vincentfadra: মে 2013

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The Gold/Silver Canary In The Coalmine | Zero Hedge

In general when equity prices are rising and credit spreads are tightening, the ratio of gold-to-silver prices falls as 'fear' ebbs away and confidence in a real economy returns as exemplified by the rise of risk assets. Twice before we have seen the anti-correlation of stocks and gold/silver flip to a highly correlated regime, and as Bloomberg's Chart of the Day notes, each time it suggested "stocks were due to snap". It seems a concerted push above and a 50x ratio (for gold-to-silver) tends to exhibit notably risk-off behavior. Currently, the S&P 500 and Gold-to-Silver ratio have been highly correlated since this last rally began in stocks and as HSBC's Charles Morris notes, this suggests a 'snap' in risk assets within six months.

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-21/goldsilver-canary-coalmine

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Hands-on with the HTC One in "Stealth Black"

HTC One. If you thought the HTC One was already the most handsome smartphone on the market today, you'll want to do yourself a favor and check it out the"Stealth Black" variant, available on both Sprint and, as of last week, AT&T. HTC is onhand here in Vegas showing off the darker side of the One and we've got to admit we're pretty smitten. Its aluminum finish is sleek, stylish, and dare we say "stealthy", though you'll notice it does appear to show blemishes, and especially fingerprints, more easily than its silver brother. Whichever flavor you prefer, we still stick by our guns and say that you'll have a hard time going wrong with HTC's flagship. Some more glamour shots can be found after the break.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/vgVErczAFcE/story01.htm

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Ari Folman animates Robin Wright in 'The Congress'

This publicity image provided on Tuesday May 21, 2013 by Wolf Consultants shows an animated Robin Wright in director Ari Folman's film 'The Congress.' The movie is playing in the Directors' Fortnight competition at the Cannes Film Festival. (AP Photo/Wolf Consultants)

CANNES, France (AP) ? Hollywood is hell.

That's an idea to set tongues wagging at the Cannes Film Festival, and it's the distinct impression left by Israeli director Ari Folman's head-spinning part-animated feature "The Congress."

Fittingly, Cannes provided the inspiration for the director's dystopian vision of the entertainment business, which stars actress Robin Wright as, well, actress Robin Wright ? a 40something performer whose career is on the slide.

Folman conceived the kernel of the film when he came to the festival in 2008 with "Waltz With Bashir," his Academy Award-nominated animated film about his experiences as a young Israeli soldier in Lebanon in the 1980s.

The director said he was walking through the bustling movie marketplace at Cannes when he saw an elderly woman.

"And my sales agent asked me, do you recognize this lady? And I said no," Folman said. "And he told me her name and I was shocked, because she was this goddess American actress from the 70s. She was in her 70s, and no one recognized her. And this is Mecca for cinema, this place!

"And I thought, she's got in front of her, everywhere, the image of her young, stolen forever in the movies. And here she is and she has to live with her image forever young, but she's getting old."

Folman diplomatically declined to name the actress. But he said the episode gave him a way to realize a long-held dream of adapting "The Futurological Congress," a satirical sci-fi novel by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem in which pharmaceutical overlords keep the population hooked on hallucinogenic drugs.

In the movie, Wright agrees to become a "scanned actor," a digital avatar owned by her studio. The digital Wright can be endlessly, agelessly used in new movies ? the studio makes her "Agent Robin" in a sci-fi action series ? while the flesh-and-blood person grows old in obscurity.

The film's live-action first half is an entertainingly bleak depiction of Hollywood, with an on-the-ropes Wright berated by her agent (a delicious Harvey Keitel) and bullied by her studio boss (a malevolent Danny Huston).

Wright has been called brave for taking on issues of aging and image so directly. But Folman said he didn't see it that way when he offered the role to the actress after sitting across from her at an awards ceremony and thinking she looked sad.

"I think it's a great role," he said. "She is Robin Wright, she is Agent Robin in the movie, she's an animated character, she's an old Robin at the very end, she sings two songs ? it's a great role.

"Although Harvey Keitel told me one day on the set, 'Man, she is so brave. You could have offered me the world, I would never do what she does in this movie.'"

Wright has said she doesn't think she is playing herself, even though she and her screen character share a name and many biographical details, including roles in "The Princess Bride" and "Forrest Gump."

Once Wright has been digitally scanned, the movie switches to animation as the character visits a conference at a luxury hotel ? where her films screen endlessly and she goes unrecognized ? and learns of a sinister plot to make the power of celebrity even more addictive.

The movie's audacious shifts of tone, and its swirling, psychedelically tinged animation, have elicited diverse reactions at Cannes, where "The Congress" opened the Director's Fortnight competition.

