Disney Buys Lucasfilm: A Look Back At The Star Wars Franchise ...

Disney is buying George Lucas? company, Lucasfilm, for $4 billion. This means the Star Wars franchise is now part of the Mickey Mouse legacy and it makes Disney?s fourth largest deal ever. Lucasfilm is owned in its entirety by George Lucas.

Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971. In 1973 a low-budget production, called ?American Graffiti? is released and it receives a Golden Globe and five Oscar nominations. It also turns into the most profitable film of its time. In 1977 history is made when a modestly told story called ?Star Wars? is released and becomes an international sensation, which continues to this date.

As a fan of the original ?Star Wars? Trilogy this is indeed big news and has come with mixed reactions and uncertainty as to what the future will hold for both companies and how the famous saga of ?Luke Skywalker? and his friends will help to make Disney even more successful and powerful.

The original ?Star Wars? trilogy brought to life by George Lucas? innovative concepts and created the beloved characters of ?Luke Skywalker? (Mark Hamill), ?Han Solo? (Harrison Ford), ?Princess Leia? (Carrie Fisher), ?Obi-wan Kenobi? (Alec Guiness), ?C3PO? (Anthony Daniels), ?R2D2? (Kenny Baker), ?Chewbacca? (Peter Mayhew) and ?Darth Vader? (David Prowse). Together they have engaged the imaginations of millions through decades and multiple releases of the different movies that encompase the story of ?The Force? and ?The Dark Side?, or the simple concept of good and evil.

The saga is made of six parts with the sequels, released in the late seventies and eighties preceding the prequels, which came out starting in 1999 and ending with the release of the last installment (at the time) in 2005. During this time George Lucas created numerous production companies to pursue ?Star Wars? and his many other projects. He remained independent and worked out of San Marin, California.

?Star Wars? went on to break all kinds of box office records and set up a very high standards in visual effects, art production and film editing. It also won numerous Academy Awards including, Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guiness), Best Picture, Best Director (Lucas), Best Original Screenplay (Lucas), Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.

The impact that Lucas? creation has had not only in the way movies are made and the standards that are expected in the technical areas of productions, but in the way fans have embraced them and its characters has been almost unprecedented and is a testament to Lucas? genius.

Disney is expected to release ?Episode VII?, the continuation of the story and also has expressed interest in bringing ?Star Wars? to television. The future will tell if this was a good business deal, but it?s hard to think anything that George Lucas does is not successful.

Source: http://www.rightentertainment.com/?p=7302

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Hardata Names CEO, President

Long-time tech executive Philip B. Cox has been named chief executive of Hardata, a software firm serving the entertainment and broadcast industries.

Cox has been hired to establish a global headquarters in Thousand Oaks for the Argentinian company, which is seeking to grow its international business, manufacturing and technology development.

Hardata makes software that allows radio and television broadcaster to manage digital content distribution. Among its customers are 3,000 radio stations. Two years ago the company branched into the television market.

?Philip Cox brings the high level leadership and international connections that we wanted, and he will be spearheading initiatives to expand Hardata?s reach and manufacturing capacity,? said company co-founder Gustavo Pesci.

Cox previously worked at several area technology companies, including CalAmp Inc. in Oxnard and 360 Systems in Newbury Park, where he was involved in managing the sales organization and international marketing.

Mark R. Madler

Source: http://sfvbj.com/news/2012/oct/15/hardata-names-ceo-president/

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Xbox: The new face of 'entertainment' at Microsoft, beyond just video games

The most striking takeaway from a recent meeting I had with Xbox Music GM Jerry Johnson wasn't the Spotify-like service he was in New York City to show off, but rather what he said about a much larger internal change at Microsoft. Having been relegated to the world of video games for the past decade, Microsoft is opening up its Xbox branding to a larger world of media. "'Xbox' is actually going from thinking about gaming in a device to being the entertainment face for all of Microsoft," Johnson said -- a major change from the Xbox name's place as a stand-in for "the Halo and Gears of War box," trotted out once or twice annually by lower level execs from the Washington-based software giant. "That's what the company -- all the way up to Steve Ballmer -- have gotten behind. That's why you're gonna see movies on Windows 8 slates, you're gonna see music, and it's gonna be branded as 'Xbox.'," he explained. This naming convention carries to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 RT as well -- all post-Windows 7 Microsoft devices (and Xbox 360) will refer to music and video libraries as "Xbox Music" and "Xbox Video," respectively.

