ESPN signs with Ooyala's video embedding service to bake touchdown videos into tweets

You may not be able to share those retrograde pictures of your dinner direct to your Twitter worshippers any more, but at least you can commemorate Kobe's latest slammed-dunkings. ESPN has signed a deal with video sharing service Ooyala that'll see highlight videos embedded inside tweets so you never have to leave the warm embrace of your live feed. Ooyala's also offering its SDK for others to follow suit, and while the press release below talks of "monetization" and "optimized engagement," we prefer to think the pair are doing it to fill that Instagram-shaped hole in our tweets.

Show full PR text

Ooyala Delivers In-Stream Video Viewing on Twitter

Twitter Video Card solution creates new ways to discover, share and monetize video; ESPN first to adopt

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ooyala, the leading video streaming and monetization platform provider, today announced that it has developed a Twitter Video Card solution, in close collaboration with Twitter, that enables Ooyala customers a turnkey solution to embed videos directly into their Twitter streams for instant playback. Previously, users were only able to include a link to a video in Twitter. This solution inserts a thumbnail of the video directly into the stream so followers can click and play directly without leaving Twitter.

"Consumers today are at the intersection of social and mobile, and demanding easy and fast access to video content. Our ability to deliver video directly into the Twitter stream is a major step forward for publishers who want to drive viewer engagement in real-time."

First deployed by sports broadcaster ESPN to better serve its 24 million online video viewers, Ooyala's Twitter Card solution provides media companies, broadcasters and brands a new way to distribute and monetize video content delivered via Twitter across desktops and mobile devices. In addition, the solution can increase the discovery and sharing of video content and optimize engagement through social and mobile by eliminating the barriers to view content directly on Twitter.

"Twitter is a growing source of inbound referral traffic and outbound content distribution for online media publishers and broadcasters," said Jonathan Wilner, senior director, business product management at Ooyala. "Consumers today are at the intersection of social and mobile, and demanding easy and fast access to video content. Our ability to deliver video directly into the Twitter stream is a major step forward for publishers who want to drive viewer engagement in real-time."

As a result of the close collaboration with Twitter, the Ooyala solution has been certified by Twitter, meaning customers can quickly and easily integrate and distribute video content directly into their streams across all platforms -- including desktop, mobile web and native smartphone and tablet apps for both iOS and Android -- and trust that the player will work seamlessly within Twitter. The solution works via an Ooyala Twitter SDK and automatic hosting for Twitter Cards. The turnkey API from Ooyala automatically generates the necessary Twitter tags so that a video can be inserted onto a video landing page to enable Twitter Cards.

Powerful Solution when paired with Discovery

The technology works seamlessly with Ooyala Discovery, which enables video content providers to increase view-related revenue by algorithmically recommending highly relevant content within the Ooyala Player. For example, if a user watches a highlight from a football game within the ESPN Twitter stream, they could receive a recommendation to also watch highlights from the post-game press conference. Personalized content recommendations can further drive user engagement and monetization for each video share in Twitter.

Opening Revenue Streams

In addition to benefiting consumers, this technology opens up new revenue streams for Ooyala customers. It enables the distribution of ad-supported video content across client-owned and consumer Twitter properties, magnified by sharing tendencies of Twitter users. It also opens the door for video integration into Promoted Tweet advertising campaigns across Twitter.

Customers that take advantage of Ooyala analytics will also have extensive data on the performance of their videos through Twitter Video Cards, in addition to the data they already receive on their websites and/or apps, allowing them to further optimize their video content.

About Ooyala

Ooyala delivers personalized video experiences across all screens and is the leader in online video management, publishing, analytics and monetization. Our integrated suite of technologies and services give content owners the power to expand audiences through deep insights that drive increased viewer engagement and revenue from video.

Companies using Ooyala technology include Telstra, ESPN, Pac-12 Enterprises, Miramax, Bloomberg, Telegraph Media Group, Telefonica, The North Face, Rolling Stone, Dell, Sephora and Yahoo! Japan. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Ooyala has offices in New York City, London, Sydney, Tokyo and Guadalajara, Mexico. The company works with premier reseller and technology partners throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information visit www.ooyala.com.

