ZURICH – Animatronics aims at creating physical robots that move and look like real humans. Many impressive characters have been created in this spirit, like those in the Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World. Until now, creating animatronic copies of real human individuals is a difficult and labor-intensive process requiring the manual work of skilled animators, material designers and mechanical engineers. Researchers at Disney Research, Zürich, ETH Zürich, and Walt Disney Imagineering R&D have developed a new computational design process for cloning human ...

ZURICH – Researchers at Disney Research, Zürich, ETH Zürich, and Cornell University have invented a system to digitize facial hair and skin. Capturing facial skin and geometry is a fundamental technology for a variety of computer-based special effects for movies. Conventional face capturing is well established and widely utilized in the entertainment industry to capture a three-dimensional model of an actor's face. However, up to now, no method was capable of reconstructing facial hair or even handling it appropriately. This omission is surprising as facial hair is an important ...

Four tropical systems are marching across the Atlantic Ocean basin on August 10, 2012. NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. has been busy creating images and animations of the four tropical cyclones, Ernesto, the remnants of Florence, Tropical Depression 7, and System 93L. NASA's GOES Project uses data from NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), and the GOES-13 satellite covers the Atlantic Ocean basin and the eastern U.S. from a fixed orbit. GOES-13 provides continuous data that NASA makes into ...

The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season is in full swing and the Eastern Pacific seems like it's trying to catch up. On August 10, NOAA's GOES-15 satellite captured Tropical Storm Gilma and a low pressure area that was once the Atlantic Basin's Tropical storm Ernesto, now moving off the western Mexican coast. NASA's GOES Project, located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. has been busy creating images and animations of Tropical Storm Gilma and the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto as it crosses Mexico from the Gulf of Mexico and has begun its entrance ...

Singing mice (Scotinomys teguina) are not your average lab rats. Their fur is tawny brown instead of the common white albino strain; they hail from the tropical cloud forests in the mountains of Costa Rica; and, as their name hints, they use song to communicate. University of Texas at Austin researcher Steven Phelps is examining these unconventional rodents to gain insights into the genes that contribute to the unique singing behavior—information that could help scientists understand and identify genes that affect language in humans. "We can choose any number of traits ...

(Garrison, NY) With whole genome sequencing quickly becoming more affordable and accessible, we need to pay more attention to the massive amount of information it will deliver to parents – and the fact that we don't yet understand what most of it means, concludes an article in the Hastings Center Report. The authors are current or former scholars at the National Institutes of Health's Department of Bioethics. Most analyses of the ethical issues raised by whole genome sequencing have been "futuristic forecasting," but the authors conclude that "this is problematic given ...

Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP (www.bellnunnally.com) has added Jeffrey J. Ansley as a partner and member of the firm's Litigation and White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations practices. Ansley joins the firm from Curran Tomko Tarski LLP in Dallas. "Jeff is a great addition to the firm. Our clients will benefit from his expertise and his experience as a former federal criminal prosecutor and enforcement attorney," said James Skochdopole, managing partner of Bell Nunnally. Ansley serves as defense and trial counsel for clients in complex criminal ...

Xen.org, home of the open source Xen hypervisor, today announced the final speaker line-up and agenda for its annual Xen Summit North America conference. The event will be held, August 27-28 in San Diego, California and is co-located with CloudOpen and LinuxCon North America. XenSummit attracts prominent Xen community members and thought leaders from around the world to hear updates on future plans, research and new developments for technologies based on the Xen Hypervisor, as well as discuss the current state of projects applying Xen technology to areas like cloud computing, ...

Saint Joe, an Australia-based online coffee bean retailer, continues to seek ways to provide their customers only the finest coffee beans roasted in Australia. With the launch of Saint Joe's new website, coffee lovers can now create their perfect cup of coffee without the hassle of purchasing low-grade beans from supermarkets or direct coffee roasters. They can simply log on to http://www.saintjoe.com.au and choose among Saint Joe's collection of high quality coffee beans. Embracing the belief that life is too short to drink bad coffee, Saint Joe strives to offer premium ...

