Google’s Marissa Mayer tweeted about Google’s official ASCII logo. The neat and geeky part is that the way you can see this Google ASCII logo is by searching in google for [ascii art]. Give it a try, and you will see the logo at the top left of the search box, that looks like this:
And if you were wondering, this is a true ASCII logo, this is not a graphic.
Finsofts Design
A Morris Fire broke out in the dry summers in the Los Angeles National Forrest on Wednesday reportedly. The firefighters are trying to control the fire that has already spread to L.A.Basin and San Bernardino County. There are two fires on the San Gabriele Mountains, northeast of L.A. The fire is raging towards the western side of the La Canada Flintridge City. The fire broke at 3:20pm on the Angeles Crest Highway. “Its pretty bad the smoke. Once I stepped out of the door I could smell it,” said Natacha Cuvelier, a student at the University of Southern California, L.A.
Sam Atwood, a spokesman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District told sources that the smoke would worsen in the days to come as per his experience. It was also a major concern since there was no sea breeze in the area. There has been do damage to life or property due to the two fires.
A forest service spokesman Jim Wilkins told sources that the “fire was doing pretty much what it wanted to” and that it was burning “freely”.
An emergency evacuation was made on the Williams Camp a resort on the banks of the San Gabriele River.
At least 25 acres of land has been completely damaged due to the fire as per the latest broadcasts. The area has not seen a fire since 25 years and was bone-dry which is why the fire seemed to be raging uncontrollably.
About 8 air-tankers and 9 helicopters were being used by the fire department to extinguish the fire, and more than a hundred firefighters were reportedly involved in controlling the fire.
Recover deleted sms from mobile
Read more about this in the hubpages and it will be useful for your daily life..
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The Florida Lotto and multistate Powerball jackpots took a leap Saturday night when no one matched all six numbers in either drawing.
Saturday's Lotto numbers were 18, 19, 20, 41, 50 and 51. With no winner, the top prize for Wednesday's drawing will be $15 million, the Florida Lottery said Sunday.
Saturday's Powerball numbers were 14, 15, 26, 32 and 36, and the Powerball was 12. Wednesday's jackpot will be $245 million.
Four $1 Powerball tickets matched the first five numbers but not the Powerball to win $200,000 apiece. They were sold in Florida, Maine and two in Kentucky. One $2 Power Play ticket, sold in Tennessee, matched the first five numbers to win $1 million.
Three Fantasy 5 tickets, including two sold in southwest Miami-Dade, matched all five numbers in that game's drawing Saturday night to win $84,489.67 apiece, the Florida Lottery said.
Saturday's Fantasy 5 numbers were 2, 8, 12, 17 and 35. The Dade tickets were sold at La Guardia Chevron, 11830 Bird Rd., the Publix supermarket at 15755 Miller Dr.
The third winner, a free Quick Pick ticket, was issued in Palm Coast.
Finsofts Design
Top 10 nugatory things we say
We all say things sometimes that are kind of meaningless. Over time we overuse phrases to the point they are actually inconsequential (basically the definition of nugatory).
So let’s take a look--the top 10 nugatory comments we say or hear all the time:
10. Any Web site touting their “new” social networking feature. (Really? How many Facebooks can we have?)
9. “I’ll start my diet on Monday.” (If you say that, you are probably never going to.)
8. “But it’s diet/fat-free!” (Whatever makes you feel better … chances are whatever you are about to consume isn’t that good for you. The term diet or fat-free doesn’t make it healthy. But we certainly feel better when say that).
7. “It is what it is.” (We hear this one way too much in a business setting. Sure it is, so just drop it and move on.)
6. “Needless to say.” (If it’s needless, then don’t say it.)
5. “She’s/He’s sweet, but…” (The but says it all, no need to attempt to sugar coat it, with weak imitation Splenda-sugar no less, by saying he/she is sweet.)
4. “We should get together sometime.” And the statement ends there. (If you wanted to get together, you would select a time and do it. No one means this when said that way.)
3. Prefacing or ending a statement with “Bless his/her heart.” (It doesn’t really make what you just said more polite.)
2. The immediate, knee-jerk “No!” response when you ask your boyfriend if your pants make you look fat. (Of course he’s going to say that, what else can he say? You’re not dating a dummy. You can’t trust that as a response with any validity.)
1. LOL! (We use it so much, there is no way you are literally laughing out loud each time you write it.)
Top 10 nugatory things we say
We all say things sometimes that are kind of meaningless. Over time we overuse phrases to the point they are actually inconsequential (basically the definition of nugatory).
