TicketFire Co-Founder Tanisha Robinson Discusses Digitizing Tickets With Her New App

TicketFire is an app that allows ticket holders to scan the their paper event tickets, and then share, sell or transfer those tickets to other people also using the TicketFire app. It?s an interesting idea and it offers several benefits and improvements over the current process. The coolest feature in my mind is the ability to buy or sell a ticket after an event has already started.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/eSZ8z5qY2VY/

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Itay's new PM: Nation will stay 'pro-Europe'

ROME (AP) ? Italy's new premier says his broad coalition will work to heal the nation's finances while encouraging economic growth.

Enrico Letta is laying out his vision Monday of a pro-European Italy focused on spurring investments and job creation. The center-left leader, who has brought media mogul Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives together in a tense coalition, is seeking support as he faces for confidence votes in Parliament.

Appeasing Berlusconi, Letta said Italians won't have to pay an unpopular property tax this June while a system fairer to the less affluent is devised.

Financial markets have already signaled approval of this apparent end of the months-long political deadlock. Letta says he'll soon go to Brussels, Berlin and Paris to reassure EU allies about Italian economic seriousness.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/itays-pm-nation-stay-pro-europe-144349118.html

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Google invades Siri's turf with iPhone, iPad app

This undated image made available by Google shows "Google Now." Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad. The duel begins Monday, April 29, 2013, with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri. (AP Photo/Google)

This undated image made available by Google shows "Google Now." Google is trying to upstage Siri, the sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad. The duel begins Monday, April 29, 2013, with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri. (AP Photo/Google)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Siri may be feeling a little job insecurity. The sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad is facing competition from an up-and-coming rival made by Google.

The duel began Monday with the release of a free iPhone and iPad app that features Google Now, a technology that performs many of the same functions as Siri.

It's the first time that Google Now has been available on smartphones and tablet computers that aren't running on the latest version of Google's Android software. The technology, which debuted nine months ago, is being included in an upgrade to Google's search application for iOS, the Apple Inc. software that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It's up to each user to decide whether to activate Google Now within the redesigned Google Search app, which is available through Apple's app store.

Siri tried to dismiss the competitive threat. When asked for an opinion about Google Now, Siri responded: "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather Google later."

Mike Allton, a St. Charles, Mo., resident who has owned an iPhone for four years, could hardly wait to check out Google Now, even if Siri might interpret it as a betrayal.

Siri "is looking a little green with envy," Allton, 36, said with a laugh after he installed Google's new app. "I love Apple products, but I like to see the competition because it probably will lead to even more improvements. I believe this technology is going to be even more deeply ingrained in our lives a few years from now."

Other iPhone users ? even those who have grown fond of Siri ? welcomed Google Now's arrival to iOS in mostly enthusiastic and sometimes amusing remarks posted on Twitter and Google Plus. One person joked that Google Now is so helpful that the technology prompted him to wash his hands after using the bathroom. The biggest gripe was about the possibility of Google Now's location-tracking features draining a device's battery more quickly.

Google Now's invasion of Siri's turf marks Google Inc.'s latest attempt to lure iPhone and iPad users away from a service that Apple built into its own devices.

Google quickly won over millions of iPhone users in December when it released a mapping application to replace the navigation system that Apple dumped when it redesigned iOS last fall. Apple's maps application proved to be inferior to Google's ousted service. The app's bugs and glitches made Apple the butt of jokes and fueled demand for Google to develop a new option.

Apple has been losing to Google on other fronts in a rapidly growing mobile computing market, an arena that was revolutionized with the iPhone's release in 2007. Smartphones and tablet computers running Google's free Android software have been steadily expanding their market share in recent years, partly because they tend to be less expensive than the iPhone and iPad. In 2012, Android devices held about 69 percent of the smartphone market while iOS had about 19 percent, according to the research firm IDC.

Android's success has been particularly galling for Apple because its late CEO, Steve Jobs, believed Google stole many of its ideas for the software from the iPhone. That led to a series of court battles over allegations of patent infringement, including a high-profile trial last year that culminated in Apple winning hundreds of millions in damages from Samsung Electronics, the top seller of Android phones. That dispute is still embroiled in appeals.

The rise of Android also is squeezing Apple's profit margins and has contributed to a nearly 40 percent drop in the company's stock price since it peaked at $705.07 last September around the time that the iPhone 5 came out.

Android's popularity is good news for Google because the company's services are built into most versions of the operating system. That brings more traffic to Google services, creating more opportunities for the company to sell ads ? the main source of Google's revenue.

Siri is billed by Apple as an "intelligent feature." Since the technology's release in October 2011, Apple has made it a centerpiece of some marketing campaigns that depict Siri and its automated female voice as an endearing and occasionally even pithy companion.

Google believes its Siri counterpart is smarter because Google Now is designed to learn about a user's preferences and then provide helpful information before it's even asked to do so. The technology draws upon information that Google gleans from search requests other interactions with the company's other services. Knowing a person's location also helps Google Now serve up helpful information without being asked.

"This concept of predicting your needs and showing you them at the right time is unique to Google Now," said Baris Gultekin, Google Now's director of product management. "We want computers to do the hard work so our users can focus on what matters to them so they can get on with their lives."

If the technology is working right, Google Now is supposed to do things like automatically tell people what the local weather is like when they wake up to help decide what to wear and provide a report on traffic conditions for the commute to work. During the day, Google Now might provide an update on the score of a user's favorite sports team or a stock quote of a company in a user's investment portfolio. On a Friday evening, Google Now might offer suggestions for movies to see or other weekend events tailored to a user's interests. For international travelers, Google Now might provide currency conversion rates, language translations of common phrases and the time back home.

