If you’re an Android tablet owner, you’re likely very familiar with the drill: after you unlock the device, you’re presented with a static home screen full of apps and widgets, which may or may not be relevant to your current need. The creators of Chameleon, a home screen replacement for Android 3.2 / 4.0 tablets, would like to change all that with a dynamic environment that’ll adapt to your current GPS location, WiFi network or the time of day. Users may design and customize their ideal layouts, which may include news and social feeds in the morning, a calendar and tasks for the work environment and an assortment of entertainment options for the evening at home. Switching between these layouts isn’t a problem, either, as you’ll be able to flick between home screens just as you would with the standard Android interface.

Like a good rug, the interface is attractive and really pulls everything together. Chameleon is currently a Kickstarter project, and its creators intend to unleash the creation into the Google Play Store this September. Those who donate $5 or more can expect early delivery of the app, which is currently slated for August. It never hurts to be early in line, and Chameleon might just rekindle your love for Android tablets. For a quick peek of what’s in store, check the video after the break.

[Thanks, Greg]

Continue reading Insert Coin: Chameleon adaptive home screen replacement for Android tablets

Insert Coin: Chameleon adaptive home screen replacement for Android tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A book proposal is also a great time saver for you because you’ll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether or not your idea is viable, or whether your category is already crowded with similar books. Here are the parts that make up a book proposal, and a few tips on how to make it really stand out to a potential publisher.

Title Page

This is the first page of the book proposal. Your title should be centered and printed about two-thirds of the way down the page. In the bottom left hand corner you’ll type in your name, address, phone number, email address and the name and contact information for your agent.

Overview

You’ll want to have two to three pages explaining the overall premise of your book. You’ll also want to include a Table of Contents that shows what points will be covered in each chapter.

Bio/Credentials

This isn’t just your usual resume stuff, this is a big opportunity to sell yourself as THE person to write the book. Write it in the third person starting with your education and credentials. You’ll want to point out any experience that specifically relates to the subject matter of the book. Have you written articles or previous books on the topic? Note those as well. List any public speaking that you have done and will do in the future, including television and radio interviews. Include a really nice photo. It doesn’t have to be a glamour shot, but you do want to look interesting and engaging. A 5″x7″ is fine.

Competition

The publisher will want to know if there are books similar to yours already out there. It will help them to see that there is a market for such books. At the same time, you’ll want to point out how your book will be different, or better, than what’s already out there. Do not trash someone else’s work. It’s bad form. It’s enough to say a competitor’s book left something out, or doesn’t cover a certain aspect. If you don’t know what competing books exist, you can look them up in Books in Print. Most libraries have it in the reference section.

Outline

This will be your chapter-by-chapter outline showing what you will cover, point-by-point, in each chapter. You can plan on allotting about half a page per chapter.

Sample Chapters

This is where you get to show that you really can write! You should submit at least three chapters of content. It doesn’t have to be the first three chapters, but if you haven’t written anything yet those may be the easiest to do. Then again, some writers like to start in the middle of a book! The main key here is to be good–no typos, no misspellings and no factual errors.

Marketing

The marketing section of your book proposal is so important that many publishers will often read it first. So make sure you spend the time to make this the best it can be. Lay out your whole marketing plan here. Explain who your target audience is, how big it is and why they will buy this book. How do you plan on reaching them? Are you buying your own advertising? If so, in what publications and what is their combined circulation? Will you be reaching out to book clubs, corporations or college classes where you book could be taught? How can you make your book stand out against the ones that are already out there? You want to make the case that there is a ready made audience out there and all the publisher has to do is reach out and grab them by signing you.

Promotion

Remember, a publisher wants to acquire you and your connections, so this is another important section of the proposal. How will you put yourself out there for your book? You’ll want to explain if you’ll be doing public speaking, or maybe you have a huge list you communicate with via newsletter every month. How many are on your list? If you plan to hire your own publicist, put that fact in as well. Do you have famous connections that will help you get great blurbs? Do you have a budget? If so, how much? Yes, they do want to know if you plan on spending some of your own money!

Publishing Details

Here you’ll detail the length you propose for the book (in words) and whether the book will have any illustrations or photos. You’ll also want to give an estimate for the time you’ll need to turn in the finished manuscript.

And that’s it. When your proposal is done you might want to hire an editor or a book consultant to go over it and give you some strong feedback. That way you’ll know you have it in the best shape possible and you can feel confident when you’re sending it out.

