Personality may predict if you like spicy foods

Public release date: 17-Jul-2013
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Contact: Stephanie Callahan
scallahan@ift.org
312-604-0273
Institute of Food Technologists

CHICAGO Certain aspects of an individual's personality may be a determining factor in whether they like their food plain and bland or spicy and hot, according to research presented at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

Nadia Byrnes, MS, a doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, presented her research that set out to determine whether there was a correlation between personality types and hot-spice preferences. She conducted a study of 184 participants--nonsmokers ages 18 to 45 without any known issues that would compromise their ability to taste, primarily Caucasian and slightly more women than men (63 percent).

Byrnes assessed the group using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS), a test for the personality trait of sensation-seeking, defined as desiring novel and intense stimulation and presumed to contribute to risk preferences. Those in the group who score above the mean AISS score are considered more open to risks and new experiences, while those scoring below the mean are considered less open to those things.

The subjects were given 25 micrometers of capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, and asked to rate how much they liked a spicy meal as the burn from the capsaicin increased in intensity. Those in the group who fell below the mean AISS rapidly disliked the meal as the burn increased. People who were above the mean AISS had a consistently high liking of the meal even as the burn increased. Those in the mean group liked the meal less as the burn increased, but not nearly as rapidly as those below the mean.

"Theoretically, we know that burn intensity and liking are linear related. The more irritating a compound or food gets, the less people should like it," she said. "But that's not always the case."

Also during the same panel. Shane McDonald, Ph.D., principal flavor chemist at Kalsec, discussed the addition of "tingling" spices to foods, which is not very prevalent in the U.S. diet outside of carbonation. He said "Ma La," a traditional Szechuan cuisine that combines chili peppers (the heat) and Szechuan peppers (the tingle), shows promise for American food manufacturers.

The combination of the two sensates enhances the tingling while reducing the heat, which could make certain traditionally spicy foods more appealing to consumers, he said.

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About IFT

For more than 70 years, IFT has existed to advance the science of food. Our nonprofit scientific societymore than 18,000 members from more than 100 countriesbrings together food scientists, technologists and related professions from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.

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Public release date: 17-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Stephanie Callahan
scallahan@ift.org
312-604-0273
Institute of Food Technologists

CHICAGO Certain aspects of an individual's personality may be a determining factor in whether they like their food plain and bland or spicy and hot, according to research presented at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

Nadia Byrnes, MS, a doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, presented her research that set out to determine whether there was a correlation between personality types and hot-spice preferences. She conducted a study of 184 participants--nonsmokers ages 18 to 45 without any known issues that would compromise their ability to taste, primarily Caucasian and slightly more women than men (63 percent).

Byrnes assessed the group using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS), a test for the personality trait of sensation-seeking, defined as desiring novel and intense stimulation and presumed to contribute to risk preferences. Those in the group who score above the mean AISS score are considered more open to risks and new experiences, while those scoring below the mean are considered less open to those things.

The subjects were given 25 micrometers of capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, and asked to rate how much they liked a spicy meal as the burn from the capsaicin increased in intensity. Those in the group who fell below the mean AISS rapidly disliked the meal as the burn increased. People who were above the mean AISS had a consistently high liking of the meal even as the burn increased. Those in the mean group liked the meal less as the burn increased, but not nearly as rapidly as those below the mean.

"Theoretically, we know that burn intensity and liking are linear related. The more irritating a compound or food gets, the less people should like it," she said. "But that's not always the case."

Also during the same panel. Shane McDonald, Ph.D., principal flavor chemist at Kalsec, discussed the addition of "tingling" spices to foods, which is not very prevalent in the U.S. diet outside of carbonation. He said "Ma La," a traditional Szechuan cuisine that combines chili peppers (the heat) and Szechuan peppers (the tingle), shows promise for American food manufacturers.

The combination of the two sensates enhances the tingling while reducing the heat, which could make certain traditionally spicy foods more appealing to consumers, he said.

###

About IFT

For more than 70 years, IFT has existed to advance the science of food. Our nonprofit scientific societymore than 18,000 members from more than 100 countriesbrings together food scientists, technologists and related professions from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.

---

[ | 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/2013-07/ioft-pmp071713.php

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Autoliv to Build Chinese Textile Center

In a bid to be more competitive, auto airbag manufacturer Autoliv announced yesterday that it will invest $50 million to build a new textile center in China that?will consist of a weaving plant, an airbag cushion plant, and a development center for airbag cushions and textiles.

Because of the strong demand for airbags in China and across Asia, Autoliv is looking to reduce supplier costs by becoming vertically integrated. When completed, the new center will give the airbag maker a central hub for its patented "one-piece-woven" technology that makes airbag cushions?almost ready-made on the weaving loom. A separate building on site will manufacture the airbag cushions themselves, which represents a relocation of Autoliv's facility from Shanghai.?

Autoliv President and CEO Jan Carlson said, "The textile center will increase our level of in-house component sourcing and enable standardized designs in Asia region and globally, while shortening and streamlining our supply chain."

The weaving plant will be almost 100,000 square feet in size and will employ around 150 people. The similarly sized cushion facility will employ around 1,000 people. Together with the development center that will be constructed and will focus on standardized designs for the Asia region, Autoliv will have?in-house manufacturing of its OPW across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

The airbag maker?produced 70 million airbag cushions in-house and purchased 40 million from external suppliers for its total production of 110 million complete airbags?globally last year.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Autoliv is?the worldwide leader in airbag?safety systems for all the world's major car manufacturers. Together with its joint ventures, Autoliv has approximately 80 facilities with more than 50,000 employees in 29 countries. It had global sales of?$8.3 billion in 2012.