So let’s take a look--the top 10 nugatory comments we say or hear all the time:
10. Any Web site touting their “new” social networking feature. (Really? How many Facebooks can we have?)
9. “I’ll start my diet on Monday.” (If you say that, you are probably never going to.)
8. “But it’s diet/fat-free!” (Whatever makes you feel better … chances are whatever you are about to consume isn’t that good for you. The term diet or fat-free doesn’t make it healthy. But we certainly feel better when say that).
7. “It is what it is.” (We hear this one way too much in a business setting. Sure it is, so just drop it and move on.)
6. “Needless to say.” (If it’s needless, then don’t say it.)
5. “She’s/He’s sweet, but…” (The but says it all, no need to attempt to sugar coat it, with weak imitation Splenda-sugar no less, by saying he/she is sweet.)
4. “We should get together sometime.” And the statement ends there. (If you wanted to get together, you would select a time and do it. No one means this when said that way.)
3. Prefacing or ending a statement with “Bless his/her heart.” (It doesn’t really make what you just said more polite.)
2. The immediate, knee-jerk “No!” response when you ask your boyfriend if your pants make you look fat. (Of course he’s going to say that, what else can he say? You’re not dating a dummy. You can’t trust that as a response with any validity.)
1. LOL! (We use it so much, there is no way you are literally laughing out loud each time you write it.)
Finsofts Design
Compass has a report out about the state of the housing market. Dire they say, there should be lots more, well, essentially, lots more of the things that Compass likes. State intervention, more taxpayers' money being spent, more social housing and, by the way, can we get the bankers out of the whole thing? It isn't all bad, it has to be said, they come out in favour of land value taxation which as has been pointed out here before is a thoroughly good idea.
However, they seem incapable of, while discussing which shade the bark on the trees should be, of understanding the wood which is our real problem in the housing market.
The need to understand notoriously opaque land markets and the complexities of the planning process also make housebuilding an extremely difficult industry for new competitors to enter, reducing competitive pressure further. The result is a business model that does not deliver the homes we need, but is very difficult to change.
Now someone like me would say, OK, then we should be looking at changing the planning system if that's one of the major problems. And of course, the planning system is. They note that in recent years we've been building flats on brownfield sites, the houses that do get through are rabbit hutches crammed together: and yet they fail to note that this is exactly what the planning system, in all its complexity, has been demanding. If you don't put 14 houses on a hectare you won't get permission. The extraordinary price of housing is not because houses are expensive to build, nor is land: what is expensive is the licence that allows you to build a house on a certain piece of land.
There have been solutions proposed to this of course: if the planning system is the problem then let's change the planning system. But of this sensible sort of thinking we get none from Compass: despite their approval of LVT showing that they have at least one rational individual within their ranks.
Still, at least they are not quite as crazed as the current government was with the Pathfinder scheme. This baby of John Prescott's was going to solve the shortage of affordable housing by knocking down hundreds of thousands of cheap houses: you can imagine how well that worked.
How many inner planets are there in our solar system? What are the inner planets and outer planets? What are the planets in order? These questions seem like ones tackled during elementary school days but let us answer them one by one.
How many inner planets are there in our solar system?
There are 4.
What are the inner planets and outer planets?
The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. While the outer planets consist of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
What are the planets in order?
The planets in order starting from the one nearest to the sun:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Drinking beetroot juice can increase stamina, allowing keep-fit enthusiasts and athletes to exercise for longer, researchers have found.
A glass a day of the vegetable juice helped men to work out for 16 per cent longer, a new study shows.
As many Call of Duty fanatics know, Call of Duty: World at War is getting yet another map pack on August 6th. This makes three total and anyone who's been off the COD bandwagon for a while will have have to shell out 800 Microsoft Points per map pack, or $10 dollars in real people money/PSN store points to catch up. The four new maps: Der Riese (the new Nazi Zombie map), Breach, Battery and Revolution add some much needed replay value to the game.
Yes, all of these maps can pack a punch on your wallet, but Activision's here to save the day (and some money) by adding a free iPhone app that allows you to track your stats (kill/death ratio, win percentage, etc.), performance tracking (such as weapon usage), the ability to see what your COD buddies are doing anytime, anywhere, and it will also keep you up to date on all the gaming news you need in the COD universe.
Finsofts Design
Obama trying to rally support in favour of healthcare reforms
Finsofts
US President Barack Obama is trying to rally support in favour of his healthcare reforms. Democrats too have been lobbying hard for its passage. But Republicans have said that they will not allow the Federal government’s meddling in healthcare system.
