acidophiles lumen: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

US women top NKorea 1-0, win Olympic soccer group

United States' Abby Wambach, bottom center, celebrates with teammates including Megan Rapinoe, top, after scoring against North Korea during their group G women's soccer match at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

North Korea's Choe Yong Sim, center, fights for the ball against United States' Abby Wambach during their group G women's soccer match at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ? Abby Wambach became the first non-British woman to score a goal at Old Trafford. She and her teammates celebrated by coercing Hope Solo to get on the ground and do "the worm."

There were other such moments unfamiliar to the venerable home of Manchester United on Tuesday, when chants of "U-S-A!" echoed for the Americans' 1-0 win over North Korea in front of 29,522 fans ? easily the largest crowd ever to occupy the familiar red seats for a women's game.

"The worm at Old Trafford! Are you kidding me?" Solo said.

The victory gave the U.S. team first place in its group with three wins in three games, the first time the Americans have ever swept their group opponents in Olympic play. They were already assured a berth in the next round entering the game, and they'll now move on to Newcastle for a quarterfinal match on Friday against New Zealand.

Although claiming to be a reluctant participant, Solo and captain Christie Rampone flopped to the ground after Wambach's goal in the 25th minute. The other nine players joined hands, wriggled their arms like a giant worm and pointed to the pair of players doing the funky dance move from the 1970s and '80s.

"Hope doesn't get involved in the celebrations very often," Wambach said. "And so we wanted to get her involved, and she said the worm is one of the things that she can contribute, so we kind of planned it out before the game. Thankfully we got the goal so that we could actually display it."

Solo could probably pick any dance she wanted, having appeared on "Dancing With the Stars" last year. Wambach said the celebration was a late birthday present for the goalkeeper, who turned 31 on Monday, but it also served to reinforce team camaraderie after Solo's recent Twitter rant that prompted a meeting with the coach and captains.

"I think that Hope prefers the wins and the shutouts as birthday presents," Wambach said. "But it was great to get her involved because it makes us feel what the game is about. It's about fun. It's about laughing and enjoying it out there ? because how often are you going to say you played at Old Trafford and scored a goal?"

Old Trafford had hosted only domestic women's games previously. The last one was an FA Cup final in 1989 that drew less than 1,000 fans.

"You think of the great players that have played out there before us, and the goals that have been scored," defender Amy LePeilbet said. "It's one of the highlights of my career."

The North Koreans finished with a 1-2 record in the group and still had a chance to advance, but they were eliminated later in the day when New Zealand claimed the final quarterfinal berth with a win over Cameroon.

North Korea is ranked in the top 10 in the world, but it remains an unknown in women's soccer because players and officials have limited interaction with other teams. The country sent a very young squad to these Olympics: The average age of 19 years, 11 months made it look like a junior club next to the Americans, who checked in at 28 years, 1 month.

"Our team is made up of very young players, so there is nobody who can blame them for not doing well," coach Sin Ui Gun said through an interpreter. "This time it was a great experience for them."

North Korea finished Tuesday's game with 10 players after Choe Mi Gyong was sent off with a second yellow card in the 81st minute following a tackle on Lauren Cheney.

With a place in the next round assured, U.S. coach Pia Sundhage had her players take it easy in the second half, slowing the pace of play to keep the legs fresh for the quarterfinals. North Korea nearly capitalized with a tying goal, producing several scoring threats in a three-minute stretch that forced Solo to the ground twice.

"There were times when we could have possessed the ball better," Sundhage said. "We were a little bit naive, naive in the middle. I can see the players want to do some great things out there ? it is the Olympics ? but sometimes we could have been a little bit smarter and kept the ball."

Mostly, however, Solo had plenty of downtime to think about her next series of tweets. She ruffled feathers after the last game by using Twitter to criticize NBC analyst and former U.S. player Brandi Chastain's commentary. Despite the meeting with the coach, Solo didn't back down her comments and said Tuesday the team wasn't affected by any distractions.

"Do you see the way our team is performing?" Solo said. "We're having fun. We're scoring goals. We swept our group. I don't think there's any distractions."

The goal came on a play set up by Cheney's long ball to Alex Morgan, who slid a pass between two defenders to Wambach for an easy tap-in and her third goal of the tournament. Morgan and Wambach both hit the right post in the first half, part of a series of near-misses that kept the score close.

"Even though some of us played 90 minutes, it was definitely a restful game for a lot of us, which is the most important thing," Wambach said. "Because we need fresh legs going in the quarterfinals, which is where the fun begins. You lose and you go home."

___

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-31-OLY-SOC-North-Korea-US/id-0fce711828fb491dbbf2160620029b12

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Lois Paul & Partners moves into GSD&M building - Austin Real Estate

Boston-based Lois Paul & Partners LLC is moving its Austin team into a new office. The communications company will move into larger office space in the GSD&M building at 828 W. Sixth St. from its former location in the Bank of America Center at Sixth Street and Congress Avenue, company officials said in a press release. LP&P has also hired Judy Racino and Jason Deal as senior account managers. In October 2011, Radvision Ltd. named LP&P its agency of record. Austin clients of LP&P include?

Austin Real Estate article courtesy of Sarah Drake who writes for Austin Business News - Local Austin News | Austin Business Journal. You can find the original post at Austin Business News - Local Austin News | Austin Business Journal.

