Canada trying to lure Silicon Valley tech workers

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ? The Canadian government has launched an aggressive campaign to lure Silicon Valley tech workers frustrated by U.S. visa policies northward, just as Congress wrestles with a long-sought overhaul of America's immigration system.

Canada's minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, arrived in the San Francisco Bay area Friday for a four-day visit aimed at snapping up talent for his country's high-tech economy by offering startup entrepreneurs a new visa.

"I think everyone knows the American system is pretty dysfunctional," Kenney said in an interview with The San Jose Mercury News (http://bit.ly/11IW2QA ). "I'm going to the Bay Area to spread the message that Canada is open for business; we're open for newcomers. If they qualify, we'll give them the Canadian equivalent of a green card as soon as they arrive."

The new "startup visa" will grant permanent residency to entrepreneurs who can start a business in Canada and raise enough venture capital.

Earlier this week, a billboard sporting a giant red maple leaf went up in South San Francisco, part of a Canadian ad campaign encouraging tech workers to head north.

"H-1B problems?" asks the billboard on the road to Silicon Valley, referencing the temporary visa issued to skilled foreign workers in the U.S. "Pivot to Canada."

The current immigration bill before the U.S. Senate ? the result of months of negotiations among eight influential senators ? is on track to greatly increase the number of highly skilled foreign workers allowed to work in the U.S. under an H-1B visa, from 65,000 to 110,000.

"The Canadian perspective is they would love to re-create Silicon Valley in Canada," said Irene Bloemraad, a professor who chairs the Canadian studies program at UC Berkeley. "And they recognize that under the current immigration system in the United States ... there are people who are having a hard time getting permanent legal status."

Bloemraad said Kenney's trip would underscore the differences between U.S. and Canada immigration systems. While two-thirds of immigrants to the U.S. gain their permanent residency thanks to family connections, she said, Canada's points-based ranking system means that two-thirds of immigrants are chosen for their work skills.

Under the current H-1B system, thousands of foreign tech workers in the Silicon Valley can stay in the United States for a maximum of six years, and must stick with the employer who sponsored them.

Kenney plans to promote the new visa and to meet with tech leaders, speak with Stanford students and run the Canadian booth at this weekend's TiEcon entrepreneurship conference in Santa Clara.

"There's an option," said Kenney, a member of his country's ruling Conservative Party. "It's north of the 49th parallel."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-17-Canada%20Luring%20Techies/id-f9744b82a5fb488dacd66f278403c9b6

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Hangout Festival Day One: Macklemore Surfs, Vinny Bombs And Afrojack Gets Jacked

The music and action was fast and furious on Friday (May 18) in Gulf Shores, so go to our hub to see the action.
By Gil Kaufman

Macklemore performs at Hangout Fest
Photo: MTV

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707608/hangout-fest-macklemore-afrojack.jhtml

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Drinks-On With the World's Biggest, Baddest Bartending Robot

At the Google I/O after party the other night, there was one bartender in particular that stood out. It wasn't the drink he made, or the friendly chatter. It was more than he weighed several tons and could break you with the flick of the wrist. Meet the Makr Shakr.

It's Friday afternoon, you've made it through the long week, and it's time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo's weekly booze column. A cocktail shaker full of innovation, science, and alcohol. Do Androids dream of the perfect Manhattan?

Makr Shakr was designed MIT Senseable City Lab and produced and implemented by Carlo Ratti Associati in Italy, where it was built. Incredibly, this massive project went from concept to full implementation in roughly three months. The full rig weighs between five and six metric tons and made the voyage across the sea in a rather densely packed shipping container. It is simply the most advanced robot bartender we've ever seen.

Users download an app (at I/O they had a tablet with a scaled-back version of the app pre-loaded) and log in. From there, they can either take a drink template that already exists, or they can start from scratch. Makr Shakr partnered with Bacardi and Coca-cola, so there are roughly two dozen spirits and liqueurs, and over a hundred non-alcoholic mixers to choose from. You pick your ingredients and the quantity of each that you want in it. You an also add solid ingredients such as a salt and pepper mix, granulated sugar, lemon slices, or even mint leaves. Your total drink will be 200ml (roughly 6.8 fluid ounces), when all is said and done.

