Sony unveils its next game console, the PlayStation 4

Sony tonight announced its much-rumored next video game console, the PlayStation 4. Sony Computer Entertainment prez and CEO Andrew House announced the console with little more than a logo and a handful of concepts. We're sure to hear more as the night goes on, and we'll be updating this post as we learn more.

Lead system architect Mark Cerny -- legendary game dev and, to us, creator of Marble Madness -- came up next. He said that development of the PS4 started five years ago. Cerny said he's been exploring how to evolve "the PlayStation ecosystem," and he started by speaking to the limitations of PlayStation 3. Cerny said he's been aiming to make sure "nothing gets between the platform and the game." An image of an old-timey hunter shooting space invaders in the sky is used as an example -- here's hoping the PS4 doesn't mean we'll be taking plastic guns and shooting pixels in the sky.

"We were able to create in PlayStation 4 a system by game creators, for game creators," Cerny said. As far as specs, he said it runs on x86 architecture, a "highly enhanced" PC GPU (with "almost 2 teraflops of performance," he added), an unknown amount of local HDD storage, and 8GB of GDDR5 system memory. Cerny next unveiled the DualShock 4, which looks an awful lot like the leaks we saw recently -- it features a touchpad, a light bar, and what looks like rubberized grips. Otherwise, it looks an awful lot like a DualShock 3 with some new bells and whistles.

Cerny's talking software now -- the PS4 can pause and resume mid-game, allowing players to multitask at any point. There's also a second chip dedicated to managing uploads and downloads, meaning you can download games in the background or when the system's off. More importantly, however, you can start downloading a game and begin playing it as the download goes -- pretty great! As far as sharing goes, PS4 is heavy on social interactivity; Cerny said its social network will extend beyond the console to mobile and Vita. He's ambiguous about which platforms that'll mean, but it sounds like Sony's aiming to make it platform agnostic. There's also a Pinterest-esque social app for friends to share screens and video, which Cerny said applies to the PS4's "personalization" angle. "You'll see real pictures of your real friends," he said.

David Perry went next, and he talked about Sony's acquisition of Gaikai (he was the former head of Gaikai, but now he's working with Sony). His game streaming service is being employed to run demos on PS4, allowing people to try any game they want instantly. He also said that both Facebook and Ustream are being employed on PS4, using the DualShock 4's Share button. But how much? He didn't say. Beyond just sharing games you've already played, you can also livestream -- to the point that a friend of yours who is spectating can actually jump into your game, via streaming, and help you out.

But wait, there's more! Despite Remote Play being a function in the previous PlayStation console, Perry said it's also heading to PlayStation 4. A brief demo of Mark Cerny's PS4 game Knack was shown -- Perry said latency should be imperceptible, using Gaikai's streaming tech. Perry gave one last tease: "everything everywhere." He's hoping that PlayStation Cloud will apply to more than just PS4 and Vita, but also to mobile devices as well. The service will roll out "in phases," Perry said, without giving more detail, though he did say that Cloud will power PS1, PS2, PS3, and PlayStation Mobile games.

Check out our liveblog of Sony's event to get the latest news as it happens!

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/20/sony-ps4-announcement/

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InterContinental Hotels Posts 11% Profits Rise On China, US Growth

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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Tuesday, February 19, 2013
World's biggest hotel room provider launches 226 new hotels and two new brands as sales approach $2bn ...

Source: http://www.ibtimes.comhttp:0//www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/436706/20130219/intercontinental-hotels-holiday-inn-china-ftse-shares.htm

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Y Combinator-Backed Zenefits Gives Small Businesses A One-Stop Shop For Finding And Managing Employee Benefits

For startups and small businesses, providing and managing benefits can be a huge headache. In the early stages, this responsibility generally falls into the hands of founders, who have to contact insurance brokers and manage the whole enrollment process themselves. It's distracting and tedious, but it's also a critical part of ensuring that employees are happy, healthy and productive. After becoming intimately familiar with this painful process at his two prior companies, Wikinvest and SigFig, Parker Conrad decided to build a solution -- the product he says he wishes had been available to him at the time. After recruiting Laks Srini, a software engineer at SigFig, the two co-founded Zenefits -- a service that quotes, enrolls and manages benefits for startups and SMBs.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/q8qKEmFZiqE/

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CR North junior organizing Relay for Life to fight cancer

Putting together a major charity fundraiser isn't on the agenda for most high school juniors.

