Computer scientists suggest new spin on origins of evolvability

Monday, April 29, 2013

Scientists have long observed that species seem to have become increasingly capable of evolving in response to changes in the environment. But computer science researchers now say that the popular explanation of competition to survive in nature may not actually be necessary for evolvability to increase.

In a paper published this week in PLOS ONE, the researchers report that evolvability can increase over generations regardless of whether species are competing for food, habitat or other factors.

Using a simulated model they designed to mimic how organisms evolve, the researchers saw increasing evolvability even without competitive pressure.

"The explanation is that evolvable organisms separate themselves naturally from less evolvable organisms over time simply by becoming increasingly diverse," said Kenneth O. Stanley, an associate professor at the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida. He co-wrote the paper about the study along with lead author Joel Lehman, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin.

The finding could have implications for the origins of evolvability in many species.

"When new species appear in the future, they are most likely descendants of those that were evolvable in the past," Lehman said. "The result is that evolvable species accumulate over time even without selective pressure."

During the simulations, the team's simulated organisms became more evolvable without any pressure from other organisms out-competing them. The simulations were based on a conceptual algorithm.

"The algorithms used for the simulations are abstractly based on how organisms are evolved, but not on any particular real-life organism," explained Lehman.

The team's hypothesis is unique and is in contrast to most popular theories for why evolvability increases.

"An important implication of this result is that traditional selective and adaptive explanations for phenomena such as increasing evolvability deserve more scrutiny and may turn out unnecessary in some cases," Stanley said.

Stanley is an associate professor at UCF. He has a bachelor's of science in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the editorial boards of several journals. He has over 70 publications in competitive venues and has secured grants worth more than $1 million. His works in artificial intelligence and evolutionary computation have been cited more than 4,000 times.

Lehman has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in computer science from UCF. He continues his research at the University of Texas at Austin and is teaching an undergraduate course in artificial intelligence.

###

University of Central Florida: http://www.ucf.edu

Thanks to University of Central Florida for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127973/Computer_scientists_suggest_new_spin_on_origins_of_evolvability

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Chris Brown's Dad to Singer: Don't Date Rihanna!!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/chris-browns-dad-to-singer-dont-date-rihanna/

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Jon Jones, Pat Healy and Sara McMann: UFC 159?s Three Stars

UFC 159 was a bizarre event ? possibly cursed by demons ? but there were still plenty of standout performances by fighters whose bouts ended normally. Who stood out for you? Speak up on Twitter or on Facebook.

No. 1 star -- Jon Jones: As we've said since the fight was made, Chael Sonnen was not the right competition for UFC light heavyweight Jones because he is middleweight coming off of a loss. Jones could have taken Sonnen lightly and still probably won, but he didn't do that. He used the fight as another opportunity to show his dominance, beating Sonnen at his own game by taking him down several times before finishing the fight near the end of the first round.

Would the fight have been stopped if they made it out of the first round, and the referee had noticed Jones' mangled toe? Who cares? It didn't happen, and Jones is still the champ.

No. 2 star -- Pat Healy: The UFC's already stacked lightweight division somehow got even tough with Healy's performance on Saturday night. Along with Jim Miller, he put on a show then finished the fight in the third round. He won both Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night, meaning Healy walked away with an extra $130,000.

No. 3 star -- Sara McMann: As an Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler, McMann is one of the most decorated athletes to join the UFC. This means she had big expectations to perform, and she exceeded them. McMann used wrestling and power to stop Sheila Gaff in the first round.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jon-jones-pat-healy-sara-mcmann-ufc-159-132329967.html

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Germ-zapping 'robots': Hospitals combat superbugs

NEW YORK (AP) ? They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous 'superbugs' that are hard to treat.

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread:

Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely-accepted evidence that these inventions have prevented infections or deaths.

Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government's Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.

"We're seeing a culture change" in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency last month sounded an alarm about a "nightmare bacteria" resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals.

Hospitals started paying attention to infection control in the late 1880s, when mounting evidence showed unsanitary conditions were hurting patients. Hospital hygiene has been a concern ever since, with a renewed emphasis triggered by the emergence a decade ago of a nasty strain of intestinal bug called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff.

The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That's been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it's particularly difficult to clean away. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don't work and C-diff can persist on hospital room surfaces for days. The CDC recommends hospital staff clean their hands rigorously with soap and water ? or better yet, wear gloves. And rooms should be cleaned intensively with bleach, the CDC says.

Michael Claes developed a bad case of C-diff while he was a kidney patient last fall at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. He and his doctor believe he caught it at the hospital. Claes praised his overall care, but felt the hospital's room cleaning and infection control was less than perfect.

"I would use the word 'perfunctory,'" he said.

Lenox Hill spokeswoman Ann Silverman disputed that characterization, noting hospital workers are making efforts that patients often can't see, like using hand cleansers dispensers in hallways. She ticked off a list of measure used to prevent the spread of germs, ranging from educating patients' family members to isolation and other protective steps with each C-diff patient.

The hospital's C-diff infection rate is lower than the state average, she said.

Westchester Medical Center, a 643-bed hospital in the suburbs of New York City has also been hit by cases of C-diff and the other superbugs.

Complicating matters is the fact that larger proportions of hospital patients today are sicker and more susceptible to the ravages of infections, said Dr. Marisa Montecalvo, a contagious diseases specialist at Westchester.

There's a growing recognition that it's not only surgical knives and operating rooms that need a thorough cleaning but also spots like bed rails and even television remote controls, she said. Now there's more attention to making sure "that all the nooks and crannies are clean, and that it's done in as perfect a manner as can be done," Montecalvo said.

