Disaster-Relief Funds Taken From Auto Technology Loan Program

Some Democratic members of Congress are howling after the House Appropriations Committee this week voted to prop up disaster-relief funds during a tumultuous spring storm season with money set aside -- but unspent -- for new automobile technology.

On Tuesday, the House committee voted for legislation that adds an extra $1 billion to the $2.65 billion authorized by the underlying legislation to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-relief fund.

To offset that $1 billion, the committee cut $1.5 billion from the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan program, prompting critics -- especially in Michigan -- to complain that the loan program is needed to produce the cars and trucks of the future.

"There's no question we need to provide disaster relief to tornado-ravaged communities, but attaching major cuts to initiatives proven to create thousands of jobs doesn't make any sense," said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Established in 2007, the program provides what have become known as Section 136 loans -- so called for the section of the legislation that contained the loan program. The program was bolstered by a $7.5-billion infusion of money in 2008, with the belief that it could help support a maximum $25 billion in loans ultimately.

Ford received a $6-billion loan to upgrade factories in several states, adding new technology to raise fuel efficiency. Nissan North American received a $1.4-billion loan to retool its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., to make all-electric automobiles and build an advanced manufacturing facility.

But only a handful of projects are listed among the Section 136 loans granted on the Department of Energy's Web site, and the House Appropriations Committee called it, in a news release Tuesday, "underperforming."

According to committee staff, the program has $4.2 billion in unspent funding -- all left over from the 2008 authorization -- which is much more than it would take to provide loans to all the current applicants.

"Even if the Department of Energy would grant all of the loans for all the dollars these entities have applied for, there would still be over $2 billion left," said Jennifer Hing, a committee spokeswoman.

Chrysler has been waiting for news on a pending loan application, but it declined to comment on the committee's vote. Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has said the Auburn Hills automaker expects its application to move forward after the company paid off its debts to the U.S. government.

Ashoka's Youth Venture & Best Buy Announce Winners of Technology for a Better World Campaign

Ashoka's Youth Venture, a global organization supporting youth social entrepreneurs, and Best Buy Co., Inc. announced today the five winners of the Technology for a Better World Campaign. They will be recognized at the prestigious Jefferson Awards in Washington D.C. for their innovative contributions to public and community service and will spend a day at Ashoka's headquarters learning how to further expand their local ventures.

The five winners of the campaign are:

InvenTech Enterprises-Griffin Latulippe, 17, Wethersfield, CT. InvenTech Enterprises is a social purpose business founded by 10 high school students inspired, in part, by Griffin's experience with muscular dystrophy. The team creates assistive technology devices for people with disabilities, filling an important gap often missed by large medical devise firms due to the small market niche and low profit potential. The team has been recognized nationally by the Junior Engineering Technical Society for their wheelchair storage solution and adjustable walker. Griffin is committed to building a future where all people, including those with disabilities, have the independence and ability to contribute to a changing world.

Jamii Capital-Joyce Yan, 16, Cupertino, CA. Dynamic duo Joyce and Crystal Yan have set their sights on developing data analysis mobile application tools to support aid agencies in gathering valuable feedback from communities. Dismayed that so little progress has been made in transforming developing countries, the sisters are committed to tapping into their vast and varied experiences including winning a mobile application development pitch competition, co-founding the Social Startup Summit for high school students, serving on a team that led 6000 students to raise over $160,000 for water filters, and co-producing What's Next: 25 Big Ideas from Gen-Yers Under 25, a collaborative book project on the power of youth.

Oink­-A-Saurus-Fabian Fernandez-Han, 13, Conroe, TX. The Great Recession and housing crisis deepened Fabian's understanding of the importance of financial literacy and compelled him to take action to educate his peers. An avid saver and investor with a 14 percent return during the recession, he makes finance fun and accessible for youth through technology. Oink-A-Saurus is an iPhone/iPad/iPod application and interactive website, where students learn investing by building a 'porkfolio,' and setting financial goals through 'piggy banks." Fabian was recognized by the New York Stock Exchange's Financial Future Challenge for his innovative work.

GreenShields-Jonny Cohen, 15, Highland Park, IL. Alarmed by the low gas mileage of school buses, Jonny began developing GreenShields, a polycarbonate shield that attaches to the front of school buses to make them more aerodynamic. Although he is in 10th grade, Jonny spends most of his time designing and testing prototypes with the help of his interns from Northwestern University Engineering department and early tests show significant gas savings. The team won the Illinois Governor's Green Youth Award and received a donated school bus from Cook-Illinois Bus Company so the team could conduct ongoing tests of GreenShields.

