This is a new upcoming release from the good folks at Hot Toys. The close up shots are full of precise details for the utmost in authenticity. Be sure to read up on all your collectible toy news on the one site with tons of photos as well as videos. The one that started it all Action Figure Times. www.aftimes.com
Author: actionfiguretimes
Keywords: iraq hot toys actionfiguretimes aftimes.com air force security figure military darfur import
Added: April 3, 2008
The debut trailer for my upcoming epic, "10,000 Days in Vietnam," chronicling the views of American soldiers, Viet Kong soldiers, and the civilians caught in the middle of this civil war gone wrong.
Author: katvolver
Keywords: vietnam america vietkong laos northvietnam southvietnam france bombs usaf marinecorps wizart49
Added: April 2, 2008
YouTube has launched a new monthly program called Living Legends that allows users to ask questions about featured celebrities.
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Verizon said this morning the company will launch its next-generation wireless broadband network, dubbed Long Term Evolution (LTE) after sometime in 2010, approximately a year after the large swath of C-block 700 MHz spectrum the company won in a recent FCC auction becomes available.
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To some people, the Summer Olympics are little more than a nuisance - their television viewing schedules get messed up, don'tcha know. But those who really enjoy the Games may be glad for the chance to watch the 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Google Maps and Google Earth.
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Media technology provider Local Matters is acquiring Danish local mobile search and advertising provider mobilePeople. The Denver, Colorado-based firm, which specializes in local search, will acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of mobilePeople in exchange for a combination of cash and Local Matters stock. No financial details of the deal were disclosed. The buy out means that Local Matters will now be able to offer directory publishers, media publishers and directory assistance providers with their local search technology across the internet, mobile and voice. The two companies are already familiar with one another, having formed a business partnership two years ago. They have several joint initiatives in progress. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008 (release).
Social video start-up Seesmic has acquired Twhirl, a desktop client that allows users to connect with text messaging social services like Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku sans browser. Seesmic will use Twhirl to enable video conversations. Twhirl creator Marco Kaiser will be joining Seesmic. The service will remain free to use.
This should make Seesmic's founder and CEO, Loic Le Meur's participation at this year's EconSM even more interesting.
Here's a novel way to shame operators into cutting their data and text costs: shame them in public. At least that's what Viviane Reding, European telecom regulator, is proposing to do if the local operators don't cut costs for roaming text messaging and wholesale data transmission by July 1, reports IHT.
"I will look at all the tariffs available and put them on a Web site...That way, people will be able to see which ones have not lowered their prices," said the always plucky Reding. This isn't the first time this clash has happened, and it won't be the last, for sure.
She asked that the price of a SMS sent outside of one's home country be capped at 12 euro cents, down from the average of 29 cents in Europe and 23 cents in France. She also requested a cut in wholesale prices for data roaming..some operators charge as much as Euro 11, or $17 per MB of data transmitted outside of their home country, but most charge Euro 5 to Euro 7, she said, which is still crazy pricing. She would like to see those roaming wholesale prices cut to 35 euro cents per MB.
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The high-profile spectrum auction ended two weeks ago, but the really interesting information is only starting to come out now that the quiet period has ended. The FCC, which garnered nearly $20 billion from the auction, prohibited the winning companies from saying anything about what they were going to do with the spectrum until 6 p.m. Eastern today. The timing was lousy given that it coincided with the industry's big annual event—CTIA. Arun Sarin, the CEO of Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), which owns about half of Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) and happened to be the biggest winner of the auction, even joked about it yesterday, saying everyone will have to wait another 24 hours for an update. Verizon Wireless said today it will hold a Webcast tomorrow to discuss its plans.
Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) also stayed quiet. I met with Qualcomm MediaFLO division yesterday, when they refused to say anything, but today, they announced the spectrum will indeed be used for its MediaFLO TV service. It said it paid $558.1 million for licenses including the E block covering Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Qualcomm said: "These licenses double Qualcomm's 700 MHz spectrum holdings throughout a footprint of more than 68 million people in 28 individual markets," the company said.
With the additional licenses, MediaFLO will be able to deliver additional content and services in these top markets, which is precisely what I chatted with Omar Javaid, the vp of global business opportunities, about. He said already they are starting to see what users prefer, and they were surprised to learn that people didn't want bite-sized content like a lot of people assumed, but preferred full-length TV shows. AT&T (NYSE: T), which is launching in May, even included a channel by Sony (NYSE: SNE) which will play full-length movies. But moving beyond even those basic services, he said they will develop future services, including chat and voting capabilities.
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Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) job cuts in Q1 cost the company $104 million according to an SEC filing this evening. Technically, the 2,600 eliminated positions resulted in a $113 million charge (about $44k per head in severance), but it recouped $9 million for certain reversals. The filing doesn't break down how much each unit was hit, except that all of its lines were affected. The news comes about a week after the company said it would cut itself down the middle and spinoff its handset business.
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At the big CTIA wireless show in Las Vegas this week, I did a short video interview with Vishal Gondal, the CEO of Indiagames, the big mobile and online gaming firm. I asked about IG's forays into U.S. (via its I.G. Fun subsidiary here), the changing mobile gaming market, the company's expansion into console gaming market, games on iPhones, off deck gaming in Asia and U.S., and other issues. One interesting point: he's not a big fan of mobile advertising...you have to watch to find out why.
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With the end of CTIA Wireless 2008 coming to a close in a couple hours, you can start to see the trends emerging in the industry. One of the ones that really stood out this year was the entrance of easy-to-use and accurate voice-recognition services for consumer applications. One of the biggest announcements of the show was Yahoo's (NSDQ: YHOO) new version of OneSearch, which integrated voice recognition into search queries on the phone. But other voice-centric solutions were also present, including vlingo, Jott Networks, Nuance Communications and of course SpinVox, which had a very splashy booth.
The companies and announcements at CTIA follow close behind Microsoft's (NSDQ: MSFT) purchase of TellMe last year, which has led to an integration of voice into several of the company's services. Voice definitely seems to be on a roll—Marco Boerries, Yahoo's EVP of Connected Life, explained the evolution: "We are really revolutionizing using voice for mobile—it's been around for about for 20-plus years, and on the mobile side, we are just now seeing voice applications" that are easy-to-use and accurate.
