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Electronics And Photo – Phones

Daily Tech Deal: Tesco discounts Acer Aspire 5332 to 347

Tesco is currently running, what it refers to as, a "Price Crash" on laptops. We're not sure that the price drop is significant enough for them to have crashed, but the six laptops featured seem to be good value compared to other retailers. You get a choice of four Acer and two Toshiba models, which includes the Acer Aspire 5732Z with Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, with a 15.6-inch screen and Windows 7 Home Premium for 397.

Another Acer model worth mentioning is the Acer Aspire 5332 coming with an Intel Celeron Dual-Core T3000, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive a 15.6-inch screen and Windows 7 Home Premium for 369. If, however, you fancy spending a little more then the Toshiba L500-19Z gets an Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive a 15.4-inch screen and Windows 7 Home Premium for 479. A full list of the products available can been found via this link 1 and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

References ^ can been found via this link (direct.tesco.com) Continue reading

Tesco cuts price of unlimited broadband to 2 per month

Tesco has slashed the price of its entry-level unlimited broadband deal to just 2 per month. The broadband provider is offering cut-price internet services when households also sign up for Tesco line rental at 14.90 per month. Tesco Broadband with Inclusive Evening & Weekend calls offers high-speed broadband, with consumers able to download as much data as they like.

Customers receive inclusive evening and weekend calls, and are entitled to a free set-up when they take out a 12-month contract. They also receive Tesco Clubcard points on each bill. To take advantage of the 2 unlimited broadband offer, subscribers need to quote the '4OFF' promotion code during registration.

This sees the cost of unlimited broadband cut from the normal 6 per month to 2 per month for a whole year. After 12 months, the price reverts back to 6 per month plus line rental. Tesco also offers an Anytime calls option for customers wishing to use their landline at peak times.

The firm's Broadband with Inclusive Anytime calls package is priced at 6.50 per month plus line rental.

Tesco also recently launched a new router, in a bid to improve the user experience for its broadband customers.

Subscribers signing up for a home phone and broadband package now receive a Wireless Technicolor 582N Pro router. "The 582N Pro is industry-recognised as best in class, and provides you with a fast, reliable service and wireless coverage to meet your digital needs," Tesco stated. Continue reading

Tesco offers unlimited broadband for just 2 a month

Tesco has dropped the price of its unlimited broadband service to just 2 a month. Tesco Clubcard members who take a Tesco landline at 14.90 a month will get their broadband at just 2 extra for the first 12 months. The service includes unlimited downloads and internet access, with inclusive evening and weekend calls to other UK landlines and 0845 and 0870 numbers.

Those looking for inclusive calls anytime of day or night can opt for a 6.50 a month broadband deal, taken alongside 14.90 a month line rental. After the first 12 months, the price goes up to 6 a month and 10.50 a month for the broadband respectively. Customers also receive one Clubcard point per 1 spent.

And those with Tesco Mobile already get an even better deal as there's an extra 2 off each package. That effectively means broadband is free with the evening and weekend calls offering. Tesco Broadband offers up to 14Mbps speeds, and customers get a Technicolor 582N Pro router as part of the package. "Slashing our broadband prices again this year means that for just 2 a month British families can download music, play games online and stream films to their hearts' content," said Tesco. "It is our way of rewarding Tesco customers and we hope it goes some way to lightening the financial load." You can find out more on the dedicated website at tescobroadband.com 1 .

References ^ tescobroadband.com (www.tescobroadband.com) Continue reading

Review of Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture by Charissa …

As soon as you walk into the cave-like entrance of this exhibition, large images of food, of family, of farming dance in front of your eyes to music. Words pop up; expressions used to describe ways we think about food. Delicious.

Healthy. Fast Food. Organic.

Breakfast. Play. Cooking.

The images and words continue to slowly pour into the space in time with the music and I feel rooted to the spot overcome with how pervasive food is in my life. Food says something about how we think of our bodies, our culture, and our world. The thread running throughout the exhibition woven into the objects, interactives, dioramas, and text gently reminds the visitor of how deeply influential food is to our lives.

There are implications and effects of how we get our food, how we use it, and how we think about it. The exhibitions focused on the topics of Grow, Trade and Transport, Cook, Taste, Eat, and Celebrate. It explores everything from where food starts to how it gets to our markets and kitchens and then how and why we eat it.

To start, visitors follow a pathway exploring different farming techniques and how certain foods have been manipulated and evolved to better suit our agriculture pursuits. Essentially, how we tamed the wild. Next, a diorama of an ancient Aztec market comes into view.

Hungry for iguanas and cactus leaves? Well, you ve come to the right place! The panels here discuss the many ways food was transported before the days of global trade.

More than that, it provides a snap shot of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. The curators have reached back through time in order to show an historical time of both familiar and unfamiliar. The diorama is also paired with two interactive screens for visitors to explore how global transportation is structured and operated presently.

The second half of the exhibition takes a look at how food is made all over the world and through history. Visitors are invited in to a kitchen to try a sample of the food theme of the week, learn a little bit about it, or try a taste test. The kitchen is well built: roomy, clean, and mirrors hanging from the ceiling so a large group can still watch the kitchen volunteers as they prepare the food samples.

Visitors transition into the culture portion from the kitchen. Here, meals and food specific to certain areas and time periods are displayed. Travel through time and space to get a glimpse into how and what people ate.

Catch lunch with a Chinese emperor, breakfast with Michael Phelps, or sit and chat with Jane Austen as she enjoys a frozen treat of ice cream. Although the front half of the exhibition is extremely text heavy, overall there is something there for all ages and backgrounds. Younger visitors who have not yet learned to read can still grasp a narrative through the objects.

Objects were placed throughout every part of the exhibition. Another amazing aspect of Our Global Kitchen is that visitors have opportunities to use all five of their senses. There are things to smell, things to taste, to touch.

Sounds are present throughout the exhibits as well in the form of music, background tracks for the dioramas, and videos. There were also a few interactive components as well for visitors to play with. One of these great components is a large, low standing table with an interactive screen top.

There are four stations for visitors, each station showing the process for cooking four different dishes. Visitors move through the video sequence of the cooking process using available buttons on the screen. They can restart, go back, or skip ahead to different parts of the cooking process for each dish.

The table is well designed so even if there is not a station free, there is still plenty of space to watch what is transpiring. On the website, visitors can find summaries of the main topics explored in this exhibition along with some videos and additional resources. The additional resources not only contain sites to visit for more information but ways in which people can be proactive in addressing the issues mentioned in Our Global Kitchen.

For instance, I can learn how to grow my own window farms, calculate my water usage, and ways I can make more sustainable choices about my food consumption. The gem among the technological entry points is the option for visitors to submit pictures of food and these photos are then displayed within the exhibition. Visitors use Instagram, an app for smart phones and ipads, to capture food they have either made, harvested, or about to eat.

At a kiosk next to the kitchen within the exhibition, visitors can sort and look through the photo galleries. This exhibition encapsulated the great feeling of diversity characteristic of New York: delicious, delicious New York City. Our Global Kitchen is a perfect marriage of locale and exhibition topic.

I have been exposed to more kinds of food here than I have anywhere else. You can try food from almost every corner of the world here in New York City and can get it anywhere, from the little corner stall to a four star restaurant. There was space in this exhibition for everyone no matter his or her background because food is something we all share in common.

