Optoma ML500

The Optoma ML500 ($650 street) doesn't fit in any of the usual projector categories. Like pico and palmtop projectors, it uses LEDs rather than a traditional lamp, and it's only a little heavier than a large palmtop. On the other hand, it's brighter than any palmtop, offers much higher resolution, and it plugs in with a power cord like standard projectors rather than an external power block. However you classify it, though, it's a capable business projector that's small and light enough to carry with you without a second thought.

In some ways, the ML500 is similar to the ViewSonic PJD2121 ($450 street, 4 stars), another projector that's hard to classify. Both weigh less than 3 pounds but the rated brightness for both is modest by traditional sub-3 pound micro projector standards. The 1,700-lumen rating for the ViewSonic PJ260D ($999 street, 3.5 stars), for example, is far higher than the PJD2121's 400 lumens or the ML500's 500 lumens. On the other hand, traditional micro projectors tend to cost more as well, so you might think of the ML500 and PJD2121 as budget-priced micro projectors.

Basics
The ML500 is built around a WXGA (1280 by 800) DLP engine that uses red, green, and blue LEDs rather than a color wheel for its primary colors. It weighs in at 2.5 pounds and measures just 1.7  by 8.7 by 6.7 inches (HWD). Optoma even supplies a soft carrying case to help make it even more portable

Setup is standard, with the projector offering a surprisingly large number of connectors for its size, including a VGA port for a computer or component video source, an HDMI port for a computer or video source, and both S-video and composite video ports. In addition, there's a miniplug jack for audio input or audio plus composite video with an appropriate adaptor, a USB Type A port for reading files from a USB memory key, a mini USB port for sending a data image from the computer as well as transferring files to the 2GB internal memory, and an SD card slot.

As you might guess from the memory options, the ML500 offers a menu similar to the ones you'll find on some pico and palmtop models for opening files directly, whether from built-in memory, a USB key, or a memory card. More important, it can read most common image, video, and audio file formats, plus PDF files and Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files. Load the files you need in memory, and there's no need to bring a computer or video source with you, a neat trick that makes the ML500 that much more portable.

Brightness, Image Quality, and Other Issues
With even lightweight projectors like the Editors' Choice Optoma GT750E ($800 street, 4 stars) offering brightness ratings at 3,000 lumens and higher, the ML500's 500 lumen rating doesn't sound like a lot. But keep in mind that perception of brightness is logarithmic, so that for any given size image, you'll perceive a 500 lumen image as much more than one sixth as bright as a 3,000 lumen image. What that translates to is that I was able to run my tests with our usual 2-meter (78-inch) wide image without problems. Even at that size, the image can stand up to moderate ambient light.

The projector also scored reasonably well for data image quality on our standard suite of DisplayMate tests. One issue that stood out, however, was scaling artifacts (unwanted extra patterns added to repeating patterns, like an area filled with dots) at the ML500's claimed native resolution. These artifacts come from a projector adding or dropping pixels, so it can scale an image in one resolution to fit the number of pixels in its LCD or DLP chip. By definition, a projector shouldn't have to scale an image that's already in its native resolution, so the artifacts suggest that the ML500's true native resolution isn't 1,280 by 800.

Optoma says that the mirrors on the DLP chip are arranged in a way that's designed to produce higher brightness from a more compact design. However, the mirror arrangement also makes it impossible to have a true native resolution in the traditional sense, so the projector does indeed scale the image. Note too that scaling is also likely responsible for a slight sense of soft focus that I also noticed. The good news is that the obvious scaling artifacts show only on images with repeating patterns over a large area.

On the plus side, the projector delivers vibrant, fully saturated color, including yellow, which often turns into a mustard color on DLP projectors. And although I saw slight pixel jitter with an analog connection on screens that are designed to bring out the problem, it was so subtle I almost missed it even though I was looking for it.

I also saw very little rainbow effect with data images. Rainbow artifacts, with bright areas breaking up into red-green-blue rainbows, are always a concern for single chip DLP projectors because of the way they create color. With the ML500, however, they showed rarely enough with data images so that even if you're sensitive to them, as I am, it's unlikely you'll find them annoying.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for video images, where the rainbows showed up often enough so to make them a potential issue for anyone in your audience who's sees the effect easily. That alone makes the ML500 best reserved for short video clips only. Beyond that, it's usable for video, but not particularly impressive. I saw some posterization (colors changing suddenly where they should change gradually) and a moderate problem handling shadow detail (losing detail based on shading in dark areas), but only in scenes that tend to cause these problems. Both issues are common in data projectors.

Also worth mention is that the ML500's audio is surprisingly good for such a small projector. The single 2-watt speaker puts out enough volume to fill a small conference room, and the quality is good enough to easily make out spoken words.

Finally, keep in mind that the LED light source, with its 20,000 hour expected lifetime, will last the life of the projector. That makes the ML500 less expensive in the long run than a similarly priced projector with a standard lamp that you'll have to replace.

As a portable projector, the Optoma ML500 offers a particularly attractive balance of features. It's bright enough to project a reasonably large image even with ambient light; it's small and light enough to carry with you even when you're not sure you'll need it; and its ability to show files from memory can make it the only thing you need to carry. The combination makes it a terrific choice as traveling companion for business.

More Projector Reviews:
??? Optoma ML500
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/C0cWs9i3dL0/0,2817,2395279,00.asp

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In The Halls Of The Hedge Fund Hackers

I went down to the demonstration today, to get my fair share of bemusement. Occupy Wall Street seemed drizzly, dejected, and oddly disconnected from the world around it. I approve of their goals, and I think their message is very clear indeed, but I'm not so sure their methods are effective. We'll see. But they did spur me to go back and reread, of all things, some Mark Cuban. I don't usually have much time for Cuban, but in a post last year he made a really interesting point: "Wall Street is a platform. It?s a platform to be exploited by every technological and intellectual means possible. The best analogy for traders? They are hackers. Just as hackers search for and exploit operating system and application shortcomings, traders do the same thing." Matt Taibbi, in a recent Rolling Stone piece, is far more adversarial -- "Wall Street Isn't Really Winning, It's Cheating" -- but he makes essentially the same point. Most of the "cheats" he cites are examples of hacking the system, rather than breaking the law. (The big exception being the now-infamous Abacus case, but intelligent people have argued otherwise.) It's worth noting that the tech world's attitude towards hacking the system, any system, generally ranges from "grudging respect" to "outright approval." Steve Jobs was a phone phreak. MIT memorializes its finest hacks. Mark Zuckerberg's famous FaceMash hack was the precursor to Facebook.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/BDqFNI_l004/

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Winamp, Jeannie, Burn the City and More [Video]

Jeannie: Another voice control app for Android that can actually hold a Siri-esque conversation with you. You can send emails, play music, search the web, set alarms, hear jokes, find news and more with Jeannie. There's a ton of features here, Lifehacker says that you can, "control apps, start and stop music or video playback, read a poem to you, translate text or words to or from Spanish, control your phone's volume, Bluetooth state, and Wi-Fi radio all by voice."

