Insert Coin semifinalist: cSpring bipedal robot wants to 'level the playing field' for university research

Check out this Mac-headed robot. It's the cSpring Biped Educational Development Kit from the folks at the similarly-named Cognitive Spring team. According to its creators, the 'bot is an attempt to "level the playing field between universities," letting students tool around with an affordable bipedal robotics platform. cSpring has 12 servos in all -- three per hip, one per knee and two per foot. It's controlled by the Cognitive Shield, a bit of technology developed by the team in order to help bring the 'bot to life. Cognitive Spring will be launching crowdfunding campaigns to bring bot of these products to life.

cSpring's also got a "Kinect-like" camera on-board for sensing its environment, to help users perform what the company's CEO calls "really easy controls." Jump in after the break for a couple of videos of an early cSpring model in action, and click the source link below for more information on all of the above.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here -- and don't forget to pick a winner!

Filed under: Robots

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Source: Cognitive Spring

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MmFU9iD0YSI/

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After A Rough 2012, HTC Fires Back At Smartphone Rivals With The HTC One

There's little question that HTC wishes 2012 had gone just a little better -- the beleaguered smartphone company posted awfully disappointing results quarter after quarter, while rivals like Samsung and Apple continued to hit milestone after milestone. CEO Peter Chou firmly believes that the worst is over though, and that the company he helms can truly turn its fortunes around. Now, here in New York (as well as at a parallel event in London), HTC has just introduced the device it hopes will help do all that -- the HTC One.

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

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Sina Shares Rise 6% After Hours On Strong Q4 Earnings As It Promotes Former Cisco VP To CTO & Co-President

Despite investors' concerns over a slowing online advertising market in China, Sina's managed to post Q4 revenue that exceeded analysts' expectations, though its earnings fell 74 percent from a year earlier. Investors were encouraged by Sina's results, however, as the company's shares jumped six percent to $56.50 after hours. Sina's stock price has dropped 13.4 percent since the beginning of the fourth quarter, falling along the shares of peers like Baidu and Sohu.com due to a weaker economy.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/O2pOiDBs8uw/

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Franchising ? the key to starting your own business | PR Fire

It is a sad fact that in today?s uncertain economic climate, many new business ventures are failing before they have even reached their first birthday, creating a lack of confidence and acting as a deterrent to people who might otherwise have taken the leap into starting their own business.

Franchising, on the other hand, is the exception to this rule, with more than 40,000* franchisee outlets currently operating in the UK, and over 90%* of these (including new businesses) having recorded a profit in the last year!

The total economic contribution of the Franchise Industry in the UK now stands at ?13.4 billion*, which has risen 8% from the previous year; meaning franchising is surely a route to be considered if your goal is to become your own boss.

Franchising spans across many industries, from care services to financial services, both business to business and business to consumer, so there really is something out there to suit everyone.

That said, it is not failsafe, and problems can and do occur. It is therefore essential for anyone considering the purchase of a franchise to fully research the marketplace and take the relevant professional advice before entering into any kind of agreement with a franchisor.

Selecting a franchise that is accredited by the British Franchise Association (BFA), can help to minimise any risks associated with new business ventures, as all members of the BFA have been assessed against strict and extensive criteria to ensure their franchise model is both ethical and viable.

Once you have made the decision that franchising is for you, there are many sources of information available to you, including web sites, such as www.whichfranchise.com, which is the official online partner of the British Franchise Association and provides prospective franchise owners with everything they need to know about franchising. Using this kind of web site to arm yourself with as much information as possible, taking professional advice, and selecting a BFA accredited franchisor, will all help to ensure that your new business venture may be one which is both successful and profitable.

*source ? Nat West/BFA Franchise Survey 2012

Source: http://www.prfire.co.uk/business/franchising-the-key-to-starting-your-own-business-133559?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=franchising-the-key-to-starting-your-own-business

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President Obama?s immigration reform resembles Sen. Marco Rubio?s plan

President Obama?s administration drafted legislation this month that could give undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship in eight years, require employers to check workers? immigration status and increase penalties for those who break immigration law.

The ideas appear in three separate draft bills, obtained Monday by The Miami Herald, that closely resemble many of the reforms advanced in 2011 by Obama and, more recently, by Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Both Rubio and Obama, for instance, support special pathways to residency for those students and soldiers who were brought illegally to this country as children. In the White House draft legislation, the proposal closely resembles what?s known as the DREAM Act.

But in a sign of the politically fragile talks over immigration reform, Rubio reacted with a measure of fury Saturday when the proposals were first reported by USA Today.

?President Obama?s leaked immigration proposal is disappointing to those of us working on a serious solution,? Rubio said in a written statement that mischaracterized the White House?s involvement in disseminating the bills.

?The President?s bill repeats the failures of past legislation,? the statement continued. ?It fails to follow through on previously broken promises to secure our borders, creates a special pathway that puts those who broke our immigration laws at an advantage over those who chose to do things the right way and come here legally.?

