Solar plane lands in Ariz., 1st leg of major trip

Solar Impulse co-founder, pilot and CEO Andre Borschberg, left, greets pilot Bertrand Piccard at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, early Saturday, May 4, 2013, after completing the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the United States. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. Solar Impulse began its journey Friday in San Francisco in its attempt to reach New York. (AP Photo/Scuteri)

Solar Impulse co-founder, pilot and CEO Andre Borschberg, left, greets pilot Bertrand Piccard at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, early Saturday, May 4, 2013, after completing the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the United States. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. Solar Impulse began its journey Friday in San Francisco in its attempt to reach New York. (AP Photo/Scuteri)

Pilot Bertrand Piccard talks about Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar-powered airplane, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, early Saturday, May 4, 2013, after completing the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the United States. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. Solar Impulse began its journey Friday in San Francisco in its attempt to reach New York. (AP Photo/Scuteri)

Solar Impulse co-founder, pilot and CEO Andre Borschberg, left, greets pilot Bertrand Piccard at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, early Saturday, May 4, 2013, after completing the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the United States. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. Solar Impulse began its journey Friday in San Francisco in its attempt to reach New York. (AP Photo/Scuteri)

Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar-powered airplane, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, is shown at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, early Saturday, May 4, 2013, after completing the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the USA. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. Solar Impulse began its journey Friday in San Francisco in its attempt to reach New York. (AP Photo/Scuteri)

PHOENIX (AP) ? Alone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines.

He's flying Solar Impulse, considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane.

Piccard piloted the craft for 20 hours, first cruising along the California coast after taking off from Moffett Field in Mountain View near San Francisco just after dawn Friday. He passed over Edwards Air Force Base, where other aviation milestones have been made, and then touched down early Saturday morning at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

He landed having used only three-quarters of the plane's battery power.

"It's a little bit like being in a dream," Piccard said as he stepped on the tarmac.

The plane's creators, Piccard and fellow pilot Andre Borschberg, said the trip is the first attempt by a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel to fly across America.

But Piccard said Saturday afternoon that even more important than marking another aviation milestone is the hope that the journey will provide an exponential boost for interest in renewable energy and clean technologies.

"If an airplane can fly day or night with no fuel, just on the sun's power, of course it means that everybody in daily life can use this technology for his house, for heating and cooling systems, for lighting, for cars, for trucks. There's so much we can do now to have a cleaner future," Piccard said.

From Phoenix, the aircraft will travel to Dallas-Fort Worth airport in Texas, Lambert-St. Louis airport, Dulles airport in the Washington area and New York's John F. Kennedy airport. Each flight leg will take about 19 to 25 hours, with 10-day stops in each city.

Borschberg is hoping to pilot the last leg, which could afford him the chance to fly past the Statue of Liberty.

The plane, which has previously impressed audiences in Europe, is powered by about 12,000 photovoltaic cells that cover massive wings and charge its batteries.

The delicate, single-seat Solar Impulse flies around 40 mph and can't go through clouds. It weighs about as much as a car, making it vulnerable to bad weather.

Its average speed for the first leg of the trip was about 60 knots with a tail wind, Borschberg said. Ideally, the plane climbs up to about 27,000 feet or so during the day to collect solar and charge the batteries.

Borschberg and Piccard were ready for a series of tours over the next few days to show off the technology to Phoenix school children, university researchers and others.

"There are a lot of people who want to see this airplane," Piccard said.

So how hard is it to fly a solar plane?

Despite the aviation advancements made over the last century, Piccard said he and Borschberg have a lot in common with the early pioneers.

"One hundred years ago, the planes had to fly in good weather and there was only one person on board," Piccard said. "Now we have completely new technology, we fly with no fuel at all. But, of course, we need to fly in good weather and we carry only one pilot on board.

"We're starting a new cycle. It's really the beginning of something new."

___

Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, N.M. Associated Press writer Haven Daley in Mountain View, Calif., also contributed to this report.

___

Online:

http://www.solarimpulse.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-04-US-Solar-Plane/id-48d28865a1354e7da2635ab48a782cf4

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US factory orders down 4 percent in March

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Orders to U.S. factories fell in March by the largest amount in seven months but a key category that signals business investment plans managed a small increase.

Factory orders dropped 4 percent in March, reflecting a big plunge in the volatile category of commercial aircraft, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Orders had been up 1.9 percent in February. Orders in a category considered a proxy for business investment plans rose 0.9 percent, a modest gain but an improvement from a preliminary report last week that had shown a decline.