TEDxHomer Teens-McKenzy Haber, 14, Homer, AK. McKenzy and his team of youth are passionate about wild places, animals, food justices, conversation and sustainability and have won many awards for their efforts. However, these young changemakers wanted a way to connect globally with other young environmentalists and policy leaders to broaden their impact and exchange ideas. The team took advantage of technology and new online platforms to organize a TEDx event for 140 Alaskans and streamed to 1,800 people globally on the topic of environmental sustainability. The experience was transformative for the youth involved and they've committed to supporting more teens in using the TEDx format to share their ideas and bring about positive social change.

"These teams exemplify that youth view technology not only as a means of entertainment, but as a tool that can be harnessed for a wide-reaching, positive impact on their communities and even on the world" said Gretchen Zucker, Executive Director of Youth Venture. "Hopefully the work these young changemakers are doing will inspire other youth to tackle social problems in their own communities."

This nation-wide campaign drew entries nationwide via Facebook and a network of partners including the Jefferson Awards and Engineering for Change (E4C). The youth-led teams were judged based on their impact on a well-defined social issue and on the innovative use of technology, among other criteria. Ashoka's Youth Venture invited an influential panel of judges that included Christine Webster Moore, Vice President, Strategy and Networking New Business Customer Solutions Group, Best Buy; Lisa H. Neuberger-Fernandez, Director of Corporate Citizenship Programs, Accenture; Alexander Lin, Youth Venturer, Project TGIF - Turn Grease Into Fuel; Jane Kim, Senior Manager, SuccessFactors Foundation; Mike McKay, Software Programmer for International Development, RTI International; and Phil Shapiro, Educator and Technology Access Activist.

The Technology for a Better World campaign is supported by Best Buy's Children's Foundation and also includes opportunities for up to fifty teams of young people age 13 to 18 to tackle social issues with support from advisors, access to seed funding and fundraising tools, and opportunities to learn from Youth Venture's network of partners and over 4,000 Venture Teams worldwide.

"Best Buy would like to congratulate the winners of the Technology for a Better World campaign," said Susan Bass Roberts, director, Community Relations for Best Buy. "We are proud to support these young people in partnership with Youth Venture and applaud their efforts to make a difference in their communities through their innovative use of technology."

About Ashoka
 

Founded in 1980, Ashoka is the world's working community of more than 2,500 leading social entrepreneurs. It champions the most important new social change ideas and supports the entrepreneurs behind them by helping them get started, grow, succeed, and collaborate. As the rate of change in the world continues to escalate exponentially, social entrepreneurs and Ashoka must play a special role in helping the world evolve new systems designed to serve the good of all. Central to that change is the necessity for everyone to be able to contribute to change. Ashoka, its inner circle of leading social entrepreneurs across the globe, and its other partners ranging from highly successful business entrepreneurs to Youth Venturers are all contributors - individually and collectively - to helping the world make the transition to its "everyone a changemaker(TM)" future. For more information, visit www.ashoka.org.

As Ice Melts and Technology Improves, Interest in Arctic Grows
By Jarondakie Patrick and Erika Bolstad

As declining sea ice and better mapping and technology make the Arctic more accessible, nations with interests there - including the United States - are beginning to stake their claims on the resource-rich region.

Russia planted a flag on the seafloor below the North Pole in 2007. Denmark announced this week that it would ask the United Nations to recognize the North Pole as an extension of Greenland, its territory. The U.S. sent the secretary of state to a meeting of eight Arctic nations earlier this month for the first time, a sign that Americans also have their eye on the region's potential resources.

"This region matters greatly to us," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after the conference in Nuuk, Greenland.

The U.S. is committed to the Arctic Council's mission as well as the challenges the Arctic faces, Clinton said, including possible resource development.

Although numerous logistical challenges to oil and gas exploration in the region remain, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that as much as a third of the world's undiscovered gas and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil may be in the offshore Arctic, in relatively shallow water.

"The melting of sea ice, for example, will result in more shipping, fishing and tourism, and the possibility to develop newly accessible oil and gas reserves," Clinton said. "We seek to pursue these opportunities in a smart, sustainable way that preserves the Arctic environment and ecosystem."

The U.S. has been slow to recognize not just the importance of the Arctic but also the implications of the melting ice and what it means for commercial and economic interests, said John Bellinger III, who was a senior adviser to Condoleezza Rice when she was the secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration. Other nations have been far more focused on the region while the U.S. has been distracted by other events.

"Secretary Clinton attending a summit of Arctic Council members at a time when so many other things are going on in the world does demonstrate that the U.S. understands the importance of the Arctic," Bellinger said.

Clinton took with her to Greenland Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who's long worked to remind other officeholders that the U.S. is an Arctic nation and its foreign policy should reflect that. Murkowski's presence was also the first time that anyone from Congress had attended such a gathering.

"It's been frustrating getting anyone's attention on Arctic issues, but Hillary Clinton is one who I could engage on this topic," Murkowski said.

Murkowski said she first got Clinton's attention on Arctic matters long before the former first lady was the secretary of state. Several senators, including Clinton, visited Alaska one summer a few years ago, and Murkowski and her husband hosted them at a salmon barbecue.