More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6mbw98XWtNc/

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HTC rolling out update to Android 2.3.5, Sense 3.0 for Desire S in UK

According to reports from multiple sources, the HTC Desire S is currently receiving an update to Android 2.3.5, which also bumps the mid-range handset from HTC Sense 2.1 right up to Sense 3.0. The new version of Sense, which first shipped on the Sensation earlier in the year, features a redesigned 3D launcher and lock screen setup, amongst other enhancements.

Apparently unbranded Desire S owners in the UK, as well as owners of Vodafone T-Mobile, O2 and Orange have begun to see the update roll out to their handsets over the past few days. To see if you're in line for the update yet, head to Menu -> Settings -> About phone -> Software update. If you're not seeing anything just yet, then hold tight, it'll probably be sent out sooner rather than later.

Source: XDA; via: Eurodroid

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/LreTklyH7SI/htc-rolling-out-update-android-235-sense-30-desire-s

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Defense witness: Michael Jackson caused own death (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? With dramatic courtroom testimony, attorneys for Michael Jackson's doctor have dropped the bombshell they've been hinting at for months ? an expert opinion accusing the singer of causing his own death.

Dr. Paul White said Jackson injected himself with a dose of propofol after an initial dose by Dr. Conrad Murray wore off. He also calculated that Jackson gave himself another sedative, lorazepam, by taking pills after an infusion of that drug and others by Murray failed to put him to sleep.

That combination of drugs could have had "lethal consequences," the defense team's star scientific witness said Friday.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

White showed jurors a series of charts and simulations he created in the past two days to support the defense theory. He also did a courtroom demonstration of how the milky white anesthetic propofol could have entered Jackson's veins in the small dose that Murray claimed he gave the insomniac star.

White said he accepted Murray's statement to police that he administered only 25 milligrams of propofol after a night-long struggle to get Jackson to sleep with infusions of other sedatives.

"How long would that (propofol) have had an effect on Mr. Jackson?" asked defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan.

"If you're talking effect on the central nervous system, 10 to 15 minutes max," White said.

He then said Jackson could have injected himself with another 25 milligrams during the time Murray has said he left the singer's room.

"So you think it was self-injected propofol between 11:30 and 12?" asked Flanagan.

"In my opinion, yes," White said.

The witness, one of the early researchers of the anesthetic, contradicted testimony by Dr. Steven Shafer, his longtime colleague and collaborator. Shafer earlier testified Jackson would have been groggy from all the medications he was administered during the night and could not have given himself the drug in the two minutes Murray said he was gone.

"He can't give himself an injection if he's asleep," Shafer told jurors last week. He called the defense theory of self-administration "crazy."

White's testimony belied no animosity between the two experts, who have worked together for 30 years. Although White was called out by the judge one day for making derogatory comments to a TV reporter about the prosecution case, White was respectful and soft spoken on the witness stand.

When Flanagan made a mistake and called him "Dr. Shafer" a few times, White said, "I'm honored."

The prosecution asked for more time to study the computer program White used before cross-examining him. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor granted the request, saying he too was baffled by the complicated simulations of Jackson's fatal dose. He recessed court early and gave prosecutors the weekend to catch up before questioning White on Monday.

The surprise disclosure of White's new theory caused a disruption of the court schedule, and the judge had worried aloud that jurors, who expected the trial to be over this week, were being inconvenienced. But the seven men and five women appeared engaged in the testimony and offered no complaints when the judge apologized for the delay.

Prosecutors could call Shafer back during their rebuttal case to answer White's assertions.

Among the key issues is how White calculated that a large residue of propofol in Jackson's body could have come from the small dose that Murray says he administered. Shafer assumed Murray had lied, and he estimated Jackson actually was given 1,000 milligrams of the drug by Murray, who he said left the bottle running into an IV tube under the pull of gravity. White disputed that, saying an extra 25 milligrams self-administered by Jackson would be enough to reach the levels found in his blood and urine.

White also said a minuscule residue of the sedative lorazepam in Jackson's stomach convinced him the singer took some pills from a prescription bottle found in his room. He suggested the combination of lorazepam, another sedative, midazolam, plus the propofol could have killed Jackson.

"It potentially could have lethal consequences," said White. "... I think the combination effect would be very, very profound."

White's testimony was expected to end Murray's defense case after 16 witnesses. It likely will be vigorously challenged by prosecutors, who spent four weeks laying out their case that Murray is a greedy, inept and reckless doctor who was giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid in the singer's bedroom. Experts including Shafer have said propofol is not intended to treat insomnia and should not be given in a home.

White's theory was based on urine and blood levels in Jackson's autopsy, evidence found in Jackson's bedroom and Murray's long interview with police detectives two days after Jackson died while in his care.

While accepting Murray's account of drugs he gave Jackson, the expert's calculations hinged on the invisible quotient: Jackson's possible movements while his doctor was out of the room. With no witnesses and contradictory physical evidence, that has become the key question hanging over the case.

Those who knew the entertainer in his final days offered a portrait of a man gripped by fear that he would not live up to big plans for his comeback concert and worried about his ability to perform if he didn't get sleep. He was plagued by insomnia, and other medical professionals told of his quest for the one drug he believed could help him. He called it his "milk," and it was propofol.

Jurors have now seen it up close as both Shafer and White demonstrated its potential use as an IV infusion.

With White's testimony, the defense sought to answer strong scientific evidence by the prosecution. But they did not address other questions such as allegations that Murray was negligent and acting below the standard of care for a physician.

Flanagan, the defense attorney, produced a certificate from Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas showing Murray was certified to administer moderate anesthesia, referred to as "conscious sedation." However, the document showed several requirements including that the physician "monitor the patient carefully" and "provide adequate oxygenation and ventilation for a patient that stops breathing."

