agrajuned

শুক্রবার, ২১ সেপ্টেম্বর, ২০১২

Exclusive: Wal-Mart stops selling Amazon Kindles

A Walmart store, that was destroyed by a tornado and later rebuilt, is seen in Joplin, Missouri May 17, 2012. REUTERS\/Eric Thayer","date":"Thu, Sep 20, 2012 12:22 PM EDT","credit":"Reuters","byline":"\ufffd ERIC THAYER \/ Reuters","provider":"","photo_title":"A Walmart store, that was destroyed by a tornado and later rebuilt, is seen in Joplin","pivot_alias_id":"walmart-store-destroyed-tornado-later-rebuilt-seen-joplin-photo-155406054","plink":"\/photos\/walmart-store-destroyed-tornado-later-rebuilt-seen-joplin-photo-155406054.html","plink_vita":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/photos\/walmart-store-destroyed-tornado-later-rebuilt-seen-joplin-photo-155406054.html","srchtrm":"A Walmart store, that was destroyed by a tornado and later rebuilt, is seen in Joplin","revsp":"","rev":"56f66ef0-033f-11e2-9cee-4fa609d15459","surl":"http:\/\/l3.yimg.com\/bt\/api\/res\/1.2\/au0h4OkF.Pngc6w_aEvH2w--\/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD01NjtxPTg1O3c9ODQ-\/http:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en_us\/News\/Reuters\/2012-09-20T161842Z_3_CBRE88J186F00_RTROPTP_2_USA.JPG","swidth":84,"sheight":56}]}); } if(Y.Photos && Y.Photos.LightboxModule) { if (lightbox4082618aa23e93f69fd86e2d9d0939a8.checksupport() !== false) { try { Y.one('.lightboxc1f573920716dc303341a449fb71127a').on('click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); lightbox4082618aa23e93f69fd86e2d9d0939a8.slideShow(e, '39b6ab48-b649-3cca-90ab-5986ff559afb'); }); } catch (e) { Y.log('A lightbox instance cannot be bound.'); } } } }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.RelatedArticle({count:"2",start:"1", mod_total:"10", total:"1", content_id:"d351c67d-a0c3-3c93-b76f-f603aea72baa", spaceid:"7665149" }); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(d){ d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d.createElement('script')).src='http://d.yimg.com/oq/js/csc_news-en-US-core.js'; })(document); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {var Topstory = new Y.Media.Topstory({ 'useJapi' : '1', 'tabbedListId' : 'mediatopstorycoketemp', 'content_id' : 'd351c67d-a0c3-3c93-b76f-f603aea72baa', 'ids' : ["6dfee039-e1bd-499f-adc7-7d0f487a472c"], 'latestList' : [0], 'argsList' : [{"storycount":"7","img_start":"","img_end":"","popup_switch":"1","provider_switch":"1","timestamp_switch":"1","max_title_length":"150","max_summary_length":"","item_template":"title_bullet","storystart":"1","list_source":"listid","categories":[]}], 'labels' : { "more" : 'More' }, 'defaultSec' : '' || 'MediaTopStoryCokeTemp', 'spaceId' : '7665149', 'pagequery' : '', 'popupswitch' : '"1"', 'more_inline' : '1', 'ads_refresh' : [], 'apply_filter' : '', 'filters' : '[]', 'queryUrl' : 'list_id={list_id}&list_source={list_source}&apply_filter={apply_filter}&filters={filters}&content_id={content_id}&categories={categories}&selected_tab={selected_tab}&relatedcollections_index={relatedcollections_index}&latest_on={latest_on}&s=7665149&sec={sec}&pagequery={pagequery}&story_start={story_start}&storycount={storycount}&img_start={img_start}&img_end={img_end}&popup_switch={popup_switch}&provider_switch={provider_switch}&author_switch={author_switch}&timestamp_switch={timestamp_switch}&max_title_length={max_title_length}&max_summary_length={max_summary_length}&item_template={item_template}&more_inline={more_inline}&base_start={base_start}&cache_ttl=TTL_LEVEL_30', 'enableSC' : '0' }); Topstory.init(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() { if(!("Media" in YAHOO)){YAHOO.Media = {};} if(!("ugcrate" in YAHOO.Media)){YAHOO.Media.ugcrate = {};} if(!("Media" in Y)){Y.namespace("Media");} YAHOO.Media.ugcrate.ratings_0897d1c5c714eac648beefd5b146a6e4 = new Y.Media.UgcRate({"context_id":"854693e8-200c-4d95-bee8-6f2cdecb6f17","sCrumb":"","containerId":"yom-sentimentrate-0897d1c5c714eac648beefd5b146a6e4","rateDimensions":"d1","appLang":"en-US","sUltSId":"7665149","sUltProperty":"news-en-US","sUltCampaign":"","sUltPlatform":"ugcwidgets","sUltIntl":"US","sUltLang":"en-US","selfPageUrl":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/exclusive-wal-mart-stops-selling-amazon-kindles-155406594--finance.html?