entire room which will cost him a lot of money. However, with a 3D design, that problem is actually solved. The client knows how it would turn out and invest without a speck of doubt. If there are errors, it can be corrected in a 3D render. But the same can't be applied for real-life exhibits and will cost even more money.
3D designs enable easy approval of any project. The client will give a go-ahead easily as soon as he sees the design. Even if he provides a feedback, it can be rectified without trouble. This makes the construction faster.
Weekly Review: Re:Zero
Our main protagonist in the series is a high school student known as Subaru. Subaru is the lazy type that prefers to stay locked up in his room playing games and such. He has no real aspirations for life, which he lives a moment at a time. On his way back from a convenience store one night he suddenly appears into another world. As he looks around, confused, he identifies the world as a fantasy land. His gaming instincts kick into gear as he starts assessing his surroundings. He finds that he speaks the same language as the people here, but his clothes and currency are no good. The items he has on his person from his world are also unknown to this, items such as his cell phone.
While sitting down in an alley contemplating his first move, and waiting for a gorgeous woman to present herself to him like in most fantasy situations, he is attacked by a group that want his items. Thinking in the mindset of a game and that he should have super strength, he punches the first two and goes for the third. When the last foe pulls out a knife, he woefully bows in front of him and pleads for his life as they kick the crap out of him. During such time, he is rescued by a beautiful girl with silver hair who has the ability to wield magic.
When he awakens from his beaten state, he finds that he is fully healed, no doubt by the silver haired maiden. She bids her goodbye as she was tracking down a thief, but Subaru begs to help her so he can repay her. Along their day searching, they help a young girl who was separated from her mother. Subaru also learns that the girl's name is Satella, and that she is a half-elf. She is actually quite shocked when he is not fearful of her.
Their quest to find a thief, as they learn her name is Felt, they venture into the slumps. They find themselves at a old storehouse that is a hub of sorts for stolen goods. Subaru says he will enter the creepy place first, so he walks in and tries to make himself around the pitch black room. What he finds inside is a man, slumped up against the counter, and blood all over the place. By the time he realized what had happened here, he had already been sliced and was lying on the floor. Before he lost his life, he saw his friend, Satella, enter the storehouse and also lose her life.
Then he is suddenly standing in front of a merchant in the middle of town. Cool, right? The story quickly unravels that this is no ordinary person in an ordinary world. Every time that Subaru dies, he is taken back to a certain point in time. For the first few episodes, it is the moment he is standing in front of a merchant moments after being transported to this fantasy world.


text:
IKEA's Top 15 Student Essentials
From assembling flat pack furniture in our shiny new pads to taking day trips with the sole purpose of an impromptu meatball dinner, IKEA will guide us through what will become some of our most formative memories in our youthful years. Whether you're in student halls, or have taken the plunge and found yourself a shared flat, who better than IKEA to give you tips and tricks on how to kit out your nests this year? So to help you become a DIY interior designer pro and prep both your home and your hearts for the thrill of the new academic year, and of course Freshers' Festival, here are IKEA's top fifteen student essentials.
MÅLARNA Blackboard Planner
Flatmate stolen the last of your peanut butter? Why not remind them by writing a note on this blackboard planner. Ideal for shopping lists and passive aggressive messages.
Price: £29
JÄLL Laundry Bag With Stand
Fleeing the nest and becoming independent means one thing: doing your own laundry (well, at least during term time). This laundry bag and stand is only a few pennies and the perfect size for even petite chambres.
Price: £2.50
HÖSTÖGA Bedding
Get cosy with this cute cotton bedding that includes a double quilt cover and four pillowcases. Everything you need for a good night's kip.
Price: £13
ADILS/ LINNMON Table
From beer pong to revision notes, this no fuss table is an easy to assemble and a crucial member of home décor. Size 100 x 60cm.
Price: £16
Available in a range of different colours, this swivel chair is a budget-friendly solution to midnight essay writing.
Price: £29
DOKUMENT Magazine File
Coming in a two pack, these sleek magazine files will store lecture notes and textbooks that are easy to grab and organise.