Rubio's concerns are more about what's not in the bills: more border security, improved tracking of immigrants who overstay their visas, a guest-worker program and an immigration system that attracts high-skilled workers.

Also the draft bills obtained by The Herald and USA Today show that, contrary to Rubio?s concern, the plan wouldn?t give illegal immigrants a chance to obtain citizenship before those who lawfully entered the country.

One of the draft bills, labeled ?Title II Legalization,? explicitly lists a section that says undocumented immigrants applying for legal residency must go to the ?BACK OF THE LINE.?

That section says an ?alien? may not apply to become a lawful permanent resident for eight years or for ?30 days after an immigrant visa has become available? for those who lawfully entered or attempted to enter this country.

The eight-year provision was an estimate ? not a hard-and-fast policy proposal ? for how long the lawful-immigrant line-clearing would take, an official said.

The White House insists it didn?t leak the draft legislation and doesn?t intend to push its proposals because President Obama wants to defer to Rubio and his fellow members of the Gang of Eight, the bipartisan group of senators hammering out an immigration plan.

Rubio, generally adored by the conservative pundits, has become the most high-profile Republican associated with immigration reform, which has largely failed due to GOP opposition in the past.

White House officials reached out to each of the eight senator?s offices, including Rubio?s, to soothe nerves and allay any concerns that the president was trying to trump the Senate?s efforts.

?We?ve not proposed anything to Capitol Hill yet,? Denis McDonough, Obama?s staff chief, said Sunday on ABC?s This Week program. ?We?re going to be ready. We have developed each of these proposals so we have them in a position so that we can succeed.?

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/18/3241425/president-obamas-immigration-reform.html

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Why Fewer Mortgage Refinancers Are Opting to ... - AOL Real Estate

Refinancing a mortgage has become a popular option for current homeowners in the last year or so, as mortgage rates have held steady at well below 4 percent for some time. However, new data show that in general, the number of people who also use the refinancing opportunity to shorten their loan terms is shrinking. In the fourth quarter of last year, the percentage of refinancers who opted to reduce their loan terms along with their interest rates shrank to 27 percent, down slightly from the previous quarter, and significantly on a year-over-year basis, according to new data from the government-sponsored Freddie Mac. For the entire calendar year of 2012, the total amount of refinancers who opted to use the opportunity to reduce their loan terms stood at 29 percent.

"Borrowers with smaller loan balances can shorten their loan term when refinancing with smaller dollar increases in their monthly payment than borrowers with large loan balances," said Freddie Mac chief economist and vice president Frank Nothaft. "That's an important reason why a larger percent of borrowers in a low housing cost market shorten their term when compared to borrowers in very high cost markets."

Interestingly, this trend was particularly evident in major metropolitan areas with low home prices in general, and the opposite was true for cities with higher values, the report said. For instance, in Dallas, 43 percent of those who refinanced also shortened their loan terms. On the other hand, San Francisco saw just 14 percent of refinancers do the same. In addition to those who reduced their loan terms, the vast majority -- 69 percent -- instead decided to keep it the same as it was prior to the refinance, the report said. Another 4 percent chose to make their terms longer. Further, more than 95 percent of those borrowers also chose to rely on fixed-rate loans when refinancing, and this preference was observed among both those who already had FRMs, as well as those who previously had adjustable mortgages instead.

Today, the average refinancers are cutting their mortgage rates by large percentages, as many may have obtained the loans when rates were closer to 5 or 6 percent. By choosing to restructure the terms of their existing loan, they can save themselves thousands of dollars per year in mortgage payments.

See more on Credit.com:
Why You Shouldn't Obsess Over Mortgage Rates
How a Mortgage Can Help (or Hurt) Your Credit
Can You Really Get Your Credit Score for Free?

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
See celebrity real estate.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/02/19/mortgage-refinancing-shorten-loans/

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Sales office opens for Dexter Wellness Center, which is scheduled ...

The sales office can be reached at 855-588-5080. Information about the Wellness Center including the types of memberships is on its web site at dexterwellness.org.

Construction of the Dexter Wellness Center continues at 2810 Baker Road, behind the Dexter Pharmacy. It is set to open June 1.

The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, a tax-exempt private foundation, will operate the 46,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to employ more than 100 people.

"The Dexter Wellness Center will take an integrated approach to fitness, wellness and health," said Amy Heydlauff, the foundation's executive director, in a press release.

Everyone who joins the center will receive a fitness assessment and personalized exercise plan. There will be certified personal trainers and fitness instructors on staff as well as massage therapists.

The center will offer a variety of programming including group exercise and aquatics classes for all ages, and special exercise programs for weight loss as well as for orthopedic and cardiac conditions.

The center will have modern circuit and free-weight training equipment, an indoor walking and running track, a lap pool and warm water therapy pool, a basketball court and equipment such as treadmills, bikes and ellipticals.

Source: http://www.annarbor.com/news/dexter/sales-office-opens-for-dexter-wellness-center-which-is-scheduled-to-open-in-june/

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