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Kourtney Hollingsworth, regional broadband coordinator with Mississippi State University, will begin touring schools in every county starting with Tate.

With an Internet road show Wednesday at Coldwater High School starring University of Memphis Tiger Akeem Davis, the region's Hernando-based state broadband coordinator is launching a forward pass for cyber-opportunities.

"I'll be doing a school event in every county," said Kourtney Hollingsworth. Tate County, she said, "is the first county to begin the educational training for the use of broadband."

Since last August, from her base within the Mississippi State University Extension offices at 3260 U.S. 51 South in Hernando, the Laurel native has been making forays across an 11-county area, including DeSoto, to see where broadband is, where it isn't, and to assist making it available and making it better after it arrives. Now it's outreach time.

"While this event is for students and local officials, I'll be having community forums soon in every county," said Hollingsworth.

In 2009, the state made broadband connectivity a priority with the creation of the Mississippi Broadband Connect Coalition. The MBCC is developing a comprehensive plan to increase availability of broadband and improve Mississippians' digital literacy.

Hollingsworth is working with MSU Extension and the Southern Rural Development Center; the Extension Broadband Education and Adoption Team, or e-BEAT, consists of state and regional extension educators.

Hollingsworth says there are more than 26 million Americans without access of broadband, with 73 percent of those in rural areas such as the Delta. Research shows the lowest users of broadband are those without a high school education, single-parent households, and rural and low-income residents.

"I'm glad to see the government taking some initiative," said DeSoto Supervisor Bill Russell. "I get calls all the time about broadband service."

He said the lack of state-federal Internet regulatory authority hampers official efforts to push service providers, but forming citizen coalitions -- another Hollingsworth goal -- and spreading information are good starts to gaining wider broadband access.

Coldwater High is the first stop on her "Future Leaders of Mississippi -- the Text Generation" tour.

"This is one time students will be able to tweet, Facebook and chat during school hours," said Hollingsworth.

Proclamations by city mayors in Tate will be issued, and a short training session is scheduled. Speakers slated on the impact of Internet include Eliot Forest, a former Coldwater High student who works and lives in Washington; and University of Memphis football defensive back Davis, a native of Laurel in south-central Mississippi.

Hollingsworth's tour later will visit DeSoto, Tunica, Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Yalobusha, Grenada, Marshall, Tallahatchie and Lafayette counties.

She said her mantra is a statement by President Barack Obama: "The world is going wireless, and we must not fall behind."

For more broadband information, call Kourtney Hollingsworth at (662) 429-1343, e-mail Kourtney@ ext.msstate.edu or go online at broadband.ms.gov.

-- Henry Bailey: (901) 333-2012

View original post here:
Internet outreach kicks off in Tate County

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 11:01 a.m. MST

VERNAL — Computers of all makes and models sit on shelves in the back room at Techris Design, waiting to have the harmful content that's built up on their hard drives removed.

That's the bulk of the small repair shop's business.

"Ninety percent of the work that we do is virus removal and repair," owner Ted Munford said. 

Munford and others in his line of work could be extremely busy in the next few weeks, thanks to a piece of malware that federal prosecutors allege was created by a group of Estonian cyber criminals.

In November, the FBI and police in Estonia wrapped up Operation Ghost Click, which resulted in the arrest and indictment of six Estonian nationals. The group had compromised millions of computers around the world with a bug known as DNSChanger.

The malicious software — known in the industry as "malware" — changed the Domain Name Server, or DNS, for a targeted website, redirecting Internet users from the sites they were seeking to other sites. Federal authorities say the Estonians sent Web surfers to these ghost sites, which featured specific advertisements, then collected an estimated $16 million from the advertisers for the extra Web traffic.

DNSChanger also shut down antivirus software on infected machines, exposing them to the potential for additional harm.

The FBI took the group's rogue servers offline. The bureau then obtained a court order to set up "clean servers" as a means of keeping individual users, companies and government agencies with infected computers from immediately losing access to the Internet.

But the court order is set to expire March 8, and there are still a large number of infected computers, many in the United States alone.

