Veteran Stage, Screen and Star Trek Actor Leonard Nimoy Passes Away, Aged 83

Veteran actor and director Leonard Nimoy has passed away aged 83.

The actor, who was best known for his portrayal of the half-Vulcan science officer Mr. Spock from the Star Trek franchise, was also notable for directing two of the Star Trek movies (the third and fourth instalments, respectively), as well as the popular 1987 comedy Three Men And A Baby.



Tributes to this iconic TV and film personality have flooded in from all angles, from Canadians defacing their $5 banknotes by ‘Spocking’ them, to a unique and exceptionally touching tribute from astronaut Terry W. Virts, who took a photo of a Vulcan salute given whilst aboard the International Space Station, just as the vessel passed over the actor’s home town of Boston, Massachusetts.

Further tributes from Nimoy's colleagues in the arts and entertainment industries, and elsewhere, have been touching and, at times, surprising.

Long time co-star William Shatner (who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series, as well as 7 of the related feature films), said of Nimoy "I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love." George Takei, also a Star Trek co-star, called him not only an “extraordinarily talented man” but also noted that he was “a very decent Human being”.

US President Barack “I loved Spock” Obama said of Nimoy that he was, "a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time." Such an admirer of Nimoy's was the US President, that when they met in 2007, Obama actually greeted him with a Vulcan salute.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, praised Nimoy for making “the journey into the final frontier accessible to us all”.

Fellow sci-fi Actor Christopher Judge, whose film credits include The Dark Knight Rises, but who is most famous for his portrayal of Teal'C in TV's 'Stargate SG-1' Tweeted, “RIP Mr Nimoy. I hope my eyebrow made you proud. It was a ten year homage to you sir. You are my hero. Indeed”

The flood of tributes directed at Nimoy's passing not only reflect his status as an icon of television and film, but also his generosity of spirit.

In 2014, actor Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekhov in Star Trek, revealed that Nimoy had personally appealed to the show's producers to have African American actress Nichelle Nichols' pay raised to equal that of co-stars Koenig and George Takei, which they then did. Nimoy also refused to voice the character of Mr. Spock in Star Trek: The Animated Series unless the producers first hired Nichols and Takei, who had not been cast at that time. For this, and many other acts of kindness on set, 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry was known to refer to Nimoy as “the conscience of Star Trek”.

Speaking following her long-time colleague's death, Nichols, 82, said, “His vision and heart are bigger than the universe. I will miss him very much and send heartfelt wishes to his family."

Away from Star Trek, Nimoy was also notable for his occasional TV appearances in The Simpsons and Futurama, as well as his hosting of paranormal series In Search Of... and his recurring role in Mission: Impossible.

Nimoy also appeared in small parts, or Guest Star slots in iconic US shows such as Dragnet, Wagon Train (which is ironic, as Trek creator Gene Roddenberry originally pitched his show as Wagon Train to the stars!), Bonanza, Columbo Rawhide, The Man From U.N.C.L.E and, more recently, Big Bang Theory.

Other fan-favourite credits include his voicing of the character Galvatron in the cult 1986 animated feature Transformers: The Movie and his performance in 1978's critically-acclaimed Invasion of the Body Snatchers re-make.

Early in his career, Nimoy also enjoyed a small role in the 1954 science fiction movie Them! which has since come to be viewed as a classic creature feature.

Leonard Nimoy was also a noted stage actor, appearing in plays such as The Fiddler On The Roof, an adaptation of Ken Keseys novel One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (in which he played McMurphy), Sherlock Holmes, The King And I, My Fair Lady, Equus and Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

He also wrote, directed and starred in Vincent, a play based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh, which he later published in book form.

Away from acting completely, Nimoy was a qualified pilot, a published photographer and sometime musician. He could also read and speak fluent Yiddish. He was also active in several charitable organisations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Foundation For Equal Rights and most famously, the Nimoy Foundation, which was created to “encourage, recognise and support the work of artists” by granting money to aspiring creators.

Nimoy, also a successful author who published a two-volume autobiography beginning with I Am Not Spock and ending with I Am Spock, was also known as a poet, publishing several volumes throughout his later life, some of which also included his photography.

It is fitting, then, that Leonard Nimoy's final words to his many fans were warm and poetic. Just a few days before he died, Leonard left this message on his Twitter page, “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.”

Leonard Nimoy was more than just a legendary TV and film actor; he was a sweet and noble soul. An artist, an inspiration and an ever-popular presence in any role he performed, be it as an alien explorer, a husband and father, or even a grandfather. LLAP.

How Does a 2 Way Radio Work? (Asked by Neil from Reading)

Hi Neil,

Did you get a two way radio set from Santa by any chance? Lol.

Anyway, onto your question...

