Novel combination therapy shuts down escape route, killing glioblastoma tumor cells

Novel combination therapy shuts down escape route, killing glioblastoma tumor cells

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain tumor in adults, is challenging to treat because the tumors rapidly become resistant to therapy. As cancer researchers are learning more about the causes of tumor cell growth and drug resistance, they are discovering molecular pathways that might lead to new targeted therapies to potentially treat this deadly cancer.

Scientists at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in San Diego worked collaboratively across the laboratories of Drs. Paul Mischel, Web Cavenee and Frank Furnari to investigate one such molecular pathway called the mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR. This signaling pathway is hyperactivated in close to 90 percent of glioblastomas and plays a critical role in regulating tumor growth and survival. Therapies that inhibit mTOR signaling are under investigation as drug development targets, but results to date have been disappointing: mTOR inhibitors halt the growth but fail to kill the tumor cells.

A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences uncovers an unexpected but important molecular mechanism of mTOR inhibitor resistance and identifies a novel drug combination that reverses this resistance.

The story begins with a closer look at a gene-encoded protein called promyleocytic leukemia gene or PML. The study investigators explored the role of PML in causing resistance to mTOR inhibitor treatment. They found that when glioblastoma patients are treated with drugs that target the mTOR pathway, the levels of PML rise dramatically. Further, they showed that PML upregulation made the tumor cells resistant to mTOR inhibitors, and that if they suppressed the ability of the tumor cells to upregulate the PML protein, the tumor cells died in response to the mTOR inhibitor therapy.

"When we looked at cells in in vivo models and patients treated in the clinic, it became clear that the glioblastoma cells massively regulated PML enabling them to escape the effects of mTOR inhibitor therapy," reported senior author Paul Mischel, MD, Ludwig Institute member based at the University of California at San Diego.

"Our team hypothesized that if we could use a pharmacological approach to get rid of PML and combine it with an mTOR inhibitor, it could change the response from halting growth to cell death. The question was how?" added Mischel.

Previous research had shown that the use of low-dose arsenic could cause degradation of the PML protein in patients with leukemia. The team hypothesized that if arsenic could degrade PML, it may reverse resistance to mTOR inhibitors. The combination of mTOR and low-dose arsenic in mice indeed showed a synergistic effect, with massive tumor cell death along with very significant shrinkage of the tumor in mice with no ill side effects.

"Current therapy upregulates PML, turning off the mTOR signaling pathway. The tumor cells hide, waiting for the target signal to return," said Mischel. "When low-dose arsenic is added, not only does it stop the cell from returning, it shuts down the escape route killing the tumor cell."

These results present the first clinical evidence that mTOR inhibition promotes PML upregulation in mice and patients, and that it mediates drug resistance. The clinical relevance was confirmed when researchers looked at before- and after-treatment tissue samples from patients treated with mTOR inhibitors, confirming that PML goes up significantly in post treatment of mTOR inhibitors.

"These data suggest a new approach for potential treatment of glioblastoma," said Mischel. "We are moving forward to test that possibility in people."

Post-doctoral students Akio Iwanami and Beatrice Gini from the Mischel lab as well as Ciro Zanca from the Furnari/Cavenee lab, also contributed significantly to this paper.

###

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research: http://www.licr.org

Thanks to Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127038/Novel_combination_therapy_shuts_down_escape_route__killing_glioblastoma_tumor_cells

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Can Children Teach Themselves?

Sugata Mitra gave street kids in a slum in New Delhi access to a computer connected to the Internet, and found that they quickly taught themselves how to use it. This was the moment he says he discovered a new way of teaching. He calls it the grandmother technique, and it goes like this: expose a half dozen or so kids to a computer, and let them have at it. The only supervision required is an adult to listen the kids brag about what they learn. It's the opposite, he says, of the disciplinary ways of many parents--more like a kindly grandmother, who rewards curiosity with acceptance and encouragement. And it is a challenge to the past century and a half of formalized schooling. Since this first experience in 1999, Mitra has been working to extend the notion of self-organized learning to address the needs of poor children, especially in developing countries, who have little or no educational resources. He is convinced that school children can teach themselves just about anything--that they can achieve educational objectives without formal direction. For these kids, formal education, at least as practiced in the U.K., where he is professor of educational technology at Newcastle University, is of little help. His ideas, however, have implications for formal education in the west, too. Mitra doesn't have kind words for English schooling, which he says is better suited to the needs of the British empire than the age of Twitter. England ran three quarters of the globe through a vast bureaucracy that relied on the ability of clerks to write letters and tally spreadsheets by hand. Competency in reading, writing and arithmetic was paramount, and formal classroom teaching was the best way to instill the three Rs. But as the tools of education have changed radically, schooling hasn't. The British system, he says, "was a phenomenal achievement, but it's out of date. It's not needed." The question is, what is needed--or what will be needed in the future? Mitra thinks self-organized learning will be an important part. "There may be 10 different ways to do this. I believe I have touched on one of the ways." Last night Mitra won the $1 million TED Prize for his work. He will use the money to establish a lab in New Delhi that will put his ideas of a "School in the Cloud" to the test. The lab will be set up as a kind of cyber caf?, where 48 kids at any one time can go to learn English, considered in India to be key to any child's future. Volunteer "grandmothers"--retired school teachers, for the most part--will participate via Skype to lend guidance. The cyber caf? will serve as a lab to see how self-organized learning can be scaled globally. "I want to see if this is feasible," he says. "What are the technical problems, what are the management problems? If it works, we'll have a technique that will level the playing field, and that is the big missing piece." Self-organized learning is potentially disruptive to traditional education in the west, and in talking about it Mitra has alienated some teachers. For now, he's keeping to the developing world, and to the teaching of English. His long-term ambitions go further, however. "My agenda," he says, "is to see how far this can go." Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
? 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/children-teach-themselves-120000668.html

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Vine, Google+ Take Center Stage at London Fashion Week

Twitter?s new video-sharing app, Vine, took off in a big way at New York Fashion Week. Designers and editors alike logged in to Vine to capture and share six-second scenes from the shows.

London Fashion Week (LFW) attendees are poised to pick up where New York left off. Design houses including Burberry, Jonathan Saunders and Paul Smith, as well as the British Fashion Council, are all expected to use the app to bring followers behind the scenes and front of house.

It?s Matthew Williamson?s feed, however, that?s the must-see. The designer, known for his intricate, handcrafted garments, will use Vine to showcase details up close during Sunday?s show. As the looks hit the runway, backstage shots by photographer Sean Cunningham (of Burberry Tweetwalk fame) will be posted to Twitter, magnifying the embellishment and beadwork in a bid to bring followers a more detailed view than those available to the front row.