Internet Identity, a computer security firm based in Tacoma, Wash., released the results of a DNSChanger survey earlier this month. It showed that more than half of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. have at least one infected computer or Internet router in their systems, as do 27 of 55 major U.S. government agencies.

Internet Identity CEO Lars Harvey declined to identify which companies or agencies are affected when contacted Monday by the Deseret News. Nondisclosure was one of the terms the firm had to agree to in order to obtain information for its survey, he said.

The FBI, however, identified NASA as one of the government agencies that had infected computers.

But the greatest threat isn't to government or big business, Harvey said.

"Most of the (infected) computers belong to home users or small businesses," he said, adding that the alleged cyber criminals "weren't targeting agencies or large enterprises, but they got caught up in it."

See the article here:
Internet could go dark for millions if court order expires

Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, Laurence Fishburne Win NAACP Awards

By Adam Hetrick
21 Feb 2012

Viola Davis, Laurence Fishburne, Jennifer Hudson, "Thurgood" and "The Help" were among the winners of the 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards, which were presented Feb. 17 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The Image Awards "celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honor individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors."

Highlights of the 43rd NAACP Image Award nominees and winners (in bold with an asterisk) follow:

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Outstanding Comedy Series
"Love That Girl!"
"Modern Family"
"Reed Between the Lines"
"The Game"
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne"*

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Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Dulé Hill – "Psych" (USA Network)
Malcolm–Jamal Warner – "Reed Between the Lines"*
Phil Morris – "Love That Girl!"
Pooch Hall – "The Game"
Terry Crews – "Are We There Yet?"

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tatyana Ali – "Love That Girl!"
Tia Mowry–Hardrict – "The Game"
Tracee Ellis Ross – "Reed Between the Lines"*
Vanessa Williams – "Desperate Housewives"
Wendy Raquel Robinson – "The Game"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Craig Robinson – "The Office"
Damon Wayans, Jr. – "Happy Endings"
J.B. Smoove – "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Nick Cannon – "Up All Night"*
Tracy Morgan – "30 Rock"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Amber Riley – "Glee"
Gabourey Sidibe – "The Big C"
Keshia Knight Pulliam – "Tyler Perry's House of Payne"*
Maya Rudolph – "Up All Night"
Sofia Vergara – "Modern Family"

Outstanding Drama Series
 "Boardwalk Empire"
"Grey's Anatomy"
"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"*
"The Good Wife"
"Treme"

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Andre Braugher – "Men of A Certain Age"
Hill Harper – "CSI: NY"
L.L. Cool J – "NCIS: Los Angeles"*
Taye Diggs – "Private Practice"
Wendell Pierce – "Treme"

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson – "Grey's Anatomy"
Khandi Alexander – "Treme"
Regina King – "SouthLAnd"*
Sandra Oh – "Grey's Anatomy"
Taraji P. Henson – "Person of Interest"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Corey Reynolds – "The Closer"
Ice T – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
James Pickens, Jr. – "Grey's Anatomy"*
Nelsan Ellis – "True Blood"
Omar Epps – "House M.D."

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Alfre Woodard – "Memphis Beat"
Anika Noni Rose – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
Archie Panjabi – "The Good Wife"*
Diahann Carroll – "White Collar"
Loretta Devine – "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini–Series or Dramatic Special
"Five"
"Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith"
"Luther"
"The Least Among You"
"Thurgood"*

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini–Series or Dramatic Special
Esai Morales – "We Have Your Husband"
Idris Elba – "Luther"
Laurence Fishburne – "Thurgood"*
Louis Gossett, Jr. – "The Least Among You"
Samuel L. Jackson – "The Sunset Limited"

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini–Series or Dramatic Special
Anika Noni Rose – "Hallmark Hall of Fame, Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith"
Jenifer Lewis – "Five"
Rosario Dawson – "Five"
Taraji P. Henson – "Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story"*
Tracee Ellis Ross – "Five"

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Motion Picture
"Jumping the Broom"
"Pariah"
"The First Grader"
"The Help"*
"Tower Heist"

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Eddie Murphy – "Tower Heist"
Laurence Fishburne – "Contagion"
Laz Alonso – "Jumping the Broom"*
Oliver Litondo – "The First Grader"
Vin Diesel – "Fast Five"