The article Autoliv to Build Chinese Textile Center originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Duprey has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Autoliv. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright ? 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/06/29/autoliv-to-build-chinese-textile-center/

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PrawfsBlawg: A Personal Finance Tip for the Professoriate: NY ...

? A Judicial Hall of Fame | Main | JOTWELL: Wasserman on Colby on empathy ?

Friday, June 28, 2013

A Personal Finance Tip for the Professoriate: NY Times Educator Rate

This sort of thing drives me crazy, wasting thousands of dollars simply by choosing a higher price over a lower price. ?In the spirit of an earlier post, where I directed readers to a website where you can find unclaimed and lost assets, I point out that teachers and students can get digital?and home delivery subscriptions to The New York Times at about half the regular rate. ?

Posted by Jack Chin on June 28, 2013 at 06:08 AM | Permalink

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A quick note - down in the fine print, it notes that professors should subscribe through the college rate page. The prices are the same (at least for now), so I'm not sure if they really care, but you'll probably be less likely to be bumped out if you do it that way.

Posted by: Charles Paul Hoffman | Jun 28, 2013 8:13:39 AM

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Source: http://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2013/06/a-personal-finance-tip-for-the-professoriate-ny-times-educator-rate.html

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Cheney: Obama 'a day late and a dollar short' on Syria | The Daily ...

• 

Former Vice President Dick Cheney criticized the Obama administration?s handling of the Syrian situation on ?Fox News Sunday??in the wake of ?President Bashar al-Assad?s use of chemical weapons.

Cheney suggested the United States missed its opportunity, and was unsure if al-Assad?s use of chemical weapons justified U.S. involvement if the deaths of 93,000 people already killed in the conflict did not justify it.

?I don?t think it?s been well handled,? Cheney said. ?I will be the first to admit it?s a complex, difficult situation. I frankly think John McCain has it just about right. John and I don?t always agree on everything. We have had our debates over the years but I think John has pretty well nailed it. Now we are to the point where it?s hard to understand that it?s the use of chemical weapons that triggered this result. As John said the other day, well, there were 93,000 people killed not affected by chemical weapons. Where was the concern then? It?s not clear to me what the mission is here, or they understand the mission.?

?Is it strictly humanitarian?? he continued. ?Is it geo-strategic? Does the United States have a vested interest in the outcome? Are we potentially involved in some kind of proxy war with the Soviets or the Russians, excuse me, who are supporting Assad? I think it is important that Assad go down. I think ? my instinct would have been to support the opposition sooner. You had an opportunity, if you cared about it, if it was in fact in the national interest. You had an opportunity earlier to provide support without having to get American forces directly involved and they took a pass. Now they are going to do it. But the question is whether or not they are a day late and a dollar short.?

Cheney endorsed the idea of a no-fly zone, but said that move by the United States would present problems and the question should be asked if it is in our national interests to get that involved.

?Jack Keane said the other day on the network ? that from a military standpoint of being able to accomplish something objectively that might well provide success, the no-fly zone, is what he would recommend,? Cheney said. ?That?s not without potential cost, obviously. Syria has a fairly sophisticated anti-air capability, sophisticated ground-to-air missiles. So it?s a problem. But again, I think it?s important for the administration to come back and specify what is the U.S. national interest here? And seems to be the only reason you?re going is now you have evidence that they used chemical weapons and killed 150 people with chemical weapons, is that our national interest? And I?m not sure they got it straight in their own minds what our objective is.?

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Source: http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/16/cheney-obama-administration-may-be-a-day-late-and-a-dollar-short-on-syria/

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Video: Maria's Market Insight

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/52209526/

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Oculus Rift HD prototype VR headset appears at E3, we go hands (and eyes) on (update: video)

We've been impressed with Oculus Rift from the start, and have been following the VR headset closely ever since. The developer edition has been in the hands of devs for a couple months now, and while Palmer Luckey and Nate Mitchell have certainly received rave reviews of the headset from many, they've also heard lots of feedback about ways to improve it. The number one request from users and devs? A higher-resolution screen than the 1,280 x 800 panel in the dev device. Well, after months of research and tinkering to find the right hardware combination, team Oculus is finally ready to show off a Rift with a 1,080 x 1920 display, and we got to demo the thing.

Before heading into the land of 1080p, we got to explore a demo built with Unreal Engine 4 in the existing dev headset. After looking around a snowy mountain stronghold inhabited by a fire lord in low res, we switched to the exact same demo running at 60 fps on the HD prototype device -- and the difference was immediately apparent. Surface textures could be seen in much higher fidelity, colors were brighter and less muddied and the general detail of the entire environment was greatly improved.

Gallery: Oculus Rift HD prototype VR headset hands-on

Filed under: Gaming, HD

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vbfxFUaBVSg/

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Less friction loss in combustion engines

June 11, 2013 ? Researchers have developed a method that can reduce engine friction and wear even during production of engine components. Special coatings can help to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.

If a new car engine is to run "smoothly," first it has to be properly run in: drivers should avoid quick acceleration and permanent short trips during the first 1000 kilometers, for instance. Why is this "grace period" necessary at all? When an engine is being run in, the peripheral zone on the articulations -- the components in mechanical contact with one another -- changes as a result of friction: the surface itself becomes "smoother," and the granularity of the microstructure becomes finer at a material depth of roughly 500 to 1000 nanometers (nm), creating a nanocrystalline layer.

Quite a bit of friction has taken place, though, by the time this nano scale layer has formed. That is why, even now, a large share of the energy is lost to friction during the phase in which an engine is run in. Surface running properties are also a function of the customer's behavior during the running-in phase. A critical topic for the automotive industry: against the backdrop of increasingly scarce resources and the need to reduce CO₂ emissions, reductions of friction loss has top priority on the development agenda.

