Startup targets music genre void

A local startup is hoping to break into the lucrative world of hip-hop with its new online portal, KillerBoomBox.com.

The site is run by KillerBoomBox Media Group, a plucky new company that recently won a coveted spot in the Smarter in the City startup accelerator in Dudley Square.

The brainchild of local digital product manager Darius McCroey and veteran music journalist Gregory Valentino Ball, the company now faces the hurdle of convincing investors that enough advertising dollars will come from their business model, which involves producing articles and video documentaries on their website. They also organize and film concerts that highlight urban music. That content — a sampling of which is available on the company's sleekly designed website — is to be repackaged and resold in a variety of different ways, including a forthcoming mobile app, another potential revenue generator.

"The whole idea is to cover urban music, hip-hop and R&B from an intelligent perspective," said Ball, who lives in Dorchester. "We have a passion and that puts us in a better place than some of the competition."

The company already has been selected as runner-up in the Roxbury Innovation Challenge Business Pitch Contest and was a member of the Future Boston Alliance's 
Accelerate Boston Class of 2013, a six-month educational program for entrepreneurs.

Their competition includes Revolt TV, an online magazine and network owned by hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who just last week predicted that his network would become the ESPN of hip-hop music. These new platforms recognize the vacuum left by MTV and VH1's near-total abandonment of music news coverage — and an estimated 45 million hip-hop consumers nationwide who are waiting for another music media renaissance. There's plenty of room for competition within the $10 billion-a-year hip-hop industry.

Yet corporate America largely has ignored the purchasing power of the hip-hop culture that business empires have sprung from. Moguls such as Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Diddy are potentially on their way to becoming billionaires in the next decade.

Ball and McCroey say Boston's role in urban music often lives in the shadow of New York City, but there are many up-and-coming artists who originated here and have a fan base ready and waiting. In fact, McCroey envisions being able to use Boston as a test market for new artists.

"Boston is a world-class college town," he said. "So when we take new music to that market, we're testing it for people all over the world."

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stylish Everpurse charger is clutch

Everpurse clutch and wallet, ($98 and up, Kickstarter.com and everpurse.com)

With the Everpurse Mini smartphone-charging wallet announced just in time for Mother's Day, I wanted to try it out. They're not shipping yet, but I did get my hands on its predecessor, the Everpurse, a leather clutch that is smack dab at the intersection of tech and fashion.

The good: Place your phone inside a hidden charge compartment inside the bag, and it'll charge up your phone just as fast as if it were plugged in. My iPhone 5S was fully charged thanks to this handy bag all weekend.

The bad: There's a charging pad that's a little large and unwieldy.

The bottom line: If the quality of the Everpurse clutch is any indication, the new Mini wallet is right up mom's alley. That is, if you're lucky enough to get one. The clutch is hard to find and the wallet isn't shipping until the summer.

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Odyssey’s air bag warning light needs to be checked out

I have a 2005 Honda 
Odyssey. About two months ago the passenger air bag light started coming on. I took it in for an oil change and the mechanic said it's nothing to worry about. It bugs me. Can you give me an answer?

No, but Honda's scan tool can. Anytime there's a question or issue with air bags or supplemental restraint systems, have the issue investigated. Why? Because any fault or problem can influence, even prevent, these systems from deploying properly in a crash.

Your vehicle has an impact sensor and a weight sensor in the passenger seat that can determine whether the passenger air bag should deploy or not in a crash. With an occupant weight of 65 pounds or less or a frontal impact where the seatbelt would offer adequate protection, the passenger air bag will not deploy.

If the passenger seat, its upholstery or the OPDS system (occupant position detection system) have been serviced, a re-initialization is required.

Also, Honda did issue a recall for a potentially defective front impact sensor on some 2005 
Odysseys, but this is unlikely the issue with your vehicle.

I have a 1966 Mustang. I have noticed in the past couple of years that when I first start driving, the right front wheel will lock up and slide on a dirt road and the car wants to turn right immediately. After driving the car for a couple of miles the brakes work fine and the car stops straight as an arrow. I had the brakes inspected and there were no leaks or other problems. The mechanic said that sometimes the brake hoses can deteriorate from the inside so I had them changed, but the car still wants to turn right at the first stop. I have read that if a brake line has a stoppage it might cause this. Is this a problem with the right front wheel or maybe the left front wheel is not getting enough hydraulic pressure?