Most of this automatic information is provided in summaries that Google calls "cards." Like Siri, Google Now also is equipped with voice technology that allows it to respond to questions and interact with users, though it hasn't shown the wit that delights some of Siri's users.

The Google Now app for iOS isn't as comprehensive as the Android app, which only works on devices running on the latest version of Android ? known as "Jelly Bean." Some of the Android features missing from Google Now's iOS app include cards for showing airline boarding passes and movie tickets bought though online vendor Fandango. Both of those options are available on the iOS through Apple's built-in Passbook feature that's designed to be a digital wallet.

Google Now's expansion on to the iOS underscores Google's ambitions for the service. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., views it as a pivotal tool in its effort to peer deeper into its users' brains. In doing so, Google believes it will be able to provide more useful services and also show more relevant ads. For Google Now to become more intuitive, it needs to widen its availability.

"The more you use Google Now, we will have a better chance of understanding what your needs are and providing you with the right information," Gultekin said. "It's a virtuous cycle."

Shawn Jacob, a student at the University of North Texas, activated Google Now on his iPhone Monday and was startled by how much the service already knew about him when he logged in for the first time. "I was blown away," Jacob, 21, said. "It made me wonder if I really want Google to know this much about me. It's like Google wants to take over the world."

Gultekin declined to discuss whether there are plans to make Google Now apps for mobile devices running on Microsoft's Windows system. He also refused to comment on speculation circulating in technology blogs that a Web version of Google Now will be offered as a replacement for iGoogle, a tool that allows people to encircle the Google search engine with a variety of services suited to their tastes. IGoogle is scheduled to close in November.

___

Online:

http://www.google.com/landing/now/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-29-Google-Apple-Dueling%20Assistants/id-922de12ef38041d59010ae22b654a7d3

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White House correspondents' after-dinner jokes: Best zingers from the 'nerd prom' (+video)

Saturday night was the annual White House Correspondents? Association dinner. Here are some of the best jokes, plus a menu designed especially for Washington and Hollywood celebrities.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / April 28, 2013

President Barack Obama talks with Michael Clemente, Executive Vice President of Fox News, at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel Saturday in Washington.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Enlarge

Saturday night?s ?nerd prom? ? officially known as the White House Correspondents? Association annual dinner ? is best known for the celebrities it attracts, a reminder of Henry Kissinger?s quip: "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

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But it?s also a comedy slam of sorts as the M.C. ? late-night TV host Conan O?Brien this year ? and other notables trade quips and barbs over dessert.

(In case you?re wondering, that was a concoction called ?The Galaxy? ? rich chocolate truffle mousse layered with chocolate genoise and almond macaroon; ganache truffle center finished in chocolate glaze, garnished with fresh raspberries It had been preceded by an entr?e of Texas-rubbed petite filet with a calvados demi, paired with duo of jump shrimp seasoned with red curry, roasted haricot verts, baby pepper, patty pan squash, and tasso mache choux risotto. We don?t know about you, but Decoder goes absolutely nuts over roasted haricot verts.)

But back to the rhetorical sweets and savories at the dinner. Here are some of the best, according to a variety of sources:

"It's an honor to share this stage with the president," O?Brien said at the start of his set. "When you think about it the president and I are a lot alike. We both went to Harvard. We both have two children and we both told Joe Biden we didn't have extra tickets for tonight's event."

O?Brien had plenty of zingers for the media. Among them:

?The print media are here for two very good reasons: food and shelter?. The print media still has a big star in Bob Woodward. Earlier the waiter asked if he wanted regular or decaf. And he said, ?Stop threatening me??. TIME will outlive Newsweek the way Juliet outlived Romeo?. MSNBC?s Chris Matthews is here. He has the only show where commercials exist just so they can wipe the spittle off the lens.?

And here?s some of what political junkies said were President Obama?s best jokes:

?The media landscape is changing so rapidly you can't keep up with it. I mean I remember when 'buzzfeed' was just something I did in college around 2 a.m."

"Did you know that Sheldon Adelson spent $100 million of his own money on negative ads [in the 2012 presidential campaign]? You've got to really dislike me to spend that kind of money. Sheldon would have been better off offering me $100 million to drop out of the race. I probably wouldn't have taken it, but I would have thought about it. Michelle would have taken it. You think I'm joking."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/sBHrG6n-OYs/White-House-correspondents-after-dinner-jokes-Best-zingers-from-the-nerd-prom-video

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

TSX slides as mining, energy issues stumble

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock market finished lower on Friday as natural resource stocks slumped and market sentiment soured following U.S. economic growth data that fell short of expectations. U.S. gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent rate, an increase from the fourth quarter's dismal 0.4 percent pace but shy of the 3 percent growth analysts were hoping for. The weaker-than-expected data in Canada's biggest trading partner weighed on Canadian stocks.

Ethiopian Airlines first to fly 787 Dreamliner since grounding

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Airlines on Saturday became the world's first carrier to resume flying Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner passenger jets, landing the first commercial flight since the global fleet was grounded three months ago following incidents of overheating in the batteries providing auxiliary power. The flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi was the first since regulators grounded all Dreamliners on January 16 after two lithium-ion battery meltdowns that occurred on two jets with other airlines within two weeks that month.

Italian court rejects Nomura seizure order: sources

SIENA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian judge has rejected an order to seize around 1.8 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of assets from Nomura as part of a probe into suspected fraud involving troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena , legal sources said on Saturday. Assets worth 140 million euros that were already seized from the Japanese bank have been released under the judge's ruling, which was made on Friday, the judicial source said.

Drug maker Valeant in talks on $13 billion Actavis buy: source

(Reuters) - Canada's largest listed drug maker, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc , is in talks to buy generic drugmaker Actavis Inc for more than $13 billion, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters on Friday night. It is not clear how advanced the discussions are and a deal could still fall through, said the source, who declined to be identified because they are not allowed to speak to the media.

