PGA: Bubba wins the Masters in great fashion

Posted on April 14, 2014 by College of Sciences

The tears were flowing like the waterfalls from a TLC song on Sunday.  Bubba Watson couldn’t hold them back after he sunk the last putt of the tournament Sunday to secure his second green jacket in two years (2012, 2014).

It didn’t come easy to Watson, who was tied with Jordan Speith when Sunday’s round started.  Speith was up two by the third hole and looked primed to beat Tiger Woods’ record for the youngest winner of the Masters ever (20 years old).  Going into the fourth hole par-3, Speith made a remarkable hazard save from the bunker to hole-out for birdie, but Bubba would have his own  moment on the fourth with a long putt made for birdie.  Speith went onto bogey two holes on the front to Bubbas two more birdies which left him in a 2 shot lead over the young star.

On the back Speith ceded a 3 shot lead to Watson with Blixt and Kuchar attempting to make an appearance in the race for the jacket.  Fast-forward to the par-5 15th hole, Bubba had put his drive too far left to reasonably reach the green in two but against any conservative thought, he hit a 6 iron through a mess of trees 190 yard to the green and rolled off the back; he would finish with a par.  Speith along with the crowd and the commentators were stunned that Watson would take a risk that big with a 3 shot lead on the 15th.  Bubba’s caddy said “That’s Bubba…it was no big deal”.

Well winning the Masters twice is a BIG deal, he held his three shot lead and walked up the 18th fairway knowing he was going to win.  Blixt and Speith finished tied for 2nd at -5, Jimenez 4th, and Fowler tied for 5th with Kuchar.  This solidifies Watson’s placement among the greats in golf and proves that 2012 was not just a fluke.

Posted in Entertainment, General | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on PGA: Bubba wins the Masters in great fashion

My Amazing Weekend in Gainesville

Posted on April 14, 2014 by laurentm

I recently went to Gainesville to spend some time with my girlfriend because our three year anniversary was this weekend. I know this really isn’t news worthy but it is something that i find truly amazing and beautiful. As I mentioned before my girlfriend and I have been dating for three years. I know this doesn’t seem like an accomplishment but we have been through so much and it’s nice to realize what an amazing journey we have been on and continue to go through. But more importantly let me up date you on the weekend I shared with my girlfriend.

We had a very active weekend including going to a lake, watching movies, going to the pool and eating in several different restaurants. When we went to this lake called Lake Walburg, we kayaked in the lake and tanned after words. We also drove around and we ended up back at her apartment complex where we sat together next to the pool and enjoyed our selves.  We also watched 2 movies together which is something I love to do with my girlfriend since we have very similar tastes in film. We watched The wolf of Wall street, and Dark Shadows. The wolf of Wall street was a very well made film, from the acting to the directing everything was on point.

The other movie we watched was dark shadows, which the only thing that i can say about it was that it was less then desirable. I don’t understand how a movie with great actors and a pretty good idea turned into such a catastrophe. anyways the restaurants that i ate were 4rivers which is always delicious, and a pizza place called Leonardo’s which has the best garlic roles. These garlic roles are soft and doughy and are served with a buttery garlic sauce which made them all the more delicious. Overall this weekend was very peaceful and very rewarding that I was able to share it with my girl friend.

 

Posted in Entertainment, Environment | Comments Off on My Amazing Weekend in Gainesville

How Amazon’s Still Revolutionizing Retail, 20 Years Later

Posted on April 14, 2014 by wnmcelveen

Founded as an online book retailer in 1994, Amazon.com has grown to become one of the largest marketplaces in the world.  In the last two decades, it’s expanded into just about every retail space imaginable.  Aside from selling books, Amazon now sells everything from DVDs and Blu-Rays to home electronics to household goods.  Not to mention Amazon’s digital sales business, including mp3 music, ebooks, mobile apps, movies, and TV shows; they even have their own streaming video platform, Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Amazon has always been focused on how to make retail easier, faster, and more convenient for customers, releasing several advancements over the years.  Some of these include free 2-day shipping on nearly all items sold through them via their subscription-based Prime membership, and shipment ‘lockers’ around the country which act as large post office boxes for customers who live in areas that are difficult to deliver to.  Earlier this year, Amazon even announced plans for a 30 minute or less drone-based delivery option, called Amazon Prime Air, for those living in urban areas with an Amazon fulfillment center nearby, although there’s no solid timetable on when this would be made available due to regulatory concerns.

