Google Now: Contextual Results With Real-Time Reminders And Data

Android users are about to get access to real-time notifications and data through a cool-looking new feature called Google Now. It's one of the new features in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean unveiled this morning at Google I/O. To explain how it works, Googlers demonstrated how Google Now might assist them in the course of a regular day. First of all, Google Now will remind you about appointments, and then it can use your travel preferences (like the fact that you prefer to take mass transit rather than drive) and real-time data to tell you exactly when you need to leave so that you arrive on time.

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How Do We Know Smartphones Endanger Planes?

Maybe you were fiddling with the air-conditioning nozzle, but you ignored the flight attendant?s annoucement to turn off your phone or iPad. Later, when the plane lands and you disembark at your destination, you look at your gadgets only to realize they were powered on (and not in airplane mode) during the entire flight.

The fact that you landed safely might make you join with myriad other air travelers who scoff at the rules about phones during flights and wonder whether it?s really necessary to turn them off (we?re looking at you, Alec Baldwin). But to Jay Apt, a professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, that type of logic is dangerous. Despite the fact that more wireless signals are bouncing around than ever, Apt says there?s still a good reason why the flight attendants are sticklers about gadgets.

Back in 2003, Apt and his colleagues closely examined the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum for three months? worth of flights. Though they could detect a strong signal radiating from active cellphones, their data did not explicitly link it to a specific airplane malfunction during flight.

There may not be a smoking gun to connect cellphone use and equipment problems, but Apt stresses that the consequences of a malfunctioning plane are plenty high already. "Don?t come away with the idea that cellphone activity will take down a plane," he says. "The probability of a crash occurring due to cellphone interference is low, but there are lots of flights each day. If a flight with 150 passengers crashes only once per decade, that is still too much."

Why Do They Have Those Rules Anyway?

The risk is a result of the basic way cellphones work?they behave like powerful radios. Apt says that when your phone is first turned on, it broadcasts high-power radio waves while it?s looking for a cell tower to connect with. Essentially the phone yells out, "Can you hear me now?" and a cell tower replies, "Loud and clear!"

Once the cellphone establishes a connection, it reduces the strength of its radio waves. The back-and-forth between tower and phone repeats, with each cycle decreasing the cellphone?s broadcasting power. When the tower gets an unclear signal, though, it flags the phone to let it know that it needs to speak a little louder. Now the cellphone knows to send out a slightly stronger signal. And every so often, even when it sits there idly without actively making calls or using the 4G connection, the phone periodically sends messages to the cell tower just to confirm the connection.

But if you?re at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, there?s no cell tower to talk to. The phone doesn?t know that, though, so it will continue sending out energetic signals to see if there?s anybody out there. The worry with planes is these loud and powerful signals could cause radio interference with GPS signals beamed down from satellites, resulting in a lost connection or even incorrect navigation information.

But What About Wireless?

If radio waves are causing interference, why are more and more airlines offering onboard wireless? It?s because laptops send and receive signals from an onboard server rather than a faraway antenna. Because the connection is only meters away instead of miles, your machine doesn?t need to transmit radio waves at high power. (The iPads now used by pilots are meant to replace binders full of maps and other reference materials; their Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi, and other wireless features are kept off.)

But you can take advantage of the wireless only when the plane is at cruising altitude. Takeoff and landing are different matters because, as Apt says, you?re that much closer to the ground without much time to correct for any mistakes. The majority of accidents happen during these stages. That?s why flight attendants disrupt your slumber and ask you to turn off your music so the plane can land. "While cellphones produce electromagnetic interference, all electronic devices [including CD players and game devices] can too," Apt says.

Jerrold Sandors, the manager of the Spectrum Assignment & Engineering Team at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), says that planes fly through a host of radio activity. "Anything that transmits a signal can get through." If RF emissions are present when close to the towers and the antennas on the ground, what?s keeping the plane?s equipment from malfunctioning as it lands?

Apt doesn?t deny that RF activity on the ground can breach the cockpit. However, he says, the key factor is that the external interference is well-documented. Planes are regularly scheduled to perform "instrument approaches"?test flights that are conducted without any passengers on board. During the flight, the pilot makes sure that the plane receives signals from a variety of navigation beacons and GPS satellites. If the pilot experiences any difficulty receiving those signals due to ground RF activity, then subsequent flights at those particular destinations are suspended until the issue is resolved. Unlike cellphone interference, ground transmission is regulated by the FCC.

One way to try and minimize the interference is to install electromagnetic shielding and block off any unwanted interference. Gregory Huff, an electrical engineering professor at Texas A&M University, says that newer planes made in the past five years or so have cockpits with better RF shielding. However, it?s difficult to retrofit planes that were built more than 20 years ago. "You can?t just shield the cockpit and expect to keep all the radio energy out. Any small crack or crevice is a place that RF energy can escape."

