In many ways, graphene is one of technology's sickest jokes. The tantalizing promise of cheap to produce, efficient to run materials, that could turn the next page in gadget history has always remained frustratingly out of reach. Now, a new process for creating semiconductors grown on graphene could see the super material commercialized in the next five years. Developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the patented process "bombs" graphene with gallium, which forms droplets, and naturally arranges itself to match graphene's famous hexagonal pattern. Then, arsenic is added to the mix, which enters the droplets and crystallizes at the bottom, creating a stalk. After a few minutes of this process the droplets are raised by the desired height. The new process also does away with the need for a (relatively) thick substrate to grow the nanowire on, making it cheaper, more flexible and transparent. The inventors state that this could be used in flexible and efficient solar cells and light emitting diodes. We say forward the revolution.
We tend to cover quite a few screen protectors for various devices here on The Gadgeteer, however most of them are made of some sort of ?soft and flexible?PET?film. ?The biggest issue is that as your screen size gets bigger, in my experience, the harder it is to get these films onto your screen cleanly [...]
Mobile broadband is on the rise, and so is the world?s Internet user base. But that?s not the complete picture. A digital divide still exists, particularly in developing economies, where access to online resources is limited to an elite few. Sometimes, this is economically driven, although sometimes political ? such as in North Korea, where statistically 0% of the population have Internet access.
VIA Technologies plans to bridge the digital divide through a very cheap personal computer powered by Android. The aPC ? or ?Android PC? ? costs just $49, but it provides a ?complete PC experience at the fraction of the cost.?
The aPC runs on a custom Android system, which is built for keyboard and mouse input. A full set of I/O ports is also included, which enables a user to connect the aPC to a monitor or TV. Some specs:
VIA 800 MHz processor
512MB DDR3 memory
2GB NAND Flash
Built-in 2D/3D Graphics, with resolution up to 720p
HDMI, VGA, 4 USB 2.0 ports, audio out, mic in
microSD slot
10/100 ethernet
170 x 85 mm size, neo-ITX standard
The aPC is mostly a cloud-oriented computer. The creators say that the purpose of a PC has now evolved, in that computers now mainly connect to the Internet, and that ?[i]t is the Internet that now defines computing.? As such, traditional computers are considered to be ?expensive and overpowered,? and software is called ?bloated.?
But aside from cloud-based apps, the aPC also comes shipped with apps like a web browser, Angry Birds, and the like. Of course, the computer also has access to Google Play, which gives the user hundreds of thousands of apps for download.
aPC has closed pre-orders, so that the creators can meet with demand in their first round of pre-orders. However, if this is a project that interests you, you can still sign up for the notification list.
Check out the video below with VIA Technologies VP Richard Brown presenting the aPC concept and demonstrating the actual device at TEDx in Shanghai. The intro is a bit lengthy, but you can jump to the 6:30 mark, where the fun starts.
Aside from smartphones and tablets, projects like the aPC are taking the post-PC concept to a whole new level. This does not just bring the computer (or mobile device) more accessible to the usual consumer set, but also to those unable to spend hundreds of dollars for a desktop or notebook computer.
Will the aPC help bridge the digital divide? It certainly is an interesting idea, and if more manufacturers ? aside from VIA ? can focus on this market, then Android might just become a dominant OS in the desktop market, as well.
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Divide and Conquer game added to Apps-for-Android, How to setup and use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), Android based digital photo frame This article, Will the $49 aPC Android PC help bridge the digital divide? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source.
With the new Kindle Paperwhite on the horizon, Barnes and Noble is making a move to try and keep its backlit e-ink reader relevant. In order to do that, they've dropped its price to $119, the same as the ad-supported Kindle Paperwhite. More »
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? A Ku Klux Klan leader from North Carolina has been convicted on weapons and explosive charges related to a plot to blow up his county sheriff.
A jury convicted Charles Robert Barefoot Jr. of Benson on six felony counts this week, including conspiracy, possession of stolen guns and receipt of explosives with intent to kill.
Prosecutors said the 49-year-old Klansman wanted to kill Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell, whom he blamed for the failure of his nightclub, called the Enchanted Barn. Barefoot also blamed Bizzell for the Klan not being permitted to march in the town's annual Mule Days parade.
According to trial testimony, Barefoot acquired powerful explosives and planned to boat down the Neuse River at night to plant a bomb at the sheriff's office without being seen.
(Reuters) - Affirmative action for minorities, human rights abuses and the constitutional authority for dogs to sniff out crime will top the U.S. Supreme Court's agenda when it returns to the bench on Monday. An even bigger issue, same-sex marriage, lurks on the horizon.