Medical witnesses noted that Murray left his patient alone under anesthesia and did not have adequate equipment to revive him when he found him not breathing.

The coroner attributed Jackson's June 25, 2009, death to "acute propofol intoxication" complicated by other sedatives.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111029/ap_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_doctor

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Controller in first lady incident had prior errors

WASHINGTON?? A report by federal safety investigators says the air traffic controller who allowed a plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama to fly too close a military cargo jet last spring had accumulated four previous "coordination errors."

The National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday said the controller violated two Federal Aviation Administration procedures during the incident. The Boeing 737 with Mrs. Obama and vice presidential spouse Jill Biden aboard was forced to abort an intended landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to avoid wake turbulence from the larger military jet and to give it time to clear the runway.

The report said the controller, who wasn't identified, was relieved of his air traffic control duties and sent for retraining, but is approved to handle air traffic again.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45062758/ns/travel-news/

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Researchers figure out secret society's code

USC Professor Kevin Knight discusses the project to decode the "Copiale Cipher," a 105-page message revealing the rituals and political leanings of a 18th-century secret society in Germany.

By Alan Boyle

Researchers have used?state-of-the-art machine translation software ? and some old-fashioned hunches ??to crack the code used by a secret society in Germany three centuries ago. The results shed light on the tricks of the cryptographic process as well as on the bizarre history of such societies, which were all the rage in the 18th century.

It turns out that the 105-page, 75,000-character manuscript, known as the Copiale Cipher,?provided a detailed description for setting up initiation ceremonies ??including the techniques used to throw a scare into the initiates. It also revealed the methods that members used to identify each other in the outside world, and delved into the comparisons and rivalries surrounding Masonic-like rites in different countries.

"This opens up a window for people who study the history of ideas and the history of secret societies," Kevin Knight, a computer scientist at the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute, said in a news release issued today. "Historians believe that secret societies have had a role in revolutions, but all that is yet to be worked out, and a big part of the reason is because so many documents are enciphered."

---

Knight and his colleagues?are now turning their attention to other, better-known cryptographic puzzles ? such as the brain-teasing Kryptos sculpture on the CIA's grounds, the cipher used by the Zodiac Killer in 1969, and the?totally baffling?15th-century Voynich Manuscript. But veteran code-breakers say those puzzles will be far tougher to solve. "Generally, that type of decryption has already been tried on those ciphers," said Elonka Dunin, whose website?keeps tab on the world's top cryptological puzzles.

Knight said?the work could?eventually lead to better translation tools for non-Latin?languages such as Pashto, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, "which have been a big challenge for machines."

How the code was cracked
Tracking down the handwritten Copiale manuscript (which gets its name from one of the?two readable words on the pages) was the first challenge facing Knight and two colleagues from Sweden's Uppsala University, Beata Megyesi and Christiane Schaefer. The?book, bound in green and gold paper, turned up in the East Berlin Academy after the Cold War and is now in a private collection.

The researchers transcribed a machine-readable version of the coded text and?put it through computerized?statistical analysis. The?software looked for patterns in the different combinations of coded characters, including Roman and Greek letters as well as abstract symbols.

At first,?Knight and his colleagues?focused on the Roman and Greek characters and tried to match them up with words from 80 different languages. "It took quite a long time, and resulted in complete failure," Knight said.

Then they played a hunch: Maybe those characters were actually meaningless?"nulls," and the true code was contained in the abstract symbols. When they ran the symbols through statistical analysis, they came up with a German text titled "Ceremonie der?Aufnahme" ... "Ceremonies of Initiation."?Soon?they had pages and pages of deciphered lore.

What the manuscript says
The text,?apparently written in the 1760-1780 time frame, is "obviously related to an 18th-century secret society, namely the 'oculist order,'" the researchers say. The volume is inscribed "Phillipp 1866," perhaps suggesting that it passed into the hands of an owner named Phillipp in that year.

The?manuscript, available in several formats from Uppsala University's website,?describes the procedure?for initiating new members of the society. At one point, candidates are asked to read the writing on a blank piece of paper. When they can't,?they're told to put on eyeglasses, and then?they undergo an "operation" that involves plucking?a hair from the eyebrow. After the operation, the blank paper is replaced by a document laying out "the entire teaching for the apprentices."

Later, "the left part of the chest and the right knee get uncovered, the eyes are being tied, and all sorts of words of comfort are spoken, which raise even more fear."?The candidates are told, "Prepare yourself to die" ? but that's just a scare tactic.? No injuries are inflicted in the course of the ceremony.

USC / Uppsala University

The Copiale Cipher, used in an 18th-century book on secret society practices, used Roman and Greek characters as well as abstract symbols. The Roman and Greek characters proved to mere place-holders.

Another section of the book describes how members can recognize each other. When one member asks how "Hans" is, the other should respond by mentioning a name that begins with the second letter of the first name ? for example, "He's with Anton."

Other?passages discuss how much members at various levels of the secret society should know about the codes and customs.?The manuscript?notes that?secret societies were established in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, "but because they practiced more evil than good, they have been destroyed." In Germany, societies in different cities are associated with different hand signs: a forefinger on the mouth for Berlin; the middle finger on the right eye and a thumb on the ear for Frankfurt;?a?forefinger on the chin for Marburg.

Some passages even take on political issues, referring to a three-headed monster as symbolizing "rule and governance which, by means of power and perfidy, deprive man of his natural freedom and enjoyment of the timely things and [that which] we human beings need." Such passages could help historians trace the influence of secret societies on the political movements of the time, which were notable for their focus on natural rights. The natural-rights concept?set the stage for the American Revolution as well as the French Revolution.

What next?
Knight wants to use his?machine-translation software?on the Kryptos, Zodiac Killer and Voynich ciphers, but the cryptographers who have been working on those puzzles for years suspect that machines alone can't crack the code. Nick Pelling, an expert on the Voynich Manuscript and other ciphers, pointed out that human intuition played a big role in?figuring out?the Copiale Cipher.

"The story they outline in the paper is a classic hunch-based cipher-cracking sequence," Pelling told me. "They guessed one way, and then it turned out to be the other way. These are great hunches, and they tell a great story about how they followed these hunches and got to the end of the line."