More precision through optimized production technologies

Within the scope of the "TRIBOMAN" project, researchers at five Fraunhofer Institutes are working to develop production methods and processes to improve combustion engines' tribological (meaning friction-related) performance. The focus is on components exposed to particularly high levels of friction, such as the running surfaces of engine cylinders. "Our common approach is to move the process of forming marginalized layers to an earlier stage in production," explains Torsten Schmidt from the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Chemnitz.

Schmidt and his team have developed optimized production technologies for precision finishing in this connection. "For precision drilling of running surfaces on cylinders, we use defined cutting edges with a specific design. This results in very high surface quality," Schmidt adds. "We also systematically use the force of the machining process to promote ?grain refinement' -- meaning the hardening of the materials -- even during production."

The new process is designed to improve the influence on friction and wear in engine components in the future -- taking the automotive industry a significant step closer to achieve the goal of using energy more efficiently and reducing CO₂ emissions. But customers stand to benefit as well: these new advancements would considerably shorten the running-in period for new engines. Besides improvements in comfort, it also reduces the risk of premature wear as a result of running in a new engine.

Using a single cylinder test engine with cylinder running surfaces of aluminum, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg have already documented the first positive results of this kind of modified finishing: analyses of the processed cylinder surfaces showed a significantly lower grain size compared to conventional methods. The surface microgeometry is comparable to the cylinder running surfaces of well-run-in cylinders. Researchers are currently working to adapt their method to new development trends in automobile manufacturing such as the introduction of biofuels: since the ethanol content of biofuels is higher, aluminum components are now usually fitted with a coating layer to protect them from corrosion more effectively.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/LcH7sDkAZ2Q/130611084201.htm

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This Is the Most Awesomerest Feature in Apple iOS 7

Redesign, schmedesign. Apple's designmeister Jony Ive can harp all he wants about harmonious grids, elegant typography and the holy essence of genius contained in Dieter Ram's underpants. But the fact is that the most oooh!-aaah! feature in his new iOS 7 is the parallax effect you can see in this animated GIF. It's like magic distilled from squeezed rainbow unicorn ponies sandwiched between glass and metal.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/e9ALpWN6uiQ/this-is-the-most-awesomerest-feature-in-apple-ios-7-512390674

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CSN: Disabled list strong possibility for Sandoval

PHOENIX ? Pablo Sandoval?s MRI exam showed that his left foot strain was no more severe, but the Giants? All-Star third baseman is likely headed to the disabled list anyway.

?To be honest, we need to get this to calm down,? Giants manager Bruce Bochy said following a 6-2 victory at Arizona on Sunday. ?You get an injury like this and try to get through it, you can end up losing him for a longer period of time.?

Sandoval also appeared resigned to his third consecutive season interrupted by the DL, saying he didn?t know what was next but trying to give it a couple days might not be the answer.

?That?s what I tried,? said Sandoval, who missed three games last weekend in St. Louis but aggravated the injury in the first inning Saturday night and exited in the third. ?I don?t know how it?s going to be now.?

Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said other opinions would be sought on treatment options and special footwear. The strain is in the mid outer area of his foot, Groeschner said.

Sandoval was in a walking boot as the Giants dressed for their flight to Pittsburgh, where they begin a three-game series on Tuesday.

?We?ll get together on the flight and talk about it,? said Bochy, adding that Sandoval would be out at least a few days.

Sandoval missed more than a month in 2011 with a fractured right hamate bone in his right hand, then sustained the same injury to his left hand last season. He also went on the DL with a hamstring strain last year.

?It happens in baseball,? Sandoval said. ?I?ve been through it last year and two years ago with my hands. You try to be healthy and something can happen. It?s part of the game. You have to keep focused and positive.?

Sandoval, the World Series MVP last October, is still getting a positive reception from fans. He leads NL third basemen in the latest All-Star ballot totals released by Major League Baseball on Sunday, holding roughly a 200,000-vote edge over the Mets? David Wright.

The Mets will play host to the game at Citi Field.

Joaquin Arias would be expected to take over as the starting third baseman while Sandoval is out.

Source: http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/andrew-baggarly/disabled-list-strong-possibility-sandoval

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CT Scans May Raise Kid's Cancer Risk By 24 Percent

Update Date: May 22, 2013 10:35 AM EDT

Worth the risk? Tumor detecting CT scans may raise the risk of cancer in kids and adolescents, (Photo : Reuters)

Computed tomography or CT scans are a great medical advancement and provides a variety of benefits like helping diagnose infections and tumors and guiding doctors to the right area during surgery. However, a new study reveals that the benefits of the scans do not come without risks.?

Previous studies have suggested that the radiation in imaging tests increase the risk of developing cancer, but so far nothing has been clearly defined. A new study, published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal, found that children and adolescents who had at least one CT scan were 24 percent more likely than kids who never had the scans to develop cancer. To put the findings into perspective, researchers explained that in a group of 10,000 young people, they would expect 39 cancers to occur during the next decade.? However, if the 10,000 young people all had one CT scan, researchers believe up to six extra cancers would occur.

Lead author Dr. John D. Matthews, of the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne in Carlton, Australia, looked at Australian Medicare and national cancer records of 10.9 million people between the ages of 0 to 19 years old. ?All participants were born between 1985 and 2005 with total follow-up ending at the end of 2007.

Researchers said that of this group, 680,211 had a CT scan at least one year before a cancer diagnosis and 122,500 had received more than one scan.