Thanks for reading!

Source: http://www.affinityproperties.com/wordpress/2012/07/30/lois-paul-partners-moves-into-gsdm-building/

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Home Based Business Advice You Should Pay Attention To ...

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A significant distinction between running your own house business and becoming hired by someone else, is you will probably have to discover to control your own time. Firm and environment goals is essential. In case you are not objective driven, you can actually realise you are investing considerable time carrying out a great deal of practically nothing. Remember to produce and set weekly and everyday desired goals yourself. You can then organize around these goals just like you would at almost every other task.

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Source: http://answers.apostoliccm.com/2012/07/home-based-business-advice-you-should-pay-attention-to/

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drivethruhr: RT What can we learn from the NCAA?s Punishment of Penn State? http://t.co/8rtvFMME @HrRemix #dthr #hr

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Source: http://twitter.com/drivethruhr/statuses/229891032337240064

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Police: 3 shot in Miami after man visits family

MIAMI (AP) ? Miami police say they are searching for a man who they say has shot at least three people.

Detective William Moreno said Sunday that 23-year-old Erin Cash is wanted on charges of attempted murder. Moreno says Cash was driving when a woman jumped out of the car, and he then continued on to visit relatives with a child in the car with him. The woman was not identified, but Moreno described the incident as a domestic violence situation.

Cash then went to visit family members and started shooting, wounding at least three people. The shooting victims have not been identified, and their conditions were not immediately known.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-3-shot-miami-man-visits-family-162225923.html

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Marta says Brazil women relaxed

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ? Marta is feeling something different this time. She can tell by the way her teammates are acting. She can tell by how she is behaving.

This time, she says, there is a sense that things won't go wrong again for Brazil's women's soccer team ? the way they have so many times before. There is a feeling that this could finally be the time Marta and her teammates can be the ones celebrating a major title at the end.

After two wins in two matches, Marta says the team is at ease, shrugging off the pressure and carrying just the right amount of confidence to go after the elusive title.

"I'm feeling more comfortable and the entire group is feeling more comfortable," the five-time world player of the year told The Associated Press. "We all know that we have the potential to win this gold medal. It's our dream, it has been our dream since we began playing together. And match after match we are becoming more and more confident."

On the eve of their final Group E match against Britain in London, Marta said the immense pressure that always rests on Brazilian football teams ? men or women ? doesn't seem to be affecting the squad as much as in previous tournaments.

"I don't think that this time the team is too nervous when it enters the field," she said. "I feel the girls are calmer, they are just really conscious of the work that they need to do. They know what this team can do, they know that we can go all the way."

Marta and her talented teammates have come agonizingly close to a major triumph several times.

Brazil has finished second in the last two Olympics, falling to the United States both times in the gold medal match.

It also had a heartbreaking defeat to the Americans in the quarterfinals of last year's World Cup in Germany, when the team allowed a last-minute equalizer in extra time before eventually losing in the penalty shootout. In the 2007 World Cup final in China, it was Germany which ended Brazil's dreams of victory.

Brazil was fourth in the 1996 Atlanta Games and in the 2000 Sydney Games. Brazil's triumphs in women's football are limited to South American championships and gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games.

"I can tell that it's different now by the way I'm feeling before the matches," Marta said. "I'm not getting into the matches as nervous as other times in my career in these important competitions. I used to be a lot more anxious, wanting the games to start as soon as possible. Now there is a greater sense of calmness about what we have to do here."

The team is filled with veteran players and having an experienced squad may be making the difference this time. Many of the players have been in at least three Olympics and some even more. The 34-year-old midfielder Formiga is playing in her fifth.

Marta, who won five straight player of the year awards until losing the crown last year, is in her third.

"We've all been here before and we all know what to expect," she said. "We are optimistic but at the same time we are not getting overly confident. It feels we have just the right amount of focus."

Marta got two of Brazil's goals in the team's debut at the London Games. The Brazilians opened with a convincing 5-0 rout of Cameroon, when striker Cristiane became the top women's scorer in the Olympics with 11 goals, surpassing retired Germany star Birgit Prinz.

Cristiane then gave Brazil the victory in the second match, scoring an 86th-minute goal when the game seemed headed to a scoreless draw as the Brazilians struggled to get through the tight defensive scheme of the New Zealanders.

"We are learning after each match and we will be improving as the competition goes on," Brazil coach Jorge Barcellos said after the win that secured the team in the tournament's quarterfinals.

Marta said the United States remains the main team threatening to keep Brazil from winning again, although she also expects problems in a possible matchup against World Cup champion Japan. Britain could also make it difficult playing at home.

"We know it's not going to be easy no matter which team we play," Marta said. "But this time the feeling is that we can handle it."

---

Brazil has lost the last two Olympic gold medal matches to the United States. Here are highlights from the 2008 Beijing Games final:?

Watch highlights from the the United States' dramatic 1-0 victory over Brazil in the 2008 women's gold medal match in Beijing.

Source: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/soccer/marta-says-brazil-women-more-relaxed-at-2012-olympics.html

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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Freed-Hardeman alumnus named president of Tennessee Tech University

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Retiring president Bob Bell passes Tennessee Tech ceremonial mace to incoming president Philip Oldham. (Photo via Herald-Citizen)

A 1980 Freed-Hardeman University alum, Philip Oldham, is taking the helm as ?president of Tenneessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tenn. Oldham fills the top post as Bob Bell retires after 12 years as president.

