Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Weekly Mod: How to replace an iPhone 4 battery

Have an out of warranty AT&T or Verizon iPhone 4 that’s can’t seem to hold a charge and wondering how to replace the battery DIY (do it yourself) style? Changing out batteries is a service we provide at PXLFIX on a regular basis, but it’s actually a...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/MDLQc81a85M/story01.htm

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Lincoln-signed copy of 13th Amendment restored (AP)

CHICAGO ? Time had taken its toll on the nearly 147-year-old document, its surface creased and buckled, its inscriptions faded and an edge yellowed by old adhesive.

But the rare copy of the 13th Amendment that ended slavery, signed by President Lincoln and lawmakers who voted for it, still was beautiful to James Cornelius and Russ Maki when they pulled it from a vault at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

"I was overwhelmed to see it," said Cornelius, the Springfield museum's curator, who longed to display the original document, instead of the facsimile visitors see now, during the museum's celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's presidency.

"But it looked up close like the rolling hills of northwestern Illinois, and I was worried about continuing deterioration," he said. With Illinois' dismal financial situation, though, Cornelius wasn't prepared to spend thousands of dollars to have it conserved. So Maki, who owns a paper conservation company in Chicago, volunteered to do it at no charge.

"Everything about this screamed `emergency,'" said Maki. The puckering and wrinkling of the surface ? a vellum "paper" made of animal skin ? had caused the iron gall ink to weaken and flake away in some areas, leaving little more than a shadow of some of the original signatures.

On Thursday, after months of careful treatment to flatten the document and strengthen the remaining ink, conservators will return the "priceless treasure" to Cornelius, who plans to display it publicly ? at least for a while ? beginning in February.

"You're in the presence of what I would consider to be one of the most important documents in our nation's history," Maki said last week in his company's work studio, giving The Associated Press a peek at the document whose whereabouts have been kept secret since it left Springfield in the spring. "It really takes your breath away to be involved in something of this level of historic importance to our country."

There are at least 14 duplicate copies of the 13th Amendment signed by Lincoln. Congress passed it two years after his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and it represented the culmination of his efforts to end slavery. But he apparently stopped signing the duplicates after lawmakers complained he was overstepping his executive powers because constitutional amendments are passed by Congress and ratified by the states.

Some of the documents were signed by just Lincoln, the vice president and the House speaker; some were signed just by members of the House and some have both senators and representatives. Others survive without Lincoln's signature, though they're considered less rare and valuable, said Seth Kaller, a well-known New York dealer in historical documents ? including the few copies of the 13th Amendment that have come on the market.

"A lot of the names ... would otherwise be forgotten to history, but they were really courageous people," said Kaller. "It's the amendment that put America back on the path that it was meant to take, when you think of the founding of the country and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Here they (were) talking about freedom and liberty and meanwhile we still had slavery in our country."

The commemorative copies were produced by those involved in passing the amendment, "because they realized it was the most important legislation of their lives," Kaller said. Most copies are thought to have been passed around because the order of signatures differs and some were even signed by the same person twice, he said.

Illinois was the first state to ratify the amendment, but it wasn't until June 1941 that state historians acquired a copy from a manuscript dealer, for $3,000. Dated Feb. 1, 1865, it was signed by Lincoln, Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, House Speaker Schuyler Colfax and 141 other members of Congress.

Since then, it rarely has been displayed publicly, housed first in a vault at the state's former Centennial Building in Springfield, and later in the Old State Capitol, neither of which had museum-quality climate controls to prevent deterioration. It probably was displayed occasionally in the buildings, though state records are sketchy, Cornelius said.

Former Illinois Historian Tom Schwartz said when he started that job in 1985, the document was framed and in a vault. He took it out of its frame, had it re-stretched by a conservator and returned it to the vault.

The amendment was displayed on a five-city tour of Illinois in 1988. When the state-of the-art Lincoln presidential museum opened in April 2005, it was displayed for a year and then again for one night, Feb. 11-12, 2009, for Lincoln's 200th birthday. Otherwise, it has been wrapped in acid-free tissue and lying flat on a low shelf in the vault, Cornelius said.

Christina Marusich, head conservator at Maki's Graphic Conservation Co., said she and her colleagues spent months examining the 16- by-20-inch document and talking about how best to conserve such a valuable and fragile piece before finally performing the actual work over several weeks.

The biggest concerns were two heavy creases from past folding, a puckered surface and ink that had weakened over time. The vellum was suspended in a humidification chamber for a couple of hours to relax the creasing and rehydrate the ink layer, which helped it reattach to the vellum. Then, it was put into a press for about a week, where it was flattened under gentle pressure. The process was repeated before it was placed in a custom storage mat that prevents anything from touching its surface.

