California, the place to be for innovation, is celebrating with SRI International, on the company’s 65 years of transformational innovation.

Stanford Research Institute was established in 1946, to conduct research and development and stimulate the economy after World War II. From then until now, with a name change to SRI (why do companies change their names to unintelligible gobbledygook?) they have been pioneering solutions that became part of our daily lives.

Looking back in time, we find their innovations include interactive computing and the computer mouse in the 1960s to current advances such as the Siri virtual personal assistant, minimally invasive telerobotic surgery, and electroactive polymer “artificial muscle. Their researchers and technogeeks continually push the envelope and move us forward, warping their amazing legacy into a future most of us haven’t even considered yet.

“In today’s innovation-based economy, the world is limited only by people with the skills that allow development of the abundant opportunities before us.”
- Curtis R. Carlson, Ph.D., SRI President and CEO

The SRI approach, known as the Five Disciplines of InnovationZ, is designed to create high-value solutions for clients and partners.

A Sampling of Recent SRI Breakthroughs that Impact Our Lives

Siri Artificial Intelligence
SRI technology is transforming communication and human-computer interaction. Decades of SRI research in artificial intelligence, including leadership of the largest known artificial intelligence project in U.S. history, led to the development of the groundbreaking virtual personal assistant technology called Siri. SRI spun off Siri, Inc. in 2007 to bring the technology to consumers. In April 2010, Apple acquired Siri, and in October 2011, Siri was unveiled as an integrated feature of the Apple iPhone 4S.

Improved Android Video Chat
Earlier this year, SRI video stabilization technology was embedded into Google Talk applications on AndroidZ devices–improving the user experience for video conversations, even if someone is moving.

U.S. Education Department National Technology Plan
The 2010 National Education Technology Plan, Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology, calls for revolutionary transformation of education so that successful programs are brought to scale and every student has the opportunity to take advantage of their success.

Co-Developed Cancer Drug
In 2009, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved pralatrexate for the treatment of relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). Research on drugs of this class began at SRI in the 1950s.

A comprehensive timeline of the first 65 years of SRI’s growth and innovations can be found online at http://www.sri.com/about/65Years.html

A Rich Legacy of Innovation

Additional SRI innovations span a wide range of technical disciplines and global markets:

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

    --  Artificial intelligence for robots (1972): SRI created Shakey, the first
        mobile robot that could reason about its actions.
    --  Advanced robotics (2000 - present): SRI has pioneered novel
        surface-climbing robots, autonomous mobile robots, mapping software, and
        medical robotics.

Computing and Internet

    --  Banking (1955): SRI revolutionized banking with automatic check
        processing and magnetic ink character reading (MICR), still a standard
        on today's checks.
    --  Personal computing (1968): Douglas C. Engelbart and his team introduced
        many of the tools--such as the computer mouse and concepts of multiple
        windows and interactive computing--that set the global computer
        revolution in motion. SRI licensed the computer mouse technology to
        Apple, Xerox, and other companies.
    --  Internet (1969): SRI received the first transmission on the ARPANET, the
        Internet's predecessor, and ran the Network Information Clearinghouse,
        which assigned domain names, for decades.
    --  Wireless communication (1977): SRI sent the first transmission across
        three disparate networks: satellite, the ARPANET, and packet radio, in
        what is known as the first internetworked connection.
    --  Speech translation (2007 - present): SRI is deploying technology on
        mobile devices to enable real-time communication in local languages. In
        1994, SRI spun off market leader Nuance Communications to bring its
        speech technology to market.

Defense

    --  Aviation (1950s): SRI developed electrostatic discharge rods to protect
        airplane wings from radio interference and static electricity. These
        devices are now standard on aircrafts, spacecraft, and tankers.
    --  Radar (1960s - present): SRI radars are used by the military for
        long-range and concealed-target detection. SRI also operates major radar
        research facilities for the National Science Foundation at locations
        around the globe, from Greenland to the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto
        Rico.

Education

    --  Longitudinal studies (1978 - present): SRI conducted the first
        Congressionally mandated longitudinal studies of youth with disabilities
        to improve the U.S. education system.

Entertainment

    --  Movies (1959): SRI won an Academy AwardZ for co-developing the
        TechnicolorZ electronic movie print timer, which allowed the film
        industry to bring accurate color movie prints to theaters faster.
    --  Broadcasting (1997): SRI Sarnoff, as part of an EmmyZ Award-winning
        consortium of electronics and telecommunications companies, developed
        the U.S. high-definition television (HDTV) standard.

Biomedical Sciences and Health

    --  Drug discovery (1970s): Halofantrine, discovered and developed at SRI,
        has saved countless lives as a treatment for drug-resistant malaria.
    --  Minimally invasive surgery (1990s): SRI developed the first robotic
        surgical system, now used by surgeons around the world. SRI spun off
        Intuitive Surgical to bring the technology to surgeons and patients.