_esi=0","artContentId":"d351c67d-a0c3-3c93-b76f-f603aea72baa","sUltQstnTxt":"Do you plan on buying the new iPhone 5?","artContentTitle":"Exclusive: Wal-Mart stops selling Amazon Kindles","artContentDesc":"(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc will no longer sell Amazon.com Inc\\'s Kindle products, making it the second major chain to stop selling Amazon\\'s devices, as the world\\'s largest retailer makes a bet that consumers are more interested in other gadgets. \\\"We have recently made the business decision to not carry Amazon tablets and eReaders beyond our existing inventory and purchase commitments,\\\" Wal-Mart said in a memo sent to store managers dated Wednesday. \\\"This includes all Amazon Kindle models current and recently announced. ...","sUltBucketId":"test1","sUltSection":"sentirating","sUltBeaconUrl":"","sUltRecordPageviews":"1","sUltBeaconEnable":"1","serviceUrl":"\/_xhr","publisherContextId":"","propertyId":"2fcd79b5-b3a3-333e-b98e-722536a6698f","configurationId":"435db9ee-c55e-3766-b20d-c8ad3ff889d1","graphId":"","labelLeft":"No way","labelRight":"As soon as it\\'s available!","labelMiddle":"","itemimg":"http:\/\/l.yimg.com\/a\/i\/ww\/met\/yahoo_logo_us_061509.png","selfURI":"","aggregateRatingCount":"191211","aggregateReviewCount":"0","leftBlocksNum":"124129","rightBlocksNum":"67074","leftBlocksPerCent":"65","rightBlocksPerCent":"35","ugcrate_apihost":"api01-us.ugcl.yahoo.com:4080","publisher_id":"news-en-US","yca_cert":"yahoo.ugccloud.app.trusted_proxies","timeout_write":"5000","through_proxy":"false","optionStats":"{\"s1\":77036,\"s2\":10516,\"s3\":9273,\"s4\":10909,\"s5\":16395,\"s6\":67074,\"s7\":0,\"s8\":0,\"s9\":0,\"s10\":0}","l10N":"{\"FIRST_TO_READ\":\"You are first to read this. Share your feelings and start a conversation.\",\"SHARE_YOUR_FEELINGS\":\"You too can share your feelings and start a conversation!\",\"HOW_YOUR_FRIENDS_THINK\":\"Thank you for sharing your feeling on this article!\",\"PRE_SHARE_MSG\":\"Your Facebook friends on Yahoo! can see how you responded to this question. To share your response on Facebook, click on the Facebook share option.\",\"START_THE_CONVERSATION\":\"Start the Conversation\",\"THANKS_FOR_SHARING\":\"Sure, that's how you feel... But what do your friends think?\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 191,211 people have answered this question\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has answered this question\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have answered this question\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s1\":77036,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s2\":10516,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s3\":9273,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s4\":10909,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s5\":16395,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s6\":67074,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s7\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s8\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s9\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s10\":0}","fbconfig":"{\"message\":\"undefined\",\"name\":\"undefined\",\"link\":\"\",\"source\":\"\",\"picture\":\"http:\\\/\\\/l.yimg.com\\\/a\\\/i\\\/ww\\\/news\\\/2011\\\/09\\\/27\\\/yahoo-tc.jpg\",\"description\":\"\",\"captionLeft\":\"undefined\",\"captionRight\":\"undefined\",\"app_id\":\"196660913708276\",\"redirect_uri\":\"\\\/_xhr\\\/ugcratefbredirect\\\/\"}","template_id":"LONG_SLIDER_SOUTH","obj_id":"ratings_0897d1c5c714eac648beefd5b146a6e4","opt_count":"6","opt_color1":"","opt_color2":"","template_html":"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-wal-mart-stops-selling-amazon-kindles-155406594--finance.html

greta van susteren tony parker the five year engagement chris kreider correspondents dinner 2012 white house correspondents dinner 2012 whcd

