Google reportedly acquires natural language processing startup Wavii

Word that Google has snapped up natural language processing startup Wavii first came from TechCrunch, and now the Wall Street Journal is chiming in with its own sources claiming the deal has in fact been struck, and that an announcement is imminent. In its current form, Wavii parses a personalized news feed and distills text into a summary for the top stories, similar to Yahoo's recently-purchased Summly. TechCrunch reports that Apple and Google were locked in a bidding war for the outfit, but the web titan ultimately won with a bid in the neighborhood of $30 million. According to the WSJ, the fledgling firm's talent will join Page and Co.'s web search team, which means the language detection technology may bolster its Knowledge Graph, giving users better results (and direct answers) for their queries. As language recognition permeates Page and Co.'s projects, Google Now and Google Glass could potentially benefit from the acquisition as well. Mountain View has yet to acknowledge the reported purchase, but if the tea leaves are being read correctly, expect that to happen soon.

Filed under: Google

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Source: TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QnS0X2lAAKE/

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Football club secures £15m Barclays loan

Wednesday 17th April 2013

A Premier League football club has secured a ?15 million loan, against assets such as its stadium, from Barclays Bank in Hong Kong, reports The Guardian.

QPR, owned by Tony Fernandes, has secured the loan against the club?s assets, including Loftus Road. It marks the first time the Chairman has borrowed in his time at the club.

Many fans are concerned with the shift in approach, with QPR?s debt already spiralling just shy of ?100 million, and a future which looks destined for The Championship.

During the 2011-12 financial year the club spent record numbers on players and wages in order to secure the club?s position in Britain?s top football league.

A spokesman for QPR said: "Given the current financial climate, it demonstrates the clear backing banks want to give our shareholders and their plans for the club.

?The loan is personally guaranteed in full by the club's shareholders, who remain wholly committed to the club's short, medium and long term objectives."

Since the Malaysian airline entrepreneur secured his 66 per cent stake in the London based club, QPR has spent a significant amount on transfer fees and player wages.

Accounts for 2011-12 show that the wage bill had doubled to almost ?56 million, it also showed that the club had reported losses of ?23 million ? non inclusive of January?s transfer splurge.

Fernandes admitted last month that QPR's spending needed to be "closely monitored and controlled", while the club have said that the Barclay?s loan is the first step in an ongoing relationship.

The Chairman also recently denied that the club would be crippled by being relegated, with many fearing QPR?s wage budget could damage the integrity of the club.

Fernandes strongly denied the recent reports over the wages of January signing - Chris Samba, which was said to be in the region of ?100,000 per week.

QPR?s spokesman added: "The club's shareholders have an ongoing relationship with Barclays and both parties were keen to extend this relationship to include QPR, particularly in light of the club's stated plans for a new stadium development.?
?

The club had been planning a new ground with a capacity of 40,000; more than double that of Loftus Road, though this seems a distant possibility with the state of QPR?s future.

?

By Ian Walker

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Source: http://www.loantalk.co.uk/newsstory?id=1078&type=newsfeature&title=football_club_secures_15m_barclays_loan

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LulzSec hacker gets prison in Sony Pictures attack

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A 25-year-old hacker with the group known as LulzSec was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison and ordered to pay $605,663 in restitution for an attack on Sony Pictures computers that began in late May 2011.

Cody Andrew Kretsinger, who went by the online nickname "recursion," was also sentenced to a year of home detention and 1,000 hours of community service.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said Kretsinger pleaded guilty last April to the attack, in which hackers breached the Sony Pictures website, stole personal data including the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of tens of thousands of Sony customers and distributed it over the Internet.

Raynaldo Rivera, a 20-year-old who also pleaded guilty to the attack in October, is to be sentenced May 16.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lulzsec-hacker-gets-prison-sony-pictures-attack-002051183.html

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Backpack mapping system captures intelligence in tough-to-get-to places

Mar. 26, 2013 ? Engineers at APL have developed a portable mapping system -- carried in a backpack -- that can be used to automatically create annotated physical maps of locations where GPS is not available, such as in underground areas and on ships.