Then you choose how the drink should be prepared, name the drink, and submit it. Then the magic starts.

How It Works

Once you submit your drink order, that information is sent to a web server, which sends it back down to a local server on the Makr Shakr. That information is then split into two parts. One is the visualization system, which, along with the app, was made with partners from Pentegram and super ?ber. On the large screen behind the robotic arms you can see exactly what's going into your drink when and what's being done to it. You can also see how many people are ahead of you and what the wait will be like. The other half of the data goes into the robotics systems.

The first thing that catches your eye are the three robotic arms. These are Kuka KR 16 robots, a pretty iconic symbol of the industrial revolution. You typically see these puppies in paint factories. They can lift 16 kilograms, they are unnervingly quick and incredibly precise (accuracy down to 1/10th of a millimeter). The two robots on the outside have cocktail shakers for hands (with lids that can close), while the one in the middle has a hand that holds and delivers the cups.

Behind the arms are a large network of taps, each of which are automated. Each spirit is housed in its own nitrogen-pressurized tank. Once the shaker is placed under the tab, an actuator opens the valve, and a pre-determined amount is dispensed. The Coca-Cola products are distributed in basically the same way. Ice, and other dry ingredients all drop in as they should. Behind the screen are two blades which hold and cut lemons into uniformly thick slices, and then drop it into your drink. It's incredibly sophisticated. There is also an immersion blender and muddler, for making drinks like pi?a coladas or mojitos.

Once all of the ingredients are in, the robot closes the lid on the shaker and either shakes it vigorously (and with a pretty good approximation of a human arm movement), or swirls it gently to give it a stirred effect. They then pour the drink into the cup the middle robot is holding. That robot adds garnish as necessary, and then places the finished drink onto one of five conveyor belts, which delivers the drink to the awaiting imbiber. The shaker is then rinsed off with a blast of water, and the process begins again.

There are some interesting things the software could do, too. "We want to make sure people use the Makr Shakr to drink responsibly," says Alessandro Incisa, Project Manager from Carlo Ratti Associati, who managed implementation. "It keeps track of the alcohol by volume of each drink it serves you. It could limited the number of alcoholic drinks each person has in a night." But because it's keeping track of percentages, it would be a dynamic number. For example you might be allowed 5 drinks that were 12 percent ABV over a given period of time, but only two drinks that were 40 percent. If people punched in some vital statistics, the Makr Shakr could even estimate your blood-alcohol content (BAC).

At Google there was a limited subset of features, just because I/O was such a huge event and they wanted everyone to get a taste. In its full implementation you can filter by elements of the drink. This not only helps you discover a drink you might like, but it gives you a genealogy of that drink's creation. So say, you're looking for a drink with whiskey, and you discover my drink. You can see not only how mine was made, but you can see the previous interations of it and read my notes, ?I liked it, but I think I made it a little too sweet.? You can adjust it to further refine it. When you do, I'll get a notifications that the drink I've been working on has had another iteration. Maybe I want to try it. I go to the back and further refine it. Even if we never actually meet at the bar, and we don't know each others' names, we've created something together. It's about a participatory, decomrotized design.

Why It Matters

The Makr Shakr is not, as one might suspect, trying to replace bartenders. The drinks I sampled were, in general, decent. Or as decent as the person that created them envisioned them. But bartending is more art than science, and crafting flavors is still best done with a human touch. The MIT guys know that, and they don't want to change that. They aren't trying to make a better drink. Instead, the Makr Shakr is meant as an example?a microcosm, really?of some of the principals of the Third Industrial Revolution.

Industrial technology has progressed to incredible places, obviously, but according to Yaniv Jacob Turgeman, the project leader from the MIT side, we've been somewhat alienated from it. With Makr Shakr, they are using these incredible robotics?symbols of the industrial revolution, but they are made accessible. "Part of the idea is that anyone can control this powerful technology with something in their pocket," said Turgeman.