Boerries said up until now a lot of voice services worked because it limited the words a person would use—for example local business listings only. However, he said Yahoo wanted something broader. "We found this amazing technology at small company called vlingo, and they have a great product with 10-plus years in this field. You can say anything and they have this great technology to recognize it. We found it. We like it and we combined it with the OneSearch Assets," he said. "We like it so much, we made sure competitors can't use it, and we did an investment."
Here's some other examples:
-- OneSearch: The technology by vlingo gets more accurate the more people use it, and adapts to a person's accent. When searching for The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada, it recognized all the words but Venetian, but the user can scroll over that word and type it in, still saving a lot of time.
-- Jott Networks: It allows you to record a message using your voice, which is then converted into text to send to someone in an email. After several times using it, it didn't recognize words like "conference," instead spelling it out as Clonchen (?), but breezed by words such as Nokia (NYSE: NOK).
-- Nuance Communications: The company made several announcements at the show. It said that TeleNav will use its technology to speech-enable its mobile navigation service; Nuance launched a service that will convert voicemails to text messages or emails using a transcription service.
-- SpinVox: The company, which recently raised $100 million, was demonstrating how its service worked. A user called a 1-888 number, left a message, and was supposed to get a text message back with a text version of the service. If a word is not recognized it gets kicked out to an operator who types it in, making the service more intelligent for the next time that word pops up. Two hours after leaving one a message, I still haven't gotten a text to see how accurate it is. The company sells its services through carriers, including Alltel (NYSE: AT) and Cincinnati Bell in the U.S. The booth was impressive with the top portion being a collection of Ken-Like dolls, dressed in suits, with blocks on their heads. The blocks rotated to display different messages. The design was supposed to demonstrate the company's tagline: "Speaking Freely Through SpinVox."
For full coverage, visit our CTIA channel
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Our latest jobs in mobile content and digital media posted this week:
-- Handango: Director of Strategic Accounts Team
-- Napster: Vice President of Marketing
-- Peak6 Investments: Chief Revenue Officer
-- Championship Gaming Series: Vice President of Global Marketing
-- Joost: Sales Development Director
Tons more jobs with Handango and listed on our job board.
Fix8, a video chat service that lets users talk via animated avatars, has raised $2 million from SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM), adding to the $3 million it raised last year from Vickers Financial Group. Both fundings are part of the same $5 million first round. In addition to the investment, the company has received a contract from SK Telecom to lead the operator's efforts at enhancing the mobile chat experience. LA-based Fix8, a division of Mobinex, also has offices in China and Vietnam. Release.
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A couple days ago, I gave a workshop on videos and videoblogging to the fine folks at the Long Island Library Resources Council. It was a fun presentation to give (see the video above)!
Here’s a list of videos we watched during the class:
And here’s a link to my presentation (in handout format). Enjoy!
If you’re going to be at Computers in Libraries 2008 on Sunday (April 6!!!), then stop by this cool new event (swiped from Aaron’s blog):
What: Gaming (& Gadgets!) Night
Where: CIL 2008, Jefferson Room
When: Sunday, April 6th, 5:30-8:00 pm
How much: FREE
Who: You and other people interested in gaming
Jenny Levine and I have given a few gaming workshops at past Computers in Libraries and Internet Librarian conferences. After the sessions we've opened up the room to anyone interested in playing some games and/or learning about gaming. It's proven to be a popular and really fun time, so this year Information Today has turned the post-workshop gameplay into a featured event. With refreshments even!
************
Go read the full post here. I plan on being there!
From my comments, someone just asked for a list of interesting librarian-related job titles. Can you guys help out? I’ll start the list off with some previous posts of mine:
Then add in a few others:
So - does anyone want to add to this list? Thanks!
Speakers: George Needham and Joan Frye Williams
Aside - if you’ve never heard them speak, you need to. They are great presenters, and have great things to say. The combination is awesome!
Aside - George pulled up iTunes before the presentation and is playing some cool blues as background music. What a cool way to add a certain feel to a room!
Joan started by reviewing the “presentation policies” - spoofing all the rules that libraries have
“Legacy Librarianship” describes the fundamental truths learned in library school, handed down through the generations.
Some of our basic assumptions of librarianship need to change - recent studies have shown that!
Assumption: libraries are the go-to place form information
Reality:
- libraries don’t rank high - search engines 82%, libraries 1%
- Another study asked a similar question - libraries 1% (from a study done in 1947!!!)
We need to design for open use - not in-library use
- mainstream data formats
- easy import/export/snip
- toolbars, gadgets, APIs
- institutional and civilian-defined tags
- mashup was a graphic on the slide, and a great example
enhanced discoverability
- engines, not opacs
- crawl-able databases
- text/IM/microformats
- digitization
- captioning
- contributions to non-library sites and sources
We cannot offer a service if you have to find us to use it
More important to post good info on other blogs rather than your own (people clapped! I’m wondering if those people understood her point)
Assumption: libraries aren’t just about books anymore
reality: people think we’re about books
- this is not a bad thing - that’s great brand recognition
Why do people use the library? Studies show it’s mainly books…
If we have a brand, let’s use it.
Talk about reading, learning and enjoying. We aren’t in the information business - we are in the ideas business. We need to be in the ideas economy.
Push the books/reading lifestyle
- Success through reading
- sociable reading
- artistry of books
- write it yourself
- reading to maintain your brain
- books as ties to popular culture/books
“Civilian” - anybody that doesn’t have library training
Emphasis on abundance:
- focus on assets, not deficiencies
- demand-based resource allocation - if you need more best-sellers, you need to buy more.
- fast, convenient service delivery - spend more time and money on delivery tools
- minimal rationing - Libraries usually do this - “the more you want it, the less you can have it.” -Don’t do that!
- appreciative inquiry
- no victims
Assumption: patrons aren’t capable of finding good things on their own
Reality: time is scarce, not information
The world is changing. Ex - we do stuff ourselves now instead of using specialists (ie., Expedia or Travelocity vs travel agents).