The new term marks the full court's first return to the public eye since June when Chief Justice John Roberts surprised many by joining four more liberal justices in a 5-4 decision that upheld nearly all of President Barack Obama's healthcare law.
The court will start with one of its most anticipated cases, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, and address for the second time the extent to which American judges are empowered to hear lawsuits over human rights atrocities abroad.
On October 10, it will hear perhaps the biggest case on the docket so far, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, and weigh whether using race in undergraduate admissions to increase diversity is still acceptable under the U.S. Constitution.
"When you look at Kiobel and Fisher, and the possibility the court will visit the issues of gay marriage and voting rights, it's already shaping up to be a momentous term," said Ted Shaw, a professor at Columbia Law School and former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Some justices said over the summer break that the court would, as it normally does, move past the divisions that end a term, including this year over a tough Arizona immigration law.
Dissenting justices in that and the healthcare cases read parts of their opinions from the bench, signaling profound disagreement with the majorities.
The court often finds common ground, and last term it ruled unanimously nearly as often as not. But many closely watched cases still produce 5-4 ideological splits. The five more conservative justices were appointed by Republican presidents, and the four more liberal justices by Democratic presidents.
While Justice Anthony Kennedy is at the ideological center, Roberts' vote to uphold most of the Affordable Care Act was a forceful reminder of his capacity to put his own cast on the law. At age 57, he could do so for another quarter century.
"John Roberts enormously strengthened his administrative hand and legal influence in ruling as he did," said Douglas Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. "Now both sides probably believe they need to work for his support, and that's an enviable position for the chief justice."
The court already has accepted close to 40 cases for the new term, filling roughly half of its usual docket.
RACE AS A FACTOR
In Kiobel, the court will again review the Alien Tort Statute, a long-obscure 1789 law that lawyers have used in the last three decades to challenge corporations' alleged aiding or acquiescing in foreign governments' abuse of their own people.
After hearing arguments in February, the court decided to hold a new hearing to address whether judges could hear such claims brought against anyone, not just corporations.
The case has drawn dozens of briefs from other interested parties. The Obama administration has argued that the law could be used, case-by-case, for claims of abuse that might interfere with U.S. foreign relations or respect for human rights.
In the affirmative action case, Texas' flagship university has for several years filled about three-quarters of its undergraduate class by granting automatic admission to students in the top 10 percent of their high-school classes.
While this "race-neutral" approach has boosted the number of black and Hispanic students because of the homogeneity of many high schools, Texas uses race as one factor to fill the rest of each class, with a goal of improving the educational experience.
This has been challenged, and changes in the Supreme Court's makeup may imperil the 2003 decision, Grutter v. Bollinger, that let universities take race into account to improve diversity.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who in that case endorsed race-based admissions at the University of Michigan law school, retired in 2006 and was replaced by the more conservative Justice Samuel Alito.
In addition, Justice Elena Kagan, who was U.S. solicitor general before joining the court in 2010, has recused herself. This could make it hard for Texas to win more than four votes. A decision voiding the program would likely apply, under a different law, to private universities.
Also on the docket are two "dog sniff" cases from Florida that test the boundary of Fourth Amendment protection against illegal searches, and which the court will take up on October 31.
One, Florida v. Jardines, concerns whether a homeowner's privacy was violated when a trained narcotics dog named Franky was allowed to walk near a home, and appeared to correctly detect a marijuana odor from inside. Another, Florida v. Harris, concerns an "alert" given by another dog named Aldo while being led around a truck that contained methamphetamine ingredients.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
All of these cases could well be dwarfed in public attention should the Supreme Court review any or all of a half-dozen cases concerning same-sex marriages.
Several address the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which requires the government to deny benefits such as Social Security payments to gay and lesbian couples. even if they live in states that allow same-sex marriage.
A federal appeals court in Boston said that requirement should not stand. Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general who last term argued against the healthcare law, represents defenders of DOMA while his opponent in the healthcare case, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, wants DOMA to be invalidated.
Also awaiting review is a lower-court decision striking down California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8.
The Supreme Court is expected to announce this fall whether it will accept any of these cases. Decisions would likely come by the end of June, before the court's usual summer recess.
Meanwhile, the court may also weigh the constitutionality of a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that requires states with histories of discrimination to get U.S. Department of Justice permission before changing election procedures.
"We're seeing an increase in voting suppression," said Scot Powe, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and former clerk for Justice William O. Douglas. "If they take a Voting Rights Act case, the betting money is that they will invalidate the preclearance provision. That's a big deal."
