This Week, 3D Comes Home

TV Manufacturers have been talking about 3D for a while now, and made a big splash at CES this year. But this week the push towards 3D takes a big step forward as the first 3D Plasma and LCD displays are expected to actually go on sale. A number of "3D-ready" displays have been on the market for the past 3 years, mainly DLP projection based TVs. The most prominent manufacturer there is Mitsubishi, which this week started to push sales of its 82-inch Home Theater TV, which is the largest home 3D set I know of. This is a 1080p, 120Hz set. Mitsubishi announced a partnership with XpanD to provide its X102 3D glasses for these sets which these sets, which are expected to be available shortly. Mitsubishi touts the fact that most theaters that show 3D also use DLP technology . DLP-based sets are as thin as the alternatives, with the 82-inch set being 22.7-inches deep, but of course, it also provides nearly 4 times the screen size of 42-inch sets. Mitsubishi doesn't talk about list prices, but I've seen stores selling the sets for a bit under $4700, not counting the glasses. Other companies using the DLP technology include NEC, which just announced a 3D projector aimed at the K-12 education market, and Acer, which just introduced 720p and XGA (1024 by 768) projectors. But the big push in the home market will come from Plasma and LCD displays. On the LCD side, Samsung filled the Academy Award broadcast with commercials for its 3D "LED TVs" (LED edge-lit LCD sets), and has slated a press conference for tomorrow where it is expected to formally introduce the products. At last week's DisplaySearch conference, the company was very bullish about 3D TVs. And Panasonic and Best Buy have announced an event for Wednesday, where they are expected to announce that Best Buy will start selling Panasonic's 3D plasma displays. These are expected to be 1080p, 600Hz sets, and according to reports in the Wall Street Journal, a 50-inch set should sell for $2,500, about half of what a similar set sells for in Japan. A bundle of the VT25 50-inch 3D plasma, DMP-BDT350 Blu-ray player and active shutter glasses. Is expected to sell for about $3000, according to ZDNET. All of these technologies are using "active shutter" glasses, and over the long term, I think the big question on 3D TV adoption is whether people will be happy wearing such glasses. But in the shorter term, another question is whether customers will flock to these sets this early, before the release of 3D Blu-Ray content or 3D networks. (ESPN 3D is expected to launch in June.) Gearlog has a poll on 3D buying intentions up now but in the end, we'll all have to wait and see how well these sets sell.

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : Forward Thinking by Michael J. Miller

Rochester Public Library Amuzing Race Update

SAVE THE DATE! The Rochester Public Library Foundation's fourth annual Amuzing Race will be held on Saturday, June 19. Registration details will be available in the next several weeks. In the meantime, join us for our newest fundraising adventure. *LOL4RPL* (Laugh Out Loud for Rochester Public Library) will be held at Goonies Comedy Club) on the evening of Wednesday, March 24. The evening will start at 5:30 pm with social time and a buffet dinner and will end with a comedy show that will have you ROTFL. (Rolling On The Floor Laughing). A cash bar will also be available. The library's own Nathan Hall will be the Master of Ceremonies. For more information, contact John Hunziker, 328.2343, or visit our web site [ http://www.rochesterpubliclibraryfoundation.org/LOL4RPL.html ]

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : City of Rochester - Recent Updates