He doubted that the work done on the Copiale Cipher could be adapted easily for the Voynich Manuscript. "It's pretty clear that it's a different type of cipher from the Copiale Cipher," he said. In fact, he suspects the manuscript, whose content is completely unknown, may be a combination of ciphers and idiosyncratic abbreviations that would be devilishly hard to untangle.

Dunin, who is the co-leader of a group trying to crack the Kryptos code, was similarly pessimistic about the researchers' chances for success. "They're welcome to try, but many machines have already been pointed at Kryptos," she told me.

Klaus Schmeh, a German crypto expert, said that even though the Copiale Cipher has been around for 250 years or so, it hadn't gotten much attention in the past. "In my view, this cipher wasn't known at all to the public," Schmeh said. He saluted the researchers for their work, but echoed Pelling's view that?the effort?fit the standard pattern for breaking secret codes.

"It's pretty much the way cryptography is done," he said. "It was certainly not an easy puzzle, but I'm sure that other cryptographers would have solved it."

Update for 6:55 p.m. ET: Knight responded via email to a few follow-up questions I sent him:

Cosmic Log: The Daily Mail suggests?that the cipher was solved using the Google Translate software, but I'm assuming that it was a more specialized program.

Knight: The Daily Mail made a mistake.? Anyway, we used a bunch of software derived from our own statistical language translation algorithms.? We apply those original algorithms to the translation of Chinese and Arabic into English.

Q: Was the Copiale Cipher a straight substitution cipher, or was it something more complex?

A: It was a substitution cipher, but not a simple one-for-one type.? The cipher alphabet has many more than 26 letters.? So there are many ways to encode "E," for example.? Also, sometimes whole sequences of plaintext letters, for example "SCH," are encoded with a single cipher letter.? Lastly, there are some "logograms," cipher letters that stand for whole words, such as the name of the secret society.

Q: How could this method be applied to Voynich, Kryptos and other ciphers? Are there any wider applications for military code-making and code-breaking? Are there particular types of ciphers that the machine translation software is best suited for?

A: When you think about language translation, you can think about substituting a word in one language (like "boy" in English) with a word in another language (like "nanhaizi" in Chinese).? But sometimes whole phrases are substituted for whole phrases.? Also, there is reordering -- "transposition," in cryptographic jargon.? We pretend Chinese is a code for English -- a substitution/transposition cipher.? So there is a deep connection between translation and classical cryptography.? Of course, modern militaries use new cipher systems based on number theory now, so a lot of the classical work is not relevant anymore to them.? But it's super-relevant to us working on more accurate language translation algorithms.

Q: It sounds as if humans still played a key role...

A: Yes, it was a human/machine collaboration.? The machine has incredible patience, but it only looks for what you tell it.? We could tell it to decipher against 80 possible plaintext languages (Latin, English, German, etc.), and it had a slight preference for German, but it didn't know, for example, that a single cipher letter could stand for a sequence of three plaintext letters ("SCH"), because we didn't tell it that could happen.? But as a human, you are very flexible and can spot what is happening.

More secret messages:

---

Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding me to your Google+ circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/25/8482183-secret-societys-code-cracked

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Nokia announces the Lumia 800, the 'first real Windows Phone'

Finally, here it is. The flagship device Nokia is counting on to bring a smile to our phone-loving faces, a sigh of relief to its shareholders, and a twinkle to the eyes of Finnish tax collectors everywhere. And, guess what? This heavily leaked handset might just live up to our high expectations. From the outside, it's very similar to our beloved N9. Dubbed the "first real Windows Phone," this device is sculpted from the same 12.1mm (0.48-inch) thick of piece of durable polycarbonate plastic, with tapered edges on the top and bottom to give it that industrial look and make it feel thinner it really is. Sitting "proudly" at the top of the device is Nokia's logo, with a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens around back. Nokia's ClearBlack AMOLED display makes a welcome reappearance too. When we take a look at the insides, though, it's all about that fresh beginning: those bold squares you see on the screen are, of course, the sleek live tiles of Windows Phone Mango.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 800

As for the camera, it's got an f2.2 aperture, and is designed specifically for low-light environments. According to Nokia, it's simply a camera that works for "ordinary people, under ordinary circumstances."

Developing...

Follow along in our ongoing Nokia World 2011 liveblog right here!

Nokia announces the Lumia 800, the 'first real Windows Phone' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/26/nokia-announces-the-lumia-800/

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92% Point Blank

"A desperate man is a dangerous thing."Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse who saves the wrong guy -- a thief (Roschdy Zem) whose henchmen take Samuel's pregnant wife (Elena Anaya) hostage to force him to spring their boss from the hospital. A race through the subways and streets of Paris ensues, and the body count rises. Can Samuel evade the cops and the criminal underground and deliver his beloved to safety?REVIEWSamuel, a nurse-in-training at a Parisian hospital is suddenly in the middle of a conspiracy, and he has no way out until he can get his wife back. Simple enough? Not quite, but here is a movie that is like "The Fugitive" on steroids, powered by dynamic direction, and a very charismatic couple of lead actors. Samuel, find himself, avoiding bullets, thugs, cops, killers, cars, trains, security cameras, and that's just the background. He is also dealing with a very personal crisis, and there are a couple of sensational scenes that take place in the middle of a very busy train station, and if you have ever been in one of those European transportation hubs, you can almost feel his pain, as he is trying to avoid being captured and killed. The second scene involves a hectic police station, and some very creative plot twists.Here is a film many should see in its original version (I'm already thinking it will probably go through a least creative American reworking), but it is perfectly enjoyable the way it is; actually it's quite a thrill to see that in addition to films like "Tell No One", French filmmakers are producing some very interesting films, with non-stop action. You will feel your heart beating almost out of your chest.

August 29, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/point_blank/

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UFC 137 interview: Roy Nelson says ?Cro Cop? still has it

This may be the last hurrah for the legendary Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, but Roy Nelson knows he can't think that entering the Octagon at UFC 137.

"I think he's the same old 'Cro Cop.' If anything, he's probably more dangerous now because he wants to just prove to everybody else (he can still fight), and that's always a crazy thing," Nelson told ESPNRadio1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas (4:39 mark).

Nelson, 35, respects the 37-year-old Cro Cop.

"Cro Cop's fought some tough guys the last couple fights. He's still the same guy from 2006, 2007 ... a little bit older. If anything, he's probably a little bit wiser, as in technique-wise," said Nelson."