James Clifford in Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century discusses ways in which museums can be contact zones: places where people meet who are separated by culture. It is a place of gathering, discovery, and discussion. His definition is an exact embodiment of this exhibition.

Through the magic of this topic and set-up, visitors find an engaging space not only to identify with but to explore others identities as well. This is a space for sharing of culture. The exhibition ends with the note of celebration.

Even though there are major issues of food consumption, farming, and distribution facing humankind as we move towards the future, it is the hope and strength of this commonality of food and celebration that will help carry us forward and find the solutions we need. Through our food, we celebrate and share our cultures. It is no mistake that meals are a time of fellowship.

Even though our cultures may be different, we can still all sit down to break bread together. Continue reading

Galaxy S4 S Health for diet, calorie and fitness … – Phones Review

The Samsung Galaxy S4 as we said is mind blowing and we gave you a few details on specs, now we want to pay a little more attention to the new Galaxy S4 S Health feature. The new Samsung Galaxy S4 features new sensors within as well as a built-in pedometer, thanks to this technology in this smartphone users will get the full benefit of tracking steps taken, it is also great for diets because this new feature will count the calories thanks to the database of common food items within, it will measure ambient humidity and temperature of the room you are in. S Health can cleverly sync with third-party glucose meters and blood pressure monitors via Bluetooth to check your health, Samsung is looking at fitness fans and will be releasing new accessories, one of these will be called the S Band that is a pedometer bracelet, this accessory is for those that do not wish to carry the 5-inch Galaxy S4 when they are doing certain activities.

When you have finished your fitness regime you just take the S Band and sync it with the phone, other things that will soon work with S Health include the likes of Body Scale a heart-rate monitoring bands. As soon as we know more about the accessories that will work well with the new Samsung Galaxy S4 S Health we will notify you ASAP. More information coming soon, what do you think so far?

See the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S3 right here, all comments most welcome.

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SMART Report Year End Review Shows Healthy Growth in Mobile …

By 2016 there will be more mobile devices in the world than people. Crazy, huh? The UN projects say 7.3 billion people versus Cisco s prediction of 10 billion devices.

Looks like that will be the year the machines rise up and take over the planet. All hail Skynet! Until then, we can look forward to a few more years of healthy growth in the area of mobile advertising.

Millennial Media has the scoop in their special Year in Review edition of S.M.A.R.T.. Let s start with the vertical explosion. 12 different verticals grew spend by over 100 percent year-over-year on our platform.

Government Services led the way, and grew 860 percent (primarily driven by election spending). What I get from this is that mobile advertising isn t just for retail and restaurants. They re number one by spend, followed by entertainment, but they ve been at this since the beginning.

Now, everyone is getting in on the mobile game employment, travel, personal services, health and fitness, even energy and power are paying out to keep you informed while you re on the go. Post-Click Action The most popular post-click actions in 2012 was the app download. 37% of campaigns went that route, followed closely by Site Search (29%) and Store Locator or View Map (21%).

Video was a big trend in 2012, but only 16% of mobile campaigns asked folks to watch and an equal amount promoted m-commerce. Place Call was the least used action on the chart (9%) which just goes to prove that few people use their mobile phones to actually call people. The action I d like to see is Place Text.

Last week, I was calling around to a dozen stores to find packing peanuts. Every person who answered the phone wanted to engage me in conversation and by the fifth call all I wanted was a yes or a no. From the business end, I understand why they want me on the phone, but from a consumer end it was a waste of time.

If I could look up the stores on my mobile phone, then click to text them the question, it would have saved me an hour of dialing and chatting. Programmers think about this option the next time you re working on an ad campaign or mobile site. Targeting Moms are always high on the target list when it comes to web and social media, but on the mobile side, not so much.

Moms came in tenth overall for 2012. The only time they topped the list was during back-to-school. Millennial Media says that IT Decision Makers were the most targeted users on their ad network.

They were followed by Gadget Geeks, In-Market Auto Buyers, Business Travelers and Small Business Decision Makers in that order.Seems like a very male oriented list. You have to drop to 6th place to hit Avid Shopper which explains why m-commerce as an option was so low. Location targeting was also very important with 40% of CPG spend on their platform included some form of location-based targeting.

All in all, it was a good year for mobile advertising and we re just getting started. As we move through 2013, mobile ads are becoming more interactive and creative and that s a plus for marketers and consumers. It s time to test the boundaries.

Just one word of caution if your mobile device starts shopping while you re sleeping it might be time to pull the plug on the wireless router. Continue reading

Charming Their Way Into Makeup Bags and Hearts, the New …

That s the new Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in Hot Pink ($9.95) on my lips, available now at drugstores and online Why do I find little dangling charms so irresistible? Charms on just about anything, like phones, bracelets, the ends of pens and pencils, tubes of Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain The Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stains in Red and Hot Pink Charmed, I m sure. Maybe it s the way they sparkle when I wiggle them around.

It triggers some kind of primitive cave girl thing Whatever it is, those silvery high-heel charms are charming the heck out of me. And speaking of charming, that s actually their schtick except with regard to pants, as in charming the pants off you. These two new pigmented, $9.95 gloss/stain hybrids in Red and Hot Pink, like the Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush in Rose we looked at before, are designed to do just that.

With ingredients like horny goat weed and a musky vanilla scent, they re supposed to evoke a sultry state of mind while tinting lips with a long-lasting lip stain and a satiny finish. Truth be told, I haven t yet felt the urge to bump Barry White and crawl all over a rotating heart-shaped bed while wearing either of these shades but I do feel like raising my hands in the air and waving them around like I just don t care, which is something I normally do for drugstore versions of high-end makeup products. These remind me of those $32 Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stains Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain applicators in Hot Pink on the left and Red on the right Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain swatches in Hot Pink on the left and red on the right Wearing the Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in Red Mind you, they re not exact dupes.

The Sexy Boosters feel heavier and thicker to me, and I think the ones from YSL last longer (I get from 5-6 hours out of these, versus 6-8 hours from the YSLs) and shine brighter. Um and I prefer the YSL version s understated cherry blossom flavor and scent to the stronger musky vanilla these have going on (lingers for about two hours, egad ), but nothing s perfect, I guess. You know what, though?

Even with a couple quibbles, I still think these are great. What a value for the price. For less than 10 bucks, Physicians Formula delivers a pigmented, moisturizing gloss stain in ultra cute packaging.

Great job, PF.

PRICE: $9.95 each AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores and also online MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A- Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, Karen Continue reading

What Will Kids and Babies Who Grow Up with Google Glass be Like …

When Google Glass launches it will be used by kids as well as adults. This mockup based on a photo provided by Google shows one possible result of their wearable computer catching on for use by more than just adults. Babies and kids love smartphones and tablets: they re brightly colored, noisy, respond to touch and belong to adults.

Kids will probably love Google Glass, too. Everything Google has said and shown about their wearable computer involves adults and mostly rather serious pursuits such as getting directions, and doing Google searches. But when the device becomes available to buy later this year, children of all ages will begin using them, too.