The initiative takes its inspiration from Williamson?s #MatthewMagnified campaign on Facebook, which makes use of the Pic Jointer app to show catwalk images alongside close-up detail shots of the fabric work. Vine will see them in motion, as introduced by the designer below:

Rosanna Falconer, head of digital for the designer, referred to the idea as "Cin?ma v?rit?," a French term for true-to-life documentary filmmaking. ?I love the way it?s such raw footage. Rather than being a final polished campaign image, it?s about what?s going on right now, live from backstage,? she says. ?We?re trying to give our followers better-than-ever access with a real, up-close quality. In many ways, it?s like a digital version of the go-see, which are the appointments made by press and buyers after the show to view the collection in greater detail. It?s the beadwork, the detail and the craftsmanship of the product right there.?

Up close and personal

This idea of a digital go-see, or bringing fans and followers even closer to the Fashion Week action, is also part of Topshop?s plans for the season. As part of a partnership with Google, the British retailer will be providing viewers with live access to every aspect of its show using dozens of cameras, capturing fittings, "red carpet" arrivals and the show itself from multiple points of view. The aim is to offer the experience of what it?s like to be the model, the buyer, the makeup artist or even the designer.

Central to this is its model-cam, which will see Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Rosie Tapner and Ashleigh Good all wearing real-time, HD micro cameras so followers can see the show from their perspective. Pre-stitched into the clothes and bags, these cameras will show detailed footage from the runway as well as backstage. They have been developed with satellite broadcasting company, SIS Live, and make use of the "Hawkeye" technology from major sporting events like Wimbledon.

Justin Cooke, Topshop's chief marketing officer, says he expects it to steal the show. ?The models will become the protagonists. Viewers will search for 'Cara on the runway,' and their content will get propelled around the world," he says.

In addition to Topshop, a new partnership between the British Fashion Council and YouTube will serve up live streams of 20 shows through the LFW channel at youtube.com/lfwtv. A further 13 will also be streamed at londonfashionweek.co.uk/live.

Topshop is adding to its event with pre-show coverage also live-streamed through a customized YouTube page. Hangouts will air from the red carpet, backstage and the front row. ?We?re using it as a live broadcast, like the Oscars, like a live behind-the-scenes documentary,? says Cooke.

Catwalk countdowns and live Q&As

Last season saw a big focus on visual diaries in the build-up to London?s shows, and the same goes for the Autumn/Winter 2013 shows.

Julien Macdonald returned to London Fashion Week following a two-season break, and in so doing shared preparation images over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram leading up to his show on Saturday. There was also a time-lapse video of the show space being constructed.

Peter Pilotto, meanwhile, who arrived on Twitter just last week, is likewise posting images in the buildup to his Monday show in what he?s calling his ?Catwalk Countdown.?

Back at Topshop, the four aforementioned models will all be featured in a ?Road to Runway? digital diary on Google+, documenting everything from their first fittings to the moment they hit the catwalk. There?s also a Google Hangout inviting viewers to see behind the scenes at Topshop?s headquarters ahead of the show and ask the design team questions as they apply their finishing touches.

Expert Q&As are also a go-to for the British Fashion Council again this season. Twitter sessions will this time be held with British Vogue?s Alexandra Shulman, designers Manolo Blahnik and Henry Holland, and blogger and DJ Bip Ling, using the #AskLFW hashtag.

Personalization meets pre-orders

There?s much in the way of shoppable activity set for London this season, too. House of Holland has developed a capsule collection exclusively for eBay.co.uk, comprised of a dress, an oversized slogan t-shirt, an iPhone cover and a pair of tights, each emblazoned with the signature House of Holland Autumn/Winter 2013 "rave wave" print. The micro-line is available for purchase until Sunday, Feb. 24, with all proceeds going to Cancer Research UK.

Burberry, meanwhile, has rebranded its ?Runway to Reality? shoppable concept as ?Runway Made to Order.? Still a pre-order service for early season delivery on coats and accessories, it will also offer fans a personalization element with nameplate engravings available on each item. The rest of the brand?s show plans will be announced closer to showtime on Monday.

Topshop is enabling followers to buy straight from the catwalk again too, offering items from the collection for pre-order as well as makeup and nail polish for instant delivery. Its "Shoot the Show" and "Customize the Catwalk" initiatives from last season are continuing also, this time refined and modified according to people?s behaviors, i.e. how they interacted with the features during the Spring/Summer 2013 show.

In addition, Topshop and Google have developed a "Be the Buyer" app on Google+ that will allow fans to create moodboards of their favorite items from the runway while seeking video advice from Topshop?s own buying experts, as well as those from department stores Selfridge's and Browns. The results, says Cooke, will help feed data back to Topshop on what items or colors are the most popular, cleverly shaping its decisions about what to put in store.

Such movements are proving that digital innovation at LFW aren?t solely about gaining fans and building awareness of current collections, but are an opportunity for getting consumers to help determine what will actually hit the shop floor. It doesn?t get much more personal (and for the retailer, efficient) than that.

Source: http://mashable.com/2013/02/16/london-fashion-week-vine-video/

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Source: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/videos/boy-given-pot-to-manage-autism

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David Fincher's '20,000 Leagues' Starts To Come Together (Without Brad Pitt)

So much for the plan for Brad Pitt to star in David Fincher's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." According to a new report, the actor is no longer a prospective part of the project. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Pitt's departure (if he ever was attached), but it's not all bad news for the Jules [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/02/15/david-fincher-20000-leagues/

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Polycom Makes Federal Case With Microsoft Lync

Polycom continues to make strategic moves in the UC space, this time, with an eye on the Federal government. The UC vendor has?announced?that three key Polycom CX IP phones for Microsoft Corp.?s Lync have now been made?available?for Federal?government?agencies on the GSA Schedule.

The phone lineup is straightforward, covering the majority of use cases in governmental agencies.

The Polycom CX500 IP desktop phone, a basic phone for desks, hallways, lobbies, cubicles, common areas and more. This phone offers a device-only mode, which makes safe to use in more ?public? spaces.

The ?CX600 IP desktop phone, an extension of the CX300 is a more specialized option with an on-board client allowing for pairing with a PC to transfer contacts and contact information without requiring the PC to make calls. It also features an embedded dual port ethernet switch.

Lastly, Polycom boasts that the C3000 IP conference phone (pictured) ?is the only conference phone optimized to natively take advantage?of Microsoft Lync?s capabilities. It features a specialized PIN authentication ability and also includes the same PC pairing functionality.

This focus on Microsoft Lync is interesting,?particularly?amid a recent?acquisition?of Microsoft Gold Partner Sentri, which specializes in Lync UC and UC security. It?s likely Polycom is looking to?strengthen its portfolio with Microsoft technology in anticipation of ?the coming wave of Microsoft Office solutions and communication platforms. Cloud or on premise, phone hardware will still be needed in varying capacities and Lync optimization can become an is attractive option for both customers and solutions providers already knee-deep with Microsoft.