(Additional reporting by Terry Baynes; Editing by Howard Goller and Eric Walsh)
Google recently announced to developers the availability of a new "Services" platform, to allow better integration of its core products in 3rd party apps. The update comes in the form of an APK that will automatically find its way to handsets with Android 2.2 and above. But, for the impatient amongst you, it's available for download directly from the Play store now. This first release centers around better integration for Google+ (for account sign-in / Plus buttons etc) and providing OAuth 2.0 functionality, but it's expected that deeper functionality with the Google universe will take root soon. Most handily, as Mountain View decided to deliver this in the form of an app / APK, there's no pesky waiting around for networks to get it to you. Read up on the benefits via the more coverage links, or head to the source to make sure you're on-board.
O2 and ThreeUK have announced that they'll be carrying Sony's Xperia T, the phone James Bond totes 'round in Skyfall. He's got a tough decision on his hands depending on which network he chooses, however, with O2 offering an exclusive tie-in edition of the handset with custom ringtones and pre-release images. On the other hand, he probably gets through plenty of data reading classified files and flicking through the Tom Ford catalogue, so perhaps he'd prefer Three's unlimited data. Either way, you can follow in the footsteps of your hero right now, with price plans starting from £30 per month.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - British Foreign Minister William Hague sought on Thursday to allay his Ecuadorean counterpart's concerns about the fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying Britain's extradition law has "extensive human rights safeguards."
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June to avoid extradition to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault allegations.
His lawyers and Ecuador's government fear that could lead to extradition to the United States, where he could face charges stemming from WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare Washington's powerbroker maneuvers across the globe.
Hague met with Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss the case.
"Both Ministers agreed that they were committed to the search for a diplomatic solution to Mr Assange's case. They were willing to meet again at this level in due course to continue these exchanges," Hague's spokesman said in a statement.
Britain says it is legally obliged to extradite Assange to Sweden, and that it will not allow the 41-year-old Australian to leave the embassy and travel to the South American country.
Pantino attended an event in New York on Wednesday at which Assange spoke via video link from London. Assange lashed out at U.S. President Barack Obama for supporting freedom of speech in the Middle East while "persecuting" his organization for leaking diplomatic cables in 2010.
Ecuador wants Britain to give Assange written guarantees that he would not be extradited from Sweden to any third country. Ecuador and Assange's lawyers say that if he was extradited to the United States from Sweden he would face "inhumane" prison conditions and even the death penalty.
"The Foreign Secretary described the extensive human rights safeguards in UK extradition law. He requested the Government of Ecuador to study these provisions closely in considering the way ahead," Hague's spokesman said.
"The Foreign Secretary told Minister Patino that the UK was under an obligation to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden. The concept of 'diplomatic asylum,' while well-established in Latin America, did not feature in UK law," he said.
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Patino made clear that Ecuador is not willing to cede much ground. "The ball's in their court right now," Patino said.
Patino held in his hands a mimeographed copy of an 1880 agreement signed between Britain and Ecuador, which he said prohibits extradition in cases likes that of Assange. He said he planned to show the document to Hague.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Will Dunham)
BALTIMORE (AP) ? For a change, the NFL uniform at the center of attention contained three digits.
Referee Gene Steratore, a 10-year NFL veteran, donned his No. 114 and strode onto the field to cheers Thursday night for the game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, signaling once and for all that the real officials are back.
"You know we always pride ourselves in being a face without a name," Steratore told The Associated Press about an hour before kickoff. "This will be a little different, but I don't expect it to last too long. And that's the goal ? is that we can let them get through that portion of this. It's happy to be back, it's happy to be appreciated. But then as soon as the game starts, it's happy to disappear again and let the entertainers entertain."
Steratore and a veteran seven-man crew worked the first game of Week 4 after three weeks of replacement officials. For a change, everyone on all sides was happy to see the familiar faces in stripes.
"The other refs just made dumb calls," said Jessie Riley, a 15-year-old fan wearing an Ed Reed jersey. "I couldn't stand them. Now we won't get robbed; everything will be fair ? hopefully."
A lockout of the league's regular officials ended late Wednesday, two days after a disputed touchdown catch on the last play of "Monday Night Football" brought debate over the use of the replacements to a fevered pitch nationwide. The Seattle Seahawks were awarded the score ? and a 14-12 win ? over the Green Bay Packers, a result that Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged "may have pushed the parties further along" in the talks.
"Obviously when you go through something like this it is painful for everybody," Goodell said. "Most importantly, it is painful for our fans. We are sorry to have to put our fans through that, but it is something that in the short term you sometimes have to do to make sure you get the right kind of deal for the long term and make sure you continue to grow the game."
The deal is only tentative ? it must be ratified by 51 percent of the union's 121 members in a vote scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Dallas ? but both sides nevertheless went forward with the plan to have the regulars back for Thursday's game.