It was obvious that Clinton's trip to some of Alaska's Arctic regions had inspired her, Murkowski said. Clinton got it, Murkowski said, including the region's strategic importance to the U.S. Since then, the two women have had regular policy discussions about the region.

In Greenland, the eight countries - the United States, Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland - signed several accords, including a pact to cooperate on search and rescue missions in a region that has minimal resources for such expeditions. The agreement is recognition that more people will be in the area, whether they're on cruise ships, cargo planes or oil rigs.

They also laid the groundwork for a multi-nation task force to address oil and gas development in the Arctic. Since last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many nations have re-evaluated the safety of offshore drilling, and the U.S. is considering how to proceed in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska's northern coast.

Environmental groups such as Oceana have been keeping close tabs on potential oil and gas development in the region, and they think it's crucial for the U.S. to take the lead in Arctic matters. The Arctic is changing rapidly and is more sensitive to the impacts of climate change than other regions are, said Chris Krenz, the lead Arctic project manager for Oceana's office in Juneau, Alaska.

"The Arctic is a very spectacular place," Krenz said. "It really captures the imagination of people."

Many of those who attended the council meeting, including Clinton, called for the U.S. to ratify the Law of the Sea treaty. The treaty, which governs worldwide navigation rights and resources such as fisheries, also provides a framework for settling territorial claims in the Arctic. Although the United States participated in the negotiations that resulted in the treaty, conservatives, led by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., have blocked Senate ratification since 1994.

The U.S. and Canada, which are cooperating on research to develop better maps of the Arctic, have their own disputes over boundaries, Murkowski said. And there are differences between the countries about navigational access through the Northwest Passage, the sea route through the Arctic Ocean along the northern coast of North America.

Even non-Arctic nations have an eye on the potentially resource-rich prize. Some non-Arctic nations - such as China - have been exploring the region. No one is quite certain what the Chinese want, Murkowski said.

"That concerns me," she said. "If we don't (sign the treaty) ... we have no right to lay claim or to make a case for it."

Honoring National Missing Children's Day 28th Year, Wave Technology Group and Child Watch of North America launch free iPhone Photo ID Card App

Wave Technology Group and Child Watch of North America are proud to launch a free iPhone mobile application today, on National Missing Children's Day. Mayday is a must have family safety application for the iPhone to assist you in the unfortunate event your loved one goes missing. The application provides functionality to enhance family preparedness in the event a family member is displaced.

The Mayday application is distributed free of charge and has an electronic identification card which is displayed on your iPhone along with information about your child or other family member which may be important to emergency management services in the event they are engaged. An additional feature of the Mayday application is that you may email the electronic id with a simple touch of a button and an email address.

Sam Cinquegrani, CEO and founder, Wave Technology Group states: "I am very excited about the opportunity of creating an application that makes children safe and promotes family safety preparedness. Every day more than 2300 people including children go missing. Our goal is to leverage mobile technology to make a difference in this chronic problem and safeguard families susceptible to this unfortunate situation. We are already working on the Android and other smartphone releases of Mayday."

The Wave Technology Group and Child Watch alliance is a natural fit. Statistics show that once a child has gone missing, it is the first three hours that are the most critical for successful rescue. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has stated that a current photo is the single most important tool in the rescue of a missing child.

The combination of Wave Technology Group's experience building mobile technology applications and Child Watch of North America's experience in the area of assisting parents with safety preparedness, it is our joint mission to provide technology tools to help families better engage in creating family safety protocols to ensure the safety of their loved ones. With mobile technology making everyone in the family more independent but also connected, it is our belief families creating a Mayday Family Safety Mobile Plan will enhance both guardians and law enforcements ability to deal with missing children or persons in an expedited fashion.

Don Wood, Founder, Child Watch of North America: "For over 19 years we have been assisting parents to protect their children through the distribution of our KIDGUARD Safety Program and provided millions of free print Photo ID cards all across the United States and to over 40 countries around the world. Today we are very proud, through the Mayday Alliance with Wave Technology Group, to offer the smartphone generation photo ID. The staff and management at Wave Technology Group have really understood the importance behind updating photo identification creation and provided the technology and expertise to make this a reality, we can't thank them enough. Now parents can have an electronic photo ID on their iPhone which provides more options in times of emergencies by being able to update identification cards with current photos instantly or email to law enforcement or caregivers as well as to a computer nearby to print for posters during a search. Time is the most crucial resource when a child or person goes missing. Parents are always looking for ways to protect their children. The free Mayday app will be an essential tool in the search and rescue process."

Mayday is for all family members as mishaps or criminal foul play does not discriminate. Mayday digital Photo IDs can assist families with repeat runaway juveniles, relatives who suffer memory loss from dementia or from other mental disorders/illnesses.