Carlo Ratti, the father of Makr Shakr who runs the MIT Senseable Lab, agreed. This is intended to be an example of the new way things are designed, made, and then enjoyed. They chose drinks because within just a few minutes, people can go through the whole cycle. It's a fast and clean example, but of course that's just a small example. "

?It could be designing a sandwich," said Ratti in our phone interview. "Or it could be designing a city or desiging a building." He thinks that's a day we will see in our lifetimes. Something like a public square would be especially ripe for this philosophy, since so many people use it, it would make sense that more people could design together. That's exemplified in the Makr Shakr, too. Part of it is about social creation and consumption.

It means more to us when we participate in the creative process. It makes our drink (or house, or public square) not just more personalized to our tastes, but it there's a sense that it belongs to us, because it's something that we created. When you apply thies philosophies to production, suddenly it's a world that becomes human again, because we can see ourselves in it.

Or maybe they'll just enslave us all using alcoholism.

Huge thanks to Carlo Ratti, Alessandro Incisa, and Yaniv Jacob Turgeman for their time.

Makr Shakr: Project concept and design by MIT Senseable City Lab; Implementation by carlorattiassociati | walter nicolino & carlo ratti; Main partners - Coca-Cola and Barcardi. Technical partners - Kuka, Pentagram, SuperUber; Media partners - Domus, Wired; Top video by Brent Rose/Michael Hession; YouTube by MyBossWas; Event in collaboration with Meet the Media Guru, and endorsed by: Comune di Milano, World Expo Milano 2015 ? Energy for Life. Feeding the Planet. Full credits available at www.makrshakr.com

Splash Photo Credit: Max Tomasinelli /

Source: http://gizmodo.com/drinks-on-with-the-worlds-biggest-baddest-bartending-508259499

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Dyson to build cancer centre after his ward redesign improves baby ...

News:?British inventor James Dyson has donated ?4 million towards building a new cancer centre in Bath, UK, based on the principles underlying his successful redesign of a neonatal ward at the same hospital.

Dyson, who lives and works near to the Royal United Hospital, said he hoped the new centre would be able to replicate the success of the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care.

"Research has shown the incredible effect that a healing environment can have on recovery," said the inventor, whose best-known products include a bagless vacuum cleaner and a?fan heater with no blades.

"This new cancer centre will use cutting edge technology and well considered design to improve the health of its patients."

By reducing background noise from hospital machinery and increasing natural light, doctors at the hospital?found that the condition of sick and premature newborns improved substantially.

"We have been hugely impressed by the outcomes," Dyson said of the baby unit,?which was designed by?local architects?Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

A study funded by the?James Dyson Foundation, the charitable body set up by the designer, found that 90% of babies recuperating in the unit went home breastfeeding, compared to 64% in the old building.

Large windows and skylights increased natural light by up to 50% and exposed babies to changing outside conditions, helping them gain awareness of day and night.

Noise levels were decreased by over 9 decibels on average, helping babies to sleep on average for 22% longer than in the old unit, while nurses in the new building spent 20% more of their time with the newborns.

The cot rooms are arranged in a clockwise circuit from intensive care through to high dependency, special care, the parents? rooms and finally home, so that parents can clearly track their baby's route to recovery.

Medical equipment is fixed to the ceiling and pulled down when in use, reducing clutter at ground level.

Dr. Bernie Marden, a consultant neonatologist and paediatrician on the ward, said the study had allowed doctors to build up an accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment.

"We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation," he said.

See more of The Dyson Centre in our earlier post, published shortly after the unit opened in 2011, or see more hospitals and healthcare centres on Dezeen.

Here's more information from Dyson:

---

The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care is leading the way in improving the quality of life for sick and premature babies. Pioneering research funded by the James Dyson foundation, has found that of babies studied, 90% recuperating in the new unit went home breast feeding, compared to 64% in the old building. The study also showed that babies are better rested ? sleeping on average for 22% longer than in the old unit.