Enter companies like Xenex Healthcare Services, a San Antonio company that makes a portable, $125,000 machine that's rolled into rooms to zap C-diff and other bacteria and viruses dead with ultraviolet light. Xenex has sold or leased devices to more than 100 U.S. hospitals, including Westchester Medical Center.

The market niche is expected to grow from $30 million to $80 million in the next three years, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm.

Mark Stibich, Xenex's chief scientific officer, said client hospitals sometimes call them robots and report improved satisfaction scores from patients who seem impressed that the medical center is trotting out that kind of technology.

At Westchester, workers still clean rooms, but the staff appreciates the high-tech backup, said housekeeping manager Carolyn Bevans.

"We all like it," she said of the Xenex.

At Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a 140-bed facility in Northampton, Mass., the staff calls their machines Thing One, Thing Two, Thing Three and Thing Four, borrowing from the children's book "The Cat in the Hat."

But while the things in the Dr. Seuss tale were house-wrecking imps, Cooley Dickinson officials said the ultraviolet has done a terrific job at cleaning their hospital of the difficult C-diff.

"We did all the recommended things. We used bleach. We monitored the quality of cleaning," but C-diff rates wouldn't budge, said nurse Linda Riley, who's in charge of infection prevention at Cooley Dickinson.

A small observational study at the hospital showed C-diff infection rates fell by half and C-diff deaths fell from 14 to 2 during the last two years, compared to the two years before the machines.

Some experts say there's not enough evidence to show the machines are worth it. No national study has shown that these products have led to reduced deaths or infection rates, noted Dr. L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

His point: It only takes a minute for a nurse or visitor with dirty hands to walk into a room, touch a vulnerable patient with germy hands, and undo the benefits of a recent space-age cleaning.

"Environments get dirty again," McDonald said, and thorough cleaning with conventional disinfectants ought to do the job.

Beyond products to disinfect a room, there are tools to make sure doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are properly cleaning their hands when they come into a patient's room. Among them are scanners that monitor how many times a health care worker uses a sink or hand sanitizer dispenser.

Still, "technology only takes us so far," said Christian Lillis, who runs a small foundation named after his mother who died from a C-diff infection.

Lillis said the hospitals he is most impressed with include Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, where thorough cleanings are confirmed with spot checks. Fluorescent powder is dabbed around a room before it's cleaned and a special light shows if the powder was removed. That strategy was followed by a 28 percent decline in C-diff, he said.

He also cites Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., where the focus is on elbow grease and bleach wipes. What's different, he said, is the merger of the housekeeping and infection prevention staff. That emphasizes that cleaning is less about being a maid's service than about saving patients from superbugs.

"If your hospital's not clean, you're creating more problems than you're solving," Lillis said.

___

Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/hai/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/germ-zapping-robots-hospitals-combat-superbugs-140922678.html

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Inbee Park wins North Texas LPGA, 3rd win in '13

IRVING, Texas (AP) ? Inbee Park was already preparing to congratulate Carlota Ciganda for winning the inaugural North Texas LPGA Shootout.

Park, the top-ranked woman in the world, was in the middle of a solid final round and still trailed by two strokes after the playing partners both had birdies at the par-5 10th.

Everything changed in a two-hole stretch, when Park went ahead with consecutive pars. The 24-year-old South Korean went on to a bogey-free 4-under 67 that put her one stroke ahead of Ciganda, good enough for her third victory this season and fifth in her last 18 starts.

"She was hitting fairways and greens and making putts," said Park, who finished at 13 under. "And I thought I played really great today, but I just missed a lot of birdie opportunities, so I thought this tournament might not be mine because I missed that many opportunities and Carlota was playing great golf. But she made a couple mistakes on the back nine."

Ciganda's drive at the 416-yard 14th hole settled in the right rough with a tree between her and the green, and her shot from about 130 yards clipped a branch and came up short. She had a chance to save par but her 6-foot putt was short, and Park's par had her within a stroke of the lead.

After stepping away from her approach at No. 15, to a green surrounded by water on three sides, Ciganda hit a shot that went to the right and then rolled down into the water. Ciganda had to go back to a drop zone, where the 22-year-old Spaniard had a decent pitch before her first putt rolled over the left edge of the green for a double bogey 6.

Park had another par and never trailed again.

"I'm very happy with my round and with my week. ... I had two bad holes on the back nine," Ciganda said.

With the $195,000 check for first place, Inbee exceeded $6 million in career earnings and will be No. 1 for the third week in a row. It was her sixth career LPGA victory, along with four more wins in Japan.

Fifth-ranked Suzann Pettersen from Norway, the winner in Hawaii last week, had a closing 66 to get to 10 under and finish third. Hee Young Park (64) and So Yeon Ryu (68) tied for fourth at 275.

Ciganda played last season on the Ladies European Tour, where she was the top rookie and the top money winner ? the first player since Laura Davies in 1985 to accomplish that feat. She won twice in Europe last year and now has her best LPGA finish.

At the 403-yard 8th hole, Park made a birdie before Ciganda followed with one of her own and responded with a slight fist pump when her ball dropped into the cup. They both had pars at No. 9, where Park was closer to the hole even though she was missed the green to the left, and they traded birdies again at the par-5 10th.

"I was happy and playing good and having fun and enjoying the day," said Ciganda, who had a closing 70. "And then I think, let me see, the hole it bounced to the right, but I had a bogey there and then hit it to the water on 15."

Caroline Masson had a 75 and finished eight shots back. The LPGA Tour rookie from Germany led after each of the first two rounds and started the final round tied for second with Park.

Hee Young Park's 64 was the best round of the day on the 6,439-yard course with plenty of sloping fairways and raised greens.

Stacy Lewis, the Texas native and No. 2 player in the world, had a closing 66 when all six birdies and her only bogey came between Nos. 7-17. She tied for seventh for her sixth top-10 finish this season.