Many saw it as original but uneven. It's inarguably a strikingly original work by a director who is both amused and despairing about the modern entertainment business.

Folman, a genial, bearded 50-year-old sporting a gold medallion and an earring, says he fears the sort of movies that inspired him ? the director-driven American cinema of the 1970s ? is dying, soon to be found only in cinema museums.

And don't get him started on 3-D, CGI and the other digital tricks that, Folman thinks, are ruining movies.

"The role of the director is completely different (today)," he said. "Until recently the urgency on the set to make a movie was huge. Today, it's only part of the job, because you can fix everything afterwards. The set is blue screens, and then you build it and you can fix it. And sometimes it's for the good, but I can give you examples where it's terrible.

"My favorite sci-fi movie ever is 'Blade Runner.' This film was done with hand-made crafts."

For the movie, director Ridley Scott "built the sets ? it's wood and paper and plastic and aluminum. I see this movie every few months on a big screen at home and it will live forever.

"Same guy did 'Prometheus' last year. Who saw it?"

Folman is keeping the flame burning for an older form of cinema ? but it's a slow and laborious process. "The Congress" took five years to make, and slightly under an hour of animation required two years of work by animators in nine countries.

"I try not to look at myself as this nostalgic (person)," Folman added, pausing a second before adding: "But."

"I don't say we will have scanned actors. I think the human side will win. I am a true believer in that.

"But if I look at my kids and the way they use everything ? iPads and electronics and everything ? I have to be honest with myself and say, if my kids, in 15 years' time, see a movie with scanned characters, they won't give a damn."

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-05-21-France-Cannes-Ari%20Folman/id-fed818ead58149448911f5fbc1f1b305

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A Movie Will Show Graphic Sex Scenes By Digitally Imposing Actors

Nymphomaniac, a movie directed by Lars von Trier (he did Melancholia), will use a groundbreaking digital editing technique to show graphic sex scenes on the screen. For the non-explicit portions of the sex scenes, you'll see celebrities and actors you recognize. For the penetrative portion, you'll see the body doubles doing it. The difference is you won't know the difference because the film will digitally stitch the two together.

সোমবার, ২০ মে, ২০১৩

Review and Trailer: 'Star Trek Into Darkness:' Excitement at Warp ...

The review below ran last week. Now that you've had a chance to see the movie on your own, tell your neighbors: How'd you like Star Trek? Give us your own mini review in the comments section.

--
Boy, this is going to be one short review. This movie has more spoilers than the 1967 Enterprise had Tribbles?and in the interest of full disclosure, this is written by the Cinema Siren who owns chairs from the Voyager show, can list the original episodes in order of appearance, has a T-shirt with a quote in Klingon, and a model of the Enterprise signed by all the original cast members.

That is to say, fandom lives here. Any experience of watching the new release by director J. J. Abrams would naturally be filtered through a brain steeped in?Star?Trek?knowledge and lore. That being said, there is, unlike some long-term fans, no automatic hate for anything new. To my mind, the cast, theme, and story lines of the reboot are very much in keeping with and inspired by the history of the franchise. ?

I hope even non-trekkers ambivalent about sci-fi in general will agree in enthusiastically recommending this extremely exciting expansion on the story of the lives of the Enterprise family. For fans, it is truly a Qapla' majQa'. ?(Klingon for "success well done"). ?Abrams and his fleet of writers have managed to create a sequel that is all action, but still gives weight and import to character defining interactions between the captain and his crew.

The actors playing the mains, from Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana, to newcomer villain Benedict Cumberbatch, all stay true to their roles, and those we've seen before continue to make them their own. As Kirk, Pine seems challenged to fill the shiny black captain boots of scenery chewing Bill Shatner, while staying believable and engaging. ?

Quinto has had to expand significantly on the original Spock's emotional spectrum and will no doubt continue to do so, not least evidence by the relationship they have created between Spock and Uhura. Zoe Saldana as the iron-willed communications officer brings Gene Roddenberry's appreciation of strong women into the newest?Star?Trek?incarnation beautifully.

Doctor McCoy, however, has not fared as well. As Bones, the delicious Karl Urban does little more than grouse and warn gravely about various goings on. In the process, he does show himself to be a great friend to Kirk, but I would have liked to have seen more nuance in his role this go around. John Cho and Simon Pegg as Sulu and Scotty, are given pivotal moments in the script in which to shine, and they make their moments onscreen count.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays this film's villain as a complicated, enigmatic, and tortured soul. His voice is so mellifluous, I kept asking Siren Spouse if he thought there were special effects on it to make it so thick and silky. No wonder he is already a sex symbol in the UK. There is both a tenderness and a ferocity in how he designs his John Harrison. The audience is drawn in and has no idea what to think of him, which is as it should be?

