World of weather opposites for Arkansas farmers

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas farmers were expected to plant 1 million acres of corn this year but frequent heavy rains have knocked that estimate down by about 15 percent, state agriculture experts said Thursday.

Even though it is the middle of June, a small percentage of growers are still planting soybeans, rice and cotton. Planting corn this late is associated with diminished yields, but corn expert Jason Kelley of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture said irrigation can counter the effects of a normal late summer.

Growers have struggled to get their equipment into the fields this spring.

"It's been a struggle. Having to deal with the cold, the rainfall, the wet soils ? it really slowed things down this year," Kelley said.

Normally a wet spring will include a stretch of a week to 10 days in which growers can get their planting done.

"You hear 800,000 acres (of corn) and that seems like a lot. We can plant that in a week," Kelley said. "But it's hard to get that amount planted when you get a day here, a half day there. We couldn't get a string of seven or eight days in a row to get things done."

A year ago, producers in east Arkansas, where most of the state's row crops are grown, were harvesting corn in mid-July.

Farmers also caught a nice break last year. Since they planted early, growers missed the worst of a punishing drought in August and September.

Agricultural economist Scott Stiles of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture says even some rice is still going in the ground this late in June.

Some of the switch to rice is by corn growers who couldn't get their crops planted but some other growers decided to switch to rice because September futures contracts have been on a consistent rise for about a month.

Stiles said that corn prices could go up because about 5 percent of the nation's crop ? close to 5 million acres ? hasn't gone into the ground yet. And parts of the Midwest have gotten a lot of rain.

Regardless, Arkansas is still making a very large shift from cotton to corn. Last year state growers planted 700,000 acres of corn and, in 2011, it was 560,000 acres.

Arkansas producers haven't planted 1 million acres of corn since the post-World War II economy of the 1950s.

State growers planted 710 acres of winter wheat, which is now being harvested. Stiles said the crop appears to be above average, so far.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in its March forecast projected 1.2 million acres of rice would be planted this year in Arkansas, down about 5 percent from a year ago. Some of that could be made up by growers changing their minds about planting other crops.

Arkansas produces about half of the nation's rice and it is the state's largest cash crop.

Growers are expected to have 3.3 million acres of soybeans planted, the state's largest crop geographically. That's about the same as last year.

Producers are planting only 270,000 acres of cotton, compared to 595,000 acres in 2012 and 680,000 acres in 2011.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows almost all of Arkansas has passed out of the drought. Only a small area in parts of three counties in the state's southwest is in moderate drought, the least extreme categories of drought.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-weather-opposites-arkansas-farmers-122233953.html

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New AirPort Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule supports Gigabit Wi-Fi

Apple's revised its AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule to support 802.11ac, the latest and greatest Wi-Fi protocol to see adoption. Called "Gigabit Wi-Fi," 802.11ac offers performance greater than 1 gigabit per second. The AirPort Express was notably missing from any mention of update.

The AirPort Extreme has gotten a complete makeover - it's smaller than before, and features three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The Time Capsule will be available in 2TB and 3TB configurations. Users of the new versions of the devices will see improvements in video streaming and other bandwidth-intensive activities. Time Capsule backups will be faster, of course. The new devices incorporate a "beamforming antenna array."

Other networking hardware vendors have already beaten Apple to the punch with 802.11ac-equipped devices, but the changes are welcome and timed well with new MacBook Air systems that also support 802.11ac.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/axm9ulcUB9E/story01.htm

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Reduced brain volume in kids with low birth-weight tied to academic struggles

June 10, 2013 ? An analysis of recent data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 97 adolescents who were part of study begun with very low birth weight babies born in 1982-1986 in a Cleveland neonatal intensive care unit has tied smaller brain volumes to poor academic achievement.

More than half of the babies that weighed less than 1.66 pounds and more than 30 percent of those less than 3.31 pounds at birth later had academic deficits. (Less than 1.66 pounds is considered extremely low birth weight; less than 3.31 pounds is labeled very low birth weight.) Lower birth weight was associated to smaller brain volumes in some of these children, and smaller brain volume, in turn, was tied to academic deficits.

Researchers also found that 65.6 percent of very low birth weight and 41.2 percent of extremely preterm children had experienced academic achievement similar to normal weight peers.

The research team -- led by Caron A.C. Clark, a scientist in the Department of Psychology and Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon -- detected an overall reduced volume of mid-brain structures, the caudate and corpus callosum, which are involved in connectivity, executive attention and motor control.