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Adepero Oduye – "Pariah"
Emma Stone – "The Help"
Paula Patton – "Jumping the Broom"
Viola Davis – "The Help"*
Zoë Saldana – "Colombiana"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Anthony Mackie – "The Adjustment Bureau"
Charles Parnell – "Pariah"
Don Cheadle – "The Guard"
Jeffrey Wright – "The Ides of March"
Mike Epps – "Jumping the Broom"*
Bryce Dallas Howard – "The Help"
Cicely Tyson – "The Help"
Kim Wayans – "Pariah"
Maya Rudolph – "Bridesmaids"
Octavia Spencer – "The Help"

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Arthur Harris – "Reed Between the Lines" – Let's Talk About Ms. Helen's Son Part 1
Prentice Penny – "Happy Endings" – The Girl with the David Tattoo
Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil – "The Game" – Parachutes....Beach Chairs*
Vali Chandrasekaran – "30 Rock" – It's Never Too Late For Now
Vince Cheung, Ben Montanio – "Wizards of Waverly Place" – Wizards vs. Angels

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series
Cheo Hodari Coker – "SouthLAnd" – Punching Water
Janine Sherman Barrois – "Criminal Minds" – The Bittersweet Science
Lolis Eric Elie – "Treme" – Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues?*
Pam Veasey – "Ringer" – Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them?
Zoanne Clack – "Grey's Anatomy" – I Will Survive

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture
Alrick Brown – "Kinyarwanda"
Ann Peacock – "The First Grader"*
Dee Rees – "Pariah"
Elizabeth Hunter, Arlene Gibbs – "Jumping the Broom"
Tate Taylor – "The Help"

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Jay Chandrasekhar – "Happy Endings" – The Girl with the David Tattoo
Kevin Hooks "Drop Dead Diva" – Mother's Day
Leonard R. Garner Jr. – "Rules of Engagement" – The Set Up*
Miguel Arteta – "How to Make It in America" – Mofongo
Salim Akil – "The Game" – Parachutes/Beach Chairs

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
Ernest Dickerson – "Treme" – Do Watcha Wanna*
Ken Whittingham – "Parenthood" – Opening Night
Kevin Sullivan – "NCIS" – Tell–All
Paris Barclay – "Sons of Anarchy" – Out
Seith Mann – "Dexter" – Get Gellar

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture – (Theatrical or Television)
Alrick Brown – "Kinyarwanda"
Angelina Jolie – "In the Land of Blood and Honey"
Dee Rees – "Pariah"
Salim Akil – "Jumping the Broom"*
Tate Taylor – "The Help"

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Outstanding Male Artist
Anthony Hamilton
Buno Mars
Cee Lo Green*
Chris Brown
Common

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé
Jennifer Hudson
Jill Scott*
Ledisi
Mary J. Blige

Outstanding Music Video
"25/8" – Mary J. Blige
"Hear My Call" – Jill Scott
"I Was
Here" – Beyoncé
"Someone Like You" – Adele
"Where You At" – Jennifer Hudson*

Outstanding Song
"Best Thing I Never Had" – Beyoncé
"Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona" – Cee Lo Green
"I Smile" – Kirk Franklin*
"So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton" – Jill Scott
"Someone Like You" – Adele

Outstanding Album
"4" – Beyoncé
"F.A.M.E" – Chris Brown
"I Remember Me" – Jennifer Hudson*
"Lasers" – Lupe Fiasco
"The Light of the Sun" – Jill Scott

For a complete list visit naacpimageawards.net.

See the original post here:
Jennifer Hudson, Viola Davis, Laurence Fishburne Win NAACP Awards

CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sciaky, Inc., a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) and leading provider of additive manufacturing (AM) solutions, is teaming up with the Applied Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University to advance Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) technology, via funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Under terms of the agreement, a 6,000-square-foot Center for Innovative Metal Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D) will be established within the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State to serve as a world-class Manufacturing Demonstration Facility under DARPA's Open Manufacturing initiative.