Let me offer two other possibilities: moisture or contamination on the brake shoe friction material and (this is a long shot) the brake shoes on the right front are reversed, meaning the leading shoe is in the trailing position and vice versa.

Many drum brake systems feature a leading shoe that is pushed by the hydraulic wheel cylinder into the direction of rotation of the brake drum. This gives the leading shoe a self-energizing characteristic, meaning that initial contact with the drum tends to self-apply the friction material on the shoe.

In most cases, the leading shoe has a section of shoe at the wheel cylinder end that has no friction material to reduce the self-energizing characteristic. If the two brake shoes are reversed with the full length friction material of the trailing shoe mounted in the lead position, the self-energizing characteristic is magnified.

Any type of contamination on the friction material will change the coefficient of friction and can initially cause a significant imbalance of brake force. As the material is heated and/or dried by application, this characteristic often fades.

To perform a quick DIY test of brake hydraulic pressure, place the front end safely on jack stands and have an assistant apply steady light brake pedal pressure while you rotate each front wheel, feeling for the first indication of brake shoe contact with the drum. Both front wheels should initially exhibit this at the same level of brake pressure.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Westfield State U. agog over new Google technology

WESTFIELD, Mass. — It was a futuristic sight, as about a dozen students, faculty, and community members gathered around a cluster of screens on the second floor of the Ely Library at Westfield State University late last month to behold a wonder of modern technology.

The wonder that lay before them, projected onto seven screens standing seven feet tall, is Liquid Galaxy, a revolutionary product developed by Google which utilizes the company's Google Earth component to take users almost anywhere in seconds, on Earth or elsewhere.

"It sends Mars data, too," said Tom Raffensperger, the dean of Academic Information Services at Westfield State. "There's a rover up there taking pictures and mapping."

Capable of showing off the red planet just as adeptly as taking users to Fenway Park, Liquid Galaxy's potential is seemingly limitless, and Raffensperger says it will be available to the greater Westfield community during open lab times, after being made available to professors and students first.

As the jaws of students and faculty alike dropped to the floor at the startling realism and accuracy of Google Earth's mapping, professors in the school's geography department took the opportunity to speak about the project, it's humble beginnings, and what it means for the institution.

"It all started when Tim (LeDoux) and I were invited to attend the geospatial technology and higher education workshop at Google in California last summer," said Dr. Carsten Braun, a professor of Geography and Regional Planning at the University. "When we saw the Liquid Galaxy we said 'wow, this is cool, but not just cool — a great teaching tool.' So when we came back, we launched an idea to (Dr.) Liz Preston and Tom Raffensperger saying 'Hey, is this something we could get?'"

Various university departments collectively paid $25,000 to use the program.

"It was really a collaborative effort," said Raffensperger. "It was a lot of departments getting together. The library, we worked hard to make this space available, and the people at IT, academic information services, academic affairs, just a lot of different departments seeing how this would benefit the university as a whole."

Raffensperger added that professors such as LeDoux will be using the program for introductory and advanced global imaging systems (GIS) courses to take students to distant cities.

"As a geographer and planner, I talk a lot about different cities and the issues they're facing, such as Detroit with its bankruptcy," LeDoux said. "I can talk a lot about the legacy — the racism, the disinvestment issues — and that helps students paint a picture, but to take them on the ground and walk through the neighborhoods of Detroit using this, they see it, the abandoned buildings, and it brings home the visual element to them."

"I will be using this in my physical geography class, which is about landforms — glaciers, rivers, mountains, beaches — all kinds of stuff that. With this immersive program, you can experience beach erosion, experience sea level rise, much better than a static picture," Braun said. "We can do labs and say 'let's go to the Grand Canyon, let's look at what goes on at the intersection of land and ocean.'"

"(We'll be) working with the folks from the Art Department, or any other interested people to create content experiences that they can use in their classes," he added. "That's what we're going to be working on in the next few months. 'You teach English Literature, you teach Art, let's see how we can create activities that let students experience this in a special sense.'"

"This can be applied to all the different disciplines at the University," LeDoux added. "Whether you're trying to ground literature for students, poetry that a poet is writing about a landscape, it's a very vivid image, but actually seeing what they're writing about is very powerful."

When asked about the prevalence of this technology, Braun was proud to admit that Liquid Galaxy is so far only available in museums and large research-based institutions, none of which are the size of Westfield State.

