Granger Whitelaw
My personal blog talking life, love, family, friends work and anything I think of at the time!
Granger Whitelaw Sr
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Tech for 2013 - Cool stuff for you!
Personally, I really dig Twine and Levelup. but take a look at some of this stuff below and tell me what you think.
Although we're not yet time traveling or commuting via hoverboard, we've made some impressive technological advances: Robot vacuums, refrigerators with apps, holographic celebrities. The future has indeed arrived. Wondering what's around the corner? Here are some amazing trends you'll begin to see more and more in 2013.
Trend No. 1: Mobile payments
We're getting closer to being able to leave our wallets at home and pay for everything with our mobile phones. And the race is on to be the keeper of your new digital wallet.
What's now: Google Wallet stores your credit and debit cards on your phone and allows you to pay in-store at over 100,000 merchants by simply tapping your phone to a terminal by the register. Problem is, it uses a technology called NFC (Near-Field Communication) that isn't available in many smartphones today.
No credit card information is stored on the LevelUp app, which can also be disabled remotely if your phone is stolen.
What's coming: LevelUp is growing fast, cropping up at thousands of retailers and offers mobile payments with benefits. The LevelUp app creates a QR code (usable on a wide variety of phones) for each transaction, charging your card without exposing your numbers.
Just wave your phone at a LevelUp terminal and you've paid for that muffin. In case you're worried about security, no credit card information is stored on the app at all and the whole thing can be disabled remotely if your phone is stolen. Plus, using LevelUp lets retailers offer you special discounts and loyalty rewards, so your morning muffin could earn you a free cup of coffee.
Also check out Wallaby, a single "smart" credit card which compiles all your credit and debit card information and automatically chooses the best card for each transaction. Carry Wallaby and leave the rest of your stack of plastic at home — you'll never have to worry about deciphering all those confusing cash back, miles, or points rules.
Trend No. 2: Gesture-based user interfaces
First, there was click-and-drag. Then there was tap-and-swipe. Now, say hello to the wave-and-point. Soon, our bodies will the tools we use to interact with our devices.
What's now: Kinect for Xbox 360 allows users to select games, movies and more by hand-waving at the Kinect camera. It's fun if you're doing the Dougie in a dancing game, but for selecting items on a menu it's still pretty tough to control.
What's coming: The Samsung MV900F, a camera that uses gestures to help you get in the shot. Put your camera on a tripod or prop it on a table; hand motions help you zoom in and out, as well as take the picture.
The Leap Motion Controller works with both PC and Mac.
Also check out Leap, an iPod-sized box that enables gesture-controls on your desktop or laptop. Surprisingly accurate whether you're answering emails or playing games, and it's available for pre-order now.
Trend No. 3: Technology you wear
We may carry our phones with us all the time, but now we're about to start wearing our devices outside of the pocket. Technology is literally being woven into the fabric of our clothes.
The Memoto clip-and-wear camera automatically takes photos as you go. An app then organizes the photos for you. The camera always stays on, until you put the lens face down or in a dark place, like your pocket.
What's now: We've adapted to the idea of sharing quite a bit through social media; now small recording devices are documenting everythingvisually. Looxcie features live video streaming (just remember to turn it off when you go to the bathroom!). There's also the Contour, a small, mountable camera which can stream live video to your phone, also turning your phone into a remote for stopping/starting. And, naturally, it's super easy to share youvnLOP:>?r footage across all your social networks.
Looxcie
Looxcie makes live video streaming easy.
What's coming: Memoto is a tiny "lifelogging" camera that can be pinned on your collar and takes photos every 30 seconds. Autographer is also a wearable camera. It uses an algorithm to select candid or "unseen" moments, resulting in a surprising mix that you can also turn into stop-motion videos.
Autographer
Autographer is dubbed by the company as an "intelligent, wearable" camera.
Although the idea of wearing a watch may seem like a step backward, it's not. Keep your eye on Pebble, a customizable watch with its own helpful apps plus a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone or Android, providing you with updates (emails, Facebook notifications, weather alerts).
An even more advanced fashion statement would be the tshirtOS, the "world's first programmable t-shirt," which features a teeny-tiny camera and microphone, controlled by your mobile. There's also a customizable, light-up LED screen for added fun. This product is still in prototype form, but you can voice your support on Facebook to make it a reality.
