Dell XPS 10 lets the FCC get under its skin, into its manual

We already got a pretty good look at the Dell XPS 10's outward facade, but if it's internal hardware you're after, you may want to take a look at the FCC's latest: they tore the transforming tablet apart. The federal teardown is garnished with the standard trappings: FCC labels, frequency tests and Dell attestations -- one of which notes the WiFi and Bluetooth radios' shared antenna and its inability to simultaneously transmit both signals. The XPS 10's manual is available for browsing, too, in case you need a refresher on how to pinch, zoom or swipe. Check it for yourself at the FCC, or just pop on down to the attached gallery for a gander at the device's innards.

Gallery: Dell XPS 10 FCC teardown

Filed under: Tablets, Dell

Dell XPS 10 lets the FCC get under its skin, into its manual originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  FCC  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/dell-xps-10-lets-the-fcc-get-under-its-skin-into-its-manual/

dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry 30 rock live nfl draft picks 2012 space shuttle enterprise

Exoskeleton of advanced design promises new degree of independence for people with paraplegia

ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2012) ? The dream of regaining the ability to stand up and walk has come closer to reality for people paralyzed below the waist who thought they would never take another step.

A team of engineers at Vanderbilt University's Center for Intelligent Mechatronics has developed a powered exoskeleton that enables people with severe spinal cord injuries to stand, walk, sit and climb stairs. Its light weight, compact size and modular design promise to provide users with an unprecedented degree of independence.

The university has several patents pending on the design and Parker Hannifin Corporation -- a global leader in motion and control technologies -- has signed an exclusive licensing agreement to develop a commercial version of the device, which it plans on introducing in 2014.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, somewhere between 236,000 to 327,000 people in the U.S. are living with serious spinal cord injuries. About 155,000 have paraplegia. The average age at injury is 41 and the estimated lifetime cost when it happens to a person of 50 ranges from $1.1 million to $2.5 million.

Until recently "wearable robots" were the stuff of science fiction. In the last 10 years, however, advances in robotics, microelectronics, battery and electric motor technologies advanced to the point where it has become practical to develop exoskeletons to aid people with disabilities. In fact, two companies -- Argo Medical Technologies Ltd. in Israel and Ekso Bionics in Berkeley, Calif. -- have developed products of this type and are marketing them in the U.S.

These devices act like an external skeleton. They strap in tightly around the torso. Rigid supports are strapped to the legs and extend from the hip to the knee and from the knee to the foot. The hip and knee joints are driven by computer-controlled electric motors powered by advanced batteries. Patients use the powered apparatus with walkers or forearm crutches to maintain their balance.

"You can think of our exoskeleton as a Segway with legs," said Michael Goldfarb, the H. Fort Flowers Chair in Mechanical Engineering and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation. "If the person wearing it leans forward, he moves forward. If he leans back and holds that position for a few seconds, he sits down. When he is sitting down, if he leans forward and holds that position for a few seconds, then he stands up."

Goldfarb developed the system with funding from the National Institutes of Health and with the assistance of research engineer Don Truex, graduate students Hugo Quintero, Spencer Murray and Kevin Ha, and Ryan Farris, a former student who now works for Parker Hannifin.

"My kids have started calling me 'Ironman,'" said Brian Shaffer, who was completely paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident on Christmas night 2010. He has been testing the Vanderbilt apparatus at the Nashville-area satellite facility of the Shepherd Center. Based in Atlanta, Shepherd Center is one the leading hospitals for spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation in the U.S. and has provided the Vanderbilt engineers with the clinical feedback they need to develop the device.

"It's unbelievable to stand up again. It takes concentration to use it at first but, once you catch on, it's not that hard: The device does all the work. I don't expect that it will completely replace the wheelchair, but there are some situations, like walking your daughter down the aisle at her wedding or sitting in the bleachers watching your son play football, where it will be priceless," said Shaffer, who has two sons and two daughters.

"This is an extremely exciting new technology," said Clare Hartigan, a physical therapist at Shepherd Center who has worked with the Argo, Ekso and Vanderbilt devices. "All three models get people up and walking, which is fantastic."

According to Hartigan, just getting people out of their wheelchairs and getting their bodies upright regularly can pay major health dividends. People who must rely on a wheelchair to move around can develop serious problems with their urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems, as well as getting osteoporosis, pressure sores, blood clots and other afflictions associated with lack of mobility. The risk for developing these conditions can be reduced considerably by regularly standing, moving and exercising their lower limbs.

The Vanderbilt design has some unique characteristics that have led Hartigan and her colleagues at Shepherd Center to conclude that it has the most promise as a rehabilitative and home device.

None of the exoskeletons have been approved yet for home use. But the Vanderbilt design has some intrinsic advantages. It has a modular design and is lighter and slimmer than the competition. As a result, it can provide its users with an unprecedented degree of independence. Users will be able to transport the compact device on the back of their wheelchair. When they reach a location where they want to walk, they will be able to put on the exoskeleton by themselves without getting out of the wheelchair. When they are done walking, they can sit back down in the same chair and take the device off or keep it on and propel the wheelchair to their next destination.

The Vanderbilt exoskeleton weighs about 27 pounds, nearly half the weight of the other models that weigh around 45 pounds. The other models are also bulkier so most users wearing them cannot fit into a standard-sized wheelchair.

From a rehabilitation perspective the Vanderbilt design also has two potential advantages, Hartigan pointed out:

? The amount of robotic assistance adjusts automatically for users who have some muscle control in their legs. This allows them to use their own muscles while walking. When a user is totally paralyzed, the device does all the work. The other designs provide all the power all of the time.

? It is the only wearable robot that incorporates a proven rehabilitation technology called functional electrical stimulation. FES applies small electrical pulses to paralyzed muscles, causing them to contract and relax. FES can improve strength in the legs of people with incomplete paraplegia. For complete paraplegics, FES can improve circulation, change bone density and reduce muscle atrophy.

There is also the matter of cost. The price tags of other rehabilitation model exoskeletons have been reported to be as high as $140,000 apiece, plus a hefty annual service fee. Parker Hannifin hasn't set a price for the Vanderbilt exoskeleton, but Goldfarb is hopeful that its minimalist design combined with Parker Hannifin's manufacturing capability will translate into a more affordable product. "It would be wonderful if we could get the price down to a level where individuals could afford them and insurance companies would cover them," he said.

Meanwhile, Hartigan has advice for potential users: "These new devices for walking are here and they are getting better and better. However, a person has to be physically fit to use them. They have to keep their weight below 220 pounds, develop adequate upper body strength to use a walker or forearm crutches and maintain flexibility in their shoulder, hip, knee and ankle joints ... which is not that easy when a person has relied on a wheelchair for months or even years."

The research was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development numbered R01HD059832.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Vanderbilt University. The original article was written by David Salisbury.

