Film review: Good action, pokey plot in 'Parker' | The Salt Lake Tribune

This film publicity image released by FilmDistrict shows Jason Statham, left, and Jennifer Lopez in a scene from "Parker." (AP Photo/FilmDistrict, Jack English)

"Parker" delivers what you?d expect when you have Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez on a poster ? he kicks butt, she shakes hers ? but it?s a depressingly static exercise.

Statham plays Parker, the literary creation of the late Donald E. Westlake (under his alter ego Richard Stark), a tough thief with a code that emphasizes no killing of innocent bystanders and no double-crosses. Both happen after a heist at the Ohio State Fair, when his colleagues? mistakes kill a fairgoer and their greed leads them to shoot Parker and leave him for dead.

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HH

?Parker?

Opens Friday, Jan. 25, at theaters everywhere; rated R for strong violence, language throughout and brief sexual content/nudity; 118 minutes.

He recovers and tracks his former crew to West Palm Beach, Fla., where they are planning a massive diamond heist. Parker wants to pinch the jewels from the thieves while also killing them. He enlists a struggling real-estate agent, Leslie Rodgers (that?s J-Lo), who rationalizes his plan by saying "everybody steals from somebody."

Director Taylor Hackford ("Ray," "An Officer and a Gentleman") provides some glossy images of south Florida excess, but John J. McLaughlin?s script slows the pacing with extraneous characters and a muddled plot.

Statham again proves he?s fine putting the hurt on baddies, but flounders during the movie?s faltering attempts at romance and drama.

movies@sltrib.com; www.sltrib.com/entertainment

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment2/55641867-223/parker-statham-heist-killing.html.csp

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Evolution inspires more efficient solar cell design: Geometric pattern maximizes time light is trapped in solar cell

Jan. 25, 2013 ? The sun's energy is virtually limitless, but harnessing its electricity with today's single-crystal silicon solar cells is extremely expensive -- 10 times pricier than coal, according to some estimates. Organic solar cells -- polymer solar cells that use organic materials to absorb light and convert it into electricity -- could be a solution, but current designs suffer because polymers have less-than-optimal electrical properties.

Researchers at Northwestern University have now developed a new design for organic solar cells that could lead to more efficient, less expensive solar power. Instead of attempting to increase efficiency by altering the thickness of the solar cell's polymer layer -- a tactic that has preciously garnered mixed results -- the researchers sought to design the geometric pattern of the scattering layer to maximize the amount of time light remained trapped within the cell.

Using a mathematical search algorithm based on natural evolution, the researchers pinpointed a specific geometrical pattern that is optimal for capturing and holding light in thin-cell organic solar cells.

The resulting design exhibited a three-fold increase over the Yablonovitch Limit, a thermodynamic limit developed in the 1980s that statistically describes how long a photon can be trapped in a semiconductor.

In the newly designed organic solar cell, light first enters a 100-nanometer-thick "scattering layer," a geometrically-patterned dielectric layer designed to maximize the amount of light transmitted into the cell. The light is then transmitted to the active layer, where it is converted into electricity.

"We wanted to determine the geometry for the scattering layer that would give us optimal performance," said Cheng Sun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and co-author of the paper. "But with so many possibilities, it's difficult to know where to start, so we looked to laws of natural selection to guide us."

The researchers employed a genetic algorithm, a search process that mimics the process of natural evolution, explained Wei Chen, Wilson-Cook Professor in Engineering Design and professor of mechanical engineering at McCormick and co-investigator of the research.

"Due to the highly nonlinear and irregular behavior of the system, you must use an intelligent approach to find the optimal solution," Chen said. "Our approach is based on the biologically evolutionary process of survival of the fittest."

The researchers began with dozens of random design elements, then "mated" and analyzed their offspring to determine their particular light-trapping performance. This process was carried out over more than 20 generations and also accounted for evolutionary principles of crossover and genetic mutation.

The resulting pattern will be fabricated with partners at Argonne National Laboratory.

Also co-authoring the paper were co-lead authors Chen Wang and Shuangcheng Yu, graduate students in McCormick's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Northwestern University. The original article was written by Sarah Ostman.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Chen Wang, Shuangcheng Yu, Wei Chen, Cheng Sun. Highly Efficient Light-Trapping Structure Design Inspired By Natural Evolution. Scientific Reports, 2013; 3 DOI: 10.1038/srep01025

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/electricity/~3/wNNT299sxu8/130125111358.htm

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Humane Society of Midland County introduces Luke on NBC25 ...

Read?more: Local, Community, Environment, Outdoors, Dog, Dog Adoption, Humane Society of Midland County, Pets, Pet Adoption, Heartworm, Rescue Animals

MIDLAND COUNTY -- Volunteers at the Humane Society of Midland County describe Luke as a kind, mellow and friendly German Shepherd.

When the Humane Society received Luke, he had heartwarm which is why volunteers encourage pet-owners to medicate their animals against the disease. Animals get heartworm aftering being bit by an infected mosquito.

Luke?is currently on medication and on the path to recovery.

He is also up-to-date on all of his shots.

Volunteers say he would be a great companion for any family.

For more information on Luke and the Humane Society of Midland County, head?online.

Source: http://www.minbcnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=852221

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Cygnett Cases for iPad hands-on

Cygnett makes a wide variety of cases for the iPad, and I recently had a chance to look at and try out a bunch of them.

• The Lavish Earth Collection makes it easy to put your iPad in, secure it beautifully with velcro, prop it up with the multiview stand, and close it back again with magnetic smart cover action.