The Herald-Citizen?reports:

Bell has worked with Oldham in the past and says he saw great potential and leadership in him from the start.

?I have known (Oldham) a number of years and he will be a great president,? Bell said. ?I am confident of what he is going to be doing. I am hoping to leave him in good standing so the university is as well poised as it can be.?

Oldham has spent the last several weeks doing lots of listening and getting familiar with the campus and community, he said.

?There is just a lot of richness to (the university),? Oldham said. ?I sort of knew it from a surface level, now I am beginning to drill down and see who the characters are and who the players in the different areas are and the personalities that are involved. Once you get to know the people, you begin to get a feel for, ?okay that?s why it works the way it does.? It is a whole lot easier to understand the dynamic. I have still got a lot more learning to do in that regard.?

Bell?s goal of leaving the university well poised is something Oldham says he is looking to build on.

Read the full story.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FaithfulnewsLatestRssFeed-AllContents/~3/OR4gO0LVaXg/freed-hardeman-alumnus-named-president-of-tennessee-tech-university

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Madonna 'faces legal action' after depicting ... - BBC World News

Madonna has been threatened with legal action after a swastika was pasted onto the forehead of French political party leader Marine Le Pen during her live show in France. Madonna caused a stir in France by suggesting National Front leader Marine Le Pen is a Nazi (Picture: EPA) Madge, who is embarking on her MDNA world tour, used the image during the song Nobody Knows Me, which featured the singer?s face on a screen interchanged with the faces of various political leaders and notable public figures. The shot that caused outrage was when her face was mixed with Le Pen?s, followed by the flashing of the Nazi symbol in a peeled away ?strip? of the party leader?s forehead. Mail Online reports that 43-year-old Le Pen had previously slammed the Girl Gone Wild singer for using shock tactics to stay relevant while performing in Israel. She said: ?We understand how old singers who need to get people talking about them go to such extremes. If she does that in France, we?ll be waiting?. The image mixed Madonna?s face with Le Pen?s showing a Swastika on her forehead National Front sources added that the entire party was offended by the stunt. ?We are not a Nazi party and object to be depicted as such? they told Mail Online. ?If you accuse the National Front of being anti-Semitic and racist then you accuse a fifth of the French people of being anti-Semitic and racist. If Madonna repeats this slur in France then she will certainly be taken to court?. Madonna caused uproar in Israel when she appeared on stage brandishing a machine gun, leading concert-goers to believe she was glamorising violence. The MDNA tour comes to Hyde Park in London on July 17. VIDEO: Madonna performing Nobody Knows Me

Source: http://bbc-worldnews.net/2012/07/madonna-faces-legal-action-after-depicting-french-politician-as-a-nazi/

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

Office Next blog is here to answer all your burning questions about the future of spreadsheets

Microsoft has this really great habit of publicly tracking the development of all its products. Windows 8 has been thoroughly documented over at the Building Windows 8 blog, and now Office will have its time to shine over at Office Next. The site will give the engineers and developers toiling away in Redmond an outlet to provide updates, discuss design decisions and offer peeks at the new features being baked in. It won't be just a place full of bullet lists either, PJ Hough, the VP of program management for the Office Division, promised in his inaugural post that the data and feedback that informs their choices will also be shared -- telling you not just what, but why. Is there anything new to share right now? Sadly no, but it probably won't be long before the pages of Engadget are filled with the minutia of Office 15's development.

Filed under: Software

Office Next blog is here to answer all your burning questions about the future of spreadsheets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, July 13, 2012

Alliant Energy Corporation's CEO Hosts Annual Shareholder Meeting (Transcript)

Executives

Patricia Kampling ? Chairman, President and CEO

Jack Buri ? Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel

Board of Directors

Patrick E. Allen ? Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Rockwell Collins

Michael Bennett ? Private Investor

Darryl Hazel ? Principal, Darryl B. Hazel Consulting

Singleton B. McAllister ? Partner at Blank Rome Law Firm

Ann Newhall ? Retired Executive

Dean C. Oestreich ? Consultant at Pioneer Hi-Bred International

David A. Perdue ? Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Group

Judith P. Pyle ? President and Chief Executive Officer of Judith Dion Pyle and Associates

Carol P. Sanders ? Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company

Alliant Energy Corporation (LNT) Alliant Energy Corporation Annual Shareholder Meeting 2012 May 17, 2012 2:00 PM ET

Patricia L. Kampling

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am Pat Kampling, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliant Energy Corporation. We are delighted to have you here with us today at Madison as we convene Alliant Energy Corporation?s 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareowners. Joining me on the stage this afternoon is Jack Buri, our Corporate Secretary.

At Alliant Energy safety is a priority and we begin each meeting with a safety share. Today?s safety share was submitted by our energy delivery group and it?s about urging everyone one here to be prepared for a weather emergency. Please do three simple things. First, put together an emergency supply kit. Second, have a plan and know what your options to remain safe if a severe storm strikes. And third, stay informed by monitoring the news and purchasing a weather radio.

I now ask that you all rise and join us for the singing of our national anthem. I would like to introduce our singers today, Rachel Barons Van Hist and Erin Dona, both employees in the communications department.

