Microsoft Touch Cover (for Surface)

The Microsoft Touch Cover, as the name implies, is all about touch. In one instance it's a soft cover for the Microsoft Surface RT tablet ($699.00 direct) touch screen, putting the Surface RT to sleep when closed and waking it back up when opened. But it's also a touch device in its own right, offering a new look at the basic keyboard, with 77 pressure sensitive "keys" and a capacitive touchpad with pressure-sensitive right- and left-click buttons. And finally, when folded around behind the Surface, the Surface switches to touch-only input, disabling the keyboard functions so that the Touch Cover is just a cover again. That's a lot of functionality to fit into a 3-millimeter-thick flap, but the Touch Cover handles it with well-designed aplomb.

Design and Features
The Touch Cover is, first and foremost, a cover for the various Surface tablets. The Touch Cover attaches to the Surface tablet via the magnetic docking connector, snapping into place with a satisfying thunk and seating properly without problems. And because the connection is magnetic, the cover stays securely attached, even when you pick up the tablet and let the cover dangle freely.

Measuring only 0.13 by 10.98 by 7.36 inches (HWD), the slim Touch Cover adds less than half a pound of weight (7.4 ounces) to the Surface, but expands the tablet's productive capability immensely. It also protects the screen while being easy to clean itself. The Touch Cover is spill resistant, and with none of the nooks and crannies of a regular keyboard, it can be wiped down for easy cleaning. The Touch Cover is also something of a fashion statement, available in five eye-popping colors (Black, White, Cyan, Magenta, and Red). This also makes the Touch Cover the prime choice for techie fashionistas, as the similar Microsoft Type Cover is only available in black.

The keyboard itself has no regular keys?no moving parts at all, really?relying instead on a pressure-sensitive layer sandwiched inside. This pressure-sensitive function not only allows you to type on the Touch Cover, but also to rest your hands on the keys as you normally would; the cover can distinguish the difference in pressure between a resting finger and a key press. Because the Touch Cover is so thin, the actual typing feel is a bit like typing on a thin mouse pad, but the responsiveness of the keys makes for a far more usable experience than we anticipated.

Because there is no tactile feedback when typing on the Touch Cover, the Surface adds a small audio cue that sounds quietly whenever a key is pressed. It's a small touch, but it's the sort of detail that makes a difference while using the Touch Cover, provided you don't mute the volume. The Touch Cover may not appeal to touch typists, however, as the flat, unmoving keys of the Touch Cover make it much easier to drift out of position on the keyboard. In an attempt to mitigate this, the usual F and J keys have an added printed accent on each key to indicate the home row, but it's so low profile that it doesn't quite do the trick.

Given that the Touch Cover is made exclusively for Microsoft's Surface tablets, it should be no surprise that Windows 8 (and Windows RT) functionality is built in, with functions from the Charms Bar found in the F1-F12 buttons. These include volume controls, and Charms for Search, Connect, Devices, and Settings. You've also got function keys for Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, and the usual Esc and Del keys. These same Windows 8-specific features can be found on the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard , so don't think that they're exclusive to the Touch Cover.

The Touch Cover also features a small capacitive touchpad, for those who want a regular mousing experience rather than the pure touch-centric navigation of the Surface RT tablet. If there's a flaw with the Touch Cover, it's the size of the touchpad?a tiny 2.7 by 1.3 inches. The trackpad on the Touch Cover also has the same texture as the rest of the keyboard, which may be uncomfortable for some when trying to scroll or to click and drag. That said, the trackpad on the Touch Cover still provides simple functionality, like left- and right-clicking, two finger scrolling, click and drag, and a two-finger tap brings up the command bar.

Performance
In terms of actual typing speeds, you likely won't be typing at top speed the way you would on a springy mechanical keyboard, but you will be able to do considerably better than you would using the on-screen keyboard alone. Microsoft estimates that typists who type 25 words per minute using an onscreen keyboard will be able to roughly double that with the Touch Cover, but won't be flying at 80 or 90 WPM like they would on a normal keyboard. Our own testing seems to confirms this.

The other issue that came up when testing the Touch Cover was typing fatigue. Your fingers and wrists will tire sooner when using the Touch Cover, and we imagine that the ergonomics of it are far from ideal. For anyone intending to do a lot of typing using their Surface tablet, we'd suggest switching to one of the Windows 8 Bluetooth keyboards.

Typing on the touch cover feels a little bit like typing on a thin mouse pad. The texture is soft and reminiscent of fabric, and the thickness of the cover provides a little bit of cushioning, but not a lot. The repeated impact of typing on a flat, largely ungiving surface isn't always comfortable. The repeated impact on the fingers is far more noticeable than on any standard keyboard, and the Touch Cover is one of the first times I've ever felt anything that could be described as typing fatigue. I can only imagine what the ergonomic implications of using the Touch Cover extensively might be.

I can't seem to get used to the fact that the Touch Cover just feels weird. It's more responsive, yes, but it doesn't provide any tactile feedback, meaning that you'll need to either listen for the audio cues that sound with each keystroke, or closely watch the screen to be sure that every keystroke is registering. Alternately, because you're just tapping on a largely undifferentiated surface, there is a tendency to drift as you type, so you'll need to also watch your keyboard, even if you're normally a touch typist. The result is a keyboard that requires extra attention for what should be one of the most unobtrusive aspects of PC use, typing.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, typing fatigue is a real issue on the Touch Cover. I regularly spend my days at the keyboard without issue, but I got tired of banging my fingertips in only a few minutes. The bottom line here? The Touch Cover isn't for serious typing, it's for the occasional bit of text entry, like a URL, a search term, or a tweet. It's certainly more comfortable and usable than an onscreen keyboard, but it's no replacement for a regular keyboard. Surface users who expect to get a lot of productive use out of their tablet may be better served by getting the Microsoft Type Cover, or by using the Touch Cover primarily as a cover and buying a mobile keyboard like the Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Keyboard when typing for long periods of time.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Microsoft Touch Cover (for Surface) with several other keyboards side by side.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/E-6tvdhBUJ0/0,2817,2412308,00.asp