So Steratore hustled to Baltimore, making the 3?-hour drive Thursday morning from his home in the Pittsburgh area. He's usually in place the day before a game, but none of his regular pregame meetings had to be changed because the Browns-Ravens game was at night.
"Very elated to be back," he said. "It feels like being back home."
Steratore also was fully aware he would be booed the first time he makes a questionable call ? just like always.
"Without a question," he said. "I've been yelled at by my own children many times, so this won't be any different."
Steratore and his crew set up shop in the designated "Officials Locker Room" in the bowels of the stadium. He emerged about 2? before kickoff to talk briefly to a stadium official about the wireless on-field microphone the referee wears. He later held a regular pregame meeting with stadium crew, telling them to "make sure we run this thing as smoothly" as they had in his previous visits to Baltimore.
Steratore then walked down the tunnel and onto the field, pacing the sidelines with little fanfare because he was still wearing his coat and tie.
The lockout was ended after marathon negotiations produced an eight-year agreement to end the lockout that began in June.
"Those guys might mess up every now and then, but we can live with that happening with professional guys out there," Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson said.
For the Packers, Redskins, Lions and other teams who voiced their displeasure with calls that might have swayed games, the agreement doesn't change their records. The commissioner said he watched Monday night's chaotic Packers-Seahawks finish at home.
"You never want to see a game end like that," he said.
The new agreement will improve officiating in the future, Goodell asserted, reducing mistakes like those made Monday and making the strains of the last three weeks worthwhile.
Goodell acknowledged "you're always worried" about the perception of the league.
"Obviously, this has gotten a lot of attention," he said. "It hasn't been positive, and it's something that you have to fight through and get to the long term. ... We always are going to have to work harder to make sure we get people's trust and confidence in us."
The agreement hinged on working out pension and retirement benefits for the officials, who are part-time employees of the league. Goodell said the NFL's offer to increase the deal's length from five to eight years spurred some concessions from the officials.
The tentative pact calls for their salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019. The current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years' service.
The defined benefit plan will then be frozen. Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution arrangement.
Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option to hire a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year round, including on the field. The NFL also will be able to retain additional officials for training and development and can assign those officials to work games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the league.
The NFL players' union, which had protested that using replacements jeopardized health and safety, heartily welcomed back the regular officials.
"Our workplace is safer with the return of our professional referees," its statement said.
The dispute even made its way to the campaign trail, with President Barack Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, calling Thursday "a great day for America."
"The president's very pleased that the two sides have come together," Carney said.
___
AP Sports Writer Rachel Cohen and AP Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner in New York, and AP Sports Writers Larry Lage in Allen Park, Mich., Joe Kay in Cincinnati and Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
___
Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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BERLIN (AP) ? A woman killed her five infants shortly after giving birth in secret at home and in the woods because each time she got pregnant she worried her husband would leave her if she had any more children, authorities said Thursday.
The woman, 28, who has been arrested on five counts of manslaughter, made a "comprehensive confession" to the killings after turning herself in as a six-year investigation closed in on her, said Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt, the head prosecutor in Flensburg, on Germany's border with Denmark.
Stahlmann-Liebelt said the woman, whose name was not released in accordance with German privacy laws, has two living children, aged 8 and 10. But then in 2006 she began hiding her pregnancies, staying away from doctors and hospitals and killing the infants after giving birth to two at home and three in the woods, she said.
"She had the impression her husband would leave her if she had any more children, and that's why she didn't tell anyone she was pregnant, including her husband," Stahlmann-Liebelt said.
"She has said that the family lived at a certain level of prosperity, that it was clear her husband did not want any more children, and that one reason was to preserve this standard, and she feared that might be endangered if another child were there."
The husband has told police that he knew nothing about the pregnancies, Stahlmann-Liebelt said, and it wasn't entirely clear how the woman managed to keep them secret.
Stahlmann-Liebelt said there have been other cases when woman's pregnancy can go unnoticed by their partners and others.
Police found the first infant's body dumped in a paper sorting station in 2006 about 15 kilometers (nine miles) away from the town of Husum where the woman lived. The second was found in a parking area off a regional highway, also about the same distance from Husum but in a different direction, in 2007.
After reading news reports that DNA results had confirmed the two children had the same parents, the woman then decided not to dispose the other bodies in public places, police official Dirk Czarnetzki said.
She hid the next three infants ? whose existence authorities were unaware of until the woman's confession ? in boxes in the basement of the building where she lived.
The bodies have now been recovered and autopsies have been carried out, but forensic experts have not yet been able to determine the cause or dates of their death.
Germany has Europe's most widespread network of so-called baby-boxes ? hatches usually run by church groups and charities and associated with hospitals where people can give up their newborns entirely anonymously and safely ? but Stahlmann-Liebelt said the woman told authorities she did not know how to go about finding one. There are about 100 baby-boxes in Germany ? including one in a town about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the woman's home ? and more than 100 babies are estimated to be given up in the country that way each year. While the baby-boxes are technically illegal, authorities turn a blind eye on the practice.