About The Mayday Alliance Founders:

Wave Technology Group: "Setting the motion in mobile life"
Wave Technology Group is a mobile solutions firm focused on transforming life through technology innovations. Wave Technology Group designs, develops and deploys custom software solutions and products for the mobile user community. Wave Technology inherits its capabilities from many years of experience building large complex systems for the enterprise. Wave Technology Group has developed a focus in creating applications that change our lives using the mobile platform as an instrument for change. Wave Technology Group is currently designing and developing systems within the mobile health arena and will be delivering monitoring capabilities to the public, using mass technology and bringing down costly barriers to achieve quality healthcare for all. www.wavetechnologygroup.net 

Child Watch of North America: Keeping our children safe since 1993
Child Watch of North America is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the prevention and recovery of missing, abused, and exploited children. Since 1993, Child Watch Investigators have assisted in the recovery of over 215 missing children. We work with local and national law enforcement agencies and have been recognized as a critical resource in the recovery effort. Child Watch has always believed that education is an essential element in keeping our children safe. Providing awareness and safety education to children, teens, pre-teens, and parents is the foundation for our goal to prevent abductions and victimization. www.childwatch.org 

Geeks vs. Jocks: How Geeks are Winning the War of Public Opinion

It is a rivalry that has stood the test of time, tortured many a high school souls and become an iconic battle in U.S. culture: jocks vs. geeks. Today, on International Geek Pride Day, a new survey reveals that geeks are winning the public opinion war.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say being called a geek is a compliment and more Americans would prefer to be called a geek rather than a jock, according to a new survey by Modis.

"People have gone from the vision of the movies 'Revenge of the Nerds' and that was what geeks would be associated with being, to Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, considered pretty cool people," said Jack Cullen, president of Modis, a provider of information technology staffing. "I point a lot of it towards the coolness of Apple and what they've done to bring everybody into the forefront of the digital world."

The survey also reveals that Americans closely associate the word "geek" with positive attributes such as intelligence and an expertise in technology.

Despite the good will, however, there is a generational divide. Sixty-six percent of those 18 to 34 consider being identified as a "geek" a compliment, while only 39 percent of those 65 and older agree.

"The association was if you're technically savvy and you're really into technology you're tucked away in a corner somewhere and you're nerdy," Cullen said. "You got the pen protector, the white tape over your glasses and you're a social outcast. Now you're the coolest guy in the room."

The atmosphere for geeks in America is changing overall. The vast majority, 82 percent of people, believe it is more acceptable to be a geek today than it was 15 years ago.

But whatever you do, don't get geeks and nerds confused. The survey showed that people do not see the words synonymously. Self-identified geeks make up 17 percent of Americans and 87 percent of those who self-identified as a geek prefer the term over nerd.

"Being geek signifies intelligence and coolness," Cullen told ABC News. "In the old days it always stood for intelligence, but intelligence wasn't always that important and I think there's also a different level here of intelligence. The expectation isn't that your this Mensa. The expectation is that you understand, embrace and use technology everyday.

"Not only has technology changed our lives and how we use technology, but how the perceptions of people have changed as well."

Geeks by the Numbers:

57 percent of Americans consider being called a geek a compliment.

44 percent of Americans would prefer to be called a geek.

22 percent of Americans would prefer to be called a jock.

66 percent of respondents aged 18 to 34 consider being identified as a geek a compliment.

39 percent of respondents 65 and older consider being identified as a geek a compliment.

17 percent of Americans self-identify as a geek.

82 percent of Americans say they believe it is more acceptable to be a geek today than it was 15 years ago.

Opinion Research Corp. surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults 18 and older May 4 to 8 on behalf of Modis.

Ashton Kutcher Invests In, Will Advise Travel-Booking Start-Up Airbnb

Ashton Kutcher has made a "significant investment" in Airbnb, a website where people can list and book places and things (apartments, sailboats or even the occasional castle) for traveling and vacations.

Kutcher is also joining Airbnb as a strategic advisor, the San Francisco-based company said in a blog post on Thursday.

"For many, Ashton Kutcher is an actor and heart throb, but in the tech scene he's made his mark as a branding and new media expert with an eye for great ideas and a fearless approach to new markets," Airbnb said. "To the Airbnb team, he is more than an icon –- he is now our ally and trusted advisor."

Kutcher has long been an investor in tech start-ups, particularly in California, with stakes in companies such as Skype (which was recently sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion) and advising companies such as Pasadena's UberMedia.

UberMedia on Monday launched A.Plus; a custom Twitter app for desktops designed by Kutcher.

Airbnb cited Kutcher's penchant for unique marketing ideas as a positive for the rising company's future.

"From scavenger hunts through the streets of Austin to promote Nikon cameras, to raising awareness for the Sundance Film Festival with reality TV, Ashton's branding initiatives set new standards for brand engagement through technology," the company said. "With Ashton on board, we'll be working together to take our community engagement to the next level and expand our international presence to reach more people from different cultures all over the world."