Nelson played it close to the vest when the issue of his weight came up. Following his loss to Frank Mir at UFC 130, lots of folks including his boss Dana White, called for Nelson to slim down a bit. Whether he's done that is anyone's guess. Nelson joked that he's heard a lot of "rumors" about his weight and what happened when he and White met to discuss his future. We'll certainly find out more this week from one side or the other.

Watch UFC 137 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-137-interview-Roy-Nelson-says-Cro-Cop-sti?urn=mma-wp8496

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Apple rolls out refresh of MacBook Pro, adds speed and storage (Yahoo! News)

If you were waiting to pounce on a new Apple notebook, now's the time

Right on schedule, and just like we were anticipating, Apple launched a refresh of their premium MacBook Pro notebooks. A few processor tweaks and additional storage options are now available to all would-be Pro owners, and all 3 models retain their original price points, as is customary.

The biggest change in the new wave of top-of-the-line Apple laptops is a considerable bump in processor speeds. The 13" model now comes with a 2.4GHz, dual-core chip standard, as well as a sizable 500GB hard drive for $1,199. These specs can be upgraded to a 2.8GHz chip and 750GB hard drive for $1,499.

The 15" model makes the move to a 2.2GHz quad-core i7 processor and 500GB drive standard, starting at $1,799. $2,199 will get you a 15" Pro with a slightly speedier 2.4GHz chip and 750GB of storage. The base model of the 17" Pro model is offered only with the 2.4GHz i7 and 750GB hard drive. The 15" and 17" models also get an AMD graphics upgrade, while the 13" version retains its integrated graphics hardware.

Apple's premium MacBook line is rumored to be poised for a complete redesign in the near future. Though with the now-beefed-up specs of the current models, an updated form factor is still likely many months away, so feel free to spring for one if you're in the market.

[via This Is My Next]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

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AC Milan beats Lecce 4-3 after trailing 3-0

By DANIELLA MATAR

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:16 p.m. ET Oct. 23, 2011

MILAN (AP) -Substitute Kevin-Prince Boateng scored a hat trick as a stunning second-half comeback for AC Milan saw the Serie A champions recover from three goals down to beat Lecce 4-3.

Giullermo Giacomazzi headed Lecce in front in the fourth minute, while Massimo Oddo converted a penalty kick and Carlos Grossmuller added a third before halftime.

But Boateng came off the bench for Robinho and grabbed one back for Milan four minutes into the second half.

The Ghana international completed his hat trick within 14 minutes and Mario Yepes grabbed the winner with seven minutes left.

"I would say that our approach to the game was awful," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "Lecce had a great first half, we were far off, we didn't manage to play and let in two goals from dead ball situations.

"But we had a great reaction and in the end had a great game. At the end we won a game that I didn't think we could turn around at the end of the first half."

The victory lifts Milan into the top half of the Italian league while Lecce remains second from bottom.

"It's really hard to talk about a game in which in the first half you're ahead 3-0 and then, at the final whistle, you lose 4-3," Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco said. "After having played so well the first 45 minutes I didn't expect to lose this game.

"It was a Lecce of two faces and it's bewildering for me to have seen that from my team ... After a perfect first half I asked them to keep their focus. Unfortunately they didn't."

Players wore black armbands and observed a minute's silence at the start of every game as a tribute to Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, who died Sunday after a crash at the Malaysian MotoGP motorcycle race.

Udinese took sole leadership of the standings after cruising to a 3-0 win over Novara, thanks to two goals and an assist from Antonio Di Natale.

Di Natale broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute and Maurizio Domizzi doubled Udinese's tally six minutes later when he headed in a corner at the near post.

Di Natale grabbed his sixth of the season four minutes into the second half with a stunning free kick that Novara goalkeeper Alberto Maria Fontana could do nothing about.

Udinese moves two points clear at the top of the table after Juventus drew 2-2 at home with Genoa on Saturday.

"I'm very happy with the result and our position in the table," Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin said. "We had a good game today and deserved to win ... being top is great. We can do well if we continue as we are, with the same humility and generosity."

Cagliari remains a point adrift of Juventus following its goalless draw with Napoli.

Either team could have won the game in a lively first half, which saw both sides hit the woodwork twice.

Inter Milan ground out a 1-0 victory at Chievo. Thiago Motta tapped-in Wesley Sneijder's corner to hand Inter only its second win in seven league games.

Roma also secured a narrow 1-0 win and its victory over Palermo moves it into the top half of the table.

Erik Manuel Lamala scored the only goal of the game in the seventh minute and Roma clung on desperately to take all three points.

Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg pulled off several stunning saves, notably from Fabrizio Miccoli in stoppage time, to secure the victory.

Cesena remains rooted to the bottom of the standings after losing 2-0 at Siena.

Pablo Gonzalez scored in the 10th minute and, after Cesena midfielder Antonio Candreva hit the post, Emanuele Calaio doubled Siena's advantage eight minutes into the second half.

Elsewhere, a brace from Maxi Moralez secured Atalanta a 2-1 win at Parma.

All the goals came in the second half, with substitute Jaime Valdes' strike 10 minutes from time proving no more than a consolation for Parma.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Man City humiliates United 6-1

Manchester City thrashed fierce rival Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday to hand Alex Ferguson his heaviest defeat in 25 years in charge.

Larry French / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44461168/ns/sports-soccer/

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Mitt Romney says he won?t give Mormon speech (The Ticket)

(Charlie Neibergall/AP)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA--Mitt Romney has no plans to deliver a speech explaining his Mormon faith, in spite of signs that skepticism about his religion could dog his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

During a town hall meeting at the local chamber of commerce, Romney was asked by a women in the audience if he would seek to correct "misinformation" about the Mormon church that has been peddled by those opposing his 2012 bid.

"I don't think so," Romney replied. "I think the great majority of American people want to select the person who's the most capable of getting our country going again, with strong values and a strong economy and a strong military? Among the things that are unique and exceptional about our country is the fact that, in America, we recognize and appreciate differences in faith."

Romney insisted candidates for office shouldn't be subject to a "religious test." But, he added, "I am shaped by the Judeo-Christian values which I have and hope that those will hold me in good stead as they have so far."

His comments come just weeks after Robert Jeffress, a Dallas pastor backing Rick Perry, called Mormonism a "cult" and said it was "not Christian."