And while it may be true that Polycom ?s Federal focus is about?capitalizing?on Government infrastructure overhaul ? there won?t be abundant demand ?especially since?Gartner predicts government?spending is likely to decline by 2 percent over the 2013 year (and continue to do so) as government spending comes under scrutiny. Instead, Polycom?s efforts with this phone trio could be to capture the Federal vertical through Microsoft?s momentum.

Earlier in January,?Microsoft inked a 3-year deal with the US Department of Defense, set to blanket nearly 75 percent of the Pentagon?s 1.5 million computers and help with modernizing the infrastructure and improve ?cross -agency?collaboration.??It wouldn?t be surprising if ?Lync and Polycom ?showed up there, too.

?

Source: http://channelnomics.com/2013/02/15/polycom-federal-case-lync-phones/

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Three questions that will be answered by UFC on Fuel 7

The UFC brings a title fight -- kinda -- to Fuel TV on Saturday night. Though Comcast and Fox's networks did reach a deal to bring Fuel to its subscribers, the channel won't yet be available for this weekend's bouts and the interesting card in England. No matter who tunes in, here are the intriguing questions around this weekend's bouts.

Is welterweight a better UFC fit for Jorge Santiago? Despite a long and successful career in Sengoku and Strikeforce, his last stint with the UFC didn't go so well. Santiago lost to Demian Maia and Brian Stann. After a first-round knockout in the Titan Fighting Championships, Santiago is back as a welterweight. He'll take on undefeated phenom Gunnar Nelson.

Are Cub Swanson or Dustin Poirier ready for the title shot? Though the UFC's featherweight division is top-heavy and a fight is set between champion Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis, Swanson and Poirier's bout will show if there is another worthy contender. Swanson, who lost to Aldo in the WEC, wants to be part of the conversation:

?I just want people to mention me up there. I don?t care if I get in next. I?m just concentrating on this fight. But just mention my damn name when you mention the people who deserve it. That?s all I want.?

Poirier lost to Chan Sung Jung in May, then beat Jonathan Brookins in December. He took the fight with Swanson as a late replacement for Dennis Siver, and is hoping a win puts him closer to a title fight.

"The truth is, if I go out there and beat Cub Swanson, I'll be right there at the title if not maybe one more fight away," Poirier said.

Saturday's fight will show if one of these men belong in the discussion.

What is the value of an interim belt? Perhaps this question is a bit too philosophical for a fight preview, but it's worth asking as Renan Barao attempts to defend his interim bantamweight belt against Michael McDonald. Barao won the belt last summer because champion Dominick Cruz has been out for an extended time as his knee heals. But with Cruz waiting in the wings, does this belt have the same oomph as the one Cruz is holding? It feels like whoever wins this fight won't so much be the champion as the no. 1 contender for Cruz's return. Regardless of the accessory handed out at the end of the fight, the two should put on a fight worth watching.

Will you be tuning in? Don't forget these are daytime fights. The Facebook preliminaries are at 12:15 ET, and the main card on Fuel is at 3 p.m. ET.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/three-questions-answered-ufc-fuel-7-164302355--mma.html

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Budget cut impact: Smaller Navy, fired teachers

What does smaller government look like? The budget standoff between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans means Americans may soon find out, and the picture the Obama administration sketches is downright scary.

Cuts in the Navy's Pacific operations of one-third. Furloughed food inspectors forcing nationwide closures of meat and poultry plants. Ten thousand laid-off teachers. A $1 billion reduction in the relief fund for disaster victims. Less secure airline flights and longer waits on airport security screening lines. Reduced monitoring of air pollution, oil spills and hazardous waste.

All this and more because $85 billion in cuts across most federal programs will be automatically triggered March 1 unless Obama and Republicans do something that's eluded them for months: approve alternative savings instead.

A look at the fight over the so-called sequester and what its impact could be:

?State of play: The cuts ? plus nearly $1 trillion more over the coming decade ? were enacted two years ago in hopes that their sheer ugliness would force the two sides into a sweeping deficit-reduction deal. So far that's not happened.

The administration has repeatedly warned that the sequester must be avoided. White House budget office controller Daniel L. Werfel told Congress on Thursday that they would have "destructive consequences."

Though many lawmakers of both parties would like to find a way out, conservative Republicans have said they're willing to live with the reductions. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told The Associated Press this week that "we're going to be stuck with it" until Obama proposes a solution that can pass the Democratic-led Senate.

?Overall impact: Administrations past and present always excel at threatening scenarios that make it appear that life as we know it will end. In this case, the law limits the flexibility government officials will have to protect favored programs, but Werfel wrote that the White House has instructed agencies to give priority to avoiding cuts that could "present risks to life, safety or health" and seek other ways to minimize harm to important government services.

The sequester law exempts Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps and Medicare recipients' benefits from cuts, but most programs are vulnerable.

The cuts were expected to mean reductions this year of 8 percent in defense and 5 percent in non-defense programs. But because lawmakers recently delayed the impact until March 1 ? meaning they will affect only the last seven months of the government's budget year ? the sequester will force deeper reductions of 13 percent for defense and 9 percent for other programs.

?Defense: The Defense Department announced last week that because of the cuts it is withdrawing one of its two aircraft carriers from the Persian Gulf region, but there's more coming.

The Navy's top officer, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, told Congress that because of the sequester and already planned long-range reductions, the Navy could not fully support counterterrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen. A letter the Pentagon sent to Congress this week says the military will protect operations for ongoing wars, but expects to curtail maintenance of aircraft and ships, reduce training and maintenance for some Army units and cut Air Force flying hours. There would probably be a freeze in hiring civilians, instead of the 1,500 to 2,000 new jobs monthly. Current civilian workers could be furloughed up to 22 days. And the military's Tricare health care system could lose $3 billion, threatening elective care for some military dependents and retirees.

?Homeland Security: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wrote to Congress that there will be fewer border agents and fewer facilities for detained illegal immigrants. There would be reduced Coast Guard air and sea operations, furloughed Secret Service agents and weakened efforts to detect cyber threats to computer networks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund would lose over $1 billion. "We do not have the luxury of making significant reductions to our capabilities without placing our nation at risk," Napolitano wrote.

?Education: Education Secretary Arne Duncan told Congress that 70,000 Head Start pupils would be removed from the pre-kindergarten program, about 1 of every 13. Duncan warned those cuts would mean layoffs of 10,000 teachers and thousands of other staffers because of cuts in federal dollars that state and local governments use for schools. Cuts for programs for handicapped and other special needs students would threaten 7,200 teachers and aides, he said.

