Why ghosts get 'spooked' by HD cameras

"Paranormal Activity 3," the latest in a series of successful low-budget horror films about amateur ghost hunters, opens on Friday. The first film, released in 2007, was a surprise indie hit around the world.

The films are shot in a "found footage" style, in which the audience is treated to footage supposedly taken in real life from home videos and security cameras. This technique, often involving handheld cameras and actors talking to the camera operator, has been around for years but was widely popularized in the 1999 film "The Blair Witch Project."

The grainy, low-budget look of the films is no accident; it was done partly because the films actually are low-budget, and partly for added "realism." The fact that the low-quality picture skips and jitters adds to the suspense, and Horror Filmmaking 101 teaches that a dark, partly obscured monster is much scarier than one that's seen clearly in bright light.

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   4. Why ghosts get 'spooked' by HD cameras

It's been an effective technique in the first two films, scaring up hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. And it's also true in real-life ghost hunting: Virtually all of the "evidence" for ghosts appears in the form of brief, ambiguous anomalies recorded with low-quality cameras (or good-quality cameras sabotaged by low-light conditions).

People have long reported weird, ghostly and paranormal activity, but perhaps the biggest mystery is why the evidence ? especially the photographic evidence ? hasn't improved. Are ghosts afraid of high-definition cameras?

Review: 'Paranormal Activity 3' is pretty scary

The idea that amateur ghost hunters wandering in the dark with crummy video cameras are going to uncover genuine evidence of a spirit realm unknown to science seems absurd. Nonetheless, the SyFy show "Ghost Hunters" has been wildly popular for years ? it was recently picked up for an eighth season ? despite the fact that the team has never found scientific evidence for ghosts.

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The show is, of course, entertainment television instead of real investigation, but what about the hundreds of amateur ghost-hunting groups around the world inspired by the show?

If ghosts exist, you would expect the photographic and video evidence for them should improve dramatically as more and more people look for them with better and better equipment.

There are more people actively trying to document paranormal activity than ever. And, thanks to smartphones, at no time in history have so many people had high-quality cameras on hand virtually all the time.

Today there's no excuse for anyone to capture grainy photos or video images of anything, whether it's your aunt in a horrid floral hat, Bigfoot in the woods, or paranormal activity in your hallway. And yet that is so often the quality of the footage that makes the rounds on the internet. [ Mythical Creatures: Beasts That Don't Really Exist (or Do They?) ]

Last weekend, Apple sold 4 million iPhone 4S units, each of them equipped with a built-in high definition 1080p camera featuring state-of-the-art optics, image stabilization, automatic lighting adjustment and other features that rival cameras used by Hollywood videographers only a few years ago. Perhaps one of those iPhone users will finally record some clear evidence of ghosts.

High definition provides more image information, which helps identify things often mistaken for ghosts, such as random shadows, unnoticed reflections and video artifacts. With those ghost impostors more easily dismissed, any real ghostly images should be sharper and clearer than ever before.

The age of amateurs posting questionable video evidence of the paranormal should be coming to an end. Professional ghost hunters, however, might well continue using cameras that produce low-quality images. After all, that's where the ghosts appear.

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44991420/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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New Profit Is Hiring a Director of Communications - PRNewser

New Profit, a venture philanthropy fund, is looking for a strategic and intellectual individual to become its new director of communications.

In this role, you?ll establish and implement an organization-wide communications strategy, collaborating with many internal departments, including development, investor relations, portfolio management, events, talent, the executive office and more. You should be well-versed in print collateral and design; website development and maintenance; social media; emerging communications technologies; and media relations.

To be considered, you should have significant professional experience in marketing and/or communications, along with top-notch writing and communicative skills. The organization is looking to hire detail-oriented leader with the ability to handle multiple projects under tight deadlines, but those with HTML, Photoshop, InDesign or editing skills will stand out from the rest. Interested? Apply here.

For more job listings, go to the Mediabistro job board, and to post a job, visit our employer page. For real-time openings and employment news, follow @MBJobPost.

Source: http://www.mediabistro.com/prnewser/new-profit-is-hiring-a-director-of-communications_b29112

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Kenya expecting first ground battle with militants

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) ? Kenyan troops in Somalia closed in on the rebel-held town of Afmadow Saturday where they may fight their first ground battle against al-Qaida-linked militants since launching an offensive last weekend, a military spokesman said.