At the end of her round, Lewis signed the back brace of a 6-year-old Dallas girl who was diagnosed with scoliosis at 18 months old. Lewis wore a similar brace 18 hours a day for seven years after being diagnosed with scoliosis at age 11 and missed her first collegiate season after a spinal fusion.

Third-ranked Na Yeon Choi, among the four players tied for seventh, had 44 consecutive bogey-free holes and was 9 under before consecutive bogeys at Nos. 10-12. She went on to a 72.

Inbee Park sank a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th after Ciganda also birdied even after her final drive went into the right rough. But they had an unusual wait after hitting their drives, when Jee Young Lee, playing two groups ahead of them, had to replay the hole.

Before Lee signed her scorecard, officials determined she took an improper drop after her drive at No. 18 went out of bounds. Lee carded a 10 before Ciganda and Park got to play out the hole.

"It was all right. I mean it was actually really good, it ended up really good for me because I made a birdie," Park said of the delay. "Maybe if I hit it in the water maybe I could have blamed it on them."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/inbee-park-wins-north-texas-lpga-3rd-win-220908451.html

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James Cameron Donates His Tricked-Out Deep-Ocean Sub to Science

HEADED TO WOODS HOLE: The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible was the centerpiece of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a joint scientific project by explorer and filmmaker James Cameron, the National Geographic Society and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research. Cameron has donated the vessel to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Image: Photo by Mark Thiessen/National Geographic

Before setting his sights once again on the far-off moon Pandora for the next Avatar adventure, filmmaker and aquanaut James Cameron has bequeathed arguably his greatest technological accomplishment to science. Cameron?s DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submarine, which he drove to the deepest part of this planet last March, will in June arrive at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, ultimately helping researchers there better understand life in Earth?s last unexplored frontier.

?Most of what?s known about the bottom of the ocean has come from images shot miles up in the water column, and it?s a relatively coarse data set,? Cameron said recently at roundtable discussion in New York City with WHOI scientists who design, build and operate manned and robotic deep-sea exploration vehicles. ?So you?ve got to get down there and look around and ground-truth it,? he added. ?Very little of that looking around has been done.?

Cameron and his team of engineers outfitted the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER with cutting-edge flotation mechanisms and energy storage systems, along with cameras, lighting and other features specifically tailored for gathering data, samples and images during the first manned mission to the deepest recess of the Mariana Trench. He touched down about 11 kilometers below the Pacific Ocean surface at the Challenger Deep site, a spot previously visited by only a handful of robotic subs. During the seven-hour round-trip, Cameron spent about three hours at Challenger Deep collecting samples for marine biology, microbiology, astrobiology, marine geology and geophysics research.

In addition to the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER itself, Cameron is kicking in nearly $1 million to help WHOI scientists and engineers make the sub's technology more widely available for deep-sea exploration. ?We?ve been be sure to fund this enough that there are enough people and resources available to write this up, publish it and therefore have it available,? he said. ?To me, that?s an infinitely better outcome than [the sub] sitting dormant until I?m done with my next two movies, and maybe it comes to the tech community five or six years down the line when it?s already obsolete.?

Most immediately WHOI scientists will install lightweight, highly maneuverable cameras and a lighting system that Cameron and his team designed for the?DEEPSEA CHALLENGER onto the institute?s Nereus robotic sub, which has been exploring the oceans? depths since 2009. The Nereus team is preparing for a six-week voyage?funded by the National Science Foundation to the tune of about $1.4 million?beginning in February 2014 to study the Pacific Ocean?s Kermadec Trench, which is about 10 kilometers deep. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER's camera equipment and lighting enabled Cameron to capture high-resolution 3-D images of geologic processes and species despite the pitch-black depths during his dives, including the Challenger Deep expedition and a number of test dives.

Scientists want to explore every aspect of oceanography in the deep-water hadal regions?those anywhere below a depth of six kilometers. Researchers want to know what lives there, understand the food supply for its denizens and how they evolved, Tim Shank, an associate scientist in Woods Hole?s Biology Department, said at the event. Shank is the leader of the Hadal Ecosystem Studies (HADES) project investigating the major environmental drivers of trench ecology. Biology in the ocean?s hadal regions is largely unknown, and much of what scientists do know is the result of Danish and Soviet sampling expeditions in the 1950s, Shank added.

Everything changes below six kilometers, and the next generation of research subs need to be built with that in mind, Cameron said. Vehicles that can withstand the extreme pressure at those depths tend to be heavier and more difficult to manage, making them more expensive and less fuel-efficient. Cameron?s engineers actually developed new materials?including a syntactic foam made from millions of hollow glass microspheres suspended in an epoxy resin?to strengthen the sub?s hull without adding a lot of weight. The vessel, which is 7.3 meters long but only 1.09 meters wide, also has a sphere-shaped pressurized cockpit that collected evaporated moisture from Cameron?s breath and sweat into a plastic bag, which would supply him with extra drinking water if necessary. The vessel itself descends vertically, with the cockpit oriented at the bottom, below a 2.4-meter-long panel of lights and batteries.

The sub will arrive at WHOI shortly after the opening of the institution?s new Center for Marine Robotics (CMR), which seeks to develop marine exploration technology with help from academia, the federal government and businesses. Such technology has lagged behind its counterparts on dry land for far too long, according to Andy Bowen, director of Woods Hole?s National Deep Submergence Facility. Bowen helped develop Jason Jr., the tethered robotic sub that first explored the Titanic in 1986, as well as Nereus, which explored the Mariana Trench in 2009.