Earlier this month, Amazon announced a new product/service that has the potential to revolutionize retail more than anything else before.  It’s a handheld barcode scanner called Amazon Dash.  You may be thinking ‘what’s the big deal about a barcode scanner?’, but it’s not all about the device, it’s about the service it works with.

In 2007, Amazon launched an experimental subsidiary called AmazonFresh.  Initially only available in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, but has since expanded to San Francisco and the greater Los Angeles area, AmazonFresh is an online grocer, in which you can place your order for nearly all your groceries, including milk, eggs, produce, and almost anything else you’d find at your local grocery store, online.  Your groceries would then be delivered to you either that day or the next morning.

Online grocers are nothing new, in fact, the idea has been around since the late 1990s, but no one has been able to make it nationally successful.  Amazon Dash might just change that.

Amazon Dash, which is in private beta testing right now, works alongside the AmazonFresh service to allow customers a shopping experience like never before.  The idea is once you notice you’re getting low on an item, you scan that item’s barcode with Amazon Dash, and that item is automatically added to your Amazon Shopping Cart.  For items without a barcode, there’s also a microphone on Amazon Dash, which uses voice dictation to determine what you need.  You simply activate the microphone and say something like ‘chocolate chips’ or ‘apples’, and those items are also added to your shopping cart.  When it’s time to replenish your pantry, it’s as simple as logging onto Amazon.com, double checking your shopping cart to make sure you’ve got everything, and clicking order.  Because it’s all part of AmazonFresh, your order should arrive by the next morning.

No more dealing with crowded parking lots or stores, no more waiting in line at checkout, and for those few who’ve gotten used to online grocery shopping already, no more spending precious time online finding each item you need to order and manually adding it to your order.  Everything is right there, already in your cart and ready to order, thanks to Amazon Dash.

Amazon Dash makes online shopping the easiest it’s ever been, and just might be the retail advancement to push us over the edge into an all online marketplace.

Posted in Business, Economy, General, Science and Technology | Comments Off on How Amazon’s Still Revolutionizing Retail, 20 Years Later

The Ford F-150 Could No Longer Be The “Most American Automobile”

Posted on April 14, 2014 by elan iles

The Ford F-150 is one of the best selling models of one of the biggest car makers and businesses to come out of America, Ford.  The F-150 has been on sale, in one form or another, in America since it’s introduction in 1948.  It has even been the countries’ top selling vehicle for an impressive 32 year.  Another title that the Ford F-150 has held is the title of the most American Made Automobile, but a relative newcomer to the auto industry, Tesla, could soon take that title away from a vehicle that many believe to be as American as apple pie.

The most American Made Automobile is a title given out by Cars.com.  The website measures factors such as; where the parts come from, where the car is manufactured, and where the sales come from.  As stated before, the Ford F-150 has been the undisputed champ of this award for a year now, but that all might change thanks to Tesla’s Model S.  Tesla is currently constructing a “gigafactory” that they will use to assemble the lithium batteries that they use to power the all electric Model S right here in the US.  When this plant is constructed, 90% of the materials used to assemble a Model S will be manufactured in America.  This easily defeats the F-150, which only uses 75% American made Materials.

Tesla sales have been steadily increasing since its debut, and the numbers are expected to keep climbing.  Another blow to the F-150’s American reputation comes in the form of news that the Ford Motor Company plans to move more of the manufacture of the F-150 to Mexico.  When the rapid sales increases are combined with Teslas almost exclusive use of American materials and Ford’s plans to move production abroad, it seems the Ford F-150 won’t have a chance at keeping its title as The most American Made Automobile.

Posted in Business, General, Odd News, Science and Technology | Comments Off on The Ford F-150 Could No Longer Be The “Most American Automobile”

Michael Phelps Coming Out of Retirement in Hopes of Competing in 2016 Olympic Games

Posted on April 14, 2014 by bri yost

Michael Phelps, arguably the best Olympian of all time, retired from swimming shortly after his appearance at the last summer Olympics in London. His retirement however didn’t keep him away from the pool.Michael Phelps’ former coach Bob Bowman commented saying “he’s training really consistently five times a week. That’s maybe half what he’s done before.” It’s true Phelps isn’t in the same shape that we all saw him in during the Olympics but it looks like with more intense training he could be right back into it.