Comments

Via: TechCrunch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/23/espn-ooyala/

the glass castle jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins emma roberts

Office of Conferences can help with housing and event needs ...

Posted on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 ? 1:21 PM

The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons on the Vanderbilt University campus. (Jenny Mandeville/Vanderbilt)

Each summer, Vanderbilt?s Office of Conferences hosts camps, conferences, retreats and housing for interns and researchers in the residence halls that are largely left vacant between spring and fall semester. Just under 6,000 guests from more than 80 unique groups visited campus in summer 2012.

Conference groups included the annual Special Olympics of Tennessee Summer Games, iDTech Camps, Campus Pride and the Foundation for Teaching Economics. Vanderbilt-sponsored events included the Vanderbilt Summer Academy, part of Programs for Talented Youth, and many athletic camps.

Groups who work with the Office of Conferences gain access to residence halls, Vanderbilt Dining venues, parking, ground transportation service and meeting spaces on campus with the convenience of a single invoice.

To schedule a summer residential event between May 20 and July 31, 2013, contact H.G. Stovall at (615) 343-8699 or?hg.stovall@vanderbilt.edu?before Friday, March 15, when reservations for conference groups close.

For more information, visit the Office of Conferences? website.

Contact: H.G. Stovall, (615) 343-8699
hg.stovall@vanderbilt.edu

---

Source: http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/01/office-of-conferences-2013/

heidi klum red tails trailer joe pa dead laura dekker stephen colbert south carolina seal seal and heidi klum

Martinez returns to Red Sox as assistant to GM

BOSTON (AP) ? Former Boston manager Terry Francona gave Pedro Martinez a big hug along with some advice to help him in his new job as a special assistant to the Red Sox general manager.

"Now he's going to have to be on time," Francona needled his former pitcher on Thursday when the two were reunited at the annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star who spent seven seasons in Boston, Martinez returned to the city where he had his best years. His role is still undefined ? he has the same title as former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek ? but Martinez said he would be willing to help with the pitchers, work in the minor leagues and generally be a friend to GM Ben Cherington.

"Varitek, Pedro ? they are the Red Sox," Francona said.

Martinez spent his first day back on the Boston masthead at a lunch with Cherington, new Red Sox manager John Farrell, CEO Larry Lucchino and Boston Mayor Tom Menino and some civic leaders. Martinez said Menino had been welcoming to him when he first arrived in Boston in 1998 and once again was forthcoming with advice about where to live and what to do in the city.

"Menino was a friend to me," Martinez said.

Martinez was acquired from the salary-dumping Montreal Expos after the 1997 season, a few months before he would be awarded his first Cy Young. He instantly became the ace of the Red Sox staff, the biggest character in a colorful clubhouse and a key part of the team that won the 2004 World Series to end the franchise's 86-year title drought.

Martinez said his experience with the team during that era can help players who are trying to recover from last season's last-place finish.

"There was something missing, in the clubhouse, the players, around Fenway. This offseason, they realized that they lost something," Martinez said, noting that the addition of Farrell as manager and players such as Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli. "We have the right group of people. These guys coming in have great, great character."

Martinez, who's now 41, went 117-37 with a 2.52 ERA in Boston. His .760 winning percentage is the best in franchise history, and he ranks third with 1,683 in strikeouts and sixth with 117 wins in a Red Sox uniform. He is also the franchise's all-time leader with 80 postseason strikeouts; in the 1999 All-Star game at Fenway Park, he struck out the first four batters he faced.

In an 18-year major league career with the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies, Martinez went 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA and 3,154 strikeouts. He has a career .687 winning percentage, and he led the majors in ERA five times, including 1997 when he had a 1.90 ERA with Montreal.

"I am thrilled to be returning to this organization and to the city I love," Martinez said. "It is an honor to be back with the Red Sox and help in any way I can. I am grateful to our leaders; I believe in them, and I thank them for allowing me to return to the field and help us win again.

"My heart will always live in Boston."