Neural implants could spark better decisions

* Required fields

* First name

* Last name

* Country

* Email address

* Password Password must contain only letters and numbers, and be at least 8 characters

* Confirm password

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/239911ad/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Carticle0Cdn222820Eneural0Eimplants0Ecould0Espark0Ebetter0Edecisions0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

solar flares spanx aurora borealis gcb mary j blige rush limbaugh rush limbaugh

বৃহস্পতিবার, ২০ সেপ্টেম্বর, ২০১২

Climate scientists put predictions to the test

ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012) ? Climate-prediction models show skills in forecasting climate trends over time spans of greater than 30 years and at the geographical scale of continents, but they deteriorate when applied to shorter time frames and smaller geographical regions, a new study has found.

Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, the study is one of the first to systematically address a longstanding, fundamental question asked not only by climate scientists and weather forecasters, but the public as well: How good are Earth system models at predicting the surface air temperature trend at different geographical and time scales?

Xubin Zeng, a professor in the University of Arizona department of atmospheric sciences who leads a research group evaluating and developing climate models, said the goal of the study was to bridge the communities of climate scientists and weather forecasters, who sometimes disagree with respect to climate change.

According to Zeng, who directs the UA Climate Dynamics and Hydrometeorology Center, the weather forecasting community has demonstrated skill and progress in predicting the weather up to about two weeks into the future, whereas the track record has remained less clear in the climate science community tasked with identifying long-term trends for the global climate.

"Without such a track record, how can the community trust the climate projections we make for the future?" said Zeng, who serves on the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Academies and the Executive Committee of the American Meteorological Society. "Our results show that actually both sides' arguments are valid to a certain degree."

"Climate scientists are correct because we do show that on the continental scale, and for time scales of three decades or more, climate models indeed show predictive skills. But when it comes to predicting the climate for a certain area over the next 10 or 20 years, our models can't do it."

To test how accurately various computer-based climate prediction models can turn data into predictions, Zeng's group used the "hindcast" approach.

"Ideally, you would use the models to make predictions now, and then come back in say, 40 years and see how the predictions compare to the actual climate at that time," said Zeng. "But obviously we can't wait that long. Policymakers need information to make decisions now, which in turn will affect the climate 40 years from now."

Zeng's group evaluated seven computer simulation models used to compile the reports that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, issues every six years. The researchers fed them historical climate records and compared their results to the actual climate change observed between then and now.

"We wanted to know at what scales are the climate models the IPCC uses reliable," said Koichi Sakaguchi, a doctoral student in Zeng's group who led the study. "These models considered the interactions between the Earth's surface and atmosphere in both hemispheres, across all continents and oceans and how they are coupled."

Zeng said the study should help the community establish a track record whose accuracy in predicting future climate trends can be assessed as more comprehensive climate data become available.

"Our goal was to provide climate modeling centers across the world with a baseline they can use every year as they go forward," Zeng added. "It is important to keep in mind that we talk about climate hindcast starting from 1880. Today, we have much more observational data. If you start your prediction from today for the next 30 years, you might have a higher prediction skill, even though that hasn't been proven yet."

The skill of a climate model depends on three criteria at a minimum, Zeng explained. The model has to use reliable data, its prediction must be better than a prediction based on chance, and its prediction must be closer to reality than a prediction that only considers the internal climate variability of the Earth system and ignores processes such as variations in solar activity, volcanic eruptions, greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and land-use change, for example urbanization and deforestation.

"If a model doesn't meet those three criteria, it can still predict something but it cannot claim to have skill," Zeng said.

According to Zeng, global temperatures have increased in the past century by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.8 degrees Celsius on average. Barring any efforts to curb global warming from greenhouse gas emissions, the temperatures could further increase by about 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (2.5 degrees Celsius) or more by the end of the 21st century based on these climate models.

"The scientific community is pushing policymakers to avoid the increase of temperatures by more than 2 degrees Celsius because we feel that once this threshold is crossed, global warming could be damaging to many regions," he said.