Hundreds of residents were fleeing Afmadow in anticipation of fighting as Kenyan and Somali troops moved closer.

Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said Kenya's army was flanking Somali troops and pro-government militia. Afmadow is now controlled by al-Shabab, Somalia's most dangerous militant group waging a war against the country's weak U.N.-backed government.

"We believe this movement will create the first ground offensive," Chirchir said.

Kenya had been bombing militants from the air but the charge at Afmedow will be first "man to man fighting situation," he said.

Al-Shabab militants are regrouping in the town of Bula Haji to reinforce their fighters in Afmadow, Chirchir said.

Osman Ahmed, a resident in Afmadow, said there is alot of tension with militants preparing to do battle with Kenyan and somali government troops.

"We sleep and wake up with fears, only gunmen and sporadic civilians are crossing the streets. It's a frightening situation," he said.

Kenya last weekend sent its troops into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab militants blamed for a string of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.

Somali gunmen have kidnapped four Europeans in the last six weeks ? two from the Lamu coastal region and two from the Dadaab refugee camp. One of the hostages, a quadriplegic French woman, died on Wednesday.

Kenya's government says the kidnappings threaten the country's tourism industry ? a key driver of the economy? that had bounced back after near collapse following postelection violence three-years-ago in which more than 1,000 people died.

Also Saturday the U.S. Embassy warned that an imminent terrorist attack in Kenya is possible. It said likely targets include places that foreigners congregate, including shopping malls and night clubs.

In response to the Kenyan military incursion, al-Shabab on Monday threatened to carry out suicide attacks in Kenya similar to those in July that killed 76 people watching the World Cup final in Uganda. Al-Shabab said that attack was a response to Uganda sending troops to support Somalia's government.

Somalia has been a failed state for more than 20 years. The lawless country is a haven for pirates and international terrorists and the conflict is causing a major famine which is believed to have cost tens of thousands of lives already.

Al-Shabab is blocking aid from reaching hungry Somalis, after it banned major aid groups from operating in the territories it controls.

Chirchir said the overall strategy of Kenya's military incursion is to reduce al-Shabab's effectiveness and restore authority to Somalia's government in order to achieve enduring peace.

African Union troops and government soldiers pushed the al-Shabab militia from their last bases in the capital on Thursday, AU spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said.

Al-Shabab has retreated before the Kenyan forces so far, but the militants have struck back in the Somali capital with a series of bombings ? including a truck bomb that killed over 100 people. On Thursday, they put up a bloody fight when AU forces arrived in Deynile, al-Shabab's last base in Mogadishu.

Otherwise, the Kenyan army has so far met little or no resistance during their push into the rebel-controlled areas of Somalia, as it marches toward its ultimate target; the al-shabab stronghold of Kismayo.

Kenya's troops are untested and it isn't clear they are prepared for a long-term occupation requiring counterinsurgency skills ? a scenario that ended U.S. and Ethiopian interventions during Somalia's 20-year-old civil war. The Somalia operation is Kenya's biggest foreign military commitment since independence in 1963.

However, al-Shabab is facing a major crisis which may have weakened its ability to put up a resistance.

The militia has been weakened by a severe drought and famine in its strongholds, a loss of revenue from markets in Mogadishu where it pulled out under pressure, internal divisions and public discontent over their strict punishments, recruitment of child soldiers and indiscriminate bombings.

Kenya's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Moses Wetangula, said Friday that al-Shabab are on the run and growing weaker by the day. Wetangula spoke after attending a meeting in Ethiopia of East Africa's Inter Governmental Authority for Development, also known as IGAD, on the Somali issue.

Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia's foreign minister and vice prime minister, said the timing is right for Kenya's military offensive in Somalia and that East African nations unanimously support it.

"The long-term goal is to eradicate al-Shabab from Somalia," he said. "The territorial integrity of the whole IGAD region is under threat."

Al-Shabab is now being confronted by forces from three East African countries, following Kenya's incursion into Somalia.

Burundi and Ugandan forces make up the 9,000 African Union peacekeeping force, which is supporting the weak U.N.-backed Somali government. The AU forces on Thursday forced the militant group out of its last bases in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

____

Odula reported from Nairobi, Kenya. Associated Press writer Luc Van Kemenade also contributed to this report from the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-22-AF-Somalia-Kenya/id-eb58e42042774b1eb92c47aff55ec446

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Taylor Armstrong Tweets Down Matt Nordgren Romance Rumors

Taylor Armstrong will gladly go into detail about her late husband allegedly beating her, but the reality star only has one sentence to say about rumors that she's getting it on with Most Eligible Dallas star Matt Nordgren.