Trend No. 4: 'The Internet of things'
Increasingly, we're seeing physical products embedded with sensors, giving us the ability to communicate with our cars, coffee makers, even our pets. Ever wondered what your cat is up to during the day? Get ready to find out.
What's now: Nike+ iPod Sensor tucks into your shoe and revamps your workout. Statistics on your run (like calories burned, distance traveled, steps taken), are delivered to your iPhone as you run and the info is sharable with a virtual community of supportive runners.
What's coming: Hue by Philips, a personal wireless lighting system you can control remotely with your phone. Imagine dimming the lights (or even changing their color) without leaving the couch.
Supermechanical
The Twine box.
There's also Twine, a set of small wireless sensors that lets you digitally monitor practically everything in your home: Place a moisture-sensitive sensor in your basement and instantly know if there's a flood. Put a temperature-sensitive sensor in the baby's room, and monitor the temperature during naptime from your office. Or put a movement sensor on your pantry door and know exactly when the cookie was stolen from the cookie jar. The possibilities are endless.
So now that you know what's in store for 2013, there's no better time than the present to start planning for tomorrow.
Article written by Carley Knobloch, Digitwirl.com .
Great stuff Carley, thanks! Granger Whitelaw
Posted at 09:51 AM in Current Affairs, Web/Tech, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 2013, gadgets, granger whitelaw, granger whitelaw blog, level up, media, tech, twine, web, wrench advisors
SpaceX set for Oct. Launch to Space Station
A private space capsule's first contracted cargo mission to the International Space Station is slated to launch Oct. 7, NASA officials announced Thursday.
SpaceX's robotic Dragon spacecraft is set to blast off atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 8:34 p.m. EDT on Oct. 7. A backup launch opportunity is available the following day, officials said.
The mission will kick off Dragon's first-ever bona fide supply run to the station. California-based SpaceX holds a $1.6 billion NASA contract to make 12 such unmanned flights.
When it leaves the pad, Dragon will be carrying about 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of supplies, officials said. Much of the gear will support the 166 different scientific investigations — including experiments in plant cell biology, human biotechnology and materials demonstrations — planned during the station's current Expedition 33.
If all goes according to plan, Dragon will rendezvous with the station on Oct. 10, at which point Expedition 33 commander Sunita Williams of NASA and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide will grapple it with the orbiting lab's robotic arm.
Dragon will stay attached to the Earth-facing port of the station's Harmony module for several weeks while the Expedition 33 crew unloads the capsule and then loads it back up again with cargo to return to Earth.
Dragon is scheduled to depart the station in late October. It will splash down in the Pacific Ocean, carrying 734 pounds (333 kg) of scientific materials and 504 pounds (229 kg) of space station hardware, officials said.The Oct. 7 flight won't mark Dragon's maiden mission to the $100 billion orbiting complex.
In May, Dragon became the first private vehicle ever to visit the station during a historic demonstration missionthat sought to gauge SpaceX's readiness to begin its contracted flights.
NASA also inked a $1.9 billion deal with Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. to make eight unmanned supply runs to the station with its Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket.
granger whitelaw - Redacted from space.com article
Posted at 10:08 PM in Science, Web/Tech, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: elon musk, granger whitelaw, nasa, rocket racing, rocket racing league, space, venture capital
Neil Armstrong Dies at 82
Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who marked an epochal achievement in exploration with "one small step" from the Apollo 11 lunar module on July 20, 1969, becoming the first person to walk on the moon, died Saturday at 82.
His family announced the death in a statement but did not disclose where he died. They attributed it to "complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures."
A taciturn engineer and test pilot who was never at ease with his fame, Mr. Armstrong was among the most heroized Americans of the 1960s Cold War space race.
Twelve years after the Soviet Sputnik satellite reached space first, deeply alarming U.S. officials, and after President John F. Kennedy in 1961 declared it a national priority to land an American on the moon "before this decade is out," Mr. Armstrong, a former Navy fighter pilot, commanded the NASA crew that finished the job.
Mr. Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969, capping the most daring of the 20th century's scientific expeditions. His first words after becoming the first person to set foot on the surface are etched in history books and the memories of those who heard them in a live broadcast.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Mr. Armstrong said.
