Did you see the post from earlier today? The historic marker series is finally back. I’ve been sitting on pictures that just haven’t been uploaded for no reason whatsoever and it seemed a good time to return to that. It only takes about two minutes to put together, after all. So why not? The previous post links to the most recent material.
There is no starting place to that project, really, but you can go here to see where I began.
I’m playing with an app that lets me make a slideshow on my phone. This is SnapAudio, which allows me to record six or 15 or 30 seconds of audio. That would seem like plenty. It is pretty easy to use, too. I shot these pictures on my phone walking from the car to the office this afternoon. I recorded the audio — too much of it I think, but this is only a quick test of functionality — this evening and then uploaded it to YouTube from my phone.
Also, I am going to have to do more voice work. That doesn’t sound as it should.
Everything looks a bit square, but otherwise this could be useful.
Know a slideshow app that doesn’t reduce everything to squares and allows you to record audio? I’m always taking suggestions.
Things to read … because I like to give suggestions, too.
Fairly big news, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this project, CBS News Launches ‘CBSN,’ Live Digital Streaming Network
CBS Launches Ad-Supported Broadband News Feed In Effort To Vie With Cable-News Outlets:
CBS launched what may be the modern media-industry version of a CNN with a new broadband-distributed news feed that will send live, anchored news programming to Internet-connected TVs and other devices – an attempt by the company to monetize its CBS News unit without the old-world hassle of building a cable-TV network to do so.
They say they are aiming for something in between TV and video on demand. The most telling thing will be its degree of adaptability.
Words worth remembering, and eschewing, Four sneaky words that diminish everything you write.
Here is some startling news that was was predicted by … quite a few people, actually, Government Authority Intended for Terrorism is Used for Other Purposes:
What do the reports reveal? Two things: 1) there has been an enormous increase in the use of sneak and peek warrants and 2) they are rarely used for terrorism cases.
First, the numbers: Law enforcement made 47 sneak-and-peek searches nationwide from September 2001 to April 2003. The 2010 report reveals 3,970 total requests were processed. Within three years that number jumped to 11,129. That’s an increase of over 7,000 requests. Exactly what privacy advocates argued in 2001 is happening: sneak and peak warrants are not just being used in exceptional circumstances—which was their original intent—but as an everyday investigative tool.
Second, the uses: Out of the 3,970 total requests from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010, 3,034 were for narcotics cases and only 37 for terrorism cases (about .9%). Since then, the numbers get worse. The 2011 report reveals a total of 6,775 requests. 5,093 were used for drugs, while only 31 (or .5%) were used for terrorism cases. The 2012 report follows a similar pattern: Only .6%, or 58 requests, dealt with terrorism cases. The 2013 report confirms the incredibly low numbers. Out of 11,129 reports only 51, or .5%, of requests were used for terrorism. The majority of requests were overwhelmingly for narcotics cases, which tapped out at 9,401 requests.
Parkinson’s stem cell ‘breakthrough’:
Stem cells can be used to heal the damage in the brain caused by Parkinson’s disease, according to scientists in Sweden.
They said their study on rats heralded a “huge breakthrough” towards developing effective treatments.
There is no cure for the disease, but medication and brain stimulation can alleviate symptoms.
Human testing could begin by 2017. It will never be fast enough though, will it?