Zeng said that climate models represent the current understanding of the factors influencing climate, and then translate those factors into computer code and integrate their interactions into the future.

"The models include most of the things we know," he explained, "such as wind, solar radiation, turbulence mixing in the atmosphere, clouds, precipitation and aerosols, which are tiny particles suspended in the air, surface moisture and ocean currents."

Zeng described how the group did the analysis: "With any given model, we evaluated climate predictions from 1900 into the future -- 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years. Then we did the same starting in 1901, then 1902 and so forth, and applied statistics to the results."

Climate models divide the Earth into grid boxes whose size determines its spatial resolution. According to Zeng, state of the art is about one degree, equaling about 60 miles (100 kilometers).

"There has to be a simplification because if you look outside the window, you realize you don't typically have a cloud cover that measures 60 miles by 60 miles. The models cannot reflect that kind of resolution. That's why we have all those uncertainties in climate prediction."

"Our analysis confirmed what we expected from last IPCC report in 2007," said Sakaguchi. "Those climate models are believed to be of good skill on large scales, for example predicting temperature trends over several decades, and we confirmed that by showing that the models work well for time spans longer than 30 years and across geographical scales spanning 30 degrees or more."

The scientists pointed out that although the IPCC issues a new report every six years, they didn't see much change with regard to the prediction skill of the different models.

"The IPCC process is driven by international agreements and politics," Zeng said. "But in science, we are not expected to make major progress in just six years. We have made a lot of progress in understanding certain processes, for example airborne dust and other small particles emitted from surface, either through human activity or through natural sources into the air. But climate and the Earth system still are extremely complex. Better understanding doesn't necessarily translate into better skill in a short time."

"Once you go into details, you realize that for some decades, models are doing a much better job than for some other decades. That is because our models are only as good as our understanding of the natural processes, and there is a lot we don't understand."

Michael Brunke, a graduate student in Zeng's group who focused on ocean-atmosphere interactions, co-authored the study, which is titled "The Hindcast Skill of the CMIP Ensembles for the Surface Air Temperature Trend."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Arizona, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Journal Reference:

Koichi Sakaguchi, Xubin Zeng, Michael A. Brunke. The hindcast skill of the CMIP ensembles for the surface air temperature trend. Journal of Geophysical Research, 2012; 117 (D16) DOI: 10.1029/2012JD017765

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/sukhH77CoeI/120919191216.htm

ultimate fighter 14 2011 bowl projections ndamukong suh ndamukong suh aptera aptera national defense authorization act

Kroger adds clothing to shopping list in Ohio

NEW YORK (AP) ? Add a pair of blue jeans to the grocery list.

Starting Friday, shoppers at a remodeled Kroger store in Ohio will be able to buy clothing in addition to food, gas and furniture. The nation's largest traditional supermarket chain says it will be the first time one of its namesake stores sells clothing.

"It's a one-store test. We'll see how that goes and make decisions based on customer feedback," said Keith Dailey, a spokesman for The Kroger Co.

The test comes as traditional supermarkets struggle to compete with big-box retailers such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which have expanded their food sections and draw shoppers with low prices. Traditional supermarkets now account for 51 percent of grocery sales, down from 66 percent in 2000, according to UBS Investment Research.

To hang onto customers, Kroger has been working to improve the shopping experience and differentiate itself from the pack. For example, the company has cut down on checkout wait times and offers a loyalty program that offers customers discounts base on their past purchases.

In select locations, it also has "cheese masters," or associates who wear red jackets and offer customers expertise on cheese selections.

The clothing section at the Kroger Marketplace in Mansfield, Ohio, will have shoes, jewelry and undergarments, including brands such as Skechers, Hanes and Levi's.

Kroger's "Marketplace" locations are larger than its typical grocery stores, and sell car parts and furniture in addition to groceries. Dailey said the development of Kroger Marketplace has been helped by the company's acquisition of Fred Meyer in 1999. Those stores already sell shoes and clothing.