Also Thursday, the Red Sox signed left-hander Craig Breslow to a two-year contract with a club option for 2015. Breslow had been eligible for salary arbitration. Breslow went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 63 appearances for the Diamondbacks and Red Sox. Twenty of the 23 appearances the Yale graduate made in Boston were scoreless.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/martinez-returns-red-sox-assistant-gm-173907486--mlb.html

whcd 2012 nfl draft kevin durant jazz fest zurich classic selena lamichael james

Japan arrests three for Iran sanctions violations: report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese police have arrested two men and a woman in connection with alleged illegal money transfers to an Iranian shipping firm suspected of involvement in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, Japanese media said on Wednesday.

The three employees of Tokyo-based shipping agent Ben Line Agencies Japan deny the charges, the reports said.

Kyodo News Agency said the arrests were the country's first related to Iranian sanctions, quoting investigative sources.

An official at Ben Line Agencies Japan said the company had no comment on the reports.

The three employees are alleged to have transferred a total of 14 million yen ($158,000) to a Singapore-based firm associated with Iran's state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) in November 2011 and February 2012, without the necessary Japanese government approval, the Kyodo report added.

Japan introduced additional sanctions against Iran in September 2010 over its disputed nuclear program, freezing assets of IRISL and associated firms and restricting foreign exchange transactions with them. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

IRISL, Iran's largest cargo carrier, has tried to dodge sanctions by changing its flags and setting up front companies, the U.S. Treasury and the EU have said. It has faced western sanctions for years based on accusations of transporting weapons, a charge it denies.

($1 = 88.5400 Japanese yen)

(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Michael Urquhart)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-arrests-three-iran-sanctions-violations-report-074921693.html

puerto rico primary manning peyton florida state meghan mccain wilson chandler bristol motor speedway

Betelgeuse braces for a collision

Jan. 22, 2013 ? Multiple arcs are revealed around Betelgeuse, the nearest red supergiant star to Earth, in a new image from ESA's Herschel space observatory. The star and its arc-shaped shields could collide with an intriguing dusty 'wall' in 5000 years.

Betelgeuse rides on the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter. It can easily be seen with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere winter night sky as the orange-red star above and to the left of Orion's famous three-star belt.

Roughly 1000 times the diameter of our Sun and shining 100 000 times more brightly, Betelgeuse's impressive statistics come with a cost. For this star is likely on its way to a spectacular supernova explosion, having already swelled into a red supergiant and shed a significant fraction of its outer layers.

The new far-infrared view from Herschel shows how the star's winds are crashing against the surrounding interstellar medium, creating a bow shock as the star moves through space at speeds of around 30 km/s.

A series of broken, dusty arcs ahead of the star's direction of motion testify to a turbulent history of mass loss.

Closer to the star itself, an inner envelope of material shows a pronounced asymmetric structure. Large convective cells in the star's outer atmosphere have likely resulted in localised, clumpy ejections of dusty debris at different stages in the past.

An intriguing linear structure is also seen further away from the star, beyond the dusty arcs. While some earlier theories proposed that this bar was a result of material ejected during a previous stage of stellar evolution, analysis of the new image suggests that it is either a linear filament linked to the Galaxy's magnetic field, or the edge of a nearby interstellar cloud that is being illuminated by Betelgeuse.

If the bar is a completely separate object, then taking into account the motion of Betelgeuse and its arcs and the separation between them and the bar, the outermost arc will collide with the bar in just 5000 years, with the red supergiant star itself hitting the bar roughly 12 500 years later.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Space Agency.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. L. Decin, N. L. J. Cox, P. Royer, A. J. Van Marle, B. Vandenbussche, D. Ladjal, F. Kerschbaum, R. Ottensamer, M. J. Barlow, J. A. D. L. Blommaert, H. L. Gomez, M. A. T. Groenewegen, T. Lim, B. M. Swinyard, C. Waelkens, A. G. G. M. Tielens. The enigmatic nature of the circumstellar envelope and bow shock surrounding Betelgeuse as revealed byHerschel. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2012; 548: A113 DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219792

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/f3XG5-qt5T4/130122105615.htm

Chopper Live jerry brown michael buble michael buble brandi glanville Jenni Rivera Alive Facebook Down

FTC study taking aim at online marketing of booze and kids

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans this summer to recommend ways that the alcoholic beverage industry can better protect underage viewers from seeing its advertisements online.