A two way radio basically is a radio that can send and receive signals. If a radio can both transmit and receive, it is known as a transceiver (see what they did there?) Two or more users can use a transceiver in order to communicate on a shared channel.

Essentially, a two way radio works by receiving radio waves through the air and broadcasting a return signal. The antenna on the radio houses a series of electrons, which dictate the channel being picked up by the user (different groups of electrons will respond to different channels). These electrons translate the radio waves into electrical impulses, which are then fed to a small processor. The processor then converts the impulses into a signal and the radio’s speakers then play that signal. The whole process, amazingly, is pretty much instant.

Two way radios convert sound into radio waves and also convert radio waves into sound. Ergo, I can speak to you, like so:

Chris: “Hi Neil. Can you hear me? Over”

Once I push the PTT (push to talk) button and speak, the vibrations of my voice shake a small membrane inside my radio’s microphone (not a million miles removed from the one that exists in the human ear). My radio’s processor then converts those vibrations into a simple electrical signal. The radio pushes the signal to the antenna, which then pushes it out on the audio channel selected.

The electrons in your antenna become excited (steady on there, fella!) and translate the waves into electrical impulses, which are then ‘decoded’ by the processor and played out via your speakers.

So, you hear this on your radio and you reply.

Neil: “Hey 2wayradionline. Yeah, I can hear you just fine. Thanks for the answer. Over”

Whereupon the entire process takes place all over again.

And so on...

I hope that answers your question. Have fun, 2wayradionline.co.uk!

Jawbone earpiece makes it easier to love smartphones

You can discover this orignal article post at www.thestar.com

Jawbone began making it easier to love Siri, Google Now or other virtual assistants in a hint at the future portrayed in the Oscar-nominated filmHer.

The San Francisco-based company behind sophisticated and stylish wireless ear pieces released a new ERA model packing big technology in a diminutive form and enabling users to speak more naturally with software on their mobile devices.

"I hope they don't fall in love with their operating systems, but they will at least rekindle a relationship with voice commands," Jawbone audio product manager Gernard Feril said while providing AFP an early look at the new ERA.

Feril was making a playful reference to the Spike Jonze film Her starring Joaquin Phoenix, who plays a man who falls in love with a personal computer operating system.

Advanced Siri and Google Now software, which combine natural language exchanges with contextual awareness and even anticipating what users might want, have created a place for an ERA ear piece with enhanced technology for speaking to smartphones as one would a person, according to Feril.

Jawbone built in wide-band audio, high-quality microphones, and NoiseAssassinsoftware to block out unwanted sounds to make voice quality closer to what is found in Internet telephone calls than in typical ear pieces.

Being able to speak commands and have spoken exchanges with virtual assistants through the ear piece frees people to either ignore smartphone screens or use them for other tasks, such as e-mail, games or maps.

"This device has become so powerful," Feril said of the smartphone in his hand, "that holding it to your face limits what you're doing."

And, as screen sizes of mobile devices have grown, they become awkward to hold up to faces, he noted.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show gadget extravaganza that played out recently in Las Vegas was rife with headsets. Jawbone set out to distinguish itself with a tiny, high-quality ear piece crafted with style and brains to complement smartphone lifestyles.

Feril billed ERA as the smallest, lightest, best-sounding ear piece available.

ERA was priced at US$99 (RM300) at www.jawbone.com, but could be purchased with a protective charging case for US$130 (RM390) to increase talk time to 10 hours from four. The ear piece was less than half the size of its predecessor.

Since ERA is tiny, Jawbone added a "locator" feature that signals an ear piece to chirp to disclose where it is.A Jawbone "Nerd" USB device can be used to automatically synch the ear piece to laptop computers.

"It's the Internet-of-me," Feril said. "It is not about the things, it is about the person. You can see that, at least in Spike Jonze's interpretation, the Internet is going to be with you at all times."

What Is an Earpiece?

This was originally posted on http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-earpiece.htm, credit should go them as this is a interesting article.

Broadly speaking, an earpiece refers to anything that functions by either covering the ear, or hanging near the ear. In this broad category are the parts of an eyeglass frame that extend over the ear, and any material specifically designed to fit into the ear and block off the entry of sound or water. The most common meaning of an "earpiece" however is an electronic device that converts electronic signals into sound waves, and directs them into the ear. In this context, the earpiece can also be called an electronic-acoustic transducer.

Originally, the earpiece was the only way of listening to electronically-generated audio signals. Thereafter, amplifiers were developed, and the role of earpieces became more a matter of personal preference than necessity. Nowadays, earpieces are used for convenience â€" where privacy is desired, or where mobility is important. Depending on its design, an earpiece can also be variously known as headphones, ear buds, stereo phones or headsets.

what is an earpieceEarpieces can be organized broadly into two categories â€" wired earpieces and cordless or wireless earpieces. The wireless types use either radio waves or infrared signals to connect to the signal sources. Earpieces for CD players, computers or mobile phones are some examples. A signal transmission link is used, like Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi.