[National Anthem]

That was beautiful. Thank you very much. Please be seated. You had an opportunity to vote earlier. However, if you did not vote or may wish to do so now by visiting the shareholder services table located in the lobby. I will not be calling for voting from the floor today so please vote if you haven?t done so yet. Voting today will be for three items as set forth in the 2012 proxy statement. First the election of five directors and two separate classes, nominated for a term expiring in the year 2014 are Patrick E. Allen and me Patricia L. Kampling. And nominate for a term expiring in the year 2015 are Ann Newhall, Dean Oestreich and Carol Sanders.

Second item is for an advisory vote on compensation of the named executive officers of the company and the third item is for the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the company?s independent registered public accounting firm for the year 2012. For your information, the notice of annual meeting, the certificate of mailing and the minutes of the company?s 2011 annual meeting of shareowners are available for inspection at the shareowners services table.

I would now like to make a few introductions. Representatives of our independent registered public accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP are present at the meeting today and will be available for questions. Time relating the votes today are Todd May, Senior Vice President and Head of Shareowner Services at Wells Fargo, our transfer agent and from Alliant Energy Shareowner Services we have Carey Nelson and Joni Aeschbach. I do want to thank Joni, our manager of Shareowner Services for her nearly 40 years of service to the company. Joni will be retiring later this year and I want to personally thank her for her dedication to shareowners.

We?re also pleased to have representation of electrical workers 965 in Wisconsin as well as local the 204 in Iowa. We are glad that you could join us today and we do value our partnership with you. I would like to take a moment and recognize Bill Harvey. As you know, Bill retired from Alliant Energy early this year after serving for six years as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Bill led the company through an impressive refocusing phase, helping us to be financially stronger and delivering better service to our customers. I know I express the feelings of our employees and our directors when I say it was a pleasure working with Bill. We certainly miss his leadership, his sense of humor and his extensive vocabulary. Enjoy your time Bill, you earned it.

I am pleased that some of our retired directors and executives are with us today. We greatly appreciate the contributions these individuals made over the years and I appreciate your continued support. Would you like to stand and be recognized please? Thank you. You can now be seated.

At this time it?s my privilege to introduce Alliant Energy independent board of directors. Please hold your applause until all board members have been introduced. Patrick E. Allen, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Michael Bennett, private investor from Sioux City, Iowa. Mike is a chair of our nominating and governance committee and is our lead independent director. Darryl Hazel, principal of Darryl B. Hazel Consulting located in Detroit Michigan; Singleton B. McAllister, a partner at the law firm of Blank Rome located in Washington D.C; Ann Newhall, retired executive from Maple Grove, Minnesota. Ann is the chair of our compensation and personnel committee. Dean C. Oestreich, Consultant at Pioneer Hi-Bred International located in Johnston, Iowa. Dean is the chair of our environmental nuclear health and safety committee. David A. Perdue, Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Group from Sea Island, Georgia and Judith P. Pyle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Judith Dion Pyle and Associates located on Middleton, Wisconsin and Carol P. Sanders, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company located in Neenah, Wisconsin. Carol is the chair of our audit committee.

Would you all please stand? Please join me in thanking your board. Thank you. You may be seated. I would also like to recognize the officers of the company who have joined us here today. Would you please stand? I?d like to thank these talented individuals for their dedication and contributions that have made our company successful. Please join me in recognizing them. Thank you.

Jack has advised me that a quorum is represented in person or by proxy at this meeting today and now I would like to officially call the annual meeting to order. Now let?s turn to the three items that are to be voted on today. Your proxies will be inspected and the voter results are based on the balance received (inaudible) available.

Jack Buri

Yes chairman.

Patricia L. Kampling

Would you please read the result?

Jack Buri

A total of more than 91 million shares of common stock at the corporation, representing 82% of the shares outstanding and eligible to vote today are represented at this meeting. Each of the five nominees for director received a majority of the votes cast. The proposal for the shareowners to approve the compensation of the company?s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement received a majority of the votes cast. The proposal to ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche as the company?s independent registered public accounting firm for 2012 received a majority of the votes cast.

Patricia L. Kampling

Thank you, Jack. I now declare that the nominees all of them qualify to be a director are elected as directors of the company to a term expiring as described in the proxy. The proposal on a compensation of the named executives officers has been approved and the proposal to ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP to serve as the company?s independent registered public accounting firm for the year 2012 has been approved.

At this point, I propose that we end the business portion of the meeting. May I entertain a motion to adjourn? May I have a second motion? The business portion of this meeting is now adjourned.

Thank you once again for joining me here today for our Alliant Energy meeting of shareowners. While I can stand here and talk to you about the exciting things that are happening at the company, I?d rather show you. Therefore following my comments there will be a short video presentation that will provide you with a look at what?s going on at Alliant Energy as told by our employees. After the video, we will have our traditional question and answer session.