Through award winning architecture, the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) creates a healthier environment for babies, parents, and nursing staff. The project was funded in partnership with the NHS and private donations, including ?750,000 from the Dyson family and the James Dyson Foundation.?The building has a progressive layout. A clockwise circuit of cot rooms, starting with intensive care and leading to special care and finally home. This creates a psychological effect of development. Large windows give controllable natural light throughout, allowing babies, parents and staff to be aware of changing outside conditions, gaining an awareness of day and night.

The Research

A ?100,000 donation by the James Dyson Foundation is enabling research to ascertain the full benefits of the new building. Collecting data from both the old building and the new, the hospital is building up a picture of the ideal environment for recuperation.

Consultant neonatologist and paediatrician, Dr. Bernie Marden said: "We have collated vast amounts of data using new techniques to build up a really accurate picture of how babies respond to their environment. We have found that the design of the building is leading to better fed and better rested babies, contributing to their recuperation."

James Dyson said: "New technology has been specifically adapted to monitor a baby?s sleep cycle and respiratory patterns in a far less invasive way than ever before. The findings show the way in which design and technology can have an effect far beyond the hands of a single consumer ? aiding health."

Accelerometers measure speed and movement; they are used in aircraft and smartphones and increasingly in sports and athletics. Bath Rugby Club uses the technology to analyse player training techniques and fitness.

This research is the first in the world to adapt and use accelerometers to measure the respiratory and sleep patterns in a baby in order to monitor their reaction to the surrounding environment, using an extremely low power, self contained wireless device. Previously intrusive methods including ECG and information from ventilator circuits have been used to measure this.

The accelerometers have been found to be sensitive enough to provide remote and wireless respiratory information. Doing away with invasive tubing and tangled wires. This is a significant result which may allow for remote monitoring of apnoea, effort of breathing and the quality of sleep. The studied babies in the new centre were found to be asleep or in a restful state for longer than in the old building.

Infrared tracking technology was used to pinpoint staff movements in the building and test the efficiency of the design. The study found that nurses in the new building spend 20% more of their time in the clinical rooms, with the babies. Meaning more time spent caring for the babies.

Lux meters were used to take light measurements according to specific times, dates and outside weather conditions. Up to 50% more natural light was measured in the new building. This ensures a more natural circadian rhythm ? allowing the babies, parents and staff to perceive the changing day, aiding the babies sleeping and eating habits.

Sound pressure level meter readings were taken and an average level for each hour was documented in decibels. Noise levels in the special care unit have decreased by over 9dB on average from those in the old building. It is suggested that the increased sleep observed in the babies relates to this reduction in background noise.

Cot side diaries used in the research captured the physiological state of the babies in each environment and the interaction of parents with their babies. In addition a qualitative aspect of the project measured how the ?intervention? (the building) affected parental and staff experience, taking the form of semi structured psychological interviews.

Source: http://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/16/james-dyson-to-build-cancer-centre-after-ward-redesign-improves-baby-care/

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Loose cow puts up a fight in New York

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Anger Management: 6 Ways to Keep Your Cool at Work

May 15 (Reuters) - Result from the Europa League final at the Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday Benfica 1 Oscar Cardozo 68 (pen) Chelsea 2 Fernando Torres 59, Branislav Ivanovic 90+3 Halftime: 0-0 Attendance: 46,163 Teams: Benfica: 1-Artur; 34-Andre Almeida, 4-Luisao, 24-Ezequiel Garay (33-Jardel 78), 25-Melgarejo (15-Ola John 66); 35-Enzo Perez, 21-Nemanja Matic, 19-Rodrigo (11-Lima 66); 20-Nicolas Gaitan, 18-Eduardo Salvio; 7-Oscar Cardozo. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/anger-management-6-ways-keep-cool-101653872.html

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Former O.J. Simpson attorney refutes testimony

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? The lawyer who unsuccessfully defended O.J. Simpson against armed robbery charges testified Friday his client knew two companions had guns in a 2007 confrontation with memorabilia dealers.