?Undersea robotics has underachieved, in some ways, to demonstrate the potential we?re seeing in terrestrial applications, such as airborne drones or a robot that you can buy to sweep your floors,? Bowen said during the roundtable. ?The undersea is difficult because there?s no GPS, there?s no wi-fi, there?s none of the things that make it possible to build a really diverse range of robotic tools for terrestrial applications.?

Most likely, exploration of the planet?s vast deep-sea trenches will require a combination of automated and manned vehicles to be successful. ?So many people think we live in a post-exploration age?it?s all been seen, it?s all been mapped,? Cameron said. ?How did we happen to get into the 21st century and miss a continent? The answer is obvious: It?s the hardest place to get to on the planet,? he noted, adding, ?The aggregate area of these trenches is greater than the size of the United States, greater than the size of Australia, so it?s basically like a continent that?s been unexplored that exists right here on Earth.?

The world?s last unexplored continent?not a bad setting for a new science fiction movie, once Cameron returns from filming the further adventures of the Na'vi on their native Pandora, in the Alpha Centauri star system.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=90ede6a5c4ebcae54b05bb9672fe7d48

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efemr Is Snapchat For Twitter Which Can Only End Well

So yeah, efemr is a web app that scrubs tweets after the amount of time you hashtag. Want a tweet gone after five minutes? #5m. Two hours? #2h. You get the gist.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J5jJAarOxd4/efemr-is-snapchat-for-twitter-which-can-only-end-well

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Big Papi stays hot as Red Sox roll over Astros

By KEN POWTAK

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:05 p.m. ET April 27, 2013

BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz has even run out of ways to talk about his red-hot return.

Ortiz had two hits and three RBIs to extend his torrid start after a long layoff, and Felix Doubront overcame a wild first inning to pitch into the seventh as the Boston Red Sox beat the struggling Houston Astros 8-4 on Saturday night.

"I ain't talking about that anymore," said Ortiz, joking with the media as he dressed quickly in front of his locker. "You make up a new question, I'll answer it. Otherwise, copy what I said yesterday and the day before."

The 37-year old Ortiz made quite a return in his first seven games. He is hitting .519 (14 of 27) with two homers and nine RBIs since getting back into the lineup last Saturday after missing the 71 of the final 72 games last season and all of spring training with a heel injury.

"He's doing things that look to him to be very easy, but its hard to imagine or even script out that he'd have this kind of performance considering the layoff," Red Sox manager John Farrell said.

It was 14th win in 19 games for the surging Red Sox (17-7). Boston can tie a club record for the most wins in April by completing a four-game sweep over Houston (7-17) on Sunday.

The Astros, coming off 56 and 55 wins seasons the last two, respectively, in the National League, are finding their new league just as tough.

"I don't get caught up in the record," Astros first-year manager Bo Porter said. "I deal with each day, each game, one game at a time."

Boston matched its best start since 2002 with its fourth straight win.

The Red Sox went 18-8 in April 1998 and 2003.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a two-run single for the Red Sox. Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Nava each added two hits and an RBI.

Doubront (3-0) walked three in the first, hit a batter, and had a wild pitch before settling down to hold the Astros to three runs, four hits, striking out eight and walking four over 6 2-3 innings.

"Seriously, I don't know what happened in the first inning," Doubront said. "I was feeling like I was using more of my arm than my body. I was frustrated because I was thinking a little too much. But overall, after the first inning, I was really focused and I wasn't thinking about my mechanics at all. I was throwing the ball. I was so happy I did that."

Houston starter Brad Peacock (1-3) gave up five runs on six hits in 3 2-3 innings. He hasn't gone past five innings in each of his five starts.

"I know we've got to start doing better," he said. "I'm just going to keep working and hopefully I can get out of this."

Doubront retired 17 of 19 batters after the rough beginning. He was pulled with a runner on in the seventh. Alex Wilson escaped a bases-loaded, eighth-inning jam and Andrew Miller pitched the ninth.

Trailing 2-0, Boston scored four runs in the second on Ellsbury's two-run single and Ortiz's two-run double into the left field corner.

Ortiz's sacrifice fly made it 5-2 in the fourth after Nava doubled leading off and advanced on Pedroia's ground out to second.

Jose Altuve's run-scoring ground out cut it to 5-3 in the seventh.

Stephen Drew, Nava and Pedroia each had RBI singles in the seventh.

The Astros took advantage of Doubront's wild first to grab their first lead of the series. Doubront hit Brandon Barnes after a leadoff single before walking Brandon Laird. He then walked Chris Carter, forcing in a run, before Ronny Cedeno's sacrifice fly made it 2-0. The left-hander walked the next batter on four pitches, but got the final two outs easily.

NOTES: Farrell said OF Shane Victorino, sidelined since leaving Wednesday's game with a stiff lower back, has made slight progress, but was out again. ... Farrell also said that LHP Franklin Morales has been shut down for a few days with a strained muscle on his left side. Morales has been on the DL since March 22 with a strained lower back. ... Porter loaded his lineup with right-handed hitters from 1-7, with switch hitters in the final two spots. ... Porter had glowing praise for Boston 2B Pedroia before the game. "I think people should ask, `Why don't more people play the game that way?' I've been a fan of Dustin Pedroia's before I came to Fenway for these four games," he said. "He'll do what he can to beat you." ... Boston RHP Ryan Dempster walked out the player's parking lot and went for a jog on the streets outside the park about 2 hours before the game. Fans that were lined up to get in didn't even seem to notice. ... RHP John Lackey (0-1, 4.15 ERA) is set to make his return from the disabled list Sunday against Houston's Bud Norris (3-2, 4.13 ERA). Lackey went on the DL April 7 with a strained right biceps. ... The Red Sox improved to 13-0 when scoring first.

