Norio Ohga, former Sony chairman and multimedia pioneer, dies at 81

There's more sad news out of Japan this morning, we're afraid -- Sony is reporting that former chairman Norio Ohga passed away in Tokyo yesterday from multiple organ failure. He was 81. You may not personally remember a Sony under his reign -- Ohga directly helmed the company from 1982 to 1995 after decades of service in product planning -- but Norio Ohga was arguably the man responsible for turning Sony from a high-profile analog electronics manufacturer into a digital multimedia conglomerate. He helmed the deals that formed Sony Music, paved the way for Sony Pictures and established the very same Sony Computer Entertainment that would birth the PlayStation, and it was he who pushed the optical compact disc standard that all but replaced the magnetic cassettes and diskettes that held portable media. Without him, DVDs and Blu-rays might have fallen by the wayside, and that's another thought that brings tears to our eyes. You'll find Ohga's official obituary after the break.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/23/norio-ohga-former-sony-chairman-and-multimedia-pioneer-dies-at/

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Tiger Moms and Orchid Children

I thought I?d heard enough about Tiger Moms, but perked up when I came across?Tiger Moms and Orchid Kids, by Sam Gridley. Gridley considers how presumably harsh Tiger Mom parenting might generate success and happiness even in highly sensitive kids, the kind you?d think such treatment would crush. What kind of parenting are we talking about? ?Annie Murphy Paul, author of?Origins,?describes the Tiger Mom approach in her Time story about Tiger Mom phenom Amy Chua:

It was the ?Little White Donkey? incident that pushed many readers over the edge. That?s the name of the piano tune that Amy Chua, Yale law professor and self-described ?tiger mother,? forced her 7-year-old daughter Lulu to practice for hours on end ? ?right through dinner into the night,? with no breaks for water or even the bathroom, until at last Lulu learned to play the piece.

For other readers, it was Chua calling her older daughter Sophia ?garbage? after the girl behaved disrespectfully ? the same thing Chua had been called as a child by her strict Chinese father.

And, oh, yes, for some readers it was the card that young Lulu made for her mother?s birthday. ?I don?t want this,? Chua announced, adding that she expected to receive a drawing that Lulu had ?put some thought and effort into.? Throwing the card back at her daughter, she told her, ?I deserve better than this. So I?reject?this.?

In the conventional view of sensitive children, such treatment should crush them. Some consider Chua?s parenting to?border on child abuse. Some?think she should be arrested. Yet as Gridley notes, the sort of bidirectional sensitivity that I wrote about in?Orchid Children? a heightened responsiveness not just to bad experiences but good, so that so-called risk traits (and genes) can be assets ? might allow a sensitive child to respond to any substantial warm notes or overtones amid all this tigerish growling. The key is the nature of?that sensitivity, which seems to rise at least partly from certain genes that psychiatry has generally characterized as risk genes, such as short variant(s) of the serotonin transporter gene, or SERT. Here?s Gridley quoting from and commenting on my Atlantic article describing the orchid hypothesis:

?Yes, this new thinking goes, these bad genes can create dysfunction in unfavorable contexts?but they can also enhance function in favorable contexts. The genetic sensitivities to negative experience that the vulnerability hypothesis has identified, it follows, are just the downside of a bigger phenomenon: a heightened genetic sensitivity to?all?experience.?

This point leads to a metaphor distinguishing two types of children: the ?dandelions? who do pretty well regardless of circumstances, and the ?orchid? children ?who will wilt if ignored or maltreated but bloom spectacularly with greenhouse care.? The startling idea here is that the?SAME genes that make us vulnerable to neurosis or psychosis also make it possible to achieve great success.?

So what does this mean for tiger mothers versus liberal, child-centered, nicey-nicey Dr. Spock mothers? Amy Chua, whose memoir and Wall Street Journal article set off the controversy, has raised high-achieving children by, she tells us, not settling for less. Screaming at the kids, insulting them, threatening, forcing them do what they hate (practice the violin, for instance)?all of these techniques are within bounds for Chua. Should we conclude that, if her daughters have ?orchid?-type genes, their overstressed, abusive childhood will eventually make them socially or emotionally disturbed?.