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Think you could go 10 full days without talking?

Yep, you heard right? 10 full days.

I didn?t either, but it was the challenge that perked my interest? and the meditation too.

It?s called Vipassana and it?s a popular form of meditation that teaches you to see things for what they really are.

Sounds easy right? Well, not quite?

How My Journey Began

When my crazy friend returned from India, somewhat normal, I was speechless.

The once flighty, dog pill popping, lunatic that was my friend had magically turned into a level-headed and grounded individual.

Of course I asked what happened? to which he replied casually, ?Vipassana.?

Intrigued, I urged him on and he summarized?

The Low Down on Vipassana

Vipassana is an ancient form of meditation that?s popular in India and throughout the world.

To learn the technique, people visit a Vipassana center and take a 10-day course where they are taught and practice the meditation technique.

Oh, and talking, eye contact, and physical are big no-no?s.

So I think to myself, sounds easy enough and I sign up for a course in India.

Boy was I wrong?

The Vipassana Center

As I walked up the dirt trail from the city of McLeod Ganj to Dharamsala in India, the reality of my future endeavor begins to seep in?

I considered turning back and heading to the bar for a cold beer and plate of spicy momos, but my legs power forward and I reached a small crowd of hesitant looking individuals standing in front of the center.

This must be it.

I decided to take one last opportunities to chat with some people about Vipassana and why they were there.

I was amazed that most people had heard about Vipassana through a friend and felt a deep curiosity to try it for themselves, just like I did.

Shortly thereafter we were rounded up by a volunteer who assigned us rooms and showed us the grounds.

It was clear from the get-go, men and women would be segregated the entire time. The men and women were lead to their separate quarters.

After picking up my bedding, I found my room which oddly resembled a jail cell. I realized after the course how lucky I was to have a walled room? the men had to sleep in tents.

After everyone got settled in their rooms, there was orientation where the logistics of the course and code of discipline were explained?

4:00am Wake-up
4:30-6:30am Self meditation
6:30-8:00am Breakfast
8:00-9:00am Group meditation
9:00-11:00am Self meditation
11:00-12:00pm Lunch
12:00-1:00pm Rest or ask questions with teacher assistants
1:00-2:30pm Self meditation
2:30-3:30pm Group meditation
3:30-5:00pm Self meditation
5:00-6:00pm Tea
6:00-7:00pm Group meditation
7:00-8:15pm Training video
8:15-9:00pm Group meditation
9:00-9:30pm Rest or ask questions with teacher assistants
9:30pm Bed

I couldn?t help but calculate the amount of time we?d be meditating each day. It was just shy of 11 hours!!!

After orientation, the noble silence was enforced and we all quietly entered the meditation hall to watch an hour training video with the meditation technique. It was a ritual that would repeat each night until the end of the course.

With the men on one side of the room and the women on the other, we found our floor areas and seat cushions and eagerly watched the video.

A jolly looking husband and wife duo seated cross-legged emerged on the TV screen, chanting. I learned the man was Mr. Goenka and he would be our teacher throughout the course. His light-hearted sense of humor and voice was strangely calming.

In short, Goenka instructed us to focus on our breathing and nasal area for the following first day of meditation.

It was to be a long day?

Day 1

I awoke to a faint bell ringing in the distance. It was pitch black outside. Where was I?

Slowly, I recalled my jail cell and the daunting day ahead of me. It was 4am and I was already questioning the medication center.

As my roommate continued to sleep, I managed to find my toothbrush, meandered to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and brush my teeth, and continued to the meditation hall.

I attempted to meditate focusing on my nasal area, but my mind was a lose canon wondering from one thought to the next. When was breakfast? do the shower have hot water? how am I going to do this for 10 days? and the list went on.

The rest of the day wasn?t any different.

Day 3

By the third day of meditation, my body ached like a 90 year old woman. I hadn?t sat cross-legged since I was a child and I could feel every inch of my knees and back.

A few people had dropped out which was obvious by their empty spot in the meditation hall.

My mind was like a humming bird? buzzing forward and back on every subject I wasn?t supposed to be thinking about.

I was struggling and thought I should join the other drop outs.

Day 6

I felt like a ninja!

I?d mastered the ability to sit cross legged for an hour straight without moving. I learned to ignore the pain in my body and simply focus on just being.

My mind was clear and centered and I was in control. I?d never felt so alive.

Day 8

I was completely out of control and my progress had stopped completely.

