iPhone 4 Survives Skydiving Fall

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The iPhone 4 has a reputation as a fragile device; a mere fall from a table has been known to crack the glass.

It’s not surprising that Jarrod McKinney of Minnesota was “just absolutely shocked” when his iPhone fell from his pocket while skydiving; and survived! When it fell during a 13,500 feet jump, McKinney thought it was gone.
However, he found the device on top of a building near his landing spot. The glass surfaces were all shattered.

Diving instructor Joe Johnson explained that he and a group of friends had watched from the ground as McKinney located his phone at the top of the building. As a joke, Johnson called the phone, and was shocked when it worked.

When McKinney felt the iPhone vibrate, he started laughing.
“They were all like ‘it works! It works!” he said.

A Consumer Reports tech editor named Mike Gikas found the story amusing as the iPhone 4 often has reception problems. He joked that dropping it from a plane is the “proved method for fixing the antenna problem.” Of the fall he said “I think that can happen. I think water is harder to deal with than shock.”

Country Singers Perform at Benefit Concert in Texas

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With fires scorching 900 acres around Possum Kingdom Lake, country singers have flocked to Texas for a benefit concert in support of volunteer fire departments. In April and May, the volunteers fought powerful wildfires, losing a lot of equipment. According to event organizers, the concert will feature Pat Green, Lee Ann Womack and Stoney Larue.

Four ranchers from Palo Pinto Country thought a benefit concert would be a good idea, and founded the non-profit Buckets and Boots Foundation.

“We really saw the heart and spirit of this county and its people, firefighters, police officers, everyone,” said Craig James, one of the ranchers and a college football analyst for ESPN. “We saw what they did to protect us, and we wanted to help them in some way.”

James explained that the concert tickets cost $100, while firefighters may attend free of charge. Musicians are also performing for free, and all concert proceeds will go to firefighters and law enforcement agencies, for new equipment.

Fire Chief Garth Flack said the Possum Kingdom West will need to re[place a broken pump motor, lights on a truck, several ruined suits and gloves, and a handheld radio.

“We were fighting fires day and night for 27 days, and a lot of our equipment got torn up,” he said before thanking the community for their efforts.

New York’s New Same-Sex Marriage Legislation

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This week, New York has celebrated one huge engagement party as hundreds of same-sex couples rush to fulfill their often years-long dreams of marriage following the state’s new bill.

Signed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo late last Friday, the same-sex marriage legislation is expected to increase New York’s economy by $284 million. A report by the Independent Democratic Conference estimated more than 21,000 same-sex marriages in the state over the course of the next three years, and added that around 42,000 couples would travel to New York for “destination weddings.”

Tim Ford, and actor now engaged to his partner of 18 years, said “It makes you feel like we’re equal, that we can celebrate with friends in New York and not have it be, in some people’s eyes, not recognized.” He added, “We waited for this day for a very long time. It’s very emotional.”

Georgetown Welcomes Unlikely Friends at Book Signing

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According to the Daily Mail, residents of Georgetown, South Carolina were thrilled to take part in Suryia and Roscoe’s book signing. Literally hundreds of fans flocked to the bookstore just to get a glimpse of the unlikely friends.

A Primate and a Dog

Suryia is an orangutan and Roscoe a Bluetick hound. The two met at a reserve for endangered animals, and have since become inseparable. Now, a picture book has been released, documenting their friendship with unforgettable, slightly unbelievable photos.

How They Met

Four years ago, Roscoe followed staffers from The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) as they walked home. Dr. Bhagavan Antle, the founder of the reserve, explained: “Roscoe looked really thin and a little lost so we fed him and took care of him. He followed us through the gate and ran over and found Suryia. As soon as he saw Roscoe , Suryia ran over to him and they started playing. Dogs are usually scared of primates, but they took to each other straight away. We made a few calls to see if he belonged to anyone and when no one came forward, Roscoe ended up staying.”

The Google Car Tours California

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Californians may be familiar with Google’s new project- the Toyota Prius that drives on its own! Using artificial intelligence software, the car senses its surroundings, ‘makes decisions’ and reacts the way a human driver would.

7 Test Drives

So far, Google has launched seven test drives. Each test includes a real person behind the wheel as well as one passenger. The testers are there to monitor the navigation system, and to take control if something goes wrong. Until now, seven test cars have driven 1,000 miles with no human control, and more than 140,000 miles with only minor human intervention. The cars even managed to drive down Lombard Street in San Francisco- one one of the steepest, windiest hills in the area. According to engineers, the only accident happened when a car was hit in the rear while waiting at a traffic light.

Cars That Save Lives

Though self-driving cars have a long way to go before mass production, engineers and technologists are encouraged by the positive assessments of these test drives. They claim that the technology will have a huge impact on society, and believe that robot drivers will save lives.

The computers can react faster than humans, are 100% aware of their surroundings with 360-degree perception, and are incapable of becoming tired, distracted or intoxicated.

Good Economic News: Port of Miami in Growth Mode

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While the rest of the US economy seems to be in slow growth mode or in some sectors stagnating, work is continuing apace as a $1 billion tunnel is being dug in the Port of Miami.

The tunnel will connect Dodge Island to area highways, while this summer will bring forth the beginning of work on a new rail line which will once again connect the Port of Miami to the Hialeah Rail Yard. In the next few months the dredging of one of the port’s many channels will commence.