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

---

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/top_news/top_science/~3/DLbeP2v9i7g/121030101342.htm

Taylor Swift Red Register To Vote Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 nascar celiac disease dancing with the stars san francisco giants

Penn gets multiple requests in Bolivia

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, right, and U.S. actor Sean Penn pose for photographs before participating in a friendly soccer match in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, right, and U.S. actor Sean Penn pose for photographs before participating in a friendly soccer match in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, right, listens to U.S. actor Sean Penn in the presence of the media as they meet at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

U.S. actor Sean Penn leaves the presidential palace after meeting with Bolivia's President Evo Morales as presidential guards look on in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) ? It's not clear whether Sean Penn knew ahead of his visit to Bolivia of the missions he'd be asked to assume by President Evo Morales.

Cabinet chief Juan Ramon Quintana told reporters after Tuesday's meeting that Morales asked the Oscar-winning actor to defend the chewing of coca leaf before the United Nations, lobby Chile to restore Bolivia's long-lost access to the Pacific Ocean and help persuade the United States to extradite a former Bolivian president.

Penn is already a goodwill ambassador for Haiti, where he has won respect for his post-earthquake charity work.

Asked by reporters about the missions he'd been asked to assume, Penn answered curtly.

"I am ambassador of Haiti," he said.

Penn later showed up for the start of a soccer match with Morales.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-10-31-LT-Bolivia-Sean-Penn/id-6ac137584bd44387be34c385db258b3e

pat summit brewers matt cain adastra holocaust remembrance day chesapeake energy dick clark death

Half-Truths and Fibs | The Impact Of Business

By RICHARD B. WOODWARD

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Through Jan. 27

New York

?Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop,? at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is assistant curator Mia Fineman?s response to a persistent question she has been asked over the past five years: Have digital technology and software programs that alter an image with a few clicks on a comkeyboard destroyed faith in the evidentiary truth of photography?

Her persuasive answer: not nearly as much as we?ve been led to believe. Supported by an astute selection of some 200 works that goes back to the painted daguerreotype and forward to darkroom alchemy from the early 1990s, she argues that photographers have been ?lying? to us since the medium?s invention, often with our encouragement.

?Faking It? surveys the techniques of perfidy?retouched or hand-colored prints, masked or ?sandwich? negatives, double exposures, reversed tones, photo-collage, lenticular distortion, air-brushing?developed by professionals and amateurs since the 1840s to accent or complicate factual realities recorded by the camera. The dual nature of photography as objective reporter and fantastic apparition offers unique dramatic options. The camera?s push-button realism makes it easier to tell convincing half-truths and outright fibs. Totalitarian governments have buttressed their own legitimacy by adding or subtracting figures in newspaper photographs, while the public in capitalist democracies has given photographers broad license to alter reality, provided their images were clearly designed as art or entertainment.

Ms. Fineman has a roomy definition of manipulated photographs. The show contains Pictorialist masterworks, such as Edward Steichen?s tinted platinum print of a moonrise in the gloaming; the anti-Fascist cut-ups of John Heartfield; Soviet, Nazi and Chinese propaganda; surrealist fashion portraits by Erwin Blumenfeld and Richard Avedon; conceptual comedy by John Baldessari and William Wegman; as well as Weegee?s political caricatures and an array of ?Tall-Tale? postcards, an American specialty that dates back to the 1910s.

Many of these works have appeared in other books and shows, but not in a context so deliberately meant to breach well-guarded categorical preserves such as ?documentary.? The 19th-century landscape artists Gustave Le Gray and Carleton Watkins, for example, are seldom grouped with Henry Peach Robinson and Oscar Gustave Rejlander, best known for moralistic Victorian tableaus.

Ms. Fineman wonders in her essay if there is any such thing ?as an absolutely unmanipulated photograph,? and views all these men as stretchers of the truth. Robinson and Rejlander photographed costumed tableaus, while Le Gray and Watkins inserted cumulus clouds (from separate negatives) into pictures of seas or mountains. As she notes, such trumpery was not necessarily an aid to pump up the melodrama. It?s just that film at the time was insensitive to fast-moving skies. The doctored print was, in a way, a more accurate picture of the atmospheric conditions that the camera had recorded when Le Gray and Watkins had stood outdoors.

That the 19th-century public did not mind such trickery and greeted photography as a kind of stage magic can be seen in the many double-exposures here of severed heads and figures floating inside bubbles. The fraudulence of William H. Mumler, whose photographs claimed to record ?spirits? of deceased loved ones until his deceit was exposed in 1869 at a New York trial, was less common than overt forms of prevarication. The ?jackalope? and other silly graphic incongruities appeared on American postcards a decade or so before Paris intellectuals thought that pictures joining an umbrella and an ironing board constituted an art movement.

Even if people can?t decipher how an ?impossible? image is done, they can applaud stagecraft. Ms. Fineman presents for the first time prints of the two negatives that the German photographer Harry Shunk pieced together to produce ?Leap into the Void,? the iconic image from 1960 of the French artist Yves Klein swan-diving from a second-story window into the street. Other highlights that one can smile at (but need not know the mechanics of) are Grete Stern?s post-World War II ?Dream No. 1: Electrical Appliances for the Home,? in which a huge male hand reaches down to ?turn on? a lamp shaped like a curvaceous woman, a collage as funny as it is sexist; and William Mortensen?s ?Obsession,? a potent mixture of Hollywood stardom, gothic horror and 1930s kitsch.

Ms. Fineman is perhaps not as careful as she should be to separate photographs taken as personal descriptions of things or events and those constructed as illustrations for a narrative. She claims that ?straight? photography was ?always more of a rhetorical ideal than a practical reality.? As an example, her essay cites Ansel Adams?s ?Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico? from 1941, later prints of which he enhanced in the darkroom. By the standards of truth that govern photojournalism, which were never his standards, these prints were ?lies.?

But she dodges some thornier questions. Is the veracity of any image always compromised by the technology that produces it? Shouldn?t Adams receive some extra credit for capturing the scene in situ rather than by stitching the elements together with multiple negatives? Or is his artful (and sometimes excessive) use of filters as dissembling as software that lets anyone drop a full moon into any scene? If all photographs can be said to be manipulated, what is the point of this show?

?Faking It? stops before the revolution in production and dissemination of images attendant with the Internet era. But if anything, the panoply of manipulated photographs on the walls here is a match for anything done by artists since Adobe Systems Inc.

(the convenient funder of the exhibition) released Photoshop in 1990.

Don?t believe me? Step across the hall to the Met?s companion show, ?After Photoshop: Manipulated Photography in the Digital Age.? Continuity is more apparent here than historical rupture. Techniques of picture editing on a computer are more sophisticated, but the results are not.

Take the two photographs by Kelli Connell. Her 2006 digital twinning of herself in situations that suggest an erotic (or narcissistic) relationship differs hardly at all from Maurice Guibert?s c. 1890 double portrait of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as both artist and model. Nancy Burson?s antinuclear ?Warhead I,? a computer-generated work from 1982 that anticipates what could be done in Photoshop, merges the faces of Leonid Brezhnev, Ronald Reagan, Fran?ois Mitterrand, Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher into a single head. But it is merely an updated version of Francis Galton?s composite portraits of genetic undesirables from the 1870s.