Maybe not. In his works on education, Parker Palmer emphasizes that various instructional ?techniques? may work, but the sine qua non is ?teaching with heart and soul,? connecting with your students and also with your own spiritual self. A key to Chua?s approach, if we can believe her, is that she does in fact connect with her kids; they never doubt how much she cares about them. Contrast this with a tolerant, permissive, but emotionally distant parent?which type is more traumatic for the child?

I suspect that the unengaged type, the skittish kitty mom who?s too distracted to pay attention, or the tomcat dad who?s never home, is far more dangerous to youthful psyches than a tiger parent.

And?to return from felines to plants?if the characteristic of orchid children is their sensitiveness to different conditions, we might also suppose that they are (a) highly variable among themselves and (b) attuned to small variations in the environment. What looks on the surface like a harrowing childhood to you or me may not be so damaging to some orchid kids who thrive on tiny but well-placed raindrops of affection.

Gridley is suggesting that enough warmth amid a seemingly harsh environment ? some love from a really tough parent ? can render that environment nurturing. He has a real point. Environments are complicated, as are people. ?And both the literature and the particular case of the most famous tiger mom, Amy Chua, suggest that sensitive people can find nurturance in touch circumstances.

In the scientific literature, for instance, a lovely and ingenious 2004 study from Joan Kaufman and colleagues (pdf) found that even for the most genetically ?vulnerable? kids in badly abusive homes (that is, kids with the so-called risk (short) version of the SERT gene), a single high-value relationship with an adult outside the family made them less prone to mental illness than nonsensitive kids from normal homes. (It?s a fascinating study; I?wrote about it in more detail here.) It?s as if these kids did exactly what Gridley suggests: They spotted where the help was and focused on it.

Amy Chua?s own described experience offers a more granular example. Amid what would strike many Americans as overly harsh parenting from her Chinese parents, Chua (who as a Chinese American runs about an?80 percent chance of carrying the risky SERT variant)?found an emotional mooring in the known love of her parents. Their discipline was strict, but she recognized that it was delivered from love and a desire to prepare them for tough world. This recognition provided a context into which she could receive the apparent harshness as nurturing.

Will it work that way for her kids? Seems early (and presumptuous)?to say. The Chua girls are only now nearing adulthood, and while it seems a bit intrusive to even inquire as to their happiness, they apparently volunteer that?they?re doing fine, thanks. I?d guess that while the Chua daughters and their mother might have a few things to work out, as every family does, these girls, even though they too probably carry the more sensitive SERT variant, will also carry enough love and support to mend any tiger-claw marks. As the Kaufman study shows, even seemingly marginal compensations can sometimes make up for truly abusive situations, even among the most sensitive children, and Chua?s parenting style falls fall short of the sort of abuse faced by the kids in the Kaufman study ???and offers a lot more good as well.

This isn?t to cue up the nice music and say ?Don?t worry, be nasty.? Yet it?s important to remember that a strong enough current of love and nurturance ? a core of connection that leaves the child no consistent doubt about whether they?re loved ? can offset the usual? lapses and absences and even some episodes of deep trouble, even among the most sensitive people ? to say nothing of strict but loving parenting.

What parent doesn?t worry about these things? What parent doesn?t sometimes feel she or he is failing? None of us behave always we would have ourselves behave, Everyone unravels at some point and finds themselves yelling at the kids or feeling too overwhelmed to Show the Love. It?s the mix that matters ? or not even the mix but the main ingredient, the central thing that makes up the essence of the meal, even if sometimes the seasonings make it taste bitter.

Related:

The Science of Success (aka Orchid Children) ? The Atlantic

The depression map: genes, culture, serotonin, and a side of ?

The Bright Side of the ?Depression-Risk Gene?

I?m not vulnerable, just especially plastic

Radio hour ? More orchidity, this time on New Hampshire Public Radio

Coming sort of soon to a bookstore near you: ?The Orchid and the ?

How I Wrote ?The Orchid Children?