He and Buzz Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the lunar surface, collecting samples, conducting experiments, and taking photographs.
"The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to," Mr. Armstrong once said.
Although he had been a Navy fighter pilot, a test pilot for NASA's forerunner, and an astronaut, Mr. Armstrong never allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and glamour of the space program.
"I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer," he said in 2000 in one of his rare public appearances. "And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."
A man who kept away from cameras, Mr. Armstrong went public in 2010 with his concerns about President Obama's space policy that shifted attention away from a return to the moon and emphasized private companies developing spaceships. He testified before Congress, and along with more than two dozen Apollo-era veterans, he signed a letter calling the plan a "misguided proposal that forces NASA out of human space operations for the foreseeable future."
Mr. Armstrong was among the greatest of American heroes, Mr. Obama said in a statement.
"When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable — that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible," Mr. Obama said.
One of Mr. Armstrong's last public appearances was last month in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he was keynote speaker for a gathering to celebrate the first image from the Discovery Channel Telescope. The University of Toledo's astronomy team are among five partners in the project.
"The universe around us is both our challenge and our destiny," he said in a speech.
He spoke nearly 43 years to the day of his historic first step on the moon. Despite his previous reluctance to mark such anniversaries, he joined more than 700 scientists and supporters of the telescope and watched himself land on the Moon via archival footage and a re-creation from satellite imagery, narrating until touchdown.
In February, he attended an event in Columbus, in conjunction with the NASA Future Forum at Ohio State University, to honor fellow Ohioan John Glenn and the 50th anniversary of the flight in which Mr. Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
Mr. Glenn, one of Mr. Armstrong's closest friends, recalled Saturday how Mr. Armstrong was down to the last 15 seconds to 35 seconds of fuel when he finally brought the Eagle down on the Sea of Tranquility. "That showed a dedication to what he was doing that was admirable," Mr. Glenn said.
In October, 1977, he was a speaker at Belmont Country Club in Perrysburg for a luncheon to benefit the Charles A. Lindbergh Memorial Fund. He also dedicated a new passenger terminal at Toledo Express Airport in September, 1976. He expressed surprise at the invitation, but praised the facility and said it would enhance Toledo's image and make it a "city of stature."
Mr. Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930, on a farm near Wapakoneta in western Ohio. He took his first airplane ride at age 6 and developed a fascination with aviation that prompted him to build model airplanes and conduct experiments in a homemade wind tunnel. He was licensed to fly at 16, before he got his driver's license.
After a few semesters at Purdue University, he left for Navy flight training in 1949, eventually becoming the youngest pilot in his fighter squadron on the aircraft carrier USS Essex. He flew 78 combat missions in the Korean War and was shot down once before his tour of duty ended and he went back to Purdue.
Mr. Armstrong later earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He became a test pilot with what evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, flying more than 200 kinds of aircraft from gliders to jets.
He was accepted into NASA's second astronaut class in 1962 — the first, including Mr. Glenn, was chosen in 1959 — and commanded the Gemini 8 mission in 1966.
Mr. Armstrong was backup commander for the historic Apollo 8 mission in 1968. In that flight, Commander Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders circled the moon 10 times.
Seven months later an estimated 600 million people — a fifth of the world's population — watched and listened to the lunar landing, the largest audience for any single event in history.
Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Aldrin, and Michael Collins were given ticker tape parades in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles and later made a 22-nation world tour. A homecoming in Wapakoneta drew 50,000 people to the city of 9,000.
In 1970, Gov. James A. Rhodes issued an anniversary proclamation that said the "epic feat" by Mr. Amstrong and his comrades "has no parallel in recorded history and will be acclaimed, remembered, narrated, and extolled by future generations unto the end of time."
Mr. Armstrong's reaction was not recorded. But his reticence was apparent from an early age. The editors of the 1947 yearbook of Wapakoneta's Blume High School wrote over his photo, "He thinks, he acts, 'tis done."
In 1972, the moonlike dome of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum Association opened as a reminder to travelers on I-75 that Wapakoneta was Mr. Armstrong's hometown. A sign at the edge of town announced that Wapakoneta was "home of Neil Armstrong, first civilian astronaut."