Who provides worthwhile information? Libraries don’t rank high among civilians.
Comparing libraries to search engines - SEs win in categories like easy to use, convenient, fast, reliable…
Why? People think there’s no difference between the trustworthiness of libraries and the trustworthiness of search engines.
What to do:
- make the library very different than it is now
- we like it that users need help - that’s a bad thing! We should knock down those barriers
- we need to simplify everything!
- less clutter, civilian terminology, situational directions, power paths & nodes, layout by activity, not collection
- this is true in both online and physical libraries
Use civilian words!!!
- focus on situational terms
- Pay here, ask, get
- circulation or fines doesn’t tell civilians anything situational
Arrange the library by what people do there
- Do Your homework
- ask a question
- read new stuff
Zone staffing
- service points are wrong
- not just on desk - you’re responsible for a whole area.
- you’re responsible for the civlian’s successful experience - not just for specific transactions
Success insurance
- information at the point of use
- minimal gate-keeping
- fewer simpler rules
- presumption of innocence
the real world is training people
- ex: if customers already know how to get in line at starbucks or the grocery store, use that experience
“I have a really dumb question”
- this means your library just made me feel stupid
- is that really the experience you want to leave your customers with?
Assumption: one-on-one service is our most valuable product
Reality: comparing librarians to search engines: no difference
how can we highlight and reinforce librarians status as professionals?
Great idea: dispatched service
- no other profession puts their professionals at a single point (desk)
- librarians should not be the first point of contact
- centrally located desk:
- staffed by non librarian dispatcher
- matches questions to the best person to handle it
- librarians work on call
- tech staff work on call
- work to completion with each person
Don’t call it reference librarian - call it researcher (aside - I’m thinking of the Apple Store’s Mac Genius)
Redeployed reference - if they aren’t sitting at the desk, what are they doing?
- creating prepackaged information, FAQs
- research
- check your work
- appointments
- learning specialists (instead of subject specialists)
- constituent specialists
- someone focused on certain community groups
- understanding what makes them tick
- and working to meet their needs
- outreach - out in the community!
Aside - OMG - this is the missing link for the digital branch! More time for librarians to write, present, do FAQs, etc…
Upselling
- this is what store clerks do when you’re looking at pants, ie., “this belt would go great with those pants”
- for staff in the stacks:
- Not just “here’s the cookbooks”
- but here’s the cookbooks, and we have a cooking program today”
Assumption: civilians recognize and value library confidentiality
Reality
- not so much.
- many people have given up on the idea of privacy
- we don’t use the data we have to improve our own services!
How can we use the data we already collect?
- real-time activities buzz
- show live circulation activity ex.: yorba linda pl book feed - here’s what people are turning back into the library - it’s a web feed widget thing on the websites…??? it’s the most popular thing on their site
live program excerpts
- use video
- show people what’s happening in programs (2 minute thing)
Push stuff!
- new titles - 800 new books this week!
wireless strength - tell people which rooms have the best wifi!
parking cam! We could do that!
These are ways to show the buzz already happening at your library, and to bump the buzz up a notch.
Evidence-based planning and marketing
- design for most common situations
- community segments/profiles
- reports framed to match stakeholder (civilian) agendas
- collaboration based on audiences shared with non-library partners
Assumption: we need to educate these people
Reality - we need to provide what they want
- how can we contribute to civilians quality of life, work, and learning - on their terms
- how can we be part of their story?
- it is not our job to straighten these people out!
Don’t try to get people to care about libraries. Show them how the library helps them care about their stuff.
Technorati Tags: pla2008, pla08, pla
Michael Stephens, John Blyberg and Jen Maney
Jen’s title: Let’s Get Excited (and realistic) about Web 2.0
“not really a technological phenomenon at all; it’s a social one, enabled by technology.”
Can’t understand new tools in the abstract - you have to use them.
They have an emerging technologies team - they help evaluate services and new stuff
They think of 2.0 stuff as outreach outside of the library
Pima County Public Library has 4.5 web staff: Designer, programmer, electronic resources, head (and a part timer)
2.0 site is moving toward a conversation
Michael Stephens is next:
Title: Scary things & Great Opportunities: Web 2.0 & Libraries 2008
Best thing - remember to say “yes”
Look for “Library as place” on youtube - trying to find books at Chicago Public Library - they video’d the experience, including getting kicked out of the library by security.
Aside - Check out Nashville Public Library’s social stuff
“Please bring your heart with you to work.”
Three important things:
1. Don’t stop learning
2. adapt to change
3. watch the horizon
John Blyberg spoke last:
Title: Keen on 2.0: The Amateurs are Coming!
Going to talk about the naysayers of 2.0
Keen thinks 2.0 is dangerous much like communism! What’s up with that?
Blyberg is pointing out specific quotes/thoughts from Keen’s writings, and poking large holes in them
Example - Keen doesn’t think the long tail really exists. Hmm…
Andrew Keen’s writings is what happens when we succum to fear.
Speaker: Michelle Jeske
Why - make connections with a new audience.
Sunnyvale public library podcasts - audio and video broadcasts… cool! Nice looking site - blog-based
Charlotte and Mecklenberg example - LibraryLoft author presentation
NYPL example (they’re really been transforming lately - fun to watch)
Denver Public Library
- Stories for Kids podcasts
- teen tech week - podcasts created by teens - they let teens use library equipment
- children making stop motion animation
- Summer of Reading video - fun!
- doing screencasting, too
Boulder Public Library teen webcasts - looks like they’re using Gcast
KCPL Bluford Branch podcasts in Myspace and Internet Archive
Edmonton Public Library’s YouTube channel - lots of puppet shows
Allen County Public Library’s zombie video
Seattle Public has some tutorials on youtube!!!
DPL - created a podcasting studio in a closet, added foam and burlap, etc.