After finding the first two babies, authorities were able to narrow down the likelihood that the parents came from the area around Husum, a town on the North Sea coast.
In the course of the investigation they took hundreds of DNA tests from women in the area over time and took a sample from the woman on Tuesday, Czarnetzki said at a televised news conference in Flensburg, the regional administrative center. A short time after ? before the sample had been processed ? the woman turned herself in and confessed, he said.
Czarnetzki said the woman's decision to submit to a saliva test and to make a long statement to police suggested "that she felt relieved of great pressure ... simply to be able to say it."
"It's important to stress that, as things stand, our assessment is that no one else was involved and it is apparently the case ? incredible as it might seem ? that no one noticed the pregnancies or the birth of these children," he said.
A judge has ordered the woman held in custody pending a formal indictment, which typically takes several months in Germany. Stahlmann-Liebelt said it was too early to say what penalty she might face if convicted.
There have been several cases in recent years in Germany of women who have killed several of their own children, though the country's infanticide rate overall is similar to other western European nations.
In the worst case, a woman was convicted of manslaughter in 2006 and sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison for killing eight of her newborn babies and burying them in flower pots and a fish tank in the garden of her parents' home near the German-Polish border.
We love biscotti in our house, so when the chance came to try an alternative to the biscotti you can buy at the store, that is based on a an old family recipe,?Petit Gateau Sec, we were intrigued! Yuval Zaliouk?is a?world renown musical conductor and in 1989 he decided to bring his?secret family recipe for his grandmother's almond cookies to the Ohio market. it was too much longer before they were available all around the country! They just started being sold in Whole Food stores nationwide too!? Almondina cookies are all-natural, crispy almond cookies with no cholesterol, no added fat, salt, or preservatives and only 30 calories each! In fact, the only 'fat' in the cookies is the almonds themselves. Do you know the health benefits of almonds? They can help to reduce cholesterol levels, provide healthy fiber and?monounsaturated fats,?reduce the risks of hearts disease, contain Magnesium and Vitamin E which are beneficial for heart health, and they contain healthy antioxidants!
We were sent a 6 pack of popular?Almondina flavors to try! It may seem odd, but so far, our fav is still the original Almondina cookie! They are wonderfully crunchy, but not too hard, and don't require dipping to make them more tolerable. With the added raisins, they are actually pretty filling! 2 cookies with a cup of coffee and you have energy and are satisfied! The cookies we were sent:
Original: ??Large?quality almonds combine with plump raisins for a delightful taste
Cinnaroma: ?Almonds, raisins, and cinnamon make an unique flavor, reminiscent of Snickerdoodles!
Sesame: Roasted sesame with almonds and raisins give the cookies an Asian taste, and they are perfect with tea.
Gingerspice:?zesty chunks of flavorful real ginger with almonds, make these cookies perfect for anyone experience nausea or an unsettled stomach! Perfect to have on hadn for the kiddos!
Choconut: Dark chocolate combined with almonds and raisins make for a scrumptious cookie, that takes care of that 'chocolate craving'! Look at HUGE pieces of almond- every cookie is just like this- amazing!
Chocolate Cherry:??Dark chocolate almond cookies made with plump cherries, instead of raisins, for a super yummy treat. These are our second fav!
We LOVE these cookies! They are perfect if you are dieting, for snacks, and for breakfast on the go! You don't need to dip them, but they get even better when dipped- just look at those plump raisins! These are the perfect cookies for nibbling on perfect Fall mornings with coffee or tea on the porch! Additional Almondina flavors include the Anniversary blend (touch of Anise added), Brantreats (with Bran), Pumpkin Spice (with pumpkin seeds), Yogurt Dipped, and Chocolate Dipped. You can use their store locator to find them at a grocery or health food store near you, or you can order them online! I am thrilled to be able to offer one lucky BTHM reader a COMPLETE sample gift pack, JUST like I received of Almondina Cookies! That way one of you can get hooked on them too!
?a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received these products for review purposes on this blog, free of charge, from Stoneyfield, via Almondina Cookies. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about them.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Americans are growing more confident in the economy, an encouraging sign for President Barack Obama's prospects on the most pivotal issue in the presidential race.
A new survey of consumer confidence rose to a seven-month high Tuesday on expectations that hiring will soon pick up. And a separate report showed home values rising steadily, signaling sustained improvement in housing.
"This is like an opinion poll on the economy without the political parties attached," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics, a consulting firm. The confidence survey "says people are feeling better. If so, they are less likely to vote for change."