Mr. Armstrong rarely visited, museum officials said through the years, although the facility marked anniversaries of his first step on the moon.
His parents, Viola and Stephen Armstrong, visited at least monthly for a time. Mr. Armstrong came back for the 10th anniversary of Apollo 11.
The street where the family lived was renamed. The elder Mr. Armstrong was asked in 1969, as his son was in flight from the moon, whether Wapakoneta should be renamed "Armstrong."
"I should say not," the elder Mr. Armstrong said. "It's embarrassing enough for us to live on Neil Armstrong Drive."
Posted at 07:26 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (1)
Just won a gold medal! So why are you trying to eat it?
After medal-winning Olympians stand on the platform, receive their medals, and solemnly listen to the gold medal winner's national anthem, they leave the stage and face an army of photographers. In front of the flashing lights, many winners grab their medals and take a bite.
It takes years of grueling training and competition to nab gold at the Olympics. So why do the winners immediately chomp on their hard-earned prizes?
The simple answer: Because the photographers ask them to, says David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians and author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics, via email.
While Olympic historians aren't sure which athlete started the trend, they believe the athletes nibble their prizes to test the metal. People once bit gold coins try to make an indent; a small tooth mark in a coin assured it consisted of real gold, which is more malleable than counterfeit gold-plated lead coins.
"We know that only in 1912 the gold medals were real gold and that in all later Olympics the gold medals were made from silver with a gilt layer to show it as being gold," explains Tony Bijkerk, secretary-general of the International Society of Olympic Historians via email. The 2012 medals contain 1.34 percent of gold, making it one of the biggest medals.
Um, how do we break this to you, Team USA? You didn't actually win gold
"Unfortunately, the gold layer sometimes had a tendency to fade over the years. Fanny Blankers-Koen, the heroine of the 1948 Olympics in London, who was a good friend of mine, once told me that she had to have her four gold medals re-gilded two times over the years." (Blankers-Koen was a 30-year-old mother of two who medaled in running events, helping to prove women could be as athletic as men.)
Even though the medal isn't solid gold, Bijkerk suspects that Olympians could make a mark in the medal, depending on how hard they bite. And some really sink their teeth into their prizes. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, German luger, David Moeller, who won a silver medal, broke his tooth while mugging for cameras and showing off his bite.
Psychologist Frank Farley believes that medalists bite their medals because, at this point, it's what winning Olympians do.
"Sports all have their eccentricities," says Farley, a professor from Temple University in Philadelphia and former president of the American Psychological Association. "If you want to be part of the winning zeitgeist, that winning culture, you participate in that winning practice."
But he believes that medal biting is more than Olympians simply acting like winners. "It makes your medals yours," Farley says. "It's an emotional connection with your accomplishment."
And even if the Olympians do indent their medals, it makes the prize individual; bite imprints are as unique as the swirls on our digits.
"The concept of the icon, something representing something else, is pretty deep in all of us. In the Olympics, they have a twist on it; it's like imprinting [yourself] there for all of time."
Apple Does it again! New ios 6, Faster Mac and cool Apps!
Most of Apple's mobile devices will get a new operating system this fall, including a different mapping service and a built-in bond with Facebook.
The company says its iOS 6 software will sport more than 200 new features, though some won't be available on all devices. It will be a free upgrade foriPhones released since 2009, as well as last year's and this year's iPadmodels. It will also work with neweriPod Touch devices.
Without providing a specific date, Apple said the updated software will be released this fall. Apple typically upgrades its mobile software around the same time it starts selling a new iPhone. Last year, it happened in October to take advantage of the holiday shopping season. A preview version of the new iOS was made available to application developers starting Monday.
Here are some highlights of iOS 6:
— Maps.
Apple's mobile devices will have a mapping program, built in-house.
In the past, Apple has given prominent billing to Google Inc.'s mapping app. But the two companies have increasingly become rivals as people buy more devices running Google's Androidoperating system. Google also has been keeping some features, including turn-by-turn directions spoken aloud, exclusive to Android.
Apple's new Maps application will have a voice navigation feature. It will have real-time traffic data and offer alternative routes as traffic conditions change.