Romney's Mormon faith has been a touchy subject for the former Massachusetts governor--especially in Iowa where he was defeated in 2008 by Mike Huckabee, who won with the strong backing of social conservatives in the state. ?While Romney faced problems over his perceived flip-flops on issues like abortion and gay marriage, many conservatives in the state were also openly skeptical about his faith.

In the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses in 2008, Romney tried to answer those concerns with a major speech about his faith at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library in Texas. But he largely avoided specifics about theology. He insisted that while he was influenced by his faith he wouldn't be beholden to church authorities.

"I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from the God who gave us liberty," Romney declared at the time.

Romney aides were split at the time about whether the speech was the right move for the ex-governor's campaign?in part because of worries it would only call more attention to a sensitive subject for Romney.

A recent Quinnipiac poll found voters nationally are still deeply concerned about electing a Mormon president. Just 45 percent of those polled say they have a favorable view of the religion. Meanwhile, roughly 1 in 5 Republican voters say they wouldn't vote for a Mormon candidate, according to a recent Gallup poll.

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Clinton warns Central Asian leaders on radical Islam (Reuters)

TASHKENT (Reuters) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Saturday that efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire.

She said this could lead to increased sympathy for radical views in Central Asia, a region the United States sees as key to the future stability of Afghanistan.

Clinton met Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon and Uzbek President Islam Karimov to thank the two Central Asian states for their cooperation in the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan.

She stressed to both that freedom of religious expression was tied to the region's future security, U.S. officials said.

"I disagree with restrictions on religious freedom and shared those concerns," Clinton told a news conference after meeting Rakhmon in Dushanbe on the last full day of her latest overseas trip.

She said efforts to regulate religion "could push legitimate religious expression underground, and that could build up a lot of unrest and discontent."

Clinton's visit to the two former Soviet republics came after a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan that was focused on U.S. efforts to find a political solution to the decade-long Afghan conflict.

She also promoted greater regional economic integration under a plan U.S. officials have dubbed "the New Silk Road."

Karimov and Rakhmon have moved to limit religious freedom in their countries which remain under authoritarian rule two decades after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Tajikistan, a mainly Muslim country of 7.5 million people, introduced laws in August to ban youths from praying in mosques, churches and other religious sites, a move that was criticized by religious leaders.

Rakhmon, in power since 1992, has said tough measures are needed to stop the spread of religious fundamentalism in an impoverished country that shares a porous 1,340-km (840-mile) border with Afghanistan.

"You have to look at the consequences," Clinton said in Tajikistan.

"We would hope there would be a rethinking of any restrictions going forward, because we think it will increase sympathy for extremist views which would in turn threaten the stability and security of the country."

Rakhmon's Moscow-backed secular government clashed with the Islamist opposition during a 1992-97 civil war, in which tens of thousands were killed.

The president has ignored previous requests from the West to respect freedom of conscience. He has ordered students home from religious schools abroad and clamped down on a growing trend for Islamic dress.

U.S. officials said Clinton also raised the issue with Uzbekistan's Karimov -- widely seen as one of the most repressive leaders in the region -- as one of a number of human rights concerns that also include press freedom, human trafficking and political reforms.

Karimov, who has said he intends to make reforms, repeated these pledges to Clinton, one U.S. official said.

"He said that he wants to leave a legacy for both his kids and his grandchildren," the official said. "The secretary welcomed that, and said that would help to build a long-term foundation for Uzbekistan but also for our cooperation."

AFGHAN SUPPLIES

U.S. officials said Clinton's Central Asian trip, her second to the region in less than 12 months, was aimed in a large part at thanking Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for their assistance with the Afghan conflict.

They said she also wanted to broaden a relationship giving the United States a important "back door" into Afghanistan and an alternative supply route that could prove vital if U.S. ties with its main ally in the region, Pakistan, unravel.

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are part of what Washington calls the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a supply line for U.S.-led forces fighting the Taliban that also stretches through Russia, Latvia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The NDN is increasingly important as U.S. ties with Pakistan come under strain over Washington's charges that elements of the Pakistani government have links to Islamist militants blamed for attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The United States is aiming to reduce the proportion of its surface cargo that it brings through Pakistan to only a quarter by increasing its supplies through the northern route; in July it was still well over half.

(Writing by Andrew Quinn and Robin Paxton; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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DeMarco: Classic World Series begins to unfold

Rangers' wild Game 2 victory could be sign of things to come

Jeff Haynes / Reuters

The comeback in Game 2 by Elvis Andrus and the Texas Rangers could be a sign that this wild and unpredictable series is going to be a classic.

OPINION

By Tony DeMarco

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 2:25 a.m. ET Oct. 21, 2011

Tony DeMarco

ST. LOUIS - There's no way of knowing whether the top of the ninth inning in Game 2 will be the turning point of the 2011 World Series.

If this thing doesn't return to Busch Stadium, and the Texas Rangers win their first-ever world championship on their own turf, then probably so.

But if the St. Louis Cardinals rebound from the disappointment of being on the verge of a 2-0 series lead, only to suffer a series-tying 2-1 loss, then the Rangers' two-run, top of the ninth will be just a drama-filled footnote.

And maybe still, a classic Series that nobody can predict is just beginning to unfold ? and the warning jokingly issued by Rangers manager Ron Washington will prove to be sage advice: "I've got to say to those of you with bad hearts, watch yourself.''

For now, we're left with all of this:

Top of the ninth: Previously nearly-unhittable closer Jason Motte on to protect a 1-0 lead against top of the order of a Rangers lineup that had been limited to three hits and frustrated by Jaime Garcia and two other relievers.

But Ian Kinsler got a blooper to fall in front of center fielder John Jay, who was playing deep in the 'no-doubles' outfield defense that seemed more like a 'too-many-singles' defense instead.

"They caught a break with a blooper,'' Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "But after that, they did some good classic baseball stuff to make two guys come around to score.''

Beginning with Kinsler swiping second base ? barely ? as Elvis Andrus squared around to bunt but pulled back on a top-of-the-strike zone fastball from Motte. You see, for all their power ? Josh Hamilton, last year's AL MVP, finished fifth on the team with 25 homers, for heaven's sake ? the Rangers use speed, aggressive base-running and run-manufacturing to kick-start their offense. That's the way Washington learned to play the game, and that's how he makes his team play.

Kinsler has a green light, and swiped the bag on Motte, whom Washington said, 'isn't very quick to the plate.' Kinsler wouldn't say exactly what ? 'I'm not going to tell you that' ? but did admit to finding something he could take advantage of in Motte's delivery.