Weaker economies overseas and the impact of across-the-board government spending cuts have made businesses more cautious, dampening demand for manufactured goods. But even with the March decline, total orders stood at $467.3 billion, 43 percent above the recession low hit in March 2009.

Demand for durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, fell 5.8 percent in March, after a 4.3 percent February increase. Orders for nondurable goods, items such as chemicals, petroleum and paper, were down 2.4 percent following a 0.1 percent dip in February. This weakness partly reflects falling prices for energy products.

The 0.9 percent rise in core capital goods, the category watched for business investment, followed a 4.8 percent decline in February and a 6.7 percent surge in January.

In the durable goods area, orders for commercial aircraft plunged 48.3 percent and demand for autos and auto parts fell edged down 0.4 percent, a drop expected to be reversed in coming months given recent strong auto sales.

Orders for machinery dipped 0.8 percent while demand for primary metals such as steel fell 3.2 percent. Orders for computers rose 2.9 percent and orders for electric turbines and communications equipment also showed strength.

A separate report on jobs Friday showed that U.S. employers added 165,000 jobs in April, helping to push the unemployment rate down to a four-year low of 7.5 percent. Economists were also encouraged because Friday's report revised the past two months to show hiring was much stronger than previously thought.

The Institute for Supply Management reported this week that factory activity expanded at a slower pace in April, held back by weaker hiring and less company stockpiling.

The ISM manufacturing index slipped to 50.7, down from 51.3 in March. A reading above 50 indicates expansion but it was the weakest reading this year.

However, there are areas of strength. Last month, U.S. auto sales reached their highest level for any April since 2007. Sales grew 8.5 percent to nearly 1.3 million. And on Thursday, Ford Motor Co. said it will add 2,000 workers to a Missouri plant that makes the F-150 pickup because of surging demand for trucks.

But overseas demand has been weak, in part because of a recession in the euro zone area, the 17 European countries that use the euro as their currency.

Factories may also see slower sales this spring because consumers are starting to feel the impact of higher Social Security taxes. Americans increased their spending from January through March at the fastest pace in more than two years. But spending on goods fell in March, a possible sign that the tax increase may be catching up with consumers, although some economists believe that lower gas prices will help offset the higher Social Security payroll tax.

The economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5 percent from January through March, the government said last week. While that was an improvement from the anemic growth of 0.4 percent in the final three months of last year, many economists expect growth will slow in the current quarter and remain subpar for most of the year due to the expected drag from the government budget cuts.

The Federal Reserve announced after its meeting this week that it planned to keep its low interest rate policies in place until it show more improvement in the labor market.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-03-Factory%20Orders/id-18b431d9bf4549e5badf57b1ae305985

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Unconditional love

A Christian Science perspective.

By Kaye Cover / May 3, 2013

A sparrow perches on one of the bird feeders in the author's yard.

Kaye Cover

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I recently placed three bird feeders in a tree outside my window. I was amazed at how quickly word spread that there was food at my yard; it seems as though every day more hungry birds show up! Most of them are sparrows ? humble birds, sweet and fun to watch.

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One morning as I quietly observed them, I was reminded of a favorite Bible passage: ?Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings [a coin of little value], and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows? (Luke 12:6, 7). Even as a child I loved that passage, and I?d think, ?God must really love me!?

It?s good to be aware of this truth, because there might be times in our lives when we feel unloved and even unlovable. Maybe a relationship hasn?t worked out, stress on the job is overwhelming, money and health issues dominate our thoughts, or we feel guilty about our actions or words. The resulting feelings of fear, failure, or loneliness can be almost unbearable. We start to doubt our self-worth and might wonder if we?ll ever feel happy again.

How can we replace those negative (and false) thoughts with words of truth, and find healing in our lives? A starting point is to figure out why God loves us so much.

Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, wrote in ?Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures?: ?Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God?s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy? (pp. 476-477).

In other words, when Jesus looked upon the sincere people who came to him for help, he was not fazed by the appearance of discord, illness, poverty, or a sinful way of life ? he saw inherent goodness. He beheld the child of God, who, like the Father, is wholly good, well, and worthy of unconditional love. This correct view resulted in healing time and time again. We can be assured that no one and no circumstance can diminish God?s love.

