Today is iPhone 5 day...

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past week (and honestly, we wouldn't blame you if you had been), you may have noticed the immiment arrival of that other phone from that other company.

That's right, Apple's iPhone 5 lands today, and Apple Stores across the world played host to the familiar sight of thousands queuing outside in hope of snagging one on launch day.

If you're a cross-platform mobile fan, or you'd just like to chuckle at Apple followers exposing themselves to the elements in order to buy a telephone, then you'll find all the iPhone launch day coverage you could want at our sister site iMore.com.

More: iPhone 5 launch day coverage at iMore

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/DU7po4Jk1KM/story01.htm

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Human-like robots to gear up for disasters

19 hrs.

John Roach

If, in a few years, a tsunami cripples a nuclear reactor akin to the Fukushima disaster in Japan, human-like robots with super-human capabilities may be sent to the rescue. At least, that?s the goal of a challenge put out by the Pentagon?s futuristic research arm scheduled to kick off in earnest next month.

The DARPA Robotics Challenge will get underway with the announcement of contract awards in October. Funded and unfunded teams will first pit their bots against each other in a virtual competition scheduled for 2013 to test robot software. Actual real-world competitions are scheduled for December 2013 and 2014.

For now, speculation is increasing?as to what sorts of robots and computer algorithms we?ll likely see that are able to achieve the program?s goal of operating in dangerous, human-engineered environments using tools and equipment that were designed for humans.

For example, the robots will need the smarts and dexterity to drive a vehicle such as a fire truck; run on rough, sloped terrain with loose dirt and rocks; move material such as a fallen tree limb to enter a doorway; climb a ladder; break through concrete; find and fix a leaky pipe; and replace a cooling pump.

One obvious contender is the headless humanoid robot Petman from Boston Dynamics that was seen earlier this year racing up stairs, running on a treadmill and doing pushups. In fact, a modified version of Petman will be given to some teams in the competition as a platform for their software.

Other robots up to the challenge may include those under development by Dennis Hong and colleagues at Virginia Tech, such as the firefighting humanoid SAFFiR developed in partnership with the Office of Naval Research.

While these robots, and the robotics challenge, are intended to help save humans in disaster situations, their abilities and the challenge?s backer does raise an eyebrow about their use on the battlefield as well.

?I?m not naive,? Virginia Tech?s Hong told the Daily Beast. ?Robots for me are tools to help society. I don?t weaponize them. But once a technology leaves our lab, there?s no way to control how people can use it.?

??via Daily Beast?

John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/human-robots-gear-disasters-1B6012898

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Amusement park riders stranded 300 feet in air for hours

Passengers on an amusement park attraction in California were trapped 300 feet in the air for more than three hours when the ride they were on malfunctioned. NBC's Diana Alvear reports.

By NBC Los Angeles

Updated at 7:59 a.m. ET:?Nearly two dozen riders were safely returned to the ground Wednesday night?after having been stranded hundreds of feet in the air for more than three hours on a ride at?Knotts Berry Farm.

The Knotts Berry Farm Wind Seeker stopped working around 4 p.m. when the ride's "safety?security system activated," causing it to come to a halt, park officials said.?Twenty?riders were stranded?about 300 feet in the air near the top of the ride, according to Jennifer Blazey, spokeswoman for the park.

By 7:30 p.m., the ride had been manually lowered about half way to the ground. At 7:40 p.m., the group -- which appeared to range in age from teenage to adult -- walked off the swings.

Read the original story on NBCLosAngeles.com

The Buena Park ride also became stuck on Sept. 7.?That time, it?took three hours for maintenance crews to manually lower the ride.

"Safety is Knott?s number one priority and we are committed to the protection of all our guests. Each of our rides is inspected, check-listed and properly maintained daily. Knott?s will continue to consistently monitor and inspect the rides and operation thereof," the park said in a statement relreased Wednesday night.

"The attraction will remain closed while Knott?s Berry further investigates the cause of the incident."

The ride has 32 two-person gondolas that go 301 feet?in the air then swing riders for a minute at a 45-degree angle at eight rotations per minute, according to Knott's website.

No injuries were reported, officials said.

Knotts Berry Farm used its own maintenance crew to handle the malfunction.

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters were not called to respond to the malfunctioning ride, OCFA Capt. Marc Stone said.

Rod Veal / AP

Riders on the Wind Seeker ride at Knott's Berry Farm were stuck a few hundred feet off the ground on Wednesday.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/19/13972376-riders-stuck-300-feet-up-after-amusement-park-ride-malfunctions?lite

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Supreme Court won't block Texas voting map (reuters)

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Video: Is High-Frequency Trading Disruptive?

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49108998/

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All Baby Boomers Look Alike in the Dark

Last week I was shopping in?Harris Teeter (my favorite grocery store) when the lights went out. ?I?d never had that experience before, although one of the employees said ?it happens there about once a week.

One lady asked how long it would take before the lights came back on so she could check-out. ?That?s when we discovered that although the lights went out in the store, the power for the cash registers were working just fine. ?No problem there. ?We may not have been able to see the price of anything as we shopped but the scanners at the registers would help us out.

When it was my turn to check out the cashier kindly asked me if I was a senior. ?I have to admit I was taken aback by her question. ?Although I thought I was looking good after an intense workout at the?gym, I was certain the cashier??had not mistaken me for a high school girl but I sure couldn?t believe she thought I was a senior citizen. ?What?! ?Are you kidding me!

I asked the cashier if she was serious and if she thought I looked like a senior. ?She didn?t respond to the question but she covered it nicely by saying, ?Thursday all seniors get five percent off their grocery bill and I forgot to ask the gentleman ahead of you so I didn?t want to make the mistake again.?

Well, she did make a mistake but I didn?t want to get indignant so I asked her if 55 qualified as a senior. ?She said I had to be 60 so I told her if I was still shopping there in five years, I?ll qualify. ?Then I turned to the white-haired woman behind me, who CLEARLY looked like a senior, and said, ?I guess we all look alike in the dark.?

Permalink: http://www.vibrantnation.com/our-blog-circle/all-baby-boomers-look-alike-in-the-dark/

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NFL Films legend Steve Sabol dead at 69 from brain cancer ...

September 18, 2012 at 10:14 AM by AHN ? ?

News Room Administrators Staff

NY, NY, United States (NewsBahn) ? Legendary NFL Films president Steve Sabol died of brain cancer Tuesday at age 69.

Sabol worked with his father, Ed, on innovative approaches to filming the game including slow motion replays and using microphones on players for their ?real? reactions to the action.

League officials said they lost one of their sports truly large figures with Sabol?s passing.

?Steve Sabol was the creative genius behind the remarkable work of NFL Films,? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement from the league confirming Sabol?s death. ?Steve?s passion for football was matched by his incredible talent and energy. Steve?s legacy will be part of the NFL forever. He was a major contributor to the success of the NFL, a man who changed the way we look at football and sports, and a great friend.?

Sabol is a Pete Rozelle award-winner, along with being an honoree from the National Academy of Television Arts.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year.

Article ? AHN ? All Rights Reserved

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Source: http://gantdaily.com/2012/09/18/nfl-films-legend-steve-sabol-dead-at-69-from-brain-cancer/

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