Kinsler is a stolen-base machine, successfully swiping 136 of 158 career attempts (86 percent), and therefore has a green light to run. But Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina throws out 44 percent of base-stealers and arguably has the game's best throwing arm behind the plate. How much was Kinsler safe by this time?

"Enough,'' he said with a smile. "I mean, my hand barely got in there. It took everything I had. Yadier made an unbelievable throw ? quick, on the money ? and I was just able to get my hand in there.''

Washington admits that he was playing it more conservatively; he called for the sacrifice bunt from Andrus, who didn't execute.

"I wanted to get the runner over to second base and give the middle of the order a chance to at least get us a run, and stay in the ballgame,'' Washington said. "But it all worked out.''

But with Kinsler on second, Washington wanted Andrus to hit the ball to the right side, and his All-Star shortstop did ? a single right-center that couldn't score the ultra-aggressive Kinsler. But the throw from defensive replacement Skip Schumaker was mishandled by cutoff man Albert Pujols just long enough to Andrus to streak to second base.

Andrus already had made two run-saving plays in the fourth and fifth innings ? the latter a spectacular up-the-middle diving stop/glove flip to Kinsler for a force out at second. This time, it was legs that made the difference.

"I was already 3-4 steps around first,'' Andrus said. "I took my chance when the ball bounced away. If (Pujols) catches it, I come back to first. You have to be ready for anything. A lot of things were happening in a short period there.''

So instead of a sacrifice bunt that would have put Kinsler on second with one out, there was a stolen base, a single and a base advance on an error, setting up second and third with no outs. No wonder Washington later said, "you know, there was good karma in our dugout the whole night.''

And that brought up Hamilton, whose inclusion in the lineup was the subject of pre-game questioning due to an injured groin that has left him far below 100 percent. Washington denied that moving Hamilton from his usual spot in center to left field was a concession to Hamilton's injury, and said, "I know my player better than you guys.''

Hamilton faced a handful of questions afterward, saying in a friendly tone: "I'm tired of talking about it. I'm going to hurt until the season is over. It's a non-issue as far as talking about it. So stop asking me.''

And when asked specifically if he had taken a painkilling injection, his response was, "I plead the fifth.''

La Russa's decisions were pitch to Hamilton with first base open? Walk him to load the bases? And which pitcher to use ? Motte or left-handed specialist Arthur Rhodes?

"I don't think walking him there would have made it easier for us,'' La Russa said. "I think it would have made it harder. We had a chance to do something with Hamilton and Rhodes ? maybe they score a run, but don't advance the other guy. But (Hamilton) did a good job.''

Hamilton hit a first-pitch slider from Rhodes for a game-tying sacrifice fly to right field to score Kinsler, and Andrus also advanced to third. Hamilton said he thought La Russa would leave Motte in to face him.

"(Motte is) a guy who throws close to 100 (mph), rather than bring in Rhodesy, who throws 89. I don't get paid to make those decisions, and I'm glad he made that one.''

Then Michael Young's sacrifice fly to center off Lance Lynn brought in Andrus with the go-ahead run ? making up for Young not being able to make a play on Nick Punto's hard smash that would have ended the bottom of the seventh. Instead, that half inning was extended for pinch-hitter Allen Craig, who singled in the game's first run off reliever Alexi Ogando in a repeat matchup from Game 1.

"You've got to keep fighting, and we needed to get one here (in St. Louis),'' Washington said. "We're equal (with the Cardinals) in the way we play the game. It's certainly going to be a lot of fun the rest of the way.''

? 2011 NBC Sports.com? Reprints

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Pujols' 3 blasts carry Cards

??Albert Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series game, tying records with five hits and six RBIs that led the Cardinals to a 16-7 rout of the Texas Rangers on Saturday night that gave St. Louis a 2-1 Series lead.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44985381/ns/sports-baseball/

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FBI official calls for secure, alternate Internet (AP)

BALTIMORE ? The computer networks that control power plants and financial systems will never be secure enough, so government and corporate leaders should consider developing a new, highly secure alternative Internet, a top FBI official said Thursday.

Shawn Henry, the FBI's executive assistant director, said critical systems are under increasing threat from terror groups looking to buy or lease the computer skills and malware needed to launch a cyber attack.

In an AP interview Thursday, Henry said jihadist militants looking to harm the U.S. can tap organized crime groups who are willing to sell their services and abilities to attack computer systems. He would not say which terror group or whether any insurgent networks have actually been able to acquire the high-tech capabilities.

But he said one way to protect critical utility and financial systems would be to set up a separate, highly secure Internet.

Henry sketched out the Internet idea to a crowd at a conference of the International Systems Security Association, saying that cyberthreats will always continue to evolve and outpace efforts to defend networks against them.

"We can't tech our way out of the cyberthreat," Henry said. "The challenge with the Internet is you don't know who's launching the attack." A key step, he said, would be to develop networks where anonymity is not an option and only known and trusted employees have access.

The vulnerabilities of critical systems such as power plants, the electric grid or Wall Street were a prime topic during the conference, reflecting growing concerns by U.S. officials.

Government security officials say cyber attackers are using the Internet to steal money, ferret out classified secrets and technology and disturb or destroy important infrastructure, from the electrical grid and telecommunications networks to nuclear power plants and transportation systems.

And while Henry described a system for the future, the head of the Pentagon's Cyber Command warned that the attacks against critical systems are increasingly carrying destructive viruses or malware.

Gen. Keith Alexander, who also is director of the National Security Agency, said the Pentagon and intelligence agencies must do more to protect their computer systems and coordinate with private companies to safeguard public networks.

And when a computer network is infected, someone should be able to disconnect it, he said.

"Is it the FBI? Is it the NSA? Is it the military or is it the ISPs ? the Internet service providers? But somebody can turn that device off," Alexander said during a conference of the International Systems Security Association.

Alexander added that the Defense Department is finalizing policies that will determine what the military can do in the event of a cyber attack.

The Defense Department has set up a trial program to share cyberthreat data with some large military contractors in order to prevent intrusions. The Homeland Security Department is looking at that model to protect power plants, financial networks or other key systems.

Alexander said that effort may need government action but that Homeland Security must lead it, with reviews to ensure the protections of civil liberties and privacy.