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

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At their best beyond nine

Extra-innings seem to suit the Diamondbacks just fine, as Arizona improved to 6-0 in extra-inning games this season on Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51690800/ns/sports-baseball/

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Minneapolis council member drops DFL endorsement bid (Star Tribune)

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Living with Glass, Day Four: Canyon Carving

More Info

• Living with Google Glass, Day One: The Reveal
• Living with Google Glass, Day Two: Around the House
• Living with Google Glass, Day Three: Security Checkpoint

Finally, the flash of newness is wearing off. It's taken a few days, but the initial novelty of Glass, enjoying wearing it simply because I could wear it, is running thin. The haze of new gadget excitement is clearing and we can truly get down to brass tacks -- but that doesn't mean I'm not having fun. In fact I've had the opportunity to take Glass with me to do something very fun indeed: ride a Ducati 848 Streetfighter on some of the most amazing roads in the world.

Even as I did this, a jaunt more focused on gathering some exciting footage than truly evaluating the device, I learned some things -- including the fact that a Google Glass headset doesn't really fit underneath a full-face helmet. Not comfortably, anyway.

Gallery: Google Glass motorcycle ride

Filed under: Wearables

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

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Homeland security chairman: FBI checking training angle in bombing

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Sunday that the FBI is investigating in the United States and overseas to determine whether the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing received training that helped them carry out the attack.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is charged with joining with his older brother, Tamerlan, who's now dead, in setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs. The bombs were triggered by a remote detonator of the kind used in remote-control toys, U.S. officials have said.

U.S. officials investigating the bombings have told The Associated Press that so far there is no evidence to date of a wider plot, including training, direction or funding for the attacks.

A criminal complaint outlining federal charges against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev described him as holding a cellphone in his hand minutes before the first explosion.

The brothers are ethnic Chechens from Russia who came to the United States about a decade ago with their parents.

"I think given the level of sophistication of this device, the fact that the pressure cooker is a signature device that goes back to Pakistan, Afghanistan, leads me to believe ? and the way they handled these devices and the tradecraft ? ... that there was a trainer and the question is where is that trainer or trainers," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, on "Fox News Sunday."

"Are they overseas in the Chechen region or are they in the United States?" McCaul said. "In my conversations with the FBI, that's the big question. They've casted a wide net both overseas and in the United States to find out where this person is. But I think the experts all agree that there is someone who did train these two individuals."

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he thought it's "probably true" that the attack was not linked to a major group. But, he told CNN's "State of the Union," that there "may have been radicalizing influences" in the U.S. or abroad. "It does look like a lot of radicalization was self-radicalization online, but we don't know the full answers yet."

On ABC's "This Week," moderator George Stephanopoulos raised the question to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee about FBI suspicions that the brothers had help in getting the bombs together.

"Absolutely, and not only that, but in the self-radicalization process, you still need outside affirmation," responded Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.

"We still have persons of interest that we're working to find and identify and have conversations with," he added.

At this point in the investigation, however, Sen. Claire McCaskill said there was no evidence that the brothers "were part of a larger organization, that they were, in fact, part of some kind of terror cell or any kind of direction."

The Missouri Democrat, who's on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told CBS' "Face the Nation" that "it appears, at this point, based on the evidence, that it's the two of them."

Homemade bombs built from pressure cookers have been a frequent weapon of militants in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen once published an online manual on how to make one.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was an ardent reader of jihadist websites and extremist propaganda, officials have said. He frequently looked at extremist sites, including Inspire magazine, an English-language online publication produced by al-Qaida's Yemen affiliate.

In recent years, two would-be U.S. attackers reported receiving bomb-making training from foreign groups but failed to set off the explosives.

A Nigerian man was given a mandatory life sentence for trying to blow up a packed jetliner on Christmas Day 2009 with a bomb sewn into his underwear. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had tried to set off the bomb minutes before the Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight landed.

The device didn't work as planned, but it still produced smoke, flame and panic. He told authorities that he trained in Yemen under the eye of Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric and one of the best-known al-Qaida figures.

A U.S. drone strike in Yemen killed al-Awlaki in 2011.

In 2010, a Pakistani immigrant who tried to detonate a car bomb in New York's Times Square also received a life sentence. Faisal Shazad said the Pakistan Taliban provided him with more than $15,000 and five days of explosives training.

The bomb was made of fireworks fertilizer, propane tanks and gasoline canisters. Explosives experts said the fertilizer wasn't the right grade and the fireworks weren't powerful enough to set off the intended chain reaction.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmaker-fbi-checking-training-angle-bombing-154952300.html

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Tips To Incorporate Into Your Internet Marketing Strategy | Total ...

Tip! Do you research on how your affiliates track outside sales. If you are generating sales to that company you need to link them back to you.

You will be forced to change up with new types of techniques to stand out from the competition.Yet, even with all the differences from company to company, some things remain true to form that earn good profits and that information is listed below.

Tip! Some affiliates get their tasks through email, but this sometimes causes them to continually re-check their emails. Consider copying major points from your emails and reading them on a document program such as Microsoft Word.

It is important that neither you or your affiliate promotion partners take advantage of this process. This may just cause some irritation to your visitors. You could possibly spread viruses or break the customer tracking efforts.

Tip! You should choose an affiliate that offers several ways to access your payments. Some affiliate marketing companies only pay you when you have reached a particular quota while others may pay you immediately via online transfers.

An excellent online marketing tip is to search for a business who is constantly making new products. You are more affiliate revenue by working with businesses that create a multitude of products which are interesting to your consumers. Stay away from short-term fad products because these will fade.

Text services can help affiliates to use in order to earn commissions.

There is a great variety of affiliate programs. Each one offers different array of products or different flexibility limits.