Kroger, based in Cincinnati, also operates Ralphs, Fry's, Food 4 Less.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-20-Kroger-Clothing/id-461ca16fc4fb41d194dd6c7ea83ff393

whitney houston autopsy dobie gray bruce springsteen grammy nominations lil boosie new edition austerity

বুধবার, ১৯ সেপ্টেম্বর, ২০১২

HTC Windows Phone 8S hands on - News - Know Your Cell

AT HTC's event in New York, we were able to fiddle with the Windows Phone 8S for a few minutes. Like the 8X, the 8S is pretty svelte and nifty. It didn't feel quite as seamless as the 8X, but it's still a nice device nonetheless. Perhaps my favorite part of the phone is its multicolored design.

The HTC Windows Phone 8S display isn't quite as sharp as its bigger brother's, the 8X. At 800 x 480 on a 4-inch display, it isn't going to be competing against any super high-resolution displays on the market, but it's not bad.

The Windows Phone 8S is a bit thicker and heftier than the 8X, but maybe the cool color scheme makes up for it? The screen isn't curved smoothly into the rest of the body, either, like the 8X, but it's really no big deal.

Again, we weren't allowed to really play with the software, so it's hard to tell how its 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 will perform, coupled with 512MB RAM. One nice thing about the Windows Phone 8S is that it will have a microSD card slot for memory expansion, while the 8X will not.

Look for this smartphone in November from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

Source: http://www.knowyourcell.com/news/1596564/htc_windows_phone_8s_hands_on.html

new years rockin eve new york times square jaws first night ball drop dick clark new years eve brock lesnar vs alistair overeem