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Estate Planning: Three Considerations You Can't Afford to Ignore

Estate planning is a critical aspect of personal finance that gets name-checked a lot but rarely explored. The legislation governing estate planning varies from province to province (and territory) in Canada, which makes it difficult to exhaustively outline all the relevant issues and considerations for an individual. This post is not intended to achieve the impossible, but merely to canvass some of the important aspects of a comprehensive estate plan.?For actual advice on your particular situation, always consult a professional. Do not rely on the contents of this article.

Generally,?there are three components to an estate plan: a will, a power of attorney for financial matters, and a power of attorney for health and other personal matters?(in some provinces called a personal directive). Strictly speaking, if you are only concerned about dealing with the consequences of your death, then a will is all you need. Do not, however, discount the possibility that a health crisis (or the consequences of aging ? it happens to all of us) may leave you incapable of looking after yourself, and thereby place additional burdens on your family. Much like a will in the event of death, a power of attorney makes it easier for your loved (and trusted) ones to ensure that your intentions ? with respect to both your financial assets and your own person ? are carried out.

Estate Planning Component #1: The Will

Having a will in place is particularly important for people who have kids, and those who feel strongly about the distribution of their estate after their death. I put the kids first because people tend to forget that?one of the most important things a will can do is address the guardianship of any minor children. If you have strong opinions about whom you trust (and, potentially more importantly, don?t trust) with your kids? upbringing, you can stipulate one or more guardians (and alternate guardians) for them, should you and your spouse die before the kids reach the age of majority. Your kids will not end up in some Dickensian orphanage if you don?t, but the court process for appointing a guardian is likely a needless complication and expense. Don?t saddle your family with it. Plus, there is no certainty that the person you would have picked would be the same person appointed by the court.

The same goes for your financial assets. In most provinces, legislation dictates what happens to your estate if you die without a will (intestate). If you trust provincial legislation as little as Joe seems to then?don?t risk dying intestate. Your assets may not be divided in the manner you might otherwise choose, and non-family members (including any charities you might wish to support), will be left out. There are also additional expenses, not least of them being another court process for appointing an executor for your estate. (A will also provides a handy map to your assets for your executor, which makes his or her job a lot easier.)

Additionally, if you?re a curmudgeonly sort at odds with your nearest and dearest, and strongly inclined to cut off your spouse, kid(s), or other dependents from your estate, it is very important to ensure that you have a will and that it?s drafted by a professional. In some jurisdictions, legislation allows for people who meet certain criteria for dependency to make claims against your estate despite any existing will.?It is important that you discuss your intentions with a lawyer to ensure that your will is going to have the legal effect you desire in general?and especially if you want to protect your estate as much as possible from these types of claims.

A couple of things you will want to keep in mind, particularly if you are tempted to foolishly forego legal advice and draft your own will. (Editor Joe?s Note: as Abraham Lincoln said, a person who represents himself has a fool for a client.)

• Find out the impact of any changes in marital status on your will. In some (but not all) jurisdictions, marriage operates to revoke any prior will you might have made. Separation, on the other hand, may not have any effect on an existing will, depending again on the jurisdiction; this could result in a windfall for your estranged spouse, if you happen to die before a divorce decree is issued. Lastly, divorce will also likely have an impact on your will; in most provinces, your ex-spouse will be deemed to have predeceased you, for purposes of the division of assets under the will, even if they actually out-live you. They may also be disqualified from acting as an executor. Depending on how your will is drafted, this could create needless complications. It?s best to always review your will following any change in status.
• Make sure that your beneficiary designations are consistent with your will, and vice versa. A lot of financial assets, including insurance policies, RRSPs, and other investment vehicles, will have beneficiary designations which, if you?re like most people, were filled out once, long ago, and then forgotten. Again depending on your jurisdiction, those designations may overrule any provisions regarding the distribution of those assets in your will.

Estate Planning Component #2: Financial Power of Attorney

A power of attorney for property and financial matters allows you to appoint a person who will make financial decisions on your behalf once you have been medically deemed incompetent to make them on your own. Additionally, it allows you to impose certain parameters on your attorney?s exercise of powers.The usefulness of having a power of attorney in place long before it becomes a necessity is two-fold:

• You avoid potential squabbles amongst your relatives about who will control the dough, and the expense of having to go to court to get an attorney appointed.
• You void complications relating to your ability to grant a power of attorney. Specifically, if you execute the power of attorney while you?re (relatively) young and healthy, there will likely be no question as to your mental capacity to sign it. If you wait until it looks like you?ll imminently need the power of attorney, due to a drastic decline in health, etc., then you may have to go an extra mile or two to properly establish that you still have the capacity to execute it.

As with a will, it is important to review any existing powers of attorney following any marital changes, to ensure that attorney designations are up-to-date. This also applies with equal force to?

Estate Planning Component #3: Personal Power of Attorney

A power of attorney for personal matters (also known as a personal directive) is similar in nature to a power of attorney for financial matters, save that it deals with (what else?) personal matters such as your care and medical decision-making.?A key perk of having these matters dealt with separately from your finances is that it allows you to have different people deal with each aspect of your life. Thus, if you trust your spouse to not pull the plug on life-support wily-nilly, but not to deal responsibly with your finances, then you can appoint him/her as your attorney for personal matters only, and leave the finances to someone else. (Editor Joe?s Note: I can imagine situations where the inverse would be desirable, too!)