The mission of the Center as a Manufacturing Demonstration Facility will be to advance and deploy DDM technology for highly engineered and critical metallic systems to the Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. industry through three primary thrust areas, which are:

advancement and integration of enabling technologies required to exploit DDM process attributes during design and optimize DDM processing conditions for producing qualified components and structures, collaboration with industry in the development and transfer of DDM technologies through process selection, demonstration, and validation as a "trusted broker," and promotion of DDM technologies through training, education and dissemination of information.

Sciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), will support this initiative with its exclusive Direct Manufacturing (DM) process, which combines additive manufacturing principles, computer-aided design (CAD) and electron beam welding technology. Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, Sciaky's fully articulated, moving electron beam gun deposits metal, layer by layer, until the part is ready for finish machining. Depending on the part being manufactured, deposition rates can range from 15 to 40 pounds of metal per hour. To date, it stands as the only commercially available, large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving near-net shape parts.

An important aspect of the proposed Center will be the development and use of design and simulation tools that enable industry participants the opportunity to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of DDM technology prior to and during manufacturing demonstrations. The ability to utilize these functions within an integrated system, having a high degree of interoperability, will offer the most advanced array of tools for evaluating potential components and processes in the industry applicable to direct digital manufacturing. This approach draws upon the strength of the U.S. technology base in virtual networking and advanced engineering systems to deploy a disruptive technology that will provide an immediate impact on the suitability, affordability and availability of critical components throughout industry, as well as the exploitation of innovative designs and materials not possible using traditional manufacturing methods.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with Penn State and DARPA to push the boundaries of Direct Manufacturing," said Mike Riesen, General Manager of Sciaky, Inc. "I'm confident that this initiative will offer further proof that American innovation is alive and well."

Last December, Sciaky entered a DoD Mentor-Protege Agreement with Lockheed Martin to expand its Direct Manufacturing technology for the possible use of manufacturing titanium components for the F-35 military aircraft.

To learn more about Sciaky, visit http://www.sciaky.com/. You can also follow Sciaky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sciaky_inc, as well as on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sciakyinc. 

About Sciaky (www.sciaky.com)

Sciaky, Inc., a SDVOSB and subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI), is a leading provider of additive manufacturing (AM) solutions. We provide advanced welding systems (for electron beam, advanced arc and resistance welding technologies) and a wide range of contract welding services to the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical and other manufacturing industries. Our state-of-the-art equipment meets rigid military specifications to manufacture items such as airframes, landing gear, jet engines, guided missiles and vehicle parts. Sciaky's exclusive Direct Manufacturing (DM) technology, which is the only commercially available, large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving near net-shape parts, allows manufacturers to save money and boost productivity over traditional prototyping processes. 

About Phillips Service Industries (www.psi-online.com)

Always innovating. Everywhere. Phillips Service Industries, Inc. (PSI), a privately held holding company headquartered in Livonia, MI, oversees a diverse collection of technology-based subsidiaries that serve a wide variety of industries, from automotive, aerospace and defense, to energy, medical and semiconductor. Our award-winning products and services help reduce costs and maximize efficiency for many Fortune 500 companies, as well as the U.S. military. PSI pushes the bounds of technology on critical programs like Homeland Security, defense research and space exploration. Simply put: PSI is one of the most innovative manufacturing and service companies in the world.

CONTACT:     

Jay Hollingsworth
Public Relations Manager
Phillips Service Industries (PSI)
(734) 853-5000
jay.hollingsworth@psi-corp.com

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

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Sciaky Teams Up With Penn State University and DARPA to Advance Direct Digital Manufacturing Technology

BUFFALO, New York: The license plate on movie projectionist Arnie Herdendorf’s Buick is “35MM MAN,” a nod to his work at the 1925 Palace Theatre, with its velvet-draped stage and chandeliered mezzanine.

When he drove recently to a multiplex to watch as its film projectors were swapped out for new digital ones, the sight of old 35 mm workhorses “stacked up like wounded soldiers” had him wondering how long his title – or job – would last.

The questions are even bigger for historic movie houses themselves.

With the future of motion pictures headed quickly toward an all-digital format played only on pricey new equipment, will the theaters last? Will the digital revolution that will soon obsolesce projectors that have flickered and ticked with a little-changed technology for more than 120 years do the same to theaters?