The wired earpiece has to be physically attached to a signal source. To facilitate this, jacks at the end of the cords are inserted into the signal source. Jack sizes have been standardized, and the most common size is the 3.5 millimeter (about 0.2 inches) that was brought into the market by the Sony Company in 1979. The much older, 1/4 inch (about 6.4 mm) jack is now used only in professional equipment. When wiring up the stereo jacks, the tip is always the left channel, the portion in between is the right channel, and the outer sleeve is the ground.

The use of ear buds has a profound impact on how one perceives sound. This is because an earpiece feeds the sound directly into the eardrums, without the normal acoustic contouring by the listener’s head and outer ear that normal loudspeakers give scope for. Lacking these spatial references, the brain then imagines the sound to be in a straight line within the head and between the ears. This strips the sound of its 3 dimensional effect, otherwise produced by the normal loudspeakers.

From their shapes and sizes, earpieces can be placed into four categories. The circum-aural types have large pads that surround the outer ear. They are most commonly used in recording studios. The supra-aural headphones fit just over the ear, without fully surrounding it. Ear buds are designed to fit inside outer ear’s canal. However, they don’t fully cover the canal, and exterior sounds can still be heard around them. In contrast, canal phones, the fourth category, fit snugly into the ear’s canal, and effectively block off the external sounds.

Here Are More AM Suggestion

The supplier of the article post is here - this website

I thought you should know that the FCC has just licensed a digital TV station with an ancillary service in the form of an analog FM radio station. This new service can create thousands of powerful FM radio stations, which can be leased to current AM radio stations now struggling with broadcast difficulties.

Recent studies have shown that the 0.62 MHz now unused by DTV stations can be efficiently employed for other services, with no interference to or from either the DTV reception or, for example, FM radio reception. No new spectrum, or change in current spectrum use, is required. FM receivers, which can receive all VHF and UHF TV stations’ analog audio, were readily available since the 1980s from many manufacturers, and could easily be again.

The first DTV station licensed to broadcast this added analog FM is W26DC-D in New York. No interference of any kind has been observed. It uses the upper 200 kHz of the digital channel for monaural analog FM, and is well received by the older FM radios mentioned above. (Stereo FM analog, and digital radio, could also be broadcast.)

The FCC had previously shown concern that this added ancillary service might adversely affect new cochannels, but this has been disproved for the specific conditions employed.

This extended use of DTV spectrum could solve the problems of current AM radio stations by allowing them all to migrate to this new FM band, with no need to disturb any existing service. All that is needed is an FM transmitter output injected into the antenna line of a full- or low-power digital television station.

I hope advantage can be taken by the radio and television industry of this novel spectrum use.



Richard D. Bogner

Retired, Former President and Owner

Island Broadcasting Co.

Roslyn, N.Y.



ENFORCE THE RULES

As a major player in the world of AM radio and as one who is vested deeply, I am continually amazed at people who are not invested trying to tell us how to live.

AM radio in itself needs no improvement!! It works just fine. The problem is simple: The FCC has dropped the ball and fails to recognize the problem is the environment surrounding it. It is man-made interference that has caused the problem, and if the commission had enforced the incidental radiation rules, we would not be compromised as we are today.

All these hearings and meetings always attack the AM spectrum itself. It is just plain wrong! Enforce the rules and make sure radio manufacturers build good radios.

I listen to AM with my Icom Ham Radio with its digital noise blanker and love every moment of it.

Tom King’s article (“King Lays Out ‘Critical Steps’”) in the Sept. 24 Radio World was right on â€" except for C-Quam, which was a disaster.

Just because the inventor of the best stereo for AM was a eccentric old man and didn’t have a ton of money to spread around in the propaganda war The Commission selected C Quam. They said it was in the public interest... The Washington bureaucrats wouldn’t know public interest if it hit them in the backside. Face it â€" AM broadcasters, we have been screwed by the government. Maybe if some of these high-test consultants would get their heads out of their backsides we could salvage AM.

God bless you, Mr. King, but the Kahn system rules.



Ed De La Hunt

Owner

De La Hunt Broadcasting

Kelliher, Minn.



LATE TO THE PARTY

The problem with NextRadio and iHeartRadio (“Coleman Says Demand ‘Strong’ for NextRadio,” radioworld.com, Aug. 1) is that they are a few years too late to the party.

All of the college kids I know (and I work for a college radio station) use the free app from TuneIn Radio.     If you’re not on represented on TuneIn, you’re not really streaming anyway.

Students don’t like to have a separate app for every station they listen to. That just causes clutter on their device … and TuneIn even has some AM stations represented.