As I alluded, this power of attorney allows you to direct your representative to make medical decisions on your behalf, for concerns as small as day-to-day care or as huge as life-support. It is important to pick someone who will be capable of following your stated wishes, rather than their own emotional impulses in a moment of crisis, because?there is generally no way to legally enforce the directions stated in a document such as a living will ? they merely serve as guidelines to your attorney, to ensure that they are aware of your preferences.

And there you have it, folks. Three easy steps to everlasting control over your money. Just kidding. You?ll have to settle for a solid financial plan.?Memento mori!

Related posts:

1. Risk-Averse Financial Planning: The Meek Shall Inherit Stability

Source: http://www.timelessfinance.com/2012/11/21/estate-planning-components/

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Skobbler Launches Hybrid Online/Offline Maps App For Android As ...

You?d think the last thing mobile users need right now is another digital mapping service ? what with Google, Apple and Nokia all duking it out, alongside other established mapping companies such as TomTom ? but Berlin-based?Skobbler, which uses OpenStreetMaps data to power its map and sat-nav apps, reckons its ForeverMaps2?Android maps app can still carve out a niche.

As the name suggests, ForeverMaps2 is the company?s second effort to bring a maps apps to Android ? following a brief porting of its original ForeverMaps from iOS to Google?s platform, back in 2011. Brief because the launch coincided with Google adding turn-by-turn navigation to Google Maps,?says co-founder Marcus Thielking ? making it harder for Skobbler to compete with only a pure online navigation app. The company focused instead on its iOS apps (including sat-nav app GPS Navigation 2) ? and has more than?3 million app downloads on iOS.

Now, Skobbler is hoping paid-app ForeverMaps2 has enough tech firepower to survive alongside Android?s incumbent mapping service, Google Maps. The company is touting its app?s hybrid credentials which allow users to view maps both online and offline, meaning connectivity is not a prerequisite. ?People do definitely look for a possibility to get a reliable navigation service that?s not dependent on Internet connectivity,? says Thielking. ?We really do see that as a strong differentiator.?

The OpenStreetMaps data is also a key point of differentiation in his view. ?It has this incredible amount of data beyond street networks,? he claims.

On top of that, Thielking says?Skobbler?s underlying map engine technology is now solid enough to stand up against the big boys. He describes the new app as ?five full technology steps? on from the original ForeverMaps app, and ?so much smoother and faster? than rival mapping services.

?We feel that we have pretty much a map engine that is on the same level as Google?s ? pure technology wise. And that?s way ahead of our competitors ? the non-Googles, including Nokia by the way ? out there,? he tells TechCrunch, adding: ?We even have a shot at Google at this point because Google doesn?t focus on that so much at this point.??

Skobbler is planning to add a turn-by-turn navigation feature to the Android ForeverMaps2 app in the not-too-distant future to further bolster its offering versus the big-name competition.

But regardless of whether Skobbler can convince Android users to download and use something other than Google Maps, Thielking says its app serves a purpose as a marketing ?showcase? for what the company?s mapping service can do with OpenStreetMap data. The target here is to drive licensing deals with other companies. Skobbler?s technology is already being used by others ? such as German speed camera app called Blitzer?? but the company believes this part of its business has bags of potential.

?We have all this stuff that we can put on top of the OpenStreetMap and just make it work and that offers great value to other companies as well, so offering this easy access and this still versatile access is something that?s really interesting as a business opportunity for us,? he says. ?That?s going to be the focus going forward for us.?

Skobbler?s release follows below

Berlin, Germany, 21^st?November 2012:?skobbler?today announces the worldwide launch of the exciting next generation of hybrid (online and offline) maps with the launch of?ForeverMap 2, an innovative, forward-thinking solution that takes on Google Maps and rivals with a number of unique benefits and features.

ForeverMap 2 uses OpenStreetMap, a worldwide open-source project that has created the most dynamic map on the planet and one that is showcased through?skobbler?s wildly popular?GPS Navigation 2?software. ForeverMap 2 gives users a true choice over how they use maps, whether online or offline with full countries, continents, states and cities available to purchase as installable map upgrades, and all the time offers unprecedented detail and accuracy thanks to an ever-growing worldwide contributor base that?s closing in on one million users already.

Featuring?skobbler?s newest generation of its advanced NGx map engine, ForeverMap 2 offers a number of advantages over the competition. Users get the ultimate choice in how they want to use maps: either online or with convenient offline map area upgrades for cities or entire countries. Alongside advanced map compression technology to cut down on the valuable phone real estate taken up by downloaded maps, this choice allows you to find the optimal balance of online and offline map use while leaving enough room for videos, photos and other apps. ForeverMap 2 also takes map software way past sole street-level focus thanks to OpenStreetMap?s outdoor data richness, allowing cyclists, hikers and pedestrians to find the most effective route to their destination. Users can bookmark places of interest to save key locations to the current map, access Wikipedia-based descriptions for sites of interest, and with regular, free map updates offers an amazing degree of detail and accuracy.

Alongside these benefits, ForeverMap 2 brings all of the functionality you?d expect from a high-end map solution, including address search, location finder, route calculation and an extensive POI database for both online and offline use through optional map downloads. Locations can be shared with friends and the ?paperback-like? map experience offers cutting-edge map visuals alongside zoom, pan and turn controls, street names and a compass that can be set to orient itself in the direction of travel.

?We believe that our great experience with OpenStreetMap puts us in a unique position to offer modern smartphone and tablet users a powerful alternative to rival map services,? says co-founder of?skobbler, Marcus Thielking. ?ForeverMap 2 is the most powerful hybrid map solution on the market, allowing users to choose exactly what they want to view and how they want to view it: OpenStreetMap?s rapidly growing contributor base, which is closing in on one million users, enables us to provide the most dynamic and accurate solution on the market.?