AccuWeather.com: A busier hurricane season ahead

AccuWeather.com's hurricane forecasters believe the 2010 Atlantic season will be "much more active" than last year's relatively meek performance. A rapidly weakening El Nino event in the tropical Pacific, unusually warm surface waters in the Atlantic's key hurricane nursery, weakening trade winds and higher humidities, they said, are all pointing to increased activity. "This year has the chance to be an extreme season," said forecaster Joe Bastardi, who led the company's hurricane forecast team. He also correctly forecasted a very snowy winter season for the mid-Atlantic states in 2009-2010, although his predictions were far short of the actual, record-breaking totals. The new AccuWeather.com hurricane forecast, out Wednesday morning, calls for 16 to 18 tropical storms this season (the average is 11; last year saw just nine, and only three became hurricanes). Of the 16 to 18 he expects, Bastardi believes 15 will occur in the western Atlantic. He predicts seven landfalls, five of them hurricanes, of which two or three will come ashore in the U.S. (about average). Bastardi sees similarities in this year's setup to those in 1964, 1995 and 1998. In 1964, Hurricane Cleo struck near Miami as a Cat. 2 storm and killed 217 people. In 1995, Hurricane Opal struck the Florida panhandle and caused $3 billion in damages. And in 1998, Hurricane Bonnie (photo) came ashore near Wilmington, N.C. as a strong Cat. 2 storm and caused $1 billion in damage. The hurricane season begins officially on June 1, and continues through November. (SUN PHOTO: Karl Merton Ferron/Bonnie whips Ocean City, Md. in 1998)

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : Maryland Weather

Apple to AT&T: Can we just be friends? [Updated]

May as well face it - in terms of tech news, this is going to be an Apple tablet kinda week. With the expected launch of Apple's fabled unicorn tablet coming on Wednesday, it's going to be hard to walk down the street without tripping over frenzied rumors and wild-eyed speculation. It's best just to get your Zen up and running now . . . But amidst the avalanche of tablet stories that has been building since early last week, one in particular caught my eye, and its was only tangentially related to the tablet. HotHardware.com is quoting an AT&T source as saying that the telco will lose its exclusive deal to sell the iPhone when Steve Jobs takes the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts stage on Wednesday. We have been led to believe by an inside source that AT&T will lose their iPhone exclusivity on the same day, though it's not yet clear what other carrier (or carriers) will be stepping in to also carry the phone. For anyone who has followed the saga, you may notice that you haven't seen AT&T fighting to extend their original exclusive agreement of late. In fact, they have spent most of their time fighting Verizon's negative ad campaign. This may not be all that surprising. Inside of AT&T, we are hearing that the iPhone is causing more trouble than ever before. On some level, having the iPhone is hurting AT&T's image. Because they are the only company to carry it, and it's such a data hog, it's largely to blame for AT&T's network troubles. We don't remember hearing about AT&T's "horrible network" before the iPhone--do you? The iPhone itself doesn't really handle the switch from 3G to EDGE very well, so calls that are in-progress tend to fail whenever the 3G bands aren't optimal and the phone attempts to step down to EDGE. It seems that AT&T is tired of taking the heat for this, and at this point, they may be smart to just let another carrier take some of those customers who are most inclined to complain. As I wrote earlier this month, while I think it would be good for Apple to end its exclusive deal with AT&T, I have not been convinced the company would do it. There are certain benefits to exclusivity, not the least of which is greater control over the sales channel (and we all know how Apple loves control) and a governor on its own support resources. Opening up the iPhone to other carriers expands the market, but also means Apple must be willing to deal with the support that will require. On the other hand, such a move would be good for consumers, who'd then have a choice of carriers to use with the iPhone. If Jobs were to announce on Wednesday that the next release of the iPhone will work on Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile, for example, it would make a lot of people very happy. (Particularly if it was Verizon.) But it would also put a big brake on sales of the current phone for AT&T if the end-of-exclusivity announcement came well in advance of the actual sale of a new model. (Apple typically starts selling new iPhones at midsummer.) If you're jonesing for an iPhone, and you have a choice of a carrier other than AT&T, what would you do, given all the griping you've heard about Ma Bell 2.0? And if you are a current iPhone user, would you be willing to buy all-new hardware to switch to a new carrier? Update: Oh, this should be fun. Looks like Doonesbury's set to spend the week mocking the supposed tablet launch. Update 2.0: Bloomberg quotes Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Tim Horan as saying Apple may release the iPhone for sale to all U.S. carriers over the next 18 months. T-Mobile USA Inc. will get the phone this summer, followed by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. in the fall, and Clearwire Corp. in 2011, Horan wrote in a note yesterday. AT&T Inc. has been the exclusive carrier since the iPhone debuted in June 2007. And Boy Genius Report says Verizon store managers have been told that Wednesday will be an important day. One of our connects just told us that Verizon Wireless has a "kick off" event in the beginning of every quarter that covers and goes over new things that are in the pipeline like devices, products, services, etc. for store managers. Except, this kick off is coincidentally on this coming Wednesday, and additionally, we've been informed there will be a "live webcast" that everyone attending will be viewing around 1PM ET. Technorati Tags: iphone,apple,at&t,exclusivity

