Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/286108513?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Diplomats: Iran starts upgrade of nuclear site
VIENNA (AP) ? In a disheartening signal to world powers at upcoming Iran talks, Tehran has started installing high-tech machines at its main uranium enrichment site that are capable of accelerating production of reactor fuel and ? with further upgrading ? the core of nuclear warheads, diplomats said Wednesday.
Iran already announced last week that it had begun mounting the new enriching centrifuges, but one diplomat said at the time that the announcement was premature with only a "small number" on site and not yet installed.
Diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday, however, that installation was now well on its way, with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency seeing close to 100 or more machines mounted when they toured the site a few days ago. Depending on experts' estimates, the new-generation centrifuges can enrich uranium three to five times faster than Iran's present working model.
The Islamic Republic insists it is not working on a nuclear weapons program, but rather is enriching uranium only to make reactor fuel and for scientific and medical purposes ? as allowed by international law.
But many nations are suspicious because Iran went underground after failing to get international help for its uranium enrichment program in the 1980s, working secretly until its activities were revealed a decade ago. More recent proposals for international shipments of reactor fuel in exchange for Iranian enrichment concessions have foundered, with each side blaming the other.
Shrugging off demands to mothball enrichment ? and growing international sanctions ? Iran has instead vastly expanded the program to where experts say it already has enough enriched uranium for several weapons if the material is further enriched.
The start of the centrifuge upgrade at Natanz, Iran's main enrichment site southeast of Tehran, flies in the face of world-power efforts to induce Iran to scale back on enrichment. As such, it is likely to hurt chances of progress at Feb. 26 talks in Kazakhstan between the two sides ? adding to a string of negotiating failures.
When Iran announced its intentions last month, Western diplomats downplayed the proclamation's significance, noting Tehran did not say when it would start populating Natanz with the new machines. But any start of an upgrade is sure to increase international concerns, particularly if verified as expected in an IAEA report later this week.
The three diplomats speaking to the AP on Wednesday all are involved in the Vienna-based IAEA's attempts to monitor Iran's nuclear program. They demanded anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss confidential information.
Meeting Iran in Kazakhstan are the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
Russia and China often are at odds with the West on how harshly Iran's nuclear activities should be censured, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said recently that Iran was within its legal rights to install new generation centrifuges. At the same time, he called for a suspension of uranium enrichment during negotiations to improve the political atmosphere.
While moving to increase the potency of its enrichment program with the new centrifuges, however, Tehran also has recently resumed converting some of its higher-level enriched uranium at its Fordo enrichment site into reactor fuel plates after suspending the activity last year. That is likely to provide some reassurance to nations concerned about Iran's nuclear aims because the plates are difficult to reconvert back into weapons usable material.
About 700 of the old machines at Fordo are churning out higher-enriched material that is still below ? but just a technical step away ? from weapons-grade uranium. Iran says it needs that higher-enriched level to fuel a research reactor
With higher-enriched uranium their immediate concern, the six powers over the past months have inched toward meeting Iranian demands of sanctions relief but say Tehran must first suspend its output at Fordo. Iran, in turn, wants sanctions eased before it commits to even a discussion of an enrichment cutback.
The diplomats said Iran was also upgrading its enrichment capabilities at Fordo but declined to provide further details ahead of the release of the IAEA report.
In first revealing plans to update last month, Iran indicated that It could add more than 3,000 of the new-generation centrifuges to the more than 10,000 older models it has at Natanz turning out enriched uranium at grades lower than at Fordo. The lower the grade, the harder it would be to turn into weapons-grade material.
Olli Heinonen, the former IAEA deputy director general in charge of Iran, told the AP last week that Iran could install 3,000 or more of the high-tech centrifuges at Natanz within six to nine months, assuming that Tehran had the material to make the machines.
Iran, in its dealings both with the six powers and the IAEA, has continually acted as if it were in the position of strength. On Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, asserted that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons, but that if Tehran intended to build them, "the U.S. could in no way stop the Iranian nation."
David Albright, whose Institute for Science and International Security is a source for the U.S. government on proliferation issues, said Iran's hopes that the new centrifuges could strengthen its hand at the Kazakhstan talks could backfire.
"Given the low expectations for negotiations during the next several months, Iran risks giving the impression to the West that it is racing to the bomb rather than strengthening its negotiating position," he said Wednesday.