I couldn?t help but craving the wonderful feeling I had on day six. The pain in my body was back multiplied times ten.

I tried to slow down my mind and refocus, but couldn?t.

I was a bad day.

Day 10

The last day of meditation was welcomed with mixed emotions. I was excited about my dedication to Vipassana and myself. I had given myself a goal and saw it through to completion.

Yet, I was sad to leave the following day and be reintroduced into the real world. It all seemed so different.

It was difficult to focus on the meditation knowing the course would end the following day.

Day 11

We wrapped up our morning with our final meditation and were then given permission to speak. Some students bursted with chatter, while I remained relatively quiet as I?d almost forgotten how to formulate words.

I overheard conversations about people?s experiences in their meditative journeys and how some felt enlightened.

I kept relatively quiet as my experience was a personal journey, for me and for me only.

Cleaning assignments were given to us to prepare the center for the next group of students. Around noon, we wrapped up and were free.

As I walked back down the dirt road to McLeod Ganj, my body felt strong and healthy and mind was sharp. I could hear the wind in the trees and felt the ground beneath my feet. I felt forever changed.

For more information on Vipassana, Mr. Goenka, the code of discipline, questions and answers, center locations, and course schedules, visit http://www.dhamma.org/.

Darcie Connell is the co-founder of Trekity.com, a cool travel site that provides travel ideas just for you, and TravelBloggerAcademy, where regular people can start travel blogging. Follow her on Twitter.

Related Posts

1. Madness In India
2. Mayhem and madness at Pamplona?s bull-run
3. Leopard madness in South Luangwa

Copyright ? 2012 Darcie Connell

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Difficulties Concerning Differences Between Mesothelioma And Lung Cancer.

Article by Asbestos Victim Advice

The Health & Safety Executive figures for the current annual, total number of asbestos-related cancer deaths in the UK is a conservative 4,000. Even though there were 2249 known deaths from mesothelioma which, when added to all asbestos-related lung cancers, brings the total to 4498.

An asbestos awareness issue can arise due to the unfortunate fact that lung cancer deaths caused by asbestos exposure are clinically indistinguishable from those, for example, resulting from a history of cigarette smoking and consequently, the number of cases tends to be estimated.

A 2001 study conducted in the US suggests that , ? a person?s risk of developing lung cancer increases up to four per cent each year that they were exposed to asbestos?. The analysis indicates that risk doubles after 25 cumulative years of asbestos exposure, while falling significantly 35 to 40 years after first exposure. The reason may be due to the long gestation period of between 15 and 50 years that elapse from first exposure and the emergence of mesothelioma or asbestosis symptoms.

Separate research has also discovered that the number of asbestos fibres in the lungs of patients with both lung cancer and asbestosis was significantly higher than in those patients who had lung cancer only. Once inhaled, the fibres permanently embed in the linings of the lungs ( pleura), eventually causing the fibrous scarring of asbestosis or the formation of incurable mesothelioma cancer tumours.

Recent ?best? estimates of the annual number of asbestos-related cancer of the lungs have improved due to advances in researched evidence and analysis over the last twenty years. Ratios of approximately ? two lung cancer deaths per mesothelioma each year? before the early 1990s to ?one or two? are now typically recorded as ?around one? annually. However, survival rates from a confirmed diagnosis of mesothelioma cancer at an advanced stage are typically 4 to 12 months.

Both cancer of the lungs and pleural mesothelioma manifest their first symptoms with a dry, wheezing cough. Confusion may arise in patients who have become accustomed to having a ?smoker?s cough? from a history of cigarette smoking when they notice an increase in frequency and severity.

Although many patients tend to dismiss a cough at first, it is often a secondary complication caused by enlargement of the lymph nodes in the airways where tumours are developing and may eventually produce blood and phlegm in the sputum. When mesothelioma develops in the pleura (lung linings), pleural thickening results often causing the pleura to become fibrous and harden, constricting lung movement and causing breathing difficulties.

If a lung cancer tumour is blocking a major airway, patients may also experience difficulty in breathing. Other biological changes that may indicate the development of lung cancer include intermittent chest pain, hoarse voice, headache and weight loss. Once again, these symptoms are identical to mesothelioma with also the possible occurrence of sweating, fever, fatigue, upper body swellings, lower back pain and muscle weakness.