A whole category of kid-centric Glass apps will likely emerge. The way that Glass responds to voice and head motions could be used to create some interesting games and educational apps, for example. Apps that help parents check up on their Glass-wearing kids, for example by streaming video from their point of view, will also surely appear.

Google s press shots of Glass rarely show more than one person wearing them at a time. But just as contemporary families can be seen together but each stroking a personal touch screen device, if Glass becomes popular family units will spend time together while each wearing a computer and display on their face. Most people at some point or another will have experienced a moment in which they realize the generation behind them has a very different relationship to technology - and hence to the world - than they do.

Glass, which mediates a person s relationship with the world more directly than other technologies, will likely produce its own share of such moments. Continue reading

Cell phone radiation standards review – Another sham?

(NaturalNews) Cell phone radiation standards, currently set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), do not protect the public from the adverse health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by cell phones. Fact. The recently published 2012 BioInitiative Report states "bioeffects are clearly established and occur at very low levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation.

This information now argues for thresholds or guidelines that are substantially below current FCC and ICNIPR standards." The report shines the spotlight on the link between exposure to EMFs and Autism, Fetal Exposure, Fertility, Alzheimer's Disease and other neurological and autoimmune disease effects. After 17 years, which equates to a lifetime with this kind of technology, the FCC is set to review these outmoded and obsolete cell phone radiation standards. The real concern lies in the impact from exposure to non-thermal electromagnetic fields.

As far as the FCC is concerned, if there is no heating effect, there is no effect. Cell phone radiation might not heat but it affects reproductive health, increases the metabolism of glucose by the brain, increases the risk for certain types of cancer, affects brain function, and disrupts normal sleep patterns. These are just a few of the ramifications of using a cell phone, substantiated by the findings of thousands of research studies.

The public expects, and deserves to be protected. These findings do not even address the harsh reality of what is being thrust upon the younger generation. Children are being exposed to the same risks as adults, risks which are only exacerbated due to their thinner skulls, greater tissue conductivity and smaller heads.

The FCC is known for its pro telecom industry stance, but this is not the case for other government bodies. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, "Exposure and Testing Requirements for Mobile Phones Should Be Reassessed," is very telling. The GAO states, "The FCC's current RF (radio frequency) energy exposure limit for mobile phones "may not reflect the latest evidence" and "may impose additional costs on manufacturers and limitations on mobile phone design." This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) classified radiation from devices like cell phones and WiFi as a 'Possible Human Carcinogen' (Class 2B).

Someone not afraid to speak out on the dangers of cell phones is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a respected neurosurgeon and the chief medical correspondent for CNN . Gupta has examined the research and recommends: Never hold the phone up to your head - always use a wired earpiece No phones for kids Avoid making calls when connections are compromised.

More radiation is emitted during these times. Joel Moskowitz from the School of Public Health at Berkeley recommends the FCC: Form a panel of professional experts who have no ties to the industry Empower the panel to come up with acceptable standards that protect the general public Implement these standards All good advice. Renee Sharp, one of the Environmental Working Group's directors, hopes the FCC can hear this kind of information and comments "the FCC has been wearing a blindfold for more than a decade, pretending that while cell phones were revolutionizing how we communicate; the agency didn't have to take a hard look at what this meant for its so-called safety standards." Will the FCC once again just succumb to the lobbying efforts of the telecommunications industry or seriously consider these recommendations?

Sources for this article include: http://www.prlog.orghttp://bgr.com/2012/06/15/cell-phone-radiation-fcc-review/http://www.lexology.comhttp://saferemr.com/ About the author: Lloyd Burrell is the author of a new ebook entitled "How To Beat Electrical Sensitivity" which offers a solution to the growing number of people whose health is being compromised by exposure to wireless and similar technologies, see www.electricsense.com/3-free-chapters.html Since falling prey to a violent reaction to his cell phone in 2002 he has spent the last 10 years researching the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on health. He now offers a complete solution on how to live a healthy life in our increasingly electromagnetic world. You can download his free EMF Health Report and subscribe to his newsletter by visiting his website http://www.electricsense.com/.

You can also follow him on Facebook , Twitter and Youtube.

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BabyPhone Mobile: Baby Monitor Review

The time when you monitored your baby through walkie talkies or installing complete surveillance systems to watch your kids are over. All you need now is two devices, one sender and one reciever and with this application your babay is safely monitored. Connect two android phones and/or Windows XP/Vista/7 devices to a mobile baby phone (baby monitor / baby alarm).

One device is the sender and placed near the baby. The other device is the receiver taken along. Starts audio transmission on noise and warns on broken connection.

The application is very simple and very easy to set up and handle. The features are easy to use and quite handy i can say. You can Talk-Back: Send voice messages from receiver to sender (baby), you can set noise threshold on receiver and easilly calibrate the microphone on sender, take a snapshot of your baby and even automaticly calibrated contrast for the night vision camera.

As you realize your baby is fully protected with android shield and you dont have to worry about battery running low or connectivity issues because the app will warn you about that as well. As you realize the app is quite simple, user friendly and serves perfectly the cause for what is made. The only thing that can make you think about it twice is the financial issue.

We don t live in a perfect world The application unfortunatelly is quite expensive because it needs licence to be fully functioning. The costs are: PRICE / COSTS:Use as Receiver (with parents): freeUse as Sender (with baby): License required LICENSE FEES:- Free Trial available (start without license)- 10 Days: 0,99 Euro- 30 Days: 2,69 Euro- Subscription: 2,50 Euro per month- License Number can be shared with all your devices with the restriction that only on Sender can be online at the same time. The developers explanation is quite logical but still is quite an issue.

Otherwise the application is a complete baby monitoring system for all you high tech parents.

Price: Licence Required Requirements: ANDROID:2.2 and up Google Play Link: Continue reading

The Hub Review: Baby's breath

One thing is clear about Lungs . You have to have amazing lung power to perform it. Particularly if, like the talented Liz Hayes (above, with the equally gifted Nael Nacer), you're trying to put over the nameless "W," who comprises only half the cast of Duncan Macmillan's two-hander (through March 10 at the New Rep), but who is talking for something like 90% of the script. "W" talks and talks.

And talks. She banters, she barters, she barks; she harries and harangues, badgers and berates, accosts and accuses. She never shuts up .

And this causes problems for Hayes, and Macmillan's play, too. It's not just that Lungs never gives its leading lady a chance to catch her breath; it's that her character's annoying volubility keeps drawing focus from what appears to be Macmillan's theme. The playwright seems to be attempting a kind of wry black comedy about the way millennial morals bleed into narcissism - for when "M" innocently suggests to "W" that they think about having a baby (he pops the question in IKEA, no less), she erupts not with happy surprise but instead with every save-the-planet clich in the Whole Earth Catalogue (remember that?), as well as every insecure accusation she can think of.

Indeed, unlike just about every other professional woman with an eye on the biological clock, "W" seems determined to find every and any excuse not to have a child. But therein lies the rub. As "W" rants on about her carbon footprint (so why not stop talking? ) and her doubts about her partner - he smokes (!), he needs a better job - we begin to realize that all her criticism isn't going anywhere constructive.