But analyst Yousaf Butt, professor and scientist-in-residence at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, said that ? with Iran legally entitled to enrich ?the six powers first "should consider rolling back some sanctions" if they want Iran to respond.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/diplomats-iran-starts-upgrade-nuclear-201208254.html
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Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Hands-on with Korg MS-20 Mini: Exclusive Review, Q&A, Images ...
Even as technology rolls forward, sometimes the old is more cherished than the new.
Perhaps this should come as no surprise in music. Musical relationships span many years ? the records you love, the hours you spend practicing and producing. And so it is that we?ve heard a common refrain from electronic musicians: with many makers of the 70s and 80s still producing today, why not re-release the classics?
Korg has done just that with the MS-20 mini, in a way many rivals have not. Due soon for $599 in the USA and elsewhere in the world thereafter, it?s also within reach of many ? including first-time electronic instrument buyers. Synth lovers have spread that word in recent weeks, and debated its merits. But I?ve had the chance to spend time with an MS-20 mini in person in the exclusive first review of the synthesizer.
I?ve also, with the help of DE:BUG Magazine and Benjamin Weiss, compared the new MS-20 to the original design; see our separate article.
Now, reviewing the MS-20 mini is in some ways a strange experience: it means writing a review of a design that, in many respects, comes directly from 1978. Reading over reader comments, I found that much of what you wanted to know seemed to come back to commonly-asked questions. So, I offer this review in a not-quite-Socratic dialog of questions and answers.
You can also see our impression in a video at top, shot with the help of producer Easton West (who played along) and videographer/editor Kevin Klein, in the basement of Berlin art venue Mindpirates. All the sounds you hear come, unprocessed, from the MS-20 mini.
So, what is this thing, anyway? It?s a 1978 synthesizer?
The MS-20 mini is a recreation of the original Korg MS-20 monosynth. In many respects, it is indistinguishable from the original. Korg worked with engineers who designed the original, recreating circuitry and specifications. It?s easier to say what?s different than what isn?t. The mini, as the name implies, is smaller: roughly 85% of the size of the original, it has a reduced keyboard (though still larger than most mini keyboards), and 1/8? jacks replace the 1/4? jacks on the first model. It also adds MIDI, over a DIN port and USB. There are also subtle changes to the voltage-controlled amplifier circuitry, though this has little impact on the user experience.
Why would I want that? Isn?t that a bit boring, since it?s no longer 1978? Only one note at a time, and two oscillators ? haven?t we seen that before?
To be fair, the MS-20 mini doesn?t represent any kind of sound innovation. On the other hand, there?s a reason this basic synth architecture has endured over the decades. It?s both versatile and easy to understand. And playing one note at a time works perfectly well when you?re constructing basslines, leads, or even experimental sounds that are rich enough without having to play more than one note.
The reasons you?d want an MS-20 (mini or otherwise) over the many other possible two-oscillator synths out there is simple: sound and playability.
The MS-20 sounds good. Really, really good. (hear below; more sounds in a separate story) You get a warm, round-edged sound that you can either dial into a comfortable range or push toward the outer limits for more experimental sounds. Ring modulation between the two analog oscillators is especially satisfying. The MS-20?s filter ? heard here, and released into the wild by Korg in the monotron and publicly-shared specifications ? is one of the most distinctive of all times, full of interesting nooks and crannies of resonance. And that?s before you get to all the modulation possibilities, which is where you can begin to create sounds that are perhaps less expected.
All of this is possible with a particularly-balanced set of controls. Everything is available for manipulation via knobs, so you have a tactile experience of all that sound. That remains something of a challenge to provide on more complex digital synthesizers, even if their timbral range is greater. The patch bay on the MS-20 is also nice ? compact, and offering a range of creative sound choices without being overwhelming. You can scratch the surface of those patches gradually, too, with a book of examples to get you started and a set of ?normaled? controls (the sounds the MS makes before you plug in patch cords) that will leave plenty of room for exploration.
Wouldn?t this have been better as a module?
Well, of course, it wouldn?t be an MS-20 if it weren?t an all-in-one design. Indeed, a lot of the better rivals to the MS in this price range (like the lovely boutique MFB synth) are different in precisely this way: they?re modules, not keyboards.
In practice, there are good and bad things about the integrated design. The classic angled panel of the MS makes the whole instrument really fun to play. And the keyboard feels just right for these kinds of sounds. The real disadvantage is, you have a synth that still takes up some space when you move it around.
What?s the build quality like? Is it made of plastic? Does it feel like crap?