As with mesothelioma, lung cancer will spread to the chest wall or pleura, leading to a dull pain, tenderness or pleural effusions. An added complication is that some of the symptoms experienced are similar to pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, cardiovascular disease or other respiratory problems. It is not uncommon for some patients, however, to not display any symptoms and are incidentally diagnosed with either mesothelioma or cancer of the lungs during tests for another illness.

Visit www.asbestosvictimadvice.com for more information and advice.

About the Author

Asbestos Victim Advice offers clear information, advice and FAQ?s on mesothelioma and asbestos related illnesses.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author?s information and copyright must be included.

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We’ve known for quite some time that Motorola intended to push Ice Cream Sandwich to the Droid 4, but until now the waiting game continued, with no end in sight. It now appears that the smartphone maker is making serious progress on its own Motoblur-infused flavor of ICS, with a stock version of the upgrade making the rounds since last night. According to early adopters, the build seems to enable complete functionality, but upgrading early will leave your device locked to 4.0.4, with no option for future updates. So, for now, it makes sense to hang tight, but it’d be reasonable to assume that Moto-sanctioned ICS is indeed on its way to the Droid 4. Impatient owners will find everything they need at the source link after the break.

Motorola Droid 4 gets leaked ICS build, official Android 4.0.4 may soon follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, announced the losses last Thursday, he indicated they could double within the next few quarters. But that process has been compressed into four trading days as hedge funds and other investors take advantage of JPMorgan’s distress, fueling faster deterioration in the underlying credit market positions held by the bank.

A spokeswoman for the bank declined to comment, although Mr. Dimon has said the total paper trading losses will be volatile depending on day-to-day market fluctuations.

The Federal Reserve is examining the scope of the growing losses and the original bet, along with whether JPMorgan’s chief investment office took risks that were inappropriate for a federally insured depository institution, according to several people with knowledge of the examination. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way.

The overall health of the bank remains strong, even with the additional losses, and JPMorgan has been able to increase its stock dividend faster than its rivals because of stronger earnings and a more solid capital buffer.

Still, the huge trading losses rocked Wall Street and reignited the debate over how tightly giant financial institutions should be regulated. Bank analysts say that while the bank’s stability is not threatened, if the losses continue to mount, the outlook for the bank’s dividend will grow uncertain.

The bank’s leadership has discussed the impact of the losses on future earnings, although a dividend cut remains highly unlikely for now. In March, the company raised the quarterly dividend by 5 cents, to 30 cents, which will cost the bank about $190 million more this quarter.

A spokeswoman for the bank said a dividend cut has not been discussed internally.

At the bank’s annual meeting in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Mr. Dimon did not definitively rule out cutting the dividend, although he said that he “hoped” it would not be cut.

John Lackey, a shareholder from Richmond, Va., who attened the meeting precisely to ask about the dividend, was not reassured. “That wasn’t a very clear answer,” he said of Mr. Dimon’s response. “I expect that shareholders are going to suffer because of this.”

Analysts expect the bank to earn $4 billion in the second quarter, factoring in the original estimated loss of $2 billion. Even if the additional trading losses were to double, the bank could still earn a profit of $2 billion.

And many analysts and investors remain optimistic about the bank’s long-term prospects.

Glenn Schorr, a widely followed analyst with Nomura, reiterated on Wednesday his buy rating on JPMorgan shares, which are down more than 10 percent since the trading loss became public last week.

What’s more, the chief investment office earned more than $5 billion in the last three years, which leaves it ahead over all, even given the added red ink.

But the underlying problem is that while these sharp swings are expected at a big hedge fund, they should not be occurring at a bank whose deposits are government-backed and which has access to ultralow cost capital from the Federal Reserve, experts said.

“JPMorgan Chase has a big hedge fund inside a commercial bank,” said Mark Williams, a professor of finance at Boston University, who also served as a Federal Reserve bank examiner. “They should be taking in deposits and making loans, not taking large speculative bets.”

Not long after Mr. Dimon’s announcement of a dividend increase in March, the notorious bet by JPMorgan’s chief investment office began to fall apart.

Traders at the unit’s London desk and elsewhere are now frantically trying to defuse the huge bet that was built up over years, but started generating erratic returns in late March. After a brief pause, the losses began to mount again in late April, prompting Mr. Dimon’s announcement on May 10.

Beginning on Friday, the same trends that had been causing the losses for six weeks accelerated, since traders on the opposite side of the bet knew the bank was under pressure to unwind the losing trade and could not double down in any way.