Businesses and developers can also benefit from the technology fueling ForeverMap 2 (and GPS Navigation 2) through?skobbler?s GeOS map access technology for both web and mobile. GeOS allows developers to implement OpenStreetMap into their services, providing them with a more versatile, independent alternative to Google Maps and other platforms while enabling features such as zooming, colouring and panning and dramatically reducing the complexity of working with raw map data.

?We?re already working closely with a number of large corporations to help them integrate OpenStreetMap into their products and services via GeOS,? says Thielking. ?Having achieved status of?bestselling navigation app?for years-on-end in Germany and the UK and #1 position in over 20 countries with GPS Navigation 2, we?ve proved that our innovative technology solution is ready and able to meet the demands of today?s consumers and service providers. We believe that we?re well-placed to offer similar benefits to businesses that are looking for an alternative to Google Maps and other rivals.?

ForeverMap 2 is available now for Android via the?Google Play store?priced at 69p, and users will receive online worldwide maps for free alongside an offline map of their choice as standard. Other maps are available for offline use via in-app purchases. Prices start at 69p for Cities, Countries are ?1.99, Continents ?3.99 and a map of the World costs just ?7.99.

skobbler is a management buy-out from Europes Nr. 3 navigation supplier (Navigon). The skobbler company was founded during a spin-off in September 2008 and has been developing its very own software for mobile phones ever since. skobbler strives to offer smart products that provide orientation and fun on the OpenStreetMap. skobbler has won the Navteq EMEA LBS challenge 2009.

? Learn more

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/21/skobbler-launches-hybrid-onlineoffline-maps-app-for-android-as-showcase-for-what-its-openstreetmaps-powered-map-engine-can-do/

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Expert sees a gathering storm for top fund manager - Health ...

By LARRY NEUMEISTER | Associated Press ? Published November 20, 2012 Modified November 21, 2012

NEW YORK ? The arrest of a former hedge fund portfolio manager in what prosecutors are calling one of the most lucrative insider trading schemes ever indicates that prosecutors may be setting their sights higher - toward a wealthy business leader the suspect's firm was connected to, an expert says.

Mathew Martoma made an arrangement to obtain secret, advance results of tests on an experimental Alzheimer's drug that netted more than $276 million for his fund and others, according to charges filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

He was arrested Tuesday on allegations that he used the information to advise other investment professionals to buy shares in the companies developing the drug, then later to dump those investments and place financial bets against the companies when the tests returned disappointing results.

Martoma's trades helped reap a hefty profit from 2006 through July 2008, while he worked for CR Intrinsic Investors LLC of Stamford, Conn., an affiliate of SAC Capital Advisors, a firm owned by Steven A. Cohen, one of the nation's wealthiest hedge fund managers.

The government has been scrutinizing SAC since at least November 2010, when the FBI subpoenaed SAC and other influential hedge funds. Martoma is the fourth person associated with SAC Capital to be arrested on insider trading charges in the past four years.

Martoma will have great incentive to cooperate with the government because the size of the gains would add years, if not decades, to any potential sentence upon conviction, said John Sylvia, co-chairman of the securities litigation practice at the Mintz Levin law firm in Boston.

It was clear from the court papers that Cohen was referenced frequently and was a likely target of investigators, he said, though they might not be able to build a sufficient case against him.

"There's little doubt as to where the government's sights are," Sylvia said. "I don't think it takes Sherlock Holmes to figure it out."

Martoma was arrested at his home in Boca Raton, Fla., and made an initial appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was released on $5 million bail on charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud. He was scheduled to return to court Monday in Manhattan.

Martoma's attorney, Charles Stillman, called his client "an exceptional portfolio manager who succeeded through hard work and the dogged pursuit of information in the public domain. What happened today is only the beginning of a process that we are confident will lead to Mr. Martoma's full exoneration."

SAC spokesman Jonathan Gasthalter said the company and Cohen "are confident that they have acted appropriately and will continue to cooperate with the government's inquiry."

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil papers in the case against CR Intrinsic Investors, Martoma and Dr. Sidney Gilman. The civil complaint said the illegal money was earned in July 2008, when various hedge funds traded ahead of a negative public announcement involving the clinical trial results of an Alzheimer's drug being jointly developed by Elan Corp. and Wyeth, both pharmaceutical companies.

The SEC complaint said that Martoma carried out the scheme with Gilman, an 80-year-old professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School who served as chairman of a safety committee overseeing the clinical trial. Gilman was selected by Elan and Wyeth to present the final clinical trial results at a July 29, 2008, medical conference.

Messages left with the University of Michigan Medical School were not immediately returned.

Gilman's lawyer, Marc Mukasey, said his client is cooperating with the SEC and the U.S. attorney's office, and has entered into a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors.

A copy of the agreement released by federal prosecutors Tuesday showed that Gilman will forfeit nearly $187,000 that he received from Elan for consulting work in 2007 and 2008 and from an expert networking firm for consultations between 2006 and 2009 with Martoma's hedge fund.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Martoma gained from "cultivating and corrupting" Gilman, eventually receiving $9 million in bonus pay for the year when the trades were made.

Martoma met with the doctor about 42 times, beginning in the summer of 2006, and eventually convinced him to start talking about the drug trial, prosecutors said.

The SEC said leaks by Martoma caused hedge fund portfolios managed by CR Intrinsic and by an affiliated investment adviser to liquidate more than $700 million in holdings in Elan and Wyeth.