Cornelius said he's never had the document appraised. But Kaller said only six have come on the market in the last 40 years, including one he bought for a client at auction in 2006 for more than $1.8 million. Two have since sold privately for more money, he said.

For Cornelius, the value is historical, not monetary.

"The amendment represents the will of the people, but (Lincoln) made it possible," with his Emancipation Proclamation that helped change public opinion toward slavery, Cornelius said. "Today we need to remember both, because ... together they made the promise of the Declaration of Independence come true."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_re_us/us_lincoln13th_amendment

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Call me...

Into movies? I kinda have to be. Contractually obligated, you see. I'm a film student, with a focus in Screenwriting, so if I'm not absorbing basically everything available to me on Netflix's instant stream, I'm mowing through box sets of television shows. xD

We don't have "finals" at my school, but I have a ton of extensive projects that're due, like, tomorrow and Tuesday since Christmas break is coming up and all. I'm trying to split my time between writing my scripts and posting on here, but that's not going very well, haha.

I saw Pan's Labyrinth when I was very young. My friend and I got it expecting a children's movie in English. As you found out, it is almost exactly, exactly the opposite.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/JGq8FhhY2Tc/viewtopic.php

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Pets' hunt for leftovers leads to Calif. fire

By?Jim Schultz
The Record Searchlight

REDDING, Calif. ? A dog and cat that apparently teamed up to get their fill of Thanksgiving leftovers are being blamed for starting a Tuesday evening stove fire that spread and caused an estimated $175,000 in damage to a Reno Lane home in Redding and its contents.

Both pets died in the fire.

Redding Fire Department Fire Investigator Craig Wittner said Wednesday it appears the pets apparently tipped over a waste container that had been placed on a counter next to a gas range.

The home's resident had placed the trash container there to try to keep it out of their reach while she was away, he said.

The trash, including plastic and discarded Thanksgiving food, such as turkey bones, landed on the stove, he said.

Then the renter's 120-pound Newfoundland inadvertently switched on two of the gas stove's electronic-ignition burner knobs while trying to get to the food on top of the stove, Wittner said.

The burners ignited the trash, and the fire spread throughout the kitchen, he said.

Both pets died in the fire, but two other pets, a dog and a kitten, were rescued and taken to a veterinarian for treatment. Still another cat is missing, Wittner said.

Battalion Chief Jon Bauer said the fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. and was discovered and called in by the home's renter, Kaela Marshall, who had just returned after visiting her father.

Marshall, 23, whose eyes welled up while describing her pets, said she had her 3 1/2-year-old Newfoundland, Adonis, since he was a puppy.

"He was a big, easygoing dog," she said.

She also lost her 5-yearold longhair cat, Harvey, a turtle, fish and a variety of household items.

"I am more upset about my pets than anything else," she said.

Her 1-year-old Rottweiller, Rory, and an 8-week-old kitten, have responded well to their medical treatment after being taken to a vet, she said.

"They are both doing very well," she said.

She's also hoping that her 3 1/2-year-old longhair black cat, River, will turn up.

It took firefighters about 30 minutes to contain the fire, Bauer said. The fire was contained to the home's kitchen and part of its attic. It also burned through a portion of the roof.

But smoke and heat damage was widespread throughout the single-story residence, which is owned by Winnie and Kerry Crossley of Shasta Lake, Wittner said.

There were 14 firefighters and eight engines sent to the fire.

Wittner said the fire caused an estimated $125,000 in damage to the $250,000 home and another $50,000 in damage to its contents.

Copyright 2011 Record Searchlight
All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-attack/articles/1191475-Pets-hunt-for-leftovers-leads-to-Calif-fire/

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Christmas burst reveals neutron star collision

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) ? A strangely powerful, long-lasting gamma-ray burst on Christmas Day, 2010 has finally been analyzed to the satisfaction of a multinational research team. Called the Christmas Burst, GRB 101225A was freakishly lengthy and it produced radiation at unusually varying wavelengths. But by matching the data with a model developed in 1998, the team was able to characterize the star explosion as a neutron star spiraling into the heart of its companion star.

The paper, "The unusual gamma-ray burst GRB 101225A from a helium star/neutron star merger at redshift 0.33," appears in a recent issue of the journal Nature. Christina Th?ne of Spain's Instituto de Astrof?sica de Andaluc?a is the lead author, and Los Alamos computational scientist Chris Fryer is a contributor.

Fryer, of the Lab's Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, realized that the peculiar evolution of the thermal emission (first showing X-rays with a characteristic radius of ~1011 cm followed by optical and infra-red emission at ~1014 cm) could be naturally explained by a model he and Stan Woosley of the University of California at Santa Cruz had developed in 1998.

