Friday, September 20, 2013

Madison's hottest ticket on Thursday night was the library.

Eager to explore the three floors of the renovated Central Library, a long line of people, many dressed for a night out on the town, snaked down the side of the building.

More than 1,000 people turned out for the festive event, a fundraiser called "Stacked," which featured a rich array of visual art, live music, performance art, cocktails, beer and cookies here from the library's new Chocolatarian Café. There was also space to create art from library ephemera like microfiche and card catalog cards.

The library opens officially on Saturday.

"The library is this new, hip place," said Shad Wenzlaff, an art history professor at Edgewood College, as he assembled a collage in the Bubbler, the new maker-space at the library that will host regular pop-up workshops.

Wenzlaff observed that years ago, as coffee shops became more of a place for people to study and work, the library "lost its cache." The renovated and reimagined building updates the library for a new era.

"I love this idea of a library as a place of learning and taking that in the broadest possible sense," said Elizabeth Tucker, director of development at the nearby Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, pointing to upcoming workshops. Visitors can learn about the science of cheesemaking Sept. 28, explore stop motion in an open lab on Sept. 29 and podcasting on Sept. 30.

"It's so much more than a place to check out books," she said.

On Thursday night, the dimly lit children's area looked more like a college party. An indie rock band played as 20-somethings socialized, plastic cups of beer in hand. People climbed in and out of the reading nooks nestled in the walls.

It felt like the second coming of Bookless, the library's enthusiastic music-and-art filled sendoff party in January 2012.

For Yvette Pino, a printmaker and an art department alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, "Stacked" was a chance to support her friends like Madison installation artist Niki Johnson, who has several pieces on display in the new library.

She had also missed out on Bookless. Many of the same artists were invited back to make work for "Stacked."

"They did a really good job of getting the community of artists here involved," Pino said. Artists "felt a part of it from start to finish."

On the main floor, a makeshift photo booth set up by Jim Escalante encouraged people to grab props (like alien head cutouts and a sign that read "Take me to your librarian") and pose next to a solar scene with stars and planets that hung from one of the shelves.

Jane Petzoldt, a recent graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a newcomer to Madison, said the new library has "a great vibe. The space feels really versatile."

"You feel like you're in a place that's fun to be in," added her friend Eric Robinson, also a recent grad of Williams College who moved here from Oregon. "It reminds me a lot of the Seattle library."

The social atmosphere at "Stacked" also appealed to them.

"I've never had the opportunity to drink beer at a library before," Petzoldt said.

For more photos from "Stacked," visit this photo gallery on Flickr.com.


Source: Madison
Posted by at No comments:

Brad Dickson's humor column, "Breaking Brad," appears daily on Omaha.com and in The World-Herald. To read more from Brad, check out his past columns at omaha.com/dickson and follow him on Twitter.

* * * * * * * * * *

Brad's afternoon edition. Click here to read Brad's morning jokes.

* The Street of Dreams in Omaha continues. No expense is spared in these homes, which feature imported porcelain sinks, indoor/outdoor pools, Italian marble fountains -- no, wait, that's the increasingly expensive UNO arena.

* It certainly took UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman and A.D. Shawn Eichorst awhile to here issue a supportive statement of Bo Pelini. If that took much longer, Ron Kellogg IV may have been playing QB for the Huskers.

* According to a report, most of Iowa is still in a drought. This is the last thing you want to hear just as you finish draining all the water from your basement after Thursday's storms.

* E! has canceled "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" The network had no choice after it was discovered even Ryan Lochte didn't care.

* To add insult to injury, E! is replacing it with a program called "What Would Michael Phelps Do?"

* After reaching into the stands for a foul ball, Detroit Tigers first-baseman Prince Fielder grabbed a nacho from a fan and ate it. The next inning, Fielder dove into the stands on a routine fly-out; he had forgot the cheese.

* A photo appeared online of the tallest American with the shortest American. I mistook it for the latest "Bachelor" couple.

* A woman in Maine is traveling the country to meet all of her 626 Facebook friends. It's going well so far: Only 300 have slammed the door on her face and another 100 took out a restraining order.

* The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated, and the Kansas City Royals have been in contention. The last time we saw that, stagecoaches were traveling Interstate-15.

* Brian Urlacher said the Chicago Bears routinely faked injuries. This season, the Bears will be appearing on Monday Night Football twice and Monday Night Raw three times.

* Urlacher then claimed he pulled a hamstring and was unable to take any questions.