But Dan Pomerantz of Council Rock High School North in Newtown Township figures all the work will be offset by the satisfaction of helping people with cancer and their families.

Pomerantz, 16, is organizing an American Cancer Society Relay for Life to be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 8 at CR North's Walt Snyder Stadium, 62 Swamp Road. It will be the first Relay for Life held in Council Rock, he said.

"It is a load, all the details involved in organizing this, but it will definitely be worth it," said Pomerantz, a Newtown Township resident.

"It's a great way to use my time and give back," he continued. "I was involved in Relays for Life when I lived in North Carolina about 10 years ago, and I've missed having them here and I think it will be a great thing for Council Rock."

Pomerantz' motivation is also somewhat personal.

"I have an aunt and uncle who survived cancer," he said. "I think most of us at one time or another have been affected by cancer at some?point in our lives?with either a relative or friend or someone we know having it."

A Relay for Life involves teams of 10 to 15 members circling a track for 12 straight hours with the idea that at least one team member is on the track at all times. The goal is for each team member to raise $100, and the team $1,000. There is also a $10 entrance free for each team member.

Pomerantz hopes to raise at least $25,000 in this event. The money will aid cancer patients and survivors and their families in various ways, he said.

Council Rock North Principal Susan McCarthy praised Pomerantz and everyone else who is helping to bring the event to the school district.

"CRN is very proud of the altruism of our students and staff, especially in light of all of the time and energy they are devoting to such a worthwhile cause," said McCarthy.

Relays for Life started in May 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash., ran around the track at the University of Puget Sound there for 24 straight hours. Joined by friends for stretches of the marathon, Klatt raised $27,000 for the Tacoma office of the American Cancer Society.

Since then, Relays for Life have grown to the point where they are held in 20 countries and have raised $4.8 billion in the last 28 years, according to relayforlife.org.

To participate in the Council Rock North event or for more information, call 404-329-5127 or visit relayforlife.org/panewtown.

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50849407/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/

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Video: Singer Mindy McCready dead in apparent suicide

>>> that breaking news, the tragic loss in the world of country music . troubled star mindy mccready has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. andrea canning, you spoke with the star just a few week ago.

>> so sad and so bizarre we were just there. i texted her a couple of nights ago asking her how she was and how sorry i was and i never heard back. now it appears she was battling those demons, those personal demons sthee had for so long. sunday night neighbors her two gun shots. she is said to have shot her dog and herself in a place that had great meaning for the singer.

>> i just keep telling myself the more suffering i go through, the greater character i'll have.

>> reporter: in her final interview last month before reportedly taking her own life, country singer mindy mccready sounded hopeful, but things apparently became too much to bear.

>> i don't know why he did what he did. he's gone. i cannot get him back.

>> reporter: dan hanks, los angeles -based private investigator and long-time friend advised mccready on personal matters over the years. for business purposes and with her consent, hanks often says he recorded their phone conversations. the last one on saturday afternoon.

>> i would have never guessed that she would have gone ahead and done what she did.

>> reporter: she got emotional, talking about her new song "i'll see you yesterday."

>> it's such a beautiful song. it must be heard.

>> reporter: ironically written to try to help those contemplating suicide .

>> now it's so clear that that was what she was doing, preparing her last statement in this video.

>> reporter: authorities found her body on this porch shall the same place where her boyfriend, david wilson , died last month. police have not ruled yet whether his death was murder or suicide.