Are ?orchid kids? the same as ?gifted children??

Does depression have an upside? It?s complicated

and some others

Source: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/tiger-moms-and-orchid-children/

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‘Philosopher’ Zahabi may be the best trainer in the game

If you think Georges St-Pierre is the most cerebral fighter in the game look no further than his coaches Greg Jackson and Firas Zahabi. They may be the best in the business and not because they understand the technique/physical side of things, but they're constantly trying to master the mental side.

Starting at 15 years old, Zahabi trained to be a fighter and then moved outside the cage as a trainer at 26. In between he went to Concordia University and majored in philosophy, which has a huge influence on how he handles his fighters.

"Philosophy's the root of all thinking. It's epistemology, learning how you know things. And I always thought it the fundamental building block of any science," Zahabi told Neil Davidson from the Canadian Press. "And I use philosophy every day. My training is always predicated on why. I cross-examine what type of reasoning is used to get to this conclusion. I think it's the key to success ? proper, rational training methods. We do a lot of different, radical things that a lot of people don't do."

Zahabi is always looking to broaden his knowledge so he even listens to audio books on his daily ride to and from TriStar Gym in Montreal. Davidson says Zahabi's recent reads include: "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson, "The 33 Strategies of War" by Robert Greene, and Plato's "Symposium."

What makes Zahabi so good and trusted by elite fighters like? St-Pierre, Kenny Florian and Miguel Torres is that he's also hands on. He's still a fighter at heart. Zahabi, 31, just earned his own black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

"The thing about Firas that makes his such a good coach is because he's always evolving himself. . . . He's not only a great coach, he's a great fighter. I always believed he would have been a great a fighter if he chose that route but he chose the coaching route," says lightweight John Makdessi.

Zahabi is going to be a busy man on Saturday night at UFC 129. He's worked with GSP, Torres, Makdessi, Yves Jabouin and Rory MacDonald leading up to the card at the Rogers Centre.

The GSP-Jake Shields fight should be the ultimate chess match in and out of the cage. It pits two great fighters from two very good game planning camps in TriStar versus Cesar Gracie.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/-Philosopher-Zahabi-may-be-the-best-trainer-in-?urn=mma-wp1525

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The Best Photo From The Royal Wedding

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Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/05/01/135833404/the-best-photo-from-the-royal-wedding?ft=1&f=100

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EXCLUSIVE: 'Beginners' Photo Is Filled With Surprises, Ewan McGregor And Melanie Laurent

When you get to adulthood, there usually aren't too many fast ones your elderly parents can pull on you ? at this stage of the game, you've seen and been through enough together to have a steady view of who your folks are and what makes them tick. So imagine your father coming out of the [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/04/26/exclusive-beginners-photo-is-filled-with-surprises-ewan-mcgregor-and-melanie-laurent/

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Pioneer HDJ-500T-K cans uncoil, answer your phone calls

Pioneer Adds Functionality to Latest DJ Headphones

New HDJ-500T-K Entry Level DJ Headphones Can Be Used for Hands-free Phone Calls

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.'s Professional Sound and Visual Division today introduced the HDJ-500T-K (MSRP: $145.00) multi-functional entry level DJ headphones that can be used for DJing, leisure music listening and now hands-free calling. The new HDJ-500T-K includes two interchangeable cords: a coiled cord for DJ purposes and a straight cord with an integrated microphone that enables users to answer incoming calls when connected to a smartphone.

"Consumers are always looking for accessories that can do more than just one thing. With the new HDJ-500T-K you can go from using it at a gig, to enjoying music from a smartphone, to taking a call, all with the same device. A quick push of the answer button on the straight cord enables a phone conversation, and as soon as that ends you're back to listening to music, all with high quality sound," said David Arevalo, senior marketing manager, Professional Sound and Visual Division for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

Versatility

The HDJ-500T-K DJ headphones include two interchangeable cords: a coiled cord and a 1.2 meter straight cord with a microphone and phone answer button. The traditional 1.2 meter coiled cord (extends to 3m) is ideal for regular DJ performances, while the 1 meter straight cord is perfect for leisure listening when connected to a smartphone music device, and can also answer incoming calls with a simple touch of a button.

