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Samsung is making some bold choices with its new HDTVs. The company's upcoming, high-end LED-backlit and plasma HDTVs, the 8000 series, forego the traditional universal remote control entirely.

Instead, the new screens use a combination of camera, microphones, and touchpad to provide a control scheme that seems more like a cross between Microsoft Kinect and Back to the Future than normal home theaters. I played with the new interface system on Tuesday, at a Samsung press event.

The 8000 series HDTVs include Samsung's new Smart Touch Remote, a touchpad-based remote control with only a few purposeful buttons around a device that's primarily gesture- and voice-based. There are only 12 physical buttons on it, and no number pad or playback buttons at all. Instead, the touch pad in the middle nagivates the on-screen menu while most buttons bring up features like an on-screen number pad, the Media Hub menu, and a voice control prompt.

Voice control is the second part of the 8000 series' interface. By speaking either into the remote while holding the voice button or speaking directly to the screen, users can bring up menus, input commands, and even search on Google. The HDTVs come to life just by saying "Hi TV,"; after that, switching between sources and accessing different online services is a matter of a few words. Voice recognition understands words when using commands, and can convert speech to text when inputting text into the Webkit-based Web browser.

If touchpad input and voice control aren't enough, the 8000 series HDTVs also support Kinect-like gesture control. A small camera on the top edge of the bezel watches your movements and, with a shake of your hand, activates a motion-controlled, on-screen pointer for navigating menus and browsing the Web. That's not the only trick for the camera, though. It also incorporates face recognition, so it can automatically log on to social networks and show favorite services based on the user as soon as they sit down. With multiple users, a menu of all recognized faces show up, with logins for each.

To integrate the controls with a Blu-ray player or set-top box, the 8000 series include an IR blaster. The voice and gesture commands also sent commands to the cable box on display, changing channels when I told the HDTV to do so. These integration features will make switching away from a conventional remote much easier, and made the combination voice and gesture control system seem even more feasible. If you want a more conventional control system, an optional $99 Bluetooth keyboard will be available. The keyboard will also be compatible with all Samsung Galaxy Tab devices.

After playing with the controls, I'm optimistic about the change. While voice and gesture recognition wasn't completely accurate because of the noise and crowd of the venue, the basics were definitely there and the different features, in a quieter and more controlled setting, could be easy to control. We'll have a full review of the 8000 series HDTVs' control systems when we get a screen in the PCMag Labs in the near future.

The UNES8000 HDTVs, the LED-lit versions of the high-end screens, will range from $2,999 for a 46-inch model to $5,099 for a 65-inch model. The PNE8000 plasma HDTVs will range from $2,199 for a 51-inch to $3,949 for a 65-inch model. Both screens are scheduled to ship this month. The controls will also be available in the step-down UNES7500 LED-lit HDTVs, which range from $2,599 for a 46-inch model to $3,999 for a 60inch model. A 75-inch version of the UNES8000 is also planned, but pricing and availability has not yet been announced.

Samsung is staying with conventional remotes for its lower-end HDTVs, including its EH series of budget LED HDTVs, which from the 5300 series and up include built-in Wi-Fi. 32-inch EH5300 HDTVs will be available for just $579 and 50-inch models for just $1,199.

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Samsung's New HDTVs Destroy the Remote Control

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While the controversy continues to swirl around radio talkmeister Rush Limbaugh and his admittedly inappropriate comments about Georgetown Law Student Sandra Fluke, an analysis from the left-leaning Brookings Institution adds an economic twist to the debate over coverage of contraception.

Love them or hate them, contraceptives do save taxpayers money, Brookings concludes.

The study, from the Brookings Center on Children and Families, looked at three different ways to prevent unintended pregnancies, which account for about half of all pregnancies in the U.S.

All three approaches more than pay for themselves. But one - increasing funding for family planning services through the Medicaid program - clearly outshines the other two in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Yes, you may have heard there are lots of ways to lower the rate of unintended pregnancy. There are mass media campaigns to urge young people to avoid unprotected sex. Other programs urge teens to delay having sex, or, as a fallback, teach them how to use contraception effectively. And then there's Medicaid's help low-income women afford the most effective contraceptive methods.

But this study, using a simulation model devised by Brookings, is the first to estimate exactly how much could be saved using each method.

It found that a national mass media campaign that would cost $100 million would result in about $431 million in savings to taxpayers, largely by reducing unintended pregnancy, particularly among people who don't make much money.

Programs the Brookings researchers called "evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention," which combine an emphasis on abstinence "while also educating participants about how to use various methods of contraception" have both reduced the rate of sexual activity and increased the use of contraception.

Spending $145 million on such programs would return $356 million to taxpayers, according to the model.