LG sticks to 2012 handset target, no plan to use Microsoft OS

'},"otherParams":{"t_e":1,".intl":"US"},"events":{"fetch":{lv:2,"sp":"7665149","ps":"LREC,MON","npv":true,"bg":"#FFFFFF","em":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'2b434110-43ed-3a52-ad7d-0ae247133df7\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'2299500;1550000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}'),"em_orig":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'2b434110-43ed-3a52-ad7d-0ae247133df7\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'News\' ctopid=\'2299500;1550000\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\' ADSSA"}')}}};var _createNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);var nodeHTML;if(center && !node){nodeHTML=_conf.nodes[nId];center.insert(nodeHTML);};};};var _prepareNodes=function(){var nIds=_conf.nodeIds;for(var i in nIds){var nId=nIds[i];var dId=_conf.destinationMap[nIds[i].replace("yom-ad-","")];n=Y.one("#"+nId);if(n)var center=n.one("center");var node=Y.one("#"+dId);if(center && node){center.set("innerHTML","");center.insert(node);node.setStyle("display","block");};};};var _darla;var _config=function(){if(YAHOO.ads.darla){_darla = YAHOO.ads.darla;_createNodes();};};var _fetch=function(spaceid,adssa,ps){ if (typeof(ps)!='undefined') _conf.events.fetch.ps = ps;if(typeof spaceid != "undefined") _conf.events.fetch.sp=spaceid;adssa = (typeof adssa != "undefined" && adssa != null) ? escape(adssa.replace(/\"/g, "'")) : "";_conf.events.fetch.em=_conf.events.fetch.em_orig.replace("ADSSA", adssa);if(_darla){_prepareNodes();_darla.setConfig(_conf);_darla.event("fetch");};};Y.on("domready", function(){_config();});;var that={"fetch":_fetch,"getNodes":_conf.nodes,"getConf":_conf};return that;}();/* Backwards compatibility - Assigning the latest instance to the main fetch function */YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.fetch=YUI.PhotoAdsDarla.photoslightboxdarla.fetch; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {YAHOO.namespace('Media.Social').Lightbox = {}; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.Media.Article.init(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.AuthorBadge(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.Branding(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.on("load", function () { YUI.namespace("Media.SocialButtons"); var instances = YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances || [], globalConf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.conf || {}, vplContainers = []; Y.all(".ymsb").each(function (node) { var id = node.get("id"), conf = YAHOO.Media.SocialButtons.configs[id], instance; if (conf) { instance = new Y.SocialButtons({ srcNode: node, config: Y.merge(globalConf, conf.config || {}), contentMetadata: conf.content || {}, tracking: conf.tracking || {} }); vplContainers.push( { selector: "#" + id, callback: function(node) { instance.render(); instance = conf = id = null; } }); if (conf.config && conf.config.dynamic) { instances.push(instance); } } }); Y.Global.Media.ViewportLoader.addContainers(vplContainers); YUI.Media.SocialButtons.instances = instances; }); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {YUI.namespace("Media.Article.Lead"); YUI.Media.Article.Lead.config = { playerUrl : 'http://d.yimg.com/nl/ynews/site/player.swf', autoPlay : 1 }; }); Y.later(10, this, function() {new Y.Media.RelatedArticle({count:"2",start:"1", mod_total:"10", total:"0", content_id:"2b434110-43ed-3a52-ad7d-0ae247133df7", spaceid:"7665149" }); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function(d){ d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d.createElement('script')).src='http://d.yimg.com/oq/js/csc_news-en-US-core.js'; })(document); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {var Topstory = new Y.Media.Topstory({ 'useJapi' : '1', 'tabbedListId' : 'mediatopstorycoketemp', 'content_id' : '2b434110-43ed-3a52-ad7d-0ae247133df7', 'ids' : ["6dfee039-e1bd-499f-adc7-7d0f487a472c"], 'latestList' : [0], 'argsList' : [{"storycount":"7","img_start":"","img_end":"","popup_switch":"1","provider_switch":"1","timestamp_switch":"1","max_title_length":"150","max_summary_length":"","item_template":"title_bullet","storystart":"1","list_source":"listid","categories":[]}], 'labels' : { "more" : 'More' }, 'defaultSec' : '' || 'MediaTopStoryCokeTemp', 'spaceId' : '7665149', 'pagequery' : '', 'popupswitch' : '"1"', 'more_inline' : '1', 'ads_refresh' : [], 'apply_filter' : '', 'filters' : '[]', 'queryUrl' : 'list_id={list_id}&list_source={list_source}&apply_filter={apply_filter}&filters={filters}&content_id={content_id}&categories={categories}&selected_tab={selected_tab}&relatedcollections_index={relatedcollections_index}&latest_on={latest_on}&s=7665149&sec={sec}&pagequery={pagequery}&story_start={story_start}&storycount={storycount}&img_start={img_start}&img_end={img_end}&popup_switch={popup_switch}&provider_switch={provider_switch}&author_switch={author_switch}&timestamp_switch={timestamp_switch}&max_title_length={max_title_length}&max_summary_length={max_summary_length}&item_template={item_template}&more_inline={more_inline}&base_start={base_start}&cache_ttl=TTL_LEVEL_30', 'enableSC' : '0' }); Topstory.init(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() { if(!