“Our guess is by the end of 2013 there won’t be any film distributed anymore,” said John Fithian, president and chief executive of the National Association of Theater Owners.

The Hollywood studios’ industry-wide conversion from 35 mm film to digital satisfies modern-day demands for crisp clarity, cost savings and special effects like 3-D. For big-budget theaters where new releases occupy multiple screens, installing digital projectors is a no-brainer. Already, about 60 percent have converted in the U.S., Fithian said, at a price of $70,000 to $80,000 a screen.

For the community-owned Palace and other small and historic movie houses, the merging of nostalgia with high-tech is a dauntingly expensive proposition. Yet most agree it’s critical if they are to keep attracting audiences. The cost is more than double the price of a top-of-the-line film projector.

An estimated 500 to 750 historic theaters currently show movies, according to the Theater Historical Society of America, though it adds no one has formally researched the number.

“This is another major threat to these theaters which were largely rescued and restored by grassroots local efforts,” said Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the THS, which records and preserves theaters’ architectural and cultural history. “It is so sad that after all that hard work and dedication these groups now face another huge challenge just to survive.”

Survival means doing whatever they can to raise the cash to convert.

“It’s a long haul but it’s encouraging to see a town come together,” said Fran Schwarzer, who, with her husband, was nearing retirement age and sunk their savings into buying Higginsville Missouri’s 500-seat 1934 Davis Theater to keep it from closing in 1998.

The couple added three screens in 2005 so they could show more first-run movies, always viewing the venture as more community service than money-maker in the town east of Kansas City.

The Riviera, a 1927 theater north of Buffalo, will show movies with its two carbon arc lamphouses and projectors for as long as it can, said Executive Director Frank Cannata, while exploring funding for the digital replacements. If it can’t, it will have to do away with the popular second-run movies offered at discount rates.

While live shows would keep the Riviera going, other theaters are trying to stave off closing with fundraisers. Eastern Illinois’ Onarga Theater, the 1937 theater that boasts being the first south of Chicago to show movies with sound, has invested in its seating, concessions and sound systems in recent years, but can’t afford the switch to digital projection.

North of Buffalo, the nonprofit, community-owned Palace is looking into loans and grants for a $75,000 digital set up, but it’s also going to have to upgrade its electrical system to accommodate the new equipment, said Phil Czarnecki, vice president of the board. He can’t help but think of all the restoration of the building – a replica of the Paramount Theater in New York City that mixes Italian Renaissance and Art Deco – that could be accomplished with such an outlay.

The small theaters are already feeling pressure from the digital conversions taking place all around them. Instead of waiting three weeks for a modern multiplex to make a movie print available, it now often takes six or seven weeks because there are fewer 35 mm copies in circulation. That’s more than enough time for the pool of potential ticket-buyers to lose interest or see the movie somewhere else.

It’s not just the cost of digital projection that concerns Edward Summer, president of the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. He worries that once older movie houses make the switch, they’ll do away with their 35 mm projectors, something he says would be “a hideous mistake.”

He worries that existing films that won’t be digitized will be forever lost if the equipment isn’t there to show them. “Every motion picture made between 1894 and right this minute is on 35 mm film and those films not only still exist, but those film prints are the only way to see them,” Summer said. “It’s not either/or,” Summer said of the two projection technologies, “it’s both/and.”

The Palace’s Herdendorf doesn’t own a computer and isn’t sure if his 17 years of splicing and dicing reels of film and threading them through a platter projection system will translate to the new technology with its pocket-size hard drives. He knows what to do if film breaks, but not if a computer freezes.

The Riviera eventually plans to display one of its 35 mm carbon arc projectors in the lobby, Cannata said, “so people can take a look at how films were shown at one time.”

The Davis Theater’s Schwarzer jokes that her place’s four projectors will become boat anchors. What’s important, she said, is that the theater’s doors stay open. “We have such wonderful memories of this theater as children,” she said.

“You like to think that kids who come now will have some of those memories, too.”

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Switch to digital film could signal end of historic movie houses