শনিবার, ১ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Apple confirms iPhone 5 coming to China on December 14th, iPads due December 7th

DNP iPad mini review

Tim Cook may love secrecy, but those pesky government notices always seem to rain on his classified parades. Apple has confirmed that the fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini will arrive in China on December 7th, while the iPhone 5 turns up a week later on December 14th. Customers eager to reserve the devices can do so the day before launch, and while the company hasn't detailed which networks the hardware is coming to, we're reasonably sure that China Unicom and China Telecom will be making some announcements of their own very soon.

Continue reading Apple confirms iPhone 5 coming to China on December 14th, iPads due December 7th

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/30/apple-iPhone5-ipad-mini-china/

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শুক্রবার, ৩০ নভেম্বর, ২০১২

3 Biggest New Gaming IPs of 2012 - Where Do They Go From Here ...

2012 was a rough year for those of us who like a little originality in our video games. Analysts claim that the changing of a generation means a smaller wave of new ideas, but it?s also the time for a few nice gems to fall through the cracks.

Anyone remember a nice little game called Okami? Ahhh..what a nice game. The Zelda inspired adventure quest was released during the same year as the Xbox 360, and still managed to find a solid fanbase even after the following generation had gotten underway.

Six years later, and here we are again. The Wii U has been launched. The eighth generation of games is upon us, and we have three fledgling series from the past year which, unlike Okami, have the potential to carry over into the new generation and become fully fledged franchises. The questions are ?Do their publishers want them to?? and ?Do we want them to??

Dishonored

Dishonored-600x300

The obvious one of the group. Dishonored is the poster child for late generation original IPs. Arkane Studios? marvelous first-person stealth assassination game is brimming with original mechanics and unique settings.

However, the true secret of the game?s success is that it doesn?t stray too far from most of our established conventions. First-person shooting, stealth, a hooded AND masked silent protagonist, dystopian cities on the rink of catastrophe. Dishonored is a huge success not only for its originality, but also in the brilliant reinterpretation of elements we often associate with video games.

It manages to walk that fine line between being inoffensive to the casual market , not scaring them off with bright graphics or radically different gameplay, while still providing enough new ideas for the hardcore crowd to drool over and get their dose of something special.

Will it happen?

Bethesda has expressed interest in following up Dishonored stating that it is ?exceeding expectations.? They?re a company that obviously wants to make a jump into being a publishing force in the industry, and they need strong franchises like Dishonored to do it.

This isn?t the last time we?ll see this stealth series.

Do we want it?

Now?s the tricky part. Games like Dishonored are really difficult to follow up on. When I play it, I think of the splash BioShock had made a few years ago. Here was a wonderful self-contained game which wrapped up a clever story that destroyed its brilliant settings with one quick stroke. No franchise seemed like it could ever be born from it, but we enjoyed it so much, we didn?t need it to.

Of course, the world reacted with ?WHY?? when BioShock 2 was announced and looked almost entirely like the same game. Despite a strong reception, many still dismiss it as an unrequested sequel.

Now we have Bioshock: Infinite, and gamers are reacting with ?YES!? It?s new, it?s fresh, it?s a brand new take on the mechanics laid down by the original. If Bethesda wants to keep Dishonored critically successful, I think they?d have to avoid the tempting lure of annual releases and really put a decent amount of time and effort into making it something fans want. Otherwise, I don?t think it could survive or compete with the big boys, and I don?t think I would want it to either.

I would rather Dishonored be a wonderful one-and-done video game than turn into a throw away franchise left to be revived somewhere down the line by some nostalgic lunatic developing through Kickstarter funding. Take your time, Arkane. Take your time.

Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping-Dogs-DLC

Sleeping Dogs?started out as a new IP that was picked up by Activision to become a sequel in the True Crime?line. Square Enix bought the scraps of True Crime: Hong Kong from Activision, and they quickly re-named the project to make it their own baby. It was a new IP once more. The result was a relatively popular success in a year where developers kind of grasped the idea that we are sick of open-city sandbox knock-offs, and all we want to play right now is Grand Theft Auto V.

As for Sleeping Dogs, the Hong Kong underworld storytelling and martial arts, similar to Batman?s fighting style, gave it a unique edge over anything that had really come before it. There is plenty of room to expand on a potential series, but how does Square Enix feel about that?

Will it happen?

Ehhh?I?m thinking no. Remember, Square Enix purchased a partially completed game. A sequel would have to have to be built entirely from the ground-up, and judging by Square Enix?s loss of profits over this past year and blaming it on an ?under-performing HD title,? I don?t see them following up Sleeping Dogs any time soon.