National Poetry Month - one a day from staff
Cell phone video contest - they want to do this
YouTube Channel - working on that and a Facebook page
Want to feature local artists and bands
They have some staff that have “a following” - they’re wanting to get those staff to do more audio/video so they can continue to develop that presence online
Speakers: Paula Alston, Sean O’Connell, Jody Treadway
Common mistakes:
- a warm body to fill the vacant position
- if you have reservations, don’t hire that person
warning danger avoid
- the whinny candidate
- the helpless candidate
- the candidate who has to be talked into taking the job
- the candidate who has conditions on taking the job
- the candidate who doesn’t commit to pre-employment deadlines
References
most important - would you hire this person again?
Really use the probationary period
Application - if they are careless on the application, they might be careless in their job
Interview questions - answer those yourself beforehand, then during interview, you can more accurately look for answers you want
Most people will fire themselves - they’ll either do something they know will get them fired, or they’ll resign. How odd!
Technorati Tags: pla08, pla2008, pla
Price has become an increasingly important factor when choosing a wireless provider according to a new comScore survey of U.S. mobile phone users.
Coverage, price and family/friends connectivity were the three most important factors given by respondents when choosing a wireless carrier. In a similar survey from 2006, respondents said better coverage was almost twice as important as price, 27 percent compared with 14 percent. Having friends and family who had the same carrier was an important factor for 13 percent.
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watch as this colour picture of heather is transformed into an ink blot work of art.You could almost hang this onyour wall http://www.webpromotionz.co.uk/
Author: webpromotionz
Keywords: Performing Arts Short Film Trailer TV Web Series Advertising Entertainment News
Added: April 7, 2008
we are playing with the hue and saturation tool to give you different colour mixes.Which colour porsche do you like?
Author: webpromotionz
Keywords: Performing Arts Short Film Trailer TV Advertising Entertainment News Web Series
Added: April 7, 2008
But while the hype about gin being the next vodka may be overstated, there's no doubting that creative bartenders are finding a lot to love with this classic spirit. Hallock mentions one of the nation's most prominent gin cheerleaders, Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in New York; Saunders' bar is named after a venerable gin cocktail, and her own creations include modern classics such as the Gin Gin Mule, made with fresh mint and house-made ginger beer. And as today's gins begin to explore new directions in flavor and balance, bartenders are likewise introducing fresh herbs and off-the-beaten-path mixers into gin cocktails, such as the self-explanatory Cucumber, Gin and Sherry Twist at BLT Steak on Sunset Boulevard, or Akasha Restaurant's Emerald City, which mixes gin with lime juice and Thai basil-infused simple syrup.
There'll always be a place at the bar for the classic gin martini or a tall, sparkling gin and tonic, but the options are wide open. What's your favorite gin drink? And have you had anything new that's been especially memorable?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
Before then, Siegel had only noshed on the Manischewitz variety of Passover chocolate, which—if I do say so myself—does as big a disservice to cacao as kosher wine does to grapes. "I'd never had matzo with good chocolate on it," Siegel said. These days, he uses an undisclosed lecithin-free artisanal chocolate (lecithin is made with soy beans, which expand when you cook them, making them "leavened" and therefore unsuitable for Passover) and Streit's Matzo (in Siegel's words, "the only brand of Matzo that I think has flavor").
The dipping party is a private affair, but the Charles Chocolates Chocolate-Covered Matzo is on sale now through the end of Passover, April 27.
About the author: Emily Stone, proprietor of Chocolate in Context, is a chocolate enthusiast, itinerant traveler, and a lover of literature who lives in Pittsburgh. She's been a movie reviewer, a reproductive health researcher, and an independent bookstore owner. Her writing has appeared in the magazines Budget Travel, Travel + Leisure, and Time Out New York, as well as on the websites World Hum and Epicurious.
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In Videos: Space Food Sticks TV Commercial
In Videos: Hasbro Pie Face Game Commercial (1960s)
In Videos: Estonian Meat Commercial (1980s)
In Videos: Prime Cut Meat Market Commercial
As promised here are the two other logs from the recent chat I witnessed. [...] Again I left the logs in their raw original way. Hope they are useful for you all.Lukas also links to two resources he mentions in the second (third?) log about performance as well as mentioning one of the most useful Firefox extensions for web developers - YSlow!.
While Totally Baked may be the first establishment to pay homage to such a humble tuber root, it's certainly not the only place dedicated solely to one ingredient or dish. There's S'Mac, devoted to macaroni and cheese, in the East Village; Peanut Butter & Co in the West Village; and Rich to Riches in SoHo, where you can find every flavor of rice pudding imaginable.
The whole trend has got me thinking: if I were to open a restaurant that focused on only one food, what would it be? After much consideration I decided on the apple. It's versatile (apple soups and salads, meats braised in cider, plus cakes and crumbles) and it's also ecological. My restaurant—in my mind I've already named it Eden—would rely on locally farmed produce.
We at Serious Eats are curious to hear your ideas. If you could own a restaurant with only one item on the menu, what would it be?
Embracing the social media market, this campaign has crafted spoofy album songs in Monkees fashion, such as "Heard it through the Bovine," and "PMS (Pour the Milk Sister)." The single "One Gallon Axe" on YouTube has already garnered almost 350,000 listens. White Gold, holding a milk-filled guitar, belts out lyrics like "it's the curds in my cords…the whey in my play…tastes like liquid lace" and, naturally, he's backed by the Calcium Twins (Skimberly on drums and Wholena on bass). It's like Nirvana growing up on a dairy farm.
It'll be interesting to see how this compares to Got Milk? ads of yesteryear. You know, the ones on paper and television screens. How 20th Century.
If you watched the lead-in to "My Name is Earl" last night, you know that (a) Jeff Zucker, the president and CEO of NBC Universal, isn't terribly funny, and (b) his network is pushing online video. But even with Zucker's "The Office"-gone-bad awkwardness, it seems the act of watching television online is becoming more popular.