Another issue is that the trader who executed the complex wager, Bruno Iksil, is no longer on the trading desk. Nicknamed the London Whale, Mr. Iksil had a firm grasp on the trade – knowledge that is hard to replace, even though his anticipated departure is seen as sign of the bank’s taking responsibility for the debacle.

“They were caught short,” said one experienced credit trader who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the situation is still fluid. The market player, who does not stand to gain from JPMorgan’s losses and is not involved in the trade, added, “this is a very hard trade to get out of because it’s so big.”

He estimated that the initial loss of just over $2 billion was caused by a move of a quarter percentage point, or 25 basis points, on a portfolio with a notional value of $150 billion to $200 billion – in other words, the total value of the contracts traded, not JPMorgan’s exposure. In the four trading days since Mr. Dimon’s disclosure, the market has moved at least 15 to 20 basis points more against JPMorgan, he said.

The overall losses are not directly proportional to the move in basis points because of the complexity of the trade. Many of the positions are highly illiquid, making them difficult to value for regulators and the bank itself.

In its simplest form, traders said, the complex position assembled by the bank included a bullish bet on an index of investment-grade corporate debt, later paired with a bearish bet on high-yield securities, achieved by selling insurance contracts known as credit-default swaps.

A big move in the interest rate spread between the investment grade securities and risk-free government bonds in recent months hurt the first part of the bet, and was not offset by equally large moves in the price of the insurance on the high yield bonds.

As the credit yield curve steepened, the losses piled up on the corporate grade index, overwhelming gains elsewhere on the trades. Making matters worse, there was a mismatch between the expiration of different instruments within the trade, increasing losses.

The additional losses represent a worsening of what is already the most embarrassing misstep for JPMorgan since Mr. Dimon became chief executive in 2005. No one has blamed Mr. Dimon for the trade, which was under the oversight of the head of the chief investment office, Ina Drew, but he has repeatedly apologized, calling it “stupid” and “sloppy.”

Ms. Drew resigned Monday and more departures are anticipated.

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FILE – This Feb. 8, 2012 file photo shows a Facebook worker smiling inside Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook says 25 percent more shares will be sold as investors clamor for a piece of the year’s hottest stock offering. Facebook said in a regulatory filing Wednesday, May 16, 2012 that about 421 million shares will be sold, up from 337 million under its earlier plans. The news comes a day after Facebook raised the expected price range for the stock to a range of $34 to $38 per share, up from $28 to $35. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Insiders and early Facebook investors will be unloading more of their shares in the initial public offering, the company said Wednesday, as they take advantage of investor demand.

Facebook said in a regulatory filing that 84 million shares, worth up to $3.2 billion, will be added to the offering.

The entire increase comes from insiders and early investors, so the company won’t benefit from the additional sales.

The biggest increases come from investment firms DST Global and Tiger Global. Goldman Sachs is doubling the number of shares it is selling. Facebook board members Peter Thiel and James Breyer are also selling more shares.

Founder Mark Zuckerberg isn’t increasing the number of shares he’s selling.

The news comes a day after Facebook raised the expected price range for the stock to a range of $34 to $38 per share, up from its previous range of $28 to $35. Also Tuesday, major advertiser General Motors Co. said it would stop advertising on Facebook.

At the high end of the price range, the IPO would raise $16 billion without the overallotment option reserved to meet extra demand. That would make it the third-largest U.S. IPO in history, ahead of General Motors in 2010, according to Renaissance Capital.

The IPO is the most hotly anticipated in years and would value Facebook overall at more than $100 billion.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Facebook said current shareholders are now offering approximately 241 million shares, up from about 157 million shares previously.

Even though Zuckerberg isn’t increasing the number of shares he is selling, the additional sales will trim his voting control to 55.8 percent from 57.3 percent. That’s because he has voting control over some shares now owned by investment firms, which will be sold in the offering.

Facebook has more than 900 million users who log in at least once a month, but it makes only a few dollars per year from each one, chiefly through advertising. Advertisers have been complaining that it’s difficult to make good use of Facebook.

GM did not say why it would stop advertising on Facebook. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people it did not identify, that it was because GM had concluded that the ads were ineffective.

GM spokesman Greg Martin said the company will keep paid content on pages that promote its products. Meanwhile, GM competitor Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying its relationship was stronger than ever.

Morgan Stanley leads the team of 33 underwriters selected for the Facebook offering, followed by JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

The offering is expected to get a final price Thursday evening. Shares would start trading on the Nasdaq on Friday under the “FB” ticker symbol.

Associated Press

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