This unconditional love is not only comforting, but it also provides the guidance we need to approach our day. As we emulate Jesus by ?seeing through God?s eyes,? we begin to comprehend the spiritual reality of our existence and all the good it imparts ? and we increasingly experience that goodness in our everyday lives. Since we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), and God is not sick, impoverished, lonely, or sinful, it follows that we can?t be, either.

As we strive to see ourselves and others in this light (and it does take diligence and practice), hope is renewed, fears start to fall away, and our lives improve.

Mrs. Eddy?s words show the way to answered prayers: ?Spiritual love makes man conscious that God is his Father, and the consciousness of God as Love gives man power with untold furtherance [opportunities for advancement]. Then God becomes to him the All-presence ? quenching sin; the All-power ? giving life, health, holiness; the All-science ? all law and gospel? (?Message to The Mother Church for 1902,? pp. 8-9). We couldn?t ask for or need more than that.

Now, as I look at the visiting sparrows in my backyard, they also remind me of the comforting traditional hymn, ?His Eye is on the Sparrow?:

? ?Let not your heart be troubled,? His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears.
I sing because I?m happy, I sing because I?m free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.?
(Civilla D. Martin)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/WzwIBwCD4tM/Unconditional-love

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Does 'Iron Man 3' Stay True To The Comic Books?

We take a closer look at the characters introduced in the threequel.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 3"
Photo: Marvel/Disney

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706745/iron-man-3-comic-books.jhtml

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Angry Birds Friends flies into the Play Store

Fling various birds at pigs in structures... now with your friends

Just as we expected, Angry Birds Friends hit the Play Store this morning as a free download, ready for you to challenge your Facebook friends to some intense tournaments. If you haven't played the browser-based version yet, the concept is pretty simple. You have access to all of the varieties of birds you know and love, but now you compete with your friends to make the highest score every round. There are weekly challenges with new levels in each, as well as individual challenges with friends for trophies, and various ways to brag to your friends about how well you're doing.

This is going to require a Facebook login (no way around that), but if you're interested in mixing up your Angry Birds play time this may be a good way to go. You can grab a download of the game for free from the Play Store at the link above, or if you need a refresher on your Angry Birds skills there are plenty of previous versions to choose from. The app has just now hit the Amazon Appstore in several countries as well, so those of you on a Kindle Fire can grab your free download at the source link below.

More: Amazon Appstore

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/MG5OWd9Ebq8/story01.htm

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Gadget Lab Show: Kobo Aura HD E-Reader and Vine Goes Full Frontal

On the latest episode of the show, staff writers Christina Bonnington and Roberto Baldwin stare at the screen of the new Kobo Aura HD e-reader and the front-camera support update of the Vine app. Kobo is stepping up its game ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/W6wwPDHHF5I/

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Wide-eyed fear expressions may help us -- and others -- to locate threats

May 1, 2013 ? Wide-eyed expressions that typically signal fear seem to enlarge our visual field making it easier to spot threats at the same time they enhance the ability of others to locate the source of danger, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

The research by Daniel Lee, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology is published on the Association for Psychological Science's Psychological Science journal website.

"Emotional expressions look the way they do for a reason," says Lee. "They are socially useful for communicating emotional states, but they are also useful as raw physical signals. In the case of widened eyes, they help send a clearer gaze signal that tells observers to 'look there.'"

Lee, his supervisor Adam Anderson also of U of T's psychology department and Joshua Susskind of University of California, San Diego first found that participants who made wide-eyed fear expressions could literally see more: they were able to discriminate visual patterns farther out in their peripheral vision than participants who made neutral expressions or expressions of disgust.

Next, they investigated the benefits that wide-eyed expressions might confer to onlookers. They found that participants were better able to tell which direction a pair of eyes was looking as the eyes became wider. And these wider eyes helped participants respond to targets that were located in the direction of the gaze. Importantly, these benefits did not depend on recognizing the eyes as fearful.

Wide-eyed expressions are helpful for onlookers quite simply because as eyes become wider, we can see more of the iris and whites of the eyes, known as sclera. This directly increases the physical contrast and information signal, making it easier to tell where someone is looking.

"Our eyes are important social signals," says Lee. "This research really shows how social we are wired to be."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Toronto. The original article was written by Jessica Lewis.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. D. H. Lee, J. M. Susskind, A. K. Anderson. Social Transmission of the Sensory Benefits of Eye Widening in Fear Expressions. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612464500

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/W4qC5k6tPVA/130501131657.htm

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