Historians of photography are continually astonished to learn in the writing and archives of the 19th century how rapidly the new technology was understood, absorbed and exploited, whether for politics, science, commerce or art. A mischievous chronicle of visual trickery over a century-and-a-half, ?Faking It? reveals the potential inherent in a communication process as transformative in its day as computers have been in ours.

Mr. Woodward is an arts critic in New York.

A version of this article appeared October 24, 2012, on page D5 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Half-Truths and Fibs.

Source: http://discovertheimpact.com/half-truths-and-fibs

playoff schedule charles addams pinewood derby cars republican debate tonight tinker tailor soldier spy rich forever rick ross project runway all stars

NFC sharing between Android and Windows Phone 8

Android has supported NFC (near-field communication) technology since Gingerbread, and Android Beam has enabled easy URL, app and contact sharing since ICS launched last year. But our friends in the Windows Phone world are just now getting their first introduction to NFC in the latest windows Phone 8 release.

In addition to a new NFC-enabled wallet, WP8 includes "tap + send" support, which enables Android Beam-like functionality between NFC-enabled Windows phones. But because it's a multi-platform standard, many of these features work just fine between Windows Phone 8 and Android, as you'll see in our demo video below.

We tried bouncing web pages and contacts back and forth between a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and an HTC 8X, and were able to do so without a hint of trouble. Unfortunately, NFC file transfers remain off-limits for the time being, so if you want to share photos over NFC, it's strictly Windows-to-Windows or Android-to-Android.

Check out our quick video demo below to learn more.

More: Windows Phone 8 launch coverage at WPCentral

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/k_HeizzCEyc/story01.htm

sun flare love hewitt new ipad solar flare joseph kony 2012 arian foster dennis kucinich

Trans fats raise cholesterol, not blood sugar: study

(Reuters) - Although much-criticized trans fats raise levels of "bad" cholesterol, they don't appear to have a lasting impact on blood sugar levels, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers, writing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that both blood sugar and insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels in check, were similar regardless of how much trans fat people ate.

The link between trans fats and high cholesterol levels is widely accepted, but there has been a lack of clarity on the effect on blood sugar control, which is involved in diabetes.

"Although evidence from cohort studies has suggested that trans fatty acid (TFA) consumption may be associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, randomized placebo-controlled trials have yielded conflicting results," wrote lead researcher Christos Mantzoros of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Trans fats, technically known as trans fatty acids, are found in animal products and chemically processed vegetable oils. In response to studies linking high consumption of the substances to an increased risk of heart disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required food makes to disclose trans fats on nutrition labels.

Some cities and states have banned them in restaurants or schools.

Montzoros and his colleagues pooled the results from seven experiments, including 208 people.

In five of the studies, the participants' blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels were monitored for several weeks under a diet of high trans fat consumption, and again for a few weeks when the trans fats were substituted for other fats, such as palm or soybean oil.

Two of the studies compared people who ate a diet that included trans fats to others who ate a diet without trans fats.

There were no changes in blood sugar or insulin levels during the times when people ate trans fats, compared to when they ate the other fats," Mantzoros's group reported.

However, the researchers found that during the trans fat-eating weeks, "good" HDL cholesterol went down and "bad" LDL cholesterol went up.

"They saw what you would expect to see" regarding cholesterol, which shows that the studies were well done, said Mark Pereira, an expert in public health and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Pereira, who was not involved in the study, said it isn't definitive proof that trans fats can't influence blood sugar levels.

Although several weeks is enough time to see an effect on cholesterol, he said, a potential impact on metabolism might not show up until later.

"If you're going to control weight and switch around fats in the diet, it might take a lot longer, because these fatty acids are being gradually incorporated over time into tissues in the body," he added.

But even if trans fats do have an impact on blood sugar control, Pereira said, it's becoming a moot point as the amount of trans fats people eat in the United States has diminished considerably.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Rky6va

(Reporting by Elaine Lies)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trans-fats-raise-cholesterol-not-blood-sugar-study-004711668.html

courtney mercury retrograde bath salts heart shaped box lucid 2012 ncaa tournament bracket matterhorn

Giants up 1-0 after 2, going for Series sweep

San Francisco Giants' Brandon Belt hits an RBI triple during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

San Francisco Giants' Brandon Belt hits an RBI triple during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence, left, celebrates after scoring a run during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hits an RBI triple during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Detroit Tigers' Prince Fielder reacts after striking out during the first inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the San Francisco Giants Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence hits a ground rule double during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Detroit Tigers Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

San Francisco has taken the lead in the second inning for the second consecutive night.

Hunter Pence hit a ground-rule double to left-center with one out and Brandon Belt followed with a triple deep into the right-field corner.

Knowing how much trouble his team has had scoring runs, Tigers manager Jim Leyland brought the infield in and that decision saved a run when Gregor Blanco grounded out to second base. Belt held at third.

Ryan Theriot flied out to end the inning. Giants 1, Tigers 0.

Theriot is the DH for the first time in his career.

___

The temperature at first pitch was 44 degrees, with a stiff wind making it feel even colder.

Once again, runs could be hard to come by.

___

Believe it or not, the World Series could end tonight.

Seems as though it just started.

San Francisco ace Matt Cain will be on the mound at chilly Comerica Park as the Giants go for a four-game sweep of Detroit and their second championship in three years. First pitch coming up at 8:15 p.m. EDT.

Cain has already pitched a pair of clinchers in this postseason, earning the win in Game 5 of the division series against Cincinnati and Game 7 of the NLCS against St. Louis. A victory tonight would mark the perfect finish for Cain ? who pitched a perfect game in June against Houston.

Max Scherzer gets the ball for the slumping Tigers, who are hitting .165 in the Series after getting shut out in each of the past two games.

The only major league team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the postseason was the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who rallied past the rival New York Yankees in the AL championship series.

Take nothing away from the Giants' pitchers, who have certainly been sublime. But let's be honest, unless Detroit can mount a major comeback, this Series will go down as a dud.

___

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-28-BBO-World-Series-Online/id-44d7ef73dee6439a92fd7af5f9b6d884

etta james songs east west shrine game haywire underworld awakening dog the bounty hunter tacoma narrows bridge weather nyc

We all know the almonds for our benefit | gym cardio workout

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

Source: http://gymcardioworkout.com/?p=421

blackout blackout congress censored jerry yang stop sopa justified

Resistance Band Exercises for Chest | Bodybuilding, Supplements ...

---

Chest Press

Wrap the center of the band around a stable object (pole, bed post) and face away from the object. The center of the band should be at shoulder level.
Grab both handles of the tube with your palms facing down. Keep the band on the inside of your arms.
Keep your feet flat on the floor shoulder width apart or slightly less than shoulder width apart.
Slowly press your arms forward with a tight squeeze in your chest.
Repeat 10-20 times and do 3-5 sets (beginners do 1-2 sets).