The massive repositioning, the SEC said, allowed CR Intrinsic and various hedge funds to reap huge illicit profits and avoid steep losses.

"By cultivating and corrupting a doctor with access to secret drug data, Mathew Martoma and his hedge fund benefited from what might be the most lucrative inside tip of all time," Bharara said.

The prosecutor said the doctor sent him a draft of the 24-page presentation he planned to make at a conference announcing the results.

That is when Martoma "had to do a spectacular about-face because he understood that - with these negative results looming - the hedge fund's massive $700 million stake had become a terrible bet," Bharara said. "And so, just like that, overnight, Martoma went from bull to bear as he tried to dig his hedge fund out of a massive hole."

The news caused Elan's stock price to plunge by more than 40 percent. The price of Wyeth fell about 12 percent.

The bets against the drug developers brought additional profits totaling $76.2 million. That is roughly the same amount that prosecutors said former hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam made in illegal profits before he was arrested. The one-time billionaire is serving an 11-year prison sentence in what was once considered the biggest insider trading case in U.S. history.

A year later, a hedge fund employee recommended that Martoma be terminated, and he was let go in 2010, Bharara said.

Source: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/11/20/2326527/ny-feds-claim-most-lucrative-insider.html

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Community Checkpoint ? Corellian Run Radio

Highlighted Guild

• Light Knights (multi-faction guild)

For many of us we love to play multiple games, or play different factions within the same game. In order to pursue different games or factions some players would have to look for different guilds. That brings us to this week?s guild, the Light Knights. They got their start in one game, but that didn?t stop them from branching out to different games, or other factions. To them it is more important to be having fun, rather than spending your time having to find a guild for each game or for any alt characters you want to start on the opposing faction.

More on the Light Knights & something about a LK brewery, after the Jump?

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Can you tell us who you are and how you are associated with the guild Light Knights?

My name is Daniel Jones, aka Oane, and I am the founder/community manager for the Light Knights Gaming Community.

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How did Light Knights the guild get started?

The LK community was formed in November 2009. A group of (around) 10 of us previously ran a guild together but this became bogged down in guild politics. The game (Lotro) just wasn?t fun for us anymore so we decided a drastic change was needed. We decided to leave the previous guild and reform into a small guild which avoided politics, or any kind of nonsensical BS, and get back to gaming for fun and enjoyment.

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As a guild in multiple games, how difficult is it balancing which games and how involved the guild is with each game? How much do the Light Knights rely on internal leadership of the officers to keep the entire guild running smooth?

One of founding goals of the Light Knights was that the guild/community would be much more than a single game guild. Very early in my MMO ?career? I noticed how easy it was to lose touch with guild mates and friends simply because they moved on to other games. I didn?t like this, and creating an environment which allowed like-minded gamers to build lasting relationships is something I wanted to establish in the Light Knights. Although at our inception the guild was contained solely in LoTRO, it was with SWTOR firmly in mind that I began to build the community with the support of all the LK members. Over the last 3 years we have worked hard trying to make that dream a reality. We have expanded in to (more or less) every western MMO which has been released since 2008. As with everything in our community, we prefer to approach a task from a relaxed point of view- preferring to remember that we are all doing this in our free time; using our experience to resolve problems and find simple, effective solutions. Unfortunately, more often than not, the state of the games which we expand into prevent many guilds from establishing themselves? no matter how much planning has been put in. I always remind my officers that we are constantly treading new ground; gaming communities are a relatively new beast and we should never be afraid to experiment or try something new. If things don?t work out then we learn, move on and use our experience to guide our future plans. We tend to rely on a core set of members/officers to set up/establish new guilds. We feel that it?s important to use the experience these guys have and also be in place to help direct a new guild so that it can more easily aligns itself with the overall vision of the LK. That?s not to say we do not encourage newer members to get involved if they wish to! It has been observed that there tends to be a 2-3 month period following the launch of a new game when everything is a bit intense. You know, people are leveling, exploring, generally ?playing? the game and not thinking too much about end game activities and whether they will stick with the game long term. Once things settle down and this period is over we tend to re-evaluate guilds- how are things going/is the officer team of a suitable size/do we need to recruit etc. At this point we more actively encourage those who are playing the game a lot to get involved in the running of the guild.

To some extent we do not actively try and balance how involved we are within each game; we simply let situations develop naturally. We do not wish to be ?massive? within each game so our numbers tend to normalize at around the same level thus ensuring a degree of balance.

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Which server can the Light Knights and your Empire counterpart be found? Were they both started on the same server?

Before launch we created our Republic guild through the swtor.com guild system which BioWare provided to help server deployment. We had plans to create a Sith Empire guild called ?Utunni? on launch with a focus for alt play, but the vast majority of our members were focused on the Republic faction storylines? apart from one LK member. A founding member of the Light Knights, Dagnarr (aka Blade?Dancer) chose a Sith as his main and began walking the path to the Dark Side! Before long he found himself an active guild to join and this small band of players leveled up together and enjoyed PVP renown on the battlefields of our origin server, Nightmare Lands. Fast forward a couple of months and that guild (Legion), now with Dagnarr as its leader became a part of the LK community, replacing ?Utinni? as our official Sith Empire guild within SWTOR. Both guilds have been very successful over the last year and can be found on the EU server Red Eclipse.

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One member of Legion(LK?s Empire side) & 600 to 0 winning scoreboard

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Being part of a larger guild myself, we have players join games leave and come back. Is this similar in your guild and do you think the new pay model, even Preferred Status will entice some of your members to give the game a try or come back?

We have a saying that once you join the LK, you never really leave (unless one is kicked out of course!). We are in a fortunate position that because of our multi-gaming set up, we have the environment in place to remain in touch with those who join our community- no matter what game they play.