Knobs on the MS-20 mini feel good, though some (by design) can be sensitive to small changes, the keyboard feels springy, and the side panels are made of plastic.
In other words ? the mini is exactly like the original MS-20, which had all of these characteristics. But the added result feels solid and is loads of fun.
The mini?s knobs are slightly smaller, and there are a different number of grooves on the mod wheel, and ?
No, actually, it doesn?t even make sense to go into this. The MS-20 mini comes so close to the look and feel of the original that it?s almost not worth mentioning. Perhaps it?s the advantage of young age, but the main difference you?ll notice is that the MS-20 mini?s keyboard feels substantially better than on a vintage MS-20. Build quality feels perfectly solid, and the main body is made of metal, but the whole affair remains lightweight.
In the box, you also get a nice set of minijack patch cords.
How does it compare to the controller released with the Legacy Collection?
For those who don?t know about this, the Legacy Collection software, which emulates the MS-20 (among others) in virtual form as a plug-in, briefly was accompanied by a controller. That controller was a lot of fun, but there?s no comparison. The MS-20 mini feels substantially better, and has bigger keys.
In fact, it?s worth saying: these keys really are big enough for the sorts of lines you?d play on a monosynth, even if you have reasonably-large hands.
What about MIDI? And what?s that USB jack for?
MIDI implementation on the MS-20 is bare-bones. Via MIDI DIN cable (the standard MIDI plug), you get only note values in. That works well for sequencing the MS-20 notes, but that?s it. Via USB, you get MIDI notes in and output from the MS-20 mini keyboard.
That?s all, though. The USB port doesn?t provide any further programmability or audio.
Indeed, the one criticism I?d have of the MS-20 mini is its MIDI implementation. It?d be hugely useful to be able to use MIDI control changes for some paramter control. And, indeed, there are other synths that do allow access to at least some of their parameters.
It?s about the only criticism I could come up with, though, and it falls neatly under the heading of ?Things I Can?t Really Complain About When The Price is Only $600.? But it does mean, as wonderful as the MS-20 mini ? and its MS-20 predecessor ? are, it is still worth looking at some of the other analog desktop synths out there, especially if you like sequencing more complex modulation patterns.
In place of MIDI, though, you might use analog inputs ? see below.
Something?s wrong that it?s this cheap, though, right?
No, electronics commodity prices have come down since 1978. The reason the original MS-20 is costly is because it?s scarce, it?s sought-after, and (cough) old gear breaks. That?s something to consider if you?re looking for a reliable synth.
There are even other desktop analog synths out there that aren?t so expensive, from tiny makers rather than a giant like Korg. But what Korg can do that these other makers can?t is, well, release an MS-20. It is a really special design, and we?re gifted to be able to use it.
What about this Hertz/octave business? Can I use it with my Eurorack?
The MS-20 mini uses Hertz-per-octave analog control voltage. This scales differently from the volts-per-octave scheme used on Eurorack gear (among others). So, no, you can?t directly plug a Eurorack module into the MS-20 mini and expect predictable control of pitch.
It?s tough to criticize this decision, however. Korg followed the scheme used on all their vintage equipment, including their SQ-10 sequencer, and a lot of other older gear. (Yamaha is a notable example.) To change the voltage scheme would have been to make a radical change to the MS-20, clearly at odds with the concept of this re-release. And there are modules out there that do transmit Hertz-per-octave, including new Metasonix equipment. (Thanks to the legendary Berlin gear purveyor Andreas Schneider for pointing that out to me.)
For everything else, you should keep an eye out for the Harvestman English Tear, announced by its creator on analog enthusiast site Trash Audio. Maker Scott Jaeger says it?ll be the cheapest thing he?s ever done, so it should be affordable, too. And it?ll provide ?easy conversion from exponential volt-per-octave to linear hertz-per-volt and back, as well as V-trigger to S-trigger conversion.?
While Scott even labels the Hertz-per-octave side as ?MS,? it?s worth noting that this will prove just as useful with other gear, since the MS-20 isn?t alone.
So, should I buy one?
If you?re in the market for a monosynth, the MS-20 mini deserves strong consideration. There are other interesting monosynth keyboards out there, but the MS-20?s modular patch bay and distinctive sound and filter set it apart. And none of the others can lay claim to being a bit of history in the way the mini does. The points that might lead you elsewhere are pretty clear: if a small desktop unit is more practical, there are other options, and if greater MIDI control matters, it?s worth comparison shopping.