>> the police have not called you a suspect, but do you feel like just the way that it came out in the story that it was damaging in itself?

>> i was hurting so bad and then they just did whatever they could to make it hurt even more. guys do it all the time

>> reporter: the country star was once at the top of the charts. was better known recently for her public struggles with addiction. she had recently won a bitter custody battle to get her son back, but in the days following david wilson 's death, her two boys were placed in foster care . friends say she had a brief stay in a mental health facility but was released.

>> my life hasn't ever really made sense to me, because i -- i do know what kind of person i am. and i do know that i -- i try to be as good a person as i could possibly be every day.

>> police say it does appear to be suicide, but they are conducting an autopsy at the arkansas crime lab , the same lab where her boyfriend's death is being investigated as well. her two young boys are still with the foster family and she told me they were the reason she got up every day. that's where your heartbreaks here is for those two little boys , one of them just 9 months old.

>> terrible story. thank you, andrea.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50846018/

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Blog Post: The Sony VAIO Tap 20 at Home with my Family

Sometimes there is nothing like a shiny new PC to bring a family together?and this was the case for my family a few weeks ago when I brought the Sony VAIO Tap 20 to my parents? house. My sister asked inquisitively ?what?s that?? when she saw it sitting in the trunk of my car. I told her that it was half tablet, half all-in-one and the coolest new PC from Sony.

The Sony VAIO Tap 20 is an amazingly unique PC because it is the only All-In-One that doubles as a gigantic tablet. You can unplug it from the wall, pick it up and move it easily to any room in the house, and better yet, it has a three hour battery life, so you don?t have to pick a spot to work or play near an outlet. It seamlessly went from the kitchen to the downstairs living room in my house many times a day. The fact that a PC with a 20 inch screen is now very portable is so cool.

When I set it up in the kitchen my mom, dad, and sister began hovering to see how this PC worked. My mom was instantly impressed with the clean design and the fact that there is one single cord needed for power?she doesn?t like when there is a mess of wires and cables everywhere. Needless to say that the sleek and minimalist exterior of the Tap 20 totally appealed to her.

I was able to capture my dad?s attention when I showed him how the innovative hinge design allows the Tap 20 to be propped upright like an easel or laid flat. He was busy for quite some time surfing the Seattle Times website from the kitchen counter with Internet Explorer 10. ?

Internet Explorer 10 provides a great web browsing experience. IE10 is built for touch and allows you to have a full screen website without any navigation bars to get in your way. For example, now you can zoom in and out and go backwards and forwards all with your fingers.

But perhaps my favorite moment with the Tap 20 was when my 13 and 15 year old cousins arrived for dinner and made a beeline for the Tap 20 which had been relocated to the coffee table in the downstairs living room. Within seconds they were sitting side-by-side on the couch with the Tap 20 on their lap. Willie (the 13 year old) kept saying ?this is awesome? as he was checking out the different Windows 8 games and apps on the Start screen.

This was their first hands on experience with a Windows 8 PC, and what always impresses me about kids and technology is their fearless ability to just start figuring it out. They loved the way that they could flip through all of the open apps, and how the Start screen could be customized in so many colors and patterns. But I think all of the fun Windows 8 games were their favorite part of playing with the Tap 20.

Puzzle Touch was the game that grabbed their attention for quite some time. It was great because they could take turns and play the game together. Puzzle Touch is cool because you can import or take a picture and then turn it in to a puzzle that you have to solve. The Tap 20?s beautiful 20 inch screen allowed them to easily watch and be entertained when the other one was playing?a featured that my aunt loved.

I think it was a unanimous consensus at my house that the Tap 20 has a lot to offer everybody in the family. From gathering around it with my mom and my sister to Skype with my aunt and uncle in Michigan, to casually browsing the web, to gaming on a beautiful screen, the Sony VAIO Tap 20 does it all. And with Windows 8, every member in the family can have their own unique log in. This is great because my mom doesn?t want a motorcycle as her picture password, and my dad doesn?t want a picture of my boyfriend and me as his background. With Windows 8, everybody can have their settings, their stuff, and their apps tied to their Microsoft Account, not the PC.