The Conference Board's index of consumer confidence shot up in September to the highest level since February. The jump surprised many economists because the most recent hiring and retail sales figures have been sluggish.
The increased confidence could help explain recent polls that show Obama with a widening lead over Mitt Romney in some battleground states.
The consumer confidence index is closely watched because consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity. The index jumped from 61.3 for August to 70.3 for September. It remains well below 90, the level that is thought to signify a healthy economy.
Among those feeling more optimistic about the economy is Darlene Johnson of Silver Spring, Md., who works for the National Institutes of Health. The value of Johnson's 401(k) account has risen. Home sales in her neighborhood have ticked up, too, and are commanding higher prices.
"I feel like things are stabilizing," she said. "I don't feel as uneasy as I did a few months ago."
But Johnson, who voted for Obama in 2008, remains undecided on which candidate to back. And she's still a bit nervous about the future.
"It will depend on how my pockets are looking," she says. "Everyday circumstances will drive my decision on how I am going to vote."
Economists point to some key reasons why consumers have grown more confident.
Stocks are up: The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index has surged nearly 15 percent this year. Gas prices have leveled off after rising for several months. And the broad increase in home prices is likely giving would-be buyers more confidence. When prices rise, buyers don't worry so much that a home might lose value after they bought it.
National home prices rose 1.2 percent in July compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index released Tuesday. That was the second straight month in which year-over-year home prices have increased.
Some economists question whether the higher level of confidence is sustainable. They've seen the index spike briefly before since the Great Recession ended more than three years ago. Some say confidence could be affected by negative campaign ads that focus on the economy.
But others note that even a weak economy doesn't feel so bad to many consumers once it begins to make steady improvement.
"The economy is perceived in relative rather than absolute terms," noted St. Louis University political scientist and pollster Ken Warren.
Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo, suggests that former President Bill Clinton might have helped boost confidence with his rousing speech on Obama's behalf at the Democratic National Convention in early September. The Conference Board's consumer confidence survey was conducted Sept. 1-13.
Clinton "rekindled memories of better economic times" and assured voters that the U.S. economy was on the right track, Vitner said.
The consumer confidence survey polled 500 people. The part of the survey that gauges consumers' confidence in the economy now and the part that gauges their outlook for the next six months both rose. Consumers were much more optimistic about the short-term outlook for business conditions, employment and their financial situation.
The rising home prices could also help Obama's prospects. Prices are rising in many large cities in swing states such as Florida, Colorado, Michigan and North Carolina. Prices have risen 3.6 percent in Tampa, Fla., in the past year, for example. And they're up 5.4 percent in Denver, 6.2 percent in Detroit and 2.2 percent in Charlotte, N.C.
A Washington Post poll out Tuesday showed Obama leading Romney among likely voters in Ohio, 52 to 44 percent. The president also had a slight edge in Florida, 51 to 47 percent among those most likely to vote.
Obama is also gaining the upper hand on which candidate is better able to handle the economy. Registered voters in Ohio preferred Obama on the economy by 50 percent to 43 percent, and in Florida by 49 percent to 45 percent.
___
D'Innocenzio contributed from New York. Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn in Washington contributed to this report.
Pollution-busting laundry additive gets set to clean up Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: EPSRC Press Office pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk 01-793-444-404 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Within just two years, we could all be wearing clothes that purify the air as we simply move around in them.
Plans are now proceeding to commercialise a revolutionary liquid laundry additive called 'CatClo', which contains microscopic pollution-eating particles.
The new additive is the result of collaboration between the University of Sheffield and London College of Fashion, with initial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Items of clothing only need to be washed in the additive once, as the nanoparticles of titanium dioxide grip onto fabrics very tightly. When the particles then come into contact with nitrogen oxides in the air, they react with these pollutants and oxidise them in the fabric.
The nitrogen oxides treated in this way are completely odourless and colourless and pose no pollution hazard as they are removed harmlessly when the item of clothing is next washed, if they haven't already been dissipated harmlessly in sweat. The additive itself is also completely harmless and the nanoparticles are unnoticeable from the wearer's point of view.
One person wearing clothes treated with CatClo would be able to remove around 5g of nitrogen oxides from the air in the course of an average day roughly equivalent to the amount produced each day by the average family car.
Nitrogen oxides produced by road vehicle exhausts are a major source of ground-level air pollution in towns and cities, aggravating asthma and other respiratory diseases. Asthma currently affects one in 12 adults and one in 11 children in the UK.* As well as the general benefits that would result from people using CatClo, those suffering from respiratory conditions could also, by wearing clothes treated with the additive, give themselves cleaner air to breathe as they move around.