Incline Chest Press
Wrap the center of the band around a stable object (pole, bedpost) in a position below your waist. Face away from the object.
Grab both handles of the band with your palms facing down. Keep the band on the inside of your arms.
Step forward with one foot and keep a bend in your knees.
Slowly press your arms forward and up (on an incline) at about a 45 degree angle with a tight squeeze in your chest.
Repeat 10-20 times and do 3-5 sets (beginners do 1-2 sets).

Decline Chest Press
Wrap the center of the band around a stable object (pole, bedpost) in a position above your shoulders. Face away from the object.
Grab both handles of the band with your palms facing down. Keep the band on the inside of your arms.
Step forward with one foot and keep a bend in your knees.
Press your arms forward and down (on a decline) with a tight squeeze in your chest.
Repeat 10-20 times and do 3-5 sets (beginners do 1-2 sets).

Chest Fly
Wrap the center of the band around a stable object. Face away from the object. The center should be at shoulder level.
Grab both handles of the band with your palms facing each other (perpendicular to the floor).
Keep your arms open with a bend in your elbow. Your arms should be slightly lower than shoulder height.
Bring your arms and palms toward each other like your hugging a barrel. Make sure you squeeze your chest as you do this.
Repeat 10-20 times and do 3-5 sets (beginners do 1-2 sets).

Popular Posts

Crash Dieting Effects

The human body is made up of many different organs and different types of muscle and tissue. The weight of an individual can be controlled based on two factors. The weight of an individual also depends on the amount of food that is consumed and the amount of exercise that is practiced. These two factors [...]

Having Cake And Desserts With Breakfast Promotes Weight Loss

Dieters might be able to have their cake and eat it too ? researchers in Israel found a sweet dessert at breakfast contributed to weight loss. Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz, of Tel Aviv University?s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center, and Oren Froy [...]

Formula feeding tips

Taking care of a growing baby is a tough job. An increasing number of mothers are now working professionals and it may not always be possible for them to be there for their baby to breast feed. Some mothers also suffer from discomfort in the breasts during feeding and may want to avoid this. In [...]

Best muscle-building supplement

Eating protein-rich food is not enough to supply the body?s protein requirement especially for those whose profession or hobbies involve strenuous workouts. Supplements for building muscle should be taken by sports persons and bodybuilders to aid them in speeding up the process of increasing muscle mass in their bodies. ? Of the varied supplements available [...]

Diseases of gastrointestinal

Since the digestive system is made up of many different organs, there are many complex diseases that may affect the system. The gastrointestinal system is vital as it metabolizes the food to produce energy. Till recently, the origins of many of these gastrointestinal diseases were not known. However, with continuous research on these diseases, there [...]

Source: http://stek.org/health-fitness/fitness-programs/resistance-band-exercises-for-chest/

gaslight justin timberlake michael dyer bachmann bachmann iowa caucus results sickle cell trait

Spyware Secure ? trial/ Anybody heard of this ... - Next Technology

I have this "Spyware Secure - Trial" popping up upon my mechanism shade each 10 minutes. No make a difference wha we do, it wouldnt exit. Continues to contend download, viruses found upon your computer. What can we do to get this from harrassing me all a time.

Source: http://nexttechno.com/spyware-secure-trial-anybody-heard-of-this-company-stuck-on-my-computer/

carlos santana baa dodgers triple play samoyed kenny powers kenny powers carl hagelin

The EFF Needs Help Keeping 3D Printing Free

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is planning for a future when 3D printing, thanks to "creative" patents, could no longer be free. Because the technology is so nascent, patenting parts of the process or renewing expiring patents could prevent incremental improvement of the technology out of fear or patent infringement. The EFF wants to head this off at the pass.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IDg_uq0Kwoo/

blue moon eddie murphy ann romney marco rubio marco rubio farrah abraham Paul Ryan Speech

Romney cancels N.H. rally amid concern over Hurricane Sandy

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)FINDLAY, Ohio?Mitt Romney is cancelling yet another event amid worries over the impact of Hurricane Sandy.

The Romney campaign announced Sunday it would cancel a Tuesday evening rally in Milford, N.H?a stop that would have been Romney's first visit to the swing state in more than a month.

Rick Gorka, a Romney spokesman, said the event was canceled "due to the concern for the well-being of residents in the path of Hurricane Sandy."

It's the second state where Romney has been forced to scrap events in the wake of Sandy, which is expected to make landfall in a few hours. Romney had been scheduled to campaign in Virginia today. But he cancelled three planned rallies throughout the state and instead flew from Florida to Ohio, where he's been campaigning with running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan.

Speaking at a rally here, Romney began his remarks by noting that Americans are "nervous" over the impending storm and urged supporters to think of those in the storm's path.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people who will find themselves in harm's way," Romney said.

Romney's decision comes just hours after the White House announced Vice President Joe Biden would cancel his own Granite State rally, scheduled for Monday.

The GOP nominee's cancellation comes at a pivotal time in the campaign. Polls in the state have found Romney in a dead heat with President Barack Obama in the state. But the GOP nominee hasn't visited the state since Sept. 7.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/romney-cancels-hampshire-rally-amid-concern-over-hurricane-214236202--election.html

dez bryant Kitty Wells Marissa Mayer Jon Lord weather.com yahoo news foxnews

Nexus 4 appears early at Carphone Warehouse, October 30th release date

Whoa there! The next Nexus just got an early reveal over at UK retailer Carphone Warehouse. Delivery is currently pegged for October 30th and apparently it's got brand new Android 4.2 (or Android 4.1.2 -- the listing mixes in both). The preorder screen confirms plenty of details we've already heard, including that 4.7-inch 1,280 x 768 display, Snapdragon S4 processor and 8-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, at least according to the phone seller, there's only 8GB of storage and no microSD card slot. Other curious parts include a "360-degree camera", whatever that is, and an on-screen render that's been previously been identified as a custom ROM. Diving into the supposed feature list, we're intrigued to see whether "gesture typing" will form a part of Google's new Android build -- the Carphone Warehouse compares it to Swype's finger-dragging input method.

Price-wise, it looks like you could get the handset for free on contracts over £31 per month, with both O2 and Vodafone named as prospective networks for the device in the UK -- but no news here on whether the 4G-capable EE will offer an LTE iteration. Excited? Good, because we're going to hear plenty more on this next week.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG

Nexus 4 appears early at Carphone Warehouse, October 30th release date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Xataka Mobile  |  Carphone Warehouse  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/25/lg-nexus-4-appears-release-date/

john scott jimmie johnson juan pablo montoya crash chardon high school shooting mark martin cleveland news daytona race

24 Tips to Increase Conference and Event ROI by Integrating Social ...

If you have attended, managed or spoken at an event in the past couple years, chances are good you noticed changes in communication. Conversations are going to a new dimension. No longer is the conversation limited to a one to many dialog from the keynote speaking stage to the audience. Nor are the conversations limited to the event floor, breakout rooms, event handbook or website.