Total Wine & More, America's largest independent retailer of fine wine, spirits and beer, will introduce its new, "next-generation" retail experience in Southern California with the opening of its latest location in Laguna Hills, Calif. on August 16. The beverage superstore has created a unique retail environment centering around the latest technologies to enhance its customers' experience, according to David Trone, co-owner of Total Wine & More. Next-generation elements include iPads which allow customers to interact with an app that recommends wine ...

Quinceaneras are a truly beautiful and meaningful time in a young woman's life. She is learning to stand on her own, voice her own opinions and becoming a young woman, while remembering her religious beliefs and valuing the presence of friends and family members. These celebrations encompass every aspect of a young woman's life and should truly be cherished. Due to the religious and cultural significance of this day, a skilled Miami photographer is retained to capture the most important memories of the day. Miami-based photographers have announced their new venture in ...

Boston Cosmetic Surgery Center is offering a summer-long special on Botox treatments for just $10 per unit. All summer long on Tuesdays, patients can take advantage of this exceptional offer on Botox treatments at Boston Cosmetic Surgery Center - the premier body sculpting and facial rejuvenation practice in New England. Boston Cosmetic Surgery Center offers Botox injections in order to enhance the appearance of aging skin without the need for invasive surgeries. Botox is a prescription medication that is injected into the facial muscles and used to reduce the appearance ...

The male voice was the original and then main choice through the 40s, 50, and 60's. It wasn't until the 70's that a female voice over became more widely accepted in radio and TV commercials in the western world. It's only been in recent years that woman have started to make their way into the movie trailer voice over industry. It's believed and confirmed in research over the years that the male voice conjures more authority, which is why most emergency announcements are primarily the domain of the male voice. The female voice is believed by many to be more soothing ...

Leanne Osgood brings real-life experience and passion to her position as one of the South Denver area's green real estate brokers. Osgood and her family are in Colorado to stay, but she and her husband, Bob, moved frequently in the early years of their marriage. Because of all of those moves, she said she knows first-hand what it takes to be a good real estate agent. She also was a sales representative for Helix Wind, selling wind turbines in 15 states and becoming thoroughly educated in energy efficiency and sustainability. "I didn't just turn green. I've ...

MIG & Co. is proud to announce our official selection in both Bob Scott's 2012 list of the top 100 VARs in the United States and Accounting Today's 2012 VAR 100 of the Top U.S. Resellers. Based on 2011 success, MIG & Co. ranked No. 42 and 45 on the lists, respectively. Eric McGuardian, the CEO of MIG, made the announcement: "Thanks to our knowledgeable and dedicated team, we have yet again ranked in the Top 100 VARS across the United States - not only on one, but on two nationally recognized lists. I am excited to continue growing our business through the ...

CDM Media announced today that Info-Tech Research Group, a global leader in providing IT research and advice, will participate as a partner in the following upcoming summits: • CIO Manufacturing, Aug. 26-28, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. • CIO Retail, Aug. 28-29, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. • Mobility, Aug. 30-31, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. • CIO Chicago, Sept. 26, 2012, in Chicago, Ill. • CIO EMEA, Oct. 7-9, 2012, Sintra, Portugal • Big Data EMEA, Oct. 9-10, 2012, Sintra, Portugal • CIO Summit U.S., Nov. 11-13, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. • Big Data U.S., ...

Practice Management Institute (PMI) faculty member, Audrey Coaxum, will present at the Texas Medical Group Management Association's (TMGMA), "Executive on the Edge," 2012 Fall Conference in Houston in September. The event will take place in Houston at the Westin Memorial City Hotel. Audrey Coaxum, CHI, CMCO, CMC, CMIS, CMOM, will teach two sessions related to the implementation of ICD-10. The sessions will deliver important news and updates that Texas carriers need to help guide them on the implementation of ICD-10 and secure accurate reimbursement once the ...

