The American Dream?

Schwarzenegger announces bid for governor

By CNN (08/07/2003)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- After dropping hints about his political ambitions, movie action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he will run for California governor in October's recall election.

The surprise announcement came during a Wednesday afternoon taping of NBC's "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno which was scheduled to air Wednesday night. Prior to the taping, it had been widely speculated that Schwarzenegger, 56, would announce he would not run.

The Austrian-born movie star and moderate Republican helped fuel speculation about his political ambitions this summer, just as his movie "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" was being released.

California voters will decide October 7 whether to recall Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, and who should replace him.

Following the taping of the show, Schwarzenegger answered questions from a crowd of reporters gathered outside the NBC studios.

"I came to the conclusion that even though there are great sacrifices to make, I felt in the end it is my duty to jump in the race," he said. "I'm the most unique candidate because I'm an outsider."

Schwarzenegger tried to strike a populist tone.

"I know the people of California want better leadership, they want great leadership," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, if you're young or old. Everyone is welcome. As you know I'm an immigrant. I came over here as an immigrant and what gave me the opportunities, what made me be able to be here today is the open arms of Americans."

Although Schwarzenegger has never before sought political office, his fame and fortune are expected to make him a formidable candidate against a crowded field of lesser-knowns in an abbreviated two-month campaign.

At openings for his movie, Schwarzenegger quipped about his "terminator" role and Davis' future, and he has been very critical of the Democratic incumbent.

The actor is married to a member of America's most prominent Democratic political family -- Maria Shriver, a niece of President John F. Kennedy.

The announcement came amid a flurry of such news in what has become a race among an increasingly odd mix of candidates. The filing deadline is Saturday and so far the Secretary of State has recorded 356 official notices of candidacy. There are another 155 notices the office has received that are unofficial.

Gary Coleman, who played Arnold Drummond in the 1980s sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," entered the race Wednesday. (Full story)

However, Coleman, spoke shortly after Schwarzenegger's announcement and predicted that Schwarzenegger would win. Coleman said he would vote for the "Terminator."

Gary Coleman
"Now that Arnold is in the race, there is no race. Gray Davis needs to pack his bags," he said. "I'm going to stay in the race, but I'm not going to campaign."

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt has announced his bid for the governor's office.

Flynt suggested as his slogan "Vote for a Smut-Peddler Who Cares" and said he would expand gaming regulations to allow private casinos to have slot machines, which could be taxed by the state at 30 percent.

Others who have filed with the state in order to receive campaign documents include the melon-smashing comedian Gallagher, comedian D.L. Hughley and Angelyne, a model who made herself famous in southern California by putting her picture on billboards.

Dick Rosengarten, editor and publisher of California Political Week, told CNN Wednesday that the California race was drawing so many candidates it was in danger of becoming a farce.

Earlier Wednesday, socialite-turned-columnist Arianna Huffington threw her hat into the ring.

Huffington has never held public office, but is well-known through her commentaries on radio and television.

Huffington, an author and a political Independent, announced her decision before supporters gathered in Los Angeles, California.

"I'm not, to say the least, a conventional candidate," Huffington said, taking note of her Greek accent. But, she said, "If we keep electing the same kind of politicians who got us into the same kind of mess, funded by the same kind of special interests, we'll never get out of this mess."
Also, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, released a written statement Wednesday, saying she would not be a candidate in the governor's race.(Full story)

Other major Republican names expected in the race include Rep. Darrell Issa of San Diego County, who helped finance the petition effort that triggered the recall; state Sen. Tom McClintock of Ventura County; and businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in the general election nine months ago.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who was considering a bid for governor, has said he would not run if Schwarzenegger did.

Huffington, 53, had said she would not be a candidate if Feinstein, one of California's most popular politicians, entered the race.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/08/06/candidates.announce/index.html

My commentary:
I wanted to talk about this subject even if the articles is dated of 2003. In fact, I wanted to remind you that it is only in the USA that we can see a man to have such a career path. Immigrant child, Arnold scharzenegger later became a body-builder (Mr Univers), then a famous actor and he became governor of one of the most rich states of the United States. This is not what we called the American Dream??!!

I want my E3

E3 2009: Microsoft's Xbox 360 briefing analysis

E3 2009 opened with a bang in Los Angeles as Microsoft announced new technological developments and a formidable video game line up for the Xbox 360.

By Tom Hoggins, Video Games Correspondent in Los Angeles

Well, what a start to E3 2009 that was. After last year's tedious, scaled-back conference, which one industry friend said resembled 'a car boot sale', Microsoft's glitzy pre-show media briefing was the perfect way to say “E3 is back.” Steven Spielberg was there, a super shiny Audi R8 adorned the back of the stage under bright lights and dry ice. Even Paul and Ringo showed up to mumble something about the new Beatles Rock Band before shuffling off again, clearly somewhat bemused by what us crazy kids get up to these days.

So the showbiz was most definitely back. But most importantly, Microsoft showed off a phenomenal line up of Xbox 360 exclusive titles and, of course, unveiled the new motion sensing technology 'Project Natal''.

Natal is a motion sensing camera and voice recognition system that completely does away with the need for any type of controller. The technology is certainly impressive, but how it is translated into enjoyable gaming experiences will be the real acid test. The preview reel we were shown threw us images of 'lifestyle' families trying out various types of games. Xbox head honcho Don Mattrick described the video as the 'vision' for the new tech, rather than games in development. We saw fighting games, shooting games, driving games all translated into body movements captured by Natal's camera.