Researchers followed participants who had undergone CT scans for an average of 9.5 years and those who never got scanned for just over 17 years.

The study revealed that 3,150 (.004 percent) of kids exposed to CT scans had developed cancer by the end of 2007.? Researchers said that this incidence rate was 24 percent greater in the exposed group after adjusting for age, sex and year of birth.? Researchers found that the risk increased by 16 percent for each additional CT scan.

The cancers in the study included tumors of the brain, digestive organs, soft tissue, female genital, urinary tract and thyroid along with melanoma and blood cancers. Researchers found that brain cancer risks were still significantly higher 15 years after the first CT scan, and the highest risks for brain cancer were seen in children who had their first CT scan before they turned five.

Solid cancer cases other than brain cancer increased over time since the first exposure, and girls were found to have greater increased risk than boys with 23 percent of females developing cancer compared to 14 percent of males.? Researchers found that increased risks for all cancers declined over time, but were still significantly higher than risks of people who had not been exposed to CT scans.

However, researchers said that almost 60 percent of CT scans were of the brain and recognize that in some cases the brain cancer may have led to the scan rather than vice versa.

Researches added that they "cannot assume that all the excess cancers [...] were caused by CT scans" and they "cannot rule out the possibility of some reverse causation, particularly for some cases of brain cancer".

However, they conclude that the "increased incidence of many different types of cancer [...] is mostly due to irradiation". They noted that because cancer excess was still continuing after follow-up, they could not determine the "eventual lifetime risk from CT scans".? They recommend that doctors weight the benefits against the potential risks to justify each CT scan. ?

TagsCT scans, Computed tomography, cancer, Children, brain cancer, adolescent, radiation

? 2013 Counsel&Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: http://www.counselheal.com/articles/5481/20130522/ct-scans-raise-kids-cancer-risk-24-percent.htm

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SKorea analyzing NKorea's 4 projectile launches

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korea is analyzing whether projectiles North Korea fired into its eastern waters over the weekend are short-range missiles or a new type of artillery the country may be developing, officials said Monday.

North Korea fired what Seoul officials called a short-range projectile Sunday, a day after conducting three similar launches. South Korean officials earlier said the weapons fired on Saturday were guided missiles but later clarified that they may not be missiles, referring to the objects as "projectiles."

"There is a possibility that they are short-range missiles or large-caliber rockets with a similar ballistic trajectory," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.

Kim said North Korea may be developing such a large-caliber gun and South Korea is taking seriously whatever weapons the country develops because it could attack the South. He said an artillery gun with a bigger caliber will likely have more destructive power.

Officials were trying to find out what exactly the North fired Saturday and Sunday, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity citing department rules.

North Korea routinely test-launches short-range missiles. But the latest launches came amid some tentative signs of easing tension on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier this year, North Korea issued near-daily threats to attack South Korea and the U.S. to protest their annual joint military drills and U.N. sanctions imposed over its February nuclear test.

South Korea called the latest launches a provocation and urged the North to take responsible actions while the U.S. said threats or provocations would only further deepen North Korea's international isolation, while

The North has a variety of missiles but Seoul and Washington don't believe the country has mastered the technology needed to manufacture nuclear warheads that are small and light enough to be placed on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.

The Korean Peninsula officially remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/skorea-analyzing-nkoreas-4-projectile-launches-031809748.html

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Disruptions: Robots as Home Health Care Aides for the Elderly ...

In the opening scene of the movie ?Robot & Frank,? which takes place in the near future, Frank, an elderly man who lives alone, is arguing with his son about going to a medical center for Alzheimer?s treatment when the son interrupts him. ?I brought you something,? he says to Frank. Then the son pulls a large, white humanoid robot from the trunk of his car.

Frank watches in disbelief. ?You have got to be kidding me,? he says as a robot helper, called the VGC-60L, stands in front of him. ?I?m not this pathetic!?

But as Frank soon learns, he doesn?t have much of a choice. His new robot helper is there to cook, clean, garden and keep him company. His son, mired in family and work life, is too busy to care for his ailing father.

Just like Frank, as the baby boomer generation grows old and if the number of elderly care workers fails to grow with it, many people might end up being cared for by robots. According to the Health and Human Services Department, there will be 72.1 million Americans over the age of 65 by 2030, which is nearly double the number today. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country will need 70 percent more home aide jobs by 2020, long before that bubble of retirees. But filling those jobs is proving to be difficult because the salaries are low. In many states, in-home aides make an average of $20,820 annually.

?There are two trends that are going in opposite directions. One is the increasing number of elderly people, and the other is the decline in the number of people to take care of them,? said Jim Osborn, a roboticist and executive director of the Robotics Institute?s Quality of Life Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. ?Part of the view we?ve already espoused is that robots will start to fill in those gaps.?

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed Cody, a robotic nurse the university says is ?gentle enough to bathe elderly patients.? There is also HERB, which is short for Home Exploring Robot Butler. Made by researchers at Carnegie Mellon, it is designed to fetch household objects like cups and can even clean a kitchen. Hector, a robot that is being developed by the University of Reading in England, can remind patients to take their medicine, keep track of their eyeglasses and assist in the event of a fall.

The technology is nearly there. But some researchers worry that we are not asking a fundamental question: Should we entrust the care of people in their 70s and older to artificial assistants rather than doing it ourselves?

Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of the book ?Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other,? did a series of studies with Paro, a therapeutic robot that looks like a baby harp seal and is meant to have a calming effect on patients with dementia, Alzheimer?s and in health care facilities. The professor said she was troubled when she saw a 76-year-old woman share stories about her life with the robot.