Events are the perfect medium to fully embrace the power of social media. Social media is really one big conversation. Social networks simply serve as a platform for communication to help you build community, generate brand awareness, increase customer intimacy and loyalty, and the list goes on.

If you are hosting an event my guess is you are looking to achieve some if not all of the below objectives:

• Increase customer intimacy
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Increase brand awareness
• Establish market positioning
• Learn about the market or competition
• Earn support of loyal brand evangelists
• Increase earned media
• Identify and establish relationships with partners
• Keep the conversation going after the event
• Build community
• Integrate all of the above
• Generate new leads
• Sell more products or services

For the purpose of this post I will offer solid tips to help you achieve higher results leveraging and integrating social media into your business conferences and events. By no means am I going to attempt to give you a full playbook on how to integrate social media into your event. To do such I would need to know more about your business, goals, objectives, audience, community, format of event, location and the list goes on.

Hopefully this post will help you get started on the right foot and if nothing else inspire you to better integrate social with a focus on results.

24 Tips to Turn Up the Social Media ROI Volume at Conferences and Events

1. Have a plan.
As I state in every article I write? you must have a plan. Know where you are going and why. WHY are you having an event? What business goals and objectives does it support? Bottom line, failing to plan is planning to fail!

2. Don?t forget event and conference marketing 101! ?
Don?t over focus on the technical specifics of social media that you lose track of basic event marketing 101! I have seen several events where the host forget to print an agenda for breakout sessions yet they have a full social media lounge setup. Ensure every step of the way you are offering value for your attendees, partners and exhibitors.

3. ?Align social where it can have the greatest benefit for your event attendees and partners.?
As much as I hate to ?assume,? I am going to assume that you have accomplished #1 above and that you have a plan with goals and objectives. Assuming you do, then your focus should obviously be on your audience and attendees and helping them reach their goals and objectives. Don?t just think of social media at events as ?stunt marketing.? Truly focus on the needs of your audience and the chances of your content being shared beyond the walls of the venue are high.

4. Integrate & think about post show before pre-show!
The more you can integrate the better! When developing your event plan do not bolt social media on as a band-aid. Instead set clear alignment of goals where social can have a positive impact. Include social with the other key communication mediums used for the conference or event. This includes but is not limited to email communications, direct mail, in person pre-show networking meetings, flyers, pre-event webinars, and websites.

5. Do a social media audit prior to event.?
How are all of your social media profiles looking? Are they in need of an update? Are you delivering a consistent brand message? Who is going to tweet, post to Facebook? How will you ensure your messages stay on brand? Does your team have the needed skills to launch a social event or conference? If not, how will you get them trained in time? How will you manage risk? What will you do if a PR crisis should happen? What is your back-up plan should your Twitter hashtag get spammed the first day of the event?

If reading this give you a headache, then call someone that can help. We do social media audits and help businesses of all sizes with ensuring success at events and conferences. We would love to help you get started right and reap the highest business return possible.

6. FOCUS.
The worst thing you can do is to attempt to be everything to everyone on every platform. Select the social networks that best align with your audience. What platforms are they hanging out on? What platforms are you going to use and why? Be something to somebody versus nothing to nobody!

7. Know your event attendees, partners and broader ecosystem.?
The more you can know about all audiences you want to engage, influence and call to action the better. Get in their heads. WHY are they attending your event? Why should they spend the money on registration fees? Why should they take the day off? What is in it for them that is different than they can get on your website or the website and blog of the speakers and partners who are suppose to be adding value. Why should an influencer give a rip about your event let alone tweet on your behalf? What is in it for them?

8. Educate your partners and make your partners accountable.
Inform your employees and partners of your plan. Ensure they understand your objectives and goals as well as the goals and objectives of the attendees. Make it known you also have a genuine interest in helping your partners achieve their goals and objectives. The tighter you can bring your key stakeholders and partners into the inner circle the better your results will be.

9. Think out of the box.
This is not your granny?s social event. Consider technology and mediums you may not be 100% familiar with. As long as you become properly educated and setup the process and procedures to leverage the new technology prior to the event you will be fine.

As an example we were honored to help the IBM Smarter Commerce team with their recent IBM Smarter Commerce Event in Orlando. We helped them turn up the volume in their social media lounge with integrated strategies to build community pre-show, during and post-show. Our work included being present and tweeting live in their social media lounge and at key sessions and special daytime and evening events. We also hosted them and several of their #SmarterCommerce clients on several live tweet chats and on our #GetRealChat series. and integrated strategies to build community pre, during a post show.

10. Consider a social influencer outreach program.?
If your company is new to social media and doesn?t yet have the reach or the relationships to turn up the conversation volume on the social waves, explore partnering with others. IBM did a fun social media influencer outreach program prior to their Smarter Commerce Global Summit event I spoke of in #9 above. You can see a fun video here of the goods received and my response to the program. Note, for full disclosure, we were already working with IBM prior to receiving the package.

11. Hire the right team both internal and external.
Do more than fill tweet and Facebook seats. If you want to increase brand awareness, turn up the relevant social buzz during your social media event, hiring 20 interns from the local college is not going to get you the reach you need. Chances are highly unlikely they are going to help get your message or tweet read by an audience ?who has an interest in a relationship with you or your company.

You are much better off working with an agency or consultant who can help you develop and execute a real plan that includes relevant influencer outreach and engagement. You want people to be facilitating the conversation that ?get the content.? They need to tweet with context so that your message will resonate with the right audiences to drive the right actions that nurture the right relationships that bring the right results.

12. Share your best stuff.
Don?t hold back. This is your time to shine and don?t be afraid to do such. ?Don?t be afraid that your competition is watching. Be a leader, let them follow you. Don?t hold your best content until after the show or the last day. Give them solid nuggets and treasure chests of value throughout the entire event starting with pre-show. Deliver value prior, during and after and you?ll be amazed at the results. The heartbeat of social media is you. The more you give, the more your audiences will hang on to and share with their communities your every word! Check out our agency video which speaks directly to this tip ?Heartbeat of Social Media!?

13.?Focus on real value to your audience and attendees.
Do not lose sight in between the hashtags, Twitter profiles, Facebook event pages who your event is for. ?Keep your objectives, goals and priorities focused on the real needs of your audience. What problems are you going to help them solve in their life or business by attending your event? What keeps them up at night that you can help them with? How will you inspire them to connect with you pre, during and after the event? Focusing on their needs is the best way to ensure success regardless how successful the Twitter campaign or social engagement may be. Focus more on giving your audience something to tweet about versus getting them to tweet. If you do the first the second will take care of itself!

14. Select a Twitter hashtag early.
Don?t wait until the day of event to start using your Twitter hashtag and building community. ?Start using the hashtag the first day you send an email, post an update to Facebook or send a tweet. Be consistent and leverage the hashtag to build community and keep the conversation beating strong during all phases of the event or conference.

?

15. Be ready for plan B.
What happens if your hashtag gets spammed the first or second day of a three or more day event? What is your backup hashtag? What if one of the tools you planned to use goes haywire? What if the wi-fi has issues? Hope for the best but definitely plan for the worst.