"I'd be super happy to talk to anybody about how to make this useful," Braun said. "In a perfect world, we want to help everybody get this. But first, let's take this off the campus and bring it into the community, working in the local schools and make this a tool or experience that we share with the entire community."

"We are very excited to be able to provide this," said Westfield State University President Dr. Elizabeth Preston during the demo. "Part of the reason we decided to invest in the technology is because it's very clear that it has applications for all kinds of disciplines beyond the obvious. So we're very excited to have the technology on campus."

12.33 | 0 komentar | Read More

Car Smart: Malibu’s a solid mid-size sedan

While the South Korean and German automakers continue to chip away at Honda and Toyota's mid-size sedan market share, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu stays in the mix to provide a solid domestic alternative.

The Malibu, which is loaded with advanced safety technology, but lacks a diesel or hybrid engine choice, is no less worthy of a test drive.

Our $35,000 crystal red tester had a sporty appearance that is hard from afar to distinguish from the larger Chevrolet Impala. Chrome trim outlined the windows, grille and door handles, and 19-inch aluminum wheels completed the look.

The Malibu's $890 advanced safety package was full of technology usually reserved for the luxury segment. Included in the package was a blind-zone alert with a warning light that blinks in the side-view mirrors when a trailing vehicle enters the driver's blind spot.

The sedan also had a forward collision alert that uses a camera in the windshield to warn the driver if the Malibu is rapidly approaching another vehicle. Other features included were lane-departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert combined with a rear view camera, which made backing out onto a busy street less stressful.

Most of the features could be customized or shut off.

The downside is many of the systems' sensors are in the sedan's bumper and windshield, which means keeping the Malibu clean is a must especially during the winter.

A turbocharged 4-
cylinder, 2.0-liter engine had me guessing until I looked under the hood. I could have sworn the Malibu that churned out 259 horsepower was packing a 6-cylinder, especially considering how the Chevy hustled off the line with 295 lb.-ft of torque. A tapshift manual-matic shifter allowed me to wind out the six-speed automatic transmission. Our tester got 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 21 mpg in the city. Chevy also offers the Malibu with a 2.5L, 4-cylinder engine with direct injection and 196 horsepower. The larger, less powerful engine yields an additional six miles per gallon in fuel savings on the highway.

The sedan was smooth through the turns, holding its line through highway ramps and on twisty back roads. Road noise was hardly noticeable during long drives on the Mass Pike.

A jet black interior with leather seating featured an eight-way power adjustable driver's seat with two memory settings. The front seats were heated and had dual-zone climate controls. I found an abundance of storage cubbies, cup holders and a handy cellphone slot on the center console. Pairing my iPhone was trouble-free via Chevrolet's Mylink touchscreen. Music stored on my phone was easy to call up on the screen and sounded great through the nine-speaker Pioneer entertainment system with a 250-watt amplifier.

Other features that caught my eye were a push-button starter and a fuel-saving stop/start function that automatically shut the engine off when the car was stopped and seamlessly restarted when I took my foot off the brake. Backseat legroom was less than I would expect for a mid-sized sedan.

The 2014 Malibu falls behind the Accord, Camry, Passat and Sonata when considering the most fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan; however, the Malibu does provide a solidly built, fun-to-drive and easy-to-park alternative. The Ford Fusion deserves equal consideration when shopping for a mid-sized sedan.

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cambridge co. seeks FDA OK for cancer drug

A Cambridge company plans to seek federal regulatory approval this year for a new drug to treat pancreatic cancer after positive late-stage trial results were announced this week.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals said its MM-398 drug, used in combination with two chemotherapy drugs, improved the average survival rate of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The rate extended to 6.1 months — 1.9 months longer than when the other two drugs were used alone — for those who previously received gemcitabine-based therapy.

"Given that there have only been a handful of successful Phase 3 trials in pancreatic cancer in the past 25 years, it is gratifying to have the first positive Phase 3 trial in the post-gemcitabine setting," CEO Robert Mulroy said in a statement.

There are only three FDA-approved treatments for pancreatic cancer, which is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States with a 6 percent five-year survival rate, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Shares of Merrimack fell 8 percent yesterday to $6.43, after soaring to a 52-week high of $7.65 on Thursday, when the company also reported a $27.8 million quarterly loss and said it has enough cash to get it into 2015.