"I am NOT dating anyone from anywhere! Stop the rumors! I am trying to heal with my daughter," Armstrong Tweeted yesterday.

We are very sorry, Taylor. When reporting you might be with Nordgren, we should have considered your five-year old child. By the way: when is your next primetime interview scheduled where you slam the heck out of your five-year old child's father?

Both Nordgren and Armstrong admit they attended a ball together in Dallas, but merely as friends.

Taylor, meanwhile, recently said she may have "subconsciously" signed up for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because she was getting beaten and this allowed her "problems to be in the public eye to some extent... it was my saving grace."

Dina Lohan, take note: THIS is how you exploit a family tragedy for personal gain.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/taylor-armstrong-tweets-down-matt-nordgren-romance-rumors/

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California congressman won't seek re-election (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Five-term Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza of California says he won't seek re-election next year. And he's blasting what he calls "the increasingly harsh tone in American politics."

Cardoza is the 13th Democrat in the House to announce retirement plans. But many of them are running for the Senate or governor in 2012.

Seven House Republicans have announced they will step down.

Cardoza, representing the agriculturally rich area around Merced, says he has no immediate plans to run for another office.

Cardoza has been active in the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats. In a written statement announcing his retirement plans, he said he was dismayed by the Obama administration's failure to understand and address the current housing foreclosure crisis.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111020/ap_on_el_ho/us_congressman_retiring_cardoza

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FREE/fernando romero + OODA: university of porto business school

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Galaxy Nexus Sweetened by Android's Ice Cream Sandwich (NewsFactor)

In their latest shot at the iPhone, Samsung and Google have teamed up to roll out the Galaxy Nexus. The Galaxy Nexus earns bragging rights as the first smartphone powered by Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Galaxy Nexus sports a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display technology at 720p resolution. It also offers a 1.2-GHz, dual-core processor that powers multitasking capabilities and high-definition gaming or video streaming. The phone also features a camera and 1080p video capture.

But there's much more talk about the software than the hardware. With Ice Cream Sandwich, Android is offering a new look. Google redesigned the user interface with improved multitasking, notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot, near field communications (NFC) support and a full Web-browsing experience in mind. The changes make the Galaxy Nexus the first Android device to feature software navigation buttons.

A Sweet Makeover

Ice Cream Sandwich's innovations include Face Unlock, which uses facial recognition to unlock your phone. And using NFC technology, Android Beam lets users share Web pages, apps, and YouTube videos with friends by tapping phones together. It also readies NFC-equipped phones for "bump-to-pay" technology such as in Google Wallet.

Google redesigned the lock screen, home screen, phone app, and various other aspects of the Android operating system. Some of the new features include a People app, which lets mobile users browse friends, family, and coworkers, see their photos in high-resolution, and check their latest status updates from social networks.

Galaxy Nexus is connected to the cloud. That means users can keep their e-mail, contacts, and all other data synced across devices. And there are now more than 300,000 apps and games in the Android Market. The Google phone also comes with Google Services such as Gmail, Google Maps, Movie Studio and Google Calendar, pre-installed.

All About Apps

Michael Disabato, managing vice president of network and telecom at Gartner, said the Galaxy Nexus looks like a solid smartphone. But he remains what he calls an iPhone bigot -- and for the same reason as many others who walk in his enterprise shoes.

"I have so many applications on my iPhone that make my life easy and that don't exist on the Android. It would make my life difficult to change," Disabato said. "So once again it's not really the hardware and the sleekness and the Appleness of the phone. It's what the phone does for me."

Disabato is looking for what Ice Cream Sandwich can do for him. As he sees it, the latest version of the Android operating system does more for enterprise users than previous releases. But it may not be enough.

"As an enterprise guy it's nice to know that there's encryption in Ice Cream Sandwich. I think this is going to find its way into more enterprises. Enterprises will be more forgiving of Android because it's easier to control it," Disabato said. "With that said, the lack of curation on the Android Marketplace is still going to be an issue."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111020/bs_nf/80686

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