As President, Barack Obama has initiated a series of actions intended to reform health care. The full elements in his plan were outlined in a document entitled Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s plan to lower health care costs and ensure affordable,accessible health coverage for all.
The plan aims to "improve efficiency and lower costs in the health care system by adopting state-of-the-art health information technology systems; by ensuring that patients receive and providers deliver the best possible care, including prevention and chronic disease management services; reforming the market structure to increase competition; and offering federal reinsurance to employers to help ensure that unexpected or catastrophic illnesses do not make health insurance unaffordable or out of reach for businesses and their employees."
The plan includes implementing guaranteed eligibility for affordable health care for all Americans, paid for by insurance reform, reducing costs, removing patent protection for pharmaceuticals, and requiring employers to either furnish meaningful coverage or contribute to a new public plan. He would provide for mandatory health care insurance for children.
Obama has promised to “bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family.” His advisers have said that the $2,500 premium reduction includes, in addition to direct premium savings, the average family's share of the reduction in employer-paid health insurance premiums and the reduction in the cost of government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Ken Thorpe of Emory University has issued estimates that support Obama's proposal. Other health analysts, such as Joe Antos of the American Enterprise Institute, Karen Davis of the Commonwealth Fund and Jonathan B. Oberlander of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill expressed skepticism that the Obama plan would achieve the stated level of cost savings.
With his healthcare reform, President Obama wants to give the public the choice of a public sector competitor in the private health insurance market. An article in The Economist said that the inclusion of a public sector option could trigger insurance opposition which, in conjunction with employer health-care provider opposition, could kill health care reform.
President Barack Obama is lobbying hard for universal coverage and end of medical red tape, calling an overhaul of America's ailing health care system the most important issue for the nation's long-term economic stability.
Health care reform should mean all Americans can get coverage while allowing doctors to heal patients instead of being bureaucrats, he told the doctors' advocacy organization American Medical Association in Chicago recently.
He acknowledged the concerns of doctors that reforms could bring a government-heavy system that would dictate how patients get treated and how much physicians get paid, CNN reported. But he called such thinking wrong.
Obama urged all players-doctors, patients, insurance companies, drug companies and the government-to contribute to a workable system that would provide coverage for the 46 million uninsured Americans while reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
'You did not enter this profession to be bean-counters and paper-pushers,' Obama said to a standing ovation at the conference in Chicago, Illinois. 'You entered this profession to be healers, and that's what our health care system should let you be.'
Obama has made health care reform a top priority of his administration, and Congress will consider at least three proposals in coming weeks to address an issue that deeply divides Democrats and Republicans.
His plan includes reducing tax deductions for high-income Americans. Another funding idea under consideration is taxing the medical benefits of employer-provided health coverage, which the Obama administration opposes but has not ruled out entirely.
The AMA represents a powerful constituency of US physicians, and its support is considered important in getting a bill through Congress. The AMA acknowledges the need for reforms but opposes any public option plan that forces physicians to participate, expands the fiscally challenged Medicare programme for senior citizens or pays Medicare rates.
A proposal from Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy, a longtime health care reform proponent, includes a public option as one choice for consumers. Republican leaders adamantly oppose any public option, complaining it would lead to an eventual government takeover of health care similar to the cradle-to-grave coverage in Canada and England.
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This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. I know art should be bizarre, and an artist should always bring something new that leaves people breathless, but I don’t know if they’re supposed to scare every single one of us. Here is a human-dog hybrid sculpture by artist Patricia Piccinini that was intended to show that we are all family. I know a dog is a best man’s friend, but not in that way. Seriously. Not like that.
Well, this sculpture is called The Young Family and it’s part of the We Are Family series of sculptures by the artist. A human dog hybrid would be really scary. Actually, all hybrids are somewhat scary, and people and animals should remain how they’re born therefore we have to save them all and prevent extinction for endangered animals.
Did I mention that this is a human-dog hybrid? Do you feel comfortable about it? If you do then something is wrong.
via Patricia Piccinini Finsoft Design
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“That’s the plan,” drummer Chad Smith has revealed in an interview with Billboard. “Everybody was like, ‘Y’know, I really like having this time off, not being a Chili Pepper and doing other things… It’ll be two years in September, so now we’re ready. You can’t force people to play when they don’t want to play or aren’t ready to play or whatever — not in our band, anyway.”