It will also include "flyover" three-dimensional images taken by helicopters hired by the company to fly over major cities. Google said last week that it has been dispatching its own planes to produce similar 3D images that will soon be available on its mapping service.
Apple's map program will be integrated with its Siri virtual assistant so that you can ask for directions and pose other questions.
— Facebook.
The new software promises better integration with Facebook. The idea is you enter your password just once, and you can post to Facebook from a variety of apps. You can also post about websites directly from Apple'sSafari browser.
Facebook will be integrated with Apple's online app store so that you can declare that you "like" specific apps there, as well as songs and movies in iTunes.
Events in Facebook's calendar and birthdays of Facebook friends will also appear on your phone's calendar.
— Siri.
IOS 6 will have enhancements to Siri, which interprets voice commands and talks back to the user. It is also coming to the iPad for the first time.
Since Siri was introduced in October with the iPhone 4S, Siri has been "studying up and learning a lot more," says Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president for iPhone software. Siri's sharpened intellect will be especially apparent when the voice assistant is fielding questions about movies, restaurants and other things, according to Forstall.
He demonstrated that by having Siri tell whether LeBron James orKobe Bryant is the taller basketball player. Siri replies, "LeBron James appears to be slightly taller" as the cards of both players are displayed on an iPhone screen.
Posted at 10:56 AM in Current Affairs, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 16gb, apple, granger whitelaw, ios6, ipad, iphone, mac, mac book pro, mountain lion, retina display
FACE-FLOP as FACEBOOK SHARES FALL AGAIN !
Facebook Inc took yet another hit on the stock market Tuesday, losing billions of dollars in market value amid calls for investigations by two top U.S. financial regulators into last Friday's botched Nasdaq debut and reports that an analyst with the company's lead underwriter warned some clients of scaled-back financial estimates ahead of the public offering.
Shares have nosedived by more than 18 per cent since the company's public debut at $42.05 (U.S.) per share last Friday. Shares closed Tuesday at $31.12. The company has lost more than $19 billion in market value.
The social networking giant's rocky public debut last Friday, marred by technical problems that caused widespread trade delays and sparked anger and confusion among investors, has been widely labelled a botched job on the part of the Nasdaq, Facebook and its underwriters led by Morgan Stanley.
On Tuesday, Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Mary Schapiro and Rick Ketchum, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's chair and chief executive, called for separate reviews of the circumstances surrounding Facebook's bungled initial public offering last week, placing mounting pressure on the parties involved as the $16-billion IPO deal continues to sour on the market.
The announcement followed a report from Reuters Monday night that a Morgan Stanley analyst warned some investors that he had cut revenue forecasts for Facebook in the final days before the offering, a time when those same banks were drumming up investor support for the social network's stock in the run-up to the IPO.
"That's a matter of regulatory concern to us and I'm sure to the SEC," Ketchum said. "And without saying whether it's us or the SEC, we will collectively be focusing on it."
A pair of investors who said they were alerted to the Morgan Stanley analyst's forecast change told Reuters the revision came as a "big shock" to some and may have contributed to Facebook's weak performance on the Nasdaq. One source at a mutual fund firm reportedly told Reuters they were called by Morgan Stanley during the company's road show and told of the revised forecast.
Reuters also reported that two other Facebook underwriters, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, also revised their forecasts after Facebook amended its SEC filing in early May to include caution over its revenue growth due to advertising challenges in the mobile industry.
U.S. investment bank analysts cannot legally release reports or contact investors with changed forecast information while working on IPO files, according to Max Wolff, a senior equity analyst at Greencrest Capital Management. They can, however, divulge information if individual investors contact them independently.
It remains unclear whether the analyst in question initiated contact with investors. But Massachusetts Secretary of Commonwealth William Galvin issued a subpoena to Morgan Stanley on Tuesday in connection with the reports of pre-IPO analyst-investor discussions.
A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman reached Tuesday refused to comment on the allegations.
Even if Morgan Stanley abided by regulations, Wolff said news that analysts shared their revised forecasts with only a select number of clients shortly before the feverishly-anticipated IPO is "far from best practice."
"It takes this to another level of dysfunction," said Wolff. "There were high hopes that Facebook would restore public confidence in Wall Street. But this deal is beginning to display a significant number of things that have made people unhappy with Wall Street. It creates the notion that the little guy gets screwed and doesn't get the information the big guy gets."