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : TechBlog

Trustees vote to put $250 million bond measure on June ballot

GARDEN GROVE – Voters will get a chance in June to approve or reject a $250 million bond measure to help improve school facilities in the Garden Grove Unified School District.The school board Wednesday unanimously voted in support of a resolution...

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : The Orange County Register - News Headlines : News

HVM Launches Indy Lights Program

The Indy Racing League got its own June-yer Wednesday with the announcement that Junior Strous will join HVM Racing's Firestone Indy Lights program. Junior is pictured with HVM boss Keith Wiggins. Check the unGoogled news release below ... HVM Racing...

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : pressdog.com

Lake Twp. antsy about gas drilling

LAKE TWP. – On Wednesday night, supervisors and residents discussed concerns about gas drilling likely to begin in May or June.

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : The Dallas Post

Harm Reduction: Washington State "911 Good Samaritan Law" to Go Into Effect in June

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) Wednesday signed into law a measure that provides some legal immunity for people who report a drug overdose. That makes Washington the second state to enact a "911 Good Samaritan Law." New Mexico was the first in 2007. Washington State House, Olympia Under the measure, if someone overdoses and someone else seeks assistance, that person cannot be prosecuted for drug possession, nor can the person overdosing. Good Samaritans could, however, be charged with manufacturing or selling drugs. The measure is aimed at reducing drug overdoses by removing the fear of arrest as an impediment to seeking medical help. According to the state Department of Health, there were 820 fatal drug overdoses in the state in 2006, more than double the 403 in 1999. The bill also allows people to use the opioid agonist naloxone, which counteracts the effects of opiate overdoses, if it is used to help prevent an overdose. "We're going to save lives," Rep. Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland) told Senate sponsor Sen. Rosa Franklin (D-Tacoma) after the bill signing. "It might take the fear out of calling for help," Franklin said. Washington is the first state this year to pass a 911 Good Samaritan bill, but it may not be the last. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island are considering similar measures. read full post

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) - Public Health

Summary Box: Samsung and Panasonic try to launch the era of 3-D TVs this week

more images more images Summary Box: Samsung, Panasonic releasing 3-D TVs COMING AT YOU: Samsung Electronics Co. is selling two 3-D sets, beginning this week. Panasonic Corp. plans a similar announcement Wednesday. Sony Corp. said Tuesday its sets will come out in June. THE DETAILS: Samsung’s sets will start at about $3,000 for a 46-inch screen. That includes the .... Source article on Gaea Times at : Summary Box: Samsung and Panasonic try to launch the era of 3-D TVs this week.

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : Gadgetophilia

Chromewaves: Diamond Rings, First Rate People and The Darcys at Canadian Musicfest