?Health: The National Institutes of Health would lose $1.6 billion, trimming research on cancer, drying up money for hundreds of other research projects and eliminating up 20,000 private research positions nationwide. Health departments would give 424,000 fewer tests for the AIDS virus this year. More than 373,000 seriously ill people may not receive needed mental health services.

?Transportation: The Federal Aviation Administration plans to furlough most of its 47,000 employees, including air traffic controllers, for an average of 11 days, with most furloughs probably over the summer. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told employees in a letter this week that while the furloughs can be managed safely, "We might see travel delays and disruptions during the critical summer travel season."

?Environment: Cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency would jeopardize its ability to protect the public from oil spills, air pollution and hazardous waste, according a letter from Bob Perciasepe, who becomes interim head of the agency on Friday until a replacement is named. States would have to shut down some pollution monitors that determine if air is healthy to breathe. The popular color-coded air quality forecasting system that keeps schoolchildren and others inside on bad air days would be curtailed or eliminated.

The EPA, which already inspects only a tiny fraction of facilities with the potential to spill oil, would do even less. New models of cars and trucks could be delayed from getting to dealership lots because the EPA couldn't quickly validate that they meet emissions standards.

?Internal Revenue Service: A Treasury Department letter to Congress said the IRS would review fewer tax returns, which "could result in billions of dollars in lost revenue." The agency offered no specifics but said each $1 spent on the IRS has meant at least $4 in additional revenue.

?Agriculture: The Agriculture Department says meat inspectors could be furloughed up to 15 days, shutting meatpacking plants intermittently and costing up to $10 billion in production losses and $400 million in lost wages. The Food and Drug Administration would conduct 2,100 fewer food facility inspections this year.

?FBI: FBI Director Robert Mueller wrote to Congress that sequestration would be the equivalent of cutting 2,285 employees, including 775 agents, through furloughs and a hiring freeze. Every FBI employee would be furloughed for 14 workdays.

? Interior Department: The department says it is preparing to reduce hours and services at all 398 national parks and might close up to 128 wildlife refuges. As much as $200 million in direct payments to states, mainly the West, could be eliminated. The cuts could force local governments to cut back on police and fire protection, schools, road maintenance and more.

?Labor: More than 3.8 million people jobless for six months or longer could see their unemployment benefits reduced by as much as 9.4 percent. Thousands of veterans would not receive job counseling. Fewer Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors could mean 1,200 fewer inspections of dangerous work sites. There would be fewer investigations into complaints workers are being denied minimum wage and overtime pay. About 1 million fewer people would get help finding or preparing for new jobs.

?Housing: The Department of Housing and Urban Development said about 125,000 households could lose benefits from the agency's Housing Choice Voucher program and risk becoming homeless. The vouchers are the federal government's major program to assist low-income families, the elderly and the disabled.

___

Associated Press writers Dina Cappiello, Matthew Daly, Philip Elliott, Sam Hananel, Richard Lardner, Joan Lowy, Andrew Miga, Stephen Ohlemacher, Lauran Neergaard and Pete Yost contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/budget-cut-impact-smaller-navy-fired-teachers-222234326.html

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UK: LGBT community urged to consider adoption and fostering ...

As part of the 2nd annual LGBT?Adoption and Fostering Week, LGBT people are being urged to learn more about adoption and fostering.

The event runs between Monday 4 March ? Sunday 10 March ? and is organised by New Family Social, the charity run by LGBT?adopters and foster carers for families and families-to-be.

The Fostering Network says an estimated 4,000 children need adopting every year, with the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), stating that around 9,000 extra foster carers are needed to bridge the shortfall for children currently in care.

However, experts say this could be done if just two percent of LGBT people came forward to foster or adopt.

LGBT?Adoption and Fostering Week is a series of events around the country aimed to educate prospective parents and carers about the processes involved and to let them hear from others in their area who have adopted or fostered children themselves.

Action for Children is the week?s main sponsor, and the charity?s Director of Public Policy, Helen Donohoe, said: ?From 140 years of working with the UK?s most vulnerable children, we know how important it is to find the best possible placement for each and every child in care ? and we know that LGBT people often come to adoption or fostering as the first choice for expanding their family, bringing love, real enthusiasm and resourcefulness.

?Throughout LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week, our friendly approachable staff will be on hand at events across the UK to answer questions and help potential parents take the first steps towards providing one of the thousands of children desperately in need with a stable, loving home.?

Andy Leary-May, Director of New Family Social, added: ?Some people are still put off by fears that they won?t be welcomed by agencies, but things are changing. In our group we have huge and diverse range of families, including plenty of parents who are single, or in their fifties. It?s clear to see how well our children are doing, and what a positive and rewarding choice fostering and adoption can be?.

LGBT Adoption and Fostering Week runs from Monday 4 March ? Sunday 10 March

For information and to find an event nearby, visit lgbtadoptfosterweek.org.uk

New Family Social is a PinkNews.co.uk?advertiser

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Source: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/02/14/uk-lgbt-community-urged-to-consider-adoption-and-fostering-via-lgbtadoptfoster/

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Zombie warning exposes flaws, say experts

Jim Finkle , Reuters ? ? ? 14 hrs.

The zombie attack alert issued on a handful of U.S. TV stations this week is more serious than a mischievous hacker prank say cyber experts, who warn the incident exposes lax security practices in a critical public safety system.

While broadcasters said poor password security paved the way for the bogus warning, security experts said the equipment used by the Emergency Alert System remained vulnerable when stations allow it be accessed via the public Internet.

The fear is that hackers could prevent the government from sending out public warnings during an emergency or attackers could conduct a more damaging hoax than a warning of a zombie apocalypse.

"It isn't what they said. It is the fact that they got into the system. They could have caused some real damage," said Karole White, president of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

James Barnett, a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former chief of public safety and homeland security for the Federal Communications Commission, told NBC News Wednesday that while the zombie prank was not an act of terrorism, the false message, which spread to other states, demonstrated a real risk.

"Somebody hacked in and did a very good job of making it sound real," Barnett said. "The problem was bad computer hygiene. [Admins] didn't change the passwords, so it was easy for someone to break into it."

Following the attacks on Monday, broadcasters were ordered to change the passwords for the EAS equipment.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would not comment on the attacks, but in an urgent advisory sent to television stations on Tuesday said: "All EAS participants are required to take immediate action."

It instructed them to change passwords on equipment from all manufacturers used to deliver emergency broadcasts. The FCC instructed them to ensure gear was properly secured behind firewalls and to inspect systems to ensure that hackers had not queued "unauthorized alerts" for future transmission.