Longtime IPO watcher Francis Gaskins said people who bought Facebook shares without knowing about the downgraded revenue forecast from the company's own underwriters should be "outraged." Gaskins, president of IPODesktop, said ordinary investors already assume the IPO process favours big institutional investors and investment banks — and this won't do anything to help.
"It's going to be tough to overcome that perception. I really hope it doesn't scare retail investors away from the IPO market, but it might," said Gaskins, adding that selectively disclosing such critical information is "ethically challenged" and should be probed by regulators and lawmakers.
Meanwhile, several Facebook investors are reportedly still waiting for their trades from last Friday to be resolved. One investor sued Nasdaq in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday after being allegedly hit by Friday's technical glitch. The investor, Maryland resident Philip Goldberg, is seeking class-action status on behalf of all those who lost money as a result of the delays.
Nasdaq chief executive Robert Greifeld issued an apology Sunday for the technical problems that affected Facebook's opening day, and his company announced modifications Monday to its IPO procedures to prevent the glitch from recurring. J. Rubin
Tags: face-flop, facebook falls, ipo
High Speed Escort in New Jersey- Lambo's. Ferraris. Oh my!
Two state troopers have been suspended over allegations they provided an "unauthorized escort" to a group of sports cars -- including one driven by football star Brandon Jacobs -- driving at high speeds in New Jersey.
The convoy of cars, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches and others, traveled at speeds in excess of 100 mph down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City last month, according to The Star-Ledger newspaper. They also traveled on the New Jersey Turnpike and Atlantic City Expressway.
The paper said witnesses had made complaints to police about the caravan -- which one witness dubbed "Death Race 2012" -- saying they saw patrol cars with emergency lights flashing at the front and rear of the sports cars.
The Star-Ledger also obtained amateur video footage of a caravan of luxury cars allegedly being escorted by state police at high speed on the Garden State Parkway in 2010. It is not known which officers were involved in this convoy.
Watch video of a 2010 convoy obtained by The Star-Ledger (video contains offensive language):
A statement released late Monday by the attorney general's office said Sgt. First Class Nadir Nassry, 47, a trooper for 25 years, and Trooper Joseph Ventrella, 28, who has six years' service, had been suspended without pay in relation to the incident last month.
An unnamed station commander was also transferred "until any potential involvement on his part has been determined," the statement said.
"We will not tolerate any conduct by a member of the State Police that puts the public in jeopardy, as this unauthorized caravan had the potential to do," Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said, according to the statement. "We are thoroughly investigating this incident, and those responsible will face serious discipline."
Lt. Stephen Jones, a spokesman for the state police, said investigators would be looking to see if there were any incidents in addition to the one last month and the one in 2010.
"You better believe they are looking hard to see if there are any more; they are certainly checking that," he told msnbc.com.
Charles Sciarra, an attorney representing Nassry, said in an email that state police officials had canceled a scheduled interview with his client and "simply suspended him without pay."
"This change of course was taken only after tabloid-like headlines appeared on the cover of Star Ledger over the last two days. The headlines scream 'Death Race 2012' when in fact these charitable organizations routinely ask and receive escorts from the State Police to and from the various charitable functions they attend with their exotic vehicles," Sciarra said. "This practice has been in effect for years."
PFT: 'We are thoroughly investigating this incident'
He added that "allegations of recklessness and speeds in the triple digits will not bear out" regarding the escort in question.
"We hope that the powers that be will take a breath, exhale and engage in a fair investigative process with which we will continue to cooperate. Either way, we will not permit Sgt. Nassry to be sacrificed to satisfy a public-relations agenda," Sciarra said.
Jacobs unaware
Jacobs' agent, Justin Schulman, confirmed that his client, who plays for the San Francisco 49ers, went to Atlantic City on the day in question, March 30.
But, he said, "Brandon wasn't aware the escort was authorized or unauthorized."
The Star-Ledger reported that Michael Breen, a founding member of an elite New York City group of sports car enthusiasts called Driving Force Club, wrote on Facebook about a "very fun" run with Jacobs. He appeared in a photo with Jacobs, who was wearing a blue vest with a New Jersey State Police emblem, The Star-Ledger found.