WNC, a national investor in community renewal and affordable housing projects, has hired Amy Dosen as Vice President, Originations. In this position, Dosen will oversee WNC's acquisition activities in the Midwest region. "Amy's extensive industry expertise and track record of success in the Midwest will guide our efforts to expand our holdings throughout the region," said Michael Gaber, Chief Operating Officer of WNC. We view the Midwest region as a key growth area with exceptional investment opportunities and will look to Amy to help us tap into this potential." ...

Cristophe Salon Newport Beach, the cutting-edge, distinctive salon that is celebrated for its professional, knowledgeable team of dedicated stylists and colorists and its incomparable five-star customer service, is pleased to announce the addition of a new staff member to support its growing clientele. Olivier, Expert Stylist Prior to joining the Cristophe Salon Newport Beach team as an expert stylist, Olivier was a stylist at Ty Alexander Salon and Spa, where he worked for more than a year, as well as Gregorie's, where he worked for 10 years - both in Newport Beach. Olivier ...

It Girl Public Relations, one of Los Angeles' leading boutique public relations firms, is excited to announce signing Hairspray star, Nikki Blonsky. Blonsky captured the hearts of audiences around the world in the hit movie musical Hairspray as Tracy Turnblad, alongside Zac Efron, Queen Latifah and John Travolta. Her professional debut not only earned her a Critic's Choice Award and a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical, but has launched her entertainment career in television and film. In addition to her Hairspray success, this triple threat ...

Rapid Protect [TM], a leading mobile solutions company based in NJ, is continuing its innovation in the mobile app field. It recently announced availability of Full Rapid Tracker application on J2ME non-smart feature phones and did major feature enhancements to its award winning "Rapid Tracker" mobile applications for family safety, collaboration and location tracking. Rapid Protect provides 24-7 customer support. Not everyone has a smart phone. Many parents don't buy smart phones for their children and sometimes they don't own any themselves. Others think ...

Holiday Inn & Suites Oakland Airport Hotel has recently announced the release of a new full-service independent website. The Holiday Inn & Suites is the newest hotel in the Oakland Airport market, boasting fresh accommodations and complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle service for guests on-the-go. Guests staying at Holiday Inn & Suites Oakland Airport Hotel can take advantage of numerous on-site perks and amenities. Business and leisure travelers enjoy: • Complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle service • Complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi • 145 non-smoking ...

MGM Grand Detroit has once again been named one of the best hotels to host a meeting by Successful Meetings, receiving its coveted Pinnacle Award. The Pinnacle Awards are the mark of excellence for meeting destinations that have done an outstanding job servicing their meetings, incentive travel programs, trade shows and conventions throughout the past 12 months. MGM Grand Detroit's meetings facilities include 30,000-square-feet of pillarless event space, three meeting rooms, two executive boardrooms, state-of-the-art technology and convenient freight access. The Grand ...

The Rhema Group, Inc. is currently upgrading a previous version of ProcessPro software to the newly released ProcessPro Premier 10.2. The Rhema Group is a leading custom manufacturer of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, and functional foods with facilities in Ogden, Utah and Coquitlam, BC Canada. They provide value-added expertise in making some of the most challenging nutraceutical formulations taste great. They specialize in powders but also produce capsules and tablets with a vision of enhancing life through integrity, leadership, and innovation. "Due to Rhema's ...

One of the largest CPA and consulting firms headquartered in New York and Hauppauge, Fuoco Group (www.fuoco.com) welcomes and names Alan I. Blass, CPA, CFE Director within the Forensics division. "Alan will greatly enhance our forensic and litigation support experience," said Managing Partner Lou J. Fuoco, CPA. "Alan brings not only a depth of expertise, but an entrepreneurial spirit to our firm." The merger with AIB Forensics will expand Fuoco Group's forensic accounting and litigation support services beyond its current focus in the Metro New York ...