Frank YangOkay, so for the more intrepid festival-goers Thursday night would have been Canadian Musicfest night TWO, not one. But I think that with the amount of standing around on sticky barroom floors I’ve got coming up, I should be given a bye for choosing to begin my CMF at the traditional Thursday starting line rather than the present-day realistic Wednesday one, though that starting line was located at The Garrison, some ways away from the traditional CMW stomping grounds. The event was the eye weekly showcase, and the draw one act whom I’d been meaning to see for the better part of six months and another whom I’d only discovered a week or so ago, but was finding more than a little bit intriguing. These were First Rate People, an act who in this era of online over-sharing had managed to maintain an air of mystery about them, offering nothing in way of image and a few tantalizing song samples that reveled in a sample-heavy, retro-pop, soul revue aesthetic. Live, however, there were no such airs about them. The five-piece all looked barely old enough to be in the bar legally, and rather than belie their young age, their set and sound reveled in it. Not in any juvenile or amateurish sense – there was clearly a lot of talent up there as well as instrument swapping – but in their giddy, “school’s out!” spirit and refreshing disregard for things such as musical genre. Reminiscent at their best of Saturday Looks Good To Me with more hip-hop than power-pop in their blood, they’ve still not fully reconciled their beats-friendly inclinations with their traditional band roots and their best hooks are still coming from the samples and not them, but when – not if – they get it together, they’ll be a potent crew. Photos: First Rate People @ The Garrison – March 11, 2010 MP3: First Rate People – “Girls’ Night” I had missed countless opportunities to see Diamond Rings live since he emerged as a Pitchfork darling last Summer, so with only the breezy videos to go by, I was expecting John O’Regan’s glammy alter-ego to be a tongue-in-cheek bit of synth-poppery. And while the unicorn tapestry hanging off the front of his synth was a bit of fun, the performance was decidedly darker and more dramatic than any of that – the light-hearted “All Yr Songs” was an anomaly amongst the songs that will likely make up the full-length debut Special Affections, due out later this year, and second single “Wait & See” takes on an entirely different character when heard without the visuals. Also helping the intensity of the performance was O’Regan picking up the guitar for more than a few numbers and injecting some welcome D’Urbervilles-ish skronk. An impressive set, and it was good to see that the Bowie comparisons that get used in describing Diamond Rings go much further than just the Aladdin Sane-ish makeup; the style is obvious, but there’s plenty of substance as well. Photos: Diamond Rings @ The Garrison – March 11, 2010 MP3: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs” Video: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs” Video: Diamond Rings – “Wait & See” MySpace: Diamond Rings I then took leave of The Garrison and hoofed (then streetcar-ed) it to the El Mocambo for the Audio Blood showcase, which had the good luck of a) featuring a band I wanted to see at the precise time I would be able to get there and b) being en route to my apartment. I had seen The Darcys at NXNE last year, but since that show they’d undergone some pretty fundamental lineup changes with the departure of frontman Kirby Best and they’ve since recorded a new record under the production auspices of The Dears’ Murray Lightburn. And while the positive-and-not-derivative Radiohead comparisons I made in June still hold, new singer Jason Couse’s voice does have a greater Yorke-ian influence than his predecessor; a fact that could be troubling if its used in the wrong (read: obvious) way. Musically, they still have superb arrangements and songcraft built on a bed of white noise and white knuckles, but they could stand to sublimate the angst in their delivery a bit. I suggest rolling it up into a little ball and swallowing it deep, down inside. That’s what I do. The Varsity has an interview with The Darcys. Photos: The Darcys @ The El Mocambo – March 11, 2010 MP3: The Darcys – “House Built Around Your Voice” MySpace: The Darcys Daytrotter has posted up a session of Michael Jackson covers from Snowblink, who are opening up for Owen Pallett at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 8. The Vancouver Sun and The Georgia Straight have feature pieces on Basia Bulat, who has announced a show at The Phoenix on June 4, tickets $17.50. Her video session with QTV also just went online. MP3: Basia Bulat – “Gold Rush” Video: Basia Bulat – “Gold Rush” (live on QTV) The National Post talks to Dan Mangan, who plays an in-store at Criminal Records tonight at 6PM and will be at the Horseshoe on April 22. Pitchfork reports that Holy Fuck will release their new record Latin on May 11.

View original story : wednesday+june Feed : Spin Magazine Online aggregator