If you think the Sony VAIO Tap 20 would be a perfect addition to your family as well, then go to Sony?s website to check it out for yourself, even LL COOL J gives it a thumbs up in this video from the CES show in Vegas! It has a few different standard configurations, and Sony even offers the ability to customize it to fully meet your needs. Right now, Sony is even offering free shipping, so you should act fast!

Source: http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2013/02/18/the-sony-vaio-tap-20-at-home-with-my-family.aspx

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Home Sweet Home Education: Can Homeschool Parents Administer ...

Many homeschoolers don't know that they, as homeschool parents, have the option of administering a standardized test to their child. I have gathered some information and am sharing it here with you in what I hope to be a clear and logical order. Don't take this as legal advice, and always consult the HSLDA for legal advice. Also, please use the links I have provided to double check everything for yourself.

Let's read how this law is written from the Georgia Department of Education website:

"Students in home study programs shall be subject to an appropriate nationally standardized testing program administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm referenced tests. The student must be evaluated at least every three years beginning at the end of the third grade. Records of such tests shall be retained"

This is how it is stated on the LexisNexis website as well. If you'd like to read it from there, visit their website and search for Georgia Code 20-2-690.

Here is how the HSLDA has it written in their 2012-2013 Legal Analysis of Georgia Homeschool Laws PDF.?

"Standardized Tests: Children must take a nationally standardized achievement test every three years beginning at the end of the third grade. The test must be administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm reference tests. Since science and social studies are required subjects and the testing is required to evaluate the student?s ?educational progress,? HSLDA is of the opinion that the complete battery form of the standardized test should be used. Test scores must be retained but are not required to be submitted to public school authorities. Ga. Code Ann. ? 20-2-690(c)(7)."

So at this point, we've established that the test must be administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm reference tests. Now I want to share with you that the testing suppliers determine who this "trained person" administering the test is.

Taken directly from the GHEA website this morning, we read under Testing and the Homeschool Law:?

"Georgia?s Home Study law (GA Code Ann. 20-2-690-(c)(7), requires that children take a national standardized achievement test every three years, beginning at the end of the third grade. These test scores are NOT to be submitted to public school authorities, but are only to be seen and kept on file for at least 3 years by the parents. There is NO exit exam required of home school high schooled students to graduate.?

The teaching parent may use any nationally normed standardized test. The testing companies set the rules as to the qualifications of the person administering the test and under what circumstances the test should be given. The home schooling parent is responsible for the cost of the test and having their children tested. The state does not provide this service."

I think it's important to note that the women that are in charge of the GHEA have been politically active in the past and therefore have first-hand experience communicating with congressmen about all sorts of homeschool issues. I feel confidant this information is still accurate and up-to-date, but if I ever question that I will simply give HSLDA a call!

I think it's worth noting that although each of these three sources (GA DOE, HSLDA and GHEA) have shared the same information regarding what the law is, the HSLDA and GHEA have added some additional and beneficial information. From HSLDA, we are informed of the law and we also learn that they are of the opinion that the complete battery form of the standardized test should be used since science and social studies are required subjects in Georgia. This makes perfect sense. From GHEA, we again are informed of the law, yet we also learn that testing companies set the rules as to who can administer their tests as well as the fact that test scores are not to be submitted to public school authorities. One might be able to interpret that for themselves from the law, but I don't think so because many people have been surprised when I've told them this. It sure is nice to have these important issues elaborated on by the HSLDA and GHEA.

Hopefully, this information will help homeschool parents make an informed decision that best suits the needs of their family. In another post, I'll share information about tests and testing companies.

Source: http://homesweethomeeducation.blogspot.com/2013/02/can-homeschool-parents-administer.html

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