Vodafone investors want bigger bid or full takeover by Verizon

LONDON (Reuters) - Six major Vodafone investors said $100 billion was not enough for the British company's stake in its U.S. joint venture with Verizon Communications , and urged the latter to come up with an offer of at least $120 billion. Their comments followed a Reuters report on Wednesday that Verizon had hired advisers to prepare a possible $100 billion bid to buy Vodafone's 45 percent stake in their Verizon Wireless joint venture, likely to be structured as a roughly 50:50 cash and stock bid.

Renault hopes to have approval for Chinese plant by summer: CEO

PARIS (Reuters) - Renault-Nissan hopes to receive final approval from Beijing by the summer to build its first Renault plant in China, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Saturday. Ghosn had said last month he expected final government approval for the plant by the end of the year.

Volkswagen committed to European plants: CEO

VIENNA (Reuters) - German carmaker Volkswagen will keep its plants in Europe despite weak markets in the region that will require flexible manufacturing and could entail cuts to temporary staff, Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn said. Winterkorn had told shareholders in Europe's top carmaker on Thursday to brace for a tough year given faltering European consumer demand that is punishing the sector.

Boeing ready to build seven Dreamliners a month by mid-year

TOKYO (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Saturday it is ready to build seven 787 Dreamliners a month from mid-year and is still on course for 10 per month by the end of the year. On Friday, Japanese authorities gave Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways the green light to fly the grounded Dreamliner following U.S. approval.

TransCanada sees Keystone XL delayed till second-half 2015

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp , Canada's No. 2 pipeline company, said on Friday the long wait for U.S. government approval of its controversial Keystone XL project will further delay completion of the pipeline and push its cost above the company's $5.3 billion estimate. TransCanada, which reported a 27 percent rise in first-quarter profit on Friday, is waiting for the Obama administration to issue a presidential permit for construction of the line, which is designed to carry 830,000 barrels a day of Canadian and U.S. crude oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

Exclusive: Brazil's Vale says signs accord to quit Argentine Potash project

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Global miner Vale SA signed an agreement with the Argentine government on Friday that will allow the Brazilian company to leave the $6 billion Rio Colorado potash mining project, a company spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday. The agreement could put an end to months of uncertainty for Vale , which suspended work on the fertilizer project in December and announced its intention to pull out in March.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-000259603.html

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FBI removes boat used by Boston bombing suspect to storage

By Karen Brooks

(Reuters) - Investigators have removed from its Watertown, Massachusetts, backyard the now-famous boat used as a hiding spot by one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, and have taken it to an evidence storage facility, the FBI said on Saturday.

The boat was the scene of high drama when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old ethnic Chechen charged with the April 15 bombing that killed three people and wounded 264, was captured by authorities on April 19 after a tense day of searching in the Boston area.

The owner of the boat called police after he lifted the tarp of the boat stored in his backyard and saw blood. Police found a wounded Tsarnaev inside the boat.

The boat was processed for evidence at the scene and then moved on Friday to an undisclosed FBI facility for storage, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, is also a suspect but was killed by police on April 18.

Also on Friday, the FBI concluded their search at a landfill in New Bedford for evidence connected to the bombings, she said. Eimiller declined to say what evidence investigators hoped to find and whether they found anything.

"We were seeking evidence but we are not commenting on the nature of what was being sought or what was found," she said. "We can confirm that we were there Thursday, Friday and left yesterday."

The landfill is near the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, attended by the younger Tsarnaev.

Local media reported the FBI were trying to find the younger Tsarnaev's laptop.

(Reporting By Karen Brooks; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-removes-boat-used-boston-bombing-suspect-storage-152132969.html

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Marijuana tax debate stalls in Colorado

DENVER (AP) -- Marijuana taxation brought the Colorado Legislature to a standstill early Saturday, with the House giving up and heading home without voting after the pot debate stretched past midnight.

The standstill was not exactly caused by the bill to tax pot more than 30 percent, though Republicans were in the middle of trying to lower the tax rate when the House stopped work. Instead, the breakdown came as a result of frayed nerves after long, divisive debates on unrelated measures, from a renewable energy bill to an education funding overhaul.

The House managed to finish a vote on one marijuana measure late Friday. That bill would set the nation's first regulations for how recreational pot can be grown, packaged and sold.

"We are in a new era," Democratic Rep. Dan Pabon said when introducing the sweeping regulation bill.

The measure, which needs one more vote before heading to the Senate, sets product safety rules and marijuana purchasing limits for out-of-state visitors.

The House will resume the marijuana tax debate on Monday. The bill would give recreational pot a 15 percent excise tax and a special pot sales tax of 15 percent, in additional to local sales taxes. Republicans were seeking to lower the tax to 10 percent excise and 10 percent sales taxes.

When House Democratic Leader Dickey Lee Hullinghorst interrupted a Republican lawmaker talking about his amendment, trying to extend the legislative session past midnight, the chamber's Republican caucus stormed off the floor in protest. After about 30 minutes, House sergeants retrieved Republicans from their offices and the debate continued, though ruling Democrats shut down business after letting the interrupted Republican finish his speech.

The walkout was not directly caused by the marijuana tax debate. But it was the latest twist in an increasingly odd path for marijuana regulation in Colorado.

On Friday, marijuana activists blasted a proposal to send marijuana legalization back to voters this fall through a new tax ballot measure. That measure would repeal recreational pot in the state constitution if voters don't approve the pot taxes.

Marijuana activists immediately blasted the proposal as a backhanded effort to repeal the pot vote, in which 55 percent of Coloradans chose to flout federal drug law and declare pot legal in small amounts for adults over 21.