16. Create social visual experiences.?
We live in a visual social world. An event without pictures is like chicken and dumplings without the yum! Embrace imperfect perfection. You don?t have to be the best camera man or woman on the planet. Use an iPhone, iPad, Android or device of choice. Continually feed photos capturing the awesome event or conference moments to Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. Setting this plan ahead of time is critical. You must know what platforms you are going to use and how. Look at it as a social fabric you are weaving and the event is part of the masterpiece. The images can offer insight into your brand, the people within your walls, the customers and partners supporting you and the list goes on. Use the photos to emotionally connect with your audiences near and far.

Check out SeeSaw. It?s a new tool which provides a visual display of tweets for specific topics, hashtags. You can search for any word and see a beautiful visual display of the tweets. It encourages people to take photos during the event and share via Twitter as they see their smiling Twitter avatar and tweet appear real time anywhere the SeeSaw wall is displayed. IBM used SeeSaw at the Smarter Commerce Global Summit. It was so fun seeing our hashtag #GetRealChat displayed throughout the show on the SeeSaw display walls.

17. You are marketing to an audiences of audiences.?
I love this post Brian Solis wrote titled ?An?Audience With an Audience of Audiences.? He nails it. You are not just sending a tweet or posting to Instagram an image or status update for the one person. You are posting it with the goal they will share it with their audience.

18. Assign clear roles and responsibilities early.
If it needs to get done, assign someone to do it. Don?t assume you will figure it out the night before the event. Document the roles and make them available to everyone involved in executing the event including partners and employees. Establish a solid escalation path in case something goes wrong. Assign one person to be the go to person for all things social media related. They can help answer questions, delegate and solve problems when necessary.

19. Make it easy for others to engage.
Get in the head of your attendees and partners. Remember, they will be experiencing information overload. Though it may be easy for you to remember the spelling of your CEO or the Twitter handle of the keynote speaker, it may be the first time the attendees have seen the name. Publish hashtags and Twitter handles on posters, signs, display screens, and even hard copy handouts. Try creating a reference card with all key social media and key speaker information.

20. Don?t assume people know what action you want them to take.
If you want them to visit a website, include the url. If you want them to retweet content then provide the Twitter handle, hashtag and even the content you want them to tweet! People can?t take an action unless they are clear on what it is you want them to do. Don?t assume they know if you haven?t told them.

21. Don?t be afraid to set requirements for presenters.
Require your presenters be part of the social conversation. Don?t hesitate in requiring them to provide their Twitter handle and event hashtag at the bottom of every slide. If you are providing the presentation template for presenters to use, make sure you include appropriate place holders. If you are offering special perks for presenters make it known you also expect them to share information about the event with their communities. This is where the OPC (Other People?s Communities) comes into play in a big way! You can read more about it here: I Respect Your Social Media Community, Do You Respect Mine

22. Confirm the chosen venue can support your digital needs.
Confirm all venue capabilities prior to booking. Ask for references. Visit conferences at the location to see the flow, where digital displays are located. Ensure the wi-fi works properly. Know the upfront costs so you can plan and purchase appropriately. The worst thing you can do is count on an event being uber social to find your attendees can?t even get on the internet. Sad to state I have been to numerous events with this problem. Again, this is an falls into the camp of ?Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail!?

23.?Setup up social measurement early so you can track results.?
Don?t wait until after the event to track social media results. Select measurement tools and strategies early in the planning phase. If you wait until during or after the event it may be too late. Many of the affordable and free tools will only go back so far in measuring past impressions and conversations. Proper and proactive planning in this area is crucial.

24. Have fun!
Remember social media really is one big conversation. Don?t just do social or be social, be socially relevant and have fun doing such. Your good attitude will shine through via your tweets, posts and images. Roll with the good, bad and ugly. If you do such, your attendees will too!

The Successful Social Business Conference and Event Series

This is the first in a series I am kicking off on social business conference and event success. The series will be filled with strategies, tactics and tips to help you maximize and leverage your investment in social media to achieve business goals and objectives. The series will dig into details on pre, during and post event strategies for success. It will include blog posts, videos, Tweetchats, webinars and more.

Sign up for updates to join the conversation and turn up the volume on your social business conference and event ROI!

?

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/pammoore/938751/24-tips-increase-conference-and-event-roi-integrating-social-media

boxing day radio shack bethany hamilton bethany hamilton after christmas sales macys stratfor