("Media" in YAHOO)){YAHOO.Media = {};} if(!("ugcrate" in YAHOO.Media)){YAHOO.Media.ugcrate = {};} if(!("Media" in Y)){Y.namespace("Media");} YAHOO.Media.ugcrate.ratings_f2a5485ce9d7cc3ce3ee5c5ce31c2eff = new Y.Media.UgcRate({"context_id":"854693e8-200c-4d95-bee8-6f2cdecb6f17","sCrumb":"","containerId":"yom-sentimentrate-f2a5485ce9d7cc3ce3ee5c5ce31c2eff","rateDimensions":"d1","appLang":"en-US","sUltSId":"7665149","sUltProperty":"news-en-US","sUltCampaign":"","sUltPlatform":"ugcwidgets","sUltIntl":"US","sUltLang":"en-US","selfPageUrl":"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/lg-sticks-2012-handset-target-no-plan-microsoft-024620682--finance.html?_esi=0","artContentId":"2b434110-43ed-3a52-ad7d-0ae247133df7","sUltQstnTxt":"Do you plan on buying the new iPhone 5?","artContentTitle":"LG sticks to 2012 handset target, no plan to use Microsoft OS","artContentDesc":"SEOUL (Reuters) - LG Electronics Inc will stick to its previous sales target for 2012 smartphones and handsets, in the hope new product launches revive sales momentum later this year after weak sales in the first half, its head of mobile business said on Tuesday. Park Jong-seok, president of the South Korean firm\\'s mobile business, also told reporters that LG was not considering using different operating systems such as Microsoft\\'s Windows for its phones. LG on Tuesday introduced a new smartphone running on the Android platform. (Reporting by Miyoung Kim)","sUltBucketId":"test1","sUltSection":"sentirating","sUltBeaconUrl":"","sUltRecordPageviews":"1","sUltBeaconEnable":"1","serviceUrl":"\/_xhr","publisherContextId":"","propertyId":"2fcd79b5-b3a3-333e-b98e-722536a6698f","configurationId":"435db9ee-c55e-3766-b20d-c8ad3ff889d1","graphId":"","labelLeft":"No way","labelRight":"As soon as it\\'s available!","labelMiddle":"","itemimg":"http:\/\/l.yimg.com\/a\/i\/ww\/met\/yahoo_logo_us_061509.png","selfURI":"","aggregateRatingCount":"161608","aggregateReviewCount":"0","leftBlocksNum":"99771","rightBlocksNum":"61837","leftBlocksPerCent":"62","rightBlocksPerCent":"38","ugcrate_apihost":"api01-us.ugcl.yahoo.com:4080","publisher_id":"news-en-US","yca_cert":"yahoo.ugccloud.app.trusted_proxies","timeout_write":"5000","through_proxy":"false","optionStats":"{\"s1\":58773,\"s2\":8807,\"s3\":8098,\"s4\":9492,\"s5\":14601,\"s6\":61837,\"s7\":0,\"s8\":0,\"s9\":0,\"s10\":0}","l10N":"{\"FIRST_TO_READ\":\"You are first to read this. Share your feelings and start a conversation.\",\"SHARE_YOUR_FEELINGS\":\"You too can share your feelings and start a conversation!\",\"HOW_YOUR_FRIENDS_THINK\":\"Thank you for sharing your feeling on this article!\",\"PRE_SHARE_MSG\":\"Your Facebook friends on Yahoo! can see how you responded to this question. To share your response on Facebook, click on the Facebook share option.\",\"START_THE_CONVERSATION\":\"Start the Conversation\",\"THANKS_FOR_SHARING\":\"Sure, that's how you feel... But what do your friends think?\",\"POLL_HEADER\":\"SOCIAL SENTIMENT\",\"SERVER_ERROR\":\"Oops there seems to be some error, please try again later\",\"LOADING\":\"Loading...\",\"SHARE_AFTER_COMMENT\":\"Your response has been shared on Facebook.\",\"UNDO\":\"Undo\",\"UNIT_PEOPLE\":\"People\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_DISAGREE\":\"disagree with your opinion.\",\"READ_MORE_TEXT\":\"Read what they have to say.\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"WHAT DO YOU THINK?\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_VERB_BEFORE_VOTING\":\"DRAG\",\"SLIDER_THUMB_WORDING_THANKS_VOTING\":\"Thanks for voting\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 161,608 people have answered this question\",\"ONE_PERSON_ANSWERED\":\" 1 person has answered this question\",\"TWO_PEOPLE_ANSWERED\":\" 2 people have answered this question\",\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s1\":58773,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s2\":8807,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s3\":8098,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s4\":9492,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s5\":14601,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s6\":61837,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s7\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s8\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s9\":0,\"NUM_PEOPLE_RATED__s10\":0}","fbconfig":"{\"message\":\"undefined\",\"name\":\"undefined\",\"link\":\"\",\"source\":\"\",\"picture\":\"http:\\\/\\\/l.yimg.com\\\/a\\\/i\\\/ww\\\/news\\\/2011\\\/09\\\/27\\\/yahoo-tc.jpg\",\"description\":\"\",\"captionLeft\":\"undefined\",\"captionRight\":\"undefined\",\"app_id\":\"196660913708276\",\"redirect_uri\":\"\\\/_xhr\\\/ugcratefbredirect\\\/\"}","template_id":"LONG_SLIDER_SOUTH","obj_id":"ratings_f2a5485ce9d7cc3ce3ee5c5ce31c2eff","opt_count":"6","opt_color1":"","opt_color2":"","template_html":"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lg-sticks-2012-handset-target-no-plan-microsoft-024620682--finance.html