Huff says that while the technology will advance, he doesn?t anticipate that we?ll be able to make cellphone calls while aboard a plane. Instead, he sees a smarter generation of smartphones?phones that could automatically switch to airplane mode or power down when they detect that they?re in an aircraft.

In any case, Huff says, he thinks airlines would be better served by improving onboard wireless rather than cell-tower communication. In the air or on the ground, people are using more and more data. "Data access is going to be critical, and for many people that will make or break the airline you choose," he says. "It?s just a factor in planning your trip, no different than choosing one hotel over another for the better Wi-Fi."

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Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva I and Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock III full fight videos

Clear your schedule, because you're going to want to spend some time with these full fight videos. First up, Chael Sonnen's first fight with Anderson Silva. By now, you know the result. Silva won by submission, but if you've never watched what happened before the triangle armbar, then watch now. Heck, if you have watched what happened before the triangle armbar, watch now.

Next up, watch Tito Ortiz's final fight with Ken Shamrock. Ortiz, who is set to retire on July 7 after finishing a trio of fights with Forrest Griffin, faced Shamrock three times, as well.

Which fight was your favorite? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.

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Toll from Colo. wildfire grows to 248 homes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.?? Flames forced thousands of Colorado residents from their homes over the weekend and disrupted vacation plans for countless visitors as smoke shrouded some of the state's top tourist destinations, including majestic Pike's Peak and tranquil Estes Park.

Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade, with more than a half dozen forest fires burning across the state's parched terrain. Some hotels and campgrounds are emptying ahead of the busy Fourth of July holiday.

One of the newest fires, a blaze near Colorado Springs, grew to more than 6 square miles Sunday after erupting just a day earlier and prompting evacuation orders for 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists.

The fire sent plumes of gray and white smoke over the area that obscured at times Pikes Peak, the most-summited high-elevation mountain in the nation and inspiration for the song "America The Beautiful."

Winds had started to push smoke away from Colorado Springs and evacuations orders were lifted for the 5,000 residents of nearby Manitou Springs, but area residents and tourists still watched nervously as haze wrapped around the peak.

"We're used to flooding and tornadoes, nothing like this," said Amanda Rice, who recently moved to the area from Rock Falls, Ill. Rice, her husband, four children and dog left a Manitou Springs hotel late Saturday.

Rice, scared when she saw flames, took her family to the evacuation center before she was told to go.

"It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up," Rice said Sunday.

Even while other large fires burn across the West, Colorado's blazes have demanded half the nation's firefighting fleet, according to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. He said C-130 military transport planes from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs would begin assisting Monday.

"People recognize this is going to take a big push" to extinguish, Hickenlooper said Sunday from a Colorado Springs grocery store, where volunteers were passing out burritos, sandwiches and drinks to 350 firefighters working near Pikes Peak.

A statewide ban on open campfires and private fireworks has been in place for more than a week.

While no homes were reported damaged in the Colorado Springs-area fire, a forest fire near Rocky Mountain National Park destroyed structures near the mountain community of Estes Park. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Sunday that 22 homes and two outbuildings had been burned.

The Estes Park fire destroyed vacation cabins and closed the most commonly used entrance to the park. Clouds of smoke blew toward the 102-year-old Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King to write "The Shining."

Also over the weekend, residents of a subdivision near the northern Colorado city of Fort Collins learned that 57 more homes in their neighborhood had been lost to the High Park Fire, which already had claimed 191 homes, authorities said.

Video: Wildfires rage across West

The High Park Fire is the second-largest wildfire and among the most expensive in Colorado's history. It has scorched more than 130 square miles and was just 45 percent contained on Sunday, The Denver Post reported.

With Colorado midway through its worst wildfire season in a decade, travelers have seen some of their favorite sites closed to the public, obscured by smoke and haze. Some travelers were awoken with evacuation orders.

Families planning whitewater rafting trips or visits to the stunning red-rock formations in Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs were instead spending their vacations passing out bottled water and setting up cots in evacuee centers.

They included Mark Stein, of Morristown, N.J., whose family arrived after midnight Sunday at their Manitou Springs hotel for a week of whitewater rafting and sightseeing.

"We were sleeping for 15 minutes when they started knocking on the door ? a day from hell," Stein said of the day of travel. With his wife and two sons, Stein spent the first night of his vacation setting up cots for more than 200 evacuees who slept at the school.

"I think it's the best vacation ever. This is what the real world is about. There's a lot of people that need help," Stein said.

Also Sunday, a brushfire that began near Elbert, about 50 miles southwest of Denver, quickly spread to about 60 acres, forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents.