* The Seattle Seahawks set a record for "loudest crowd roar" during a game with the 49ers. That breaks the record previously set when Kid Rock mooned an audience.

Also from Brad: TGIF, or TGIFF for Bo Pelini

Source: Omaha
Posted by at No comments:

So much for "till death do us part." For the first time, more Americans 50 and older are divorced than widowed, and the numbers are growing as baby boomers live longer. Sociologists call them gray divorcees.

Barbara Wingate and her husband of 34 years divorced in 2009 - after the marriage of their daughter. Both were 58 and they had tried for a year to resolve their differences.

"I was in shock and sought counseling for several months," Ms. Wingate said. "My whole identity was connected to him and here his career."

A half-century ago, only 2.8 percent of Americans older than 50 were divorced. By 2000, 11.8 percent were. In 2011, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 15.4 percent were divorced and another 2.1 percent were separated. Some 13.5 percent were widowed.

While divorce rates over all have stabilized and even inched downward, the divorce rate among people 50 and older has doubled since 1990, according to an analysis of census data by professors at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where Ms. Wingate now lives. That's especially significant because half the married population is older than 50.

In 1990, 1 in 10 persons who divorced was 50 or older. By 2011, according to the census's American Community Survey, more than 28 percent (more than 1 in 4) who said they divorced in the previous 12 months were 50 or older.

Researchers at Bowling Green warn that the rising divorce rate among older Americans has serious implications that go well beyond the couples themselves. Like widowhood, divorce can contribute to economic strain and poor health, placing a larger burden on children and, given shrinking family size, on institutional support from government and other sources.

"It's still true that in general the longer you are married, the lower your chance of divorce, but it's sure no guarantee anymore," said Stephanie Coontz, who teaches family history at Evergreen State College in Washington State.

She attributes the trend to the higher rate of divorce among baby boomers and to the fact that many are in second or third marriages, making them statistically more prone to divorce. Still, she and others detect an increase in divorce among couples who have been married 25 years or more.

"I don't necessarily think this will accelerate, but I don't expect it to go down," she said. "Staying together until death do us part is a bigger challenge than it used to be because we expect so much more of marriage than we did in the past, and we have so many more options when a marriage doesn't live up to those expectations.

"The extension of the active, healthy life span is a big part of this," Professor Coontz said. "If you are a healthy 65, you can expect another pretty healthy 20 years. So with the kids gone, it seems more burdensome to stay in a bad relationship, or even one that has grown stale."

Most divorces among older couples, as in younger ones, are initiated by women.

"Women have long been more sensitive to - or less tolerant of - a mediocre relationship than men," Professor Coontz said, "and so another big factor is that with their increased work experience and greater sense of their own possibilities, they are less willing to just 'wait it out.'

"We expect to find equality, intimacy, friendship, fun, and even passion right into what people used to see as the 'twilight years,' " she added.

It takes work. "It's not something you can put on the back burner while you raise your kids, for example, and think it won't scorch somewhere along the way," Professor Coontz said.

Robert D. Gould, a New York trial lawyer who handles matrimonial cases and himself was divorced when he was over 50, said: "A lot of marriages died a long time ago, but because of the shame involved, in a family people often stuck together for the children. Now the children are grown up. Viagra is another reason - men are able to satisfy younger women. And people are living longer and they can get out and still have a life."

Two sociologists at Bowling Green call it the "gray divorce revolution."

In a recent study of census data, Prof. Susan L Brown and Prof. I-Fen Lin attribute the trend to several factors, including societal acceptance of divorce and the increased economic autonomy of women. "Finally," they write, "lengthening life expectancies decrease the likelihood that marriages will end through death and increase the length of exposure to the risk of divorce."

The professors found that divorce is more likely among older couples who have less education, who are African-American or Hispanic and who have been married for fewer than 10 years. Nonetheless, they say that if the rate remains constant, "we project a 25 percent increase in the number of people that will experience divorce" two decades from now among Americans 50 and older.

After Ms. Wingate divorced, she moved closer to her daughter, put the proceeds from the sale of her marital home in real estate and, after two years, began trolling Internet dating sites for companionship. "I've been dating a widower for two years," she said, "but am struggling with any thoughts of remarrying."


Source: Nytimes
Posted by at No comments:

Not all media is created equal when delivery new and old consumers to brands.

In looking at one significant piece of research from here a cross platform campaign, TiVo Research and Analytics (TRA) says TV drives more new customers to make sales, while digital media gets more business from existing customers.

When it comes to media exposure via TV, nearly 70% of purchasing household gains came from new customers that were new to the brand and category. Digital media activity gets more sales activity from existing brand customers than new customers.