"It's clear that the intent ... is to prevent marijuana from being legal and being regulated and being controlled," said Mason Tvert, who led last year's campaign to add recreational pot to the state constitution, which has allowed medical marijuana since 2000.

Sen. Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa, said the whole purpose of legalizing recreational marijuana was to raise money for education and other programs. "So if there's no money, we shouldn't have marijuana," Crowder said.

A volunteer group that has been critical of proposed marijuana regulations, Smart Colorado, praised the effort to get rid of recreational pot without approval of the taxes.

A spokesman for the group, Eric Anderson, said in a statement that marijuana activists "sold the ballot issue to Colorado voters as a way to pay for state priorities like education, but increasingly it's looking like it could be a net drain on the state budget."

The marijuana measure approved last year won more votes than President Barack Obama, who carried the state. The pot measure directed lawmakers to come back to the ballot with a tax proposal, with much of the money going to school construction. Because of Colorado's Byzantine tax laws, the recreational pot taxes can't be levied until voters again sign off on them.

In Washington state, the only other place where voters last year approved recreational pot, the ballot measure set taxes at 75 percent, settling the question. Both states are still waiting to find out whether the federal government plans to sue to block retail sales of the drug, set to begin next year.

The Colorado repeal effort wouldn't apply to medical marijuana, which voters approved in 2000.

Ruling Democrats said Friday they doubt lawmakers would send pot legalization back to voters this year.

"That's almost like saying to voters, 'Vote for this, or else,'" said Sen. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge. "I don't think you threaten voters like that. When over 55 percent of the people vote for something, I think we have to respect that."

Marijuana repeal debate could dominate the Legislature's closing days.

___

Kristen Wyatt can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-tax-debate-stalls-colorado-072116306.html

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Transit bus, train crash in Pa.; at least 10 hurt

EVANS CITY, Pa. (AP) ? A rural transit bus carrying passengers to a program that offers services for people with developmental disabilities and a freight train crashed at an unmarked railroad crossing Friday morning, injuring at least 10 people.

Video from local TV helicopters suggested that the small bus may have hit the train and then come to rest about 20 feet away. The bus was upright on an embankment and had front-end damage. Police were investigating whether dense morning fog contributed to the crash.

The crash occurred in Evans City, about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, at about 8:10 a.m. Friday. Eleven people, including the driver, were on the bus, and at least 10 were being taken to hospitals, officials said.

Three men and a woman were being treated in the Allegheny General Hospital emergency room in Pittsburgh, said hospital spokesman Dan Laurent. The men were 35, 38 and 75 years old, and the woman's age was not immediately available.

Police said the Butler Area Rural Transit bus was on its way to a program known as Lifesteps.

A woman who identified herself as the granddaughter of a 90-year-old woman on the bus told WPXI-TV that her grandmother was headed to geriatric care program at Lifesteps. The woman said the bus takes adult patients of all ages to the facility for a variety of programs.

A Lifesteps official did not immediately return a call for comment, but the facility's website said it is a nonprofit that has operated since 1923. Lifesteps "services for children, families, adults with special needs and seniors are designed to encourage growth, independence, confidence and dignity," the website said.

The transit agency's website indicates it partners with the Alliance For Nonprofit Resources, a social service agency based in the county seat of Butler, to provide reduced-fee transportation for people with disabilities. Neither agency immediately returned calls Friday.

The transit agency's website said it operates 17 wheelchair-accessible buses that make about 300 trips a day, six days a week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/transit-bus-train-crash-pa-least-10-hurt-140214687.html

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inSSIDer

The free inSSIDer software utility for Windows, iOS, and Android is one of the most useful and easy-to-interpret wireless networking tools I?ve encountered. InSSIDer displays information about the wireless networks in proximity to you, including an access point?s MAC address, encryption type, signal strength, and channel. InSSIDer is a great tool for wireless networking novices, because it has an easy-to-understand interface and includes an abundance of help and tutorials. Experienced Wi-Fi professionals may find the software a bit too light and might be more interested in a more robust program such as?WiFiBuilder or Wireshark. But home power users looking to tweak their networks and those managing smaller business Wi-Fi networks would benefit by getting acquainted with inSSIDer.

Download
inSSIDer is available as a free download from www.metageek.net/products/inssider/. It?s available as a Windows desktop app or as an iOS or Android mobile app.? I run it on a Windows 7 laptop and it?s a quick and lightweight install. I can honestly say that unlike what I?ve found with some other free networking utilities I?ve used, inSSIDer has given me no problems with memory leaks or interfered with my Windows wireless settings or any other installed software.

Features and Interface
Opening inSSIDer?s interface displays the wireless adapter information of the client machine on which inSSIDer is installed. The program?s UI is divided between a pane that displays real-time information about wireless networks in proximity, and another screen shows really handy information, including tips and a user guide.

The user guide has illustrations and plain-speak about the features in the software. You don?t just get a user guide though. The interface includes links to free webinars for those who want to dive deeper into the wireless world?from diagnosing RF interference to performing basic wireless packet analysis.

There are also links to additional tools that help users find interference issues and reduce Wi-Fi saturation as well as selecting the right wireless channel.

Clicking on the ?network? tab pulls up the real-time information about all wireless networks in proximity. By default, the network you?re connected to gets starred. The software helps you optimize that network and considers it the main one to which you?re most likely to connect. The interface prominently displays details about this starred network, so you can view information such as how many other access points are using the same channel as your starred network. For performance improvement, you could place your starred network on a less crowded channel. This may be one of the most useful troubleshooting features in the software.

You get details on all networks in proximity, including signal strength (some tools refer to this as RSSI, in which the closer the number is to 0 the better), channel, security, MAC address of each access point, and the 802.11x standard being used. I do have an 802.11ac access point deployed nearby but inSSIDer reported it as 802.11n. 802.11ac reporting may not happen until the standard actually gets ratified; inSSIDer may require an update for this.