Vulnerable
The attacks come after warnings by government officials and outside security experts that the United States is at risk of a cyber attack that could cause major physical damage or even cost lives. President Barack Obama told Congress on Tuesday that some hackers were looking for ways to attack the U.S. power grid, banks and air traffic control systems.

White and her counterpart in Montana, Greg MacDonald, said they believed the hackers were able to get in because TV stations had not changed the default passwords they used when the equipment was first shipped from the manufacturer.

But Mike Davis, a hardware security expert with a firm known as IOActive Labs, said hackers could still get past new passwords to remotely access the systems.

Davis said he had submitted a report to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, or US-CERT, about a month ago that detailed the security flaws.

"Changing passwords is insufficient to prevent unauthorized remote login. There are still multiple undisclosed authentication bypasses," he told Reuters via email. "I would recommend disconnecting them from the network until a fix is available."

Davis said he was able to use Google Inc's search engine to identify some 30 systems that he believed were vulnerable to attack as of Wednesday morning.

Privately held Monroe Electronics, whose equipment was compromised in Monday's attacks, said it was still evaluating the risks.

"The situation appears to just be the password stuff, but we are looking at anything else and everything that might come into play," Vice President Bill Robertson told Reuters.

A spokesman for US-CERT said he could not immediately comment on the matter.

'Bodies are rising'
The zombie hackers targeted two stations in Michigan, and several in California, Montana and New Mexico, White said.

A male voice addressed viewers in a video posted on the Internet of the bogus warning broadcast from KRTV, a CBS affiliate based in Great Falls, Montana: "Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from the grave and attacking the living."

The voice warned not "to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are extremely dangerous."

Stuart McClure, chief executive of cyber security firm Cylance Inc, said he had investigated cases in which hackers accessed EAS systems via a different method: breaking into hidden accounts built into the systems by manufacturers so that service technicians can easily access them for repairs.

"You cannot give a separate pass code to everybody. Nobody is going to remember it. You have to share the secret," said McClure, who previously ran a unit at Intel Corp's McAfee security division that investigated cyber attacks.

Electronics industry experts said that it is tough for some broadcasters to follow all security guidelines because staff at small stations lack the expertise to do so.

The equipment that was compromised obtains emergency broadcasts by frequently using the Internet to make outward calls to trusted government servers. When it finds an alert on one of those servers, it broadcasts it on that station.

Monroe Electronics said its gear is designed to let stations make outgoing queries, but still keep outsiders from getting in. It recommends against unsecured access to the Internet. "It's the wild, wild West," said Robertson.

He said the equipment sometimes gets exposed to the open Internet because it is not properly configured or because engineers want remote access when they are on call.

Robertson said the company was working to beef up security on the equipment and might update its software to compel customers to change default passwords.

Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Dan Watson said that the zombie breach did not have any impact on the government's ability to activate the Emergency Alert System.

(NBC News contributed to this report.)

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/security-experts-say-zombie-tv-warning-exposes-flaws-1C8383202

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LOCAL POK?MON TRADING CARD GAME PLAYER TRIUMPHS IN ...

Robby Weidemann of Moorestown Tops Local Competitors at Championship Event?

BELLEVUE, Wash. ? February 13, 2013 ? After a full day of head-to-head Pok?mon Trading Card Game (TCG) battles, Robby Weidemann clinched first place in the Senior Division at the Reading Pok?mon City Championships. Along with the esteemed title and City Championship trophy, Robby earned Championship Points which count toward him potentially earning an invitation to the 2013 Pok?mon World Championships in Vancouver, BC.

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The Pok?mon City Championship tournaments bring together Pok?mon players of all skill levels to test their Pok?mon TCG skills, strategy, and creativity. The Reading Pok?mon community of fans, family, and friends were on-hand cheering for their Trainers as they battled to become a Pok?mon City Champion. Play! Pok?mon Premier Events are sanctioned by The Pok?mon Company International and locally managed by Premier Tournament Organizers who run hundreds of Pok?mon TCG and video game tournaments every year throughout North America. Collectively they oversee tens of thousands of Pok?mon competitors who train and compete at various local league events and sanctioned tournaments on their quest to become a Pok?mon World Champion.?

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?Pok?mon City Championships are special because they are a great way for both new and veteran players to come together and compete in a game they really enjoy,? said J.C. Smith, director of Consumer Marketing for The Pok?mon Company International. ?The Reading-area had a strong turnout of Pok?mon TCG players and we?re excited to follow these local players as they continue to battle throughout the season, perhaps making it to the 2013 Pok?mon World Championships in Vancouver.?

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Play! Pok?mon competitors are divided equally into three divisions: Junior Division (born in 2002 or later), Senior Division (born in 1998?2001), and Masters Division (born in 1997 or earlier). For more information on future tournaments, including dates and locations or if you would like to learn more about joining a local league, please visit www.pokemon.com/play.

?

Be sure to Like the official Pok?mon Facebook page at Facebook.com/Pokemon and follow Pok?mon on Twitter @Pokemon for the latest Pok?mon news and fun!

?

About Pok?mon

The Pok?mon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pok?mon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pok?mon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pok?mon website.? Pok?mon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children?s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

Source: http://moorestown.patch.com/announcements/local-pokmon-trading-card-game-player-triumphs-in-the-pokmon-trading-card-game-city-championship

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Passengers leave crippled cruise ship

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) ? A cruise ship disabled for five nightmarish days in the Gulf of Mexico finally docked with some 4,200 people aboard late Thursday, passengers raucously cheering the end to an ocean odyssey they say was marked by overflowing toilets, food shortages and foul odors. About four hours later, the last of the passengers had gotten off the ship.

"Sweet Home Alabama!" read one of the homemade signs passengers affixed alongside the 14-story ship as many celebrated at deck rails lining several levels of the stricken ship Triumph. The ship's horn loudly blasted several times as four tugboats pulled the crippled ship to shore. Some gave a thumbs-up sign and flashes from cameras and cellphones lit the night.

About an hour after the ship pulled up at 9:15 p.m. Central, a steady stream of passengers began making their way down the gang plank, some in wheelchairs and others pulling carry-on luggage. One man gave the thumbs up.

An ambulance pulled up to a gate at the bottom of the gang plank, began flashing its lights and then pulled away.

By around 1 a.m., Carnival tweeted, "All guests have now disembarked the Carnival Triumph."

Carnival had said it would take up to five hours for all the 3,000 passengers to be off.

Many boarded buses bound for New Orleans and Texas, while others settled into local hotels in Mobile to get a shower and a hot meal.

As they came ashore, passengers reflected on a cruise they'd rather forget.

For 24-year-old Brittany Ferguson of Texas, not knowing how long passengers had to endure their time aboard was the worst part.