The cross-media study was done last fall with Comcast Spotlight's Comcast Media 360, a cross-platform advertising unit that surveyed 735,000 homes for a Starcom MediaVest Group consumer products marketer with consumers exposed to a cross-media television and digital advertising campaign.

Household advertising impressions were matched to TRA purchase data, with purchasing habits tracked for up to 20 weeks after the campaign ended.

The study also says digital media complements TV media; a targeted cross-media campaign produced a 10% sales lift. Nearly two-thirds of those who were exposed by the digital ads had little or no exposure to the TV campaign.

The survey also says higher TV ad frequency drives sales lift -- seven to 10 exposures of a TV commercial were the most effective. TRA says brand advertising from the campaign continue to create a sales lift after the campaign ended. After 20 weeks, sales from the exposed homes surpassed sales from the unexposed homes.

Tracey Scheppach, executive vice president of innovations at Starcom MediaVest Group, stated: "The study shows that cross-platform campaigns and measurement can be implemented at scale, and allow us unprecedented understanding of how multiple screens are working together."


Source: Mediapost
Posted by at No comments:

We've wrapped up another Structure: Europe conference and, just like last year's inaugural event, it was full of insights into the state of cloud computing in Europe and around the world. The fact that this was our first event since learning the full scale of the NSA's internet-spying operations certainly played a role in many of the discussions - both onstage and in the hallways - as did a seemingly general consensus that here Amazon Web Services cannot and will not be the only cloud computing provi der that matters.

But what struck me most of all was the ridiculous amount of data that many of the speakers are dealing with. We're not talking about a few terabytes here and there; rather, we're talking about petabytes of storage and single companies - heck, single events - accounting for significant portions of all the world's web traffic.

And then there's CERN. The Swiss research institution is generating, processing and storing staggering amounts of data. Here are the highlights, but you'll really want to watch Tim Bell's entire presentation for the full and fascinating story behind why it's growing so fast and how it's doing so without crashing and burning:

  • CERN's 100-megapixel cameras take 40 million pictures a second of proton collisions - creating 1 petabyte of data per second that needs to be filtered down to reasonable levels for analysis and retention.
  • CERN currently keeps about 35 petabytes of data per year, which scientists want to keep for 20 years. Its archival system consists of 45,000 tape drives.
  • CERN's current cloud environment consists of 50,000 cores right now and is expected to grow to about 300,000 cores by 2015.

A transcript of Bell's talk is available here.

All told, however, Structure: Europe was a great conference and a few statistics don't really do it justice. Check out the live coverage page, read the blog posts and, if you have time, watch the sessions. Whether your interests lie in anything from big data to European cloud strategy, from privacy to webscale infrastructure, I think it'll be worth the time.


Source: GigaOM
Posted by at No comments:

Milton Keynes, England - 4HM chose IBC to launch the AM64, a new multi-format AES to MADI converter that provides fibre and coaxial transport. The new 1U device is intended to provide a single cost effective and space-saving solution to providing MADI on fibre for the broadcast environment.

The AM64 accepts up to here 64 channels comprising 32 stereo pairs of AES/EBU or AES3-id audio (selectable from the front panel) and provides format conversion to MADI (with switchable sample-rate converters). The MADI data is then presented either via coaxial or fibre outputs. The AM64 is compatible with both single-mode and multi-mode fibre and provides peace of mind with a redundant power supply.

There is no set up time involved with the AM64 which means transporting multi-channel audio from one facility to another and over distance is much simpler than might otherwise be the case. This is especially true when used in partnership with 4HM's existing MA64 which can take a MADI input and present the 64 channels as AES/EBU and AES3-id outputs simultaneously.

To the rear of the AM64 an ST fibre connector and a BNC provide the MADI output. Inputs are catered for by four 25 way Dsub connectors tackling balanced digital audio and a single 37 way Dsub for the unbalanced digital audio. There is a sync reference input on BNC and derived word clock and AES clock outputs both also via BNC.

The AM 64 fits neatly into the expanding 4HM range when considered in the context of the afore-mentioned MA64 and the inexpensive BOB-I and ASBO optional interface units. BOB-I is a 1U 'break-in' box that permits balanced AES/EBU on XLR connectors to easily interface with the AM64, the 1U ASBO allows 32 AES3-id pairs to be connected to the AM64 via BNC connections.

As with almost all 4HM products released so far, the AM64 is only a 1U device ensuring it occupies the minimum of 'real estate' which is especially important in OB trucks and flyaway systems. The result is that the 4HM family of products can provide a truly compact end to end solution at minimal cost.