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1961.04.21 - Major Robert M. "Bob" White piloted the X-15 to 3,074 mph and to 105,900 feet msl. 1961.05.10 ... Major Elmer E. Murphy flew his Hustler 669.4 miles in 30 minutes 45 seconds. Averaging 1,302 mph, Major Murphy set a new record for sustained speed and earned France's Bleriot Cup. (Source: National Archives)
Author: n1014f
Keywords: aviation space X-15 F-100 B-52 Edwards AFB USAF White Murphy Speed Records
Added: April 2, 2008
The whisk is more than a tool for aeration. Useful for making sauces, emulsions and more, it is one of the home kitchen's greatest multitaskers. Here is some information for selecting and making the most of this apparatus, which dates to medieval times.
So it seems Monsieur This's take on the whisk is likely rather accurate. That said, while there may be better tools or methods to come for whipping egg whites and cream, the whisk is more than a tool for aeration. Useful for making sauces, emulsions and more, archaic though the whisk may be, it is one of the home kitchen's greatest multitaskers.
Here is some information for selecting and making the most of this medieval apparatus:
The three most common styles of whisk are French, balloon, and flat or pan, but there are many others: ball, coil, double balloon, flat balloon, etc. For my money, if you have one decent, medium-sized – say, 10-inch – French whisk (if you make lots of pan sauces and roux, maybe a flat whisk, too) you should be pretty well set for most purposes.
The French whisk is shaped more or less like a tear drop with straight sides, which are helpful for scraping down the sides of pots during cooking. It is a good all-purpose whisk, generally well suited to agitating thick custards, mounting sauces, making emulsions (as for mayonnaise) and whipping cream or egg whites.
The flat whisk is essentially what you'd expect: more or less flat—perhaps with a slight arc for making good contact with the bottom, sides and corners of the pan—and composed of several concentric loops. In terms of blending, this style ranks closely with a fork, and for aerating it's fairly useless, but for making a roux or a sauce, when it's important to keep the mixture moving, and prevent it from getting stuck in the corners or on the bottom of the pan, this type of whisk is very useful. I tend to think of it as a cross between a spatula and a whisk, and use it whenever such an instrument would be appropriate.
The balloon whisk is bulbous, something like a French whisk that's wearing an invisible corset. This type of whisk functions similarly to the French style, except that it's not as good for scraping down the sides of bowls and pans. Often described as the best choice for aerating, i.e. making meringue, whipped cream, sabayon, etc., I've never found the balloon whisk to be much better than a French whisk for this purpose (though, it is a little easier to knock stiff whipped cream and meringue out of the slightly more open head of a balloon whisk).
In general, when using a whisk to aerate or emulsify, the more wires or tines, the better, regardless of the whisk's shape. The extra wires help to unfurl proteins, divide and disperse fat droplets and introduce air bubbles more quickly. (This is the reasoning behind the double balloon whisk, which is, as it sounds, a balloon whisk within a balloon whisk, and the whisk-ball-inside-a-regular-whisk styles, but these are difficult to get scrupulously clean—important for meringues—and are generally overkill, unless you do a lot of cream whipping by hand.)
For stirring thick custards, polentas or the like, a whisk with fewer, thicker wires is best. This provides the sturdiness to plow through thick masses with less resistance.
Aside from metal, there are also bamboo and plastic whisks and metal whisks coated with silicone. These are all good for use in non-stick cookware, but I tend to find their spindles a bit thick, and the silicone and bamboo versions are particularly difficult to rid of residue for successful meringue production.
To my mind, the best type of whisk, regardless of shape, is a metal one with a heat-proof plastic handle, into which the wires are firmly and cleanly cast, such as those made by Matfer. With this type of construction wires rarely come loose (I've never seen it happen), and food cannot easily collect in the area where the wires meet the handle. The handles tend to stay cool during cooking, and they won't melt if they're left to lean against the inside of the pan for a minute or two.
In addition to using whisks for all of the aforementioned tasks, I also like to use them as a shortcut for aerating and blending the dry ingredients for baked goods whenever sifting is indicated for this purpose (unless the recipe suggests sifting multiple times, in which case, it's generally best to do so). It saves time and avoids the messes that often result from sifting. Plus, whisks are much easier to clean than wire mesh sieves.
I've thought about sifting with a bicycle pump and then about stirring a sputtering pot of pastry cream with one—and then I've thanked my lucky stars for the good old whisk.
About the author: Amanda Clarke is a recovering restaurant pastry chef with a background in architecture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes, tests, and develops recipes and works on freelance food-styling gigs between walkings and feedings of her two dogs and husband.
The Lockheed F-104 first served with the USAF in 1958 and remained in service until 1967. Capable of speed in excess of Mach 2, the F-104 was inovative and featured many design firsts.
Author: LeBaron21
Keywords: America Bomb ColdWar Combat F-104 Mach Missile Lockheed NATO Refueling USAF
Added: April 2, 2008
The mind is a deeply complex organ, at times influenced by small, seemingly trivial things, and at others closed off to any external stimuli. Think of it as an onion, with belief at the center and perception at the outermost layer. Subtle stimuli can alter perception not just more easily than they can belief, but also can alter perception in nearly imperceptible ways, as air overtime hardens and dries the top layer, not affecting the layer beneath.
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Within a week a package arrived containing two slices of Neapolitan. They were a little broken and bruised from the journey (and that was just across state lines! What happens on the way to the moon?), but when I tore through the paper the stripes of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate greeted me like a familiar—if somewhat crumbled—flag.
Happily, there was a note explaining how the treat is made (something that, at seven, I couldn't have cared less about). In a nutshell, the ice cream is sealed in a vacuum chamber and frozen until the water crystallizes. Then the air pressure is lowered, which forces the air out of the chamber. Next, heat is employed to vaporize the ice. Lastly, something called a "freezing coil" traps and removes the vaporized water. The process is repeated several times until the ice cream is perfectly done.
I'm not sure if I quite understood everything, but my astronaut ice cream sure tasted delicious. It was kind of like eating a small, hard nugget of cotton candy, in that it melted on my tongue halfway through chewing. But there was also something distinctly dairy about it—a creamy, milky quality reminiscent of...real ice cream. Of the three flavors, I liked the vanilla best. I found the chocolate a bit chalky, and the strawberry was more than a tad artificial.