The findings, based a logistic regression analyses of the MRIs done approximately five years ago, were published in the May issue of the journal Neuropsychology. The longitudinal study originally was launched in the 1980s with a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health, grant HD 26554) to H. Gerry Taylor of Case Western University, who was the senior author and principal investigator on the new paper.

"Our new study shows that pre-term births do not necessarily mean academic difficulties are ahead," Clark said. "We had this group of children that did have academic difficulties, but there were a lot of kids in this data set who didn't and, in fact, displayed the same trajectories as their normal birth-weight peers."

Academic progress of the 201 original participants had been assessed early in their school years, again four years later and then annually until they were almost 17 years old. "We had the opportunity to explore this very rich data set," Clark said. "There are very few studies that follow this population of children over time, where their trajectories of growth at school are tracked. We were interested in seeing how development unfolds over time."

The findings, Clark added, provide new insights but also raise questions such as why some low-birth-weight babies develop normally and others do not? "It is very difficult to pick up which kids will need the most intensive interventions really early, which we know can be really important."

The findings also provide a snapshot of children of very low birth weights who were born in NICU 30 years ago. Since then, technologies and care have improved, she said, meaning that underweight babies born prematurely today might have an advantage over those followed in the study. However, she added, improving NICUs also are allowing yet smaller babies to survive.

Clark now is exploring these findings for early warning clues that might help drive informed interventions. "Pre-term birth does mean that you are much more likely to experience brain abnormalities that seem to put you at risk for these outcomes," she said. "They seem to be a pretty strong predictor of poor cognitive development as children age. We really need to find ways to prevent these brain abnormalities and subsequent academic difficulties in these kids who are born so small."

Co-authors were Kimberly Andrews Espy, professor of psychology and vice president for research and innovation, and dean of the graduate school at the UO; Hua Fang of the University of Massachusetts Medical School; Pauline A. Filipek and Jenifer Juranek, both of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston; and Barbara Bangert, Maureen Hack and Taylor, all of Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, in Cleveland.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/NNkuDjg3xs8/130610133543.htm

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There Was Drinkable Water On Mars According To Opportunity

Opportunity, aka The Little Rover That Could, is still making important discoveries 10 years into its Martian jaunt. After the devastating loss of twin rover Spirit in 2011, Opportunity rallied and kept trekking, only to recently discover a fascinating rock near Endurance Crater.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/D7NDDv9jigM/there-was-drinkable-water-on-mars-according-to-opportun-512200809

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CSN: Pirates spoil Garza's return to Cubs rotation

PITTSBURGH -- Travis Snider took a pregame pep talk from his manager to heart. Relaxed and with a clear head, he delivered a crucial sixth-inning home run for the second time in five games.

Snider hit a pinch-hit grand slam to help the Pittsburgh Pirates spoil a strong return to the mound for Matt Garza with a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.

Garza allowed one hit over five shutout innings in his first outing in 10 months, but the Pirates pounced on a Chicago bullpen that is 10th in the National League in ERA by sending 11 men to the plate in the sixth.

Snider, who homered for the first time in nine months in a win over Milwaukee on Thursday, hit his first career home run with the bases loaded. It was the first Pirates pinch-hit grand slam in five years.

"Tonight was probably the most calm pinch-hit at bat I've had," Snider said. "(Manager Clint) Hurdle gave a good speech before the game just talking about situations that come up, whether it's in the sixth inning, the first inning, eighth inning, ninth inning -- the game's the game. And over-thinking those situations isn't going to make it any easier for you if you don't get a hit. So I just tried to go up there and be patient.

"I got ahead of the count and was able to sit back on a changeup."

Wandy Rodriguez (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings for the Pirates, who have won nine of 11.

Darwin Barney went 4 for 4 for the Cubs, who have lost three of four.

Snider's second homer was the first pinch-hit grand slam by a Pirates player since Jason Michaels on June 2, 2008, at St. Louis. It came off of Shawn Camp after Hector Rondon and James Russell (1-1) had combined to load the bases. Pedro Alvarez walked to drive in a run.

The Pirates did not have a hit against Garza until Clint Barmes singled to right with one out in the fifth.

Garza had been sidelined since July 21 because of a stress reaction in his right elbow and, later, a strained upper back muscle.

"He was really good," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "He had a really good slider. His command, for it being his first time back, was outstanding. Even when he missed, he didn't miss by much. His velocity was good, too, consistently at 93-94. He was just outstanding."