But to many, that shift could be confusing. Isn't "Xbox" that thing in the living room? When "Xbox Music" shows up on Windows 8 devices later this month, will your average user understand that, no, they don't have to own an Xbox to listen to the music therein? Johnson's not worried about that potential reality. "The brand has continued to evolve," he argued. "I don't think it's left anything behind, I think it's broadened the number of people who engage in these type of experiences. And Microsoft as a company I think recognizes that, and it's more about Xbox meaning 'entertainment.'"

Gallery: Xbox Music on Xbox 360

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Learn About the Coronary Heart Disease Prevention | Health and ...

Health and Fitness | Health and Fitness | * Written by Cherilyn Haan | Monday, 15 October 2012 03:49 | Word Count: 562

It has rightly been said by someone that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But in today?s scenario no matter how much you car of your health, due to the stress level soaring and by fulfilling the demand of the work place and home many of the individual are more prone to coronary artery disease. To reduce stress one gets into the habit of smoking drinking and late night life which adds fuel to the fire and make your heart more prone to chronic ailment like heart disease. The coronary artery disease is caused by the buildup of the plague in the arteries to your heart and this may also be called hardening of the arteries. The build causes the arteries to get narrow as a result blood flow to the heart can slow down or stop. Apart from the lifestyle there are some risk factors that you cannot change is your age, your gender because men are at higher risk of getting heart disease than women who are still getting their menstrual cycle, your genes and your race if you are African American, Mexican American, Indians Hawaiians. With the increasing number of the heart disease thanks to the extensive research work the coronary artery disease treatment has been found and the patents can get themselves medicated successfully.

With the researches it has been found that men are more prone to heart attack because of the sex hormones and due to them the bad cholesterol increases. Men and women have always been prone to heart attack but the changing lifestyles have exposed them to further. It is the third cause of death all over the world and that is why you need to be careful and get the heart attack treatment Singapore. It is very important to go for the regular checkups because most of the time a person may not display the symptoms and many times it can go unreported. The heart attack treatments Singapore have come as a boon to many people. There are important risk factors for heart disease that you can do something about are:

???? High blood pressure
???? High blood cholesterol
???? Diabetes
???? Smoking
???? Being overweight
???? Being physically inactive
???? Age (55 or older)

From the above mentioned risk factors some are controllable and some are not, but making a gradual change in your way treating and handling your disease is great way to uplift yourself and making yourself healthy.

There are many types of heart disease that cannot be treated through medicines and this happens when the blockage of the arteries have become extreme and the blood supply is not as per required. During that situation one needs to visit the heart center for the operation providing modern care and emergency services. The heart center Singapore is the most respected in the field of the bypass surgery because of its medical and surgical techniques. With so many new developments in the field of cardiovascular medicines happening every day it is very important for you and your family to keep yourself abreast with the latest health care that the heart center Singapore is providing. They give cardiac rehabilitation and improve the functional capacity, reduce symptoms and create a sense if well being or patients.

Don?t get afraid of the coronary artery disease be a fighter and life your life. And for your support the heart attack Singapore have come up with the world class medical specialties and emergency services.

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Offshore Oil Investing

Earlier this morning, a colleague of mine was touching on the finer points of his trading strategy.

I could tell right away he was a contrarian at heart.

?If they like it, I'm staying away?? and so should you,? he explained.

?Personally, I'm not buying unless the market absolutely hates it.?

Back in late 1990s, when oil was trading for $20 a barrel, the thought of $50 a barrel was ridiculed...

After watching it trade flat for nearly a decade straight, my friend was ready to go all in.

?By 2008, everyone and their sister poured into oil and the jig was up. If we hadn't made so much money, it would've ruined my day; but look hard enough, and you'll find that sweet spot ? the one that makes them all cringe.?

One sector immediately comes to mind: offshore.

Let me explain...

Putting the Pieces Together

There's absolutely no question in my mind that we're going to see the U.S. offshore industry explode over the next three years.

The most obvious reason for this is oil prices are heading much higher going forward. And triple-digit crude prices will help spur offshore activity.

Yesterday, Brian Hicks explained why we'll see $150 oil as soon as next year...

He accurately pinpointed one of the most fundamental problems developing is the world's largest oil fields are in decline. And just to hammer home how critical they are to global supply, don't forget that over 90% of Saudi Arabia's production stems from only six or seven fields.

Like it or not, the days are numbered for these massive fields. And it doesn't help matters that we're no longer finding these kinds of giants.