Before I begin, I need to remind you that the remarks I share with you today include forward looking statements as noted on this slide. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks that could cause actual results to be materially different. Those risks include, among other things, certain matters discussed in my remarks and in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

My goal today is to tell you a brief history of who we are and what we do. Our strategic plan and mission are built (inaudible). Whether we?re serving a home, school or a business, we know we play a vital role in everyday life. We will continue to keep the lights on and the energy flowing to those who depend on us. Our focus on maintaining competitive electric rates, especially during these challenging economic times, are benefiting our customers as you can see from the slide. Not only have we been working hard to manage customer rates, we?re also encouraging our customers to lower their usage through energy efficiency programs. We believe that our focus on meeting our customer needs is reflected in returns to you our shareowners. As shareowners, you received a 7.5% increase in your common dividend in 2011 and are realizing an additional 6% increase in 2012. We are pleased to reward your commitment and support of our company.

Our stock also performed very well in 2011. It began the year at $36.77 per share and closed the year at $44.11 per share, a 20% increase. Our capital investment in 2011 (inaudible) million in capital projects, which included reducing emissions of our generating fleet and reliability projects in the field. You will see some of these projects highlighted on the video and we made these significant investments while basically keeping customer rates flat. Now that?s a good story.

Unfortunately, a sluggish economy and uncertain environmental regulations continue. However, our company has a solid plan to succeed even with this uncertainty. With the talented employees at Alliant Energy, we can and will perform at a high level and continue the financial success you have come to expect. Although we will be spending an historic amount of capital, approximately $4 billion over the next four years, we are clearly focused on earning consistent returns on that capital while minimizing customer rate increases.

An important part of the Alliant Energy story is how we impact our communities. The Alliant Energy Foundation and the many employees and retirees that contribute their time, money and energy make the _ reserve even better places to live and do business. The responsibility that our company and employees have to our local communities (inaudible) to improving our environment. We continue to take aggressive steps to reduce our emissions from our coal fire plants. This includes adding emission controls at our largest, most efficient coal plants and the inevitable closure of our smaller, less efficient plants. Once these have occurred, we will significantly reduce emissions. That is good for us, good for our families and good for future generations. Not only do our environmental control projects improve the environment, but during construction we?re also creating hundreds of well paying jobs in our communities. We are pleased that we could contribute to the economic development in our communities during these challenging times.

Before I show the video, I must recognize the greatest asset at Alliant Energy, our people. I continue to be impressed with our employees and what they accomplish every day. We know we can count on our employees and they know they can count on Alliant Energy to provide a safe, respectful and welcoming work environment. Our employees are really special people. They are committed (inaudible) and they do truly care about our customers, our communities and each other. I can?t tell you how many people reached out to me to express their support since I took on my new role. I am proud to be leading this great workforce. I do appreciate their hard work and dedication.

Now I?d like to share a video with you highlighting some of our projects and activities that will better serve our customers. The story is told through the voice of our employees themselves. I think you?ll agree that we have remarkable people working at Alliant Energy and that they?re very dedicated to the success of your company.

[Videos playing]

I hope you now have a good sense of what we do and how we do it. We?re very proud to be sharing this information with you today. Thank you for listening to our story. Before I open up for the question-and-answer period, I do want to discuss one more important topic with you here today though, the tax treatment of your dividend. This issue has direct implications to you our investors. Dividends have provided you an important source of income and dividend paying stocks have raised funds needed for capital investments. We will work with our elected officials to encourage the extension of lower dividend and a couple of gains taxes. We need you to be an active voice in this discussion. Please go to defendmydividend.org and let your congressional representatives know you want to prevent the dividend tax hike.

The Wisconsin Utility Investor Group has a table in the back of the room and they can help you voice your support on these important issues. Wisconsin Utility Investors is a grassroots organization that has represented shareowners in Wisconsin investor owned utilities, including Alliant Energy, since 1980. We appreciate their presence here today.

Now I am pleased to open the floor to any questions you may have. In the interest of fairness, I would ask that you please adhere to the guidelines for shareowner questions and comments outlined in your program. We ask that you state your name, your hometown and verify that you are indeed a shareowner of Alliant Energy Corporation. Also in the interest of fairness, we ask (inaudible) two minutes. Further, for questions of a personal nature or relates to your pension or health insurance benefits, we ask that you please someone at the shareowner services table for assistance. There are two microphone stations located on the floor so if you have a question please provide to the microphone nearest you. If you have difficulty getting to one of the microphone stations, please raise your hand and one of our volunteers will bring a microphone to you. If you have more than one question, please limit your questions to one at a time to allow others an opportunity to ask their questions. I will now entertain questions from the floor.

Question-and-Answer Session

Patricia L. Kampling

Can you go to microphone number two please?

Ron Henry- Shareholder

My name is Ron Henry, Rosen Group Home Wisconsin. I?ve been a shareholder before Alliant Energy was Alliant Energy. My concern is this, (inaudible) regulatory environment and especially (inaudible) becoming more environmentally concerned. We have power plants that have been in operation since 1960s. We have an aging infrastructure and all those sorts of things kind of pile on to our corporate expense account. As a shareholder my concern is this, what steps are we taking proactively to ensure that we?re ahead of the game and not behind the game?

Patricia L. Kampling

That?s a very good question and we are taking steps very proactively. Starting with our strategic plan from a couple of years ago, we?ve really focused on our generating fleet knowing exactly that these rules, some known and some unknown, were coming down the path. So we?ve actually tiered our assets and as you see from the video, we?re in the process right now of making sure our largest, most efficient coal plants can comply with all the rules and they?ll be able to operate for decades to come. So we?re taking that step right now to make sure that they will comply and they will run and make sure it?s a low cost option for our customers to get power. So what we?re doing is looking at the middle, the tier two units that we referred (inaudible). We?re trying to find a lower cost solution (inaudible). We can?t economically afford the expense of the big controls that are going on in some of our large units, but we?re spending a lot of time making sure that there are options out there, affordable options to make those plants run.