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nike CEO: Converse steps up

There's no regret from Nike when it comes to its $305 million purchase of North Andover-based Converse in 2003.

"It's an important part of Nike," CEO Mark Parker said yesterday. "It's been one of the best acquisitions we've made."

Revenue for Converse Inc., the 106-year-old maker of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers, climbed 16 percent to $420 million in the last quarter, Nike reported in March, after 9 percent growth to $1.44 billion in the past fiscal year.

Converse is moving its headquarters to Boston's Lovejoy Wharf early next year, and Parker said the subsidiary's 400-strong employee base can be expected to grow in step with its revenue.

Nike Inc. had $23.5 billion in total revenue last year and enjoys an industry-dominating 48 percent market share for its namesake brand. Parker — who joined Nike in 1979 as a shoe designer in Exeter, N.H., and has been CEO of the Oregon company since 2006 — spoke at Boston College Chief Executives' Club of Boston. Here's some of what he had to say:

• On one of China's biggest strikes ever this month at Nike footwear manufacturer Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings over Yue Yuen's contributions to employee benefits: Nike had been communicating with Yue Yuen and urging it to resolve the issues as soon as possible. "We want to invest in the partners that are really doing the right thing with the workforce. We didn't move product out in this case, but we stayed close to it. We have a factory base where we can move product around as we need to make sure that we don't have issues with production."

• On NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's league ban of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for racist remarks: "Adam Silver did a remarkable job. He did it decisively and quickly. There's no room for discrimination."

• On the possibility of U.S.-made Nike shoes: Nike is investing heavily in manufacturing innovation and, as technology advances, there's an opportunity for a U.S. manufacturing base.

• On Nike athletes: They're not simply "billboards" for the Nike "Swoosh." Nike works closely with them to gain insight that drives innovation. It "listens to the voice of the athlete." When working with athletes of golfer Tiger Woods' caliber, "You don't innovate just for the sake of change. You innovate to change the outcome."

• One of his most important roles as CEO: Being an editor. "By editing, we can actually amplify the power of what we do."

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

TD Garden shows off $70M redo plan

TD Garden representatives yesterday unveiled new details of a planned two-year, $70 million renovation at the Hub sports venue, showing off plans for an overhaul of the Legends Club, as well as upgrades to the concourses and an expansion of the pro shop.

"From a fan experience, from a technology, from a food service standpoint, we have all these opportunities," Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said of the membership-only club. "We're really going to just gut the whole place."

Legends, which houses the Courtside Club, will be expanded by 35 percent, and feature new food choices, a more modern design and improved technology, including a 55-foot media wall and "Mediamesh," a metal fabric interwoven with LEDs.

The current buffet will be replaced with made-to-order food, including a brick oven and a raw bar.

The design will be a "sleeker, updated look," Latimer said. "We want to give (the fans) the offerings that they're looking for."

One thing that won't change — the original Boston Garden marquee sign will remain in the club. And the floor will feature former players' retired numbers.

Latimer said other upgrades, including Wi-Fi, will enhance the TD Garden experience for all fans. She declined to go into details, but said some of the things being considered include adding merchandise and food ordering from mobile devices once Wi-Fi installation is complete.

Funded by Delaware North Cos., owner of TD Garden, the renovation will update the nearly 20-year-old TD Garden's look to a more modern design. Construction will begin immediately after the Bruins' season ends.

Latimer said incentives have been put in place with the contractor to ensure projects finish on schedule.

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Economy is expected to improve as year progresses

WASHINGTON — The economy likely stumbled at the start of this year, but there's probably little reason to worry: Economists foresee a solid rebound with the end of a harsh winter.

The Commerce Department on Wednesday will issue the first of three estimates of how fast the economy grew in the January-March quarter. The expectation is that growth slowed to an annual rate of around 1.1 percent, a lackluster pace that would be sharply down from a 2.6 percent annual growth rate in the previous quarter.

Economists think the first-quarter slump, caused in large part by the severe winter, will give way to stronger growth that should endure through the rest of the year.

Most analysts say a bounce-back in consumer spending, business investment and job growth will lift growth in the second quarter.

In fact, many say 2014 will be the year the recovery from the Great Recession finally achieves the robust growth that's needed to accelerate hiring and reduce still-high unemployment.

Analysts think annual economic growth has rebounded to around 3 percent in the current April-June quarter and will remain roughly that strong through the second half of the year.