Right now, about 4,000 smaller oil fields make up roughly half of the world's output. That gap will continue to widen ? and it'll be unconventional and offshore sources that will be forced to pick up the slack.

Although this return to triple-digit crude prices may account for an increase in offshore activity, it doesn't necessarily make it public enemy number one for the market.

For that, dear reader, we can thank BP...

Prior to the BP disaster, it was hard not to be bullish on offshore drillers.

Some of you might recall the push to develop areas off the U.S. eastern coastline, or when the Department of the Interior reported Federally-closed waters located on the outer continental shelf held more than ten billion barrels of oil and forty-five trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Things were on the up and up... until April of 2009.

Ever since the Macondo incident ? which ultimately resulted in Obama's year-long drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico ? offshore drilling has been vilified in the media.

(The only thing that comes close to sharing its role as the bad guy is hydraulic fracturing.)

So, is it finally time to buy back into offshore?

Our analysts have traveled the world over, dedicated to finding the best and most profitable investments in the global energy markets. All you have to do to join our Energy and Capital investment community is sign up for the newsletter below. You'll also get our free report, Ultimate Oil Investors Kit.

Offshore Renaissance

You've heard the clich? "Time heals all wounds."

Well, I think 2013 is the year we'll finally see a resurgence in offshore drilling stocks.

For starters, any serious growth in the U.S. offshore sector will come from the Gulf of Mexico.

My colleague Jeff Siegel mentioned the complete failure by Shell to move forward with their drilling plans in the Arctic...

By the end of the decade, oil production in the Gulf is expected to top two million barrels per day. And a recent forecast by Wood Mackenzie Ltd. reports over $20 billion will be spent on development wells in the next three years.

Remember, some of those deepwater wells come with a price tag of more than $100 million?? and yet activity is rapidly picking up. Royal Dutch Shell recently spent $3 billion for four ultra-deep drillships, expected to be operating by 2016.

Most people don't realize that drilling rigs are quietly showing back up in the Gulf of Mexico.

In fact, there are the same number of deepwater rigs in the Gulf waters today that there were when the BP disaster happened.

Of course, not all investments were created equal. As with every other sector, you'll find your winners, losers, and break-even players in the energy markets.

Considering many of these operators are commanding day rates of up to $450,000 ? and have years of backlogged contracts ? these offshore stocks could possibly be among the safer longer-term investments in your portfolio.

Until next time,

Keith Kohl

@KeithKohl1 on Twitter

A true insider in the energy markets, Keith is one of few financial reporters to have visited the Alberta oil sands. His research has helped thousands of investors capitalize from the rapidly changing face of energy. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital as well as Investment Director of Angel Publishing's Energy Investor. For years, Keith has been providing in-depth coverage of the Bakken, the Haynesville Shale, and the Marcellus natural gas formations ? all ahead of the mainstream media. For more on Keith, go to his editor's page.

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Counting Fish: Longlines, Lionfish and Liberty Ships

It?s been a busy week for scientists in the Gulf of Mexico

Multi-beam map of MU 616 Liberty Ship Reef on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Last week, scientists dropped longlines at artificial reef sites off the Texas coast, pulling up some nice-looking red snapper, gray snapper and triggerish. No fish and chips for dinner, though; these specimens were measured, weighed and contributed various tissue samples for research. Meanwhile, using a multi-beam acoustic array onboard the R/V Falkor, other researchers created a 3D map of an artificial reef made from sunken Liberty Ships. These ships carried supplies during World War II, and were sunk in five locations around the Gulf of Mexico in the 1970s. Also onboard, an ROV team hard at work surveying fish populations at artificial reef sites, and looking to repeat earlier documentation from another site, MU A-16, of invasive lionfish near the Texas coast.

These scientists, from the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, along with colleagues from TAMU College of Science and Engineering and the University of Georgia, are spending a couple of weeks on the R/V Falkor, owned by the private Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Longlines

The longline-wielding fisheries folks are studying, among other things, how best to deal with barotrauma, which affects survival of fish that are caught and released. Many popular recreational fish such as snapper live near the seafloor. When these fish are hooked and reeled to the surface, the rapid change in pressure expands their swim bladders, displacing other organs. The increased buoyancy can make it difficult for a released fish to resubmerge, and even if a fish does return to depth, the lingering effects of barotrauma may make it more vulnerable to predators or eventually kill it. Catch-and-release is intended to allow us to enjoy recreational fishing without decimating populations of target fish, but if the animals don?t survive the process, this approach obviously won?t work.