Continued here:
How Birth Control Saves Taxpayers' Money

HOUSTON, March 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Customers of VisionMonitor Aviation LLC., a leading developer of enterprise wide software solutions, have recently reported receiving significant reductions in their insurance premiums resulting in substantial annual savings. The basis for the reductions is the ability to demonstrate excellent risk management control using the VisionMonitor Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) Solution for monitoring safety performance in real time. The SPI Solution allows airlines to proactively manage their safety operations by analyzing trends and taking corrective action before potentially unacceptable risks occur. VisionMonitor utilizes a central data repository with the automatic retrieval and analysis of critical safety information from different operational systems which simplifies the validation of data and breaks down the silos of information between departments. Using the SPI Solution, airlines can measure the effectiveness of their investments in the safety process and prioritize these investments. While proactively managing risk, VisionMonitor Aviation customers are realizing an improvement in operational risk control and the resulting financial benefits.

About VisionMonitor Aviation, LLC (VMA): VMA is a subsidiary company of VisionMonitor Software, LLC, which was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. VisionMonitor was originally formed to provide energy companies enterprise wide software solutions for managing their environmental performance. The organization has since expanded into the Aviation industry with the input and support of leading Aviation safety experts and major airlines. VisionMonitor solutions are in use by major companies representing the Aviation, Energy, Petrochemical, Utility, and Storage Terminals industries.

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VisionMonitor Aviation Customers Demonstrate Excellent Risk Management Control and Receive Insurance Savings

By Christopher Palmeri - Tue Mar 06 13:10:40 GMT 2012

Rush Limbaugh faced rising pressure from critics who are using new media to keep advertisers away from his long-running radio show.

At least 10 companies, including online publisher AOL Inc. (AOL), have dropped the most-popular U.S. talk-radio show after Limbaugh called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a prostitute and a slut. Fluke appeared before Congress on Feb. 23 to speak in favor of President Barack Obamas policy requiring insurers to provide birth control to women.

Much of the pressure on advertisers has come from online activists using Twitter and Facebook to mobilize against Limbaugh. They see undermining the programs economic viability as the way to force distributor Clear Channel Communications Inc. (CCMO)s Premiere Radio Networks (3069Q) to stop syndicating the show.

The tactic of just asking advertisers has been a very successful one, said Krystal Ball, a 30-year-old MSNBC commentator who started a website called boycottrush.org. So as long as that is successful, well continue.

Ball, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010. The campaign targeting Limbaugh is led by groups like Media Matters for America and the Ohio Democratic Party.

The social media world has really exploded, said Terry ONeill, president of the National Organization for Women. I think Rush Limbaugh is going to go down over this.

More big companies, including Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD), owner of the namesake retailer and discounter Kmart, insurer Geico Corp. (156714Q) and tractor maker Deere & Co. (DE), are taking steps to ensure their advertisements stop appearing on Limbaughs show.

Ads were placed on the program by Deere dealers through a network and not by the manufacturer, said Kenneth Golden, director of global public relations for the Moline, Illinois- based company.

Deere is reviewing the placement of these advertisements, as the company has not chosen to be a current advertiser, Golden said.

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Limbaugh Radio Show Faces Backlash From Social Media as Advertisers Flee

Atlanta, March 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Remark Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: MARK), a global digital media company, announced that it has completed its previously announced $4.25 million financing round of the private placement of the company's Common Stock. The financing was led by A.W.M. Special Situations Funds, and also includes a number of other accredited institutional investors.

Remark Media will host a conference call to discuss recent developments and strategy for the 2012 fiscal year. The call will take place on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 at 11:00am Eastern Standard Time. Dialing instructions are:

In the United States: 877-704-5386 Outside the U.S: +1-913-312-1395 Passcode: 539742

Please dial in 10 minutes early to insure that you are connected in time for the beginning of the call. A transcript will be made available after the call at our company's investor relations website, at http://ir.remarkmedia.com/.

About Remark Media

Remark Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: MARK) is a global digital media company focused on developing social media businesses that incorporate relevant, high quality content. Remark Media's services business offers a suite of web services and proprietary platforms that provide brands opportunities to build consumer awareness, promote content engagement and foster brand-customer interactions. The Company's leading brands, BoWenWang (bowenwang.com.cn) and ComoTudoFunciona ( hsw.com.br), provide readers in China and Brazil with thousands of articles about how the world around them works, serving as destinations for credible, easy-to-understand reference information. Remark Media is the exclusive digital publisher in China and Brazil for translated content from HowStuffWorks.com, a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, and in China for certain content from World Book. Remark Media is also a founding partner and developer of the U.S.-based product Sharecare, a highly searchable social Q&A healthcare platform organizing and answering the questions of health. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta with additional operations in New York, Beijing and Sao Paulo. For more information, visit http://www.remarkmedia.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1993, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may be in the future tense, and often include words such as "anticipate", "expect", "project", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "intend", "will" and "may". These statements are based on current expectations, but are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond the control of Remark Media. Relevant risks and uncertainties include those referenced in Remark Media's filings with the SEC, and include but are not limited to: successfully completing our merger and integration with Banks.com, Inc., our losses and need for capital; successfully developing and launching new digital media properties; restrictions on intellectual property under agreements with Sharecare and third parties; challenges inherent in developing an online business; reliance on key personnel; general industry conditions and competition; and general economic conditions, such as advertising rate, interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements, and therefore should be carefully considered. Remark Media assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments, except as required by law.

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Remark Media Announces Closing of Financing Round and Conference Call