Apple: Why You Should Be Buying The Stock Right Now

In case you hadn’t noticed, Apple shares this year have basically been stuck in a rut; the stock is up about 3% for the year, but down almost 9% since peaking at $363 in February. But enough is enough. Time to buy the stock.

At least, that’s what Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster contends.

In a research note this morning, Munster says there are three reasons investors have been nervous about the stock:

•The stock is already owned and reaching investment limits among major investors.
•Investors are nervous that the company’s huge growth rates are setting tough comparisons for the next 12 months. The company posted 83% revenue growth in the March quarter.
•Despite 20% EPS upside in the March quarter, AAPL shares have actually lost ground since.
But Munster also offers 3 reasons why the stock should appreciate from here.

•Even if the multiple stay flat or even slides, the stock should rise on positive earnings estimate revisions. He notes that the stock trades for 10.8x his calendar 2012 forecast of $30.78, or 8.5x ex-cash. If Apple earns $48 a share in CY 2014 – that would be 25% EPS growth – the stock would be trading at 6.9x, or 4.4x ex an estimated $120 billion in cash. “We believe a mid-teens multiple is warranted given EPS growth in the mid-to-high 20s over the next four years,” he writes.
•He thinks Apple moving into a new product category – in particular, televisions – “will unlock new perceived value inthe company, and thus the stock.”
•He expects Apple to announce new software for iPhones, iPads and Macs at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6 that “could serve as a near-term catalyst” for the stock.
Munster keeps his $554 price target on Apple shares.

Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Scott Sutherland this morning repeated his Outperform rating on Apple shares and nudged up his price target to $450, from $445. He upped his FY 2011 EPS forecast to $24.71 a share, from $24.30; for FY 2012, he goes to $28.50, from $26.81. Sutherland writes that he would be a buyer of Apple shares here based on “continued product momentum and attractive valuation.”

Sutherland joins the group that thinks Apple will unveil an interim upgrade to the iPhone in the fall – likely the iPhone 4S – with a 4G-capable iPhone 5 pushed out to January, “supported by a major cloud initiative.”

AAPL this morning is up $1.30, or 0.4%, to $333.49

Small Steps For Paralyzed Man, Giant Leaps For Treating Spinal Cord Injuries

A device helps a man paralyzed from the waist down make an 'unprecedented' recovery, taking steps on a treadmill and regaining other key functions. The treatment could potentially allow 10% to 15% of people with spinal cord injuries to regain some use of their legs.

A 25-year-old Los Angeles man paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a car in 2006 has regained the ability to stand, take steps on a treadmill and move his hips, knees, ankles and toes voluntarily as a result of an experimental treatment developed at UCLA and the University of Louisville.

Rob Summers has also regained some bladder and sexual function after intensive rehabilitation and two years of electrical stimulation to his damaged spinal cord with a device normally used for pain relief, researchers reported Thursday.

His recovery "remains unprecedented in spinal cord injury patients," who until now have faced a lifetime of paralysis, researchers from the University of Zurich wrote in an editorial accompanying the report in the journal Lancet. "We are entering a new era when the time has come for spinal-cord-injured patients to move."

The new treatment is "a very exciting discovery" that can probably be used to help 10% to 15% of people with spinal cord injuries regain some use of their legs, added Dr. John McDonald, director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, who was not involved in the research. For those people, "it has the potential to make a dramatic difference in their lives."

To achieve this milestone, researchers bathed Summers' spinal cord with a mild dose of electricity using a device that is normally used to treat chronic pain. The electrical stimulation apparently primed his nervous system to respond to signals from his limbs, allowing him to rise out of his wheelchair.

"To everyone's disbelief, I was able to stand independently the third day we turned it on," said Summers, who was a baseball player in his junior year at Oregon State University in Corvallis at the time of his accident. He completely supported himself, but needed some help with balance.

The treatment, devised primarily by UCLA neurobiologist V. Reggie Edgerton, is designed to activate a patient's spinal nerves just enough to make them responsive to sensory signals coming from the legs. The approach, which Edgerton has been using in animals for nearly three decades, is like using a hearing aid to amplify sound.

The technique "opens up a whole new set of possibilities … for people who have been injured for months or years," said Dr. Susan Harkema of the University of Louisville, the study's coauthor.

According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, almost 6 million people live with some form of paralysis, about 1.3 million of them from a spinal cord injury. Such people lose not only limb function, but also bladder and bowel control, sexual response and other autonomic functions, sometimes including the ability to breathe on their own.

Researchers have previously used electrical pulses to activate nerves in the legs of spinal cord patients in a specific pattern that caused them stand or move in a walking motion. But in those cases, it is not the patient's brain but the computer that sends the pulses that has control of the activity.