?I felt like this isn?t amazing; this is sad. We have been reduced to spectators of a conversation that has no meaning,? she said. ?Giving old people robots to talk to is a dystopian view that is being classified as utopian.? Professor Turkle said robots did not have a capacity to listen or understand something personal, and tricking patients to think they can is unethical.

That?s the catch. Leaving the questions of ethics aside for a moment, building robots is not simply about creating smart machines; it is about making something that is not human still appear, somehow, trustworthy.

A recent Georgia Tech study found that older people were intrigued by the idea of robotic assistants in the home, but a robot?s appearance played a large role in what they will trust the machines to do. Older people want robots that look human for tasks that involve intelligence, like recommending which medicine they need to take. But they want a more sterile-looking machine for manual labor tasks, like cleaning and cooking, so they do not feel guilty bossing it about.

Wendy A. Rogers, a professor at Georgia Tech and director of the university?s Human Factors and Aging Laboratory, said concerns about older people developing relationships with their in-home helper robots were no different than the bond we develop with other inanimate objects.

Dr. Rogers has been experimenting with a large robot called the PR2, made by Willow Garage, a robotics company in Palo Alto, Calif., which can fetch and administer medicine, a seemingly simple act that demands a great deal of trust between man and machine.

?We are social beings, and we do develop social types of relationships with lots of things,? she said. ?Think about the GPS in your car, you talk to it and it talks to you.? Dr. Rogers noted that people developed connections with their Roomba, the vacuum robot, by giving the machines names and buying costumes for them. ?This isn?t a bad thing, it?s just what we do,? she said.

In fact, Mr. Osborn?s laboratory at Carnegie Mellon has designed a robot to work with therapists and people with autism. The machine can develop a personality and blinks and giggles as people interact with it. ?Those we tested it with love it and hugged it,? he said. ?You begin to think of it as something that is more than a machine with a computer.?

In the movie ?Robot & Frank,? technologists have raced ahead of society?s collective conscience with their robot caregivers. But the movie still leaves its audience with a question: Will it one day be morally acceptable to unload your parents? care to a machine?

As the actor Frank Langella, who plays Frank in the movie, told NPR last year: ?Every one of us is going to go through aging and all sorts of processes, many people suffering from dementia,? he said. ?And if you put a machine in there to help, the notion of making it about love and buddy-ness and warmth is kind of scary in a way, because that?s what you should be doing with other human beings.?

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/disruptions-helper-robots-are-steered-tentatively-to-elder-care/

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90% My Brother The Devil

All Critics (40) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (4)

A story of brothers that's both tough and tender.

"My Brother the Devil" is a promising debut that marks El Hosaini as a filmmaker to watch, but one still very much in the developmental stages.

For at least part of its length, "My Brother the Devil" brings refreshing changes to a genre badly in need of them.

Nuances of faith, politics and sexual identity enrich what initially presents as a classic good son-bad son tale, and although the film's melting-pot patois is occasionally too dense to decipher, we get the gist.

El Hosaini fights the conventions of the brotherly gangster melodrama, but the conventions win.

It's far superior to what usually comes out of the British slums in the genre of gangland thrillers.

Ultimately feels a little flat, but there's promise that the director will carry on to stronger work, with several scenes here delivering exceptional grace and texture that all but guarantees a bright cinematic future.

Sally El Hosaini shows a deft hand in her story telling and direction belying her inexperience behind the camera.

When a both a dog and friend of Rashid's are killed in a violent gang encounter, El Hosaini frames both of their lifeless bodies on the street in a powerful image that tells of two innocents both bred to fight.

[El Hosaini] has a devil of a time getting a handle on this complicated story.

Familiar youth crime/coming-of-age framework, novel setting and focus group.

El Housani's freshman effort is certainly visually accomplished, but there's precious little meat on its bones.

Highly recommended. (Writer-director) El Hosaini handles the various volatile relationships within the film with intelligence and sensitivity.

An engrossing debut from director Sally El Hosaini, My Brother the Devil is as authentic, emotionally complex and powerfully acted as any film you'll see this year.

Unsure performances and some decades-old gangster-film stereotypes hamper this acute, beautifully shot portrait of Egyptian teenagers fighting to survive in a rough London neighborhood.

With My Brother the Devil, writer-director Sally El Hosaini tells a story both operatic in its implications and quotidian in its sensory, day-to-day details.

It's refreshing to see a new generation reinterpret the classics. James Cagney would be proud.

There probably aren't too many Welsh-Egyptian writer-directors like newcomer Sally El Hosaini. But she's clearly representative of a new kind of diversity in modern Britain. And one which bodes well for its filmmaking future.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_brother_the_devil_2012/

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Is Climate Change Increasing Tornado Intensity?

A home in Cleburne, Texas has portions of its roof missing on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/Star-Telegram,Ron T. Ennis)

This satellite image of Texas and parts of surrounding states made on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 8:45 p.m. shows the vicinity around Granbury, Texas, center, approximately 21 minutes before the NOAA NWS Storm Prediction Center received a tornado report. On Wednesday night, tornadoes swept through North Texas, leaving at least six people dead. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Baby birds are rescued from a fallen tree at the home of Joshua Keith on Thursday, May 16, 2013, after a tornado destroyed part of Cleburne, Texas late Wednesday night. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Michael Ainsworth)

Heavily damaged homes are seen in Granbury, Texas, on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

A semi trailer sits on its side, Thursday, May 16, 2013, after it was knocked onto homes after a tornado destroyed part of Cleburne, Texas late Wednesday. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Michael Ainsworth)

A heavily damaged home in Cleburne, Texas is seen in an aerial view on Thursday May 16, 2013. Multiple tornados hit the area last night. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