But I think there are two questions that get resounding answers in the MS-20 mini.
One is, did Korg manage to pull off a reissue that sounds like the original ? or is even slightly better? Yes.
And does this 1978 design still hold up in 2013? Absolutely.
That should not discourage people who want to imagine new designs, rather than revisit old ones. On the contrary, it offers hope: the work we do in electronic music need not be disposable, need not be dated. The work in engineering and music making, in building technology, in practicing playing instruments, and making our musical voice heard, can pay off for years and decades to come.
http://korg.com/MS20mini
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First look at the HTC One cases, charger and dock
To compliment its stunning One smartphone, HTC introduced a handful of accessories this morning, including a variety of cases tailored specifically by the company for the device. HTC seems to have caught onto the fact that hardware only tells half the story for consumers, and phones with a rich accessory ecosystem are almost always more appealing to the average customer.
HTC has played around with these cases and each has a unique draw: the kickstand case harkens back to the EVO era, while the flip case is reminiscent of one of the cornerstones of Samsung's sales strategy. There's also a three-piece case which will come in a variety of color combinations for maximum personalization.
In addition to cases, there's also a handy mobile charging system (a bite-sized box to carry in your pocket for a quick re-up) and a dock. Unfortunately, these items were behind lock and key this morning, so we cannot report on the charger's capacity or if the dock's specifications.
No word on availability or pricing of these accessories just yet, though we're willing to bet they'll be ready in time for the One's launch late next month. Hit the break for the full accessories gallery.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/_pIa7btaOcM/story01.htm
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Disney discovers Mickey Mouse sketch from 1938
More than 80 years after his creation, Mickey Mouse continues to surprise.
The Disney archives have released a newly discovered sketch from 1938, ?Mickey?s Toothache,? part of an incomplete cartoon that was part of an effort to make Mickey a more complete character.
In ?Mickey?s Toothache,? created in April 1938, artist Ferdinand Horvath has the newly adventurous Mickey experiencing something akin to a psychedelic nightmare. In the words of Disney Archives Director Becky Cline, Mickey has traveled to the dentist and fallen under the influence of too much laughing gas. The overdose sends Mickey into a ?nightmarish world inhabited by living teeth, dental floss, a psychotic dentist?s chair and a vengeful pair of dental pliers," said Cline.
Mickey?s then-nemesis Pete also makes an appearance in the nightmare scenario. It culminates with Mickey being put on trial led, of course, by a judgmental wisdom tooth, who charges Mickey with tooth neglect.
The previously forgotten piece of artwork was discovered by the Disney animation research department in a folder lost for more than 74 years. It was unearthed just a few months ago.
?Mickey?s Toothache? is just one of several unveilings being planned as part of this year?s D23 Disney Fanniversary Celebration, an event that began last year as a way to include members of Disney?s official fan club in some of the company?s milestone events. The Horvath image will be included in a 90-minute presentation showcasing some of this year?s other major Disney anniversaries in 10 different U.S. cities (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.).
?Mickey has been a superstar from almost the beginning. He was immediately popular,? Cline told Yahoo News. ?By 1938, he was just about to step into a finished version of himself. He was boyish and impish. During this period of his growth he became larger than life in some ways.?
Cline says the artwork showcases the transformation of America's favorite mouse from popular fad to American icon. It's one that can be seen as well in released cartoons of Mickey engaging in various adventures in locales including the deepest jungles of Africa, or in the 1936 cartoon ?Through the Mirror.?
?Mickey was kind of growing and stretching. He left the barnyard, and he started to become more adventurous,? Cline said.
Though most people think of Walt Disney himself in relation to his most-famous individual creation, Horvath was a significant part of the early Disney years. Born in a Russian concentration camp in 1891, he taught himself to draw before immigrating to America on Armistice Day 1921. He worked for the studio from 1934 through 1944, producing between 70 and 80 animated shorts along the way and working on the production of "Snow White."
Last year, we brought you the story of a newly discovered, 85-year-old Oswald the Rabbit sketch, ?Harem Scarem.? Since then, Disney has pushed forward with efforts to bring Oswald, a Mickey prototype of sorts, back into the Disney fold.
So, will we ever see a complete version of ?Mickey?s Toothache??
?It?s possible,? Cline said. "The animation research library still goes back and refers to those older cartoons. ... Even though we?re still discovering some of this material for the first time in decades, they?re not lost.?