Summers was completely paralyzed below the waist after being struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident in July 2006, although he did retain some feeling in his limbs. He spent three years in rehabilitation and physical therapy trying to learn how to stand and walk again, without success.

Then Dr. Jonathan Hodes of the Frazier Rehab Institute at the University of Louisville implanted the 51/2-inch-long epidural stimulation device next to his spine. The device is not optimal for this purpose, Edgerton said, but using it allowed the team to proceed without having to get a new device approved by the Food and Drug Administration. (A team led by Caltech bioengineer Joel W. Burdick is designing newer and better electrode systems.)

The 16-electrode device was placed in his lower back between the vertebrae and the dura, which covers the spine and keeps fluid in. A lead was buried under his skin and tunneled to a pouch above his hip.

The important thing, Edgerton noted, is that the device did not cause Summers to stand, as previous attempts at electrical stimulation have done. When Summers is sitting normally with the stimulus operating, nothing happens. But when he leans forward and puts some weight on the legs, muscle memory takes over and the spine sends signals to the legs that cause him to stand.

With more training, Summers also learned how to walk on a treadmill. Eventually, he developed the ability to move his legs, wiggle his toes, flex his ankles and make other movements voluntarily — as long as his spinal cord is being stimulated.

At first, "none of us believed it," Edgerton said. "We have no idea what the mechanisms are, but we are pretty sure it has resulted in changes in the brain."

And as Summers relearned these rudimentary activities, his autonomic functions also improved. He regained control of his bladder and bowels, as well as some sexual function.

"Not being able to walk and stand is devastating," Harkema said, "but these other things may be more important."

Dr. Amie B. Jackson of the Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the research, said she was impressed that the therapy affected those autonomic functions "because that is a different type of nervous system."

Summers' overall health also began to improve, at least in part because of the exercise. He was able to discontinue a variety of medications for cardiovascular disease and pain. "That was important because they were very expensive," said Summers, who now attends the University of Louisville and helps coach the baseball team there.

The researchers emphasized that the electrical stimulation alone was not enough to get Summers back on his feet. Rather, it was a combination of the stimulation and the intensive rehabilitation, up to two hours a day.

Jackson speculated that this treatment could be combined with other therapies to provide even better, longer-lasting results. Once a patient has reached this stage, she said, it might then be possible to use stem cells to repair the spinal cord and make the improvements more permanent.

Everyone involved cautioned that the experiment involved only one patient and would need to be replicated in others before becoming a mainstream therapy. Harkema said the team will immediately begin testing it on four other patients with injuries similar to Summers', then will try it on others with different types of injuries.

Eventually, he said, the team may study paralysis caused by other types of problems, such as strokes or disease.

As for Summers, he said his goals were "to stand completely independently, take steps in a more functional manner, and eventually try to play baseball again."

Upgrade Your Life: Must-have Gadgets for Parents
By Jared Spurbeck

Moms and dads need all the help they can get. So in this week's episode of Upgrade Your Life, Yahoo! News' Becky Worley shows us some must-have gadgets and apps for parents!

Motorola DECT 6.0 ($59) and Plantronics Calisto Pro ($279)

Most parents probably wish they could grow an extra hand. These cordless home phones won't give you a third arm, but they will let you talk on the phone hands-free. That's because they use the same BlueTooth technology that wireless cellphone headsets use.

The Motorola DECT is a decent budget phone, with all the basic features that you would expect. Its downside? Only so-so headset sound quality and comfort. But the Plantronics Calisto Pro may be one of the best home phones, period. The headset is easy to set up and stays in place when you're wearing it, the sound quality is superb, and you can even use it with your cellphone or to make Skype calls.

Speaking of which --

Skype app for iPhone ($0) and Qik for Android ($0)

If you haven't tried Skype out yet, here's the deal: Skype is an app that lets you make video calls for free. You can also make phone calls with it, but when it comes to communicating with your kids, it's all about video calling.

You may already have Skype installed on your Windows or Linux PC, or on your Mac. But there are also Skype apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, plus Android phones and tablets! And unlike Apple's FaceTime, the video chat works over a cellular connection as well as Wi-Fi. So when you're on that business trip and missing the toddler at home, just fire up Skype on your phone and get that baby fix.

The Android version of Skype doesn't yet support video chat. But Skype owns anther app called QIK, that does let you make video calls from your Android phone. You can download it at qik.com.

Compro IP540 Baby Monitor ($294)

Tired of being tied to your baby monitor's screen? How about a monitor that you can watch from your iPhone or Android phone? The Compro IP540, which is "powered by Seedonk," lets you do just that, with a free smartphone app. You can even use your PC or Mac's web browser, to watch your child over its secure connection.