Heavily damaged homes Line a cul de sac in Granbury, Texas on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

Only the slab is left of a house, swept off of its foundation by the tornado Thursday, May 16, 2013, in Granbury, Texas. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram,Paul Moseley)

A car is turned upside down after a tornado passed through the area Wednesday near near Granbury, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)

A stop sign was knocked to the ground after a tornado passed through the area in Granbury, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)

Lauren Seay looks for items to recover in the bedroom of home that was destroyed by a tornado in Cleburne, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Utility trucks work on restoring power in Cleburne, Texas on Thursday May 16, 2013. Multiple tornados hit the area last night. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

A destroyed home in Granbury, Texas is seen in an aerial view on Thursday May 16, 2013. Multiple tornados hit the area last night. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

From left, the Keith family, Jordan, Alex, Josh and Connie clean a lot damaged by Wednesday's tornado in Cleburne, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ron Russek II)

A heavily damaged home in Granbury, Texas is seen in an aerial view on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

Heavily damaged homes in Cleburne, Texas are seen in an aerial view, on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis)

A large homeis missing most of its roof in Cleburne, Texas on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/Star-Telegram,Ron T. Ennis)

Emergency workers go through the rubble of heavily damaged homes in Granbury, Texas on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/Star-Telegram,Ron T. Ennis)

A a roofless home is seen in Granbury, Texas on Thursday May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis )

Emergency personnel look through debris on near Granbury, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)

Emergency personnel continue search to locate people in the Rancho Brazos neighborhood of Granbury, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)

A house damaged by a tornado that passed through the area on Wednesday near Granbury, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)

Items remain untouched in the cabinet of a destroyed house in Granbury, Texas on Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry)

Searchers working the Rancho Brazos neighborhood in Granbury , Texas, look for unaccounted residents, Thursday, May 16, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)

Crushed autos sit amid the rubble of destroyed homes as emergency personnel continue search efforts to locate unaccounted for people in the Rancho Brazos neighborhood in Granbury, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)

Crushed autos sit amid the rubble of destroyed homes as emergency personnel continue search efforts in the Rancho Brazos neighborhood in Granbury, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)

Lisa Montgomery looks at crosses she salvaged from her home that was destroyed by a tornado in Cleburne, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ms. Montgomery rode out the twister the night before in her bathtub with her 10-year-old son and is salvaging items with friends and family helping. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

People look at damage as they help to start cleaning up and salvage items from a home that was destroyed by a tornado in Cleburne, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Ten tornadoes touched down in several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens injured and hundreds homeless. Emergency responders were still searching for missing people Thursday afternoon. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

This May 16, 2013 photo provided by Nichole Tomlin shows her Granbury, Texas backyard and rubble where Tomlin says there used to be a neighborhood. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/Nichole Tomlin)

A child rides his bike past damaged homes on Thursday, May 16, 2013, after a tornado destroyed part of Cleburne, Texas late Wednesday night. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Michael Ainsworth)

Lightning strikes from a storm illuminates the sky where damage is strewn about the street and light pole near Hyde Park Lane at Country Club Rd. after a tornado in Cleburne, Texas, Wednesday night, May 15, 2013. Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain early Thursday declared a local disaster as schools canceled classes amid the destruction. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)

An unidentified injured young girl is wheeled to an awaiting ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. Granby was the worst hit city as a rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Derrek Grisham, left, points out neighborhood damage to storm chaser Travis Schafer after a tornado damaged his mother's house on Hyde Park Lane at Country Club Rd. in Cleburne, Texas,Wednesday night, May 15, 2013. Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain early Thursday declared a local disaster as schools canceled classes amid the destruction. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)

An unidentified injured person is carried to an ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. Officials report the tornado caused "multiple fatalities" as it tore through two neighborhoods of a North Texas town. Hood County sheriff's Lt. Kathy Jiveden reported the multiple fatalities, but she had no estimate of dead or injured. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

A large hole was blown out of the roof of a home on Lakeshore Dr. outside of Cleburne, after a tornado Wednesday night, May 15, 2013. The top of the roof was still intact leaving a large hole through the roof of Lake Pat Cleburne home. Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain early Thursday declared a local disaster as schools canceled classes amid the destruction. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)

Lightning strikes from a storm illuminate a home damaged by a tornado on Hyde Park Lane at Country Club Rd. in Cleburne, Wednesday night, May 15, 2013. Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain early Thursday declared a local disaster as schools canceled classes amid the destruction. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)

A young injured boy is carried to an awaiting ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Johnny Ortiz, left, and James South, right, carry Miguel Morales, center, who was injured in a tornado, to an ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. Officials report the tornado caused "multiple fatalities" as it tore through two neighborhoods of a North Texas town. Hood County sheriff's Lt. Kathy Jiveden reported the multiple fatalities, but she had no estimate of dead or injured. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

A young injured girl is put on an ambulance in Granbury, Texas, on Wednesday May 15, 2013. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes and threw trailers onto cars. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/18/climate-change-tornado-intensity_n_3300098.html

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Week in review: Google and BlackBerry go iOS, 50 billion app downloads, and more!

It's been a busy, busy week on iMore, and this time the iOS headlines have been dominated by news from ostensibly competing conferences -- BlackBerry Live and Google I/O. The main conversation topic this week was cross platform messaging from BlackBerry and Google both, though also making the headlines was Google's answer to Game Center, Amazon taking on iTunes on the desktop, and the App Store finally hitting 50 billion downloads. Read on for the recap!