No word on what the Peppers have planned, but the followup to 2006’s Stadium Arcadium is believed to in the works.
Until then, Smith will be finishing up a few more tour dates with his supergroup/side-project Chickenfoot, while releasing the debut release of another side-project, Bombastic Meatbats.
Chickenfoot 2009 Tour Dates: Finsofts Reports
08/02 - Halifax, NS @ Citadel Hill
08/05 - Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
08/07 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
08/08 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
08/10 - St. Paul, MN @ Myth
08/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
08/13 - Comstock Park, MI @ Winter Beer Festival
08/15 - Cleveland, OH @ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
08/17 - New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
08/18 - Baltimore, MD @ Lyric Opera House
08/20 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Arena
08/22 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Hotel
08/23 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
08/24 - Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
08/26 - Portsmouth, VA @ Ntelos Wireless Pavilion
08/27 - Charlotte, NC @ Uptown Amphitheatre
08/29 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
08/30 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
09/05 - Stateline, NV @ Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
09/11 - Denvero, CO @ The Fillmore
09/12 - Grand Junction, CO @ Rock Jam
09/14 - Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater
09/16 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
09/17 - Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion
09/20 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station
09/21 - Grand Prarie, TX @ Nokia Theatre
09/23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
09/25 - Berkley, CA @ Greek Theatre
09/26 - Valley Center, CA @ Harrah’s Rincon Open Sky Theater
09/27 - Universal City, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
Thanks.
2008 was the year when smartphones hogged the limelight and touchscreen handsets flooded the market. The trend is likely to continue and the competition intensify, but the cell phone industry isn't just about churning out one handset after another.
This year, we'll probably also see manufacturers place more emphasis on improving their handsets' performance and making them more energy-efficient. Mobile applications will also go primetime with a laundry list of programs designed for smart phones.
These five key predictions get my vote for what's most likely to happen in 2009.
Cash for Clunkers Suspended. Not yet.
The suspension will start Friday midnight. The program is suspended when it became obvious that the $1 billion allocated by Congress for it is quickly depleted. $1 billion is not enough. Auto dealers told the Wall Street Journal that they "will stop accepting cars for trade-in under the program until they are sure funds are available."
The National Automobile Dealers Association has released a statement:
Even though the United States Congress proclaimed the first Sunday of August as National Friendship Day in 1935, I just heard about it recently. I have been truly blessed with many wonderful friends. Besides family, there is nothing in my life that I value more than my friendships. Having a day that is dedicated to celebrating friends and friendship is a great reminder to take the time to let our friends know how much they mean to us. It is the perfect excuse to get together and have some fun with a backyard BBQ, beach party, or picnic in the park. I actually make it a point to get together with friends all the time, so this National Friendship Day I plan to create a few small personal gifts to recognize a few friends who have really made a difference in my life. Of course, my gifts will have a floral focus, but will be inspired by a unique quality of each friend or friendship. Here are some of my ideas:
Coincidentally, I just returned from my annual trip with 3 of my high school girlfriends. We graduated from high school in 1970, so needless to say these are very special, life long friends. My friend Patty loves to share her latest craft projects with us and this year she taught us all jewelry making. We all really got into it and had a ball. I would like to thank Patty for being the type of friend who loves to share her knowledge and her passion. She makes our trips and our lives that much better!
You can make a version of this jeweled vase by making several inexpensive beaded bracelets and placing them around a short beverage glass and filling the glass with a coordinating flower from your garden or local florist.
Yellow Roses Are the Official Flower of Friendship Day!
The yellow rose was chosen as the official flower for National Friendship Day, because it symbolizes joy, friendship, delight, promise of a new beginning, “remember me”, and “I care”. can also create a simple arrangement using a few yellow roses and a special container such as this “nest” dish. I have a friend who loves to garden and entertain. This sweet bouquet is perfect for her. After enjoying the fresh roses she can use the dish with a candle or for dip and each time she looks at it she’ll be reminded that she has a friend in me!
Finsofts Design
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) -- A Newington, Conn., man has claimed his $25-million Powerball Jackpot prize after picking the winning numbers in the June 27th drawing.
Finsofts Design
Rahul Patel was the single winner that night, matching all six numbers: 18-22-26-39-48 and the Powerball number of 17.
He had purchased his $1 Powerball Quick Pick at Sam's Food Store in West Hartford.
Connecticut lottery officials say Patel opted to take the prize as a one-time cash lump sum of $12.5 million. After state and federal taxes, he received a check for $8.7 million.