The Compro IP540 has night vision sensors and "No geeks required" setup, plus a wireless adapter that lets it connect to your home's Wi-Fi network, so you don't have to drag a cable into your child's room. Another smartphone-enabled baby monitor is supposedly coming soon from a company called Withings, but there's no word yet on how much it will cost, or when it will be ready.

Baby Monitor iPhone app ($4.99) and Android app ($2.99)

Like the idea of using your smartphone to monitor your child, but don't have the money for an expensive camera? Just download the $4.99 Baby Monitor app for your iPhone. You can set your phone next to your child's bed, and have it text you on another phone or call your home number if it hears your child crying. It can even start a FaceTime call, to your compatible Apple device.

The Android app doesn't have a video feature, but it does let you record your voice or play as song for your child, as he or she falls asleep. It also keeps a full log of every noise it records, so you can play them back later. It's $2.99, and you can download a free trial from the Android Market.

Both apps are especially great for travel, since they don't need any hardware besides your smartphone!

Safety First Sleepy Baby Nail Clippers ($5.75)

Clipping a baby's fingernails is really nerve-wracking when they're new borns. You're hunched over tiny fingers, blocking the light, and you worry you'll clip them too close. Safety First Sleepy Baby nail clippers have built-in LED lights that illiuminate your baby's nails, and let you see what you're doing.

Meeno Babies "Cool Mee" Universal Car Seat Liner ($39)

Every kid wants to be cool, especially when he or she's crammed into a hot car seat. The Cool Mee seat liner comes in five colors, and it uses the same sort of wicking fabrics as Underarmor and Nike Fit, to increase air flow between your child and the car seat and to pull heat and sweat away from his or her body. The only downside is that the headpiece attaches with velcro, so you have to keep resticking it if you choose to use the top piece.

Eye-Fi 4 GB Connect SDHC Card ($42)

Do you have a shelf full of memory cards of your kids' photos, that you've been meaning to copy over stouchomeday? The Eye-Fi cards make this easy for you! They're camera memory cards that have a built in Wi-Fi connection, so as soon as you walk into your house they copy all of their pictures to your home computer. They even work with iPhoto, if you have a Mac.

Their "Eye-Fi View" feature lets you go online to check out all the pictures you've taken in the last seven days. You can even set them to upload everything automatically to Flickr or Facebook, instead of just copying pictures to your PC or Mac. Plus, the newest Eye-Fi cards can automatically send their photos to your iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphone or tablet instead, if you prefer.

There are a variety of Eye-Fi cards available, at different price points. All of them cost more than normal memory cards, but with their "Endless Memory Mode" -- which automatically makes room for more pictures as the old ones are uploaded -- you just might save some money in the long run.

Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer ($29)

Tired of trying to get your child to hold the thermometer under his or her tongue? Here's a thermometer that doesn't even need to touch your child to get an accurate reading -- you can use it while he or she's sleeping! It's also good for checking if food, bathwater, or bottles are too hot or cold, or just for checking room temperature.

Of all the digital thermometers Becky has tried -- in-ear models, forehead-swiping thermometers -- this one is the most consistent, and the least traumatic for small children.

Review: Disconnecting In a Too-Connected World
By Barbara Ortutay

The knowledge that I'd be cut off from Internet and cellphone service in just a few hours started to relax me long before I reached the secluded, serene site of a two-day yoga retreat in upstate New York.

For 43 magical hours, chirping birds replaced car horns and sirens. Two-hour yoga classes, hammock-lounging and hot-tubbing replaced sitting at my desk in Manhattan.

The best part: Absolutely nothing replaced my iPhone. It sat powered off at the bottom of my backpack all weekend save for a brief stint as an alarm clock to wake me from a nap.

I readily admit that I am powerless. Without a forced break from email, text messages, Facebook and an endless stream of online news and blogs, I am an information addict. Spending a few days without mobile service in an age where smartphones have become like limbs for many, I found immense value in disconnecting from our always-on, always-connected world.

It wasn't easy. During the three-hour ride upstate, I clutched my phone and reloaded Facebook, Gmail and Hotmail every 10 to 15 minutes. I followed our route on Google Maps, checked in to Route 17 on Foursquare and scanned the app for The New York Times for news updates for the fourth, fifth, sixth time.

As we neared the no signal zone, I called my husband to say goodbye for the second time and left a message for a friend to wish him well on medical-school admission tests that he was taking that weekend. I checked email once more.

Should I have called my mom? Posted one last update on Facebook about the looming Rapture? See if I missed any tech news by taking Friday off?

My goodness, what have I become?

Then, "No Service" appeared in the top left corner on my phone, and that was that. I took a deep breath, turned off the phone and turned to my surroundings and later, inward.

Facebook came up at least twice during the retreat at Heathen Hill. Both times, our yoga instructor was leading the 18 of us through relaxation techniques. Forget about work, she said, forget about your children at home, for a moment, and forget about Facebook. We lay on our mats, listening to the softly tapping rain and chirping birds and complied. We breathed.