The big story early in the week came from BlackBerry Live in Orlando. While we may have expected some news of the enterprise kind that affected iOS devices, we weren't quite prepared for what came next. CEO Thorsten Heins took to the stage and announced that their signature messaging tool, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) would be coming to iOS this summer. Some see it as too little, too late, but there seems to be a healthy early interest in the product. We'll be looking forward to putting it through its paces later this year. It also now means, as Rene pointed out, that each competing platform owner now makes apps for iOS. Apple by contrast, makes squarely nothing for any of its competitors.

• BlackBerry Messenger coming to iOS this summer
• Every major mobile competitor makes apps for iOS

Messaging was the talk of the town over in San Francisco too, at Google I/O. Much-rumored leading up to the conference, Google debuted their new, cross-platform, Google+ Hangouts messaging service, now available on iOS as well as Android and the web. Hangouts seems to amalgamate the existing Hangouts experience of group video chat, with the existing Google Talk instant messaging service. Early impressions are good, but for the complete run down be sure to check out Leanna's full review.

• Google+ Hangouts for iPhone and iPad review

Also coming out of Google I/O was news of an iPad version of Google Maps heading our way this year, updated Google Now cards and Google Play game services. Google's answer to Game Center, the game services API's are going cross-platform and are available to developers of iOS games too. Our own Peter Cohen gave his take on Google's new services following the announcement, so be sure to give it a read.

• Google Maps for iPad, new features coming this summer
• Google takes on Game Center with Google Play game services

The third competing platform announcing a move to Apple products this week was Amazon. Until now, Amazon's Cloud Player music service has only been available via the web browser, but the launch of a desktop version takes on Apple's own iTunes. Initially, Cloud Player is only available for Windows PC's, but there is a version for the Mac in the works. This is great news for Amazon MP3 Store customers however, as getting your music onto your Mac and into iTunes isn't the most user friendly experience as it stands.

• Amazon taking the fight to iTunes on the desktop with new Cloud Player client

One piece of big Apple news this week, was the App Store finally reaching its milestone 50 billion downloads. The lucky winner was one Brandon Ashmore, who downloaded Say The Same Thing to win the $10,000 App Store gift card. Congratulations to Brandon!

• Apple announces 50 billion app downloads. For real

Elsewhere this week, the iMore staff gave us their thoughts on a variety of subjects. Leanna gave us a sterling round up of the best photography apps for the iPhone, while Peter weighed the pros and cons of all three (!) of Apple's current 13-inch MacBook offerings, and also gave us the arguments against touchscreen Macs . All excellent items well worth reading if you missed them the first time round.

• Best apps for iPhone photographers
• Battle of the 13-inch MacBooks: Which one wins?
• Time for touchscreen Macs? Hell no!

Rene, meanwhile, is still pining on a better way to surface files on iOS. Four years of that and counting. Will Apple finally put him out of his misery?

• iOS 7 and my continued, unrequited desire for a Files.app!

There you have them, the best of iMore for week. What stood out for you in everything that went on in the last 7 days? What do you still want to comment about? Have at it below!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Nf2uwVxEQv4/story01.htm

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A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus

FILE - In this May 18, 2012, file photo, provided by Facebook, Facebook founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, center, rings the opening bell of the Nasdaq stock market, from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Amid the hype and excitement surrounding Facebook's initial public offering, there were looming doubts. Potential investors wondered whether the social network could continue growing its advertising revenue without alienating users. One year later, much has changed at Facebook in a year, including the addition of mobile advertisements, the launch of a search feature and the unveiling of a branded smartphone. (AP Photo/Nasdaq via Facebook, Zef Nikolla, File)

FILE - In this May 18, 2012, file photo, provided by Facebook, Facebook founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, center, rings the opening bell of the Nasdaq stock market, from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Amid the hype and excitement surrounding Facebook's initial public offering, there were looming doubts. Potential investors wondered whether the social network could continue growing its advertising revenue without alienating users. One year later, much has changed at Facebook in a year, including the addition of mobile advertisements, the launch of a search feature and the unveiling of a branded smartphone. (AP Photo/Nasdaq via Facebook, Zef Nikolla, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It was supposed to be our IPO, the people's public offering.

Facebook, the brainchild of a young CEO who sauntered into Wall Street meetings in a hoodie, was going to be bigger than Amazon, bigger than McDonald's, bigger than Coca-Cola. And it was all made possible by our friendships, photos and family ties.

Then came the IPO, and it flopped. Facebook's stock finished its first day of trading just 23 cents higher than its $38 IPO price. It hasn't been that high since.

Even amid the hype and excitement surrounding Facebook's May 18 stock market debut a year ago, there were looming doubts. Investors wondered whether the social network could increase advertising revenue without alienating users, especially those using smartphones and tablet computers.

The worries intensified just days before the IPO when General Motors said it would stop paying for advertisements on the site. The symbolic exit cast a shroud over Facebook that still exists. Facebook's market value is $63 billion, some two-thirds of what it was the morning it first began trading. At around $27 per share, the company's stock is down roughly 30 percent from its IPO price. Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 27 percent over the same period.

Despite its disappointing stock market performance, the company has delivered strong financial results. Net income increased 7 percent to $219 million in the most recent quarter, compared with the previous year, and revenue was up 38 percent to $1.46 billion.

The world's biggest online social network has also kept growing to 1.1 billion users. Some 665 million people check in every day to share photos, comment on news articles and play games. Millions of people around the world who don't own a computer use Facebook, in Malawi, Malaysia and Martinique.

And much has changed at Facebook in a year. The company's executives and engineers have quietly addressed the very doubts that dogged the company for so long. Facebook began showing mobile advertisements for the first time just after the IPO. It launched a search feature in January and unveiled a branded Facebook smartphone in April. The company also introduced ways for advertisers to gauge the effectiveness of their ads.