Professor Tony Ryan OBE of the University of Sheffield, who has co-led the project working closely with Professor Helen Storey MBE from London College of Fashion, says: "It's the action of daylight on the nanoparticles that makes them function in this way. The development of the additive is just one of the advances we're making in the field of photocatalytic materials materials that, in the presence of light, catalyse chemical reactions. Through CatClo, we aim to turn clothes into a catalytic surface to purify air."
"If thousands of people in a typical town used the additive, the result would be a significant improvement in local air quality", says Professor Ryan. "This additive creates the potential for community action to deliver a real environmental benefit that could actually help to cut disease and save lives. In Sheffield, for instance, if everyone washed their clothes in the additive, there would be no pollution problem caused by nitrogen oxides at all."
Professor Helen Storey, says: "When Science and Culture work together in this way, it becomes possible to involve the intended end user in the early stages of the development of the technology. This in itself is still a relatively new concept. **Through the making of a short viral film about CatClo, we were able to reach an audience of over 300 million people, from across 147 countries, engaging the public in the normally hidden research process. The direct feedback and enthusiasm we received revealed a massive market for this product from potential consumers who understand the concept behind it."
"We're now working closely with a manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products to commercialise our laundry additive," says Professor Ryan. "We believe that using the additive in a final rinse with a full washing load could potentially cost as little as 10 pence a small price to pay for the knowledge that you're doing something tangible to tackle air pollution and increase the life expectancy of people with respiratory conditions. We're confident there's a really big market out there for this product."
###
Notes for Editors
The new additive was initially developed as part of the 18-month 'Extreme collaboration delivering solutions for a failing world' initiative which received total EPSRC funding of 202,000.
A nanoparticle is a particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometres (One nanometre is a billionth of a metre).
The research, including a catalytic clothing field of jeans, will be featured as part of the Manchester Science Festival (27th October 4th November 2012) for more information see http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/whatson/fieldofjeans. CatClo works particularly well on denim and there are more jeans on the planet than people. So, even if we just used CatClo on this one item of clothing from our wardrobe it could make a significant difference.
This summer, the capabilities of this ingenious additive were demonstrated at New York's Museum of Modern Art on 'WENDY', a 14-metre high, spiky-armed experimental construction. The nylon fabric covering WENDY was sprayed with the additive and, over a 10-week period, removed nitrogen oxides from the air equivalent to the amount produced by around 260 cars.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800m a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK (RCUK). www.epsrc.ac.uk
The University of Sheffield, with nearly 25,000 students from 125 countries, is one of the UK's leading and largest universities. A member of the Russell Group, it has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, and 2007). www.shef.ac.uk
London College of Fashion has an international reputation as a leading provider of fashion education, research and consultancy. The unique portfolio of specialist courses range in level, from short courses to Postgraduate. The subject range corresponds to the process of the creation, production and promotion of fashion and the management and marketing of those activities. Many of the College's courses are unique to the UK and offer students an experience unmatched by even a handful of specialist colleges worldwide. The College's work is centred on the development of ideas: its staff and students use fashion alongside historical and cultural practice to challenge social, political and ethical agendas. This, combined with its forward-thinking business and management portfolio and its relationship with the global fashion and lifestyle industries, is the underpinning of its mission to "Fashion the Future." www.fashion.arts.ac.uk
For more information, contact:
Professor Tony Ryan, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, tel: 0114 222 9761, e-mail: tony.ryan@sheffield.ac.uk
Images are available from the EPSRC Press Office. Contact:
01793 444404, e-mail: pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
Image details:
Storey, Ryan, Herself.jpg: Helen Storey and Professor Tony Ryan with exhibit 'Herself' the first catalytic dress. Credit: Gavin Duthie
Helen, jeans. Jpg: Helen Storey in a catalytic clothing field of jeans
Tony, jeans.jpg: Professor Tony Ryan with catalytic clothing jeans
Jeans.jpg: Field of catalytic jeans, CatClo works particularly well on denim. Credit: DED Associates.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Pollution-busting laundry additive gets set to clean up Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: EPSRC Press Office pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk 01-793-444-404 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Within just two years, we could all be wearing clothes that purify the air as we simply move around in them.
Plans are now proceeding to commercialise a revolutionary liquid laundry additive called 'CatClo', which contains microscopic pollution-eating particles.
The new additive is the result of collaboration between the University of Sheffield and London College of Fashion, with initial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Items of clothing only need to be washed in the additive once, as the nanoparticles of titanium dioxide grip onto fabrics very tightly. When the particles then come into contact with nitrogen oxides in the air, they react with these pollutants and oxidise them in the fabric.