Bart Jones

Chief Engineer

KFKX(FM)

Hastings College



Hastings, Neb.

http://www.radioworld.com/article/here-are-more-am-suggestions/273542

Stick this thing in your ear to lose weight

Say hello to the BitBite, a wearable health coach that you stick in your ear to help you improve your eating habits. Oh, and it's a fully functional Bluetooth headset too.

Today's entrant in the world of weird wearables is BitBite, a new device that monitors how much you eat, as well as the type of food you consume. Did we mention that you stick it in your ear?

BitBite has a small, contoured design that its creators claim is built to perfectly fit your ear for maximum comfort. To use BitBite, just put the patent-pending earpiece in your ear at mealtime, and the gadget will, using a built-in microphone and sensors, automatically track how quickly or slowly you chew your food and how much food you're taking in. It then sends that information via Bluetooth to an app that analyzes the data.

You can even talk to BitBite, via the mic, to tell it what you're eating (no lying now!), which further lets the product assess your habits and coach you in real time to do better.

For example, BitBite can tell you to PUT THE DOUGHUT DOWN, DUDE and opt for a piece of fruit instead, and it can remind you to slow your chewing down so you become more mindful of your body's cues and stop eating when you're feeling full.

All this information is managed with a connected app for iOS and Android devices. From what we've seen of the app so far, it seems well designed and presents users with a ton of information -- from the amount of bites taken to the amount of protein, carbs and fat ingested.

In addition to being able to track your eating habits, BitBite also functions as a Bluetooth headset, though its battery life -- three hours on a single charge -- will probably have you reaching for the charger often if you plan to use BitBite as a Bluetooth earpiece. The company says the battery life is good enough for three days of monitoring your food intake, however.

BitBite has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help bring its product to market, and has raised $27,813 of its $60,000 goal as of this writing. The current price for one BitBite unit for early backers is $109 (about £69.39, AU$125.02), and that will jump to $119 (about £75.75, AU$136.51) once the 200 earlybird units have been reserved. Each unit comes with a USB charger and a wristband or clip so you don't lose the BitBite while it's not in use, and shipments are expected to begin in June 2015.



BitBite looks to be a compelling product that could help users adopt healthier habits, but you will have to deal with the fact that you're going to be that person walking around with a weird thing in your ear to help you get there.

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/bitbite-stick-this-thing-in-your-ear-to-lose-weight/

How Does Spy Earpiece Work?

The spy earpiece is a gadget of the future that facilitates our lives. With the spy earpiece invisible communication is performed in most troublesome situations when cover assistance is necessary.



The main feature of the spy earpiece is its complete invisibility. First of all, the spy earpiece goes in beige hue that is very close to skin color. So when you insert it into the ear, nobody can even notice it. Besides, the spy earpiece can boast of super tiny dimensions that ensure absolute invisibility of the gadget when it is in the ear.

The good news is the spy earpiece is available on the market in diverse gadget sets. The most popular of them are Bluetooth Set, Watch Set, MP3 Set and Glasses Set. Each one of the sets listed above has an in-built transmitter and a microphone (in the loop for Bluetooth and MP3, in the bow of the glasses and on the reverse side of the watch). Thanks to the transmitter, the gadget gets connected to the cell phone. And thanks to the sensitive microphone your partner will hear your every word even if you whisper. So, as you can see the spy earpiece set consists of the transmitter with an embedded microphone and a spy earpiece with a battery.

It is pretty easy to use the spy earpiece. What you have to do is the following sequence of steps:

· Put the transmitter. If you use the Bluetooth or MP3 spy earpiece set, you are supposed to put on the loop round your neck. Make sure that the loop is properly hidden under your clothes. For Spy earpiece Watch set you put on the watch on your wrist, and for Spy earpiece Glasses set â€" just use it like ordinary glasses.

· Insert the battery into the spy earpiece. Every set comes with a detailed guidance for that, so don’t be afraid of doing something wrong. Anyway, if the quality of sound is unsatisfactory, try to change the position of the battery.

· Put the spy earpiece into the ear. Here you should remember that you always have to clean ear canals beforehand. Otherwise, the spy earpiece filter will choke up with earwax and sound will deteriorate significantly. In the worst case the spy earpiece will fail to work.

· Make a call. When you are ready with preparations just make a call and put the cell phone into your pocket. You won’t need it any more. Now the covert communication is established. You can hear what your partner is saying.

· Pull the spy earpiece out. This is very easy to do thanks to a special ejection cord every spy earpiece has. You can see it in any picture.

· Take out the battery. Be careful about pulling out the battery. You have to do it only with the help of a paper pin so that not to damage the spy earpiece. In case you won’t take it out, the battery will discharge.

With the help of the spy earpiece you will never feel embarrassed and confused when speaking in public, writing a test, having an interview or taking an exam. The spy earpiece will help you to feel confident and be successful.

Source - http://osanellona.hubpages.com/hub/How-Does-Spy-Earpiece-Work