Right-clicking on any listed network opens a menu that lets you quickly select the information you want to see about that network: SSID, signal, channel, maximum rate, network type, and even the access point?s vendor. The entire view of networks can also be sorted by the same parameters.

inSSIDer will also calculate a Link score based on information such as channel overlap and signal strength for each wireless network. You can see how tweaking channel settings or even relocating an access point or router influences the score?the higher the score, the better the network performance you will receive.

A Fun, Useful Tool
What?s great about inSSIDer is that you can use it for several real-world purposes for your wireless network. For instance, say you are trying to find the best location to place an access point or router. Position the device and then fire up inSSIDER to see what? signal strength the software reports. This is really useful if you are trying to setup a Wi-Fi network in a place with lots of thick walls, glass or mirrors or multiple levels.

You can also use inSSIDer to tweak your wireless channel. In the U.S, there are 14 channels used for the 2.4GHz signal. These channels typically are 1, 6, and 11. So if you see many wireless networks in your area using channel 11 for example, by using inSSIDer you can change your 2.4 GHz signal to operate on channel 6 to tweak performance.?

Yes, it may be lightweight for those who deploy wireless networks professionally. But anyone managing a home or small business wireless network will certainly benefit from the information inSSIDer provides. It earns a 4.5 out of 5 star rating and is easily a PCMag Editors? Choice for networking utilities.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/54xJAW10n2A/0,2817,2418212,00.asp

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Italy poised to get new government

ROME (AP) ? Italy appeared poised Saturday to finally get a new government, a broad coalition which brings media mogul Silvio Berlusconi's forces back to power, this time in tense alliance with center-left rivals.

Premier-designate Enrico Letta arrived at the Quirinale Palace to brief Italy's president, a meeting widely seen as indicating the center-left leader either had succeeded, or was on the verge of succeeding, in forming a government commanding strong support in Parliament.

However, it was possible Letta might also seek more time to knit together coalition agreements between archrival blocs.

Earlier, Berlusconi, who has three times served as premier, told reporters he believed a government would be formed though he would not be in the Cabinet being created by Letta.

Napolitano earlier in the week had tapped Letta to lead the latest bid to end the political deadlock that has gripped recession-mired Italy since inconclusive elections in February.

Viewed as a political bridge-builder, Letta is a nephew of a longtime Berlusconi adviser, Gianni Letta. The premier-designate met for two hours Saturday morning with Berlusconi as both sides hashed out Cabinet assignments.

The elections left the top vote-getter, Letta's Democratic Left party, badly fractured by infighting after it won control of the Chamber of Deputies but failed to do the same in the Senate. That result made runner-up Berlusconi a political kingmaker, since the center-left needs backing from his center-right bloc for a Parliamentary majority.

The third big bloc in Parliament, the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement, is led by comic Beppe Grillo, who ruled out any alliance with the largely sullied political class that has ruled Italy for decades.

Napolitano agreed to serve an unprecedented second term given the political instability.

Anxious financial markets and Italians fed up with joblessness and austerity spending cuts are counting on the next government to quickly roll out political and economic reforms.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-poised-government-132212108.html

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More rights for bicyclists? Not without a fight (Star Tribune)

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Einstein's gravity theory passes toughest test yet

Apr. 25, 2013 ? A strange stellar pair nearly 7,000 light-years from Earth has provided physicists with a unique cosmic laboratory for studying the nature of gravity. The extremely strong gravity of a massive neutron star in orbit with a companion white dwarf star puts competing theories of gravity to a test more stringent than any available before.

Once again, Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1915, comes out on top.

At some point, however, scientists expect Einstein's model to be invalid under extreme conditions. General Relativity, for example, is incompatible with quantum theory. Physicists hope to find an alternate description of gravity that would eliminate that incompatibility.

A newly-discovered pulsar -- a spinning neutron star with twice the mass of the Sun -- and its white-dwarf companion, orbiting each other once every two and a half hours, has put gravitational theories to the most extreme test yet. Observations of the system, dubbed PSR J0348+0432, produced results consistent with the predictions of General Relativity.

The tightly-orbiting pair was discovered with the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope (GBT), and subsequently studied in visible light with the Apache Point telescope in New Mexico, the Very Large Telescope in Chile, and the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands. Extensive radio observations with the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico and the Effelsberg telescope in Germany yielded vital data on subtle changes in the pair's orbit.

In such a system, the orbits decay and gravitational waves are emitted, carrying energy from the system. By very precisely measuring the time of arrival of the pulsar's radio pulses over a long period of time, astronomers can determine the rate of decay and the amount of gravitational radiation emitted. The large mass of the neutron star in PSR J0348+0432, the closeness of its orbit with its companion, and the fact that the companion white dwarf is compact but not another neutron star, all make the system an unprecedented opportunity for testing alternative theories of gravity.

Under the extreme conditions of this system, some scientists thought that the equations of General Relativity might not accurately predict the amount of gravitational radiation emitted, and thus change the rate of orbital decay. Competing gravitational theories, they thought, might prove more accurate in this system.

"We thought this system might be extreme enough to show a breakdown in General Relativity, but instead, Einstein's predictions held up quite well," said Paulo Freire, of the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy in Germany.

That's good news, the scientists say, for researchers hoping to make the first direct detection of gravitational waves with advanced instruments. Researchers using such instruments hope to detect the gravitational waves emitted as such dense pairs as neutron stars and black holes spiral inward toward violent collisions.

Gravitational waves are extremely difficult to detect and even with the best instruments, physicists expect they will need to know the characteristics of the waves they seek, which will be buried in "noise" from their detectors. Knowing the characteristics of the waves they seek will allow them to extract the signal they seek from that noise.