Limited by a pitch count, Garza threw 82 pitches.

"I felt great out there," Garza said. "I had some butterflies and the first couple of innings flew by. I had to kind of stop myself at one point and just slow down but it was fun. It was a long, long time and it's nice to not only come back but pitch well. You don't want to spend that much time working to get back and then pitch poorly."

Or, apparently, to hit poorly either. The lone inning in which Rodriguez allowed a runner to progress past first base was the second, when Barney had an RBI single and Garza hit a two-run double.

Cubs pitchers have 13 RBIs in May -- the most for the franchise in any month since September 1971. They also have a major league leading six doubles.

But after that, Rodriguez retired 13 of the final 15 he faced.

"At the beginning, I didn't have good stuff," Rodriguez said through a translator. "Then I started using the breaking ball and hitting spots and I was successful at that."

Justin Wilson worked around two hits in the seventh and Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless eighth.

The Cubs scored once in the ninth on a single by Starlin Castro, but Jason Grilli stuck out Anthony Rizzo swinging with two on to end the game and earn his majors-leading 18th save. Rizzo finished 0 for 5.

After sitting out Pittsburgh's previous game Sunday due to knee soreness, Andrew McCutchen went 0 for 4. He made two of the Pirates' three outs during the sixth, leaving the bases loaded to end the inning.

Game notes
To make room for Garza on the roster, the Cubs earlier Tuesday designated RHP Michael Bowden for assignment. Also Tuesday, Chicago claimed RHP Eduardo Sanchez off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned him to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. ... The Pirates reinstated RHP Jose Contreras from the bereavement list before the game and returned RHP Jared Hughes to Triple-A Indianapolis. ... LHP Francisco Liriano will make his third start for the Pirates when the series continues Wednesday. He has faced the Cubs once in his eight-year career. RHP Jeff Samardzija, who has a 0.92 ERA in 39 career innings vs. Pittsburgh, starts for the Cubs.

Source: http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs-talk/bullpen-blows-garzas-strong-start

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Microsoft launches Xbox One, calls it the console for all-in ... - Firstpost

Redmond, Washington: Microsoft thinks it has the one.

The company unveiled the Xbox One, an entertainment console that wants to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year, for an undisclosed price.

For the past two years, Microsoft has led the gaming industry in console sales with the Xbox 360. But it?s been eight years since that machine came out, and Microsoft is the last of the three major console makers to unveil a new system. In those eight years, Apple launched the iPhone and the iPad, ?FarmVille? rose and fell and tablets began to threaten desktop computers, changing how people interact with games and beyond.

Now, the stakes are high as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all using their latest machines to not only draw gamers but also command the living room. The goal is to extend their reach beyond loyal legions of hardcore gamers and to become as important to our lives at home as smartphones have become to our lives on the go.

Don Mattrick, Microsoft?s president of interactive entertainment business, said the company has spent the past four years working on the ?all-in-one home entertainment system.?

Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft?s interactive entertainment business, talks about the next-generation Xbox One entertainment and gaming console system?s capabilities for viewing live sports. AP

At an hour-long presentation at the company?s Redmond, Washington, headquarters on Tuesday, Microsoft executives used voice controls to seamlessly switch back and forth between watching live TV, listening to music, playing a movie and browsing the Internet ? all while running apps for fantasy football and Skype chats. It showed how users could watch live sports on TV while getting updates on their fantasy leagues on a split screen.

?It really extends the home entertainment experience,? Gartner analyst Brian Blau said.

He said the console seems to appeal to ?more than just a core gamer in the family? and should be of interest to all types of audiences, from sports players to TV viewers to those who are ?social and want to share things.?

Xbox One is the third entry in the latest round of the ?console wars.? It follows Nintendo Co.?s launch of the Wii U in November and Sony Corp.?s tease in February for the upcoming PlayStation 4. Each of the next-generation consoles have shifted away from simply serving as gaming machines, as they incorporate streaming media apps and social networking features.

With the Xbox One, people will be able to connect their cable or satellite set-top box and watch TV through the game machine. The Xbox One has its own guide and lets people change channels by voice command.

Senior Vice President Yusuf Mehdi demonstrated how the console switched quickly between channels after saying show names such as ?Mary and Martha? or commands like ?watch MTV.? His voice command of ?What?s on HBO?? brought up the channel guide for HBO.