There are now reports that Phelps is indeed planning on swimming in the Arena Grand Prix at Mesa, Ariz., on April 24-26. It will be his first meet since retirement and once it’s over people will make their judgments on whether or not he’s capable of performing in the next Olympics. As of Phelps’ plan, his coach has provided that he has also been entered in Grand Prix meets in Charlotte, N.C., (May 15-18) and Santa Clara, Calif., (June 19-22), with intense training scheduled in between. The coach and swimmer will take decide the summer schedule after this first meet before making any firm decisions about what is next.

Phelps will not be the only one at the Mesa Grand Prix, fellow American Ryan Lochte is entered as well as Katy Ledecky. Several other Olympic gold medalists are have signed up as well.

If the race doesn’t go Phelps’ way, there is still more than two years until the U.S. Olympic Trials that will select the team for Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Phelps has plenty of time to boost up his training. He is expected to compete in less events, deciding only a few that he’d like to focus on. Whether or not Phelps is prepared, it’s a big deal to the swimming community and you can bet that  there will be a large fanbase behind him looking to see the best swimmer in history compete some more.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Michael Phelps Coming Out of Retirement in Hopes of Competing in 2016 Olympic Games

Netherlands teen who sent threatening tweet to American Airlines is arrested

Posted on April 14, 2014 by brianbachman

American Airlines received a very interesting tweet yesterday from a 14-year-old teenage girl who identified herself as “Sarah”. The tweet was not very specific about what the teen planned to do however seemed very threatening in this post-9/11 world. The teen’s tweet read “hello my name’s Ibrahim and I’m from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do something really big bye”. American Airlines responded to the threat with “Sarah, we take these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI.”

Turns out, as many expected, American Airlines was not bluffing. Netherland authorities arrested the girl earlier today. It has been reported by Police spokesman Roland Ekkers that the girl had turned herself into Rotterdam police. The girl arrived at the police station with a parent, and is currently being interrogated.

After tweeting the threat to American Airlines the teen seemed to quickly realize what she had done and began to post some frantic tweets. These tweets however appeared along side others bragging about the number of followers she had gained.

American Airlines has since removed it’s response to the teen, however issued a statement to the Huffington Post: “The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority. We take security matters very seriously and work with authorities on a case by case basis…”

It is unclear what will happen to the teen who is now receiving worldwide attention. This whole matter allows at least one universal human truth to continue: doing something very stupid will make you famous.

Posted in Crime, World News | Comments Off on Netherlands teen who sent threatening tweet to American Airlines is arrested

Never Sleep On The Heat

Posted on April 14, 2014 by l.susan

With the regular season winding down to the end, and playoff match ups being set, people are starting to look at the light at the end of the tunnel and wondering who this year’s NBA champions will be. My personal pick still has not changed since the beginning of the year; it is still the Miami Heat.

Now while I could just go off about how they are the most formidable because they have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and how a healthy Heat offense and their suffocating defense makes them favorites, I will not. In fact, the reason why I think the Heat are favorites goes far beyond technicalities of this sort.

After 3 straight finals appearances and 2 straight titles, if we all learned a lesson from this team is that they must NEVER be slept on. I think what makes the Heat the best team in the league despite their lower-ranked record this season, is that they are hands down the most resilient team in the NBA. That is probably the main reason why people should fear them. There has already been so many times where ESPN analysts have been on the record saying the Heat are finished when faced with elimination, and someway, somehow, they always emerge the victors. This was proved in 2012’s game 6 at Boston, where the Heat were on the verge of elimination at the TD Garden, or more specifically game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, where the Spurs were seconds away from taking the title, and Ray Allen’s dagger three-pointer sent the game into overtime, ultimately winning it.

This year, many believe that because of the way they have been playing as of late and their “not-so-amazing” record that they do not have what it takes anymore. But remember, this team lives only for the playoffs. The regular season is but a preparation for the sprint to be the first team to win 16 games.