He said it's no longer good enough to try to monitor all networks at the Pentagon or across the government and then block the intrusions as they are detected. Cybersecurity experts note that it can sometimes take months to detect that someone has gotten in.

Instead, Alexander said the Defense Department is planning a drastic reduction in the number of routes into the network, so they can be better monitored and intrusions can be blocked in real time.

He also said defense and intelligence agencies will move to cloud computing, which would use highly secure, encrypted banks of remote computers to store data ? much like people store photos or email in popular online programs.

Doing that, said Alexander, will allow officials to better see and block any threats trying to get into government systems. He also noted that commanders used cloud computing in Iraq, which allowed the military in intelligence officials to more quickly share and disseminate information to troops on the front lines who needed it.

In related action Thursday, the DHS announced that a former executive at the North American Electric Reliability Corp., or NERC, has been named the new deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity.

Mark Weatherford was the vice president and chief security officer at NERC and before that was the chief information security officer for the state of California. He is a former naval cryptologic officer.

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UK police begin clearing illegal Traveler camp (AP)

LONDON ? British police in riot gear on Wednesday used sledgehammers to clear the way for the eviction of a community of Irish Travelers from a site where they have lived illegally for more than a decade.

A large force of police and bailiffs faced resistance from residents and supporters who threw objects or struggled with officers at the Dale Farm site, 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of London. One mobile home was set on fire as police moved in and several protesters chained themselves to barricades with bicycle locks in a bid to slow down the evictions.

Essex Police said two protesters were Tasered and one person arrested and that police officers had been attacked with rocks and other missiles as they tried to enter the site.

The conflict over the settlement has simmered since 2001, when Travelers bought and settled on a former scrap yard next to a legal Travelers' site.

The local authority says it's a simple planning issue ? the 86 families lack permission to pitch homes on the land. The Travelers, a traditionally nomadic group similar to, but ethnically distinct from, Gypsy or Roma people, call it ethnic cleansing ? the latest chapter in a centuries-old story of mistrust between nomads and British society.

"We are being dragged out of the only homes we have in this world," said Kathleen McCarthy, a Dale Farm resident. "We will do our best to stay but it looks like we have no hope."

Lily Hayes, who identified herself as a human rights observer, accused the police of using unnecessary force. Authorities said the violence was coming from the Travelers and their supporters.

"The premeditated and organized scenes of violence that we have already seen with protesters throwing rocks and bricks, threatening police with iron bars and setting fire to a caravan are shocking," said Tony Ball, leader of Basildon Council, the local authority.

"These are utterly disgraceful scenes and demonstrate the fact some so-called supporters were always intent on violence," Ball said.

There are estimated to be between 15,000 and 30,000 Irish Travelers in Britain, where they are recognized as a distinct ethnic minority by the government.

The legal battle over Dale Farm dragged on for years, through eviction orders and last-minute reprieves, until the Travelers lost a final appeal last week.

Traveler evictions are common across Britain, but few are as high-profile as Dale Farm. Oscar-winning actress and political activist Vanessa Redgrave came to the community's support, and the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged authorities to find "a peaceful and appropriate solution" to the crisis.

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Doctor who wrote propofol warning testifies

LOS ANGELES?? The trial of the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death resumed Wednesday after days of delay, with jurors hearing from a leading expert on the powerful anesthetic propofol that authorities say killed the King of Pop.

Dr. Steven Shafer's early testimony focused on his lengthy credentials, studies he has helped create, and his work crafting guidelines and warnings that are included with every bottle of propofol.

Prosecutors claim Dr. Conrad Murray ignored those warnings by giving Jackson the anesthetic in the bedroom of his rented mansion.

Video: Live video: Watch the trial live???? (on this page)

Shafer is expected to introduce a video demonstration that shows the proper procedures for administering propofol in a hospital setting, where the drug is supposed to be used.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled that portions of the video, which depicts the setup of an operating room and what medical personnel are supposed to do if a patient's heart stops, could be shown to jurors.

Before the video was played, Shafer told jurors he is not charging for his work on the Jackson case, in part because he wants to restore public confidence in the medication and doctors.

"I am asked every day in the operating room, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson,'" Shafer said. "This is a fear that patients do not need to have."

Shafer, who is a researcher and a practicing anesthesiologist, is the prosecution's final witness in its case against Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He used a bottle of propofol he brought to court to demonstrate how a syringe can be used to obtain the drug from its glass vial.

Story: Could Dr. Murray be convicted and avoid jail?

Pastor canceled testimony Tuesday to give defense attorneys time to research new test results conducted by coroner's officials on the level of the sedative lorazepam in Jackson's body.

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Murray's attorneys have claimed lorazepam levels in the singer's stomach contents suggested he may have taken several pills without his doctor's knowledge in the hours before his death.

Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson doses of propofol in the pop superstar's bedroom as a sleep aid. However, his attorneys have said that the amount of propofol given to Jackson on the day he died was too small to cause his sudden death at age 50.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren gas said the new results from the coroner's office show that levels of lorazepam in Jackson's body were lower than the defense claimed and were inconsistent with the theory that Murray's attorneys had presented to jurors.

Lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff said he was seeking additional testing from an independent lab to confirm or disprove the coroner's results, but it would take several days for the defense to get the answers it needs.

Walgren agreed that he would not raise the issue of the new tests until after the defense team presents its case.

Chernoff complained about the video on propofol procedures that will be shown to jurors. "This is a dramatization," he said. "The information can be described."

The video simulates an operating room environment and includes segments in which various medical and life-saving equipment present in the room are described in detail.

"This is designed to assist the jury to better understand the testimony of Dr. Shafer," Walgren said.

Pastor said the video was highly relevant, but asked prosecutors to edit out certain portions before playing it in court.

Murray's attorneys will begin calling witnesses Friday. They plan to call 15 witnesses, including police detectives, character witnesses and Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, the promoter of Jackson's planned series of comeback concerts.

Chernoff said many of the witnesses will be brief and the defense should rest its case by Wednesday.

Murray's attorneys are also going to call one of Shafer's colleagues, Dr. Paul White, as an expert to try to counter the prosecution's case.

Prosecution witnesses have repeatedly faulted Murray for his care of Jackson, noting that his use of propofol as a sleep aid was outside the drug's intended use. They have also faulted Murray for not calling emergency services sooner, for botching resuscitation efforts and for lying to paramedics and emergency room doctors about the drugs he had given Jackson.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44959098/ns/today-entertainment/

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