There's no plan for the future in the offing, and the possibility of adoption is never investigated - the conversation is just a cascade of her own issues; indeed, "W" sucks up so much oxygen that we begin to wonder why anyone in his right mind would want a child with her; for a gay man, watching these scenes is like peering through a secret window into the seventh circle of some special heterosexual hell. Indeed, such a neurotic display also forces us to consider these two constructs as characters , but Macmillan denudes them of all specifics (indeed, the stage is supposed to be completely bare, although the New Rep sneaks in a backdrop of what might be a bronchial tree). Thus this pair never really looks in the mirror; we suffer through all their symptoms, but we're denied a diagnosis.

So while "M" and "W" are presented as archetypes, they're hard to fathom; but then (surprise!) the playwright yanks the rug out from under us with a plot twist that not only renders his conflicted couple poignantly ridiculous, but also all but guarantees them a fund of audience sympathy. But wait! There's yet another twist - and a corresponding shift in tone - that pulls M&W back onto the road to parenthood, which this time they accept with no questions asked.

And yet there's more. Suddenly Macmillan accelerates into a fast-forward play-by-play that lands one of his characters in a nursing home, and the other in the grave. Ta-da!

The end. So where are we now? It's hard to say.

I'd argue that Macmillan has meant for the breezy irony of his final scenes to blow through the entire play - he's calling bullshit on an entire latte-sucking generation. But director Bridget Kathleen O'Leary's forte is perceptive empathy - so there's a built-in conflict, and a kind of funny hinge, in her production; halfway through, she seems to just give up and let the characters she has been trying to build up ever-so-carefully suddenly slip on Macmillan's biological banana peel and go splat. Although frankly, the performers look a little relieved.

And for the record, Liz Hayes does hang onto something like our sympathy through everything; this actress is such an open and likable presence that she's often cast to take the edge off obnoxious roles, and that helps her here; plus she has done her usual careful homework on the part, and beat by beat she's impeccable.

Hayes may actually be slightly upstaged by Nacer, though, who seems to always be at his best when he's just silently emoting ( The Aliens, Our Town ); here he manages to be adorable even when he's haltingly confessing to what amounts to adultery.

Indeed, the real (if unintentional) question raised by this production may be, Who wouldn't want to have this guy's baby? Continue reading

Review: Sci-fi cliches mar beauty of 'Crysis 3'

This video game image released by Electronic Arts shows a scene from "Crysis 3." (AP Photo/Electronic Arts) "Crysis 3" (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, $59.99) is a gorgeous game. Its creator, the German studio Crytek, has lived up to its promises that it will set a new benchmark for computer graphics. On a state-of-the-art PC, it's spectacular.

You probably don't have a state-of-the-art PC, but that's OK. I played "Crysis 3" on Microsoft's eight-year-old Xbox 360, and it still looks pretty good. If only all that beauty was in the service of something more interesting than another alien bloodbath.

Actually, "Crysis 3" throws two types of enemies at you: the alien Ceph and the human employees of CELL, a corporation that has built a giant dome over the ruins of New York City. As a supersoldier nicknamed "Prophet," your job is to get inside the Liberty Dome and figure out what CELL is up to. Prophet is equipped with a "nanosuit," a combination of human and alien tech that has two primary functions, armor and cloaking.

If you're the kind of player who likes to plunge right into firefights, you'll keep turning on the armor. If you'd rather avoid attracting attention from the Ceph, you can hit the cloaking switch for temporary invisibility. The nanosuit's other major feature is a visor that lets you scope out the battlefield before you rush in, pinpointing enemies as well as locating ammunition dumps and fresh weapons.

The visor also helps you hack enemy systems, so you can disarm minefields or turn turrets against their builders. Of course, Prophet has the usual assortment of firearms at hand, from pistols and sniper rifles to assault weapons and missile launchers. You can also pick up Ceph plasma weapons, which are somewhat more effective at obliterating the aliens.

The silent-but-deadly Predator bow is a little clunkier, but it does let you remain cloaked even while you're shooting electrified arrows. All this takes place in a New York City that will be unrecognizable to anyone who lives there now. Familiar neighborhoods like Chinatown and Hell's Kitchen are flooded or overgrown with vegetation, and there are only a few glimpses of landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge.

Right in the middle of the whole thing is a hydroelectric dam, which makes one wonder: Why is this set in New York? It's a shame, too, that the story is so cliched. I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing that there's a connection between CELL and the Ceph, and other plot twists are so baldly telegraphed that the only surprise is how long it takes the characters to figure them out.

And it wraps up with a desperately tedious boss fight that makes some of the best tools in Prophet's arsenal useless. Fortunately, "Crysis 3" comes with a robust assortment of multiplayer games. There are the expected variations on deathmatch, capture-the-flag and king-of-the-hill, but the real standout is "Hunter." It's a clever game of hide-and-seek in which nanosuit-clad hunters pursue less powerful CELL guards; any guard that gets killed joins the hunters.

The suspense is excruciating. For fans of first-person shooters, the solid online action may be enough to make "Crysis 3" a worthwhile purchase. If you're a PC gamer who wants to show off your new graphics card, it's probably essential.

But if you're looking for a fresh approach to video-game science fiction, you won't find it here. Two stars out of four. More information: www.crysis.com/us/crysis-3 Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Continue reading

APAMJ: Beauty Review: JC-8 Taiwan Handmade Eyelash (Upper)

JC - 8 TAIWAN HANDMADE EYELASH (UPPER) Formerly known as SHOPPINGHOLICS.COM . Now its called LOVESHOPPINGHOLICS.COM has a lot of lens you can choose from and they're readily available. Unlike some other stores where you wait by batch.

http://loveshoppingholics.com was set up in 2008, been providing lens to kawaii people for 4 years now so you know they can be trusted in terms of you getting your product. They have awesome customer service and replies right away when you have questions. They ship WORLDWIDE except Israel.

They offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders above $50. I always think that without lashes, the make up look is incomplete. The lashes make any make up look absolutely nice even though my make up application is crappy and experimental.

Hahaha! Anyway, these lashes are nice because it has a thin band and really soft hairs. It's not thick either so its very wearable for every day look.

If you want a glam/night look, you will need to apply two of these in one eye to thicken them. RATING: I love how it looks very natural and I love how its very affordable! Definitely lashes you can rock everyday :) Hope you like my review!

HAPPY VALENTINES to Everyone!!! Continue reading

APAMJ: Beauty Review: Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream …

Note: Try this product at your own risk. If it works for me, it does not mean it will work for you too. Everyone has different types of skin.

My skin consists of dry - combination - sensitive type of skin. LIOELE DOLLISH VEIL VITA BB CREAM (GORGEOUS PURPLE) YAY BB Cream Lovers Out There!! You will wanna check this out!

Awesome Awesome.. I love reviewing BB Creams.. I really love BB Cream!!!

So Most of you know what is BB Cream already but for those who are new in the make up world, BB Cream stands for Blemish Balm Cream. Its kind of like tinted moisturizer with very little coverage but has skin care properties like its very moisturizing, it has SPF (some of them), whitening, anti-aging etc. Really great especially if you don't need the coverage that a foundation offers.

This is the Official U.S. distributor of Lioele cosmetics in the U.S. since August 1, 2012.

They have so much kawaii things from make up to skincare to Beauty tools. For you girls that live in Texas, they offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders $50 and above . Check out their website for Promotions like FREE SHIPPING and also Use " adriyah " on check out for 15% off your purchase!

The Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream is a multifunctional skincare and makeup product. It contains the following 6 vitamins (Vitamins A, B5, C, E, F and H) to strengthen and nourish the skin to grow at its own pace for lifting and firming the skin while giving rich moisture. A hint of the Dollish Veil Vita BB can be used as both a foundation and concealer to magically cover, shade, and hide any skin imperfection for a moisturized yet natural matte finish.

This unique Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream not only protects the skin from UVA and UVA's damaging rays, but it also changes capsule colors immediately right after application. My Take on this BB Cream, I use this as to prime my face before putting foundation. I had hormonal breakouts so it left me pretty bad scarring so I need more coverage so this is a great primer for me to just kind of brighten my face and make it look more awake.

Here is my skin in all its yuckiness.. hahaha!! No filter, as you can see I do not have perfect skin at all.

Acne Scars all over and my chin has still some acne! Blah!!! I couldn't find the picture I took after I blended out the Lioelle Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream but this is after I dab some Naked Foundation over it.

When I apply foundation without this, my make up doesn't seem that "glowing". Like I said, I love this BB Cream for its brightening properties. More Self Portrait/Vanity Pictures..

Here with the filter "Cross Process" For the price of this BB Cream and what it does to my skin, I give this 5 stars! You can't go wrong with it. I love the scent, the brightening properties and the packaging!

Yay for pink bottle! Hahah! I hope my review helped those who are looking for a great BB Cream.

This is definitely one of the Must Try BB Cream. For questions, email me at: loveapamj@gmail.com FTC : This product is sent by http://www.lioeletexas.com for review purposes. I tried this for more than a month before doing the review to give accurate review.

I did not get paid by this company.

This is my 100% honest review. Continue reading

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Reviews | Best Electronic Health …

Updated January 31, 2013 - There are several hundred electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) systems available for just about every medical specialty and clinic size. EMR vendors have customized systems for outpatient care, inpatient care, solo practices, enterprise groups, primary care, therapy, mental health, ophthalmology, chiropractic and so on. Furthermore, various systems span the full range of pricing, from free to several hundred thousand dollars.

With so many medical EMR companies catering to so many specialties, physicians face a big challenge as they determine which medical software is right for their needs. We put together this buyer's guide--and list of top 10 EMR software programs--to help physicians understand the market and know where to start. Here s what we ll cover: EMR Market Share - January 2013 What is EMR Software?

Deployment Strategies The EMR Vendor Landscape What Type of EMR Buyer Are You? Market Trends You Should Understand News & Recent Events Benefits & Potential Issues Costs & Return on Investment EMR Market Share Report | January 2013 Update In May 2010 we created our first EHR market share analysis. Since then we have received many requests to update our report.

So, we decided to revisit the topic. Because of the HITECH Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now tracks EHR adoption, making it easier to report on EHR market size and share. For starters, we were able to quickly calculate the number of eligible professionals (EPs) in an ambulatory care setting (i.e.

outpatient setting) that have attested for meaningful use (MU). The number is 115,918. 107,112 of those are for a complete EHR, while 8,806 are for a modular EHR.

This data is readily available in an Excel download at Data.gov. We should note that this only includes data through October 2012. We were also able to quickly calculate the top EHR vendors, as ranked by number of MU attestations for a complete EHR.

Top 10 EHR Vendors By Number of MU Attestations - Complete EHR Vendor Complete EHR MU Attestations Percent of Attestations Epic Systems Corporation 23,446 21.89% Allscripts 12,741 11.90% eClinicalWorks LLC 9,061 8.46% NextGen Healthcare 7,180 6.70% GE Healthcare 6,359 5.94% Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. 2,939 2.74% Practice Fusion 2,861 2.67% athenahealth, Inc 2,773 2.59% Vitera Healthcare Solutions (formerly Sage Healthcare Division) 2,411 2.25% McKesson 2,373 2.22% Overall, we identified 387 vendors that have attestations for a modular or complete EHR. Out of that number, 355 have attestations for a complete EHR.

You can view a full list in this Google spreadsheet we created. Surprisingly, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) lists 623 vendors in their Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL). So there is a large number of vendors without any attestations.

What About Non EPs? We understand the above table is based on a limited dataset. However, this may be the best representation of market share ever available.

Here s why. First, EHR software vendors use varied criteria to calculate their customer base. They might count number of users (which could include everyone from physicians to administrative staff), number of medical providers (which could include everyone from physicians to midwives) or number of practices.

This makes it very difficult to create an apples to apples comparison. Meanwhile, the ONC provides a level playing field with their definitions for eligible professionals. Additionally, the information is kept active and up to date.

What About EPs That Haven t Attested? We also understand a large percent of EPs have not attested. According to the CMS December 2012 report, 350,844 EPs are actively registered (240,695 Medicare, 110,149 Medicaid).

However, as we noted above, MU attestation data that includes the names of EHR products is only available through October 2012. 2010 VS 2013 Our initial analysis from 2010 reveals the top five vendors haven t changed. Though, SOAPWare, Sage and Eclipsys are noticeably absent from the top ten.

Eclipsys merged with Allscripts in August 2010, which explains their absence. Sage Healthcare Division was also acquired by Vista Equity Partners and renamed Vitera Healthcare Solutions. Presumably, SOAPWare has been beat by McKesson and/or athenahealth.

Notice, we used different criteria in this original analysis to measure market share: physician users and practices served. Outpatient EHR Market Share - May 2010 Vendor Physician Users Practices Served Epic Systems Corporation 45,000 N.A. Allscripts 40,000 N.A.

eClinicalWorks LLC 40,000 6,500 GE Healthcare 35,000 2,500 NextGen Healthcarere 35,000 2,000 SOAPWare 30,000 8,000 Practice Fusion 18,500 10,000 Eclipsys 11,000 N.A. Sage Health 10,000 N.A. Greenway Medical 6,000 1,400 For additional information and data reports, visit the CMS website.

What is EMR Software? Electronic medical records manage the clinical operations of healthcare providers. They provide digital storage of patient charts, and include functionality to track patient demographics, histories, SOAP notes, medications and test results.

Buyers should note that electronic medical records systems are also often called electronic health records systems. They may also be referred to as digital or computerized medical records. While there is a technical distinction between EMRs and EHRs, almost all buyers and electronic medical records vendors will use the terms interchangeably.

By definition, an EMR is an electronic patient record of their medical history created and stored at a single location, while EHR solutions are a comprehensive collection of patient medical records created and stored at multiple locations. Visitors may review our article "EHR vs. EMR - What's the Difference?" for a more in-depth look at the differences (and for additional examples of EHR systems).

For the purposes of this guide, we will use the terms interchangeably. For more information about important organizations, events, people and milestones in the history of EHRs, visit our historical timeline. Deployment Strategies The decision most doctors will need to face is whether to implement a standalone electronic medical records system or a single, integrated suite with billing and scheduling modules.

Buyers who implement standalone computerized medical records often do so if: they have unique needs their vendor cannot address; outsource billing with no plans to bring billing back in house; or made a large upfront investment in a billing and scheduling system they do not wish to replace. Buyers who implement integrated tools typically see the value in having one centralized system to manage all clinical, administrative and financial information. Many popular EMR software vendors such as Allscripts, eClinicalWorks and GE Centricity can sell EMRs by themselves or complete computerized medical records and medical billing and scheduling systems.