The nitrogen oxides treated in this way are completely odourless and colourless and pose no pollution hazard as they are removed harmlessly when the item of clothing is next washed, if they haven't already been dissipated harmlessly in sweat. The additive itself is also completely harmless and the nanoparticles are unnoticeable from the wearer's point of view.
One person wearing clothes treated with CatClo would be able to remove around 5g of nitrogen oxides from the air in the course of an average day roughly equivalent to the amount produced each day by the average family car.
Nitrogen oxides produced by road vehicle exhausts are a major source of ground-level air pollution in towns and cities, aggravating asthma and other respiratory diseases. Asthma currently affects one in 12 adults and one in 11 children in the UK.* As well as the general benefits that would result from people using CatClo, those suffering from respiratory conditions could also, by wearing clothes treated with the additive, give themselves cleaner air to breathe as they move around.
Professor Tony Ryan OBE of the University of Sheffield, who has co-led the project working closely with Professor Helen Storey MBE from London College of Fashion, says: "It's the action of daylight on the nanoparticles that makes them function in this way. The development of the additive is just one of the advances we're making in the field of photocatalytic materials materials that, in the presence of light, catalyse chemical reactions. Through CatClo, we aim to turn clothes into a catalytic surface to purify air."
"If thousands of people in a typical town used the additive, the result would be a significant improvement in local air quality", says Professor Ryan. "This additive creates the potential for community action to deliver a real environmental benefit that could actually help to cut disease and save lives. In Sheffield, for instance, if everyone washed their clothes in the additive, there would be no pollution problem caused by nitrogen oxides at all."
Professor Helen Storey, says: "When Science and Culture work together in this way, it becomes possible to involve the intended end user in the early stages of the development of the technology. This in itself is still a relatively new concept. **Through the making of a short viral film about CatClo, we were able to reach an audience of over 300 million people, from across 147 countries, engaging the public in the normally hidden research process. The direct feedback and enthusiasm we received revealed a massive market for this product from potential consumers who understand the concept behind it."
"We're now working closely with a manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products to commercialise our laundry additive," says Professor Ryan. "We believe that using the additive in a final rinse with a full washing load could potentially cost as little as 10 pence a small price to pay for the knowledge that you're doing something tangible to tackle air pollution and increase the life expectancy of people with respiratory conditions. We're confident there's a really big market out there for this product."
###
Notes for Editors
The new additive was initially developed as part of the 18-month 'Extreme collaboration delivering solutions for a failing world' initiative which received total EPSRC funding of 202,000.
A nanoparticle is a particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nanometres (One nanometre is a billionth of a metre).
The research, including a catalytic clothing field of jeans, will be featured as part of the Manchester Science Festival (27th October 4th November 2012) for more information see http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/whatson/fieldofjeans. CatClo works particularly well on denim and there are more jeans on the planet than people. So, even if we just used CatClo on this one item of clothing from our wardrobe it could make a significant difference.
This summer, the capabilities of this ingenious additive were demonstrated at New York's Museum of Modern Art on 'WENDY', a 14-metre high, spiky-armed experimental construction. The nylon fabric covering WENDY was sprayed with the additive and, over a 10-week period, removed nitrogen oxides from the air equivalent to the amount produced by around 260 cars.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800m a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK (RCUK). www.epsrc.ac.uk
The University of Sheffield, with nearly 25,000 students from 125 countries, is one of the UK's leading and largest universities. A member of the Russell Group, it has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, and 2007). www.shef.ac.uk
London College of Fashion has an international reputation as a leading provider of fashion education, research and consultancy. The unique portfolio of specialist courses range in level, from short courses to Postgraduate. The subject range corresponds to the process of the creation, production and promotion of fashion and the management and marketing of those activities. Many of the College's courses are unique to the UK and offer students an experience unmatched by even a handful of specialist colleges worldwide. The College's work is centred on the development of ideas: its staff and students use fashion alongside historical and cultural practice to challenge social, political and ethical agendas. This, combined with its forward-thinking business and management portfolio and its relationship with the global fashion and lifestyle industries, is the underpinning of its mission to "Fashion the Future." www.fashion.arts.ac.uk
For more information, contact:
Professor Tony Ryan, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, tel: 0114 222 9761, e-mail: tony.ryan@sheffield.ac.uk
Images are available from the EPSRC Press Office. Contact:
01793 444404, e-mail: pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
Image details:
Storey, Ryan, Herself.jpg: Helen Storey and Professor Tony Ryan with exhibit 'Herself' the first catalytic dress. Credit: Gavin Duthie
Helen, jeans. Jpg: Helen Storey in a catalytic clothing field of jeans
Tony, jeans.jpg: Professor Tony Ryan with catalytic clothing jeans
Jeans.jpg: Field of catalytic jeans, CatClo works particularly well on denim. Credit: DED Associates.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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