Batzra blog

Home favourite Reichelt triumphs in super-G

HINTERSTODER, Austria (AFP) – Austria's Hannes Reichelt ended a near three-year wait for success on the World Cup circuit when he stormed to victory in the men's super-G at Hinterstoder on Saturday.

Compatriot Benjamin Raich was second with Bode Miller of the United States in third place.

The 30-year-old Reichelt laid the foundations for victory in the middle section of the winding course to finish 0.34sec ahead of Raich and 0.93sec in front of Miller.

It was his fifth World Cup victory -- four of which have come in the super-G -- and arrived just three days before the start of the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, which run from February 8-20.

"The past three years haven't been so easy, even if I have had a couple of podium places in between," said Reichelt, whose last win came at Bormio in March 2008.

Ivica Kostelic of Croatia took fifth place, behind Switzerland's Carlo Janka, to reinforce his overall World Cup lead.

With 12 races remaining Kostelic has 1223 points and a massive lead on Swiss all-rounder Silvan Zurbriggen, who is second on 703.

Raich's first podium place since the Val d'Isere slalom in December coincided with his Austrian team receiving positive news about Hans Grugger, who has come out of a coma following a heavy crash at Kitzbuhel two weeks ago.

"The good news about Hans has given the whole team a lift," said Raich, who pulled out of the Chamonix leg of the World Cup last week to get over a cold.

"Recently I've been in good form, but the results just haven't been there."

Miller, who also took a break from racing in Chamonix last week, confirmed his solid form two weeks after finishing second behind Swiss Didier Cuche in the feared Kitzbuhel downhill.

"I am always happy to be on the podium, especially this year," said Miller.

"You know me, the result is always secondary to the feeling I have while skiing. I skiied pretty poorly in my opinion. It was a challenging hill, challenging snow, a tough course-set.

"Nobody skiied on this hill before."

Cuche, the downhill World Cup leader, flattered to decieve, finishing in 19th place but reinforcing his second place in the super-G standings.

He is now 36 points behind Austria's Georg Streitberger, who has been out injured since last month.

One of the surprises of the day came from French teenager Alexis Pinturault.

The recent winner of two junior world titles, 19-year-old Pinturault had never before finished a World Cup race and despite starting with bib number 62 he finished in a commendable sixth place.

With the bi-annual world championships on the horizon, many top racers -- including Miller -- seem to have virtually opted out of the overall World Cup race.

"Obviously the championships are the focus point of the year," added the American, a former two-time winner of the prestigious World Cup title.

Raich, meanwhile, is keeping mum about which disciplines he will compete in next week.

He simply wants to prove to his detractors that his mediocre form this season is no reason to keep him out the 'Wunderteam'.

"I don't know how many events I will race in," added the Austrian, the World Cup winner in 2006, who has finished runner-up for the past four seasons.

"All I want to do is ski well enough to prove I deserve my place in the team."

Austrian Reichelt back on form to win Super-G

HINTERSTODER, Austria (Reuters) – Austrian Hannes Reichelt made the most of home conditions to claim his first World Cup Super-G victory for nearly three years on Saturday.

The 2008 World Cup Super-G winner clocked a time of one minute 43.91 seconds on one of the longest courses of the season to earn his fifth career triumph and his fourth in the discipline.

Reichelt's last win was in Bormio in March 2008.

Compatriot Benjamin Raich equaled his best result of the season by finishing second, 0.34 behind.

Bode Miller (1:44.84) was in third place and showed he would be a serious contender at the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen next week.

The American won the only other Super-G held in Hinterstoder five years ago but on another course.

In L.A. Noire Asking Questions Trumps Firing Bullets

Rockstar and Team Bondi'swants to upend your expectations about what's possible in a video game. Not their plans to replicate Los Angeles circa 1947, the game's stylish film noir aesthetic, or that it stars Mad Men'sandor Fringe's . No, I'm talking about L.A. Noire's remarkable digital performers.