"Our results indicate that the filtering techniques planned for these advanced instruments remain valid," said Ryan Lynch, of McGill University.

Freire and Lynch worked with a large international team of researchers. They reported their results in the journal Science.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

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. J. Antoniadis, P. C. C. Freire, N. Wex, T. M. Tauris, R. S. Lynch, M. H. van Kerkwijk, M. Kramer, C. Bassa, V. S. Dhillon, T. Driebe, J. W. T. Hessels, V. M. Kaspi, V. I. Kondratiev, N. Langer, T. R. Marsh, M. A. McLaughlin, T. T. Pennucci, S. M. Ransom, I. H. Stairs, J. van Leeuwen, J. P. W. Verbiest, D. G. Whelan. A Massive Pulsar in a Compact Relativistic Binary. Science, 2013; 340 (6131): 1233232 DOI: 10.1126/science.1233232

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/space_time/astronomy/~3/1WiPm0QUO_o/130425142250.htm

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US Offers $10 Billion Weapons Package to Counter Iran Threats (Voice Of America)

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George W. Bush: 'Painting has Changed My Life' (ABC News)

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The NYPD Is Planning a Simulated Chemical Attack For New York Subways

A subway-borne chemical attack is one of those theoreticals that require the willful ignorance of regular passengers—for most of us, it's just better not to think about it. Not so for the NYPD, which yesterday announced a plan to test how a chemical or radiological attack would spread through the city's 200-odd miles of subway, by pumping an invisible gas through the system this summer. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ufx5Endg3qU/the-nypd-is-planning-a-simulated-chemical-attack-for-new-york-subways

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Has Real Estate Sales Activity Peaked? | Lance Roberts ...

Over the last month I have been discussing the deterioration in the economic data (see here, here and here). However, the one bright spot, economically speaking, has been real estate. However, that "bright spot" has come with many caveats since much of the recovery in real estate has been through "cash only" purchases of distressed homes, hedge funds buying large quantities of homes to turn them into rentals and multifamily units making up a large portion of the new construction. The recovery in housing, to this point, has not been in question - but the sustainability of that recovery is of real concern given the weakness in employment and the economic environment in general.

The latest data from on existing and new home sales show that the recovery in housing may be in the early stages of sputtering. David Rosenberg, in his latest missive, confirmed this view:

The 14% slide in the S&P 500 Homebuilding index from the March cycle highs may be telling us not to hold our breath over a near-term turnaround...And the housing indicators are part of a bigger picture of a sharp slowing in the pace of overall economic activity. Consider that three months ago 65% of the incoming economic data were coming in better than consensus views. And in the past month, the share of economic data surprising the consensus to the high side has fallen to a mere 36%.

• Household employment (-206k in March, the steepest decline in well over a year)
• Real retail sales (-0.3 in March, down for the second time in three months)
• Manufacturing production (-0.1% and also down in two of the past three months)
• Core capex orders (-3.2% in February, and again, down in two of the past three months)
• Single-family housing starts (-4.8% in March and negative for two of the past three months as well)
• New home sales (-4.6 in February)
• Philly Fed for April down to 1.3 from 2.0
• NY Fed Empire manufacturing index down to 3.05 from 9.24
• NAHB Housing Market index down to a six-month low of 42 in April from 44
• Conference Board consumer confidence index down to 59.7 in March from 68.
• University of Michigan consumer sentiment down to 72.3 for April from 78.6 - the lowest in over a year.
• Conference Board leading indicators down 0.1% in March, first decline in 7 months.

The importance of housing on the overall economy is still very small comprising just a tad more than 2.5% of overall GDP. This is as compared to durable goods or exports which, as a percentage of GDP, are vastly more important. This is one reason why, despite the continual headlines of a housing boom and recovery, that economic growth has failed to gain any substantial traction.

The latest data on existing and new home sales shows that we are likely getting close to the peak of the bounce from the bottom in housing activity seen in 2010. It is important to remember, as we have discussed previously, that there are only a certain number of individuals that, at any given time, are actively seeking to "buy" or "sell" a home in the market. Furthermore, individuals buy "payments," not "houses," so artificially suppressed interest rates are only have of the payment equation. When home prices increase to levels that begin to price buyers out of the market - activity will slow.

Finally, since many of the homes that have been purchased to date were for conversions to rental properties, when "price-to-rent" ratios reach levels of low profitability - the demand for such activity will decrease. We are likely witnessing the beginning of that slowdown.

The chart below shows the Total Real Estate Sales Activity Index (TRESAI) which is a composite of the seasonally adjusted new and existing home sales data.

It is actually quite amazing, despite the variety of government programs, ultra-low interest rates, and financial bailouts and supports implemented so far, that the recovery has been as weak as it has been. I would suggest that, as opposed to the mainstream economists, and analysts, who have been tripping over themselves to report the resurgence of the housing market, that the results have actually been very disappointing.

Another important sign that we may be close to a near term peak in activity is the NAHB Homebuilder Sentiment Index which has recently rolled over. Homebuilder sentiment has gotten well ahead of actual underlying activity (as shown by the Total Housing Activity Index) and we may see a slowdown in activity as sentiment reverses to catch up with actual underlying market activity.

While homebuilders will build excess inventory in anticipation of future sales - they have not entirely forgotten the pain they suffered in 2008. Therefore, it is unlikely that they will willingly push speculative building too far from fear of another reversion in activity. Excess inventory of homes that must be liquidated at "fire sale" prices is what crushed homebuilders previously and many have not fully recovered since.