Produced for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS) captures a floor-plan-style map of the area traversed, as well as 360-degree photos and sensor readings of that area using a combination of lasers and sensors. The system improves upon algorithms once developed for robots -- which are not practical for all environments -- and has a built-in allowance for normal human movement, like walking.

Using light, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, EMAPS works while operators walk through an area carrying the unit in a backpack. Designed mainly to detect and map environmental threats on ships and in other tough-to-get-to locations, EMAPS' novel algorithms also associate critical environmental data, such as radiation or radio frequency signal levels, with map locations.

The basic EMAPS unit is an approximately six-inch cube that weighs less than four pounds (smaller than a brick), and includes a 270-degree laser scanner that measures the distances to walls and features in the environment. "EMAPS virtually takes pictures with every step," says Jason Stipes, of the Force Projection Department. "Using this technology, we can map almost every nook and cranny of targeted locations, capture that intelligence, and store it. Sensors can also detect threats, such as radiation or chemicals, and include them in our map."

A second laser scanner is available to allow 3-D data collection, while an inertial sensor measures the roll, pitch, and yaw of the system to compensate for steps taken by the user. In addition, a removable camera system can be used to capture omnidirectional images along the walker's path. A GPS receiver can be connected to EMAPS to allow for georegistration of the data, and an onboard computer stores and processes data in real time.

Stipes says EMAPS has collected more than 100 hours of mapping data from a wide array of GPS-denied environments, including ships, underground storage facilities, Army training areas, and buildings such as the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The maps include paths that are several miles long, in environments ranging from office buildings to complex engine rooms of ships at sea.

"The EMAPS software addresses a number of challenges using specially developed algorithms," says Stipes. "Working with DTRA, APL engineers have created software to efficiently map data without boundaries while using a fixed amount of computer memory. And, while previous algorithms fail in open areas and long, smooth hallways, we have been able to design algorithms to map these challenging environments."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/0HM0oZTzooY/130326162155.htm

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Zinio Guest Post: Indy 500 Season: Discover The Cars And the People Inside Them

It is among the world?s oldest auto races and one of the most popular spectator sports. The Indy 500, set for Memorial Day, is the foundation of America?s romance with cars, covered with command, color and expertise in digital publishing. ?Beyond the history of the race and the storied track, the Indy 500 has its share of legendary people, cars, and character. Get excited now with exclusive free access to the top five articles covering the Indy 500 (compliments of Zinio).

Autoweek is racing?s bible. It has the crisp photography and seasoned writing that picks up as the season does. This article is from the magazine?s peek at the upcoming Indy car racing season, complete with the competition off the track for teams, drivers and technology.

Read it here.

Autosport takes a more international view. This article on the upcoming Formula 1 season has brilliant photography and a thorough look at how rules changes will redefine the sport. The writing is unique. Take this sentence from an Australian race: ?Kimi Raikkonen, the victor, had clinically and unemotionally used the only car that seemed immune to the spectacular tyre graining that was the bane of everyone else's weekend.?

Read it here.

Dan Weldon was one of those race drivers that lived as fast as he drove. This piece from Men?s Journal says ?Wheldon was the greatest thing to happen to Indy racing since Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt dominated the sport in the 1960s, when the Indianapolis 500 was on par with single-day events like the Super Bowl and Evel Knievel?s rocket-powered canyon jump. But a bitter split in 1996 destroyed the league, and though it had essentially reconstituted by 2002, the organization struggled to find an audience. To attract sponsors and fans, they needed star power.?

Read it here.

Indianapolis Monthly is one of the best regional digital magazines. This profile of Indy driver J.R. Hildebrand is well-written and puts a human face on a dangerous sport. ?Hildebrand has a boyish sensibility. His wiry six-foot frame slips easily into the National Guard car, yet when he takes off the helmet and fire-retardant hood, his mop of dark brown hair falls into its disheveled place, making him look like a grown-up Justin Bieber. Sometimes, as he talks, he twirls a strand around his finger, like a high school senior hunched over a calculus test. And while his Panther Racing predecessor, Dan Wheldon, was known for his persnickety clean-freak streak, colleagues say Hildebrand is more likely to leave a half-eaten sandwich and empty soda can around the garage. ?JR is a very mature 24-year-old, and he puts up a very good front,? says his mother, Maria Hildebrand. ?But really, he?s still just a 24-year-old guy, and with that comes a sense of invincibility, and a lot of growing up that you still have to do.?