The paper quoted Gov. Chris Christie as saying he "just shook my head" when he heard about the allegations.
"What are you going to do? It's a completely ridiculous story. Shouldn't have happened. Dumb thing to do, but let me assure you it's not the last dumb thing we'll see happen," Christie told a crowd at a bill-signing event in Newark.
"People are human beings," he added. "They make mistakes. Those people who made this mistake should be held accountable, and I'm sure they will. And I'm glad nobody got hurt."
By Ian Johnston, content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Tags: chris christie, ferarri, granger whitelaw, high speed, lamborghini, new jersey, porsche, state trooper
"60 - 60 in Love"
by granger Whitelaw
It's funny how some of the real truths of life pass from generation to generation, Grandfather to Grandson, Mother to child. One of these great truths was passed to me again yesterday from my Mother, I had forgot the last time she shared this with me, but this time it made a lot more sense.
In love – or better put – in marriage (relationships of any type really), it needs to be a 60/60 thing. In other words, you each need to put in 60% to make it work. Now we all know 60 + 60 = 120, so this is an unattainable number, but that is where it makes sense. Because it is "in the 10% overlap from each of you" that you will find peace and unity.
Having been married twice and in a few long relationships before and between, I gotta tell ya – this can work. Just think about it – it's not 50/50… it's 60/60. That means YOU need to make an extra 10% effort to take out the trash, or give her a break from the kids – let him stay out a bit later to have a meeting or just hang with his friends a bit. When she needs to talk, stop and listen and when he needs a hand – extend it to him.
Now I am not a relationship expert – geez – far from it. But I know when I think it's 50/50 it seems easier to blame my partner, my lover or my wife. But when it's 60/60 – I know I need to do a little more before I start pointing fingers or giving up.
Give that extra 10% – each of you – and I promise, it will add up to more than 120.
And thanks Mom (and Grandpa Bear who taught this to her) for sharing this truth with me.
WATSON WINS IN PLAYOFF!!
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Bubba Watson started the day by watching the rarest shot in golf. He ended another thrill-a-minute Sunday at Augusta National with a signature shot of his own to win the Masters.
So deep in the trees right of the 10th fairway that he couldn't even see the green, Watson hooked a wedge off the pine needles from 155 yards to about 10 feet from the hole. That set up a par, good enough to beat Louis Oosthuizen on the second playoff hole.
"If I've got a swing, I've got a shot," Watson said.
It was Oosthuizen who set the tone for this wild day with a double eagle – only the fourth in Masters history – on the par-5 second hole when his 4-iron flew 210 yards to the front of the green and rolled some 90 feet into the hole for a 2.
"Somehow it fell in my hands today," said Watson, who closed with a 68. "It's amazing. It's a blur, the last nine holes I don't remember anything. Somehow I guess I cried all my tears out."
He was blubbering hard on the 10th green, shoulders heaving, for so many reasons. Just two weeks ago, he and his wife adopted a baby boy, Caleb. The first person on the green was his mother – his father died right after the Ryder Cup in 2010. And suddenly, the powerful lefty with a million shots in the bag was a major champion.
"I never got this far in my dreams," Watson said in Butler cabin, where defending champion Charl Schwartzel helped him into the green jacket. "It's a blessing. To go home to my new son, it's going to be fun."
Oosthuizen was trying to join Gene Sarazen in the 1935 Masters as the only major champions to win with a double eagle in the final round. The former British Open champion made one clutch putt after another on the back nine, none more important than a 4-footer on the 18th for a 69 to force the playoff.
Both had a good look at birdie at No. 18 on the first extra hole and missed.
Watson, dressed all in white and using a pink driver, hooked one into the trees and it appeared he would have no shot at reaching the green. Oosthuizen followed him, clanged off a Georgia pine and was left with 231 yards to the green. His approach came up short.
That's when Watson, who rarely hits a shot on a straight line, came up with the most magical shot of his life.
"I was there earlier today, during regulation," he said. "So I was used to it. I knew what I was facing there. I had a good lie, had a gap where I had to hook it 40 yards or something. I'm pretty good at hooking it."
Oosthuizen was in the fairway. All he could see was a corridor of fans leading into the woods.