Researchers will be investigating the effectiveness of venting, or inserting a needle into the swim bladder to de-inflate it. Venting isn?t always done properly; some fishermen mistakenly puncture the esophagus, which can protrude from the fish?s mouth, rather than the swim bladder. Other organs may inadvertently be punctured, or infection introduced. The researchers are also looking at the effectiveness and practicality of using a weighted hook to return fish to an appropriate depth, so the bladder can naturally return to normal.

Lionfish

Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific have been common since about 2000 in Florida?s waters ? locals hold lionfish derbies and it?s pretty much open season for spearfishing for the invaders ? and have gradually worked their way across the Gulf of Mexico. In August, 2011, the spiny predators were first documented at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast. Lionfish are aggressive feeders, prolific spawners, and have no natural predators in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, so can negatively effect marine ecosystems where they?ve invaded. As I explained in previous posts, HRI scientists are conducting ROV surveys as part of a two-year study to assess fish communities on artificial reefs. On September 21, ROV cameras captured the first evidence of lionfish off the coast of Texas (this video also shows the challenges of maneuvering the ROV!). Additional documentation of the extent of the lionfish invasion in this part of the Gulf will be a sort of two-fer from the ROV work.

Liberty Ships

Liberty Ship artificial reef sites were created by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to provide important habitat for numerous fish species and other marine life ? and great opportunities for fishermen and scuba divers. But, as discussed in previous posts, there is some debate about whether artificial reefs such as these actually increase the productivity of an ecosystem ? adding biomass in the form or more fish and other marine life ? or just serve as gathering places by providing shelter and a sort of underwater cafeteria. The HRI study, funded by TPWD, is intended to help settle that debate.

?The multi-beam maps will allow us to accurately locate the structure that exists on these sites,? says Greg Stuntz, chair of Fisheries and Ocean Health and HRI and lead scientist on the artificial reef study. ?The maps also give us an idea if the structure is broken up, how it?s oriented, and how far away structures are from each other. Knowing precise locations will aid us in the future if we want to evaluate ideal placement of artificial reef structures. For instance, is there a certain distance apart that most affects fish size, abundance and growth?? The scientists will import the maps created on the Falkor into GPS onboard other vessels and use them when fishing, diving and surveying on those structures in the future.

While the best weather for dive surveys has past for this year, I still hope to accompany HRI researchers on at least one expedition next year. Good thing it?s a two-year study.

Previously in this series:

Counting Fish: Gulf of Mexico Artificial Reef Survey
Counting Fish: on the artificial reefs
Counting Fish: well, thanks Isaac, no counting fish this week

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First Windows 8 commercial appears

Microsoft has debuted its first television advertisement for its soon-to-launch Windows 8 operating system.

The advertisement features the next-generation operating system on a variety of devices including tablets, desktops and laptops, highlighting its touch capabilities and interactive functionality.

The ad uses the ?reimagined? tagline Microsoft has been marketing with the operating system.?The new version marks a significant change to the operating system?s interface, with a complete design overhaul and additional touch abilities.

One of the major changes made by Microsoft was to do away with the traditional Start menu that was used in previous versions of Windows,?as well as debuting a version of the OS to be utilised on ARM architecture for mobile use.?

"Windows 8 is simply the biggest deal for our company in [many] years," said CEO Steve Ballmer in July. "It's a huge opportunity for our partners."

Windows 8 will run on both desktop PCs and ARM-based devices, as Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT. It on Friday was made available for pre-order but will be released to the general public on October 26.?

The OS is available for a pre-order promotion price of $US70 ($A68) for a DVD pack upgrade to the full version of the software.?The boxed edition of the Windows 8 Pro upgrade will jump to $US200 after the promotion - the same price as the Windows 7 Professional upgrade DVD.

The software pack is currently available for pre-order in the US at Microsoft's own stores, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Staples and elsewhere. Microsoft has not yet announced the price of the full software to install from scratch, as opposed to the upgrade. It had not announced Australian availability at the time of writing.

Any customer who buys, or has already bought, a Windows 7 PC between June 2 and the end of January 2013 will be able to get an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $US15, a move designed to prevent a drop-off in PC sales before the launch of Windows 8.

Microsoft also said PC makers such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony were also now taking pre-orders for machines with Windows 8 pre-installed.

Video advertisements first appeared online last week but were swiftly taken down by Microsoft.

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