Even GM has returned as a paying advertiser.

Now, Facebook is looking to its next challenge: convincing big brand-name consumer companies that advertisements on a social network are as important ? and as effective ? as television spots.

"We aspire to have ads, to show ads that improve the content experience over time," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts recently. "And if we continue making progress on this, then one day we can get there."

To achieve those aims, the company has rolled out tools to help advertisers target their messages more precisely than they can in print or on television. Companies can single out 18- to 24-year-old male Facebook users who are likely to buy a car in the next six months. They can target 30-year-old women who are researching Caribbean getaways.

Analytic tools like these weren't available a year ago. But last fall Facebook hired several companies that collect and analyze data related to people's online and offline behavior. Facebook's advertisers can now assess whether a Crest ad you saw on Facebook likely led you to buy of a tube of toothpaste in the drugstore. The services take what Facebook knows about you and what ads you saw and combine this with the information retailers have about you and what you've purchased through loyalty cards and the like.

Advertisers are also making use of Facebook's partnership with audience measurement firm Nielsen Co. Nielsen introduced a tool last fall that helps marketers discover "not only who saw their ad online and who saw their ad on TV, but also how these audiences match up," says David Wong, vice president at product leadership at Nielsen.

Sean Bruich, Facebook's head of measurement platforms and standards, believes the new tools are paying off.

"What we can see conclusively a year after the IPO is that ads on Facebook really do help drive people into the store and help them make purchasing decisions, help influence their purchasing decisions," he says.

A recent Nielsen analysis found that consumers are 55 percent more likely to recall "social ads" than traditional online ads.

So powerful is Facebook's new analytic arsenal that privacy advocates are growing concerned about the potential intrusiveness of merging consumers' online and offline experiences.

People "are getting served ads based on things they didn't put on Facebook and maybe wouldn't be comfortable putting on Facebook," says Rainey Reitman, activism director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit civil-liberties firm. Facebook says mechanisms are in place to protect privacy.

"We've never had anything like Facebook," Reitman says. "We've never had an entity that was able to collect so much information on so much of the world's population, ever."

Advertisers aren't complaining.

"Anywhere that more than a billion people spend time with their friends each month is extremely valuable to us," says Brad Ruffkess, connection strategist at Coca-Cola.

At Procter and Gamble, the world's biggest advertiser, "we saw almost from the start that social media is the world's largest focus group," says Marc Pritchard, the company's global brand building officer.

Both companies are important advertisers on Facebook and members of the company's client council, a group of more than a dozen brands and ad agencies that have met regularly with Facebook executives since 2011 to talk about advertising and marketing on the site. Other members include Unilever, AT&T, Walmart and GroupM North America, a subsidiary of advertising agency giant WPP.

Still, some advertisers remain skeptical. Ryan Holiday, director of marketing at American Apparel, is critical of Facebook's "sponsored stories." These are messages from marketers that are interwoven into users' news feeds. He says the clothing company spends less than 10 percent of its online advertising budget with Facebook.

One thing is increasingly clear: The future belongs to mobile advertising. And just a year ago, Facebook warned investors it was behind in capturing this market. In response, Facebook retrained engineers and rebuilt its mobile applications, which users complained were clunky. Now, there's an explosion in the number of ads shoehorned in between status updates and cat photos.

"The transition to mobile happened even faster than we believed," says Carolyn Everson, vice president of global marketing solutions at Facebook.

In the first three months of 2013, Facebook generated $375 million in revenue from mobile ads, about 30 percent of its total ad revenue. That's impressive given that Facebook had no mobile ads at all just a year ago.

And there's room to grow. Research firm eMarketer estimates that U.S. mobile advertising spending will grow to $7.29 billion this year, up fivefold from 2011. Facebook is expected to capture some 13 percent of the market, a distant second behind Google at nearly 55 percent, according to eMarketer. By 2015, the mobile ad market is expected to hit $16.2 billion.

Facebook's stronger grasp of mobile advertising helped get General Motors back.

"Mobile was something GM was particularly passionate about," says Everson, who joined Facebook two years ago from Microsoft Corp., where she headed global ad sales.

Everson says she sees Facebook as a future advertising empire. The goal is to help companies achieve so-called cross-platform marketing and target people with ads wherever they might be ? in front of smartphones, tablets or TV sets.

"A lot of people might argue that TV is the first screen and mobile is the companion screen," she says. Her take: Mobile is now the first screen. And Facebook's hope is that advertisers will soon see it this way, too.

"Your customer is walking around with the most personal device they've ever had every single day, checking it 12 to, you know, more than 24 times a day depending on the market," Everson says. "This is a mass medium."

At the end of last year, 87 percent of Americans owned a cellphone and nearly half owned a smartphone, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Worldwide, research firm Gartner puts the size of the mobile phone market at 4.4 billion, enough to give one phone to nearly two-thirds of the world's population.

Of course, television still accounts for the biggest slice of worldwide ad spending, and nearly 96 percent of American households own a TV set. ZenithOptimedia, a forecaster owned by the ad agency Publicis Groupe SA, says television accounted for 40 percent of worldwide ad spending, compared with the Internet's share of 18 percent. By 2015, the Internet is expected to grow its share to more than 23 percent, but largely at the expense of newspapers and magazines. TV is expected to hold steady.

"On any given day in the U.S. alone, you can reach 100 million people on mobile," Everson says. "Those numbers are not seen across any TV or print opportunity. I think it's going to take hold, this message."

___

Find Barbara Ortutay on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BarbaraOrtutay

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-17-Facebook-One%20Year%20Later/id-198aff7f425f4df1b086c1db59d58459

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