amare stoudemire tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church

How much product information do consumers want?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2012) ? A study published online in the Journal of Consumer Research finds that people can differ widely on the level of detail makes them feel they understand something. In experiments, the very same explanations that some subjects required before they would pay top dollar seemed to drive down what others were willing to pay. The natural trick for a marketer would be to figure out which customers are which. The study does that, too.

"The fact is that people differ," said Steven Sloman, professor of cognitive, linguistic, and psychological sciences at Brown University and an author on the paper. "Your advertising, your marketing, and your understanding of people has to be guided by an appreciation of who you are talking to."

The particular difference that lead author Philip Fernbach, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Colorado-Boulder's Leeds School of Business, and Sloman focused on in a series of experiments was the inclination of people to consider details of how products work. Thoughtful "explanation fiends" became more motivated the more the product was explained. More intuitive "explanation foes" felt confident in their understanding when the explanation was superficial but deeper detail eroded that understanding and ultimately their willingness to pay for the product.

In an essential respect these different groups of consumers are actually the same, said Fernbach. Both kinds of consumers want to feel like they understand how a product works before it will gain their trust.

"The more they feel like they understand, the more they will be willing to pay for the product," he said. But the consumers differ sharply on the level of detail that makes them feel informed.

Testing the test

Each of the study's four experiments measured the subjects' tendency to deliberate before responding to a question with a simple, standard quiz called the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). The test asks three questions that have intuitive, but wrong, answers. The correct answer requires a little more thought. Fernbach and Sloman thought it might predict each subject's inclination to consider detail. Sure enough, in each experiment the CRT accurately predicted whether the subject would be an explanation fiend or foe.

The first experiment assessed how 127 people who were recruited online rated their understanding of four products as they read four different levels of detail about how the products worked, presented in random order. Then they took the CRT. A low score indicated an intuition-oriented person while a high score indicates someone who thinks deeply.

The result? CRT low-scorers rated their understanding as higher when presented with less detail. High scorers on the CRT said they understood best when they read the greatest level of detail.

"The effect of mechanistic detail on judged understanding was moderated by cognitive reflection," wrote the authors of the study, which began when Fernbach was a postdoctoral researcher in Sloman's group at Brown. In addition to Fernbach and Sloman, the study's other authors are Brown undergraduates Robert St. Louis and Julia Shube.

The second experiment assessed what level of detail would motivate 223 new online volunteers to pay for a premium product with a special feature, compared to a less expensive generic competitor without that feature. The level of explanatory detail for the premium feature varied.

Low CRT scorers were most motivated to buy the premium product when given superficial detail, while high scorers showed an increasing degree of preference for the premium product as the level of detail increased.

The third experiment confirmed that only details explaining how a product works are pertinent to the dichotomy between explanation fiends (CRT high scorers) and explanation foes (CRT low scorers).

The money experiment

For marketers of consumer products, including funders of the research at Unilever, the big question is whether any of this psychology matters to what people will pay. The last experiment found that it can make a big difference and helped explain why.

The researchers again presented subjects with products and explanations of how they worked, but this time they broke them into two groups. Some were shown only a shallow explanation of each of four products and then rated their understanding. Then they indicated what they'd be willing to pay.

The researchers asked the other group to do extra work. After showing the volunteers explanations of two products, they asked them to generate their own explanation, to re-evaluate their level of understanding, and then to say how much they'd be willing to pay. By asking those subjects to explicitly explain the products, the authors forced them to confront whether they really understood or only felt they did.

The idea that people often feel they understand things better than they really do is called "the illusion of explanatory depth." Fernbach and Sloman's hypothesis was that explanation foes are especially prone to this illusion, even after encountering only a superficial explanation. Forcing them to confront their lack of understanding would dispel it, ultimately undermining what they'd be willing to pay.

That's exactly what happened.

"Low CRT participants began with a high feeling of understanding, which was subsequently shattered when they attempted to explain," the authors wrote. "High CRT participants were more conservative initially [about their level of understanding] and their judgments did not change after explanation."

What did change was how much fiends and foes of explanation were willing to pay before and after they were asked to explain how the products worked. Averaged over the two products, foes dropped their prices from $8 to less than $6 after their illusions were shattered. Explanation fiends, however, raised what they were willing to pay to about $8.50 from less than $6 after being asked to explain the products.

Sloman said he was struck by how strongly explanation foes harbor illusions about their understanding.

"We were actually shocked by how powerfully the data came out, that the effect really is almost entirely carried by the low CRT scorers," he said. "The people who do think before they respond don't seem to suffer from this illusion."

Fernbach said the lesson from the study for marketers -- how to vary the level of detail for different customers -- is particularly important for companies seeking to introduce novel products.

Getting it right could make a real difference in what customers are willing to pay.