From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video)

Yesterday's lab installment gave us an opportunity to pit the Lumia 920 against competing smartphones in a low-light capture scenario, but Nokia's standard battery of tests is used to evaluate and improve far more than stills shooting. Several stops throughout the day brought us to a foam-filled sound chamber tasked with analyzing call quality in a variety of environments, a room with industrial freezers and ovens used to push the limits of operability, and a rig that can shoot with interchangeable sensors and apply image quality algorithms in real-time, without a handset in sight. Unfortunately, due to proprietary technologies and processes, we weren't permitted to photograph these first facilities, though we did manage to snap away at two other stations -- a platform that shifted up and down at adjustable speeds to test the Lumia 920's optical image stabilization, and a machine that drops smartphones against a block of concrete, used to simulate that all-too-frequent occurrence of handsets plunging towards pavement.

We've seen plenty examples of the 920's OIS capabilities this week, so we won't go into much more detail on that front, but specialized (and pricey) equipment enables engineers to introduce consistent processes -- this machine simulated hand shake at different speeds, and even with exaggerated movement, the benefits were clear. A separate building contained the drop test contraption, which releases devices from an adjustable height, letting them land directly on a block of polished concrete. We tested both the 808 PureView and a Samsung Galaxy S III in this manner (with roughly 100 Lumia prototypes currently available, Nokia wasn't quite willing to risk sending one to its death). Both smartphones remained in perfect working order following the drop, so it's likely that they'll be able to handle a similar fall during regular use as well (company reps offered to test our iPhone 5, but we declined handing it over). That wraps up our week at Nokia's facilities in Finland -- there will be plenty more to explore once we have a Lumia sample in hand, but you'll find the OIS test and concrete plunge videos ready right now, posted just after the break.

Continue reading From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/lumia-920-IS-lab-test/

whitney houston death the vow the voice season 2 ron paul maine

?Winter's Bone? author Daniel Woodrell to speak at Spooner Hall ...

Thirteen people are bunched up in the corner of Frank?s North Star Tavern, 508 Locust St., leaning in to hear each other over the background noises of music and clinking glasses. They gather around a table littered with empty beer cans, and almost everyone is thumbing through their copy of ?Winter?s Bone.?

The PBR Book Club met Tuesday night to discuss the book in preparation for Daniel Woodrell?s visit to Lawrence. Woodrell, a University alum and the author of ?Winter?s Bone,? will be at The Commons in Spooner Hall from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today. Film & media studies professor John Tibbetts will interview Woodrell about his writing process, and afterward there will be a question-and-answer session. This event is free and open to the public.

?We decided to make that event specifically about writing, so that will be an opportunity for students who are taking writing classes to come in and learn about his process and adapting books to film,? said Rachel Smalter Hall, adult programs librarian for the Lawrence Public Library.

Woodrell will also be interviewed by Brad Allen, director of the Lawrence Public Library, at Liberty Hall from 7:30 to 9 p.m. today. Raven bookstore will be on site selling copies of ?Winter?s Bone,? which attendees can get signed before or after the event.

Daniel Woodrell has written nine books, most of which are set in the Missouri Ozarks, where he was born. Woodrell dropped out of high school at 17 to join the Marines. Later, he received a BA from the University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers? Workshop.

Two of Woodrell?s books were adapted to films; the movie adaptation of ?Winter?s Bone? was released June 2010, and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

?Winter?s Bone? centers on a teenage girl living in the Ozarks who is trying to take care of her family. When she is faced with the possibility of losing the family?s home, Ree Dolly goes on a search for her absent father, who manufactures methamphetamine and put their home up as collateral for bail.

Tanya Spacek, a junior from Rockford, Ill., is a member of the PBR Book Club. On Tuesday night, she joined in conversations about the book?s genre, attitude and key themes.

?Most people who think of white trash think of Jerry Springer, People of Walmart, that kind of thing,? Spacek said. ?But he was able to capture the mentality of these characters and portray them with strength. Their ability to care for themselves is all they have at this point, and they are getting things done and surviving.?

Rachel Smalter Hall said the themes in ?Winter?s Bone? are different from other books selected for Read Across Lawrence. Smalter Hall, director of Read Across Lawrence, said books are chosen based on their Kansas tie-ins and their ability to inspire conversation about important issues of our time. She said Woodrell?s novel has more provocative themes, and the selection has gotten more people involved with the program.

Smalter Hall also said that students are more inclined to read ?Winter?s Bone? than other books selected in the past, like ?The Wizard of Oz,? ?In Cold Blood? and ?To Kill a Mockingbird.?