?No more memorizing channels or hunting for the remote control,? Mehdi said.

The interface for the TV goes well beyond the functionality in the Wii U, which still requires users to press buttons to change the input source on the TV. Xbox One seamlessly switched between games, movies and TV shows with a single voice command.

?You can switch to your game like it?s a TV channel flip,? said Marc Whitten, Microsoft?s chief product officer of interactive entertainment business. He called it a ?lag-free instant experience.?

Microsoft also unveiled a new version of its camera-based Kinect system with better motion and voice detection, including the ability to read faces and tell whether you?re smiling or not. The Kinect will be required for Xbox One to work. The company also introduced a more ergonomic Xbox controller, with new buttons and a slightly different layout from the Xbox 360 controller. The new console will also add the ability to play Blu-ray discs, matching what Sony has in its older PlayStation 3.

Among the games previewed for Xbox One were the military shooter ?Call of Duty: Ghosts? from Activision Blizzard Inc., the soccer extravaganza ?FIFA 14? from Electronic Arts Inc. and the racing simulator ?Forza Motorsport 5? and time bender ?Quantum Break,? both from Microsoft Game Studios. Microsoft said more games will be shown at next month?s E3 video game conference in Los Angeles.

The company said there will be more than 15 games available exclusively on the Xbox One in the first year after it launches, eight of them new franchises. In recent years, the Xbox has been the exclusive home to such popular gaming franchises as ?Halo,? ?Forza? and alien shoot-?em-up ?Gears of War.?

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter noted that Tuesday?s presentation was more general than what Microsoft will likely give at E3, where games will be central as thousands of game industry insiders, bloggers and journalists gather for the annual industry conference.

?They didn?t focus on games,? he said. ?They focused on everything else.?

That everything else includes a multiyear agreement between Microsoft and the National Football League to develop new interactive viewing experiences for pro football games through such products as the Xbox One and Microsoft?s Surface tablet computer. Fans will get the ability to watch games, chat with other fans, view statistics, access highlights in real time and gather fantasy information about players and teams ? all on a single screen. For those who prefer multiple screens, fans can get an even deeper experience on mobile devices such as tablets.

Microsoft is also branching into creating original content beyond games, following the trend of other technology companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc. Director Steven Spielberg will produce a TV series involving Microsoft?s popular ?Halo? franchise.

Microsoft said games for the Xbox 360 won?t work on the new system, though the company said it will continue to make games for the older machine. The Xbox One won?t require a constant connection to the Internet, but having it will be useful for many of the gaming and entertainment features. The Xbox has been popular largely because of its Xbox Live service, which lets users play games online with other players for as much as $60 a year.

The original Xbox debuted in 2001, and its high-definition successor premiered in 2005. Part of the Microsoft entertainment and devices division that also includes Skype and the Windows Phone, the Xbox represents a small fraction of Microsoft?s overall revenue. In the latest quarter, revenue in that division amounted to about 12 percent, or $2.5 billion of the $20.5 billion total.

Nintendo kicked off the next generation of gaming in November with the launch of the Wii U, the successor to the popular Wii system. The Wii U features an innovative tablet-like controller, though its graphics is on par with the previous-generation Xbox 360 and Sony?s PlayStation 3. Nintendo said the console sold just 3.45 million units by the end of March, well below expectations.

Sony was next, teasing plans for its upcoming PlayStation 4 ? without showing the actual box ? at a February event in New York. The reaction to that console, which featured richer graphics and more social features, was mixed. The PS4 is expected by the holidays.

Microsoft didn?t waste any time showing off the Xbox One console, new Kinect sensor and Xbox controller at the beginning of Tuesday?s presentation.

Microsoft?s stock fell 23 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close Tuesday at $34.85.

Associated Press

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/tech/microsoft-launches-xbox-one-calls-it-the-console-for-all-in-one-entertainment-803897.html

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Yahoo's Unwatchable Live Stream Proves Its Next Acquisition Should Be A Proper Video Platform

It's easy to forget that Yahoo has had a long on-again-off-again love affair with online video. Remember Broadcast.com, which kicked off the Mark Cuban Era? But you might not remember that, because other online video platforms long ago left Yahoo in the proverbial dust. Today, as Yahoo streamed its Flickr product and Tumblr acquisition announcements, we were given a demonstration of why Yahoo has been left in the dust -- and why it's had to turn to acquisitions for help in, well, nearly every department.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/eIAnZ7GqFYk/

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