I doubt if I'll be ordering more astronaut ice cream anytime soon, but I'm very glad to have revisited my culinary past. It reminded me of what I've always like best about eating: trying foods that are totally out there and making new discoveries.
About the author: Lucy Baker is a graduate student in the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, she was an assistant cookbook editor at HarperCollins. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently obsessed with all things fennel.
In Videos: Dr Pepper Commercial (1960s)
In Videos: Hasbro Pie Face Game Commercial (1960s)
In Videos: Space Food Sticks TV Commercial
In Videos: Food Commercials of the '80s, Celebrity Edition
In Videos: Food Commercials of the '80s, Rap Edition
Suppose you've achieved undeniable search engine success - Google's throwing as much traffic your way as the servers can handle. A normal business still requires more than sightseers, and a session at SES New York concentrated on converting visitors into buyers.
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This is a guest post by Boston Gal, from Boston Gal’s Open Wallet, a single 30-something Bostonian who is seeking enlightenment and control of her Net Worth.
This past August my 5 year old Kodak digital camera finally stopped working (it may have had something to do with my dropping it on the pavement – twice) and I splurged on a new Panasonic Lumix camera and 2GB card for $180.70 (yes, I checked, and that is how much I spent!) When I say splurge, I mean I could have purchased a cheaper camera – something for about half the price, but when I considered how many ways I put my digital camera to work, paying more for better quality and features seemed easily justifiable.
My digital camera has frequently been pressed into service as my photo copier. Just tack a document up on a cork board at eye level, take a high resolution photo, download to desktop and print. Yes, a bit complicated, but when you don't have a copier or a scanner handy the digital camera is a great record keeper (just ask any 1950's or 60's spy who used to do this with a camera concealed in a lipstick tube).
I used my digital camera recently to successfully fight a parking ticket. A meter maid had the audacity to ticket me when I still had a few minutes left. Lucky for me I had the camera in my car and took a few stills of the time and used the little movie feature to record the scene. My appeal, complete with photos and link to video was approved and the city of Boston did not get my $25. Right there I saved myself enough to cover the price of the 2 GB card.
Lastly, before I leave you with a bulleted list of other ways you can put your digital camera to work for you, I recently discovered a time saving tip. When heading off on a trip, I took a few moments to use my digital camera to document my parking space location at central airport parking. This time, when I returned from my trip, instead of wondering around trying to remember which level I had parked on, I was able to quickly scroll back through my trip photos to find the ones directing me to my car. That experience alone makes my new digital camera worth almost any cost!
Now for the promised list:
• Document the contents of your home for insurance purposes (or document your friend's house with the much better furniture and stuff in it – kidding!)
• Take photos of your treasures to sell on EBay or Craigslist (anyone interested in a once-functioning Kodak digital camera?)
• As a way of peering into dark corners you might not want to stick your face into (is that a bat up in that eave? Let's let the digital camera's telephoto lens and strong flash take a look-see…)
• Moving and need to remember what you put in the boxes but don't want to mark the outside of the cartons being handled by strangers with revealing notes such as "family treasures", "underwear", or "contents of medicine cabinet" – then document them with photos and just number the boxes to correspond.
• Getting ready to tackle a repair which requires that you take apart a multi-piece device and not sure you will remember how to reassemble? Take photos as you remove each piece to give yourself a visual breadcrumb trail to follow when putting it back together.
If you have additional tips or ideas leave them in the comments!
These are pretty interesting days as lots of things are going on right now on the financial markets. A couple of hours ago for instance JPMorgan Chase announced they’ll buy Bear Stearns for just $2 a share in a stock-swap deal and also significant is that the Fed agreed to fund up to $30 billion of Bear Stearns’ less liquid assets which protects JP Morgan against losses from buying Bear. At the same time the Fed also announced a new interest rate cut of a quarter percentage point to 3.25%.
Bear Stearns suffered hard from the credit crisis - the company’s stock closed 47.4% lower at $30 per share on Friday. The Wall Street firm has a book value of $84 per share and executives claim the huge discount should give JPMorgan a “cushion of protection”:
Bear Stearns has a book value of $84 per share. Executives said the sharp discount in the purchase price provides a cushion to protect JPMorgan in turbulent times and would provide the company “margin for error.”
Bear Stearns was on the brink of financial collapse Friday when JPMorgan (JPM, Fortune 500) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said they would provide the brokerage a short-term loan. Bear was dealing with a classic run-on-the-bank: The firm’s short-term creditors refused to lend the firm any more money and simultaneously demanded repayment of outstanding debt.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Sunday that talks about how to rescue Bear had continued throughout the weekend. He defended the Fed’s bailout on Friday as “the right decision” and said the Bush administration was ready to take other actions to bring stability to the financial markets.
After the announcement of this news Asian financial markets plunged, gold rose more than 2.5% to $1032,85 per ounce and the U.S. dollar reached a new record low of 1.5906 dollar per euro. The more the dollar falls the more money gets transferred into oil and gold. Since early 2007 oil prices have nearly doubled and gold gained almost 60% from $650 to more than $1,025.
The collapse of the dollar is very worrying and more and more analysts believe central banks are going to plan a coordinated intervention to put an end to the drop. The last time the central banks made an intervention on the currency exchange markets was in September 2000 to stop the euro from falling against the U.S. dollar.
Just about everyone thinks European currencies and the Japanese yen are hugely overvalued against the U.S. dollar at present levels. Goldman Sachs (GS), for instance, says its “fair value” measure for the dollar against the euro is $1.21, not today’s $1.56. But many analysts now think that in the next few weeks the dollar could be hit with yet more declines.
The dollar’s record-breaking slide may trigger the first coordinated effort to shore up the currency in 13 years, according to strategists at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
The currency yesterday fell below $1.56 a euro for the first time and slumped to the lowest level in 12 years versus the yen. That has prompted complaints from European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet and Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga. U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said yesterday he backs a “strong dollar” and refused to elaborate when questioned at a press conference in Washington.
The challenge for officials is fighting the $3.2 trillion- a-day currency market while the Federal Reserve reduces interest rates and the U.S. economy falters. With traders increasing bets on a weaker dollar, the Group of Seven nations may be compelled to act, some strategists said.