Their digital faces, I mean. They don't look like any you've seen in a game. In fact they don't look like any you've seen in most movies. The young Jeff Bridges character in Disney's CGI-saturated Tron: Legacy looks like a Botox zombie. The detective actor Aaron Staton plays in L.A. Noire looks like, well, Aaron Staton.

How'd they do that? With a little ingenuity, sure--and you know, 32 cameras wrapped around each actor to capture every forehead wrinkle and eyebrow lift. We asked Team Bondi lead Brendan McNamara to talk about what the new technology entails for the industry.

Game On: You've somehow managed to leapfrog not just one industry [gaming] but really kind of two [film]. Why'd it take us this long to get here?

Brendan McNamara: I think that the leap you're describing with [L.A. Noire] is thanks largely to the interactivity necessary for our game, and for the industry at-large. We have tried to develop a new type of gameplay based on asking questions. In this game asking a question is more important than firing a bullet. When that's the case you need to be able to make decisions based on how a character responds.

We're seeing a lot of films these days push some really advanced tech, but ultimately they only have to deliver to a passive audience. There's nothing the movie viewer can do to change the actions or movements happening on-screen. Conversely, our experience completely relies on the audience's interpretation of characters and scenes, and then ultimately, their decision-making. Without MotionScan this would not be possible.

So in the end you have to create the tools and processes that will make the entertainment you want to deliver possible. For Avatar that was retargeting human performances to alien characters, while for us it's a new way of capturing the essential humanity of our actors and deciding whether we believe them or not.

GO: How much of an actor's performance has to be retouched or tweaked in post-performance editing?

BM: Thanks to MotionScan, the experience is seamless and very little post-processing work is required. For the first time, we don't need animators or artists to touch up footage after filming is done. MotionScan allows us to directly capture and transfer the performance into the game, so post-processing becomes a much more efficient and streamlined effort.

Unlike traditional voice acting in games, we couldn't get away with using someone just for the quality of their voice. Players will see and interact with our actors' complete performances, so it was necessary to work with talented individuals that add unique dimension and nuance to characters both physically and emotionally.

GO: How much of L.A. Noire's gameplay hinges on simply "reading" people's intentions through their facial expressions?

BM: Interrogations play a key role throughout the course of L.A. Noire, and reading people's faces is a large part of that process. As a player, you'll use keen detective skills in identifying clues, but will also need to analyze a suspect's overall disposition. Whether suspects seem nervous, agitated, scared, or withholding, players must decide how best to react and respond. Their actions will then determine the course of the interrogation--in L.A. Noire, we want players to use their words and their emotions to connect and interact with their surroundings instead of sheer violence. That being said, you'll have to use your gun and take down criminals when necessary.

GO: What are some of the things MotionScan can't do?

BM: Right now with MotionScan, we're limited to capturing an actor from the neck-up. The next step, naturally, will be to make the technology capable of scanning an entire body. That would eliminate the use of traditional motion capture and increase fidelity and realism in performances while minimizing the time and resources needed during development. MotionScan is definitely an exciting technology, so we are looking forward to the future and seeing what else it can do.

GO: How long before others start copying what you've accomplished with MotionScan?

BM: We've noticed a few similar technologies. Tron: Legacy, for example, used a similar setup to capture Jeff Bridges' face. We showed off MotionScan at E3 in the past and have received an incredibly positive reception from people throughout the industry. We've spoken to most of the major developers and publishers and they seem genuinely excited by the potential. Having said all that LA Noire will be the first game to utilize the technology when it comes out on May 17. We are excited to have players get their hands on it and see how they react to a new type of gameplay.

GO: Thanks Brendan!

Keep tabs on us:--|

Hull Barrett, PC Welcomes Brooks K. Hudson

Brooks K. Hudson Joins Hull Barrett, PC as an Associate of the Firm

Augusta, GA (Vocus/PRWEB) February 02, 2011

Hull Barrett, PC is pleased to announce thathas joined the firm as an associate in the Augusta, Georgia office. “We are delighted that Brooks has joined the firm” says , who chairs the Litigation Department at the firm. “Brooks’ first hand courtroom experience, case management skills and legal knowledge will enhance our already strong and growing litigation practice.”