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European software company to build U.S. HQ in Valley; 200 jobs coming
A software development and marketing company based in Luxembourg has announced plans to open its U.S. headquarters and hire 200 people in metropolitan Phoenix.
Stealth software CEO Gerard Warrens says Tuesday that the privately owned company will pick a city within two to four weeks where it will locate its new office.
Warrens says the company considered Austin, New York and Silicon Valley, but picked Arizona because it offered a competitive business environment and a skilled workforce.
The firm is looking to hire software developers, sales people and others.
It also wants to do work in the bioscience, aerospace and defense sectors and collaborate in research projects with universities across Arizona.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says the announcement is a sign that Arizona's business environment is becoming more competitive.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50863746/ns/local_news-phoenix_az/
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Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Multimillion-dollar diamond heist at Brussels airport
BRUSSELS (AP) ? Eight masked gunmen forced their way through the security fence at Brussels' international airport, drove onto the tarmac and snatched some $50 million worth of diamonds from the hold of a Swiss-bound plane without firing a shot.
The gang responsible for one of the biggest diamond heists in recent years used two black vehicles with a flashing blue police lights in their daring raid late Monday, said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office.
"They tried to pass themselves off as police officers," Bijnens said Tuesday. The robbers, who wore outfits resembling dark police clothing, got away with 120 parcels, mostly containing diamonds but some also holding precious metals.
Police said they found a burnt-out minivan believed to be involved in the robbery near the airport later Monday night.
The heist was estimated at some $50 million in diamonds, said Caroline De Wolf of the Antwerp World Diamond Center. "What we are talking about is obviously a gigantic sum," De Wolf said.
The robbers forced their way through a perimeter fence, at a place where two work sites obstructed a clear view, Bijnens said. There were no details about how the hole was opened but airport authorities said it must have taken more than simply blasting through it with a vehicle.
The robbers drove up to the Swiss passenger plane some 20 minutes before departure time, brandishing their machine guns. Then they methodically broke into the hold, which was accessed from outside, to choose their loot.
Passengers were unable to see the drama beneath them, said Bijnens.
The robbers finished their clinical operation with a high-speed departure through the same hole in the fence, completing the spectacular theft within barely five minutes, Bijnens said.
Airport spokesman Jan Van Der Cruijsse could not explain how the area could be so vulnerable to theft. "We abide by the most stringent rules," he said.
The Swiss flight, bound for Zurich and operated by Helvetic Airways, was canceled.
A decade ago the port city of Antwerp, the world capital of diamond-cutting, was the scene of what was probably one of the biggest diamond heists in history, when robbers took precious stones, jewels, gold and securities from the high-security vaults at Antwerp's Diamond Center, yielding loot that police in 2003 estimated to be worth about $100 million at the time.
Monday's heist though was a fresh blow to the Antwerp industrial diamond center which prides itself on security and discretion.
"This is causing quite some unrest," said De Wolf. "It was incredible how easy it all went. This is worrying in terms of competitiveness, since other diamond centers are ready to pounce and take over our position."
Antwerp's Diamond Center stands in the heart of the high-surveillance diamond district where police and hundreds of cameras work around the clock, and security has been beefed up further since the spectacular 2003 robbery. Shipments to the airport leave aboard armored trucks on an almost daily basis.
The shipment was not extraordinary, since on any given day, some $200 million in polished and rough stones go through the Antwerp diamond center.
Monday's parcels contained rough and polished stones heading for Switzerland, where many of the 120 parcels were intended for different handlers.
The insurance for air transport ? handled sometimes by airlines themselves or external insurance companies ? is usually relatively cheap because it's considered to be the safest way of transporting small high value items, logistics experts say.
Unlike a car or a truck, an airplane cannot be waylaid by robbers once it's on its way, and it is considered to be very secure before the departure and after the plane's arrival because the aircraft is always within the confines of an airport ? which are normally highly secured.
Philip Baum, an aviation security consultant in Britain, said the robbery was worrying ? not because the fence was breached, but because the response did not appear to have been immediate. That, he said, raised questions as to whether alarms were ringing in the right places.
"It does seem very worrying that someone can actually have the time to drive two vehicles onto the airport, effect the robbery, and drive out without being intercepted," Baum said.
___
Juergen Baetz and Don Melvin contributed to this report from Brussels.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/multimillion-dollar-diamond-heist-brussels-105956646.html
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