"I'm feeling awesome just to see land and buildings," said Ferguson, who was in a white robe given to her aboard. "The scariest part was just not knowing when we'd get back"

As the ship pulled up, some aboard shouted, "Hello, Mobile!" Some danced in celebration on one of the balconies. "Happy V-Day" read one of the homemade signs made for the Valentine's Day arrival and another, more starkly: "The ship's afloat, so is the sewage."

A few dozen relatives on the top floor of the parking deck of the terminal were waving lights at the ship as it carefully made its way alongside. Those about were screaming, whistling and taking pictures.

Hundreds gawked from dockside at the arrival at the Alabama cruise terminal in Mobile, the state's only seaport, as the Triumph docked.

Taxis were lined up waiting for people, and motorists on Interstate 10 stopped to watch the exodus of passengers from the cruise ship.

Some still aboard chanted, "Let me off, let me off!"

It took six grueling hours navigating the 30-odd-mile ship channel to dock, guided by at least four towboats. Nearly 900 feet in length, it was the largest cruise ship ever to dock at Mobile.

In texts and flitting cellphone calls, the ship's passengers described miserable conditions while at sea, many anxious to walk on solid ground.

Buses started leaving the raucous terminal. Up to 100 have been reserved to carry passengers either on a seven-hour ride to the Texas cities of Galveston or Houston or a two-hour trip to New Orleans. Some also can stay in Mobile. From there, passengers will make their way home with Carnival's help.

Deborah Knight, 56, decided to stay in Mobile after the arduous journey was over rather than board a bus for a long ride. Her husband Seth drove in from Houston and they checked in at a downtown Mobile hotel.

"I want a hot shower and a daggum Whataburger," said Knight, who was wearing a bathrobe over her clothes as her bags were unloaded from her husband's pickup truck.

She said she was afraid to eat the food on board and had gotten sick while on the ship.

Galveston is the home port of the ill-fated ship, which lost power in an engine-room fire Sunday some 150 miles off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. It was the end of a cruise that wasn't anything like what a brochure might describe.

Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill apologized at a news conference and later on the public address system as people were disembarking.

"I appreciate the patience of our guests and their ability to cope with the situation. And I'd like to reiterate the apology I made earlier. I know the conditions on board were very poor," he said. "We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience, and clearly we failed in this particular case."

Passenger Ferguson said crew members tried to make the situation bearable.

"They did their best to keep our spirits up," she said.

Joseph and Cecilia Alvarez of San Antonio said they were on the lowest deck near the back of the ship when the fire broke out and they smelled smoke coming from the vents. She said there was confusion that night about whether to evacuate cabins, with firefighters running through the halls.

He said some passengers passed the time by forming a Bible study group that drew about 45 people.

"It was awesome," he said. "It lifted up our souls and gave us hope that we would get back."

While the passengers are headed home, Triumph will head to a Mobile shipyard for assessment, Thornton said.

Earlier Thursday ? four days after the 893-foot ship was crippled in the middle of the Gulf? the passengers and crew suffered another setback with towline issues that brought the vessel to a dead stop for about an hour just as it was getting close to port.

As the vessel drew within cellphone range Thursday, passengers vented their anger.

Renee Shanar of Houston was on board with her husband, whom she said has heart trouble. They were told they would be among the first to disembark, she said.

"I don't believe them; they've been lying to us from the beginning," Shanar said.

Disgusted by the foul air and heat on the lower decks, many passengers hauled mattresses and bed sheets onto the top deck and slept there, even staying put in a soaking rain. As the ship approached the coast, a slew of Carnival workers removed the bedding and took it downstairs.

In a text message, Kalin Hill, of Houston, described deplorable conditions over the past few days.

"The lower floors had it the worst, the floors 'squish' when you walk and lots of the lower rooms have flooding from above floors," Hill wrote. "Half the bachelorette party was on two; the smell down there literally chokes you and hurts your eyes."

She said "there's poop and urine all along the floor. The floor is flooded with sewer water ... and we had to poop in bags."

The company disputed the accounts of passengers who described the ship as filthy, saying employees were doing everything to ensure people were comfortable.

Some travel agents said cruise prices and bookings have not been affected by the disabled Carnival ship, but others in the industry say it's too early to tell.

Thelbert Lanier was waiting at the Mobile port for his wife, who texted him early Thursday.

"Room smells like an outhouse. Cold water only, toilets haven't work in 3 1/2 days. Happy Valentines Day!!! I love u & wish I was there," she said in the text message, which was viewed by The Associated Press. "It's 4:00 am. Can't sleep ... it's cold & I'm starting to get sick."

Carnival has canceled a dozen more planned voyages aboard the Triumph and acknowledged the crippled ship had been plagued by other mechanical problems in the weeks before the engine-room blaze. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation.

Passengers were supposed to get a full refund and discounts on future cruises, and Carnival announced Wednesday they would each get an additional $500 in compensation.

___

Plushnick-Masti reported from Houston. Associated Press writers Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., and Melissa Nelson-Gabriel and Brendan Farrington in Mobile, Ala., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crippled-cruise-ship-finally-docks-5-days-051222675--finance.html

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Business Network International Coming To Palmerston... | Stuff.co.nz

Last updated 12:00 14/02/2013

One of the world's most successful business networking groups is bringing its New Zealand leader to Palmerston North to speak to more than 80 businesspeople.

Business Network International (BNI) is a business referral organisation, with chapters throughout the world.

The group will meet at Awapuni Racecourse on Tuesday, and will hear from Charities Commission team manager Peter Dixon.

BNI New Zealand founder and national director Graham Southwell will also speak.

Tickets are available through bni.co.nz, and the last day to register is tomorrow.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Comments

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/8303043/On-course-to-network

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Small plane crashes, closes Belgium's Charleroi airport

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A small passenger plane crashed at Belgium's Charleroi airport on Saturday, killing five people and closing the airport that is a hub for Ryanair and other low-cost carriers.

The aircraft, a Cessna, had problems on takeoff and tried to return to Charleroi airport but crashed on the side of the runway, Belgian news agency Belga and Flemish state broadcaster VRT said.

Two adults and three children were killed, a Belgian official told RTBF radio.

An airport official contacted by Reuters said the airport was closed, but declined further comment.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/small-plane-crashes-closes-belgiums-charleroi-airport-102242253--finance.html

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How the NRA boosts its ranks by going local - Politisphere (Reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/283611753?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Love Of Family & Home: 6 Sweet & Inspiring Valentine's Day Ideas ...

Hey Friends!!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday!

I wanted to pop in today & spotlight some of my favorite Valentine's Day projects from the "Love it" party this past Monday!

How adorable are these Chocolate Heart Pudding Cups from Worth Pinning?!? When I first clicked on this link, I expected a super involved recipe, but surprisingly these look pretty easy to make!! Not only are they super cute, but they look delicious!! Chocolate in chocolate...yes, PLEASE!!