This marks the sixth Powerball jackpot won on a ticket sold in Connecticut since the state joined the multistate game, which includes Rhode Island, in 1995. The last jackpot prize occurred in October 2007 when an Eastford resident won $15 million.
The odds of matching the jackpot prize are one in 195,249,054.
Finsofts Design
Jude Law, who has three children with ex-wife Sadie Frost, has discovered he's expecting a fourth child with an unidentified former lover.
Finsofts Design
"Jude Law can confirm that, following a relationship last year, he has been advised that he is to be the father of a child due in the fall of this year," the actor's rep says in a statement. "Mr. Law is no longer in a relationship with the individual concerned but he intends to be a fully supportive part of the child's life. This is an entirely private matter and no other statements will be made."
Law, 36, next will appear in Hamlet on Broadway in October, and will star with Robert Downey Jr. in the film Sherlock Holmes opening on Christmas Day.
Finsofts Design
No Fan of VH1’s ‘Blatant Ripoff,’ ‘Flavor of Love’
There’s scant love lost between The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and those producers who abandoned his hit reality series - only to create Flavor of Love at a competing network.
Interviewed on Buzzworthy Radio, Chris says the defections of certain staffers from ABC’s Bachelor, which debuted in 2002, over to VH1’s original Love show, which bowed in 2006, was the source of significant strife.
"There were so many ripoffs that the whole genre was watered down," Chris (above) tells us of VH1 and other net's foray into "Bachelor" territory.
“VH1 has sort of copied [The Bachelor] format with Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, all the Loves,” says host Matthew Preston. “What do you think of all the other kind of copy shows out there?”
“Not kind of copied us,” Chris snaps back. “It was one of our former producers - and a lot of people who worked on our show, actually - who went over and did that show.
“Here’s a little-known story: If you look at the executive producer of those shows, they actually worked for The Bachelor for years.
“So it was a little contentious for a while. It was a blatant, silly rip-off. And early on, it bothered me. Because it kind of took away from our audience.
“For a while, The Bachelor was the only show where you could see this type of concept unfold. Then for a while, NBC had one - Married by America, or whatever it was called. Then Joe Millionaire, which was a silly spoof on Fox.
“And then it made it harder for us to cast the show. It made us kind of push the envelope a little and kind of change our show, unfortunately. So that was kind of a pain.”
Chris also reveals that The Bachelor’s trademark flower isn’t his personal No. 1 pick:
“I have to say, roses have been pretty good to me over the last eight years. So you don’t want to bite the flower that feeds you.
“But I will say this: When I buy flowers for my wife, it’s definitely not roses.”
Gayatri Devi, the elegant former princess of Cooch Behar who became the maharani of Jaipur, died on Wednesday, after prolonged illness. She was 90 years old.
Once listed among the ‘World’s Ten Most Beautiful Women’ by Vogue magazine and a style icon during her time, Devi was the founder of the Swatantra Party and a member of the third and fourth Lok Sabha.
She was admitted to the Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital (SDMH) on July 17 and was discharged a few days ago but was readmitted yesterday for chest infestion.
Gayatri Devi’s death comes a day after the passing away of actress Leela Naidu, both of whom were named by Vogue as amongst the 10 most beautiful women in the world.
In Race, a pair of teen aliens named Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) come to Earth to retrieve a device crucial to the survival of their home planet. They crash and need an alternate method of transportation to get them to their goal. This lands them with Las Vegas cabbie Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson). The trio embarks on an adventure to get the essential gizmo and send the kids home, a quest made more difficult due to pursuers both human and extraterrestrial.
As I noted at the start, Race and Escape boast few similarities. Both include siblings with special powers, though Escape's Tony and Tia were notably younger than Seth and Sara. In addition, both pairs of kids were aliens with psychokinetic powers, and both sets of youngsters need to get to a place called Witch Mountain.Thus ends the similarities, which is fine with me. Indeed, the fact that Race doesn't attempt to offer a literal remake of Escape should probably be a good thing. I wasn't wild about the original, and many aspects of its story probably wouldn't age well. An update sounds like a good idea.
"Sounds like" being the operative phrase, for in reality, Race turns into a massive turkey. As I mentioned when I reviewed it, I saw Escape as a kid, but I don't bear fond childhood memories of it. Indeed, I barely remember it at all, so it's not like I feel any need to defend a precious icon from the cruel onslaught on modern Hollywood. I was all for a remake, as I thought a new flick might be more interesting than the original.