Elsewhere, firefighters contended with windy and heat as they battled wildfires in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

? In Utah, a 15-square-mile blaze around Fountain Green in Sanpete County was threatening more than 359 permanent structures and 213 mobile homes and travel trailers in four rural subdivisions, forcing about 1,000 people to flee. BLM says the human-caused fire erupted Saturday afternoon. Officials report progress on a 9-square-mile wildfire around Saratoga Springs, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

? In California, a wildfire about 60 miles north of Los Angeles triggered evacuations of campgrounds around an off-road recreation area on Saturday. Officials said the fire has blackened at least 1,000 acres in the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, along the Interstate 5 corridor in Gorman.

? In New Mexico, a lightning-caused wildfire that destroyed 242 homes and businesses is 90 percent contained. The 69-square-mile fire near Ruidoso began June 4. Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in state history was 87 percent contained, having burned more than 464 square miles after two blazes merged on May 16.

? In Montana, two wildfires were burning in the southwest part of the state, including the fast-moving Antelope Fire, which started Saturday afternoon about 10 miles north of Whitehall and had grown to 462 acres on Sunday. About 100 firefighters were battling that blaze.

? In Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service said late Sunday that containment against the Poco Fire, just outside of Young, is up to 65 percent and remains under 12,000 acres. Officials say many of the firefighting resources are being released to their home units or to other fire assignments.?

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Facebook Already Killed Its New 'Find Friends Nearby' Feature That Found People Around You [Facebook]

Facebook was stealth testing a new 'Find Friends Nearby' feature over the weekend that would show the Facebook users who were around you—think Find My Friends on iOS or Where You At? on Boost Mobile—but has now pulled the feature completely. More »

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'The Two Great Classes?Tramps and Millionaires' (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

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Most Contractors Specialize In A Specific Area Of Home Improvement

Improve the look of your bathroom without spending a lot of time and effort. The first solution is to throw out those old bath mats, towels and shower curtains and replace them with new ones. That instantly lifts the look of the room. Plants fresh a bathroom, but be certain to select those that are good in high humidity and do not need a lot of light.

Start composting to lower your amount of garbage. A compost pile is easily started by choosing a spot in your yard, and layering grass cuttings, coffee grounds, veggies, fruit peelings and other organic matter into a pile. This decreases your trash for trash day, meaning you can lower your waste bill.

Texturing walls through the use of drywall mud could cover up unwanted blemishes. It is easy to create texture. Just trowel the drywall mud in place and use something like a stiff bristled brush, a sponge, or even a wadded up plastic bag to dab at the drywall mud and add texture.

You can significantly improve your bathroom?s look and feel by getting them re-glazed. A new glaze will make your fixtures look brand new. Buying new fixtures and flooring can be expensive, but glazing can be done for just a couple hundred dollars. It?s one of the best ways to increase your home?s value without spending too much money.

Replacing the flooring in any room can be an expensive project. You can add a stain to your concrete foundation to save money. This industrial-inspired look is both versatile and modern and can be easily altered if you decide on a different decor.

Painting your walls can give a quick and refreshing change to a room without spending too much money! Take a trip to your nearest hardware store and pick up some paint chips! Look for ones that excite you or inspire you, and dive right in! If it doesn?t turn out the way you wish, it is easy to paint over it!

Buy ?hurricane socks? if you live in an area where heavy rains and flooding occur often. These are a good investment. Hurricane socks will suck up about a gallon of liquid. Put these next to your doors and windows.

A real estate slump is the perfect time for homeowners to invest in renovations and additions. During this time homeowners can save money. This is due to the fact that most contractors are competing for work. There is no expiration on home improvements. However, renovations made during a housing slump will add much value to a home when the market goes back up.

If you have home improvement projects that use the water supply, shut it off before working. You should know where all water valves are located, and turn them off when necessary so you don?t have any flooding.

Only EPA-certified stoves should be purchased if you?re looking into purchasing a stove that burns real wood. Most stoves that are newly made are certified, but if you buy a used one, you will want to check to be sure. It is also of the utmost importance that you ensure your wood-burning stove does not leak deadly carbon monoxide.

When you are wanting to do bathroom remodeling, make your bathroom handicap accessible. Although you may not need your bathroom to be handicap-friendly now, if you stay in the home when you get older, you may need it to be. If you are planning to sell your house, these preparations will surely add to your house?s value.

Home improvement can mean a lot of different things and can be done on any kind of budget. You do not have to spend a fortune on a large construction project. If you have a small budget for home improvements, the best thing to do is smaller, less expensive projects, such as repainting or residing your home.

Home improvement projects are so popular because they can be tailored to almost any price range or skill level. You must know what you are doing before you do it. With the advice in the article above, you should be better prepared to meet your goal. Good luck in all your future home improvement endeavors!

Richie Vee, the site?s editor, is the Chief Engineer of one of the largest Platinum LEED buildings in NYC. His extensive engineering experience helps guide consumers through home improvement projects for the average homeowner. Using home solar energy and roofing repair ideas to save them money.

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