In regards to SWTOR & the new F2P model- we have seen a fair few return to try out the new patch- and it?s been awesome seeing people log back in. Some of our guys have re-subbed to ensure they receive their allocation of Cartel Coins, while other are motivated by the chance to check out the cartel market/evaluate the F2P model and there are those who see this as the perfect time to get back into SWTOR following 5 updates. But, after speaking to many members of the LK community, I would say that the decisions made by BioWare in respect of the F2P limitations are turning lots people off and they aren?t willing to even download the client/update and log in. The UI quick slot limitation is the perfect example of what many see as a broken F2P model which is focusing on the wrong areas.

One of our Community Officers, Helmfast had this to say about F2P:

?More attractive F2P models tend to allow the F2P player to experience the full range of content with fewer limitations and those sorts of models will make their money from cash purchases of convenience items (inventory space/character slots/quick travel/speed boosts etc) rather than requiring people to spend money in order to experience the game as originally intended since this can actually put F2Per?s off before they?ve had the chance to see what the game has to offer (mainly with regard to the quickslots/flashpoint/operation/warzone F2P choices)?

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The new system has only been going a few days with the Free-to-Play option, how does the guild feel it is going? How do the members like the Cartel Market? What items would you like to see added in the future?

The guys I have spoken to so far are very positive about the Market. They think that it has a great interface- bright, clear, with appropriately priced items and the improved preview window is something which was very much needed. In terms of what should be added- I have asked some of my guildies and they suggestion items like Character make over packs or a robe hood toggle. Generally the feeling is that the more cosmetic items which can be added the better- whether its cosmetic gear, weapons, pets, vehicles ? it?s all good

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Both factions are progressing well in the endgame Operations. Is the guild as a whole excited to see the new Nightmare Mode for Explosive Conflict? As for Operations, how did the guild feel about the last added content, Terror From Beyond Operation?

I asked Garrett, LK Rep Guild Deputy Leader and Raid Leader, to answer this question:

?I don?t think the entire guild is excited to see Nightmare Mode EC, mainly because we don?t have that many people yet with the right level of gear to actually participate in that version of the operation. Our raiders who do have the correct level of gear are relatively indifferent because it probably isn?t something we are going to do in the first couple of weeks after 1.5 is released. We still have Terror From Beyond on Hard Mode to clear before we can really get started on Nightmare EC.

I think we felt a bit more positive about the last operation to be added, Terror From Beyond. It?s always nice to have new content with new bosses and mechanics to learn. It?s nice to have a break from doing EC and some of the fights in Terror From Beyond have very fun mechanics. It?s also nice to have a new operation to make progress in. We wanted to kill Kephess, the last boss in EC, on Hard Mode first before we started on TFB HM and a couple of weeks ago we managed that. So far we?ve only cleared the first boss in TBH HM yet, but we?ll change that in the near future.?

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Although Open World PVP has not been very successful, is this an area of PVP the guild would like to see BioWare work to improve?

This question is answered by Gecko, a Republic guild Officer:

?Concerning Open World PVP I?m a bit conflicted myself? The engine problems are well known, and the first attempt was decidedly less than brilliant. Still, it?s a whole area that is unexploited right now, and lots of PVP players would love an ?Ilum 2.0?, so to speak, or at the very least, a larger instanced warzone, similar to Alterac Valley in ?vanilla? WOW, since population imbalance is always going to be a problem.

As for the guild perspective?well, we had our own LK vs NL fights on Tatooine, so I?m sure it would be interesting to see what we could cook up in a new Open World PVP area? (Hint: It?s the Imperials. We will cook the Imperials)?

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Light Knights Republic vs Empire Guild PVP Event

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The guild Light Knights covers not only multiple games and genres of games, but the guild has its own podcast correct? How did it get started and what type of podcast is it?

Yes we do indeed have a podcast. Our first episode went out just over 12 months ago and to be honest was mainly an experiment. I listen to many gaming podcasts (including of course Corellian Run Radio!) and felt like we had suitable people within the community to put together a show which would be something which not only our members would like to listen to, but gamers in general might be interested in. My goal was to have a free flowing, organic show which provided updates on each game we play and then to move on to random discussions (I guess similar to how the Outlandish podcast guys do their show). We have tried out a couple of different formats, experimenting with the formula, changing the length of the show/composition of the panel. We have found it extremely challenging to get the right people, in the right place, at the right time to record any episodes for a long time now so we are looking at better ways to release content (for example via youtube vlog style videos).

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While we are talking about other areas the guild is associated with outside of gaming, can you tell me about The LK Brewery? How did this get started, there has to be a great story here?

I always endeavor to add unique features to the Light Knights community and the LK Brewery is a perfect example of how we try and do things a bit differently to other guilds! The purpose of the LK brewery is simply to provide free beer for our social gatherings. I have a personal interest in home brewing and was lucky enough to receive all the kit as a Christmas present from my wonderful partner a couple of years ago (thanks Aeth!). Shortly afterwards I held a community social event for my 30th birthday; and during the course of the weekend we held a Halo competition? the winning team were offered the chance to chug from the Keg (which swiftly resulted in most of the attendees red faced and dripping with beer) this started the wheels in motion of the LK Brewery and ever since then I have provided beer for our social gatherings. We haven?t had any further Keg chugging? but I think we?ll need to remedy that at our next event!

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Light Knights have organized many events from Datacron runs, PVP contests, World Boss hunts, and some other social events. Does the guild have any coming up soon? Besides the various in-game events the Light Knights are a part of, does the guild have any events outside the virtual world?