I was wrong. While Escape provides minor pleasures, at least it does have some interesting elements. I wish I could say the same for Race, but I find it tough to think of anything positive to say about it. Okay - Carla Gugino looks hot.
And that's it for the laudatory part of this review! Straight from the Michael Bay school of filmmaking, Race suffers from an absurd sense of urgency. From start to finish, every shot comes with rapid-fire cutting and pulsing music; the flick never gives you a second to take a breath, as even the most simple scenes come packed with attempted drama.
Perversely, this robs the actual action sequences of any life. When every sequence attempts to feel climactic, none of them achieve that goal. In addition, many of these scenes just seem silly. For instance, a simple character chat between Jack and UFO expert Dr. Alex Friedman (Gugino) becomes tough to watch due to these techniques. When the camera cuts every 1.5 seconds and we get stuck with strident score, how can we pay attention to the basics of the scene? We can't, and the cumulative effect becomes that the movie grates on us and causes headaches.
Perhaps director Andy Fickman felt a need to distract us from the movie's incessant onslaught of illogical moments. Yes, I realize that Race is a science-fiction movie meant for kids, but that doesn't need it must be idiotic. Strange choices abound. When the kids and Jack try to escape a restaurant surrounded by gun-toting feds, their waitress (Escape's Kim Richards in a cameo) shows them a secret exit. They hit a snag, though, because the door is locked from the outside.
The Blu-ray Grades: Picture A/ Audio A-/ Bonus C
Race to Witch Mountain appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the movie boasted an excellent transfer.
At all times, sharpness excelled. Even in the widest shots, the image remained tight and concise; nary a hint of softness ever interfered with this accurate presentation. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I noticed no edge enhancement. Source flaws also stayed away from this clean, fresh image.
In terms of colors, the movie went with a pretty bright, peppy palette. Of course, the fact much of the film took place in Las Vegas made these visual choices logical. The hues looked lively and full throughout the flick. Blacks appeared deep and dense, while shadows demonstrated nice clarity and delineation. All in all, I felt very impressed by the visuals.
While not quite as stunning, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Race fared well. With a whole bunch of action sequences throughout the story, the soundfield offered many opportunities to shine, and it often did so. Cars, spacecraft, gunfire, and general mayhem rocked all around the room and made the material engaging across all five channels. Music featured good stereo presence as well, but the effects dominated and turned this into an involving piece.
I always felt audio quality satisfied. Speech was crisp and distinctive, while music seemed full and robust. As expected, the effects were the most dynamic aspect of the track, as they sounded lively and impactful. Bass response appeared tight and deep. The audio worked well.
Only a few extras flesh out the set. We get eight Deleted Scenes; including introductions from director Andy Fickman, these fill a total of 23 minutes, 21 seconds. We find "Extended Opening Ray's" (1:17), "Extended Ray's Telekinesis" (3:15), "Jack Beats Up Zacha" (1:39), "Tina Meets Siphon" (2:15), "Sara Foils Security Fence" (1:41), "Alex Foils Guard" (1:27), "Extended Goodbye Scene" (5:20) and "Original Tag" (5:47). Most of these consist of minor additions to existing sequences, so don't expect much new. The "Tag" is probably the most interesting of the bunch, though it would've ended the flick on a darker note.
Fickman's intros offer satisfying information. He tells us a little about the scenes and lets us know why he cut them. Fickman proves effective in his quick comments.
Next we find a reel of Bloopers. These last three minutes, 37 seconds and presents the standard collection of silliness and mistakes. A few slightly amusing improv lines appear, but mostly this is the usual goofiness.
For a comparison of Race to the 1970s Witch Mountain flicks, we go to Which Mountain?. This runs eight minutes, 20 seconds, and includes notes from Fickman. He details trivia details found in the movie; some of these show connections to the 1970s flicks, though some simply tell us of cast cameos. Nonetheless, we learn about some hidden material in this reasonably fun piece.
A few ads open the disc. We get clips for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Princess and the Frog, Hannah Montana: The Motion Picture, Blu-ray Disc and Disney Movie Rewards. These also appear in the Sneak Peeks area along with promos for Ponyo, Earth, Up, Santa Buddies, Disney Parks and Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. No trailer for Race shows up here.
For viewers who might want to go Blu-ray in the future but remain SD, this set includes a DVD Version of the film. It presents the feature film along with the same deleted scenes and bloopers found on the Blu-ray. It also throws in a promo for Blu-ray from some Disney Channel actors.
Finally, a second disc provides a Digital Copy of Race. This allows you to easily transfer the flick to your computer or portable viewing device. It doesn't do anything for me, but your mileage may vary, as they say.