It's become an increasingly rare treat to disconnect from "real world" while on vacation. For many people, work and family left behind require constant email and phone contact. Wireless access through Wi-Fi is plentiful and often free, as I have discovered in the Irish countryside, in the outskirts of my hometown of Budapest, Hungary, and in parts of the Catskills, notwithstanding the pocket where my yoga retreat took place.

Like many people, I have also developed a bit of an unhealthy attachment to my iPhone in the past couple of years, though it's not to the point where that I sleep with it under my pillow.

Convenient as it is, there are plenty drawbacks to the constant ability to check in — to friends, strangers, work, news, gossip and whatever else my phone gives me instant access to. Sometimes I don't even notice when I subconsciously reach for my phone when there's a lull in a conversation over dinner or when I want to avoid awkward small talk in the elevator.

Then there's the type of information I'm getting. Sure, some of it is valuable, but more of it is on the caliber of cute animal stories and incidental Facebook updates from friends or casual acquaintances. After coming back from the retreat, I extended my Facebook ban, so it's been five days already. I'm not sure I've missed much, except perhaps a few laughs or headshakes at friends' posts.

So what did we do, without news, Twitter and email in the Catskill Mountains? Yoga, and lots of it.

Our teacher instructed us to turn inward. That's especially difficult to do in the age of social media, when many of us seek validation even for the most minute actions and passing thoughts of our lives. Why do I need to tell my Facebook friends that it's raining again? And when someone responds, why do I feel weirdly validated in my existence?

I won't call it addiction, but for the first few hours of the retreat, I found myself regularly reaching for my iPhone — for what, I don't know. It was like a phantom limb, unnerving in its absence.

By the second day, the feeling was gone, thanks to vigorous exercise, yogic breathing and our beautiful surroundings. We dined on homemade vegetarian dishes, another break from my regular days as an avid carnivore. I also brought a book with me, printed on real paper. It's called "Living Dead in Dallas," part of a series about Southern vampires that is now a show on HBO. It helps me relax, OK?

At night we sat by the campfire, roasted marshmallows and drank wine. Then sleep, breakfast and more yoga.

I don't advocate disconnecting forever from the Internet or social media, and I admit a weekend was just enough. We needed GPS to find our way back to the city, for one thing. Some email addresses were exchanged, too.

And, as we left, we promised our newfound yoga friends: "I'll find you on Facebook."

Inside E R I  Jams

Presenting, promoting and preserving the artistic culture of our city along with the works of independent filmmakers, writers, artists and musicians in the Erie area.

New Game Releases

Week of May 15, 2011

3DS

Dead or Alive: Dimensions
Release Date: May 24, 2011

iPhone/iPad

Touch Zombie: Real Ver.
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Wine Expert
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Aqua Defence
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Epic Pencil
Release Date: May 22, 2011

TimeOut Dance
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Darwen Quiz
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Super Droid World HD
Release Date: May 24, 2011

MadBike
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Rhino Drop
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Fodboldspil
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Bird Blocks
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Film Quiz
Release Date: May 22, 2011

JewelFitting
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Cute Bomberman
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Super Droid World
Release Date: May 24, 2011

PC

DiRT 3
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Release Date: May 25, 2011

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

King Arthur Collection
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Faxion Online
Release Date: May 26, 2011

Space Ark
Release Date: May 23, 2011

The Lord of The Rings Online: Lost Legends of Eriador
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Death and the Fly
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Aion 2.5: Empyrean Calling
Release Date: May 25, 2011

Play Station 2

No New Games This Week

Play Station 3

DiRT 3
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Play Station Network

DiRT 3
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game

Release Date: May 24, 2011

PSP

No New Games This Week

xBox360

DiRT 3
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Release Date: May 25, 2011
 

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Battle for Venga Islands
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Avatar's Rock Paper Scissors
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Refractor
Release Date: May 23, 2011

xBox360 Live Arcade

DiRT 3
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale
Release Date: May 25, 2011
 

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Battle for Venga Islands
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Avatar's Rock Paper Scissors
Release Date: May 22, 2011

Refractor
Release Date: May 23, 2011

DS

Duke Nukem: Critical Mass
Release Date: May 25, 2011

Emily The Strange
Release Date: May 24, 2011

99Bullets
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords (DSiWare)
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Murder in Venice
Release Date: May 26, 2011

Cake Mania: Main Street
Release Date: May 24, 2011

3D Twist & Match
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Paws & Claws: Pampered Pets 2
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Wii

NASCAR 2011: The Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Crazy Machines
Release Date: May 25, 2011

Overflow
Release Date: May 23, 2011

Wii Virtual Console & Wii Ware

NASCAR 2011: The Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Video Game
Release Date: May 24, 2011

Crazy Machines
Release Date: May 25, 2011

Overflow
Release Date: May 23, 2011