What Type of Buyer Are You? Before you dig in to EMR software reviews and go through a formal feature or EMR cost comparison, you ll need to assess what type of buyer you are. We believe more than 90% of buyers fall into one of these categories: Primary care MDs/DOs and related specialists.

These buyers work at private practices that provide internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, urology, etc. These buyers various needs are addressed by broad systems with specialty-specific templates. Specialists with other designations (DC, OD, PT, PhD, LCSW, etc.).

These buyers include chiropractors, psychologists, therapists, counselors, and optometrists. They typically have straightforward needs that are met by affordable, specialty-specific systems. Small practices.

These buyers work at practices with one or two providers. They are usually moving away from paper charts and want to prescribe electronically and integrate with labs. Mid-sized to large practices.

With anywhere from a handful to 100+ physicians, these buyers are often looking to eliminate paperwork and improve efficiency. They may also want to integrate with other healthcare networks systems, track information across several locations, and provide consistency of care across providers. Inpatient care organizations.

These buyers work for hospitals and acute care centers that need to manage patient rooms/beds, assigned nurses, and physician rounds. They usually require robust, emr systems for hospitals that can integrate with a variety of other applications. The EMR Vendor Landscape While the vendor landscape is highly fragmented, the available solutions are differentiated by their appeal to the different buyer types.

This type of buyer... Should evaluate these types of systems Primary care MDs/DOs and related specialists eClinicalWorks, Allscripts, Greenway, Aprima Specialists with other designations (DC, OD, PT, PhD, LCSW, etc.) Valant, A+ Delphi, ChiroTouch, Netsmart Small practices eClinicalWorks, Waiting Room Solutions, NueMD Mid-sized to large practices GE Centricity, NextGen, Sage Intergy, Allscripts Inpatient care organizations Epic, Cerner, McKesson News & Recent Events We re in the middle of one of the most active and innovative times in the history of the medical charting software market. Spurred by certification requirements outlined in the HITECH Act, electronic medical records companies are rolling out new capabilities on a regular basis.

These features will help physicians meet stage 1 and stage 2 meaningful use requirements. At the same time, the market is becoming increasingly competitive. This is good news for doctors.

Top EMR vendors are rolling out new innovations on a regular basis. Here are a few worth highlighting: Support for iOS 6. The latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 6, was released on September 19th, 2012.

Many EHR vendors are already taking advantage of the new capabilities. For example, MediTouch EHR, developed by HealthFusion, takes advantage of the new iPad photo upload feature and allows physicians to place images in a patient chart. Development of mobile EHR apps.

A growing number of EHR vendors are developing mobile apps to keep up with customer demand. For example, in July 2012 Aprima announced a new app that can be used on both Apple and Android phones. Introduced as "Aprima Mobile," it allows physicians to access patient data and use key functionality from Aprima's main EHR system, all from their mobile devices.

Mergers and Acquisitions. There are over 300 hundred electronic medical record systems on the market. We expect to see some of the top medical software companies make strategic purchases in the coming years to quicken growth and ownership of market share.

To cite a fairly recent example, AdvancedMD was acquired by ADP, a leading provider of payroll, benefits administration and human resources services. And, on October 5th 2012, McKesson acquired Med3000, a healthcare IT provider that develops EHR and practice management software. Market Trends you Should Understand These trends should be considered before you participate in an EMR demo: ONC-ATCB Certification.

In 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A major component of this bill is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which includes $19 billion to incentivize medical offices to adopt electronic healthcare records. Providers that make meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems are eligible to receive $44,000 in reimbursements in the form of increased Medicare and Medicaid premiums.

Physicians have a mandate to become meaningful users by 2015. Those that fail to qualify will face decreased Medicare and Medicaid payments. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology, part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is the department responsible for heading up this initiative.

They have selected six organizations to certify electronic health records from medical vendors. These organizations (e.g. CCHIT) have been titled ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies, or ONC-ATCB.

To see a list of certified products, visit our ONC-ATCB EHR buyer s guide. We also have a list of CCHIT-certified EMRs, one of the ONC certification bodies. Mobile device support.

Mobile devices are growing quickly and health care providers are eagerly adopting them. As physicians aim to accomplish more from outside the office and improve mobility within the office, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices are becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace. Some of the top EMR vendors are catching on to this increased demand and we expect to see more iOS and Android-compatible systems coming to market.

Several vendors already offer tablet PC EMRs. For example, MediTouch is a leading electronic medical record company in mobile healthcare IT. Participate in an EHR demo to learn more.

Software as a Service (SaaS). We have found that roughly 25% of buyers are interested only in web-based systems, while another 50% of buyers are open to the model during early stages of their research. As cloud computing catches on in other industries, it is emerging quickly in health care as well.

Developments in HIPAA compliance, data security and encryption, server reliability, and data backup make web-based EMRs viable alternatives in medicine. Furthermore, many healthcare providers are avoiding large upfront costs required for client-server systems and preferring monthly payments for hosted systems. Benefits & Potential Issues EMRs are designed to benefit both healthcare providers and administrative staff.

The following are the minimum benefits of electronic medical records solutions that should be realized with a successful implementation: Improved efficiency. Physician practices should find themselves with more time to focus on patient care as they eliminate paperwork, speed up medical charting, receive lab test results and faxes electronically, and prescribe electronically. Increase in patient visits.

As physicians and support staff spend less time tracking paperwork, they should be able to see more patients. EMRs should also allow physicians to complete and document patient encounters more quickly, further increasing their ability to see more patients. Increased collections.

Electronic patient records provide physicians with the necessary documentation to support claims sent to insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid. Integrated features for E&M coding also help providers code visits properly and upcode when necessary. Of course, seeing more patients should naturally increase collections as well.

This is one of the top benefits of electronic health records. Improved quality of care. Features such as integrated drug databases, symptom checks, and drug interaction verification help physicians prescribe the correct medications and dosages.

EMRs can also provide prompts to physicians based on inputs of patient chief complaints and/or risky demographic factors. This is another one of the many advantages of electronic health records system. These are just a few of the advantages of electronic medical records.

But, as with all healthcare technology, there are potential disadvantages of EMR medical records to consider as well. The most common concern we hear is in regards to data security. Patient privacy and HIPAA compliance are typically on the front of providers minds, so buyers will want to make sure that the EMR is implemented properly and that standard security measures are in place.

Most vendors are well aware of this concern and have proper data encryption technology for both on-premise and web-based systems. A second consideration is user adoption, primarily among providers. Some providers find EMRs difficult to use, often because they are so familiar with working with paper charts.

Most user adoption issues can be solved with adequate training. The amount necessary typically depends on the user s level of tech savviness. The final consideration is vendor viability.

Such a fragmented market is bound to undergo consolidation as vendors get acquired or go out of business. As a result, buyers will want to make sure they select a viable vendor whose products will not be discontinued. Costs & Return on Investment The goals for any electronic health record system are to increase revenue, lower administrative costs, and improve the quality of care.