Matt Dollinger: Heat begin season atop NBA Power Rankings

The Lakers were hands down this offseason's biggest winners, but let's not forget the Heat were last season's actual winners. And they've gotten better. Miami's five-game thumping of Oklahoma City was a watershed moment. LeBron James was already a three-time MVP and the most dominant player in the league -- imagine how good he'll be now with the burden of winning a title off his shoulders. We also might see a revamped version of LeBron as he wholeheartedly embraces the challenge of playing power forward. That move will allow the Heat to play more of the small-ball lineups that ultimately won them the title. Factor in the addition of Ray Allen, who could see the most open three-pointers of his career, and you've got a recipe for a team that will run away with the East and possibly a second straight championship. ? Los Angeles now boasts an embarrassment of riches after pulling off one of the most stunning offseason hauls in NBA history. Consider this: It could be argued that two-time MVP Steve Nash is the Lakers' fourth-best player. Fourth. Los Angeles not only landed the elite pass-first point guard it has always wanted to pair with Kobe Bryant, but it also parlayed a moody Andrew Bynum into the most dominant center in the league, Dwight Howard. The Lakers now sport the best Big Four in the league and represent the biggest threat to the Heat. Said Sacramento's Chuck Hayes after playing down low against the new duo of Howard and Pau Gasol in the preseason: "They're like the Avengers out there. They're huge." ? The Thunder might be a snub at No. 3 considering they kept their insanely talented core together and will benefit more than anyone from another year of experience. Don't underestimate the pain caused by losing in the Finals either. The Heat, Mavericks and Lakers all won titles in recent years with a Finals loss fresh in their memory. Oklahoma City locked down Serge Ibaka in the offseason, but still faces the extension dilemma with James Harden. Either way, the Thunder's tight-knit group is unlikely to be affected by contract talks and should be as motivated as ever. ? Boston's original Big Three broke up this summer as Ray Allen took his sweet-shooting stroke to South Beach. Fear not, Beantown. Boston replaced the future Hall of Famer with Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, two shooting guards who actually represent an upgrade thanks to their versatility. The Celtics add a healthy Jeff Green and rookie Jared Sullinger to the Kevin Garnett-led front line, but their success could come down to an aging Paul Pierce's ability to muster another All-Star season and Avery Bradley's ability to co-exist with Rajon Rondo when the third-year guard returns from shoulder surgery. ? Los Angeles' little brother is all grown up. While the Lakers addressed their needs with two swift moves of the hand by GM Mitch Kupchak, the Clippers went to work by carving out a series of unheralded acquistions. The team lacked depth at forward, so it landed Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes. With Chauncey Billups recovering from an Achilles injury, the team added insurance in Jamal Crawford and Willie Green. And the Clips beat out a number of contenders to sign 40-year-old Grant Hill, a shadow of his former self but an invaluable contributor as a role player and leader. Now the Clippers might be the deepest team in the league. If Vinny Del Negro can find the right combinations and keep his veteran-laden team happy, Staples Center could be the exclusive home of the Western Conference finals. ? Another year, another Spurs team tough to poke holes in. We all know Tim Duncan (36), Manu Ginobili (35) and Tony Parker (30) aren't getting any younger, but San Antonio's supporting cast is. Second-year forward Kawhi Leonard (21) is expected to make a huge leap this year and French import Nando De Colo (25) will add depth and shooting to the backcourt. Gregg Popovich is likely to preserve his aging core during the season once again, but don't sleep on the Spurs. They could have another run left in them. ? The Nuggets are going to surprise some people this year. Andre Iguodala was the glue of Team USA this summer and that's the role the Nuggets are hoping he'll play in Denver. With Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the Nuggets don't lack options on offense; they just need someone to push them over the hump into the second round of the playoffs. Denver will be as balanced as any team in the league and one of the most entertaining to watch on a nightly basis. ? No, the Nets didn't get Dwight Howard, but the consolation prize of Joe Johnson and a re-signed Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace isn't too shabby. Williams probably feels like he's on the '92 Dream Team compared to the mish-mash of talent he played alongside last season. But how good can the Nets actually be? They have a strong shot at being the best team in New York (cherished bragging rights) and a top-three team in the East if all goes to plan. But they'll have to dedicate themselves on defense, something they've yet to do in the preseason. ? Indiana opened its small-market pockets to pay big-market bucks and re-sign George Hill (five years, $40 million) and Roy Hibbert (four years, $58 million). But the team's biggest decision this summer was to shake up its bench, a unit that ultimately cost it a winnable second-round series against the Heat. Out are Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones and Lou Amundson. In are D.J. Augustin, Gerald Green and Ian Mahinmi. Does the line change make the Pacers better? Marginally, yes. Enough to beat the Heat? Not so much. Indiana is deep, but its lack of a true superstar puts it just outside the upper echelon. ? The 76ers might have gotten the best value out of the summer's biggest blockbuster, giving up Andre Iguodala for a once-in-a-lifetime bounty: a franchise center. Andrew Bynum might fancy himself a stretch 4, but he is, in fact, the second-best center in the league, regardless of what Shaq says. Philadelphia also did a nice job of replacing Iguodala on the wing with Jason Richardson, Nick Young and Dorrell Wright. If Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner can live up to their potential in the backcourt, the 76ers will be near the top of these rankings by the end of the season. ? The Knicks haven't reached the Finals since 1999, which is too bad considering most of their offseason additions were in their prime that year. New York added Jason Kidd (39), Kurt Thomas (40), Marcus Camby (38), Rasheed Wallace (38) and Pablo Prigioni (35). It's a debatable strategy to stock your roster with over-the-hill veterans, but the Knicks are hoping it gives them the toughness and grit they've lacked since their '90s heyday. With Jeremy Lin out of the equation, the focus shifts back to the annual experiment of playing both Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, who will likely miss the season opener with to a knee injury. New York goes as far as they do. ? It might be addition by subtraction for the Grizzlies, who lost O.J. Mayo but gained flexibility in their rotation. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay will carry the load, but Mike Conley, Josh Selby and newcomers Jerryd Bayless and rookie Tony Wroten will get plenty of chances. Memphis will need strong seasons from at least two of its backcourt players to follow up on a fourth-place finish in the West last season. ? With Derrick Rose out indefinitely, we likely won't see the true Bulls until the spring. But even without its superstar, Chicago will be one of the toughest outs in the league. With Tom Thibodeau at the helm, the Bulls are guaranteed to boast one of the stingiest defenses. The question is, Can they score without Rose at the point? To tide them over, the Bulls brought back Kirk Hinrich and signed Nate Robinson. It's a duo that doesn't exactly strike fear in opponents' souls, but you can bet Thibs will squeeze out every ounce of talent from the replacement tandem. ? The Mavericks were spurned by Deron Williams and others this offseason, but their biggest loss came last week when it was announced Dirk Nowitzki would undergo knee surgery and miss six weeks. As SI.com's Rob Mahoney points out, that absence could lead to an excruciating stretch for Dallas. All of a sudden the Mavericks' quartet of complementary offseason pickups -- Chris Kaman, Elton Brand, O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison -- has become the foundation of the team. Mayo (career scoring average of 15.2 points) is finally freed from his sixth-man shackles in Memphis, but he's not fully equipped to be a go-to-scorer on any NBA team. And let's not get into his defense. The Mavs did an admirable job of piecing together a roster before gearing up for another free-agency run next year, but the injury to Nowitzki could doom their season. Their success hinges entirely on Nowitzki's ability to recover from arthroscopic surgery and play like the Dirk who has powered Dallas the last 13 years. ? Like most people with a vague familiarty of the NBA, new GM Danny Ferry realized the Hawks weren't going to win a championship with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford. So he did something about it. Ferry unloaded the least valuable of the three in Johnson and his albatross contract (four years, $90 million left). The Hawks didn't get much in return from the Nets, but they gained much-needed cap flexibility, which will help them get better in the long term. In the short term, they added Devin Harris, Lou Williams and rookie John Jenkins. That makes for a crowded backcourt, but it also gives Atlanta plenty of shooters to compensate for the void left by Johnson. ? Coming off a surprising playoff berth last season, the Jazz have kept their frontcourt logjam of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans intact. Utah's biggest problem is it has no one to get its bevy of big men the ball. The score-first