?A lot of times those classic books are books people read as high school students,? she said. ?For someone who is decades beyond that in their lives, it?s an opportunity to go back and reflect, but for younger readers, they just read that for an English class a handful of years ago. Having an author that isn?t as widely read in the classroom does open that up for students at KU who might be interested but don?t want to feel like they?re doing homework.?

Read Across Lawrence is a collaboration of the Lawrence Public Library, the University libraries and Friends of the Lawrence Public Library. The libraries give away 1,000 free copies of the selected book each year and hold events to launch discussion.

There will be two more events after Woodrell?s visit: an all-ages trivia of ?Winter?s Bone? Saturday, Sept. 29, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library, and a showing of the movie at Liberty Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

? Edited by Sarah McCabe

Contact Nikki Wentling at nwentling@kansan.com.

Source: http://kansan.com/news/2012/09/26/winters-bone-author-daniel-woodrell-to-speak-at-spooner-hall-liberty-hall/

new york times square jaws first night ball drop dick clark new years eve brock lesnar vs alistair overeem times square new years eve

AHMADINEJAD IS AN IMPOSTER! | Weekly World News

At a hastily called press conference outside the United Nations, a spokeswoman for? Iranian?President Mahmoud?Ahmadinejad confirmed that Ahmadinejad is an imposter. ?The man the world assumes to be Iran?s president is actually Pedro al Fayez, son of Columbian and Saudi Arabian parents, who run a prominent dry cleaning business on the south coast of England in Brighton.

Shock and relief was felt around the world as details of this international scandal became known. ?Following a diplomatic briefing late Tuesday night, Mr. Al Fayez was spotted by a former girlfriend who just happened upon the phalanx of security. ??Pedro, where the bloody hell have you been?? Where?s your measuring tape and what?s with all the security?,? his former liaison from Brighton called out.

?Mahmoud just lost it right then and there,? a United Nations executive told WWN. ?He went ashen and started to shudder and shake. ?A sort of guttural gasp was heard.? It sounded something like ?oh shit? and then Al Fayez broke into a hysterical sort of ?laugh-crying? that was halted only after a UN EMTs injection.?

Al Fayez was immediately whisked away by UN police to an unknown location for questioning. ? WWN has learned through several sources that Al Fayez has been engaged in a nearly decade long??prank? spawned by a bitter, ego fueled rivalry with?noted comedic actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, while he was attending Cambridge University. Ahmadinejad began to unravel after Cohen?s The Dictator came out.? ?He felt like Cohen got the upper hand and that made him crazy,? a source close to Ahmadinejad said.

In late 2001, Al Fayez was working as a delivery man for a local laundry with a contract to serve several of the Cambridge dorms. ? Upon entering Baron Cohen?s room, Al Fayez was barraged with racial and socio economic epithets. ?The initial exchange brewed a tempest of escalating critiques flying back and forth. ?Baron Cohen had already begun to develop a reputation in the region for manufacturing outrageous, highly offensive characters that he would insert into real life in an effort to hoodwink the audience.

Having brought each other to a high state of anger and frustration, ?Baron Cohen threw down the gauntlet by offering to trade places with Al Fayez for a full semester if Al Fayez cold fool even one half of one percent of the rubes out there. ??Game on matey-mate-chappy-blokeroo,? they were heard to chime in unison, and Al Fayez put in place his plan to trick the entirety of Iran into believing his character was legit ? a role in which he became inextricably linked for over a decade.

For indeed, Pedro had bested Borat in the century.? He became President of Iran?? and a chilling 6 months shy of nukes!?

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, reacted swiftly and immediately swore-in a new ?real? president of Iran. The ceremony took place via Skype and was witnessed by many diplomats at the United Nations. A shaken and increasingly dubious UN press corp was speculating widely ?that Skype Khamenei sure looked a lot like Ben Bernanke.?

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, reacted swiftly and immediately swore-in a new ?real? president of Iran. The ceremony took place via Skype and was witnessed by many diplomats at the United Nations. A shaken and increasingly dubious UN press corp was speculating widely ?that Skype Khamenei sure looked a lot like Ben Bernanke.?

Alternative conspiracy theories also emerged, connecting the increasing religious fundamentalism in Iran the past decade, with the prevalence of burqas and other extensive religious garb with Al Fayez?s deep roots in dry cleaning and laundry.