Besides, they have plenty of other series to pry from the minds at Eidos. Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain, and Just Cause all have a lot more name recognition and solid legacy.

Sleeping Dogs was nothing more than a hold-over game designed to keep us happy until the big boys came out, and very rarely do these hold-over games become big franchises for themselves anymore. Dead Space was the only one that comes to mind.

*Editor?s note from Joey: I disagree. I think we?ll see a new Sleeping Dogs?in the next four years.*

Do we want it?

As I said, the open-city sandbox is taking a break for now, but once Grand Theft Auto V gets released, you know all the copycats will come strolling along afterwards, looking to cash in on the hype surrounding the genre. That?s the only way I can see Square Enix ever making a new Sleeping Dogs. It?s kind of ironic because that?s what every Japanese RPG team has been doing to Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest for the last 25 years.

And yes, there are plenty of other option besides Sleeping Dogs. The Hong Kong setting is nice for those who like their cinema, but Grand Theft Auto V is going to change how we view things. Not to mention we?ve already had a look at Watch Dogs and what the future of urban sand-boxing has in store for us next generation. Do we really need two similar games titled ?Dogs??

Dragon?s Dogma

dragonsdogma

Dragon?s Dogma was the sleeper hit of the summer, selling well over 1 million units worldwide and leading Capcom into one of their biggest financial seasons of all time.

The open world RPG leans much closer to the western approach to the genre, not unlike The Elder Scrolls, but it still retains a distinct Japanese feel thanks to its flashy combat and character design.

The director of Devil May Cry 2, 3, and 4 also developed this game, his first time working with an original IP. His influence on the game is obvious. It is hard, rock solid hard, and he also obviously has no idea how to make an open world game because it was rife with problems that left it as one of the most emotionally taxing titles in recent history.

Will it happen?

Absolutely. Capcom loves Dragon?s Dogma. Not only did it bring them in hundreds of millions of yen, but it was also developed in-house, a surprisingly rare thing for Capcom these days. The global homegrown success story has hopefully given Capcom the confidence they need to start making their own games again.

They not only love the product, but they loved the money it generated as well. I would suspect this could continue to be a strong summer franchise before the big games all come out. I wouldn?t expect them to push this into the holiday season, but then again, this is Capcom. They?ve never been one to wrap their heads around the idea of ?too much of a good thing.?

Do we want it?

Absolutely! Dragon?s Dogma has the foundation of a really solid action RPG series. Great combat, excellent character customization, interesting multiplayer ideas, a feasible fantasy world to build upon. This game looks like it should work on paper, but once you get your hands on it, it becomes obvious why this wasn?t such a bigger hit.

Capcom?s inexperience with open world RPGs began to raise it?s head with a wide variety of questionable decisions. No fast-travel? The cumbersome menus? The confusing quest boards? The overly large armor selection? Not to mention, the game needs a driving force to push it forward. Often times I would play it and not want to do anything but screw around because I didn?t care what came next or what ability my pawn or I could learn.

Director Hideaki Itsuno needs to play a lot of Skyrim between now and Dragon?s Dogma 2?s production to figure out what they did right and what they missed the mark on. Should he do that and turn the cumbersome journey into the amazing adventure it deserves to be, Capcom could become a leader in RPGs once again.

Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/gaming/3-biggest-new-gaming-ips-of-2012-where-do-they-go-from-here/

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Insiders: Fiscal Cliff Likely To Be Averted

Do you expect a deal by year?s end to avoid the fiscal cliff?

DEMOCRATS (22 votes)

Yes: 73%
No: 27%

Yes

?At least I hope so. But Grover Norquist still calls the shots for a majority of Republicans.?

?But not a permanent deal, just something to kick it down the road a bit.?

?I expect a postponement on sequestration, but not a total solution. Not as sure on the tax expirations.?

?Although it might slip into January.?

?As we get closer to year?s end, we?re more likely to get a deal.?

?But only a partial deal that will hold us over until a full deal can be negotiated early next year.?

?I?m hopeful that both sides of the aisle can still work together to solve our country?s biggest problems.?

?Mostly.?

?[If] the president and the speaker want a deal badly enough, we?ll get one. I think they do.?

?We haven?t reached a deal in the past because Republicans have been intransigent about putting revenues on the table. But now with defense cuts, Republicans finally have incentive to negotiate.?

?Yes. I think the president, both parties, their leadership, and especially the federal agencies realize the heavy price we will all pay if a deal is not reached. The stakes are too high to leave this undone.?