Mo Williams and veteran backups Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley are the only point guards on the roster. Third-year forward Gordon Hayward could be on the brink of a breakout year, but until the Jazz decongest their front line and land a premier guard, their ceiling is limited. ? Eric Gordon's declaration this summer that he wanted to play in Phoenix raised more than a few eyebrows, but it was in his best interest to stick with The Unibrow. If Gordon is smart, he'll spend the next 10 years in New Orleans playing alongside No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, who looked like he belonged on Team USA in London and represents the most dominant big man prospect to enter the league in years. New Orleans is young, but its future is bright. GM Dell Demps made two more good moves this summer by drafting Austin Rivers at No. 10 and trading for Ryan Anderson. ? It's easy (and fun!) to make fun of David Kahn, but it's starting to get tough to argue with the collection of talent he's piecing together in Minnesota. Unfortunately for the Wolves, they'll have to start their season without the two best pieces from that group. Knuckle pushups, of all things, will keep Kevin Love out 6-8 weeks, and Ricky Rubio is still perhaps two months away from returning from a knee injury. Luckily for Minnesota, Kahn scoured the globe this offseason to improve a lackluster roster. He signed Brandon Roy out of retirement and poached Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved from Russia. He also added bench stalwarts Chase Budinger (Rockets), Greg Stiemsma (Celtics) and Dante Cunningham (Grizzlies), the last of whom will be thrust into action right away. The Wolves showed last season that the duo of Love-Rubio can produce .500-ball. Can they stay afloat until their stars return? Chances are no, but at full strength the Wolves will be the real deal. ? Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis give the Bucks a potent one-two punch in the backcourt, but the team's group of bigs, highlighted by Ersan Ilyasova, Drew Gooden and Samuel Dalembert, leaves much to be desired. Then there's the issue of whether coach Scott Skiles can get the defense back on track despite having undersized guards who are known for their offense. Milwaukee finished ninth in the East last year and appears headed for a similar result with another ill-fitting cast of players. ? No team's training staff is more critical to its success than Golden State's. Its two best players, Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut, are returning from season-ending injuries, and Carl Landry, Jarrett Jack and David Lee all missed significant portions of last year, too. So far, it's been a rough start. Curry was shut down for the preseason after rolling his ankle and Bogut still doesn't have a timetable for his return. One thing the Warriors will do well, regardless of health, is score. Second-year guard Klay Thompson has one of the best strokes in the league and rookie Harrison Barnes might have been the best shooter in the draft. Now, if only Mark Jackson can get this bunch to play some D. ? Portland might have gotten the steal of the draft at No. 6 with Damian Lillard, who was the co-MVP of the Las Vegas summer league after averaging 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. With LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum, the team is set at forward. Can rookie Meyers Leonard develop into the center they hoped Greg Oden would be? Either way, he'll play. The only other proven big men on the roster are J.J. Hickson and Jared Jeffries, neither of whom is suited for the center position. ? Kyrie Irving earned plenty of buzz this offseason when he starred for the USA Select team and more than held his own against the Team USA big boys. His crossover of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and James Harden was arguably the highlight of the summer. The 20-year-old, last year's NBA Rookie of the Year, already appears ready to carry the Cavs. But how far? Cleveland has only three players who have been in the league at least seven years and Anderson Varejao is the only one who will play big minutes. That means the team's trio of current and former lottery picks, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson, will have to play immediately. ? The Raptors benefited from the Rockets' point guard clearance sale, stealing Kyle Lowry for a future first-round pick. Lowry averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists for Houston last season and gives Toronto a dynamic backcourt combo with DeMar DeRozan to build around. Landry Fields is an interesting (and overpriced) option on the wing, but the Raptors really need former No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani (who looked good early last season before injuries derailed his year) and last year's No. 5 pick, rookie big man Jonas Valanciunas, to pan out if they are going to be relevant. That's a big if. ? The Pistons are going big, literally, by building around Greg Monroe (6-foot-11) and rookie Andre Drummond (6-foot-10). Brandon Knight showed promise at point guard last season, but this season will likely be determined by the play of Rodney Stuckey. Some expected Stuckey to make the jump last season but the guard plateaued, averaging 17.8 points per 36 minutes for a second straight season. Detroit needs the 26-year-old Stuckey to break out if it wants 2012-13 to count for anything more than a rebuilding year. ? This summer, the Suns finally said farewell to Steve Nash, the longtime face of the franchise. It's not quite clear who will replace him in that sense, but it is apparent who Phoenix will turn to at point guard. The Suns apparently suffered from a case of trader's remorse, signing Goran Dragic to a four-year, $30 million deal after dealing him to the Rockets in 2011. They also drafted Kendall Marshall as his backup, giving them depth at at least one position. Phoenix also took a chance on former No. 2 pick Michael Beasley, who gets another chance to live up to his vast, untapped potential. With Marcin Gortat and Luis Scola, the Suns are respectable in the post, but their lack of a go-to-scorer will make it tough for them to keep up in the West. ? It seems like the Rockets were involved in just about every rumor this summer. It's unfair to call the past few months an offseason for GM Daryl Morey, considering Houston boasts 14 new players on its current roster. Among them are a trio of first-round picks no one expected Houston to keep in Royce White, Terrence Jones and Jeremy Lamb. They also added Jeremy Lin, giving them the point guard they preferred over Lowry and Dragic. Houston has the most eclectic roster in the league, leaving Kevin McHale a pu-pu platter with which to work. But with 15 of its 18 players in camp having played three years or fewer, there's no telling how this season will shake out in Houston. ? The Wizards have something special in the backcourt duo of John Wall and rookie Bradley Beal. They just won't get to see it right away. Wall will likely miss the first month of the season. His knee injury puts Washington's underdog postseason chances at risk, but with a veteran front line of Emeka Okafor, Nene and Trevor Ariza, the Wizards can still fight for a playoff spot if they can manage to get healthy. The team's prospects boil down to the success -- and health -- of its young injured point guard. Wall has averaged at least 8.0 assists per game in his first two seasons, but in doing so last year he also led the NBA in turnovers (255). The former No. 1 pick shot a mind-boggling 3-of-42 from the three-point line last season, resulting in a shooting percentage (7.1) so bad it looks like a typo. Wall has to improve in those areas for the Wizards to move forward as a franchise. ? First-year GM Rob Hennigan didn't have many options when it came to unloading Dwight Howard, but the group of players he got in return leaves the Magic with even fewer. There's no doubt Hennigan is trying to re-create in Orlando what he contributed to in Oklahoma City, but Kevin Durants and Russell Westbrooks don't just grow on trees. With a 2012-13 team built around Arron Afflalo, Hedo Turkoglu, Glen Davis and Al Harrington, Magic fans wouldn't be wise to look forward to anything this season besides the lottery. ? The Kings had to be pleased when Thomas Robinson fell to them at the No. 5 pick in the draft. The pairing of Robinson and center DeMarcus Cousins gives the Kings an identity, and strength, for the first time in years. Sacramento's backcourt is more complex. The Kings would love it if former first-round picks Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette could carry the load, but both were outplayed last season by former second-round pick Isaiah Thomas and swingman Marcus Thornton. The addition of Aaron Brooks, a former Sixth Man of the Year who played in China last season, only clutters things further. ? The Bobcats finished with the worst winning percentage in NBA history last season (.106) and lost their final 23 games. But with Michael Jordan handing over the basketball decision-making to GM Rich Cho, the Bobcats have at least admitted they have a problem. But it's going to take a lot more to fix this team. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was the right pick at No. 2, but it'll take time for the 19-year-old to develop. Charlotte added two veterans, Ben Gordon and Ramon Sessions, to play alongside Kemba Walker, but it has very little inside. First-year coach Mike Dunlap has quantity over quality at center in Bismack Biyombo, Brendan Haywood, Byron Mullens and DeSagana Diop. Tyrus Thomas remains an enigma at power forward. The Bobcats have a long way to go, but at least they're embracing rebuilding wholeheartedly.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/matt_dollinger/10/23/nba-power-rankings-preseason/index.html?xid=si_topstories

mega millions winner holy thursday chris stewart evo 4g lte marlins new stadium arnold palmer augusta national