But we?ve also added wind to our portfolio. We?re adding gas to our portfolio. We realize that we need a balanced generation mix in order to survive these environmental rules and again some of these rules we don?t even know them at this point. But our balanced generating portfolio will allow us to really comply with the rules and we started taking action a few years ago and you see as we progress with our strategic plan there?s more actions that we?ll be taking down the road. But we knew we could not do it all in a couple of years. So this is a staged process that we have to deal with those. Does that answer your question? Thank you. Question over here at number one?

Eileen Gibbs ? Shareholder

I?m Eileen Gibbs from Miramar, Wisconsin and I am a stockholder. What my question would be is, being a stockholder, would you consider giving us a rebate when the natural gas cars come in? Would you give the stockholders (inaudible) or rebate on buying one of these cars and also hooking up into our own garage so it can fill up in my garage versus down the road at the gas station which will definitely help Alliant Energy.

Patricia L. Kampling

That?s way ahead of your time here. That?s a great question and that?s something the industry is trying to deal with right now exactly how going back to natural gas cars, is that really the future and there?s a lot of people that think that might be the future. One thing I don?t know about a rebate to shareowners, but one thing that we would definitely consider work with our energy efficiency groups here because we usually get rebates through our energy efficiency programs. So if this is actually something that is going to catch on here in Wisconsin and I personally hope it does, then we?ll be working to make sure that there?s rebates available through the programs that we fund anyway. So we?ll make sure that that?s on our list though and we?re just at the beginning of trying to figure out how big gas is going to be for uses other than heating homes right now and using it in power plants. Very good question. Thank you. I have a question here at number two.

Unknown Shareholder

Yes. I?d like to know why we don?t have more PV generated electricity on the system. It seems to me that PV is a good peaker or at least it takes the place of a peaker and would cut back on our gas consumption. Also I?d like to know why we can?t reinstitute the program that would enable our customers to put more PV on their roofs. I have a daughter that has a $0.25 per kilowatt hour contract and 2.8 kilowatts peak on her roof and she generates more electricity than she uses. I have another follow on. Let?s take that one at this point.

Patricia L. Kampling

Sure. When you?ve got renewable standards, especially here in Wisconsin, it was more affordable for us to put wind as opposed to doing PV and again PV is very good and we?re very supportive of it. But the lowest cost for our customer was to really install wind. Going to your daughter and I?m very happy that your daughter was able to take advantage of that program, it was a very limited program and the way these programs work is that we work with our regulators and they give us an allowance of how much we can actually put in these different buckets of programs. That PV program was a very, very attractive program and your daughter must have gotten into it at the very front end of it because it did close very quickly.

But that money is all used up and on the latest rate cases that we?ve had here in Wisconsin, our allowance hasn?t been increased at all. So we?re really maxed out on that program. That?s something we work with our regulators on, but quite frankly what?s happening is the other customers are subsidizing that. So that?s why our regulators are very careful about how large those programs get because the other companies subsidize those. You have a follow up?

Unknown Shareholder

Yes. In regard to then on your long lines going out to the consumer where you have distributed energy problem, it would seem to me that PV would be a good solution with small, not small in size but small say five or six or seven large mills in conjunction with the distribution system that?s slightly in trouble that is going to be facing rebuild because of load factors. Would you consider adding wind and PV to that situation to alleviate the problem?

Patricia L. Kampling

In that situation of course you would consider it. That would always be one of the options that we?d look at. As I can see it right now I can?t think of a circumstance in our service territory where that would apply, but that is something that our team as they go out looking at reliability projects, that would be on their list of things that they would consider.

Unknown Shareholder

It would seem to me that that would be cheaper than putting these big wind farms and oil loading our high voltage distribution system which require very expensive rigs.

Patricia L. Kampling

Again (inaudible) circumstance where (inaudible) is cheaper than the mass plants that we build. When we?re building the larger plants you get really economies of scale. But that is something that I would make sure our distribution people do look at and we do have opportunities because other utilities are doing that in certain areas. They are finding that that?s a cheaper option and that?s something I?ll make sure our folks do look at.

Unknown Shareholder

What is our intention?

Patricia L. Kampling

Right now our intention, I don?t see where we have as part of our plan that solution applies to us right now. It might apply to us in a couple of years. I just don?t see that that applies to us right now though. I have a question here at number one.

Joan Sawyer ? Shareholder

Hi, I just have an observation. I?m Joan Sawyer. We?re from Sequim, Washington and we are shareholders. My eyesight has always been pretty good, but I see when we get home we?re going to have to have it checked because on your executive business people I saw no females and it?s just an observation. Thank you.

Patricia L. Kampling

A very good observation and it?s very visible and it?s something that I wish was different and it?s not. I?m very proud of our executive team right now. The lack of gender diversity is not where we want it to be and I respect your observation. Thank you. Any more questions? Thank you and as I close the meeting today, I invite you to stay and join me for refreshments. We thank you for coming today and appreciate your continued interest and support. I do want to thank the staff here at the Alliant Energy center. It?s a great place to gather and they always take very good care of us. And a special thanks goes to retirees and employees who graciously volunteer their time at the meeting today. Thank you for attending and please travel home safely.