Read it here.

Karbon is one of those magazines that is built for mobile devices and it is the kind of content you can explore on Zinio. Karbon bills itself as the Worlds Only Dedicated Magazine for Indy Cars & Indy Lights. Bringing the Glitz and Glamour back to Indy Cars. This piece on Sarah Hartmann Fischer shows life beyond Danica.

Read it here.

Racecar Engineering isn?t just for gearheads. It?s for gearheads that have PhDs. The level of detail about engines, future technology and other things under the hood is stunning. Check this sentence: ?This so called ?mother chassis? concept has since been adopted in GT300 and in more extreme form in GT500 & DTM. ?Dome?s tub used a innovative single skin with no honeycomb construction technique first used in aviation. This meant that the costs were really quite low. Compared to the aluminium monocoques used at the time in Japanese the new tub was the same weight (48kg), stiffer and crucially it was cheaper (1.2 million yen compared to 1.35 million for the aluminium tub).?

Read it here.

Source: http://www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/13334-zinio-guest-post-indy-500-season-discover-the-cars-and-the-people-inside-them

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Tattoos - Future of Tattoo Artists in India Relatively Bright

As the art has no boundaries, so simply tattooing has bright future. The artist has options to reach upto the sky of Tattooing. In ancient time in India tattoo was used to pierce on body for name, religion sign, and for memorable symbol. But now a days tattooing is used to expose stylish look. The craze amongst the youngsters make tattoo piercing as a rising trend. As tattooing in India have a glorious past and so bright in the contemporary trend. Making tattooing as a profession in the modern age is a better choice for good revenue. The craze of tattooing reveals the rising tattoo industry.

As the tattoo has gained the recognition, to become a perfectionist in the turf of tattooing, it is essential that tattoo artist must have proper sense of designing to exhibit his artworks. In New Delhi, the capital of country India, tattooing has its significance for fashion and styles. As everyone knows it well, styles can't be furnished without fashion, so the tattoos have its essence and vital scope. Especially the youth, they always hunt for most popular and eye-catching designs and artworks to embellish on their body. The rising trend and attractiveness of tattoos magnetize children, matured and besides the girls and ladies also, so the numbers of tattoo studios and artists in New Delhi are rising rapidly.

In India, during ancient period, tattoos were imprinted on body only for name; spiritual sign etc. in not suitable design but varied comparatively according to the purpose. Now the tattoos are made on body not only for the fashionable look and stylish objective, but also a mark of status. A few years ago, the reputation of tattoos only existed in Overseas like US and European continent. But in a shot time span tattooing is widely spread in India. Tattooing has it magnificence not only in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai but also in small cities it has widely spread.

As the time is varying, tattooing is on boom as a trade. The prospective of this commerce is relatively motivating passionate to take it as their career. Intellectually this emerging requirement pulls toward some artists, and, has started their institutions and offering tattoo training. Some eager and professional artists have started training aspects at their tattoo studio in New Delhi to learn professionally. Confidentially, the discovery of a professional and expert tattoo artist will give more options in future. The huge pool of the students are eager and looking for tattoo training courses, shows that tattoo design training in India, will soon turn into the main stream of education like other profession.

Tattoo arts have no boundaries; achievement in this business, divulges your inspiration. The client or customer fulfillment is one more factor that extensively contributes to the sensation. When a customer chooses a studio designing, it is first and foremost duty of artist to show him a bunch designs. So the artists are providing good services for Tattoo in New Delhi, must consider understand the requirements and expectations of customers in true colors, because each customer has their own and unique requirements.

Source: http://tattoos.s-article.com/future-of-tattoo-artists-in-india-relatively-bright.html

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This Is How You Respond to Rumors

Don't hand your iPhone to Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. During an interview on Finnish TV show Hjalliksen kanssa, an interviewer made exactly that mistake and is short one functional iPhone for having made it because Elop threw that sucker on the floor. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4wLMiEyyK9c/this-is-how-you-respond-to-rumors

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