Price: £6
FLITIGHET Dinnerware
This 18 piece dining set includes bowls and variously sized plates to give you everything you need for a student feast. If this gives you some culinary inspiration, why not swing by IKEA's student night for a VR tour of your dream kitchen?!
Price: £16
CHOSIGT Ice lolly Maker
For hot summer months, rustle up your own ice-lollies for trips to the park with these vibrant ice lolly makers.
Price: £2
KLOCKIS Clock
Coming with four different settings, clock, thermometer, alarm and timer, this stylish clock is a multi-functional time traveller.
Price: £4.50
HELMER Drawer Unit
Nab excellent storage space with this draw unit on castors, complete with slot label to more easily organise clothing and knick-knacks.
Price: £30
REDA Food Container
Pack up that spag bol for lunchtimes in the library with this five pack of food containers, with varying sizes to suit varying munchies.
Price: £2
TEJN Rug
Keen for stylish interiors that are kind on your bank balance? Nab this gorgeous and super soft rug, ideal for Scottish winters.
Price: £10
SKUBB Storage
Keep your party pants separate from your skinny jeans with this six-compartment storage hanger for easy access in wardrobes. Looking for other affordable furnishings? Don't forget to grab all you can eat furniture with discounts at IKEA's student night.
Price: £7
GRUSBLAD Duvet
Get a good night's sleep that's bedder than the rest with this 7.5 tog duvet.
Price: £12
KOPPLA USB Charger
Since most halls or small abodes will be starved of enough plug sockets to accommodate all phones, laptops and tablets, this 3-port USB Charger is crucial for any student home.
Price: £7.90
Psyched by the prices of these student essentials? You'll be delighted to know that IKEA will be throwing their own student night on Tuesday 19th September at the Edinburgh store from 6pm – 8pm. Come with your pals to enjoy workshops and massive discounts on furniture and goodies, from VR tours and caricatures to all you can eat furniture!
Make sure to keep up to date with the latest IKEA events and offers here and don't forget to grab further discounts and goodies with FREE VIP tickets to this year's Freshers' Festival.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
PSA/Peugeot-Citroen said it plans to invest 175 million euros ($238,000) over the next two years to build turbocharged versions of its new low-emission, three-cylinder gasoline engine family.
PSA will build 320,000 units of a new 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine annually in Douvrin, northern France, starting in 2012.
The French automaker has already said it will produce 640,000 naturally aspirated versions of the three-cylinder engine in Tremery, eastern France, also starting in 2012. Those engines will have 1.0- and 1-2-liter displacements.
The Douvrin engine factory is a joint venture with Renault. It opened in 1969 and last year produced 1.3 million engines, including 942,000 units for PSA.
PSA has not said which cars will get the new three-cylinder engines, but industry insiders expect the powerplants to go in cars such as the Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 minicars, Citroen C2 and C3 small cars, and Citroen C4 and Peugeot 308 subcompacts.
PSA CEO Philippe Varin said in a statement that the new engines will help the company to continue to be a leader in producing low-carbon vehicles.


text:
Ooma Joins the Consumer Electronics Association
Industry Association Aligns Company for Continued Growth
Palo Alto, CA - Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
ooma, Inc. today announced it joined the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $173 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. ooma plans to leverage the membership to expand industry relationships and to help boost customer demand for its home phone system.
"The CEA membership and its inherent benefits of a solid network of industry players serves to strengthen ooma's position in the consumer electronics industry," said Rich Buchanan, ooma Chief Marketing Officer. "We are committed to the goal of offering a high quality and economical consumer electronic alternative to the home telephone."
The CEA sponsors a variety of events for the industry, including its flagship event, International CES. CES is set to occur January 8-11, 2009 in Las Vegas. ooma will have a presence at the show, exhibiting in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Today, more than 2,200 companies benefit from CEA membership, which includes legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships.
About Ooma, Inc.