No

?Republicans won?t raise taxes. Democrats won?t let the president gut Social Security and Medicare.?

?No. These guys couldn?t fight their way out of a paper bag.?

?There?s no reason to cut a bad deal this month, and that?s all the Republicans will offer.?

?

Do you expect a deal by year?s end to avoid the fiscal cliff?

REPUBLICANS (22 votes)

Yes: 85%
No: 15%

Yes

?The president understands that another recession on his watch is bad for his legacy.?

?A framework will be in place and agreed to; the next Congress will be responsible for passing it.?

?I refuse to believe that voting to extend most tax cuts that are set to expire amounts to raising taxes. John Boehner will negotiate the best deal possible, and thanks to the lesson they learned last December, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, and the majority of the GOP Conference will support it.?

?I?m an optimist, and that is the reason I can serve in Congress and still sleep at night.?

?It will be very bipartisan and very bad. No significant spending cuts?and a marginal tax-rate increase. Result: Economy will drag into a recession.?

?The Dec. 31, 2012, deadline is fast approaching, and Congress must act to avert the fiscal cliff and prevent across-the-board cuts that will bring about certain economic unrest.?

?This is an invaluable opportunity for Congress and the president to get serious about overcoming partisan differences and enact policies that grow the economy and get the national debt under control. We stand ready to work with the president to find common ground on tax, spending, and entitlement reform to prevent the imminent fiscal cliff without damaging the economy.?

?We?ve heard a lot of talk about revenues, but we have not heard much about spending cuts.?

?The only thing worse than the fiscal cliff is kicking the can down the road again. If Obama comes up with reasonable spending cuts, a deal happens.?

?Yes, although it may be more of a blueprint for the ?big deal? next year.?

No

?The president is not yet serious. He thinks he has a mandate but doesn?t realize he needs to compromise if a deal is going to get done.?

?

Which party has more to lose if a deal isn?t struck to avoid the fiscal cliff?

DEMOCRATS (21 votes)

Republicans: 76%
Democrats: 0%
Both: 24%

Republicans

?Their intransigence against extending middle-class tax cuts and asking the rich to do their fair share is stunning.?

?Obama won reelection; the people have spoken about whom they trust most.?

?The Republicans? ?brand? as the party of fiscal brinkmanship is well established, for good reason.?

?The American people know that the Republicans have been obstructionists, and they have more to lose.?

?Republicans are likely to be blamed if a deal isn?t struck, because they have been and will continue to be perceived as the obstacle to a deal by the public. Tea party Republicans in the House are still refusing to support a rise in rates for the wealthy. President Obama has expressed flexibility, as have most House and Senate Democrats. John Boehner is still insisting that he needs a majority of the majority for a deal, which leaves him at the mercy of the tea party.?

?The American people have sent a clear message that they support the president?s and Democrats? balanced approach. If Republicans kill a sensible deal because they?re afraid of Grover Norquist, they?ll be responsible for the damage a recession will do to our economy.?

?What part of Nov. 6 does the GOP not get??

?The Republicans have more to lose, because they have been so resistant. The national perception of the Republican Party could get even worse if a deal isn?t struck.?

?Republicans, especially. Obstruction is ?out.? Compromise is ?in.? ?

?Republicans have a serious risk of being seen as obstructionists if they refuse to work with Democrats to get this done.?

Both

?Real people don?t distinguish between ?R? and ?D??just the people here in Oz do.?

?Voters are tired of the ?blame game.? They want results. Both parties will share responsibility if no reasonable deal is struck. Both will share in the credit if a realistic, comprehensive deal is agreed to.?

?Voters are tired of excuses and polarization. They want compromise in the middle.?

?

Which party has more to lose if a deal isn?t struck to avoid the fiscal cliff?

REPUBLICANS (20 votes)

Republicans: 30%
Democrats: 15%
Both: 55%

Republicans

?Speaker Boehner must not be the only Republican willing to restore the brand and credibility of his party. November showed Republicans their shrinking base will win fewer elections, not more.?

?If we go over the fiscal cliff, the GOP will look like they held 98 percent of the public hostage to protect the richest 2 percent, whose taxes are going up anyway. Very dumb.?

?Republicans have more to lose?as they are about to abandon their commitment to voting against tax increases.?

?We could sky-write our proposal to avoid the fiscal cliff above the White House?and if Obama said that House Republicans were being intransigent, it would be taken as gospel, and we would get blamed.?

?Obama has the bully pulpit; he won [the election], people want the two sides to work together, and we must.?