• The Glam is also magnetic. Cygnett products are always beautiful and the Glam is soft and velvety. It's like the Lavish Earth but with a sheen. It's stitched all the way through, so it's built to last.

• Alumi comes in a multitude of colors. It has a beautiful, soft finish, but also has a nice, handy pocket. It's also got the magnetic smart cover action.

Any of these strike your fancy?

More: Cygnett

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

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Hey

The universe is huge. But who started it? That is YOU. Celestials are the space gods of the universe. Each Celestial owns an entire planet!(We have a space walrus!)

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?The Celestials?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

Im sorry to bother any of you but I cant reply to any messages or send them if anyone can help me please do! And Gamer please send me a list of flaws and ill fix them ASAP.

~.

CookieRaiderEng

Member for 0 years

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Ok, So this is my list.

Do not add any faces of such it is no neccarsry.

Fix you're grammar errors.

Change that name since Number 18 does not sound so godly.

I like you're tribe civilization but there are already lions so are these people going to be humanoid animals instead?

Be the god of more things since Vengeance does not seem to be all that you're character is made of.

Alignment is if you're god is good or bad or even neutral.

And do not make you're goddess be sad about her parents leaving her since the others are not sad about that and should not even care about that since they are gods.

Also call it a goddess not a god.

And do not add a quote, but you can giver her a nickname.

I think that is all and you are set =3 hope you have fun here.

JGamer502

Member for 0 years

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Well since you made this topic, I better make it useful so this is where any new peoplez canz comez fo'z helpz =3

JGamer502

Member for 0 years

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T-Mobile Galaxy S2 receiving small OTA update, still ICS for now

The T-Mobile version of the Galaxy SII (S2) is receiving an update today, either via OTA or Samsung Kies, that keeps the device on Android 4.0.4 but brings a few needed fixes. The update, which can bring you to baseband version T989UVLI1 or T989UVLH1, is just 11MB when downloaded OTA and has a few fixes on board. Apparently a Qualcomm fix is included, along with other security enhancements and Vlingo S Voice improvements.

When first seeing that an update was available for the Galaxy S2 we instantly jumped to conclusions, thinking that this may be the Jelly Bean update. The update started rolling out for the international S2 yesterday, but unfortunately T-Mobile's model is on ICS for just a while longer. Have you received the update via OTA or Kies? Head to the forums and chime in, as some users are already reporting seeing the update arrive on their devices.

Source: T-Mobile Support; More: T-Mobile Galaxy S2 Forums

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/9-xDPK0oAWI/story01.htm

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Sex of early birds suggests dinosaur reproductive style

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

In a paper published in Nature Communications on January 22, 2013, a team of paleontologists including Dr. Luis Chiappe, Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's (NHM) Dinosaur Institute, has discovered a way to determine the sex of an avian dinosaur species.

Confuciusornis sanctus, a 125-million-year-old Mesozoic bird, had remarkable differences in plumage ? some had long, almost body length ornamental tail feathers, others had none ? features that have been interpreted as the earliest example of avian courtship. However, the idea that male Confuciusornis birds had ornamental plumage, and females did not, has not been proven until now. Chiappe and the team studied hundreds of Confuciusornis fossils unearthed from rocks deposited at the bottom of ancient lakes in what is today northeastern China and found undisputed evidence of the gender difference: medullary bone.

Chiappe conducted the study with Anusuya Chinsamy of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Jes?s Marug?n-Lob?n of Madrid's Universidad Auton?ma, Cantoblanco; Gao Chunling and Zhang Fengjiao of the Dalian Natural History Museum in China.

"Our discovery provides the first case of sex identification in an ancient bird, an animal closely related to dinosaurs, such as the famous Velociraptor," said Chiappe. "When people visit dinosaur exhibits, they often want to know if the skeletons are male or female. We have nicknames like Thomas and Sue, but of all the thousands of skeletons of dinosaurs or early birds found around the world, only the sex of a few has been determined."

According to Chinsamy, the bone histologist on the team, "Just like modern hens, female Confuciusornis birds that lived 125 million years ago deposited this special bone inside their long bones, and then used it to make the calcium-rich eggshells." Finding such tissue ? present during a short period of time in reproductively active females ? in a specimen that lacked long feathers proved that those birds without ornamental plumage are females.

"This now permits us to assess gender differences in growth and development of this Mesozoic bird," she said.

But while this discovery offers evidence that both early and modern female avian species were essentially using the same physiological strategy to reproduce, it also spotlights an important difference in when they sexually matured.

"In human terms, knowing the sex of these specimens sheds light on when these early birds begin puberty," said Chiappe, "Now we know that early birds began reproducing way before they were full grown, a pattern that contrasts with what we know of living birds, which typically begin reproducing after they reach full body size." In that way, ancient birds produced offspring like dinosaurs, which also began to reproduce before they were fully grown.

The specimens, housed at the Dalian Natural History Museum in northeastern China, had been excavated from rocks formed at the bottom of ancient lakes in a forested environment surrounded by volcanoes. Ancient catastrophes, presumably related to volcanic eruptions, killed large numbers of birds and other animals, whose bodies were buried deep in the lake mud that helped minimize decay and preserving the organs, skeletons, and plumage. "This discovery is part of the big picture of understanding the early evolution of birds,'' Chiappe said, "and how living birds became what they are."

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Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: http://www.nhm.org

Thanks to Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126406/Sex_of_early_birds_suggests_dinosaur_reproductive_style

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