Although the tools in SWTOR aren?t quite as advanced as they are in some other games (for example chicken session play in Lotro provided for some hilarious events!) we do try and work with the game as best we can in order to run more socially focused events compared to raiding/PVP. On Republic side we ran a Hide and Seek event on Tython last Friday evening and will be looking to hold another inter guild PVP event in the near future.

World Boss Take Down Event

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Outside of the virtual realm we regularly hold social events- whether these are gaming weekends at a members house, city visits or trips to Theme Parks, we do love to get together, have a few beers and spend some time getting to know each other that little bit better. To date these have all occurred within the UK but we do want to hold more on mainland Europe and maybe even further afield!

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If someone is interested in joining the Light Knights, how is the best way to contact the guild and what steps do potential recruits need to take to apply to the guild?

We are fairly relaxed in respect to our recruitment requirements. We firmly believe that the LK community is a special place (which our members love being part of) so all we ask is that members are at least 18 year old and are friendly, respectful people? we can do the rest! The best way to apply is via our website recruitment page.

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Thanks to Daniel for all his work in getting the information to me in such a short time. Also I want to thank the other officers and members of the Light Knights guild for their answers and letting us get to see a bit about their guild community.

If you are someone looking for a guild to join on the Red Eclipse server, I would suggest going to their website or looking up any members of the Light Knights or their Empire counterpart, Nightmare?s Legion. This is one guild never short on having fun and enjoying gaming together?no matter what game it is.

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Would you like to see your guild, event or server group highlighted on Corellian Run Radio? All you need to do is submit your guild?s website and some basic information in an email to me at, jason@corellianrun.com. Your guild or event could be who we highlight next here at Corellian Run Radio. Thanks and see you next week!

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Source: http://corellianrun.com/2012/11/19/community-checkpoint-17/

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Astronomers directly image massive star's 'super-Jupiter'

Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
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Contact: Francis Reddy
Francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov
301-286-4453
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomers using infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii have discovered a "super-Jupiter" around the bright star Kappa Andromedae, which now holds the record for the most massive star known to host a directly imaged planet or lightweight brown dwarf companion.

Designated Kappa Andromedae b (Kappa And b, for short), the new object has a mass about 12.8 times greater than Jupiter's. This places it teetering on the dividing line that separates the most massive planets from the lowest-mass brown dwarfs. That ambiguity is one of the object's charms, say researchers, who call it a super-Jupiter to embrace both possibilities.

"According to conventional models of planetary formation, Kappa And b falls just shy of being able to generate energy by fusion, at which point it would be considered a brown dwarf rather than a planet," said Michael McElwain, a member of the discovery team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "But this isn't definitive, and other considerations could nudge the object across the line into brown dwarf territory."

Massive planets slowly radiate the heat leftover from their own formation. For example, the planet Jupiter emits about twice the energy it receives from the sun. But if the object is massive enough, it's able to produce energy internally by fusing a heavy form of hydrogen called deuterium. (Stars like the sun, on the other hand, produce energy through a similar process that fuses the lighter and much more common form of hydrogen.) The theoretical mass where deuterium fusion can occur -- about 13 Jupiters -- marks the lowest possible mass for a brown dwarf.

"Kappa And b, the previously imaged planets around HR 8799 and Beta Pictoris, and the most massive planets discovered by non-imaging techniques likely all represent a class of object that formed in much the same way as lower-mass exoplanets," said lead researcher Joseph Carson, an astronomer at the College of Charleston, S.C., and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany.

The discovery of Kappa And b also allows astronomers to explore another theoretical limit. Astronomers have argued that large stars likely produce large planets, but experts predict that this stellar scaling can only extend so far, perhaps to stars with just a few times the sun's mass. The more massive a young star is, the brighter and hotter it becomes, resulting in powerful radiation that could disrupt the formation of planets within a circumstellar disk of gas and dust.

"This object demonstrates that stars as large as Kappa And, with 2.5 times the sun's mass, remain fully capable of producing planets," Carson adds.

The research is part of the Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS), a five-year effort to directly image extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks around several hundred nearby stars using the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Direct imaging of exoplanets is rare because the dim objects are usually lost in the star's brilliant glare. The SEEDS project images at near-infrared wavelengths using the telescope's adaptive optics system, which compensates for the smearing effects of Earth's atmosphere, in concert with its High Contrast Instrument for the Subaru Next Generation Adaptive Optics and Infrared Camera and Spectrograph.

Young star systems are attractive targets for direct exoplanet imaging because young planets have not been around long enough to lose much of the heat from their formation, which enhances their brightness in the infrared. The team focused on the star Kappa And because of its relative youth -- estimated at the tender age of 30 million years, or just 0.7 percent the age of our solar system, based on its likely membership in a stellar group known as the Columba Association. The B9-type star is located 170 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Andromeda and is visible to the unaided eye.

Kappa And b orbits its star at a projected distance of 55 times Earth's average distance from the sun and about 1.8 times as far as Neptune; the actual distance depends on how the system is oriented to our line of sight, which is not precisely known. The object has a temperature of about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,400 Celsius) and would appear bright red if seen up close by the human eye.

Carson's team detected the object in independent observations at four different infrared wavelengths in January and July of this year. Comparing the two images taken half a year apart showed that Kappa And b exhibits the same motion across the sky as its host star, which proves that the two objects are gravitationally bound and traveling together through space. Comparing the brightness of the super-Jupiter between different wavelengths revealed infrared colors similar to those observed in the handful of other gas giant planets successfully imaged around stars.

A paper describing the results has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and will appear in a future issue.

The SEEDS research team is continuing to study Kappa And b to better understand the chemistry of its atmosphere, constrain its orbit, and search for possible secondary planets.