For maximum flexibility during performances, the HDJ-500T-K features a rotating arm structure that allows the user to rotate the right earpiece forward and back by as much as 60 degrees. At that position, the flexible headband maintains enough side pressure to allow the DJ to listen to audio on just one side of the headphones.

The Sound Difference

The HDJ-500T-K adapts the same great sound quality found in Pioneer's current HDJ-500 line of headphones. It provides clear audio reproduction, enhancing the critical low and mid frequency ranges that are essential for remixing. With a 40 mm diameter driver, thick 19 ?m (micrometers) diaphragm and a copper clad aluminum wire (CCAW) voice coil, the headphone can efficiently reproduce the lower frequency audio range such as snare and kick drum sounds, which can be easily distinguished to make matching the tempo of tracks easier, even for novice DJs.

Refined Design

The HDJ-500T-K DJ headphones offer similar styling and performance design cues as Pioneer's top-of-the-line HDJ-2000 headphones. Designed with maximum comfort and reliability in mind, the HDJ-500T-K uses comfortable urethane pads for the ears that allow the headphones to mold around the user's head and ears for a snug and slip-resistant fit. Furthermore, the urethane pads are wrapped in high quality leather, providing greater comfort and extended wear. The main structure of the headphones is crafted with magnesium alloy for light weight and durability, making them ideal for travel and long periods of use.

The black HDJ-500T-K DJ headphones are available in May at a manufacturer suggested retail price of $145.00.

Specifications:

Style: Fully enclosed dynamic stereo headphones
Frequency Range: 5Hz?28,000Hz
Impedance: 45O
Max Input: 2000 mW
Output Sound Level: 105 dB
Driver Unit: 40 mm dia. dome type
Plug: 3.5 mm dia. 3P mini-plug (gold-plated, screw-in)
3.5 mm dia. 3P mini-plug (gold-plated) for straight cord
Weight: 6.8 ounces (without cord)
Included Cords: 1.2 m side mount coil cord (extends to 3 m), 1 m straight cord with microphone
6.3 mm dia. 3P plug adapter (gold-plated, screw-in)

For more information follow us on:

Twitter at twitter.com/PioneerDJ
Facebook at facebook.com/PioneerDJusa
YouTube at youtube.com/pioneerdjglobal

Pioneer offers a complete line of professional DJ Equipment through its Professional Sound & Visual Division. Its DJM series of mixers has become an industry standard at clubs, studios, mobile rigs and homes around the world, known for its high quality sound and reliability. For more information, visit www.pioneerdjusa.com.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, established in Tokyo in 1938, is a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video and computer equipment for the home, car and business markets.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6696203?=en

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/pioneer-hdj-500t-k-cans-uncoil-answer-your-phone-calls/

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Dapple Review |

One of my biggest concerns as a mother is keeping my children safe and healthy. ?Once a became a mother, I quickly had to reevaluate what cleaning products I was using in the house. ?Is every cleaning product really safe to use on my children?s bottles, feeding utensils, toys, etc? ?I came to the conclusion that I needed to find natural baby products that would clean the items in our home that will most likely end up in my children?s mouths! ?Dapple products completely solve this problem for me. ?Dapple organic baby products are natural cleaners. ?This makes them perfect for cleaning baby bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, toys, and more! ?I absolutely love using Dapple dish soap to clean my son?s pacifier. ?It seems like pacifiers are drawn to lint and dirt, so I love that I have a safe product that allows me to clean his pacifier quickly.

I have the travel size toy cleaner wipes and dish liquid. ?We went on our vacation to the Dells right after I got my Dapple travel sized products, so I was able to use them immediately! ?The wipes are also extremely convenient to just toss in your diaper bag. I have already used them on many occasions! ?I can?t begin to tell you how many times my son has dropped a toy or a sippy cup while we are out shopping or doing other activities. ?Dapple travel wipes make clean up easy and worry free.