"The Helium Merger Model explained all the properties we were seeing," Fryer said, although he noted that proving this required a series of additional computational models by the international theory team studying this "Christmas burst" and the work still under way. Fryer is working with Wesley Even of the Los Alamos X Theoretical Design Division, using the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Simulation and Computing codes to study the emission of this burst in more detail.

"What we think happened is that a primary neutron star was orbiting in a close binary relationship with a companion star, and the companion expanded into a gas giant phase and enveloped the neutron star," Fryer said. "The neutron star spiraled into the core of the helium companion, with the friction of that passage ejecting the helium star's envelope and creating a shell that produced the conditions needed to explain the different characteristic radii that we were seeing."

When the neutron star transformed into a black hole and the jet of gamma rays blasted outward, it struck the shell of the old star's gas envelope at 1014 centimeters, which produced anomalous results and made this GRB look very different from previously seen events. Normally GRBs are incredibly brief, powerful, and pretty much invisible astronomical events that are almost gone before they're detected.

Since the 2004 launch of the NASA satellite Swift, which carries a device called a Burst Alert Telescope, with triggering software developed at Los Alamos, GRBs have been identified and documented on a regular basis. And when Swift tagged this Christmas Burst, the international teams jumped to their telescopes and computers to capture it. Identifying it, however, has taken nearly a year.

Having the existing model on hand, one that seemed unlikely to ever be tested in the real world, was a happy coincidence, Fryer said. "We really thought it was unlikely that the field would produce data sufficient to prove this neutron/helium star collision scenario, and yet, here it has done it."

This burst may be one of a class of bursts (including XRF060218) that is explained by this model. "This is the game we're in right now with astronomical transients," Fryer said. "Weird objects can teach us a lot about the physics and we are no longer throwing them out as being too weird to explain. Now we can compare our unusual models to some of these unusual GRBs and they're starting to match up."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. C. C. Th?ne, A. de Ugarte Postigo, C. L. Fryer, K. L. Page, J. Gorosabel, M. A. Aloy, D. A. Perley, C. Kouveliotou, H. T. Janka, P. Mimica, J. L. Racusin, H. Krimm, J. Cummings, S. R. Oates, S. T. Holland, M. H. Siegel, M. De Pasquale, E. Sonbas, M. Im, W.-K. Park, D. A. Kann, S. Guziy, L. Hern?ndez Garc?a, A. Llorente, K. Bundy, C. Choi, H. Jeong, H. Korhonen, P. Kub?nek, J. Lim, A. Moskvitin, T. Mu?oz-Darias, S. Pak, I. Parrish. The unusual ?-ray burst GRB 101225A from a helium star/neutron star merger at redshift 0.33. Nature, 2011; 480 (7375): 72 DOI: 10.1038/nature10611

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/uzzDc7Ly_Ic/111201141037.htm

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10 Hot Bikes From Japan's Major Motor Show

Every two years, Tokyo's Motor Show provides a platform for the Japanese manufacturers to display their wild concept cars and production models on a hometown stage. But unlike many other auto shows around the globe, in Tokyo that stage is shared with motorcycles, too. Some of these bikes are concepts aimed directly at the Japanese market. But many are production bikes we'll likely see in the U.S. soon. Here are 10 of the most interesting bikes at this year's Tokyo show. By Ben Stewart

1 of 10

Kawasaki W800

The U.S. gets plenty of classically styled bikes from Triumph, Harley-Davidson, and, sometimes, Ducati. However, few Japanese bikes packing that retro vibe head over to our side of the pond. Kawasaki's W800?an update in engine size from the W650?was new last year, and its a beautifully designed bike. It's the attention to detail, such as the metal switchgear, that make this bike so desirable. We'd like to see it come over to our roads. "); AddParamVideo(); }); function AddParamVideo() { var slideTypeVideo = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex - 1].slideTypeVideo_embed_format; var videoContent = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex - 1].slideTypeVideo_3rdparty_embed; if(slideTypeVideo == "3rd party" && videoContent && videoContent.search('')==-1) { var getQString = videoContent.split('>'); var oldString = getQString[0]; oldString=oldString+' wmode="transparent">'; $("[hfbNode='VideoFrame']").show().html(oldString); } } /* * THESE CALLBACKS ARE THE OTHER EVENTS, TO BE POSSIBLY USED FOR OTHER SITES */ function showSponsor() { //Hide - Unhide sponsor logo var slideType = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex -1].slidetype; if($(".fb_frame_image_sponsored_author").css("display") == "block" && slideType != "Video") $(".frame_sponsor").css("display", "block"); else $(".frame_sponsor").css("display", "none"); if($(".partnerLogo").attr("class") != "partnerLogo") $(".fb_frame_side_right").css("margin-top", "30px"); 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Related News

PM's car guys are scoping out the new cars and concepts at this week's Tokyo Motor Show. Here's the best sheet metal we found on the showroom floor. Read More