"I had no idea where he was," Oosthuizen said. "Where I stood from, when the ball came out, it looked like a curve ball. Unbelievable shot. That shot he hit definitely won him the tournament."
They finished at 10-under 278, two shots ahead of four players who kept it close and made the Masters as compelling as ever.
Phil Mickelson, playing in the final group for the fourth time, recovered from a triple bogey on the par-3 fourth hole and still managed to stay in the game. He could only make two-putt birdies on the two par 5s on the back and shot 72.
"It's disappointing that I didn't grab that fourth green jacket," said Mickelson, whose wife and three kids flew in from San Diego on Sunday. "It's disappointing that I didn't make it happen on the back nine and get the putts to fall, even though I felt like I was hitting them pretty good. I gave them all good chances. I just couldn't quite get them to go."
Lee Westwood ran off three straight birdies, but the last one hurt. He had an 8-foot eagle putt to tie for the lead on the 15th and missed it, and a final birdie on the 18th gave him a 68 and only made it look close.
"I don't feel like giving up just yet," said Westwood, who had his seventh top-3 finish in a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.
Matt Kuchar tied for the lead with a short eagle putt on the 15th, then bogeyed the 16th for a 69. Peter Hanson, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, didn't make a birdie until the 15th hole. He closed with a 73.
Gerry "Bubba" Watson, a 33-year-old from the Florida Panhandle, won for the fourth time in his career and moves to No. 4 in the world, making him the highest-ranked American in golf.
And he created a legion of fans – especially in Georgia, where he returned to school to get his degree – who chanted, "Bubba! Bubba! Bubba!" as he hugged everyone he could find on the 10th green.
Tiger Woods used to play practice rounds with Watson at the majors because he was intrigued how a guy who has never had a coach could make the ball move any direction he wanted.
Woods was among those who congratulated Watson on Twitter before the trophy presentation.
"Congrats (at)bubbawatson. Fantastic creativity. Now how creative will the champions dinner be next year?" he tweeted.
Oosthuizen was trying to become only the sixth player to have won majors at Augusta National and St. Andrews – two of the most revered courses in golf – and almost got it done.
He stayed in the lead with a tricky par putt from 10 feet on the 14th and a 7-foot birdie putt on the 15th, but Watson caught him by making his fourth straight birdie on the back nine, a tee shot into 4 feet on the 16th.
Both hung on for pars the rest of the way.
Woods went from the favorite to not even a factor on the weekend. He closed with a birdie on the 18th for a 74 and had his highest score ever at the Masters as a pro, finishing at 5-over 293 – 15 shots out of the lead.
This, from a guy who only two weeks ago won by five shots at Bay Hill, presumably signaling a return.
"It was an off week at the wrong time," Woods said.
He tied for 40th with U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, also favored to contend. McIlroy was one shot out of the lead after two rounds, then had a 77-76 weekend.
Woods and McIlroy were expected to be a big part of the show. This being Augusta, the show managed to go on. There simply is no greater theater in golf than the Masters, and it lasted all day.
An ace for Bo Van Pelt on the 16th – the second straight year he has made two eagles on the back nine – for a tournament-best 64. An ace for Adam Scott on the same hole, sending him to a 66.
The loudest cheer was for the rarest shot in golf.
Hanson was sizing up a difficult chip from right of the first green when Augusta erupted in cheers from down below. No one was sure what it meant until Hanson and Mickelson hit their tee shots on the par-5 second, glanced over at the white leaderboard behind the eighth green and saw that Oosthuizen had gone from 7 under to 10 under ahead of them.
Hanson made two quick bogeys and never caught back up. Mickelson's tournament might have ended on the fourth hole with one swing, one bad bounce off the bleachers, and two straight right-handed shots that led to triple bogey.
"Oh, no," Mickelson said as his tee shot struck the grandstand and caromed into the woods. He could have gone back to the tee and played his third shot. Instead, he tried to chop out of the trees from the right side and barely moved it a yard. He tried the same shot again and slapped it to a muddy patch of grass. From there he went into the bunker, and triple bogey was the best he could do.
Kuchar made a late run, but this back nine – plus two extra holes – ultimately belonged to Watson and Oosthuizen.
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