My partners and I were hanging out at lunch last week when Jason brought up the question of whether or not we could patent the business method of “creating or acquiring intellectual property for the primary objection of bring lawsuits against potential infringers.”
In essence, could we patent the idea of being a patent troll? After a hearty laugh, Jason looked into it and discovered that this was not possible. Since our “proposed method” has been used in the public for more than a year, there is a statutory bar to obtaining a patent. 35 U.S.C. § 102(b).
35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty and loss of right to patent.
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
(a) the invention was known or used by others in this country, or patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country, before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent, or
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of the application for patent in the United States,
While plenty of patents (applied for an issued) violate this, we decided not to stretch things in this case.
Oh well, it was fun to ponder for a couple of hours.
Zynga has started launching its games on MySpace as part of the MySpace apps program. Texas Hold'em Poker is up and is currently the #1 game AND the #1 application. If you are a MySpace dude (or dude-ette), feel free to friend me as I'm completely unloved on MySpace (especially when compared to Facebook.)
海外でも携帯電話などモバイル機器で動くマッシュアップサービスが注目されそうだ。問題は、海外で開発されたサービスが日本の携帯電話で動かないことだろう。
Saved By: Yasuo Itoh | View Details | Give Thanks
Tags: mashup, mobile
The latest Knowledge@Wharton has an interview with Sidney Taurel, outgoing CEO of Eli Lilly. In it he describes some rather dramatic and fundamental changes in the drug industry.
The new business model for companies like Eli Lilly will likely move away from production of such [Prozac, Cialis, Evista and Darvocet] "blockbuster" drugs and instead will focus on highly individualized solutions for patients, according to Taurel. It will emphasize therapies that work more often than not, as well as therapies that have a very clear benefit, thereby creating a more integrated system with greater economic and medical value. While some have dubbed the changes in health care "personalized medicine," Taurel prefers the term "tailored therapeutics."
Or perhaps a form of "pull medicine?" Therapies designed for unique and even individual circumstances instead of pushing a solution to as wide a population as possible. It's a significant, and risky, change to the traditional pharma business model.
The ultimate promise of tailored therapeutics is about "the individual patient, and we are prepared to stake our business on realizing that promise," Taurel said of Eli Lilly.
And as with manufacturing it comes down to maximizing value to the customer, where the customer is the end-user as well as the system that supports the process.
The practice of medicine remains too much of a trial-and-error process that has not maximized the efficacy of prescription therapies, which work about half the time for the most common diseases, he said. "When our industry is better able to target our products to the patients who will really benefit, then our value proposition will surely grow. When medicines are used more optimally to reduce the trial-and-error nature of health care, then fewer resources will be wasted and the cost of health care will be sustainable."
The analogy to lean manufacturing doesn't just describe the identification and delivery of therapies, but also the development process itself.
He used "biomarkers" -- or biological indicators -- as an example of one of the many modern advantages that will help drive the tailored therapeutics revolution. "Biomarkers are more pervasive and sophisticated than ever before, and they are coming into play in much earlier stages of drug development," Taurel said, noting that Eli Lilly now has biomarker strategies in place for nearly all molecules at the earliest clinical development stage.
Important benefits of biomarkers include the ability to weed out unpromising molecules early in the game, compress development times, run smaller and more focused trials and explore secondary indications earlier. "We hope that some of the beneficial effects of widespread biomarker indication will be shorter cycle times and lower costs in drug development," Taurel said.
Smaller and more focus trials that find problems and opportunities sooner, compressing development time. Just as one piece flow is superior to how batch processing creates higher inventory cost as well as a higher risk and impact when problems are found.
Drug development is incredibly costly and risky. I know one of my previous employers spent a couple hundred million dollars and ten years developing a new drug, just to have it almost immediately pulled from the market when three people died from a very rare interaction when combined with ten other drugs. The drug was effective, but public misperception forced the product to be removed from the market. How would a more targeted and personalized development model survive?
Despite his optimism about the future of tailored therapeutics, Taurel acknowledged that some in the industry worry about the current business model being overturned -- specifically, that the lack of blockbuster drugs will reduce big pharma's ability to pay for the next generation of research and development.
Taurel said a more effective, targeted treatment has the potential to increase repeat prescriptions, as opposed to the current trend away from repeat prescriptions due to the lack of efficacy. Tailoring also bodes well for reducing costs and thus contributing to the bottom line. "The net result of sales can be quite virile. Instead of getting a relatively small slice of a large pie, the tailored model promises a larger share of a more segmented pie."
Doing that in a regulated market that requires huge sums to develop new products with increasingly long development times, which are even then subject to public and political fickleness, is a challenge. To say the least.
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Hello Lynn, you wrote:
1) First, how new is your blog?
My blog has been launched on january 2008, but my domain is online since 2002. I had previous content, that i re-used for earliest blog posts.
Also, my website is already indexed in the SE (Google also) since i use a sitemap.xml
2) Make sure you have some good incoming links to your blog too.
I have about 800 links coming to my website, according to a backlink tool software.
I submitted my blog to many free directories, i am just working to get indexed in ODP (no luck so far).
3) The more social networking you do [..]
I am doing it… my blog is climbing Alexa rank with satisfaction (i started with 5millions and now i am 500.000) and also page visits are growing…
The problem is the keyword rank for single posts: i have tried to optimize posts with keywords density, ect ect but i got no clue why those post are not ranked…
What can i do next to improve single posts ranking?
The Legal Marketing Association’s New England Chapter named the winners of its Sixth Annual Your Honor Awards at a gala event held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston.
The Your Honor Awards recognize law firms that have demonstrated excellence in marketing and business development during the preceding year. Twenty-two firms submitted 68 total entries across 13 possible categories.
“These awards demonstrate in technicolor the talent and breadth of the legal marketing industry in New England,” said Jeff Scalzi, Director of Marketing at Foley Hoag LLP and President of the LMA New England Chapter. “We are especially pleased this year to have entries from all six New England states, underscoring the continued growth of our profession in the region and the sophistication that law firms in New England are applying to innovative marketing and business development initiatives.”