The primary measures of effectiveness are the claims collection rate, the number of patient visits per day, the amount of time spent managing faxes and paper charts, and the direct costs of paper charts (cost of materials, storage, destruction, etc.). EMR solutions have traditionally been very expensive, often beyond the budgets of most small practices. However, increased competition among vendors has applied downward pricing pressure on the market.

Furthermore, technology developments such as SaaS have led to alternative, more budget-friendly pricing models. Today, there are even free EMR software systems that are supported by alternative revenue streams (e.g. advertising).

Government stimulus programs such as ARRA will likely make EMR investments even more feasible for small and large practices. EMR system costs will vary widely and depend primarily on the size of the practice and the deployment model preferred (on-premise vs. web-based).

On-premise systems will typically require costs for licenses, servers, implementation, training, and ongoing technical support. Support costs typically range 15%-20% of the upfront licensing cost per year. Implementation and training costs also vary widely, but are often as high as the licensing costs.

Web-based systems typically have lower upfront costs that cover training and implementation. Ongoing fees paid on a monthly basis cover licensing, technical support, and upgrades. In both cases, buyers need to be aware that integrating a standalone EMR solution with an existing billing and scheduling system can often be equal to or more than the cost of implementing one system for both computerized medical records and practice management.

Have an opinion on this guide?

Email the authors.

We appreciate the feedback. Continue reading

'Citizen' groups seek health review in coal mining permits …

Real citizens as opposed to the Sierra Club would rather have real jobs as opposed to job-killing myths. Citizen group lawyers are again trying to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to examine the growing body of science that links living near mountaintop removal operations to greater risk of serious health impacts before the agency issued new mining permits.

The Charleston Gazette Like this: Be the first to like this. Continue reading

APAMJ: Beauty Review: Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream (Natural …

Note: Try this product at your own risk. If it works for me, it does not mean it will work for you too. Everyone has different types of skin.

My skin consists of dry - combination - sensitive type of skin. LIOELE DOLLISH VEIL VITA BB CREAM (NATURAL GREEN) Hello Everyone!! Another BB Cream that I'm excited to review..

My skin during winter gets so dry and red so I'm happy to let you guys know a product that combats redness. I had this for awhile. For a month now actually just to test drive this and see if it breaks me out.

So far, it didn't. Whenever I break out lately is due to my hormonal imbalance. :( This is the Official U.S. distributor of Lioele cosmetics in the U.S.

since August 1, 2012. They have so much kawaii things from make up to skincare to Beauty tools. For you girls that live in Texas, they offer FREE SHIPPING .

Check out their website for Promotions like FREE SHIPPING and also Use " adriyah " on check out for 15% off your purchase! The Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream is a multifunctional skincare and makeup product. It contains the following 6 vitamins (Vitamins A, B5, C, E, F and H) to strengthen and nourish the skin to grow at its own pace for lifting and firming the skin while giving rich moisture.

A hint of the Dollish Veil Vita BB can be used as both a foundation and concealer to magically cover, shade, and hide any skin imperfection for a moisturized yet natural matte finish. This unique Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream not only protects the skin from UVA and UVA's damaging rays, but it also changes capsule colors immediately right after application. What I like about this BB Cream is that its so light and fresh!

Smells great as well and blends perfectly! I like that it contains Vitamins in it so this BB Cream doubles up as Skincare as well. Makes our skin super soft and bright!

As you can see, the color is kind of like minty green. Good for redness on our face. See how nice and bright when its blended?

Compared to the picture above that its kind of reddish. First of, since my skin is so DRY especially in winter time, I apply my moisturizer all over my face. After you blend it, you apply the LIOELE DOLLISH VEIL VITA BB CREAM in GREEN then blend it.

I use my fingertips (remember to always wash hands before doing this!) This is how it looks when its blended. As you can see, the coverage is not that good because you can still see my blemishes so I have to use a separate concealer to conceal my blemishes but to combat redness, I feel like this is a great product. I like how my skin doesn't look dry.

It looks healthy :) This is with the camera flash.

I hope my review helps those people who wants to find a good BB Cream with Skin Care benefits and that the one that can combat red skin. :) I have a new email which you guys can email me anytime for inquiries or just questions: loveapamj@gmail.com Happy Almost Valentine's Day!!! :) Continue reading

out with the old, in with the new: Review: Awayland – Villagers (2013)

I have a long term crush with this guy! i've been a fan of this band since their debut album in 2010, Becoming a Jackal. And since then i'm obsessed with Villagers like Villagers obsessed with sea (just listen to their songs, it's all about waves, boats, shore, lighthouse...).

And the waiting for this new album to be officially released had been very excruciating. A few months before the release, i already started searching online for live versions, that sometimes very crappy in terms of audiovisual quality. Most of them are bootlegs from fan cam, so yeah, you got the picture.

It's only been a few days since i got my hand on the album version of all the tracks from this record, and i've been playing it over and over since then. This second effort from Conor O'brien finally recognized by the people who make album charts in the UK (ok, i don't exactly know who they are), it debuted in #2 on indie chart and #16 on regular chart. It gives my heart a warm feeling knowing that good music and mucisians are being recognized.

Maybe the future of mainstream music isn't really that bleak, and my future children and grand children will still be able to bump into some good music in the pop music chart. OOT. Back to the album, compared to their Mercury Prize nominated and Ivor Novello Awards winning album, Becoming the Jackal, this album is somehow, slightly, sounds (and feels) a little experimental.

In becoming the Jackal O'brien sounds really sure about what he wants his band to sounds like. But not in Awayland. You started to hear electronical blips here and there, and in some points, according to the amount of the blips, we can safely assume that O'brien was flying an aerospace aircraft while he's recording.

And no, i'm not some old, close minded grandma who hates electronic music, hah, no sir *scoffs* *rolling eyes* *but unconvincingly*. It still sounds beautiful though. I just can't put 'electronic music' and 'beautiful' in the same sentence, but Conor O'brien just force me to do so.

The electronics aside, this album sound more confident than the previous. And less fragile too. Still very emotional, but more in a 'i-don't-want-to-cry-in-public' kind of way.

Not that Becoming a jackal is a crying in public kind. But in Becoming the Jackal, we can tell that depression is a common theme, while in Awayland, the depression isn't that obvious. Here's my track by track review of awayland This is the perfect song to open this album.

With Conor's signature acoustic style, this song would fit right in with the tracks from Becoming a Jackal, where Conor O'brien turns into a poetic storyteller, with a subtle catch in his voice that makes you want to wrap him in a blanket and make him a cup of hot tea. I love how he use 'for to' instead of 'to' and 'thee' instead of 'you'. I can't even tell you which line from this song is my favorite, because honestly, my favorite line is the whole lyric.

Lyrically, it reminds me of 'Cecelia and Her Selfhood' where the lyrics is a well written story with the exact words to trigger some vivid mental pictures in your mind to explain the song, i particularly like the way he describe the main protagonist's encounter with a divine being. Musically, you'll start to notice some deviation from Villagers standard musical arrangement. On the verses, conor blurt out the words so fast, almost like rapping, and it feels a little weird but enjoyable at the same time.