Distillers, brewers and wineries pour millions of dollars into brand promotion on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and industry critics contend they are not doing enough to prevent young consumers from receiving these messages.

"We're doing a deep dive on how they're using the Internet and social media," said Janet Evans, a lawyer with the FTC, which is conducting a year-long study due to be released by early summer. "We're focusing on underage exposure."

She would not elaborate on any potential recommendations that might come out of the study, which began in April 2012.

The FTC is reviewing data from 14 big producers, Evans said, including Beam Inc, the maker of Jim Beam, Diageo Plc, home to Johnnie Walker, and Constellation Brands Inc, which makes Robert Mondavi and Ravenswood wines.

The FTC report "is something we take seriously and place at high priority," said Karena Breslin, director for digital marketing at Constellation.

The FTC has made two requests for information since the study began, she said.

The regulatory agency has not said it intends to impose restrictions on liquor company social media advertising but it can make recommendations to the industry.

The FTC is empowered to file suit to ensure consumers are protected from deceptive marketing practices, Evans said, but she stressed that studies of this nature are meant to promote better self-regulation, not provide a basis for a case.

Executives say alcohol makers and distributors voluntarily adhere to the same industry-set standard for marketing to underage viewers on social media sites that the industry set for its ads on TV and other medium. That requires that at least 71.6 percent of an audience consists of adults 21 and older.

"No one in their right mind would want to advertise to people who can't legally buy their product," said Frank Coleman, senior vice president for Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the trade group that sets the industry's advertising codes.

In June 2011, DISCUS revised its code upwards to 71.6 percent from 70 percent, after the FTC recommended it review the standard to better reflect U.S. Census population data.

Industry critics, including David Jernigen, director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University, and Sarah Mart, research director of the advocacy group Alcohol Justice, contend the industry didn't go far enough and should raise the standard further.

Jernigen says it needs to be at least 85 percent to effectively protect youth, so there would be no more than 15 percent exposure to the underage drinking population.

"The industry says its self-regulating but it's ineffective and social media opens up a whole new set of problems because their ads are everywhere," said Sarah Mart, research director for the San Rafael, Calif.-based group Alcohol Justice.

The industry group's Coleman said the group now requires members to install age-checking tools via instant-messaging as a gateway to Twitter feeds and other branded Web platforms that ask the user for a birth date before admitting them.

In the first nine months of 2012, beer, wine and spirits manufacturers' spent an estimated $35 million for paid Web display advertising, but industry executives estimate many millions more were spent on Web site creation, video production for platforms like Google's YouTube and social media marketing efforts.

"We've significantly adjusted more money to digital for online video, Web sites, Facebook and Twitter content," said Kevin George, global chief marketing officer for Jim Beam, which he says spends 30 percent of its media spend for online outlets, up from 10 percent in 2008.

Many companies are expanding their digital staff. Wine maker Constellation hired Breslin three years ago to initiate digital marketing and now has a team of five reporting to her.

Many alcoholic beverage companies flocked to Facebook because it requires users to post their birth dates when signing up. Last year Twitter partnered with Buddy Media to offer a more effective screening tool that sends a direct message to fans who click on a brand. The message sends the fan a link to a site that asks for date of birth, which has allowed Twitter to grab some more of the sector marketing. Salesforce.com bought Buddy Media last June, which is now folding the platform into its marketing cloud portfolio.

Health advocates and industry critics are crying foul. "Facebook and other interactive platforms are poorly monitored and not well age protected," said Jernigen of Johns Hopkins University. "Anyone can say they're 21 and click yes."

(Reporting By Susan Zeidler; Editing by Ron Grover and Alden Bentley)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ftc-study-taking-aim-online-marketing-booze-kids-214623627--sector.html

michael pineda charles taylor bruins boston bruins carl crawford mad cow disease rampart

Steve Jobs? widow launches new Dream Act push for immigrants

Cendy

The teenage girl peers into the camera, ready to divulge a secret.

?All my siblings are documented except me,? says the girl, identified onscreen as Cendy. ?I know I have a lot of potential but that I might not get there because my status will hold me back.?