Tip! Affiliate websites are not all the same. Some sites make it a pain to find anything.

There is great inequality in the design of affiliate. You will find that some difficulties when sites are frustrating or easy to navigate. A good affiliate marketer doesn?t allow a profit. This practice will build trust and seller if done correctly.

Tip! Paid advertising, such as Google Ads, is a good way to make money from affiliate marketing programs. By buying advertisements that target the right kind of customers, you will be able to increase traffic on your website and you will be able to get lots of customers that could purchase your products.

You need to be well educated in the field of internet marketing before you can be successful with it.You should want your site or blog to rank as high a search as possible. This can garner more reputable affiliate links and increase profits.

It is vital to see statistics for your site in real time statistics. They help you see visitor and how many bought something.

Be honest with readers about your readers about your affiliations. Being honest like this helps readers feel that they are sure to appreciate that.

They use those approaches because they are effective and attract customers. All that you need to propel your efforts is to determine what customizations your approach may require.

Source: http://talkonmovie.com/tips-to-incorporate-into-your-internet-marketing-strategy/

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Obama White House Correspondents Dinner Speech Brought Laughs (VIDEO)

Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, from left, Michael Scherer, White House correspondent for TIME, late-night television host Conan O'Brien and first lady Michelle Obama attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER

Comedian Conan O'Brien (L) smiles as US President Barack Obama (C) and US first lady Michelle Obama arrive for the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Barack Obama

President Barack Obama looks to the podium during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER

Comedian Conan O'Brien (L) and US first lady Michelle Obama joke during the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Barack Obama, Conan O'Brien, Michelle Obama, Michael Clemente

Late-night television host Conan O'Brien, from left, first lady Michelle Obama, Michael Clemente, Executive Vice President of Fox News, and President Barack Obama attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER

Comedian Conan O'Brien listens during the White House Correspondents? Association Dinner April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Obama attended the yearly dinner which is attended by journalists, celebrities and politicians. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Alicia Quarles attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Megan Hilt attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Morena Baccarin attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Musician John Legend attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Model Chrissy Teigen attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

US-POLITICS-ENTERTAINMENT-WHCA-DINNER

Entertainer John Legend arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC, April 27, 2013. AFP Photo/ Chris KLEPONIS (Photo credit should read CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Musician Psy attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Steven Spielberg

Director Steven Spielberg uses his smart phone during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Saturday, April 27, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Amy Poehler attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Claire Danes attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Julia Louis-Dreyfus attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kerry Washington attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Morena Baccarin attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Rebel Wilson and Olympic Gymnist Gabby Douglas attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kate Mara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Kate Mara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Aasif Mandvi and Ty Burrel attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Al Sharpton and Chris Matthews attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Emily Mortimer attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Connie Britton attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Patricia Arquette attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: John Oliver and Kate Oliver attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Ryan Kwanten attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Jessica Pare attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Justin Bartha attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Julie Bowen attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: NFL player Victor Cruz (L) and Elaina Watley attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Ty Burrell attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Olivia Munn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Olivia Munn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

TIME/CNN/PEOPLE/FORTUNE Pre-Dinner Cocktail Reception

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Time Magazine Managing Editor Rick Stengel and Steven Spielberg attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time, Inc)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Elizabeth Banks attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Elizabeth Banks attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Jessica Pare attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Aasif Mandvi attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Sofia Vergara attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Michelle Dockery attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actress Constance Zimmer attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Tony Goldwyn attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Thomas Roberts attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Actor Ed Helms attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Korie Robertson and Willie Robertson attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

TIME/CNN/PEOPLE/FORTUNE Pre-Dinner Cocktail Reception

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Gerard Butler and Piers Morgan attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time, Inc)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Matthew Perry attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

2013 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Piers Morgan and Gerard Butler attend the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/28/obama-white-house-correspondents-dinner_n_3158229.html

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At their best beyond nine

By JOSE M. ROMERO

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:27 a.m. ET April 28, 2013

PHOENIX (AP) - Extra-inning games seem to suit the Arizona Diamondbacks quite well.

The Diamondbacks improved to 6-0 in extra frames this season after beating the Colorado Rockies 3-2 in 10 innings on Saturday night. Cody Ross hit a long fly ball to center field that allowed A.J. Pollock to score from third base without a throw, and Ross' teammates sprinted from the dugout to congratulate him after Pollock crossed home plate.

Ross also tripled in a run in the first inning to give Arizona a 2-0 lead, three batters after Pollock hit a solo home run.

J.J. Putz earned the win with a scoreless top of the 10th to improve to 2-0. Pollock led off the bottom of the inning with a single off Edgmer Escalona (1-1).

With one out, he stole second base and went to third on a throwing error by Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario. The Rockies then intentionally walked Miguel Montero to have Escalona face Ross.

Ross hit a ball more than 400 feet to center and the Rockies had no chance to throw out the speedy Pollock.

"That guy has good stuff. He throws hard and has a good slider," Ross said of Escalona. "I was just looking for something out over the plate that I could get some good wood on and fortunately it got in the air and Pollock was able to score easily."

The Diamondbacks turned three double plays in the first five innings.

The Rockies loaded the bases in the first and fifth innings against Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley, but failed to score each time.

On the night of a garden gnome giveaway promotion bearing his name, Miley struggled with his control more than in any of his previous four starts this season. He lasted only 4 1-3 innings and threw 98 pitches, walking seven.

Miley walked four in the first inning, but got out of the situation with a double play and a strikeout.

"I just didn't have it tonight and that was pretty much the bottom line. I tried to battle through it but didn't have it," Miley said. "I was scuffling out there. I was lucky."