A lot was said about the traditional controller being the 'biggest barrier to entry' for video games. But it shouldn't be forgotten that a gamepad offers an incredible amount of dexterity when creating games. With, Natal, it's going to take an incredibly talented developer to make a video game that offers the same depth as many 'traditional' titles. The tech can be as impressive as you like but, without the right direction, the games could end up as fun but ultimately shallow experiences. From a 'core' gamer's point of view, that's exactly what has blighted Nintendo's Wii since its launch.

This is where Lionhead's new project, Milo, comes in. Demonstrated by Lionhead director Peter Molyneux, Milo is an 'emotional AI' character, with whom you interact and talk to using Natal. Depicted as a young boy in a lush countryside, Milo can recognise an individual person, talk to them and even interpret emotions via tone of voice. A video showed a young lady standing in front of the screen, talking with Milo even passing a drawing 'through' the screen, scanned in by Natal's camera. The conversation and interaction flowed seamlessly. Which is, of course, where the suspicion sets in. If Milo works as well as the video suggested, then he is a staggering breakthrough in artificial intelligence. The video was clearly scripted, so it will be fascinating to follow Milo and find out just how well the so-called 'emotional AI' works under scrutiny.

The potential of Milo and the Natal technology is sky-high and it will be intriguing to find out what developers can make of the new tech. The danger of it being a novelty is a concern, despite the fantastic technical achievement, but conceptually the technology could be yet another step to making video gaming appeal to 'everyone', a word that was thrown about with gleeful abandon during the presentations.

Despite the grand unveiling of Natal, for me the real highlight was the exceptional Xbox 360 exclusive line-up. The conference hall rumbled with the explosions and gunfire of several more 'traditional' action games. First person shooters Halo 3: ODST and Modern Warfare 2 looked brilliantly thrilling, while the enigmatic and elusive survival horror Alan Wake also had an impressive showing. Since it was last seen, Ubisoft's long-delayed Splinter Cell Conviction has had a complete makeover and its brutal, Jack Bauer-esque, stealth action made it my early candidate for best game of the show.

Microsoft have opened E3 2009 with a fantastic showing, setting the bar and daring Nintendo and Sony to match them. With Sony rumoured to be unveiling its own new controller technology, it looks to be a fascinating match up. And of course, you underestimate Nintendo at your peril. There's no doubt, E3 is back with a bang.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/e3-2009/5429260/E3-2009-Microsofts-Xbox-360-briefing-analysis.html

My commentary:

videos games are becoming more and more space in people's lives. You should know that initially the sector targeted only the youngest, over the years we note that it is broadening and becoming a sector generating many turnovers. Even parents, grandfather and women play and enjoy.

In France, it is note surprising that for the first time in 2008, a video game has become the cultural property most sold.

Some Must Touch Before They Buy!

The feel of a cup can affect how tasty people find the beverage in it, especially those with a "high need" for touch.

By Greg Soltis, LiveScience

Don't judge a book by its cover. Or a slurp of coffee by its cup.

Recent research might yield the latter advice, especially. A taste test showed that the feel of a cup can affect how tasty people find the beverage within it, especially those who have a "high need" for touch when it comes to assessing products.

A need-for-touch scale was developed by Joann Peck, a marketing professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. People with a high or low need for touch fall either above or below the midpoint on this continuous scale. When high need-for-touch people can't touch products, they become frustrated and lose confidence in their judgments of products, Peck said.

Using that scale, Aradhna Krishna of the University of Michigan and Maureen Morrin of Rutgers University, Camden, found that consumers with a high need for touch rated water served in a stiff cup as tastier than the same water served in a flimsy cup. Subjects with a lower need-for-touch didn't let the cup's stiffness influence their opinion of the beverage.

The results were detailed earlier this year in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Consumers obviously rely on their senses of sight, and sometimes smell or hearing or taste, to determine what products to buy, but research on the role of touch has been sporadic.

"Touch research in marketing is still in its infancy, so researchers are just beginning to look more closely at multi-sensory phenomena," Peck told LiveScience.

The first Sensory Marketing Conference, organized by Krishna, took place this June at the University of Michigan to foster the growth of this field and demonstrate the relevance of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste to marketers. "Our senses are an inherent part of us," said Krishna. "They aren't going anywhere."

By connecting marketing research with findings from fields such as psychology and neuroscience, researchers hope to help marketers better understand the relationship between touch and perceived value. For example, a 2006 study in the Journal of Marketing found that making an organization's pamphlet more tangibly pleasing could increase the chance of receiving a donation. And a paper by Peck currently under review for the Journal of Consumer Research shows that touching an object increases a sense of ownership and leads people to be willing to pay more for the item.

Peck says results like these bear on online shopping, which is becoming increasingly popular, rising this year as high gas prices compelled more consumers to shop from home. A rise in online purchases from companies such as the Gap, Victoria's Secret and JCPenney has helped offset in-store sales losses this year, for example. And Forrester Research says that internet sales overall should surpass $200 billion in 2008, compared to $175 billion last year.

This rise of online shopping may help account for the interest in touch among people who study marketing, Peck said.

A digital image of a cell phone and a list of its functions, size and weight can compensate for the inability to touch it. But a photo on a computer monitor of a sweater labeled as "soft" is insufficient for people who prefer to feel a sweater's fabric before buying it, she said.

Source: http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/culture/2008/09/10/some-must-touch-before-they-buy.html


My commentary:
I was really interested in this subject because i felt quite concerned by what it is talking about. Indeed, i had, and certainly you too, this strange feeling that before buying something often i need to touch the object and that especially when i have to buy clothes. The fact to get the product in my hands influences a lot my perception of the product and makes me to appropriate it. I think my sensory perceptor is very important and therefore on the need-for-touch scale developed by Joann Peck i should be quite high!

I MUST TOUCH and WHAT ABOUT YOU??!!