Miami attorney Yale Galanter contradicted much of Simpson's earlier testimony while under questioning at a hearing in which his former client is seeking a new trial on grounds of ineffective legal representation.

Galanter testified the former football hero confided to him that he had indeed asked two men to bring guns to the hotel room confrontation and "he knew he screwed up."

Galanter hesitated and spoke only after he paused, breathed deeply and was reminded that Simpson had waived attorney-client privilege.

"I'm very uncomfortable doing this," Galanter said.

He said that based on conversations with Simpson, his then-client had asked the two others to bring guns.

"He said, 'The other guys had guns and I didn't,'" Galanter said.

On the basis of that, Galanter said he made the decision not to claim at trial that Simpson couldn't see the guns in the hotel room.

"To argue that he had tunnel vision and didn't see these guns was absurd to me," Galanter said.

Simpson and his new lawyers, Patricia Palm and Ozzie Fumo, allege that Galanter botched the trial over the hotel room incident, which involved two memorabilia dealers and five Simpson pals, including two who testified they brought guns.

A decision on Simpson's retrial bid will be made by District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell. She has not indicated whether she will rule immediately after testimony or take the issue under advisement.

Testifying about events prior to the hotel room incident, Galanter said he was surprised when Simpson told him over dinner at a Las Vegas hotel that he and several other men were planning a "sting" to take back items he believed had been stolen from him in Los Angeles.

Galanter said he advised against it.

"He said he and some of his boys were planning a sting in the morning," Galanter said.

Under questioning by H. Leon Simon, attorney for the state, Galanter said Simpson mentioned the sting plan while they were having dinner with several other people at Simpson's hotel the night before. Galanter said he was in town on another, unspecified, legal case and he met with his longtime client to catch up as friends.

Galanter denied giving Simpson the go-ahead to try to retrieve personal items ? a key contention among Simpson's 19 claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and conflict of interest.

"When he first mentioned it, it just went over my head," Galanter said of Simpson's plan. "About a minute or two later, I leaned over and said, 'What are you talking about? What are you doing?'

"He told me he finally had a lead on some personal pictures and memorabilia that was stolen from him years earlier," Galanter testified. "I said, 'O.J., you've got to call the police.'"

According to Simpson, Galanter advised the former football star that it was his legal right to retrieve personal items; told Simpson not to testify at the trial; failed to tell Simpson that prosecutors offered plea deals; and failed to raise the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Palm and Fumo have said they didn't need Galanter to testify for Simpson. They said written briefs, bolstered this week by testimony from 12 witnesses, have provided compelling evidence that Simpson deserves a new trial.

Another Simpson lawyer joined the legal team Friday. Tom Pitaro, a veteran Las Vegas trial attorney known for witheringly direct and insistent questioning, cross-examined Galanter.

Pitaro sparred verbally with Galanter over financial aspects of the case, including fees paid to Gabe Grasso, a Nevada lawyer Galanter had brought in to assist.

"Gabe says you paid him $15,000. You say you paid him $25,000," Pitaro said. "He says you promised to pay him $250,000."

"That never happened," Galanter said.

During one objection, the judge invited Pitaro to tell where he was going with his questions.

"What Mr. Galanter has done is, this man has received over a half-million dollars and has put his interest, his financial interest, above the interest of his client," Pitaro said.

Since Monday, the Simpson hearing on a writ of habeas corpus has revolved around Galanter ? his promises, payments and performance in the trial that sent Simpson to prison for nine to 33 years for armed robbery and kidnapping.

Simpson maintains that he didn't know anyone in the hotel room had guns, and that he had a right to the items he was after ? football mementos, awards, photos and personal items that he said were stolen from him while he was moving out of his Los Angeles home.

The move followed Simpson's "trial of the century" acquittal in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend, and a 1997 civil judgment that ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the estates of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

"I talked to Yale about it two or three times," Simpson said during his testimony Wednesday. "The overall advice he was giving was, 'You have a right to get your stuff.'"

_____

Find Ken Ritter on Twitter: http://twitter.com/krttr

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-lawyer-says-oj-simpson-knew-guns-162612409.html

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