Source: Onscreenasia
Posted by at No comments:

Glendale this month joined other West Valley cities that pray before politics, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on soon.

The Glendale City Council will now allow speakers to volunteer to offer a two-minute prayer or invocation during meetings here to "solemnize" council business, replacing the moment of silence that had been in place.

Other Valley cities that include prayer or invocations during meetings include Chandler, Phoenix, Goodyear, Gilbert, Mesa and Litchfield Park, according to Glendale staff.

Mayor Jerry Weiers, along with council members Norma Alvarez, Sam Chavira and Ian Hugh, voted in favor of the measure. Vice Mayor Yvonne Knaack, joined by council members Gary Sherwood and Manny Martinez, opposed it.

Weiers said public prayer from various faiths would illuminate Glendale's diversity and perhaps give the city a spiritual boost.

"The fact is, the city needs help. I'm willing to take help from anyone I can get it from," he said.

More than 30 Arizona municipalities convene council meetings with prayers or invocations, according to research compiled by Glendale staff.

But protocols could change depending on the outcome of a case that the Supreme Court agreed to consider when the court's new term begins in October.

Governments that offer prayer have operated under "fuzzy" guidelines since a 1983 Supreme Court case set a precedent for allowing prayer before sessions as long as the practice didn't lead to proselytizing or disparaging any beliefs, said Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

The court left much unclear, such as whether prayers should be universal or whether a rotating group of religious leaders is permissible even if most speakers represent one religion, Haynes said.

The confusion has landed a slew of cities in the courtroom. Those cases have resulted in a patchwork of conflicting rulings from lower courts. Haynes said the high court likely agreed to take up the latest case to set straight the differing rulings.

Thecase before the Supreme Court examines prayer before meetings atGreece, N.Y. There,rotating prayer leadersbless meetings. A lower court ruled that because most of the meetings carried a Christian message, the town was effectively promoting one religion over another.

Town officials argued that most of their messages were Christian simply because most of the speakers who volunteered were of that faith.

The Republic reported in June that more than 80 percent of the invocations since 2011 at Chandler City Council meetings represented Christian denominations.

"Any city or town that is thinking of passing a prayer policy at this point would probably be wise to wait to hear what the court says," Haynes said.

Haynes said he doubts the court would strike down prayer before sessions, but it should answer a key question: If governments use a rotating prayer-leadermodel, and prayers wind up representing mostly one faith, is that permissible if there is a good effort to include all beliefs?

Haynes said such models result in minorities feeling left out. That includes a growing number of people with no religious identity, he said. A December 2012 Gallup poll found that 15.6 percent of Americans do not identify with a religion.

Weiers said he's not concerned about the Supreme Court case, explaining that Glendale could change its procedure if it conflicts with its ruling.

Glendale's 20-point set of guidelines broaches that issue by barring one speaker from leading consecutive meetings and from leading more than three times a year. In addition, it bars speakers from the same denomination appearing more than three times in a year. If no speaker is scheduled, the council will observe a moment of silence.

Glendale's program will allow speakers to deliver prayers or invocations at each meeting, free of council or staff review, as long as they do not proselytize their faith or disparage others.

"The 20-point guideline, which establishes how we go about the prayer, makes a simple and meaningful thing complicated and bureaucratic," Knaack said.

Weiers, a former state representative, told his colleagues during an August workshop meeting that prayers have been offered before sessions in the state Legislature for more than a century without problem. However, a secular invocation caused a stir in May when Rep. Juan Mendez, D-Tempe, who is atheist, offered the invocation to ask lawmakers to celebrate their "shared humanness." The next day, state Rep. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, who is Christian, asked lawmakers to join him in a second daily prayer in repentance for Mendez's secular invocation.

In 2011, Litchfield Park Councilman Peter Mahoney started walking out during prayers because he firmly believes in separation of church and state.

Martinez and Knaack both said they worried the new policy would cause problems. Martinez read letters sent by religious constituents asking the council to vote against the prayer.

Father Jim Turner of Saint Thomas More Parish in north Glendale wrote that all religions have different ways of invoking their deities, and having to adjust prayers in council chambers to make them non-offensive to others would be inappropriate and offensive to him.

Martinez had also said he preferred the moment of silence because it allowed him to pray as he wished.

Haynes made a similar observation.

"What it ends up being is a watered-down, to-whom-it-may-concern prayer, which is not real prayer for some people."


Source: Azcentral
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)