Like I said, if they are relatively healthy and playing well, never EVER sleep on the Miami Heat.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Never Sleep On The Heat

2014 Best Cities To Live In The U.S.

Posted on April 14, 2014 by samantha young

As Floridians, its hard to imagine any place better to live than in the Sunshine State itself, home to year round warmth, sunny skies, and a diverse population. But Livablitly.com has a list of the top 10 best cities to live inside the U.S. So, here are the cities that are better than yours…unless you live there now.

10. Reno, NV- With a quick commute, a small city with a big city feel, and mountainous scenery, Reno is a top pick in Nevada.

9. Eugene, OR- Home to The University of Oregon, Eugene boast a moderate year round climate and many outdoor amenities for the outdoorsman in everyone.

8. Salte Lake City, UT- This city’s beautiful scenery, down home feel and strong support of local business make it a solid place to raise a family.

7. Rochester, MN- Rochester is home to the Mayo Clinic and with a younger more vibrant population, the downtown scene and social scene has perked up in recent years.

6. Miami Beach, FL- From the beach to the shopping to the exquisite cuisine, Miami Beach is where its at if you want to live the best of the Florida life, including a diverse demographic.

5. Madison, WI- Madison ranks as a top college town, and with great health care and vibrant social scene, its not hard to see why it stays in the top ten year after year.

4. Durham, NC- Durham boasts a strong technology economy and its a foodies dream city.

3. Berkely, CA- Berkely is maintaining its rooted culture scene but add on a growing social scene and an energetic downtown and its a winner.

2. Boulder, CO- Boulder is your best bet for outdoor activities with so much to do. The shopping is marquee also.

1. Palo Alto, CA- Mild winter, a thriving technology hub, and home to Stanford, Palo Alto is the #1 city to live in the U.S.

 

Posted in General | Comments Off on 2014 Best Cities To Live In The U.S.

Heartbleed Security Bug Affects Most Of The Internet!

Posted on April 14, 2014 by alicia mitchell

For the past 2 years there has been a security bug that has been a threat to everyone that uses OpenSSL (open-source cryptographic software library) for their website, which is almost every website. This security bug called Heartbleed, left an opening for anyone to enter a site and take whatever information they want and leave no trace of evidence that they were there. A Google researcher found the bug. This is a very high risk since there is no way to figure out how many people have done this and to how many websites that have been attacked.

Some of the services that were affected are Gmail, Facebook and any site that has http at the beginning. There has been a fix already for the problem and most sites have been updated. The best thing to do is to change your passwords for any site that you may have that uses this security since there is no way to find out if it has been taken.  The site https://lastpass.com/heartbleed/ can help you to check any website that you are unsure of it they have updated their servers.

This is very surprising that the most popular security service had an issue for two years and it wasn’t found till someone outside the company reported it. I think something this big and important should not go unpunished and the company should be fined for their negligence of the problem. There should be an investigation to see if this was done on purpose for the government or if it was an inside job to steal people’s information. This is a big inconvenience for everyone because we all know how hard it is to remember passwords and now we have to create and remember new ones.

Posted in Crime, Science and Technology | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Heartbleed Security Bug Affects Most Of The Internet!

The Printable Prosthetics Take Over

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jessica_houts

Thousands of people everyday lose limbs and valuable body parts due to extraneous activities and dangerous events. All of them wondering if they will be able to have fingers again or to walk again. Carpenter, Richard Van As, thought of the idea hours after he lost his own fingers to a saw accident. He researched prosthetic limbs only to find how expensive such equipment really is. He then teamed up with a mechanical effect artist named Ivan Owen and the two of them created the “Robohand”. This innovative invention is created with the use of the 3D printer and is more affordable than the average prosthetic on todays market.

With the use of the 3D printer, Van As, is able to create cost efficient prosthetics and provide help to those that are in need. The 3D printer uses thermoplastic material to print knuckles and joints which is then combined with steel and aluminum to produce personalized prosthetics. It is said that after 5 minutes patients can operate it fully and since they are personalized these prosthetics can fit on anyones hand or leg. A full adult hand costs as little as $2,000, takes five and a half hours to print and approximately 10-15 hours to assemble. Most prosthetics today can cost you from 10 to 15 thousand dollars making this invention not only cost effective but patient savvy. Van As is all about helping those that are in need and especially when they are on a budget.

Posted in Health, Science and Technology | Comments Off on The Printable Prosthetics Take Over