Copyright policy: All transcripts on this site are the copyright of Seeking Alpha. However, we view them as an important resource for bloggers and journalists, and are excited to contribute to the democratization of financial information on the Internet. (Until now investors have had to pay thousands of dollars in subscription fees for transcripts.) So our reproduction policy is as follows: You may quote up to 400 words of any transcript on the condition that you attribute the transcript to Seeking Alpha and either link to the original transcript or to www.SeekingAlpha.com. All other use is prohibited.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HERE IS A TEXTUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S CONFERENCE CALL, CONFERENCE PRESENTATION OR OTHER AUDIO PRESENTATION, AND WHILE EFFORTS ARE MADE TO PROVIDE AN ACCURATE TRANSCRIPTION, THERE MAY BE MATERIAL ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INACCURACIES IN THE REPORTING OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE AUDIO PRESENTATIONS. IN NO WAY DOES SEEKING ALPHA ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS MADE BASED UPON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THIS WEB SITE OR IN ANY TRANSCRIPT. USERS ARE ADVISED TO REVIEW THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S AUDIO PRESENTATION ITSELF AND THE APPLICABLE COMPANY'S SEC FILINGS BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT OR OTHER DECISIONS.

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Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/720441-alliant-energy-corporation-s-ceo-hosts-annual-shareholder-meeting-transcript?source=feed

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DownsizeTheFeds: GOP Freshmen Vote to Move Farm Bill Out of Committee: http://t.co/0KckbE9Y

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://twitter.com/DownsizeTheFeds/statuses/223797179167424512

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Gunmen kill 9 police in Pakistan's Lahore

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-kill-8-security-officers-lahore-raid-032724298.html

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Gabor's husband appointed temporary conservator

FILE - In this 1978 file photo, Hungarian-born American actress Zsa Zsa Gabor is shown. A judge approved a settlement Wednesday July 11, 2012 to appoint Gabor's husband Frederic von Anhalt her temporary conservator with authority to make medical decisions on the ailing actress' behalf. (AP Photo/file)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband will serve as her temporary conservator under an agreement reached with the ailing actress' daughter and approved by a judge Wednesday.

Attorneys announced a settlement between Frederic von Anhalt, Gabor's husband of 25 years, and her daughter Constance Francesca Hilton during a hearing. Superior Court Judge Reva Goetz approved the provisions, which call for financial oversight by several attorneys and allow Hilton to visit with her mother weekly.

Von Anhalt will continue to make medical decision about his wife's care. He smiled after his appointment and outside the courthouse declared "Victory!" and said he was happy with the outcome.

Hilton said she came to court, "to protect my mother and me."

Gabor's husband and daughter have argued for years as each has accused the other of financial mismanagement related to Gabor's wealth. Hilton asked to be named her mother's conservator in March and said she was concerned the actress wasn't being properly treated.

A doctor who evaluated the star a few weeks later determined that Gabor's well-being is closely tied to her remaining in a familiar environment.

Goetz said that a conservatorship was necessary for Gabor and set a January 9 hearing for an update on the how the agreement was working.

Hilton's attorney Kenneth Kossoff said he is cautiously optimistic the arrangement will work, and he will now receive monthly statements on Gabor's finances and will be able to review her medical files.

Gabor, a Hungarian-born sexpot of the 1950s and 1960s, has been in declining health and didn't make an appearance at a February birthday party hosted at her mansion.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-07-11-Zsa%20Zsa%20Gabor-Conservatorship/id-78638c7159f94c76aff01cc51ca22286

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mitt Romney appeals to black voters in NAACP speech

Mitt Romney offered a direct appeal to African-American voters on Wednesday, arguing in a speech at the NAACP's annual meeting that the black community has been hardest hit by the bad economy and that, if elected, he'll seek to improve the quality of life for all Americans, regardless of color.

"I believe that if you understood who I truly am in my heart, and if it were possible to fully communicate what I believe is in the real, enduring best interest of African-American families, you would vote for me for president," Romney said.

Romney acknowledged "barriers" still exist for black Americans even after President Barack Obama became the nation's first black president. He argued the struggling economy has only enhanced those "challenges" and "old inequities."

"If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, then a chronically bad economy would be equally bad for everyone," Romney said. "Instead, it's worse for African Americans in almost every way."

At 14.4 percent, unemployment among black Americans is much higher than the 8.2 percent national average, while the average income and median family income for African Americans is much lower, Romney noted.

While Romney does not expect to win the black vote, the Republican nominee's NAACP speech was aimed at showing he's at least trying. As he regularly does on the campaign trail, Romney cited his experience as governor of Massachusetts to prove he hasn't led by "just talking to Republicans" and that he'll be an inclusive president.

"We have to make our case to every voter.? We don't count anybody out, and we sure don't make a habit of presuming anyone's support.?Support is asked for and earned---and that's why I'm here today," Romney said.

If elected, he added, "We will know each other."

He dismissed as "nonsense" Democratic charges that his potential presidency would only help the rich. "The President wants to make this a campaign about blaming the rich," Romney said. " I want to make this a campaign about helping the middle class."