Rosario homered off reliever Brad Ziegler in the sixth, and the Rockies tied it 2-2 when Troy Tulowitzki singled in Dexter Fowler with two outs in the seventh.

Fowler had reached second on a hustle double, sliding head first and avoiding the tag. Tulowitzki was thrown out at second trying to stretch his hit into a double.

The Diamondbacks had a chance to take the lead in the seventh, but Gerardo Parra was stranded after he singled and reached third base on a wild pitch.

The Rockies had their best late chance in the eighth when Michael Cuddyer and Rosario singled to start the inning.

But Cuddyer was picked off on a throw the catcher, Montero, made to shortstop Cliff Pennington and Rosario was doubled off second base after straying too far off the bag on a line out to Parra in right field.

Cuddyer was incredulous at being picked off, and described the game as odd.

"I think that's a good word," Cuddyer said. "Sometimes it happens , unfortunately. You don't get the big hit and we didn't. We had a lot of opportunities to get it, but we just didn't come up with it."

NOTES: Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius felt soreness from the contusion on the right side of his head a day after being hit in the helmet by a pitch from the Rockies' Josh Outman in the seventh inning Friday. Gregorius did not play in Saturday's game. ... The Diamondbacks played a man short on their 25-man active roster on Saturday while deciding whether to make a roster move involving Gregorius. ... Diamondbacks OF Jason Kubel, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps, played in an extended spring training game Saturday and is scheduled to continue his rehabilitation at Triple-A Reno on Monday and Tuesday.

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

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At their best beyond nine

Extra-innings seem to suit the Diamondbacks just fine, as Arizona improved to 6-0 in extra-inning games this season on Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51691115/ns/sports-baseball/

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PFT: Jets reportedly will consider cutting Sanchez

AP

Here are the terms of trades completed on Friday, April 26, the second day of the 2013 NFL Draft. All draft picks are 2013 selections unless otherwise noted:

The Titans acquired a second-round pick from San Francisco (No. 34 overall), sending second- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 40, 216) in 2013 and a 2014 third-rounder to the 49ers. The Titans selected Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter at No. 34. The 49ers took Florida State defensive lineman Cornellius ?Tank? Carradine at No. 40.

The Chargers traded for the Cardinals? second-round pick (No. 38), giving up second- and fourth-round picks (Nos. 45, 110) to Arizona. The Chargers used selection No. 38 on Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te?o, while the Cardinals took LSU linebacker Kevin Minter at No. 45.

The 49ers acquired the Packers? second-round pick (No. 55). In return, San Francisco surrendered second- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 61, 173). The 49ers took Rice tight end Vance McDonald at No. 55. The Packers used the No. 61 choice on Alabama running back Eddie Lacy.

The Ravens traded for the Seahawks? second-round selection (No. 56). Baltimore sent Seattle second-, fifth- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 62, 165, 199) to complete the deal. The Ravens took Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown with pick No. 56. Six picks later, the Seahawks selected Texas A&M running back Christine Michael at No. 62.

The Saints acquired a third-round selection from Miami (No. 82). In exchange, the Dolphins received two fourth-round picks (Nos. 106, 109) from New Orleans. The Saints took Georgia nose tackle John Jenkins at No. 82. The Dolphins would trade selection No. 109 to Green Bay.

The 49ers traded for the Packers? third-round choice (No. 88), surrendering third- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 93, 216) to Green Bay. With pick No. 88, San Francisco chose Auburn defensive lineman Corey Lemonier. The Packers would deal the 93^rd selection to Miami (see next entry).

The Dolphins acquired a third-round pick from Green Bay (No. 93), giving up fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 109, 146, 224). The Dolphins selected Utah State cornerback Will Davis at No. 93.

The Dolphins traded wide receiver Davone Bess and their fourth- and seventh-round picks (Nos. 111, 217) to Cleveland. In return, the Browns sent the Dolphins fourth- and fifth-round picks (Nos. 104, 164).

The Saints traded running back Chris Ivory to the Jets in exchange for New York?s fourth-round pick (No. 106). The Saints dealt No. 106 in a package for pick No. 82, which was used on Georgia nose tackle John Jenkins.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/26/report-jets-will-consider-cutting-sanchez/related/

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Pinterest: How to Drive More Traffic to Your Site With Pinterest

By Michael Stelzner
Published April 26, 2013

Do you use Pinterest for business?

Are you wondering how Pinterest can help your business drive more traffic to your website or blog?

To learn about Pinterest marketing, I interview Melanie Duncan for this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast.

More About This Show

The Social Media Marketing podcast is a show from Social Media Examiner.

It?s designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing.

The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting).

In this episode, I interview Melanie Duncan, owner of Luxury Monograms and CustomGreekThreads. She also does online training for business owners and spends a lot of time focusing on Pinterest marketing.

Melanie shares how Pinterest is a different social media platform and why marketers should use it.

You?ll learn how to create clickable images and calls to action that will lead to increased visibility and sales.

Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below!

Listen Now

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can also subscribe via iTunes, RSS, Stitcher or Blackberry.

Here are some of the things you?ll discover in this show:

Pinterest Marketing

How has Pinterest helped your business?

Melanie describes how she stumbled across Pinterest marketing in January of this year, when she started to receive a high volume of traffic and orders to her site.

It wasn?t until she logged into Google Analytics?that she realized Pinterest?s potential in terms of bringing new customers and traffic to her site.

You?ll discover how Melanie formed a Pinterest strategy and how it helped her business get more exposure and sales.

Melanie Duncan on Pinterest.

Melanie explains how she first saw Pinterest traffic come from Luxury Monograms. People were pinning things from her site, even before she had a?Pin It button. You?ll learn how people can pin from your blog or website.

Luxury Monograms was the first website from which Melanie saw Pinterest traffic.