Vision and Image Processing

    --  Real-time video processing (1984 - present): SRI Sarnoff developed the
        first computer system capable of performing sophisticated visual search
        tasks in real time. SRI's work in computer vision technology augments
        the way people sense, analyze and react to the world around them.
    --  Augmented reality (1993 - present): SRI Sarnoff delivered the first
        system to insert virtual advertising in a live video broadcast as part
        of the scene. Today, this technology enables immersive training: users
        see the real world and computer-generated avatars simultaneously.
    --  Biometric identification (1996 - present): SRI Sarnoff pioneered iris
        recognition at a distance for user identification at ATMs and other
        applications.

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The Superior Court of Sacramento County &

The 100 Black Men of Sacramento

Unite for “Youth and the Law”

(100BKM)- The 100 Black Men of Sacramento Chapter and The Superior Court of Sacramento County invite you to the Fourteenth annual “Youth and the Law Forum. Get the “real deal” from a diverse group of Law enforcement personnel on site, including Judges, Sheriff’s Chief Deputy (Ret.), Police Officers, Narcotic/Gang Detectives, Probation Officers, and Correctional officers from the State Department of Juvenile Justice and State Prisons.

The forum topics include

• Don’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time
• How the criminal justice system works
• What happens if you go to prison.

Prison cell tours will be given to all youth in attendence

The Youth and the Law Forum begins at 8:45am at the Lorenzo E. Patino Hall of Justice (County Jail), 651 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814. This is a free event for youth up to eighteen years old. All youth and parents can attend the forums and Parking is available and lunch. Early registration is encouraged. Please go to www.sac100.com to get a copy of the registration form. Attendance will satisfy the requirement to apply for the 100 Black Men scholarship.

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Multicam edit.

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You may think you have prepared your family and your home, ready for the next earthquake, but you are wrong.

The California Emergency Management Agency says you are “Totally Unprepared” because no matter how well you think you have prepared, it is highly likely you’ve overlooked quite a few things.

Just when you think you have done all you can to prepare for an earthquake, “Totally Unprepared” comes in to show you what you may have missed. In this week’s video, hostess Susan Jekarl introduces us to the Gingery family – a family that has taken several important steps to prepare for disaster.

Following a ride in the “Big Shaker”, they quickly discover there is still work to be done.

The Gingery family has taken great care to secure heavy items such as bookshelves and televisions in case of a quake. However like many Californians, they have overlooked a number of little things throughout their home which also pose a big danger. Over the next couple weeks, Totally Unprepared will get them on the right track.

Gingery Family is Totally Unprepared: Episode 1/3

The “Totally Unprepared” campaign is a year-long collaborative effort between the California Emergency Management Agency, the California Seismic Safety Commission (CSSC) and the California Earthquake Authority (CEA). It is a unique and insightful multimedia campaign which aims to help Californians better understand their risk of earthquakes and how to prepare for them.

Based on recent research about what does and does not motivate people to prepare, “Totally Unprepared” uses social media, video, and mobile applications to increase pervasiveness of earthquake preparedness issues. A special 30-minute program is also being aired on twelve California Public Television Stations throughout the month of September.

Connect with Totally Unprepared for the latest information and resources at the following websites:

www.totallyunprepared.com
www.YouTube.com/weareunprepared
www.Facebook.com/totallyunprepared
www.Twitter.com/weareunprepared

For more information about preparing for earthquakes and other hazards, visit www.calema.ca.gov.

The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) coordinates overall state agency preparedness for, response to and recovery from major disasters. Cal EMA also maintains the State Emergency Plan, which outlines the organizational structure for state management of the response to natural and manmade disasters.

A message from CEA: With earthquake insurance from the CEA, you and your family will have the financial strength to rebuild. Working with our network of leading insurance companies, we provide claim-paying power and expert service. Together, we’re providing peace-of-mind no earthquake can shake. For more information, visit www.EarthquakeAuthority.com.

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Old Sacramento – MP 2.5

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Julie Gallaher of Get on the Map gave a speech to the Sacramento Association of Realtors http://getonthemap.us

Julie also told them “Why you need a Facebook Fan Page.”

Julie Gallaher has become “the go to girl” on social networking for business in Sacramento. He fans (and there are many) say If you want your business grow with? Web 2.0, you really have to follow her advice.

Local businesses don’t know how to get themselves found by all the people who can use their services, but Julie knows how to do it.

julie gallaher

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Final song of the Sacramento LITS show. It is the first edit, that needs color correction and some cuts smoothed out, but you get the idea.

This was an amazing concert.

Many people said this was a beautiful and artistic rendition of the song live, especially the last two minutes of it.

The crowd really loved it, as you will hear.

Fans really like the way they add to the live versions of their songs.

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This is Adam Lambert, singing his bowie medley at the Sacramento, CA show!

You can tell this is everyone’s favorite video from the night, not surprised, the writer says.

Lots of screaming and the camera gets a bit shaky, trying to avoid getting caught filming and the camera guy kept getting in the way.