Cendy is one of millions of immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children?a group known as ?DREAMers? by advocates of the Dream Act, a federal bill first introduced in the Senate in 2001 to allow them a pathway to permanent residency. To push for passage of the provisions in the Dream Act, Cendy and others agreed to share their stories on www.thedreamisnow.org, a website launched Tuesday by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (?Waiting for Superman? and ?An Inconvenient Truth? ) and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

The project allows young undocumented immigrants to submit videos describing how their lives would change if the Dream Act were passed. Others can also submit posts, including teachers, relatives and friends of the young immigrants, as well as those involved in developing policy around immigration.

The videos will be posted on the website, and Guggenheim will compile them into a documentary film.

?The documentary becomes a living, breathing petition,? Guggenheim told Yahoo News. ?These DREAMers are putting everything on the line. When they come out like this, they are saying, ?I?m ready to risk it all for what I believe.??

Immigration reform looms large as a legislative priority for President Barack Obama and for Republicans hoping to improve the party?s status among Hispanic voters.

Powell Jobs told Yahoo News the new project was an effort to harness the momentum around the issue and give visibility to the young people who would benefit from the Dream Act.

?There needed to be a demystification?to put a face to these people, to hear the individual stories,? Powell Jobs said in one of the few interviews she has granted since Steve Jobs? death in 2011.

Powell Jobs told Yahoo News her interest in the Dream Act had been sparked through College Track, an initiative she founded to help low-income and minority students attend college. Many of the students in the program are undocumented.

"They?re our children?s friends. They are people we know. This is a huge national problem that needs resolution,? Powell Jobs said.

The Dream Act would legalize young people under the age of 30 who entered the U.S. before they were 15 and have lived in the country continuously for five years. To earn legal status and eventually a path to citizenship, applicants would have to prove they have no criminal record and either enlist in the military or attend at least two years of college. (Some versions of the bill would require only a high-school degree for the legal status.)

The Dream Act has been supported by both Republicans and Democrats since its introduction even as the two parties have been sharply divided over other aspects of immigration reform. But the bill has never been enacted?the closest it came was in December 2010, when it passed the House but fell 5 votes short in the Senate of the 60 needed to avert a filibuster.

Despite criticism by some immigration rights activists for a record number of deportations during his administration, Obama took other steps last June to offer young undocumented immigrants some legal protections.

Obama announced a program of ?deferred action,? directing his administration to stop deporting those under 30 who came to the U.S. before age 16 and have a high-school diploma or have enlisted in the military. Those who qualify can also apply for a renewable two-year work permit.

?They pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper," Obama said when he announced the plan in July.

The action did not confer a path to citizenship and was considered only a partial remedy for young immigrants seeking legal status. But it was praised as a step in the right direction by immigration rights activists, even as Republicans claimed it was baldly political and circumvented the legislative process.

After Obama soundly won re-election in November in part by taking 71 percent of the Hispanic vote, Republicans have begun to reassess their position on immigration and, in particular, the provisions of the Dream Act.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a GOP rising star, has indicated he will introduce some immigration reform measures that could include expedited legal status for young undocumented immigrants. But Rubio's earlier proposal to legalize DREAMers did not include a path to citizenship, making it a nonstarter for most immigration rights activists.

Powell Jobs said Rubio?s latest discussion of granting expedited status to young immigrants seemed ?reasonable and principled,? but that she wanted to learn more. ?The key is to see the legislation once it?s written,? she said.

The young people taping their stories for thedreamisnow.org are unlikely to face legal backlash or deportation because of Obama?s deferred action directive. But they could face other repercussions, like potentially losing their jobs if they don?t yet have work permits.

Cendy, a 16-year-old high-school sophomore from Aurora, Colo., said she was willing to take her chances.

Cendy, who declined to give her last name to Yahoo News to protect her parents, said she agreed to be part of the project in part to dispense with her secret.

?It was a little scary at first,? she said. ?But the benefit of coming out, not being afraid anymore, got a lot of weight off my shoulders.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/dream-now-steve-jobs-widow-launches-dream-act-140301593.html

michael brockers lisa marie presley florida panthers tannehill joel ward mock draft north country