While the original 1970s movies weren't classics, they look brilliant compared to the lamentable Race to Witch Mountain. Essentially little more than a loud, faceless piece of action nonsense, the film lacks personality or entertainment value. The Blu-ray provides excellent picture and audio but lacks substantial supplements. I love the presentation of the flick, but I don't care for Race at all.
Reviewed by Colin Jacobson, DVDMG.com.
Presentation:
Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Thai
Korean
Chinese
Malay
Bahasa
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Finsofts Report
The Philadelphia Eagles announced that longtime defensive coordinator Jim Johnson lost his fight with skin cancer and died Tuesday afternoon at the age of 68. Johnson was the Eagles defensive coordinator for 10 years under coach Andy Reid, stepping aside officially just last week when it was announced that Sean McDermott would take over the position.
"For ten years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being," Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement released by the team. "Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be -- a teacher, a leader and a winner. He positively touched the lives of so many people in and out of the Eagles organization. It was easy to feel close to him. We will miss him greatly."
Johnson was an NFL assistant for a total of 22 years, spending time on the staffs of the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks prior to joining the Eagles, where he became known as one of the top defensive minds in the game and one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. According to the press release announcing his death, Johnson's defenses ranked second in the NFL in sacks, third-down efficiency and red zone touchdown percentage and fourth in average points allowed per game from 2000-08.
Monday in Bethlehem, Pa., after the Eagles' morning practice session, McDermott was asked how he was getting by without his mentor, Johnson, around to help, and whether he finds himself asking what Johnson would do in certain situations.
"Not so much, 'What would Jim do here,' because I ran through those situations already in my mind, and if I hadn't by now it would have been a big mistake," McDermott said. "But moreso missing him coming out of the locker room, missing him in meetings this morning, just his presence. He had a way about him that you loved just being around the guy."
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Penn State’s athletic history boasts national champions, iconic coaches, Olympians, a Heisman trophy winner, first round draft picks and now a boom running world champion.
Alyse Schroeder, a toxicology major and full time student, captured the world’s top ranking in a thrilling race on June 25th. The junior finished in 11.14 seconds, just edging opponent and event favorite Shana Martin, who ran in 11.28 seconds.
“I had been working my butt off to become champion, it was a relief,” Schroeder said. “It was a satisfaction knowing that all of my hard work had paid off.”
This weekend, she will defend her title.
Boom running is part of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series and the Lumberjack World Championship. In the event, two competitors race down a series of logs connected by rope to a small dock. Once they reach the dock, the athletes have to go around a marker, usually a large barrel then race back down the logs for the finish.
Schroeder began her professional career last year at the Lumberjack World Championship, held annually in her hometown of Hayward, Wisc., and placed third. At the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series, which is televised as part of ESPN’s outdoor games, the junior won the title in front of a national audience.
“Honestly, its an unreal experience — especially winning,” Schroeder said. “Everybody is smothering you, and it’s amazing. Seeing myself on TV is a surreal experience.”
Wendy Schroeder, Alyse’s mother, got her daughter into the sport when the family moved to Hayward from Minneapolis. After the Schroeders settled in, an acquaintance asked if the girls wanted to try log rolling.
Alyse and her sister Lauryn went out to try, and the two have been competing ever since. Schroeder has been involved in amateur and pro level competitions in both log rolling and boom running since age 7, and her sister has been following her the whole time.
“I had never heard of a thing like log running, so I said ’sure,’ ” Wendy said.
Living in Hayward allows Schroeder to train on the Lumberjack series track, which is located in a lake by her home. The sisters spend two hours a day running the course when they are home.
When classes are in session and without access to an actual course, Schroeder uses a multitude of other training methods. While at Penn State, Schroeder’s focus is to just stay in shape, and she goes to the gym every day while running distance and a multitude of sprints.
“We obviously don’t have a log at school, so I do a lot of running and strength training in my legs,” Schroeder said. “It is hard, but none of the competitions are during the winter, so I’m not losing that much.”
While the girls don’t have an actual coach, they have a unique support group to help them prepare for competitions. Alyse was taught by former men’s world champion J. R. Slazman and currently trains with 2008 women’s champ Taylor Duffy.
The closest the sisters have to a coach is their father, Brian, who wrestled for the University of Minnesota. Despite not having any experience actually competing, Brian brings his own touch to the training.