Another use I found for my Dapple dish soap is cleaning my son?s teethers. ?I love knowing that an item such as my baby?s ?Sophie? giraffe teether will always be clean and safe for him to use! ?As you can see in the photo above, Dapple dish soap creates a lot of bubbles too. ?I was very happy with its performance as a natural cleaning product. ?There have been several dish soap brands I have tried once and never used again due to the lack of soap suds it created. ?It may be a personal preference but I feel like a dish soap should be bubbly so I don?t feel like I am just cleaning with cloudy water! ?Dapple dish soap has truly met all my requirements in a dish soap, it cleans well and is safe for my family. ?Dapple definitely works for me and my babies!

You can keep informed of Dapple special promotions and new products by following them on?Twitter?and?Facebook!

Buy It!

I was actually surprised at how many stores sell Dapple products. ?Go here to see the full list of retailers that carry Dapple products. ?Several online locations such as Diapers.com and Grows Up also sell Dapple products.

Dapple provided me with travel size dish soap and toy wipes for review purposes. All?opinions are mine alone and based off of my experience with the product I reviewed.

This entry was posted in Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://thechildrensnook.net/2011/04/20/dapple-review/

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Mobile Communications Services ? Life goes on around

The world of mobile communications is not a trend, but a phenomenon. The mobile communication industry is one of the most flourishing sectors within the ICT industry. On the supply side, firms compete by offering different kinds of services typically through proprietary networks, in which they invest in terms of capacity and coverage. On the demand side, consumers are highly heterogeneous in terms of willingness to pay and modes of service usage.

The rapid uptake of mobile technology in the last decade is an outstanding phenomenon that has changed the society. Mobile subscriber growth continues with the emerging markets leading the way. While the industry is coping with a number of key issues, including the economic downturn, saturation of developed markets and spectrum concerns ? it is still expected that in 2011 there will be over 5 billion mobile subscribers worldwide.

Some of the latest facts and figures:

According to IDC, The mobile sector is now a $850 billion global market, comprising 57 percent of the global telecom market.
The resilient mobile industry is growing despite the challenges and overall global mobile revenues are predicted to reach over $1 trillion around 2012. MVNO subscribers will account for around 2-3% of all mobile subscribers worldwide in 2010.
China is the world?s largest mobile communications market. The Middle East contains some of the highest penetration rates in the world led by the UAE, which has passed the 200% mark. Growth rates remain astonishingly high in the light of these figures.
Handset sales rebounded in Q4 2009, recording a positive growth of at least 10%..
In 2010 there will be an estimated 3.5 billion prepaid subscribers worldwide with the majority of prepaid users residing in Asia Pacific. .
Mobile market penetration in Africa is expected to pass 50% during 2010; at least seven countries have broken the 100% barrier.
The wireless industry in North America continues to be one of the fastest growing markets in telecommunications, despite the economic downturn.
The MVNO market has also witnessed a shift away from traditional business models as operators and new market entrants? trial models based on niche markets including data services, music services, health services, luxury services and low price services (including the prepaid market).

Mobile communications services originated from voice telephony. However, the cellular phone market, when measured in terms of the number of wireless devices, is becoming saturated at a rather rapid pace. In short, there can be no significant increase in traffic merely through voice telephony. In view of this limitation, there appear to be two viable strategies to achieve growth in mobile communications: (i) implementation of new mobile services with an array of diverse multimedia applications, and (ii) the introduction of new wireless devices with enhanced features, including direct device-to-device communications capabilities.

The technologies which might bring new abilities to the mobile devices would be Near Field Communications (mPayments,?mBanking) focusing on contactless payments, advertising, marketing. Mobile phone-based contactless payments will facilitate over $36 billion of worldwide?consumer spending by 2011?.

Companies like Simage Technologies are one of the mobile communication service provider in Middle East and African region. You can visit http://www.simagetechnologies.com to know more about them.

?


Tariq Mohammed -
About the Author:

Author on various topics for Digital Security, Telecommunications and Mobile Communications for Companies.

Source: http://livingin.tv/2011/04/20/mobile-communications-services/

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