Melanie explains that it wasn?t just the high-quality product photography that was being repinned, but also the basic product photos. You?ll discover why it?s not all about the quality of the photos and why calls to action are so important.

Listen to the show to find out what calls to action work best and how they can increase engagement by 80%.

Some of the biggest mistakes marketers make on Pinterest

Melanie explains how Pinterest is a very different type of social media platform and that many marketers or small business owners don?t really understand how to use it for their business.

A lot of us start with a personal Pinterest profile. Research shows that 80% of pins on Pinterest are repins. People log onto Pinterest, they look at their newsfeed and repin. They don?t really go out across the Internet and try to find new forms of information to put on the platform.

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is that they don?t create enough original content. You?ll hear what you need to do to make a real difference and get the results you want.

Listen to the show to find out where the opportunity is for marketers.

How to determine if Pinterest is worth focusing on

Melanie shares how a lot of service business owners believe that they can?t be on Pinterest, as it?s only for physical products. You?ll learn why this isn?t true.

Pinterest has a free analytics tool that is available to all business pages now. You?ll discover 3 steps you need to take to have access.

Pinterest has free web analytics for business pages.

Once you have access, Pinterest hooks up the analytics to your sites. You can now track your pin activity, such as:

• How many people are pinning from your website
• Whether your pins are being repinned and how often
• How much traffic is being sent to your site
• What your impressions are like

It?s a very easy tool to help track how quickly people respond and engage with your content.

You?ll discover the only way to get traffic from Pinterest to your blog or website and why it doesn?t have to be something pretty.

Listen to the show to learn why trending is a great strategy to use.

How to use Pinterest to drive traffic to your website

Melanie explains that product-based business owners want to give people information. You?ll hear how Birch Box, a cosmetic brand, created a board for video and how they use it to promote their products.

Birch Box on Pinterest has a board for video with cool tips on how to use their products.

With Luxury Monograms, Melanie created boards that give people ideas on how to use her products. You can blend your products on a board created around a topic where people search for ideas. For example, Luxury Monograms sells a lot of monogrammed napkins, so they also pin beautiful napkin rings from Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma.

You?ll learn how to create teaser content and how it can drive people from the image to your website.

Melanie shares why for her personally, video is more effective on Pinterest than on Facebook. Although everyone has different experiences.

Melanie's videos on Pinterest.

You?ll discover how video appears on the newsfeed and why it stands out from all the static images.

When you want to add text to your images, Melanie explains that you don?t have to be tech-savvy. She uses a free tool called PicMonkey.

Listen to the show to find out what Melanie does that refers the most traffic of any other pins.?

How the Pinterest audience differs from other social networks

Melanie explains how people on Pinterest do something very different from what they do on Facebook or Twitter.

When people are on Pinterest, they are in a very different state of mind. They actively look for products and information to discover. This is a huge advantage for a business or a brand. Seventy percent of people use Pinterest to get inspiration and information on what to buy.

You?ll be surprised to hear what the average order value is on Pinterest, compared to Twitter and Facebook.

Melanie believes Pinterest is very different in the ways that a brand can engage. On Pinterest, people are shopping. You?ll find out why it?s important to add prices to your pins.

Make sure you add a price to your product pins.

Listen to the show to hear why?you shouldn?t be afraid to sell or promote your products on Pinterest.

Tips for improving the chance that people will share or click on your Pinterest images

Melanie says that calls to action?are a must. You?ll hear what happened when Melanie tested the same pin with and without a call to action.

A Luxury Monograms image with a call to action.

If you want to get people to recirculate your content, you need to tell them what to do. You?ll find out what Melanie has on her images to pique people?s interest.

Users can discover content on Pinterest in several ways. When you first set up a Pinterest account, they?ll recommend people for you to follow, based upon the different general interests you tell them. You?ll always see in your newsfeed the content that people you follow have pinned.

There is also a search box on the top left, where you can search with keywords. Melanie encourages people to use keywords in their captions to help with search results.

Listen to the show to hear why there is no preferential treatment when it comes to search.

This Week?s Social Media Question

Danish Ahmed from Ordinary Words asks, ?Should I abandon Blogger and switch to WordPress? I?ve put a lot of investment into Blogger but it looks like Blogger is no longer considered a worthy platform for professionals. Is this true??

Yes, this is true. I believe that WordPress is where you want to go. Blogger is largely perceived to be the hobbyist platform, whereas WordPress is a more serious platform.

WordPress.org is a much more serious platform than Blogger.

Here are 3 reasons why you should consider switching to WordPress.

1. It?s the largest, most robust blogging platform, supported by a huge developer community.
2. It?s highly scalable as your blog grows.?We use it to run Social Media Examiner.
3. WordPress is something you can install and own your own platform. You can have complete control over it.

I strongly recommend that you make the move. The SEO benefits are pretty spectacular.

Call in and leave your social media?related questions for us and we may include them in a future show.

Listen to the show to learn more and let us know how this works for you.

Discovery of the Week

When I was at Social Media Marketing World, I was introduced to a brand-new product called Demographics Pro?for Twitter.

The profile for #SMMW13 group on Demographics Pro for Twitter.

You can put in any Twitter ID or hashtag and it will run a detailed analysis. For example, we put in #SMMW13. You?ll be shocked at the analysis it came up with.

Listen to the show to learn more and let us know how this works for you.

Key takeaways mentioned in this episode:

Ways to subscribe to the Social Media Marketing podcast:

What do you think? What are your thoughts on driving more traffic with Pinterest? Please leave your comments below.

Tags: drive traffic, melanie duncan, michael stelzner, pinterest, podcast, social media marketing podcast

Source: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-how-to-drive-more-traffic-to-your-site-with-pinterest/

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