The Salone Internazionale del Motociclo in Milan, Italy, is the grand stage for launch after launch of new machines, riding gear, and performance parts that riders everywhere will be enjoying in spring. Here's a look at some of what's coming next year. Read More

City concept cars allow automakers to let their imaginations run wild and create strange and marvelous visions of efficient transportation's future. We found plenty of wild ideas at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show happening this week. Read More

This weekend's show will not be the biggest show in terms of attendance because of mediocre weather. Nonetheless, the line at the door seemed plenty long?and the floor filled up with bikers mighty fast. Here's what we saw before the show opened to the public. Read More

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/motorcycles/news/10-hot-bikes-from-japans-major-motor-show?src=rss

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Even After Withdrawing Its Application, AT&T Hits Another Huge Hurdle In T-Mo Deal

attmo1In the wake of withdrawing its application to acquire T-Mobile, AT&T has hit yet another obstacle otherwise known as the FCC. See, before AT&T pulled its application, the FCC had big plans to put the deal before an administrative law judge, effectively prolonging the process and magnifying the details of the merger. As part of those big plans, the FCC had compiled an 109-page report with their findings during the review process. AT&T had expected this massive report to stay under the rug since it had withdrawn its application, but the FCC feels it "furthers transparency." And what, might you ask, is in this staff report? Really, really bad news for AT&T.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/r37sS68aaaU/

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Review: Fassbender lays himself bare in 'Shame' (AP)

Despite the ado about its NC-17 rating, "Shame" is the least-sexy movie about sex you will ever see.

Michael Fassbender lays himself bare, literally and metaphorically, as a sex addict prowling an increasingly dark and dangerous New York City; one of the first shots is of his character, Brandon, walking naked through his chicly sparse bachelor pad in the unforgiving morning light. But there's nothing titillating about the often graphic interludes in which Brandon engages; they grow more desperate, animalistic and unsatisfying ? for everyone involved ? as the film spirals toward its overwhelming conclusion.

Fassbender reunites with Steve McQueen, the British artist-turned-filmmaker who directed him in his breakthrough role, 2008's "Hunger," in which he starred as Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands. The two seem to push each other to their extremes in a collaboration that's as challenging as it is creatively liberating. Fassbender's performance here is riveting, haunting. He immerses himself and makes you feel as if you're truly watching a man hell-bent on exorcising his demons through compulsive self-destruction.

On the exterior, though, Brandon is stylish, polished and confident; McQueen lures us in and builds tension through impressively extended tracking shots and long static shots that linger on Fassbender's chiseled facial features, his hard, blue eyes and his lean, muscular frame. But Brandon's impulses betray him. He'll hold the glance of a pretty, married woman on the subway for far too long, and expensive escorts slip in and out of his high-rise apartment day and night. Later, his overly garrulous boss (James Badge Dale) at his nondescript corporate job will inform him that his computer is filthy with porn, and that the techs had to scrub it clean.

He finds his routine disrupted with the unannounced arrival of his younger sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a wayward lounge singer just in from Los Angeles with nowhere else to go. The two have an unspecified history of family damage which makes it impossible for either of them to develop a loving, stable romance. (Some viewers have suggested that they shared an incestuous relationship as children; I don't see it and McQueen wisely leaves it open for interpretation.) Mulligan is also quite powerful here in a vast departure from the more reserved roles we've seen her in before ("An Education," "Never Let Me Go"). There's always something that's just a little off in the way Brandon and Sissy regard each other, even in quiet moments on the couch, and that volatility crackles.

Brandon makes a feeble stab at normalcy by dumping his prodigious porn collection and asking out a beautiful, intelligent co-worker (Nicole Baharie). McQueen stages their dinner date in one, long take, pushing in ever so gradually as they awkwardly get to know each other. It's a rare moment of pure intimacy, and it'll make you hold your breath wondering how long it can last.

But as is true of many addicts, whether they're hooked on alcohol, pills or any other substance, Brandon must hit bottom before he can begin to ponder the possibility of redemption. His descent has its shocking moments but it ultimately feels tedious and self-indulgent, which turns "Shame" into a cross between "American Psycho" and "Eyes Wide Shut." The cool precision of the film's earlier scenes gives way to melodrama and leaves you feeling pummeled. Perhaps that was the point, but it's off-putting.

Fassbender always finds subtlety within the character regardless of the situation, though. And between this, "A Dangerous Method" and "Jane Eyre," he's proven in one year alone that he can do pretty much anything, and do it with startling masculine grace.

"Shame," a Fox Searchlight release, is rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content. Running time: 99 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G ? General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG ? Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 ? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R ? Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

NC-17 ? No one under 17 admitted.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_en_re/us_film_review_shame

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