I love how simple, but festive this encyclopedia heart banner is from Dear Emmeline. I also love that its neutral. You could easily incorporate it into any room to add a little bit of "love" to your decor. Head on over to Dear Emmeline for all the details!

I love a good yarn wreath & this one from Liz at?Wonderfully Made Pursuits just makes me smile! I love the different colors of yarn combined with they variety of felt roses & flowers. So cute!! Too see more, head on over to Liz's blog. Staying with the simple, but festive theme. How cute is this Valentine's Day Nail Polish Art again, from Dear Emmeline?! Just a small splash of red in this otherwise fairly neutral vignette!! I love it!! It's perfection! I've seen this project before on Pinterest, and every time I see it reproduced, I LOVE it!! ?Take something as simple as an old soup can & give it new life by wrapping it in jute rope. Simple, elegant vases for your Valentine's Day flowers. To see more visit Sweet Parrish Place. ? And last, but definitely not least I'm am LOVING everything about this last photo! Simple, elegant, and ?festive! And how fabulous is that dresser/buffet?! Check out this Valentine's Vignette and more swoon worthy photos at City Farmhouse. ? Thank you to everyone who linked up to the "LOVE it" party!! We had a huge turn out & were so inspired by all of your projects!!?The above projects will be added to our "Dog Days"?Pinterest Board!?

To see?MORE?features you can visit each one of the nine bloggers that were hosting. We each featured?DIFFERENT?projects & will be doing our feature posts Thursday through Sunday of this week!

Liz from?Liz Marie Blog

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!!?

I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend!! :)

Don't Miss Out -?DIY projects, home decorating, crafts & more by checking out?my subscribe page.

Source: http://www.loveoffamilyandhome.net/2013/02/valentines-day-decor-recipe-ideas.html

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Turn Fish Bones into Salt and Boost Your Food?s Flavor

Fish is great for you, but once you're finished eating, there's no reason to throw out the bones: they're great for a lot of things. In this case, keep the fish bones from your last meal and use them to make a delicious savory salt that'll add umami flavor to any dish you sprinkle it over.

Making salt from your fish bones is easy: just scrape off as much meat as possible, boil the bones until the rest of the meat between the bones falls off. Let the bones dry for a day or two, then grind it up as fine as possible in a spice or coffee grinder. The result should be extremely powdery, and you can mix it with an equal amount of salt. That's all there is to it, and the video above even shows you how to clean the grinder when you're finished, a method we can vouch for.

When I hang on to fish bones, I usually keep them in order to make stock or to add a little richness to a seafood stew or soup, but this tip from the folks at CHOW is a different but equally fun application of what many people trash without a second thought.

Why You Should Turn Fish Bones Into Salt | CHOW

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/QDfCikHzcQ0/turn-fish-bones-into-salt-and-boost-your-foods-flavor

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Courtland Rogers: On Suicide Watch! Trying to Win Jenelle Evans Back!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/02/courtland-rogers-on-suicide-watch-trying-to-win-jenelle-evans-ba/

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Panetta on Benghazi attack: Pentagon 'did all that we could do'

By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News

As Republicans continue their long-running effort to find out more about the security failures that led to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began testifying Thursday morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The two men will discuss how the Pentagon might have prepared for such an attack and why U.S. forces weren?t positioned closely enough to Benghazi to deter the attack and rescue US personnel.

In the Sept. 11 assault on the facility, Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods and Sean Smith, were killed.

Recommended:?Senators, John Brennan brace for national security showdown in CIA hearing

Panetta said the Department of Defense and U.S. armed forces ?did all that we could do in response to the attacks in Benghazi.?

He explained that ?unfortunately there were no specific indications of an imminent attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi. Without adequate warning, there was not enough time given the speed of the attack for armed military assets to respond.?

He said there were two short-duration attacks that occurred six hours apart. ?This was not a prolonged assault which could have been brought to an end by a U.S. military response,? Panetta said.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday the automatic spending cuts that would go into effect March 1 would mean almost $500 billion in cuts over 10 years at the Pentagon. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

He explained that ?armed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones), AC-130 gunships, or fixed-wing fighters with the associated tanking, armaments, targeting and support capabilities were not in the vicinity of Libya.? He said, ?because of the distance, would have taken at least 9 to 12 hours if not more to deploy. This was, pure and simple, a problem of distance and time.?

In its report on the attack, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said last December that the Defense Department and the State Department hadn't jointly studied the availability of U.S. military forces to defend or rescue the U.S. diplomats in Benghazi in the event of a crisis.

The Pentagon?s Africa Command didn?t have planes, helicopters, or other forces within reach if Benghazi on the day of the attack. ?The Djibouti base was several thousand miles away. There was no Marine expeditionary unit, carrier group or a smaller group of U.S. ships closely located in the Mediterranean Sea that could have provided aerial or ground support or helped evacuate personnel from Benghazi,? the report said.

Recommended:?Drones take center stage

Panetta also warned about the effects of the automatic spend cuts ? called sequestration - that are mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act and are set to begin on March 1.

?If Congress fails to act and sequestration is triggered, and if we also must operate under a year-long continuing resolution (keeping spending at last year?s levels), we would be faced with a significant shortfall in operating funds for our active forces with only seven months remaining in the fiscal year,? he told the committee. ?This will damage our national defense and compromise our ability to respond to crises in a dangerous world.??

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/07/16885170-panetta-on-benghazi-attack-pentagon-did-all-that-we-could-do?lite

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REVIEW ? Huggy Kissy Children's Book : Mom Knows It All. ? PR ...

Huggy Kissy

• Author: Leslie Patricelli
• Board book: 26 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk edition (December 11, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763632465
• ISBN-13: 978-0763632465

ABOUT CANDLEWICK BOOKS

Candlewick Press is one of the leading publishers of children?s books since 1992. Candlewick began as a publisher of picture books for young children, but since then have grown to include a wide range of books for all ages: board books to e-books to fiction books for older readers.

MY THOUGHTS

I was given the opportunity to review two of Candlewick?s books about love, right on time for Valentine?s Day.

Huggy Kissy by Leslie Patricelli is an adorable board book recommended for ages 1-3 with bright, simple illustrations sure to delight any young ?reader?. This book follows a baby as he delights in all the kisses and hugs he receives all day, from his parents kissing his feet and tummy to his grandma?s lipstick-covered kisses. I love the simple language used. With just a few words on each page, the book keeps the focus on the most important part to a baby or toddler: the pictures.

Visit Candlewick?s website http://www.candlewick.com, where you can download the most current catalog of books, learn more about the company, and read about the authors and illustrators behind the books.