The director of the port, Bill Johnson explained to participants at a logistic luncheon during the annual goals conference of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce what the next steps will be in revitalizing the port.

“It’s leveraging these port improvements; it’s what we do with these billions and billions of investments,” Mr. Johnson emphasized.

In order to get the most out of these investments it will be necessary to bring in major logistic centers to South Florida, Mr. Johnson and others at the luncheon said. The enormous ships that will be passing through the revitalized Panama Canal beginning in 2014 will need a good reason to stop in the Port of Miami. It is up to us, Mr. Johnson reiterated, to give them that reason.

The port, as well as its partner Florida East Coast Railway, are about to begin a marketing campaign to attract some of the world’s largest shippers, such as Tanker Pacific, APL, and APM-Maersk to the revamped Port of Miami.

“The objective is to double the amount of cargo activity,” Johnson said. In 2010 the port witnessed about 800,000 20-foot equivalent units, passing through its facility. “By 2020, in literally less than nine years, the Port of Miami should be double that, “he added.

 

Hines Ward: A Steeler and a Trophy-Winning Dancer

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Hines Ward, Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl MVP, now has another reason to make Pittsburgh proud- the Mirror Ball Trophy!

Competing with Chelsea Kane with partner Marl Ballas, and Kirstie Alley with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ward and his partner Kym Johnson dazzled the crowd with their final Samba performance. The pair wore yellow and black, and the NFL player even waved a yellow “towel” in tribute to his Pittsburgh fans.

Watch the winning dance here:

http://youtu.be/jQEBiVxve0U

Twins Game Delayed by Hailstorm

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Weather throughout the US is highly unusual. Ron Gardenhire, manager for the Twins, said that although he played high school baseball in Oklahoma, he has very rarely experienced a hailstorm such as the one that took place during the match on Tuesday at Target Field.

“I think maybe in Oklahoma one time or another, we might have had some of those,” Gardenhire said. “I haven’t seen that come down here too often like that. That was a first in the big leagues.”

The downpour of golf-sized hail, rain and lightning resulted in a one hour and four minute delay of the game between Minnesota and Detroit. `Many fans retreated to the sides of the stadium for shelter, while others chose to have “hail fights” to pass the time. Tornado sirens could be heard throughout the evening.

“I grew up in Oklahoma. I lived in Kansas for twenty years. I heard plenty if sirens,” Gardenhire explained. “Never one directly over the top of us, but one went a block away from my house when I was a kid.”

And the Players?

The Twins athletes stayed out on the field during the storm. Michael Cuddyet, Alexi Casilla and other big players were fascinated by the size of the hail.

“They braved it and actually stood out there on the field, which I wouldn’t have done… It was pretty crazy,” said second baseman Luke Hughes. “It started off with little ones, kind of a bit of a laugh, and then all of a sudden it turned into golf ball-sized. The boys said that hadn’t seen that up here in Minnesota for a long time. It was pretty interesting.”

Brian Duensing came in as pitcher during the game, for the second time this season during a game delayed because of weather conditions.

“It was different,” Duensing said. “Not only was it raining this time, it was also incredibly muggy. I didn’t know what they were going to do. It was still kind of a long delay. I didn’t know if they were going to send me back out there or not. I’m glad they did. Even that one inning I guess is better than having someone else in the bullpen have to take it. It’s tough.”

Kylie Minoque Brings the Aphrodite World Tour to New York City

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Kylie Minoque brought her Aphrodite World Tour to New York City this week. The singer’s North American visit is part of her worldwide tour during which she introduces the music from her album.

The tour, which is her third visit to the States, will include more than a dozen performances, though only four were originally planned. After New York, Kylie Minoque plans to stop in cities including Los Angeles, Houston and Orlando.

One of the reasons for the show’s popularity is the elaborate stage, which is valued at more than $25 million dollars. The Greek mythology and culture create a breathtaking setting, and the aerial acts add their own intensity. The costumes are all designed by Dolce & Gabbana, and the live band is certainly captivating.

Here is a picture from the New York performance:

Texas City Returns to Routine After Power Shortage Scare

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Early this week, Texas City residents were advised not to go outdoors, following the power-outages that shut down three refineries and a Dow Chemical plant. One of the BP units killed 15 people in an explosion in 2005. The skies of Texas City glowed orange from the blazes of the flares that were set off sometime on Monday night.

Public school and other activities were cancelled on Tuesday, and Homeland Security coordinator Bruce Clawson explained that Texas City’s “shelter-in-place” emergency alert was lifted later that afternoon.

Texas City is an industrial suburb populated by nearly 50,000. It has one of the largest refinery and petrochemical facility concentrations in the world.

The cause of the power shortage is still unknown, but a number of theories have emerged. Texas New Mexico Power Co. blamed the lack of rain for its problematic equipment. They explained that the combination of salt and industrial pollution had accumulated on electrical equipment, instead of being washed away as it normally would during the season.

“April has been extremely dry, which led to this build up,” explained Cathy Garber, a spokeswoman. “High humidity late last night and early this morning, coupled with the build-up of residue, appears to have triggered the fault.”

Other organizations also considered this cause, stating that the shortage were probably caused by “chemical gunk.”