That the music is loud is definitely an understatement, but as he strips off his jacket, the screaming girls are louder!

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Judge Allows Monday BLM Helicopter Roundup

The death toll from the BLM’s July Helicopter Roundup in Nevada stands at 32 mustangs. A court hearing has failed to stop the massive California Wild Horse Roundup, even as the controversy escalates.  54 members of congress say the Interior Department policy is deeply flawed and urge an end to the roundups

Attorney Stuart Gross of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy on behalf of In Defense of Animals et al., will file an emergency stay tomorrow morning to prevent next Monday’s scheduled helicopter roundup of over 2,000 of the last wild horses and 200 burros in California from the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area north of Susanville. This afternoon Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. denied Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction.

Deadly Helicopter Roundup

Gross will present a letter from 54 members of Congress to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that demands a halt to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wild horse roundups and recommends reform of “what seems to be a deeply flawed policy. . .” Representatives Barbara Lee, George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, and Mike Honda are among the members of the California Congressional delegation who signed the letter on July 30, expressing concern over the BLM’s recent helicopter roundup of 1,224 Nevada mustangs, which caused the deaths of 34 of these iconic animals, including at least eight foals.

Gross will argue that the proposed roundup, conducted in the heat of summer, will unnecessarily subject many old, sick, lame and vulnerable young wild horses to potential injury and death. He contends that the BLM’s current policy of mass roundups, removals and stockpiling of horses is unnecessary and violates the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. An emergency stay is necessary to prevent harm to the horses until the lawsuit is resolved.

The lawsuit was filed July 16 on behalf of ecologist Dr. Chad Hanson, a researcher at the University of California at Davis and author of numerous scientific studies; Barbara Clarke, wild horse expert and director of 2,000-acre DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary in Northeastern California; Linda Hay, a local resident who has visited and enjoyed the Twin Peaks horses for the past thirty years; and In Defense of Animals, a Bay Area-based animal protection organization.

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C., is joined as counsel in the lawsuit by the national law firm of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and San Francisco Bay Area-based environmental attorney Rachel Fazio.

“The Department of Interior’s mismanagement of our public resources, so tragically revealed in the Gulf oil spill, extends to our nation’s treasured wild horses and burros,” said Gross. “This emergency stay aims to stop the agency’s mass and illegal removal of federally-protected mustangs from the range to serve the livestock industry and other commercial interests that exploit our public lands.”

Gross noted that BLM, while deeming wild horses and burros overpopulated, authorizes four to seven times more privately-owned sheep and cattle to graze the nearly 800,000-acre, federally protected Herd Management Area.

“The BLM now warehouses more wild horses in government holding facilities than are left on the Western range. The vast majority of the captured Twin Peaks horses will join the 38,000 mustangs already stockpiled in zoo-like conditions,” said Bill Spriggs of Buchanan, Ingersoll and Rooney. “This scheme is not only fiscally unsustainable, it is also blatantly illegal.”

“The Department of Interior has a policy of removing mass numbers of wild horses from the range without fulfilling its obligation to establish the need for the action,” said environmental attorney Rachel Fazio. “This circumvention of these legal requirements and the unfounded determination that 2,000 Twin Peaks wild horses and burros are ‘excess’ is a cornerstone of this legal action and emergency stay.”

Wild horses comprise a small fraction of grazing animals on public lands, where they are outnumbered by livestock nearly 50 to 1. The BLM has recently increased cattle grazing allotments in areas where wild horses are being removed. Currently the BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public lands of which cattle grazing is allowed on 160 million acres; wild horses are only allowed on 26.6 million acres of this land, which must be shared with cattle. The Obama Administration has accelerated the removal of wild horses and burros from public lands in the past year.

See the Congressional Letter

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Welcome Home, SPC Jessica Ransom!

SPC Jessica Ransom, an MP who has been stationed in Afghanistan, came home to Sacramento yesterday for two weeks R&R.

Jessica landed at Sacramento Airport, where she was welcomed by family and friends, Soldiers’ Angels and the Patriot Guard Riders.

The trip home was a little rough, but not as rough as the mission in Afghanistan. First Jessica was held up in Kuwait and her final arrival, via Germany, Dallas, Phoenix and then on to Sacramento, was two days later than originally expected.

While waiting, Jessica said she wondered how her son would react when he saw his mommy – it seemed he was happy, but a little stunned by the event and all the people. A camel toy seemed to have taken his mind off that!

Jessica said while waiting, she was so excited, she thought all of Germany could feel it. She thanked all her supporters who really pulled through with the plans, having received emails from so many of them.

“This is one big important day for me and my family, because I will be missing my son’s birthday, husband’s birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and more.” – SPC Jessica Ransom

Editor’s Note: Thanks to Louis Stanley, the Soldiers’ Angel who made so many of the arrangements and to the wonderful Patriot Guard Riders who make sure all returning service men and women know they are loved and appreciated.

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