If that proves accurate, the economy will have produced the fastest annual expansion in the gross domestic product, the broadest gauge of the economy's health, in nine years. The last time growth was so strong was in 2005, when GDP grew 3.4 percent, two years before the nation fell into the worst recession since the 1930s.

A group of economists surveyed this month by The Associated Press said they expected unemployment to fall to 6.2 percent by the end of this year from 6.7 percent in March.

One reason for the optimism is that a drag on growth last year from higher taxes and deep federal spending cuts has been diminishing. A congressional budget truce has also lifted any imminent threat of another government shutdown. As a result, businesses may find it easier to commit to investments to modernize and expand production facilities and boost hiring.

State and local governments, which have benefited from a rebound in tax revenue, are hiring again as well.

A survey by the private Conference Board released Tuesday found that while U.S. consumer confidence dipped this month, many people foresee a strengthening economy in the months ahead.

Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors, said he expects job growth to average above 200,000 a month for the rest of the year — starting with the April jobs report, which will be released Friday.

"Those are the types of job gains which will generate incomes and consumer confidence going forward," Naroff said.

Naroff said solid job growth should lead consumers, who drive about 70 percent of the U.S. economy, to boost spending. He expects pent-up demand from purchases that were put off during the harsh winter to power a burst of growth in the April-June quarter. He thinks annual growth for the quarter will reach a vigorous 4.3 percent.

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Users bemoan e-cigarette laws in NYC, Chicago

NEW YORK — Laws in New York and Chicago making electronic cigarettes subject to the same regulations as tobacco are taking effect, and their sellers and users are steadfast in their opposition.

The New York law — along with the measure in Chicago, one that previously went into effect in Los Angeles and federal regulations proposed last week — are keeping debate smoldering among public health officials, the e-cigarette industry and users.

Proponents of the regulations, which began Tuesday, say they are aimed at preventing the re-acceptance of smoking as a societal norm, particularly among teenagers who could see the tobacco-free electronic cigarettes, with their candy-like flavorings and celebrity endorsers, as a gateway to cancer-causing tobacco products.

Dr. Thomas Farley, the New York City health commissioner under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says allowing electronic cigarettes in bars and restaurants would undermine existing restrictions on tobacco-based products.

The law would prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes in restaurants, bars and other public places, just as regular cigarettes are not allowed.

"Imagine for a moment you're at a bar and there are 20 people who are puffing on something that looks like a cigarette and then somebody smells something that smells like tobacco smoke," Farley says. "How's the bartender going to know who to tap on the shoulder and say, 'Put that out'?"

Makers of the devices say marketing them as e-cigarettes has confused lawmakers into thinking they are the same as tobacco-based cigarettes. They say the new regulations ostracize people who want an alternative to tobacco products and will be especially hard on ex-smokers who are being lumped into the same smoking areas as tobacco users.

Their defenders also say they're a good way to quit tobacco, even though science is murky on the claim.

Peter Denholtz, the chief executive and co-founder of the Henley Vaporium in Manhattan, says electronic cigarettes "could be the greatest invention of our lifetime in terms of saving lives" by moving smokers away from traditional cigarettes.

"This law just discourages that," he says.

Chris Jehly, a 31-year-old Brooklyn resident, also defends the devices as a vehicle for quitting.

"The tougher they're going to make it on vapers, the tougher it is people are going to find an actual vehicle for quitting or as a supplement to cigarettes," Jehly says from his perch at the counter at Henley. "There's no need for it. This is working so much better than patches or gum or prescription drugs."

Robin Koval, chief executive of the anti-smoking Legacy Foundation, says that while ingredients in electronic cigarettes are not as harmful as those in tobacco products, they are still a concern because they contain highly addictive nicotine. The National Institutes of Health says users could expose themselves to toxic levels of nicotine while refilling the devices or even use them to smoke other substances.

Since little evidence exists on the effect of the devices on smoking — whether as an aid in quitting, a gateway for non-smokers or a bridge to keep smokers hooked longer — she says she favors a legislative approach that balances public health with the development of safer alternatives.

"The right way forward will be a way that promotes innovation that helps us do everything we possibly can to get combustible tobacco to be history," Koval says. "We want a generation of Americans where, for them, cigarettes are a thing of the past — an artifact like a roll of film or a rotary telephone."

12.32 | 0 komentar | Read More