Democrats

?Increases in tax rates would be bad for the economy, but ultimately the president bears responsibility for the economy, and he will bear the brunt of the damage.?

?The president is the leader, and he has to lead. It?s incumbent upon him not to be political, but to lead.?

Both

?Bad policy is bad politics, and with divided government there will be enough blame to go around.?

?Averting the looming fiscal crisis and helping our hardworking families should not be the concern of one party or one body of Congress. As leaders in Washington, we must work together to do the job the American people have sent us to Congress to do and address our nation?s economic challenges to provide certainty to American families and businesses.?

________

Democratic Congressional Insiders Sens. Sherrod Brown, Ben Cardin, Thomas Carper, Christopher A. Coons, Mark Pryor, Tom Udall; Reps. Jason Altmire, Robert Andrews, Tammy Baldwin, Karen Bass, Xavier Becerra, Howard Berman, Lois Capps, Michael Capuano, Dennis Cardoza, James Clyburn, Gerry Connolly, Joseph Crowley, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Elliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Bob Filner, Rush Holt, Mike Honda, Marcy Kaptur, Jim Langevin, John Lewis, Zoe Lofgren, Ed Markey, Jim McGovern, Jim Moran, Gary Peters, Collin Peterson, David Price, Linda Sanchez, Kurt Schrader, Allyson Schwartz, Jose Serrano, Bennie Thompson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Henry Waxman, Peter Welch, and Frederica Wilson.

GOP Congressional Insiders Sens. Johnny Isakson, Richard Lugar, David Vitter; Reps. John Boehner, Charles Boustany, Kevin Brady, John Campbell, Eric Cantor, John Carter, Tom Cole, Mike Conaway, Jeff Denham, David Dreier, Sean Duffy, Jo Ann Emerson, Jeff Flake, Scott Garrett, Bob Goodlatte, Trey Gowdy, Kay Granger, Doc Hastings, Nan Hayworth, Tim Huelskamp, Mike Kelly, Peter King, Jack Kingston, Adam Kinzinger, John Kline, Dan Lungren, Kenny Marchant, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, Candice Miller, Sue Myrick, Devin Nunes, Tom Price, Dave Reichert, Reed Ribble, Phil Roe, Paul Ryan, Aaron Schock, David Schweikert, Austin Scott, Adrian Smith, Steve Stivers, Lee Terry, Pat Tiberi, Fred Upton, Daniel Webster, and Joe Wilson.

This article appeared in print as "Congressional Insiders Poll."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insiders-fiscal-cliff-likely-averted-181607260--politics.html

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Ghostface Calls Marvel Comics Lawsuit 'Super Wack'

'I don't know what's going on with Marvel, but they tryna come at the kid, asking for 20 million,' Ghost says of his 'Iron Man' suit.
By Nadeska Alexis, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Ghostface Killah on "RapFix Live"
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698140/ghostface-killah-marvel-comics-lawsuit-rapfix-live.jhtml

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30 Seconds, That's All you Got! | Making Direct Response Marketing ...

The other day, my chamber leads group did critiques of members? (those who wanted to) 30-second commercial presentations, also known as your elevator speech.?

While I was at Dan Kennedy?s InfoSummit, I heard John Carlton explain how to develop an effective elevator speech to get people to to ask the next question.?

For those of you who aren?t familiar with John, here?s a little background on him.?

John Carlton has spent over 30 years as a copywriter, 20 of those working with legendary copywriting genius Gary Halbert. He has penned game-changing direct-mail packages for the largest publishers and marketers in the world. A number of his ads ? including ?The One-Legged Golfer? ? have achieved classic, iconic status.

?Below is his method for developing an elevator speech:

Fill in the blanks:

Position yourself or your business uniquely in the market to sell__________________?

?We help ___________(group of people) do ___________(the benefit) even if________ (believable worst case scenario).?

?Example:

We at The Freedman Company help small-business owners who need to get more customers so that business slowdowns and cash-flow problems are a thing of the past, even if they have no time or idea of how to increase business.?

Now if you?d like, write yours and share it with me. I?ll post it here next week and on my web site.?

Are you ready to learn MORE and make your business more profitable? Then, You Need to Email Right NOW! at tfc@freedcom.com or call 817-282-0443 NOW.?

Till next week ? Great Things Happen, But You Have To Take Action

Phil

The Freedman Co.

?P.S. Need to get your Advertising/Marketing up and running but lack the time or knowledge? I have a number of Done-For-You systems that will bring customers to your business. Call Me NOW!