My favorite lines of this song is: He put his finger on the trigger and he got em some But though we don't like to admit it, it was sensual and pure And he changed that day, though he can't be sure If it's the sickness or the cure No one will describe the experience of killing another man as 'sensual and pure'. It's so sick, but that what i like about his lyrics. Brace yourselves, the electro-villagers is coming.

This was the first ever Awayland track that i heard, months before the official album release. When i heard the bleeps-filled intro, a pang of cold bites my heart. Another great artist has fallen into the path of wub.

But before i weep from the grief, Conor's voice floats on low notes 'There are waves, up in the diamond sky...'. And then i know that Conor's still there, singing songs about sea, and everything is going to be okay. And in the end, the carefully crafted lyric and the simple beautiful melody make up for the overuse of wub.

This is the acoustic live version of The Waves, where you can actually enjoy the song without being distracted by the blips: Villagers - The Waves (Le Hiboo, Paris) 4. Judgement Call The lyric says it all. This one makes you want to rethink your life and question everything, which i guess everybody already did.

Well, maybe not everybody, maybe just me. You are not the same at all Cause the man in the sky has got my back And I don't need no proof 5. Nothing Arrived It's like a happier version of songs from Becoming a Jackal.

It's basically a song about accepting loneliness, that although it's not exactly delightful, but we're okay with it, the piano sounds on this track kinda reflecting it. This song and the charming music video that accompany it really compliment each other very well. Villagers - Nothing Arrived (Official Video) 6.

The Bell This is Becoming a Jackal (the song) pt.2. You will feel the same exact ambience since the first time you listen to this song. 7.

Awayland This track is really deserved to be the title track. It's a pretty little instrumental track. Do this: after you come home from work, lay in your bed, close your eyes, and listen to this track.

8. Passing A Message Nothing will prepare you for this track: Villagers getting funkeeh. Really.

As strange as it sounds, the result is surprisingly good. Now that we're getting used to less depressive sounds of Villagers, i get the sense that we will see a lot more of songs like this coming. 9.

Grateful Song This song is one of few songs in this album where i like the acoustic live version better than the album version. I find Conor's attempt at sound effects (or vocal effects? i'm not really sure what that thing's called) less than amusing.

In the part where he sings 'A God of pain, A God of tragedy...' he sounds like he sings while being water boarded. but other than that part, this is a really beautiful song. It's simple, but grande at the same time.

Lyrically, this song fascinates me. I'm quoting Conor himself here 'it's about overcoming dark moments through um..., through err.... love. *scoffs*'.

10. In a Newfound Land You Are Free After we followed him on the roller coaster ride that is this awayland album, with this song Conor takes us back to the place where we begin, the same place as My Lighthouse and the rest of the Becoming a Jackal tracks which i now recognize as a comfort zone. This song is a sweet and sad lullaby about a newborn baby.

Conor wrote the lyrics of this song when he was on a ferry somewhere (Again, the sea). Although it did not explicitly mentioned in the lyrics, by the end of the song, i think the newborn baby is dead. 11.

Rhythm Composer This song picks us up to the happier mood, after we're being torn apart inside by 'In a Newfound Land...'. Apparently, Conor wants to bring us home in good shape after this crazy journey. Like he promised in the message he posts in villagers official site So I sit down at my desk with a blank sheet of paper, a headful of ferrys and a small collection of half-written songs and all I want to do is to stretch my imagination as far as it can go.

I sure as hell don't want to lose any intimacy in the music, but I need to take this intimacy into a more vibrant place. The furrowed-brow vocal seriousness which I used to engage with has no place here. And the musicianship is better than ever.

My fellow bandmates make the songs sound as beautiful as they could possibly be. It's a diverse album. It takes you on a trip through a musical landscape, as a tribute to your sense of wonder.

It travels through space and time and leaves you back for dinner. It might take a few gobbles. Maybe try it on headphones first, without interruption.

I hope you enjoy.

I think it's safe to say that he and his fellow bandmates has successfuly achieve the objectives that they aimed for. Continue reading

Kitchen 101 Review ~ A Blogger and a Father

My parents never told me cooking was a woman's job, but they also never insisted I learn to cook. In their defense, I'm pretty sure they didn't insist my sister learn to cook either. So by the time I moved to a place by myself, I had very few simple things I could make in the kitchen, and the rest I learned over time: just a few signature dishes for a little bit of variety.

I have two kids, though, and I'm a stay-at-home-dad, which means it's time to get a little bit more variety. I got myself a free copy of Kitchen 101: Secrets to Cooking with Confidence to review, because I was pretty sure the problem wasn't that I couldn't read a recipe, but that I just didn't read any. I was skeptical of my success, but I had to try.

I had to end this review with one more dish, or die trying. The book features many recipes and many pictures to help pave even the most non-kitchen-friendly parents a safe path into the kitchen. In the words of the publishers: It features easy-to-follow, pantry friendly recipes and tips that make whipping up a satisfying healthy meal a stress-free process.

All the recipes have easy to recognize symbols identifying which ones are freezer-friendly, vegetarian, and diabetic-friendly, and also have crock-pot options. And there you have it--my cinnamon rolls masterpiece (the recipe is one of the first ones--they do get a little more complicated later, but definitely doable, even for me). Actually, we were all eating so many of these, that I forgot to take a picture.

I quickly pulled the plate from my boy, took the picture, and gave it back to him before he accused me of ruining his childhood. Continue reading

Tracking Lung Health With a Cell Phone | MIT Technology Review

Breathe in, breathe out. Dial and repeat. Today, a deep sigh at your smartphone could reveal a well-developed emotional connection with your gadget.

But one day those sighs could tip off your doctor to a latent or worsening lung condition. A group at the University of Washington, in collaboration with Seattle Children s Hospital, is developing a way to check how healthy your lungs are when you breathe out at your smartphone. For patients with conditions like asthma, chronic bronchitis, or cystic fibrosis doctors sound out their pipes using a spirometer, a device that measures volumes of air breathed in and out.

The exhaled volume indicates if the patient s air passages are clogged and leading to difficulty breathing. Recently, a group at Shwetak Patel s lab at the University of Washington figured out how to measure exhaled breaths using the microphone on a smartphone. The SpiroSmart app estimates the volume of air exhaled by the sound waves recorded as you breathe out.

The goal was to create a home lung health test, like a pocket glucose meter, Patel explained in a press release. In experiments with the iPhone 4S, the system seemed reliable and comparable to home spirometry tests. The group presented that at the UbiComp 2012 conference in September last year.

The team is now adapting this concept reading lung function from recorded audio of deep breaths out to create a system that could turn any phone into a reliable indicator of lung function. SpiroCall, as the team is calling the setup, involves dialing a number and leaving a long breath of air as a voice message on a server. In very early tests, the team found that phone lines preserved enough audio quality for the recorded exhalation to be used as a spirometric substitute.

This indicates that any phone, even basic cellphones that are common in developing countries, could be used to remotely measure lung health or detect signs of lung disease. The authors presented a poster describing their work at the ACM s Dev 2013 conference in Bangalore last week. In it they suggest that results of the breathing test could be relayed back to the patient by text message.

But it s early days yet these results only indicate that such a system does make sense to set up, Mayank Goel, one of the authors on the project wrote to me in an email.

SpiroCall has several phases of development and a battery of tests planned for it in the months ahead. Continue reading
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