The reality is that housing has experienced a much expected recovery from extremely oversold conditions. However, we are likely approaching an end to that bounce as the economy continues to exhibit more signs of softening in the near term. The underlying details of the housing market, in general, are not healthy. The bulk of the activity is in the creation of rental units which is a sign that the employment, wage growth and buyer confidence remains weak.

In the longer term these things are likely to improve. However, improvement is one thing; but a return of housing activity to levels where it becomes a major driving force of economic growth in the future will likely be a disappointing dream for some time to come. The excesses of what was arguably the largest housing bubble and bust in the history of the world, except for that yet to come in China, will take much more time to clear the system.? Eventually that will occur. However, the future of housing is likely to look far different that what was seen during the previous boom and will likely be far less than optimists are hoping for.

Source: Street Talk Live

Source: http://www.financialsense.com/contributors/lance-roberts/has-real-estate-sales-activity-peaked

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Twitter #music (for iPhone)

After months of rumor and speculation, Twitter officially unveiled #music, the company's foray into the music space. Twitter #music (pronounced Twitter Music), however, isn't like any other iPhone?music app on the market. Twitter #music leverages your social circle to serve up music recommendations and song samples. In this regard, Twitter #music is fairly effective, but it asks you to jump through some rather bizarre hoops to receive those personalized recommendations or listen to full tracks?hoops that will likely turn away many people expecting a true streaming music service. Note: This review covers the iPhone app, but Twitter #music?exists as a website as well.

Getting Started
Twitter #music's iPhone app, by default, takes you to the panel-driven homescreen which displays the 140 most popular songs currently trending on the 140-character social network. If you'd like to bypass the most popular artists, a drop-down menu in the top-center of the screen lets you check artists who are? Emerging (described as "the hidden talent found in the Tweets"), Suggested (recommended tracks based on musicians you follow), Now Playing (music "Tweeted by people you follow"), and the ones you follow, called Me in the menu. You can also navigate through these sections by swiping left or right.

An artist panel features an artist's photo and Twitter handle, but tapping a square reveals more information. A highlighted panel increases in size to stand out from the others and reveals the artist's name, a Twitter follow icon, an "Explicit" label when appropriate, and a play button which streams a crisp iTunes song snippet when clicked (you can also purchase the song from iTunes). This is easily Twitter Music's most disappointing and frustrating aspect as you need to use other services?namely Rdio or Spotify?to listen to tracks in their entirety.? Existing Rdio and Spotify subscribers may see the integration as a nice touch, but those who don't subscribe to those streaming music services (or use a non-supported service like Slacker Radio) may feel left out in the cold.

Music Discovery, Not Music Listening
Tapping either the Rdio or Spotify icon causes Twitter #music to request permission to access either music service. I logged into my $9.99 per month Spotify Premium account?an account I set up exclusively to test the Twitter #music website.

I dove into the music catalog by playing the #1 most popular song on Twitter?Maroon 5's "Love Somebody." It was, as one would expect from crowded sourced recommendations, typical pop music fare. At least the audio streamed smoothly and sounded good. As a song streams, a metallic-looking record icon spins in the lower-left portion of the screen. Tapping that opens a nearly full-screen player that lets you forward- and backward-swipe between songs. It also serves up a single track from an artist at a time?there's no way to see, for example, an album's track listing from within Twitter #music. You can, however, click on the Rdio or Spotify icon to visit the external artist pages on those sites if you'd like more information.

Twitter #music also gives you the option to Tweet what you're listening to at the moment. My immediate thought was that if the service caught on, my Timeline would be filled with these annoying shout outs and links to Rdio and Spotify. I could happily do without it.

That said, Twitter #music may serve music artists well. No matter where you are in the app, an artist is staring back at you. The sheer number encourages exploration, but that may not result in finding music you like. In my case, the Popular section meant nothing to me?it was mainly pop swill. Now Playing, the music tweeted by my Twitter buds, didn't help much either (at least on launch day). There were nine recommendations and none moved me. The Emerging section was a mixed bag of potential Vice-worthy indie darlings, but certainly a step up from Popular. The Suggested section proved the most helpful as it recommended songs based on the two musicians I follow: Chuck D and Talib Kweli. Naturally, there were a lot of hip hop-heavy songs from the likes of Q-tip, Pharoahe Monch, and Bumpy Knuckles. I would have preferred if my actual tweets influenced the suggested artists, too, as I tweet about all types of music. In order to get a more varied suggestion range, I would have to follow more artists?and I don't want to do that. I prefer a clean Twitter feed.

There's also a search button, but it doesn't return song results?it returns user names. Type in "Walk This Way" and you'll get zilch unless that name is actually a Twitter handle. In this instance, Twitter #music felt even less like a music service and simply a tool to drive up artist's engagement numbers.

Room For Improvement
The comingling of music and social network in the manner presented here is troublesome. I like, for example, John Mayer's music, but do I really want to follow his Twitter account in order to receive Mayer-like recommendations? No.? Plus, I don't want to clutter my Twitter stream with a slew of artists just to help sculpt personalized suggestion results.

The Twitter brand has given this service a lot of buzz, but I predict that the hype will quickly fade when the limitations arise. By requiring users to sign up for a premium Rdio or Spotify account and follow musicians to receive personalized music recommendations, Twitter #music has erected roadblocks for those who simply want to hear a quick song or two. That's not to say that Twitter #music doesn't have room for improvement. Should Twitter #music implement album info and create a way to get personalized recommendations without the need for users to follow artists it could be worth consideration. For now? Pass unless you're a Twitter diehard.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/VbMr8cXU2cc/0,2817,2418108,00.asp

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Readers share their photos as floods hammer Midwest

By Vicenta DeVries

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.?The flooding has closed roads, collected debris, damaged foundations of homes and business, caused sewer and sanitation problems and contaminated drinking water.... more?