Sacha Baron Cohen was unavailable for comment, his press secretary citing a hastily called conclave in Russia with Putin.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/51527/ahmadinejad-is-an-imposter/

brown recluse spider wiz khalifa taylor allderdice eddie royal brandon marshall iditarod nfl free agents 2012 encyclopedia brittanica

Video: Florio's hot seat: Rivera under fire after debacle?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/49182738#49182738

brandon phillips summerfest summerfest fidel castro rick santorum ozzie guillen castro comments phish

Cisco acquires WiFi data firm ThinkSmart Technologies

Networking kingpin Cisco announced on Wednesday that it had acquired ThinkSmart Technologies, a company that analyzes location data by using WiFi technology. ThinkSmart's tech reviews a network's infrastructure by evaluating the movement of its users, traffic patterns and hours of operation. The firm then uses these analytics to help companies optimize network and staffing configurations for business operations -- a long way of saying that it's smart enough to tell a company how to better manage information flows through a network. The terms of this deal have yet to be released, but Cisco seems to think this was a smart pick up.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Cisco acquires WiFi data firm ThinkSmart Technologies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink All Things D  |  Cisco  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/cisco-acquires-wifi-data-firm-thinksmart-technologies/

capital gains tim thomas oral roberts les paul fred thompson fred thompson red hook

The Significance of Pre-Purchase Building Inspection | Free Articles

The pre-purchase building inspection is done to assure potential home buyers that they will be able to purchase a property that is free from any apparent structural damage or problem. What professional inspectors will be looking for are any major damages to the house.

This is essential because for sure you would not want to purchase a property only to find out a few months later that you will be spending a lot of money doing all the necessary repair. What is even worse is that, you will be spending more than what you pay for the property.

Well, most pre-purchase building inspection basically looks for both minor and major defects. What is the most essential thing for you to remember is that no second hand property is perfect and that there will always be hidden flaws in it. Therefore, there is a need for you to pre-inspect it to eliminate future regrets.

All buildings will have routine maintenance and problems and a? lot of these are basically inexpensive to deal with. Your main concern is to be able to find out the entire serious problem in the property that could possibly affect its overall value or can even harm the future dwellers.

Building inspections in Adelaide checks all parts of the property and takes photographs of it. Inspectors move around the place and check on existing flaws as they look around the entire building from the foundation to the roof.

Building inspections in Adelaide will look into hundreds of details found in the property. The best thing that professional building inspector can do is to let you understand and inform you about their visual examination of the property. Most importantly, they will inform you if the building is worth its price.

If you are planning to purchase a property of your own in the near future, then let a professional building inspector check the property first for you. Reliable Home Inspections is the leading online company that provides excellent service in home inspection. All reports are provided to you after24 hours. Service is fast and easy!

To avail of their service or for additional information, call Reliable Home Inspections at 0414 820 773

Or log on to building inspections Adelaide

Source: http://www.zamuco.com/home-family/home-improvement/the-significance-of-pre-purchase-building-inspection/

helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo resolute national enquirer whitney houston casket photo jk rowling qnexa

Iran under military threat by 'uncivilized Zionists': Ahmadinejad

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran is under threat of military action from "uncivilized Zionists," a clear reference to Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, saying that such threats from big powers are designed to force nations into submission.

"Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality," Ahmadinejad said in a 33-minute speech before the U.N. General Assembly.

Israel and the United States have refused to rule out the possibility of an armed strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West suspects are intended to produce nuclear weapons bombs but which Tehran says are for solely peaceful purposes.

Taking place on the Jewish day of atonement Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, it was the Iranian president's eighth appearance before the 193-nation assembly and his last before his second and final term ends next year.

His speech touched on issues he has raised in previous U.N. appearances, such as suggesting there should be an "independent fact-finding team" established to discover the "truth" behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and complaining about the "hegemonic policies and actions of world Zionism."

Earlier this week, Ahmadinejad said that Israel would eventually be "eliminated." That statement, which he did not repeat on Wednesday, outraged Israel and the United States.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations said its delegation did not attend the Iranian president's speech. Ahmadinejad was speaking a day after U.S. President Barack Obama told the General Assembly that Washington will do what it takes to prevent Tehran from getting nuclear arms.

Ahmadinejad also criticized the "present oppressive world order" in which "poverty is imposed on nations, and powers' ambitions and goals are pursued either through deceits or resort to force."

"The current abysmal situation of the world and the bitter incidents of history are due mainly to the wrong management of the world and the self-proclaimed centers of power who have entrusted themselves to the devil," he said.

In what appeared to be a call for a new world order based on justice and not domination by big powers, he said the world was founded on materialism and lacking in moral values.

"There is no doubt that the world is in need of a new order and a fresh way of thinking," Ahmadinejad said, adding that this should be "a just and fair order in which everybody is equal before the law and in which there is no double standard."

He said authority should be used as a sacred gift "not a chance to amass power and wealth."

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-under-military-threat-uncivilized-zionists-ahmadinejad-153721035.html

cincinnati bengals bengals the stand josh mcdaniels cotton bowl wizards of waverly place cedric benson