“They call me their coach, but I really can’t give them any pointers in the actual event,” Brian Schroeder said. “But I do know what kind of dedication it takes to achieve the kind of success they’ve had. If anything, I’m a little hard on them actually.”
The training for boom running is demanding, and the girls’ father has taken to the role of patching up their frequent injuries. Brian said he sees his job as keeping his daughters going through the pain and giving them the push to succeed.
While the lumberjack series of games has a professional and amateur level, the premier events like this weekend’s are professional invite-only outings. Therefore, Alyse only has to defend her title at invitational events sponsored by STIHL or the Lumberjack Championship.
Schroeder’s success at such a young age took many on the circuit by surprise, she said. She placed third in just her first invitational event, and captured the title less than a year later.
“It was quite an upset for Alyse to win the STIHL national competition,” Brian Schroeder said. “She beat an unbelievable athlete by a fraction of a second. It was an upset to most people. Alyse came out of nowhere in the last two years to be at that level.”
When she is at Penn State, Schroeder is also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. The ability to manage her classwork, training and social life is not lost on her mother.
“Alyse is extremely organized. She’s taken some summer courses so she could get ahead,” Wendy Schroeder said. “She does a really good job of making sure she can get everything in, and she’s a pretty balanced individual.”
Lauryn followed her sister into the pro circuit last year, and her father said she has become the youngest professional competitor ever at age 13.
While Schroeder’s success came early, this weekend’s competition will prove to be the biggest challenge in her still growing career. Several competitors who missed June’s event will be returning to take their shot at the title.
Though the level of difficulty will go up, Brian believes his daughter will keep her position among the best in the world. Realistically, he thinks Alyse will be in the top three, but defending is not a certainty.
“It is going to be close. It will be fractions of seconds between the top three,” Brian Schroeder said. “No question about it, she’ll be in the top three, but it’s too close to call. It’s going to be extremely difficult.”
Regardless of this weekend’s outcome, Schroeder’s career in boom running is off to an unprecedented start, and she will only get better with more experience, Brian said. The energy, effort and dedication she puts into every aspect of her life has earned the adulation of her parents.
“I’m proud of her. She’s a good kid and a good athlete,” Brian said. ” I’m proud of the fact both of them put that kind of energy into an activity, though they really bring that energy into everything they do.”
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Student to defend world title
Penn State's athletic history boasts national champions, iconic coaches, Olympians, a Heisman trophy winner, first round draft picks and now a boom running world champion.
Alyse Schroeder, a toxicology major and full time student, captured the world's top ranking in a thrilling race on June 25th. The junior finished in 11.14 seconds, just edging opponent and event favorite Shana Martin, who ran in 11.28 seconds.
"I had been working my butt off to become champion, it was a relief," Schroeder said. "It was a satisfaction knowing that all of my hard work had paid off."
This weekend, she will defend her title.
Boom running is part of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series and the Lumberjack World Championship. In the event, two competitors race down a series of logs connected by rope to a small dock. Once they reach the dock, the athletes have to go around a marker, usually a large barrel then race back down the logs for the finish.
Schroeder began her professional career last year at the Lumberjack World Championship, held annually in her hometown of Hayward, Wisc., and placed third. At the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS series, which is televised as part of ESPN's outdoor games, the junior won the title in front of a national audience.
"Honestly, its an unreal experience -- especially winning," Schroeder said. "Everybody is smothering you, and it's amazing. Seeing myself on TV is a surreal experience."
Though the level of difficulty will go up, Brian believes his daughter will keep her position among the best in the world. Realistically, he thinks Alyse will be in the top three, but defending is not a certainty.
"It is going to be close. It will be fractions of seconds between the top three," Brian Schroeder said. "No question about it, she'll be in the top three, but it's too close to call. It's going to be extremely difficult."
Regardless of this weekend's outcome, Schroeder's career in boom running is off to an unprecedented start, and she will only get better with more experience, Brian said. The energy, effort and dedication she puts into every aspect of her life has earned the adulation of her parents.
"I'm proud of her. She's a good kid and a good athlete," Brian said. " I'm proud of the fact both of them put that kind of energy into an activity, though they really bring that energy into everything they do."
Yesterday we took a look at London’s chances for winning VH1 television show Daisy of Love, but there are two other guys vying for the affections of this Rock of Love reject. One of them is a guy from Daisy’s distant past: Dave-slash-12-Pack.
The two met on the set of I Love Money, which is an instant clue to their ties to the epic world of reality television. 12 Pack claims there was immediately a connection to Daisy at the time, and decided to pursue her now that he’s ready for a real relationship.
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