The Sixth Annual LMA New England Your Honor Award winners were as follows:
Identity: First Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its brand relaunch; Second Place: Hamilton Smith Brook Reynolds, PC for its brand relaunch; Third Place: Foley Hoag LLP for its “Driving Business Advantage” brand launch.
Promotional Materials and Communications/Brochures and Collateral Materials: First Place: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. for its 2006 Mintz Levin Pro Bono Report; Second Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its “Who we are” booklet; Third Place: Foley Hoag LLP for its practice group brochures and eBook series.
Promotional Materials and Communications/External Communication: First Place: Hamilton Smith Brook Reynolds, PC for its “Freedom from Drab-Giving Thanks and Building Brand”; Second Place: Patridge Snow & Hahn LLP for its Annual Review; Third Place: Preti Flaherty LLP for its 2006 Annual Report.
Promotional Materials and Communications/Internal Communication: First Place: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. for its MintzKids Art Contest and Gallery Installation; Second Place: Foley Hoag LLP for its “Living Our Brand” internal brand launch campaign; Third Place: Robinson & Cole LLP, for its “The Source” internal business development and marketing newsletter.
Advertising: First Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its “Bear and Baby” ad; Second Place: Wiggin & Nourie, P.A. for its “Conflict Campaign”; Third Place: Goulston & Storrs for its “Donedeal Campaign”.
Web Sites: First Place: Choate Hall & Stewart, LLP for its new firm Web site; Second Place: Foley Hoag LLP for the new foleyhoag.com.
Media/Public Relations: First Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its “Firm-wide Media Program”.
Community Relations: First Place: Robinson & Cole LLP for its “e-Pal Program”; Second Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its “Say Yes Partnership”.
Sales/Business Development: First Place: Lahive & Cockfield, LLP and Seltzer Design for its “Lahive Litigation Tree Books”; Second Place: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. for its “Bio Royale” event.
Recruiting: First Place: Choate Hall & Stewart, LLP for its recruiting program; Second Place: Bingham McCutchen LLP for its recruiting “Web and Collateral”.
Gimme Award: First Place: Hamilton Smith Brook Reynolds, PC for its “Biotechnology Mega-Conference Kits”; Second Place: Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C. for its annual holiday card.
Best in Show/Less than 75 Attorneys: Hamilton Smith Brook Reynolds, PC for its “Making a Mega Presence at a Mega Conference”.
Best in Show/76-300 Attorneys: Robinson & Cole LLP for its “e-Pal Program”.
Best in Show/301+ Attorneys: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C. for its “MintzKids Art Contest and Gallery Installation”.
A panel of six judges composed of marketing executives from professional services industries and B2B-focused companies selected the award winners, including the “Best in Show” to extraordinary entries. The award ceremony was The evening was sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, and account manager John Jardin served as the master of ceremonies.
With more than 225 members, the New England chapter is one of the largest in the country. Through monthly educationalprogramming, network opportunities, a growing annual conference, and other value-added member services, the New England Chapter brings law firm marketing professionals, service providers and lawyers from across the six New England states together to promote the profession. For additional information about the Legal Marketing Association’s New England chapter, please visit its Web site at www.lmanewengland.org.
BangorNews:
If you have old photographs lying around your home just waiting to be organized, then Rhon Bell might be your man. Bell, 22, a fifth-year business and finance student at the University of Maine, officially opened PhotoScan from his Orchard Trails apartment in Orono on Monday. He aims to “digitize memories, one shoebox at a time,” by scanning collections of old photos, retouching them and saving them onto a CD for future use.
Bell got the idea for his business last fall and went to UM's Student Innovation Center, now called the Foster Student Innovation Center. With help from some of the eight-member staff of students and business experts, he created and distributed locally a survey to gauge demand for his service. When 75 percent of respondents said they would be interested, he decided to move forward and the center helped him write a business plan and legally register his business.
The 5,000-square-foot center, which offers business and project development services to students of all disciplines, is hopping with networking events, workshops, seminars and meetings between students and businesses, financiers, advisers and professors.
Photo via leavyphotography
The launch of JD Supra is the talk of the bloggers everywhere. You owe it to yourself to visit the site where a lawyer can post a court filing, opinion or article, for free, that links to a profile of the lawyer -- also free -- where clients, prospects and lawyers can search the database -- also for free.
Among the bloggers to comment about JD Supra so far are:
The Wall Street Journal blog
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/02/26/law-blog-news-you-can-use-free-legal-research-sites/#comments
ABA Journal Law News Now
http://www.abajournal.com/news/new_public_website_for_lawyers_give_content_get_noticed/
Robert Ambrogi's Lawsites
http://www.legaline.com/2008/02/jd-supra-launches-tomorrow.html
The National Post
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/legalpost/archive/2008/02/28/jd-supra-launched.aspx
Lawyer KM
http://lawyerkm.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/is-jd-supra-inter-law-firm-knowledge-management/
My Shingle
http://www.myshingle.com/2008/02/articles/tech-web/new-site-for-solos-jd-supra/
The LawMarketing Portal (which I operate)
http://www.lawmarketing.com/pages/articles.asp?Action=Article&ArticleCategoryID=7&ArticleID=726
Law Firm Web Strategy Blog
http://www.stemlegal.com/strategyblog/2008/jd-supra-is-live-today/
WisBlawg From the UW Law Library
http://www.law.wisc.edu/blogs/wisblawg/2008/02/jd_supra_combines_business_net.html
Law, Technology & Legal Marketing Blog
http://onward.justia.com/useful-tools-web-sites-201-jdsupra-free-user-generated-legal-document-forms-brief-library-open-to-all.html
ABA GP|Solo Technology eReport
http://www.abanet.org/genpractice/ereport/vol7/num1/productnotes.html#a_jdsupra
Techlaw Advisor blog
http://techlawadvisor.com/2008/02/26/jd_supra.html
Interest in the site has been so strong that JD Supra launched it's own blog, "JD Scoop," which you can find at http://scoop.jdsupra.com/.