If he didn't believe his policies would help "families of color" and all Americans more than Obama's, Romney said, "I would not be running for president."

Romney also appealed to the NAACP audience by touting his proposal to increase school choice. The GOP nominee has repeatedly described education as the "civil rights issue of our era," and on Wednesday, he argued that "mediocre schools" are setting up kids for "failure." In a dig at Obama, he argued that candidates "can't have it both ways" by arguing they'll protect kids while also protecting the interests of teachers unions--and vowed to

"If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, black families could send their sons and daughters to public schools that truly offer the hope of a better life," Romney said. "Instead, for generations, the African-American community has been waiting and waiting for that promise to be kept.?Today, black children are 17 percent of students nationwide--but they are 42 percent of the students in our worst-performing schools.

Romney also briefly touched on gay marriage--an issue that has divided the black community--pledging that he would work to "defend traditional marriage."

While the Republican nominee received polite applause throughout most of the speech, Romney received a few boos throughout his speech--including when he repeated his pledge to repeal Obama's health care law. As the audience jeered the health care line, Romney paused and smiled, before continuing on.

But Romney emphasized that, if elected, his focus would be almost exclusively on job creation. "If I am president, job one for me will be creating jobs. I have no hidden agenda. If you want a president who will make things better in the African-American community, you are looking at him," Romney declared, as a few audience members booed.

As his campaign readily acknowledges, Romney faces an uphill battle in appealing to black voters. The latest Quinnipiac poll found Obama leads Romney 92 percent to 2 percent among African Americans.

But Romney cast himself as someone who is still willing to reach out--even the two sides don't always agree. Closing his speech, the former Massachusetts governor spoke about his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, who was credited for his support of civil rights during the 1960s. Romney called his father's leadership "an example" in his own life.

"It wasn't just that my Dad helped write the civil rights provision for the Michigan Constitution, though he did. It wasn't just that he helped create Michigan's first civil rights commission, or that as governor he marched for civil rights in Detroit--though he did those things, too," Romney said. "It was the kind of man he was, and the way he dealt with every person, black or white. ?He was a man of the fairest instincts, and a man of faith who knew that every person was a child of God."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitt-romney-appeals-black-voters-naacp-speech-141523941.html

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Top 5 Small Business Accounting Software Packages in 2012 ...

TopTenReviews.com has reviewed several small business accounting packages based on ease of use, help & support, AR and AP, banking and payroll, inventory control, time and job costing, fixed assets, conversions and updates, and reporting. Here are their top 5 recommendations:

#1: Sage 50 Complete Accounting: Formerly known as Sage PeachTree, this software is tops in managing all aspects of your business, but does not display an image with inventory items. Price: $369 (1 user license); $669 (3-user license); $899 (5-user license)

#2: QuickBooks Pro: QuickBooks Pro simplifies complex accounting tasks but does not store inventory location information and does not support FIFO or LIFO cost methods. Price: $184

#3: Bookkeeper: Bookkeeper offers many easy-to-use accounting tools into one affordable package, but it does lack some features that businesses may need such as direct deposit. Price $40

#4: AccountEdge: This is the only product reviewed that could synchronize with a mobile device, but it is difficult to import data from QuickBooks or Sage. Price $300

#5: DacEasy: This package includes POS, the Gold service package and tax updates (which are usually fee-based add-ons), however, it does not offer the choice of cash or accrual accounting. Price: $2300

Source: 2012 Best Accounting Software Comparisons and Reviews

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Source: http://softeachusa.com/2012/07/11/top-5-small-business-accounting-software-packages-in-2012/

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Your future phone may know where you?re going

1 day

John Roach

Don?t be surprised if, in a few years, your smartphone serves you ads for drink specials in a part of town you don?t even know you?ll be visiting after work that day.

You see, your phone will know you?re likely to go there because it?s a Monday and you always go out for drinks on Monday with your buddy Joe, who just did an Internet search for cool bars and drink specials in that part of town.

This is all possible thanks to an algorithm developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham that uses data collected by your smartphone and those of your friends to predict your future whereabouts.?

While that may sound scary, it?s likely to happen as mobile network operators grasp for new ways to make money.

?These companies already possess such data and could use it to provide sharper recommendations or ads for restaurants or shops near locations where you are likely to go,? notes MIT?s Technology Review.

The development of the algorithm was led by Mirco Musolesi, a computer scientist at the University of Birmingham, as part of the Nokia-sponsored Mobile Data Challenge.?

All participants in the challenge drew on the same dataset generated by 200 users who agreed to have?their location, communication patterns, social interactions and?app usage tracked for 18 months in 2011.

Musolesi?s group won 3,000 Euros for its work and is planning to build a developer platform based on the algorithm, Technology Review notes.

Their algorithm was, on average, less than 20 meters off when predicting where any given person in the study would be 24 hours later.

The concept is similar to Android?s new prediction system, Google Now, which predicts what you?ll need and get it to you before you even know you need it based on your habits and interests.?

While all of this may sound Big Brother-ish, finely targeted advertising could be effective, allowing content publishers to charge more for ads and pay for richer content.?

And that, in turn, would be a good thing.

--Via Technology Review

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology, watch the featured video below.

Source: http://www.futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/technology/futureoftech/your-future-phone-may-know-where-youre-going-871441

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