Coincidentally, the stellar association that hosts Kappa And also includes another famous high-mass star, HR 8799, which is one of the first where astronomers directly imaged an extrasolar planet. The system hosts several gas giant planets with masses and infrared colors similar to Kappa And b.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 19-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Francis Reddy
Francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov
301-286-4453
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Astronomers using infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii have discovered a "super-Jupiter" around the bright star Kappa Andromedae, which now holds the record for the most massive star known to host a directly imaged planet or lightweight brown dwarf companion.

Designated Kappa Andromedae b (Kappa And b, for short), the new object has a mass about 12.8 times greater than Jupiter's. This places it teetering on the dividing line that separates the most massive planets from the lowest-mass brown dwarfs. That ambiguity is one of the object's charms, say researchers, who call it a super-Jupiter to embrace both possibilities.

"According to conventional models of planetary formation, Kappa And b falls just shy of being able to generate energy by fusion, at which point it would be considered a brown dwarf rather than a planet," said Michael McElwain, a member of the discovery team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "But this isn't definitive, and other considerations could nudge the object across the line into brown dwarf territory."

Massive planets slowly radiate the heat leftover from their own formation. For example, the planet Jupiter emits about twice the energy it receives from the sun. But if the object is massive enough, it's able to produce energy internally by fusing a heavy form of hydrogen called deuterium. (Stars like the sun, on the other hand, produce energy through a similar process that fuses the lighter and much more common form of hydrogen.) The theoretical mass where deuterium fusion can occur -- about 13 Jupiters -- marks the lowest possible mass for a brown dwarf.

"Kappa And b, the previously imaged planets around HR 8799 and Beta Pictoris, and the most massive planets discovered by non-imaging techniques likely all represent a class of object that formed in much the same way as lower-mass exoplanets," said lead researcher Joseph Carson, an astronomer at the College of Charleston, S.C., and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany.

The discovery of Kappa And b also allows astronomers to explore another theoretical limit. Astronomers have argued that large stars likely produce large planets, but experts predict that this stellar scaling can only extend so far, perhaps to stars with just a few times the sun's mass. The more massive a young star is, the brighter and hotter it becomes, resulting in powerful radiation that could disrupt the formation of planets within a circumstellar disk of gas and dust.

"This object demonstrates that stars as large as Kappa And, with 2.5 times the sun's mass, remain fully capable of producing planets," Carson adds.

The research is part of the Strategic Explorations of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS), a five-year effort to directly image extrasolar planets and protoplanetary disks around several hundred nearby stars using the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Direct imaging of exoplanets is rare because the dim objects are usually lost in the star's brilliant glare. The SEEDS project images at near-infrared wavelengths using the telescope's adaptive optics system, which compensates for the smearing effects of Earth's atmosphere, in concert with its High Contrast Instrument for the Subaru Next Generation Adaptive Optics and Infrared Camera and Spectrograph.

Young star systems are attractive targets for direct exoplanet imaging because young planets have not been around long enough to lose much of the heat from their formation, which enhances their brightness in the infrared. The team focused on the star Kappa And because of its relative youth -- estimated at the tender age of 30 million years, or just 0.7 percent the age of our solar system, based on its likely membership in a stellar group known as the Columba Association. The B9-type star is located 170 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Andromeda and is visible to the unaided eye.

Kappa And b orbits its star at a projected distance of 55 times Earth's average distance from the sun and about 1.8 times as far as Neptune; the actual distance depends on how the system is oriented to our line of sight, which is not precisely known. The object has a temperature of about 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,400 Celsius) and would appear bright red if seen up close by the human eye.

Carson's team detected the object in independent observations at four different infrared wavelengths in January and July of this year. Comparing the two images taken half a year apart showed that Kappa And b exhibits the same motion across the sky as its host star, which proves that the two objects are gravitationally bound and traveling together through space. Comparing the brightness of the super-Jupiter between different wavelengths revealed infrared colors similar to those observed in the handful of other gas giant planets successfully imaged around stars.

A paper describing the results has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and will appear in a future issue.

The SEEDS research team is continuing to study Kappa And b to better understand the chemistry of its atmosphere, constrain its orbit, and search for possible secondary planets.

Coincidentally, the stellar association that hosts Kappa And also includes another famous high-mass star, HR 8799, which is one of the first where astronomers directly imaged an extrasolar planet. The system hosts several gas giant planets with masses and infrared colors similar to Kappa And b.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/nsfc-adi111912.php

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Other Great Apes May Have Midlife Crises

Zookeeper ratings of the moods of 500 chimps and orangutans revealed that our closest relatives also show a U-shaped curve of life satisfaction. Karen Hopkin reports

More 60-Second Science

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Feeling listless? Unfulfilled? Like your life?s half over and what have you got to show for it? Well, you?re not alone. In fact, you might not even be human. Because a new study shows that even apes can experience a mid-life crisis. The work appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Alexander Weiss et al., Evidence for a midlife crisis in great apes consistent with the U-shape in human well-being]

Social scientists, economists, and philosophers have long been aware that some people are subject to a sort of half-time slump: a period when their well-being dips to an all-time low. What?s less clear is what causes this midlife ennui, which by many measures falls between a joyous childhood and contented retirement? Is it socioeconomic? Psychological? Metaphysical?

In this study, researchers first checked to see if the slump is uniquely human. They asked zookeepers to rate the relative happiness of some 500 chimps and orangutans, based on how often the apes seem to be in a good mood or how much pleasure they derive from socializing. Turns out our closest relatives also show a U-shaped curve of life satisfaction?cheery in youth and old age, and mopey in the middle.

So when you start lusting after that red convertible, you?re not totally bananas. You?re just going ape.

?Karen Hopkin

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=ace74b2aee403a3a6d11d5033e3a8e41

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