The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

Tags: Candlewick Press, children's books, Huggy Kissy

Category: Reviews

Source: http://www.valmg.com/index.php/2013/review-huggy-kissy-childrens-book/

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I'm Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, and This Is How I Work

Since kicking off the How I Work series last summer, nothing has been praised by our interviewees as many times as Evernote. (Seriously, we counted.) The free, cross-platform app does just about anything you could want to stay productive: note-taking, task management, web page archiving, recipe storage, and more?and has collected a dedicated fanbase since launching in 2008. Naturally, we had to find out what Phil Libin, the man behind Evernote, uses to stay organized. We caught up with him to chat about apps (of course), workspaces, and so much more.

Name: Phil Libin
Occupation: CEO, Evernote
Current mobile device: Oh so many. I guess the iPhone 5 is what I consider my "personal" phone and the new iPad is my tablet of choice.
Current computer: I just got the new iMac at home. So well designed, right down to the crazy box it arrives in. Main laptop is a Macbook of some kind.
One word that best describes how you work: Honorificabilitudinitatibus. Ok, I admit, I was just looking for a really long word, but it means, "the state of being able to achieve honors", which is actually a pretty good description of what it's like to work with the amazing team at Evernote. My second choice was Rindfleischetikettierungs?berwachungsaufgaben?bertragungsgesetz. That's German for "cattle marking and beef labeling supervision duties delegation law," and is also not too far off the mark.

What's apps/software/tools can't you live without?

Well, there's Evernote, naturally. Seems a bit d?class? to tout your own product, but we make it to be indispensable for us, and by "us" I mean "me."

Of course I can't imagine life without the fundamental tools of humanity: Google, Wikipedia, GPS, Fire, The Wheel. That's the real magic of the human brain; how quickly it rewires itself around a fundamental new tool as soon as you really grok it. Think about it: at some point in your life you didn't understand the concept of "hammer", and then you understood it and the whole world changed in front of your eyes. Now, when you look at the world, you do it with the understanding that hammers exist. Same thing for the inclined plane. Same thing for Skype. One day you're worrying about how you'll pay for that call and the next day you just know that you can talk to anyone at any time. That's what we aspire to build at Evernote. Something fundamentally tool.

Uber is kind of becoming that way for me these days. I've decided that the future of the Internet in cars is that somebody else drives while I sit in the back seat and do whatever I want. Can't wait for the self driving car.

Also can't wait for smart glasses. All my life, I've been looking at things with glasses that aren't projecting useful stuff into my eyeballs. Like a sucker. It's high time that stopped.

What's your workspace like?

The Evernote office is all open seating. My desk is the messiest. We don't have any desk phones, but lots of conference rooms if you want to talk to someone.

Pictured above: Phil's desk.

My home office setup is finally pretty sweet, after many months of seemingly endless work. I've got a little room to myself with a wallpaper that's a giant map of London. I tried to get a map of The Shire, but London was the closest thing they had. It still has place names like 'Battersea Fields,' 'Westham Abbey Marsh' and 'Barking Reach,' which I find relaxing for some reason. I painted the door to my home office dark green and put in outdoor-style hardware like locks, a knocker and a mail slot. This way, when I go to work at home, I kind of feel like I'm actually going somewhere. I admit that this is pretty stupid. I've also got a little outdoor deck where I can sit with my laptop and a dram of scotch and catch up on email while looking out over some nice hills and water.

What do you listen to while you work?

When I'm at the office, I like to keep a high level of situational awareness about what other people are doing around me so I don't listen to anything else. When I'm working at home, I play The Hobbit dwarves humming "Misty Mountain Cold" over and over and over again on my Sonos speakers until my wife tells me that I have a serious problem.

What's your best life hack?

My best life hack is actually the opposite of a shortcut and certainly doesn't save any time. It's pretty awesome, though, and makes me much happier and more productive in the long run: I don't work on airplanes. I sleep, I play Minecraft, I read (non-work stuff), I watch movies, I daydream. I don't work. It's great. Makes me look forward to that 13 hour flight to Japan! I work at every other time, though. Sure, I lose some productivity on airplanes, but getting rid of all the pre-flight dread more than makes up for it.

What's your favorite to-do list manager?

You know, I don't actually have one. I use Evernote, which isn't particularly great for to-dos yet. Yet.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can't you live without?

You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I'm a big fan of all the quantified self stuff: the Jawbone Up, Fitbit, iHealth, Nike Fuel, etc. Big fan of Sonos as well. I wouldn't necessarily die without it, but I would be less happy at home.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

I'm an introvert. Definitely. I don't think I've ever started up a conversation with a person I didn't know in my entire life. Well, one time I did say "hi" to an attractive girl while walking in a park in Boston but we've been married for 16 years now, so I never have to do that again.

Pictured above: Phil jumping outside the Evernote office.

What's your sleep routine like?

I actually sleep really well; it's sort of my core competency; I can fall asleep anywhere, at any time, on command. My brain doesn't understand time zones and I don't get jet lag. This is my super power. I go to sleep at random times and wake up at random times, but I probably get about eight hours of sleep on average. I know how incredibly lucky this makes me.

What's everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

I'm good at combining other people's good ideas. That's the main gist of being a CEO, I think.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

First, I'm going to tell you the best advice I've ever given: a friend of mine was sad that he didn't have a girlfriend, so I told him, "You know how when you first walk into your house, the first thing you see is that bookcase by the door?"

And he said, "uh huh."

And I said, "And how, on that bookcase you have your boxed set of all the old Star Trek movies on VHS?"

And he said, "yeah."

And I said, "And how, since you have them lined up in chronological order, the art on the spines of the tapes comes together to form a picture of the USS Enterprise?"

And he said, "right."

"Mix up those tapes."

He was married a year later.

Best advice I ever got was: Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right B, A, Start.

Is there anything else you'd like to add for readers/fans?

I think it's important to have an identity mug. That's a coffee cup that you always carry around the office so that it becomes associated with you. It shouldn't be too crazy. You have to think really hard about this before you come up with the perfect mug that represents you. Now here's the trick: as soon as you find one, buy a bunch of them and hide all but one. That way, if you misplace it, you've got several backups. It'd be a shame to spend eighteen months building up an identity mug only to lose it and have to start from scratch. Classic amateur mistake, that.

Also, I want to know how to make Evernote better! Email me and let me know.

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The How I Work series asks heroes, experts, brilliant, and flat-out productive people to share their shortcuts, workspaces, routines, and more. Every Wednesday we'll feature a new guest and the gadgets, apps, tips, and tricks that keep them going. Have someone you'd kill to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Tessa.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/BzhKe1gQOLE/im-phil-libin-ceo-of-evernote-and-this-is-how-i-work

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