Source: http://thefreedmancompany.com/30-seconds-thats-all-you-got/

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Proteins that work at the ends of DNA could provide cancer insight

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2012) ? New insights into a protein complex that regulates the very tips of chromosomes could improve methods of screening anti-cancer drugs.

Led by bioengineering professor Sua Myong, the research group's findings are published in the journal Structure.

Myong's group focused on understanding the proteins that protect and regulate telomeres, segments of repeating DNA units that cap the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres protect the important gene-coding sections of DNA from loss or damage, the genetic equivalent of aglets -- the covering at the tips of shoelaces that keep the ends of the laces from unraveling or fraying.

Telomeres play an important role in cell aging and death, since each time a cell divides, a little bit is lost from the end of the telomere. Thus, cell biologists postulate that telomere length can determine the lifespan of a cell. Cancer cells, however, have a way to get around this limitation: An enzyme called telomerase that adds length to telomeres is highly active in cancer cells. This allows cancer cells to divide in perpetuity, running amok through tissues and systems.

"Cancer researchers want to get a hold of this problem, control this indefinite lengthening of the telomeres," said Myong, who also is affiliated with the Institute for Genomic Biology at the U. of I. "A lot of the anti-cancer drugs are targeted directly to these telomeres so that they can inhibit telomerase activity. The proteins we study regulate the activity of telomerase."

Using a technique developed at Illinois that allows researchers to watch single molecules interact in real time, Myong's group determined how two proteins called POT-1 and TTP-1 bind to the telomere. POT-1 protects the fragile telomere ends from being attacked by other regulatory proteins that might mistake the end for a broken or damaged area of DNA. When POT-1 and TTP-1 work together in a complex, they promote telomerase activity, an interesting target for cancer researchers.

The group found that on its own, POT-1 binds to the folded-up telomere in distinct steps at particular points in the telomere's DNA sequence, unfolding the telomere in a stepwise manner. However, the POT-1/TTP-1 complex surprised the researchers by binding, then freely sliding back and forth along the telomere end.

"Instead of stepwise binding, what we saw was a mobile protein complex, a dynamic sliding motion," Myong said. "Somehow it was as if the static binding activity of POT-1 is completely lost -- the protein complex just slid back and forth. We were able to reproduce the data and confirm it with many different tail lengths of the telomeric DNA and we know now that the contact between POT-1 and the telomere is somehow altered when the partner protein comes and binds."

Next, the researchers will add telomerase and see how the sliding activity of the POT-1/TTP-1 complex affects telomerase activity. Myong postulates that the sliding may promote telomerase activity -- and thus telomere lengthening -- by making the end of the telomere accessible for the telomerase enzyme to bind.

"We are excited about the possibility that this kind of mobility can increase the telomerase extension activity," Myong said. "It's somehow engaging the enzyme so that it can stay bound to the DNA longer. So it must involve a direct interaction."

Ultimately, understanding the POT-1/TTP-1 complex gives drug developers a new target for anti-cancer drugs, and the assay Myong's group used to monitor the complex could offer a venue for evaluating telomere-targeting drugs.

"We want to extend our a basic science knowledge in telomere biology into causes of cancer and we hope that our assay can be useful for telomere-targeted drug screening," Myong said.

The American Cancer Society and the Human Frontier Science Research Program supported this work.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Helen Hwang, Noah Buncher, Patricia?L. Opresko, Sua Myong. POT1-TPP1 Regulates Telomeric Overhang Structural Dynamics. Structure, 2012; 20 (11): 1872 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.08.018

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/H7VyF-YvzO4/121129152029.htm

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Search Challenge: Will the Plex be underwater?

Search Challenge: Will the Plex be underwater?In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, everyone who lives near the coast keeps thinking about water levels-when something like Sandy comes racing up your shoreline, will you be swamped?

Or, more generally, as oceans levels rise, will my front yard become a permanent duck pond?

I live pretty close to the Plex, so let's try to figure out this important question for my workplace. (And what's true for the Plex will be true for my house as well!)

Question for this week: Will a sea level rise of 10 feet put the Plex under sea water, or will it just become beachfront property?

As usual, please let us know:

  1. HOW you solved the challenge, and
  2. Let us know HOW LONG it took you to find an answer you believe.

Search on!

Wednesday Search Challenge (11/21/12): A thousand years of Thanksgiving? | SearchReSearch


Daniel M. Russell studies the way people search and research?an anthropologist of search, if you will. You can read more from Russell on his SearchReSearch blog, and stay tuned for his weekly challenges (and answers) here on Lifehacker.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/1omaXRkL6ZE/search-challenge-will-the-plex-be-underwater

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