Ooma (NYSE: OOMA) creates powerful connected experiences for businesses and consumers, delivered from its smart cloud-based SaaS platform. For businesses of all sizes, Ooma provides advanced voice and collaboration features that are flexible and scalable. For consumers, Ooma provides PureVoice HD voice quality, advanced functionality and integration with their mobile devices. Ooma's groundbreaking home security solution delivers a full range of wireless security sensors that put consumers in charge of protecting their homes or business. Learn more at www.ooma.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:Mike Langberg
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
phone: 650-566-6693
INVESTOR CONTACT:Matt Robison
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
phone: 415-661-0470


text:
The LA premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier is tomorrow but for media, the film screened even earlier, playing last night to extremely positive reactions, with some going as far as to say it's the best film by Marvel Studios to date. After hearing good things about the Captain America 2 screenplay from our insiders before Phase 2 even began, it's good to know that they were right.
What's good for fans however, is also good for the film's directors. We learned a month ago that Marvel Studios reportedly wanted Anthony and Joe Russo back to direct Captain America 3 but at the time, negotiations had yet to begin. Now that we're in the final stretch of pre-release marketing for The Winter Soldier and the film is beginning to screen, the Russos are finally able to chime in on that front and have confirmed that they will indeed be back to tell another Captain America adventure.
Don Kaye had the opportunity to interview the Russo brothers on our behalf, along with the writers and cast of the film, earlier today. We'll have full interviews up later but we can say that they revealed to him that they are indeed, officially returning to direct Captain America 3 and are currently in the process of breaking its story with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They have also read the script for The Avengers: Age Of Ultron so they know exactly where Cap will be when they pick up the ball again.
The fact that Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige not only wants the Russos back, but are looking to continue working with the writing pair of Markus and McFeely (read our on-set interview with them here)- who worked on Cap 1 & 2 along with Thor: The Dark World - speaks volumes to their confidence in the quality and success of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the idea of keeping people around who they trust and want to continue building the Marvel Cinematic Universe with.
The news is doubly good when looking back two years ago, to a time when directors were dropping like flies from Marvel Studios productions. This trend was highlighted when Patty Jenkins was brought in to helm Thor 2 after Kenneth Branagh decided not to return but was subsequently dropped due to creative differences. Jon Favreau had also decided to not direct Iron Man 3 after, claiming the studio wasn't sure what they were going to do with the next installment. It didn't help that Iron Man 2 was rushed into production without a complete script and released to mixed reception from critics and fans.
With no current plans for Iron Man 4, we don't know if Shane Black will direct another film for the studio, and from chatting with Thor: The Dark World director Alan Taylor about his experiences working for Marvel, we wouldn't expect him to return for Thor 3 either. So, in addition to Joss Whedon, that makes the Russos the only other other directors locked to return. It also makes Captain America 3 a safe bet as one of the Phase 3 films releasing before The Avengers 3.
With two of the next four unannounced Marvel films after Ant-Man in 2016-17 likely representing new properties, that leaves only Thor 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as candidates for the other followup release before The Avengers 3, unless of course Hulk gets a new movie and that counts as a sequel in the eyes of Marvel boss Kevin Feige (read our on-set interview with Feige here).
We're rather certain one of the new properties is Doctor Strange and the studio is already looking at potential directors for that. If the other is The Inhumans, which Feige has namedropped before, that could double - as we've said before - as a quasi-sequel to Guardians as well, leaving from for Thor 3 after all.
Expect lots of Captain America-related news in the coming days as we begin to post our video interviews with the cast. And for now, read our recently posted on-set interviews (that we conducted last summer) with them here:
- Chris Evans Interview
- Sebastian Stan Interview
- Anthony Mackie Interview
- Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios President of Production) Interview
- Anthony & Joe Russo (Directors) Interview
- Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Writers) Interview
More: Captain America 2 After-Credits Spoilers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is produced by Kevin Feige, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp and Hayley Atwell, with Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014, The Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015, Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, and unannounced films for May 6 2016, July 8 2016 and May 5 2017.
Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes for your Marvel movie news!