As an associate in the litigation department, Brooks’ practice will focus on general civil litigation where he will handle a wide variety of complex litigation matters. Brooks will focus primarily on commercial litigation matters, including prosecuting and defending claims in complex business disputes, health care litigation, First Amendment litigation, construction litigation, class actions and criminal litigation. Brooks received his J.D. from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in 2004. Prior to joining Hull Barrett, Brooks served as the Assistant District Attorney for the District Attorney’s Office where he conducted prosecutions and court proceedings on behalf of the State of Georgia and was appointed Special Drug Prosecutor. He also worked in the Public Defender’s Office in the Augusta Judicial Circuit where he represented defendants in numerous court proceedings.

is a full service law firm withfirm wide. The firm is engaged in a general civil practice providing a broad range of legal services with an emphasis on general litigation, trials and appeals; securities and corporate law; mergers, acquisitions and public offerings; local government law and eminent domain actions; health care; computer and technology law; internet ventures; trademark and copyright law; taxation; public finance; commercial real estate; construction law and disputes; employment law; banking law; insurance law; trusts, estate planning and probate; First Amendment and media law and environmental matters. Hull Barrett represents a broad client base of major corporations, small businesses, professional entities, financial and lending institutions, local governments, public authorities, public utilities, railroad companies, insurance companies, health care institutions and individuals.

is also a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms (Primerus).is a society of top-rated, independent, boutique law firms that have earned the right to display the Primerus seal of quality. As one of the most respected law firm societies, Primerus has over 170 member firms in 125 cities located in 23 countries throughout the world. Primerus has become the size of some of the world's largest law firms. However, unlike most large firms, Primerus is growing at an unprecedented pace, and is expanding throughout Europe, Asia, and elsewhere around the globe. Primerus firms provide clients with responsive, partner-level service at reasonable fees. Law firms in the U.S. and Canada must be AV-rated using the Martindale-Hubbell peer review service. For firms outside of North America, consideration is given to respected resources such as Chambers Global Guide, Legal 500 EMEA, and IFLR 1000. Additionally, once approved for membership, every Primerus firm is audited, annually, to ensure that the legal services they continue to provide to clients are of a consistent, high quality, year after year. Each member is committed to the following standards: Integrity, Excellent Work Product, Reasonable Fees, Continuing Legal Education, Civility and Community Service.

# # #

Erica M. KusmierzInternational Society of Primerus Law Firms800-968-2211Email Information

Giffords' Astronaut Husband to Reveal if He'll Lead Shuttle Flight

The astronaut husband of wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords – faced with the tough decision of whether to command his upcoming space shuttle mission or to remain by his wife's side as she recovers – is expected to announce his decision today (Feb. 4).

Giffords (D-Ariz.) is recovering from a bullet wound to the head that she received when a man opened fire at a constituent meeting Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz. Her husband Mark Kelly was slated to lead the upcoming STS-134 mission of the space shuttle Endeavour, due to launch April. 19.

NASA will hold a news briefing this afternoon to discuss Kelly's decision. He will be joined by Peggy Whitson, chief of the astronaut office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Brent Jett, chief of the flight crew operations directorate. The briefing will be broadcast on NASA TV at 3 p.m. EST.

Early rumors suggest Kelly will go forward with the mission. Yesterday (Feb. 3), Politico, the Arlington, Va.,-based political newspaper, reported that a source familiar with the decision indicated that Kelly will fly on Endeavour's flight.

Kelly has confirmed that his wife is making steady improvements in her recovery.

"Every day she gets a little bit better and the neurosurgeons and neurologists tell me that's a great sign," Kelly said Thursday (Feb. 3) at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Earlier, NASA appointed veteran astronaut Rick Sturckow to serve as a backup commander during training for the STS-134 mission, which is the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavour.

Kelly's twin brother, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut and is currently onboard the International Space Station's as the commander of the Expedition 26 mission.