By Vicenta DeVries

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.?The flooding has closed roads, collected debris, damaged foundations of homes and business, caused sewer and sanitation problems and contaminated drinking water. By Tuesday, the flooding reached its peak ?hit over the weekend?and has started to move out to the outer lakes and rivers. But the water is still above the flood levels, which is also above the flood walls within the city.

The problems are far from over. Michigan has begun the clean-up process to help those affected. I have seen volunteers sacking bags of sand to help divert the flow of water from many homes and businesses. This shows how Michigan people help each other during calamities and a disaster arises. less?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/midwest-flooding-in-photos-first-hand-accounts-slideshow/

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Upton brothers go back-to-back as Braves sweep DH

DENVER (AP) ? In their first season with the Atlanta Braves, Justin and B.J. Upton have become the new bash brothers.

The power-hitting siblings cracked back-to-back homers for the first time, leading Atlanta past the Colorado Rockies 10-2 Tuesday night to complete a doubleheader sweep that began with the coldest game at Coors Field.

"It's always cool when you can see him have success before you and then you go up and do the same thing," said Justin Upton, acquired as part of a seven-player trade with Arizona in January. "It was definitely cool for us to tack on those runs when we needed them. That was nice."

It was the 27th time in major league history that brothers homered in the same game, but only the second time they went deep in consecutive at-bats. Lloyd and Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates also accomplished the feat on Sept. 15, 1938.

Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said the Uptons were displaying the kind of 1-2 punch that the Braves were hoping for when they acquired them. B.J. Upton was signed as a free agent last winter.

"It makes your lineup a lot better when you've got B.J. going and you've got Justin, too," Gonzalez said. "For me, Justin is your No. 3 hitter and it doesn't matter who is on the mound that night."

Or what the weather is like, for that matter.

In the first game, Justin Upton, Dan Uggla and rookie Evan Gattis homered in support of a solid outing by Mike Minor as the Braves won 4-3 in a game that began with a temperature of 23 degrees.

The weather warmed up for the night game ? but only a bit. It was 30 degrees at first pitch.

In the nightcap, B.J. Upton homered to left field off Jon Garland to start the fifth inning, his third of the season. Justin Upton drove Garland's next pitch to center for his major league-leading 11th home run.

"Mistakes," Garland said. "Maybe a wrong choice of pitches. When you miss with pitches, good hitters will get you."

Said Justin Upton: "I'm just trying to be part of a team that was already good. I can't put my thumb as to why I have hit the way I have; just got to continue to work and try to keep it up."

B.J. Upton was getting treatment and not available to reporters after the nightcap.

The Uptons have homered in the same game three times this season. They each added another RBI later in the game, B.J. on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly and Justin on a ninth-inning double that was part of a four-run burst.

The Braves outhomered the Rockies 6-0 in taking both games from Colorado, which entered the twinbill tied with Atlanta for the best record in baseball at 13-5.

"This Atlanta team, you have to try to keep them in the yard. We had a tough time doing that today," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Six homers in two games. That is what they do if it's for a strike and they are locked in."

Julio Teheran (1-0) made the most of his offensive support in the nightcap, allowing one run over seven innings to quiet the Rockies, who have lost three in a row at Coors Field since an 8-0 start at home.

The Braves also got a home run and run-scoring double from Juan Francisco. His two-run shot in the fourth came after Freddie Freeman drew a one-out walk. Colorado had broken on top with an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer in the third.

Garland (2-1) went six innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits.

Reed Johnson, playing right field for Atlanta in the opener because Jason Heyward underwent an appendectomy Monday night, went 4 for 4 with three doubles. Heyward was put on the 15-day disabled list.

The matchup featured baseball's hottest teams ? and the coldest game-time temperature in the majors since such data collection began in 1991, according to STATS. The Rockies said the previous low at Coors Field was 28 degrees.

Donning a short-sleeve jersey with his standard T-shirt underneath while many other players were bundled up, Minor (3-1) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings. He said he decided against warmer attire because he wanted the same freedom of movement he feels with his arms uncovered.

"I don't know what it is, but with (long) sleeves on, I feel restricted," he said. "It's just a feeling and you want to feel comfortable out there."

To a degree, anyway.

"It was all right," Minor said. "The biggest thing was grip, just being cold and dry. I pretty much just battled through it."

At one point, Minor acknowledged he got so cold that he had a trainer rub his back, arms and thighs with a heating ointment.

"I was burning up there," he said with a smile.

By the time Craig Kimbrel pitched a one-hit ninth for his eighth save in eight chances, the temperature had warmed up to 27.

Gattis hit a tiebreaking home run in the fourth and ended the game by throwing out Wilin Rosario trying to steal second.

Jeff Francis (1-2) gave up four runs and six hits in four innings, leaving him with an 8.44 ERA.

Ground crews began working around 6 a.m. to clear several inches of snow from the playing surface at Coors Field, which opened in 1995. While there was no sign of snow on the field when the game started, some parts of the ballpark remained closed, including the snow-filled Rockpile section in center.

Workers hosed off the snow on the stand of evergreen trees beyond the center-field wall. It was important that the trees be cleared because they're part of the green batters' eye background.

It's been a wintry April for Denver, which has been hit by a wave of snowy weather over the past nine days that forced postponements of games three times. The delays led to two doubleheaders within a week.

NOTES: Justin Upton's 11 homers in April are the most by a Braves player. ... Gattis leads all major league rookies with six home runs and has homered in every park he's played in so far (Colorado, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Washington and Miami). ... The Rockies were 0-3 at home against the Braves last year and 1-6 overall. ... It isn't always freezing at Coors Field. According to the Rockies, the hottest game played here was 100 degrees last June 25 when Colorado hosted Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/upton-brothers-back-back-braves-sweep-dh-035118200--mlb.html

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