It is interesting to note that at various times during the 132 minutes, circumstances are such that all the major characters cry. Why? ?I'll never tell. Don't worry, there are moments of laughter in store for the audience as well.

What I can tell is there are many long standing classic stories of the franchise that get turned on their head. ?For those who have been watching?Star?Trek?movies and TV shows their whole lives, there are parts both big and tiny that will amuse, confound, surprise, and shock. The movie is often going at such hyper speed, though, even newbies will enjoy the ride.

How can you get through the whole review without mentioning any plot points, you ask?

There's a bad guy, banter, danger, excitement and lots of explosions. ?There's the Enterprise. ?She and her crew are Boldly Going. At warp factor 10. ?For about 132 minutes. ?Isn't that all you need to know? ?Go explore this strange new world.

To find out what's playing near you, check the website of Rave Cinemas Fairfax Corner 14.

Source: http://herndon.patch.com/articles/review-and-trailer-star-trek-into-darkness-excitement-at-warp-factor-10-a27a60d0

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Blue Jays-Yankees finale scrubbed by rain

By RICK FREEMAN

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 3:33 p.m. ET May 19, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) - Against the Toronto Blue Jays this season, the only thing that has stopped the Yankees was a day full of rain.

The Yankees would have been trying to make it seven in a row against the Blue Jays on Sunday, but rain began to fall in the late morning with no signs of letting up, and the game was postponed before it started. No makeup date was announced.

"It's going to rain until probably 9 o' clock," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It's just not going to be playable."

The two AL East rivals are not scheduled to meet again in the Bronx until August.

Yankees starter CC Sabathia will pitch Monday in Baltimore, followed on Tuesday by Phil Hughes. This means rookie Vidal Nuno will be skipped and remain available out of the bullpen until the Yankees can find a way to work him back into the rotation.

Toronto right-hander R.A. Dickey will face Tampa Bay on Monday.

Dickey and the Blue Jays may have dodged some bad luck, with the rainout, which was announced more than half an hour before the scheduled start time of 1:08 p.m.

He has had outings in the past where wet weather appeared to nullify the effectiveness of his hard, darting knuckleball and leave him without his most effective pitch.

The Blue Jays had won four straight before dropping the first two of a three-game series in the Bronx.

New York has won its last nine home games against Toronto, since last season, as well as the last six in a row overall against the Blue Jays.

"There's no question they've had our number. They've out played us, too," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "This has always been a tough place to play."

The Yankees have outplayed pretty much everyone lately. They've won nine of their last 12 and facing Dickey on a wet day, appeared in a good spot to make it 10 out of 13.

"We weren't necessarily looking for a rainout," Girardi said.

Girardi said that Yankees officials met with umpire crew chief Joe West and consulted their metorologists about the forecast, which Girardi said showed rain falling in New York until after dark.

That made the decision a fairly easy one.

The delay pushed back Reid Brignac's debut with the Yankees, too.

The infielder was acquired in a trade with the Rockies for cash after Colorado designated the infielder for assignment. He arrived Saturday night. He was set to play shortstop and bat eighth.

"It was a little disappointing, I was really looking forward to getting the chance to play here today as a member of the Yankees," Brignac said.

"I'm tickled just to get the chance to be a Yankee."

Notes: Toronto's only win over the Yankees this season was an 8-4 win on April 21. . Dickey will face Tampa Bay RHP Jake Odorizzi, who is making his 2013 debut. RHP Ramon Ortiz will pitch Tuesday, followed by Mark Buehrle on Wednesday. The Blue Jays skipped the turn of RHP Chad Jenkins. .Yankees OF Curtis Granderson was going to lead off and return to center field a day after his first start in right. . . Yankees C Francisco Cervelli said he was still hoping to return from a broken hand before the All-Star break. He is on the 60-day DL. . "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was played on the PA shortly before the Yankees announced the postponement. . In Baltimore, the Yankees will send out Sabathia against Freddy Garcia on Monday. The veteran RHP spent the last two seasons as a mostly effective part of the Yankees rotation after a career mostly spent with the Mariners and White Sox. ... The Blue Jays claimed RHP Thad Weber on waivers from San Diego and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto transferred RHP Sergio Santos to the 60-day DL. The 28-year-old had a 2.00 ERA in nine innings for the Padres this season.

More news

The man who no longer matters

Posnanski: Albert Pujols' at-bats used to be buzzworthy, must-watch events. Now, they're not. Here's the result of his struggles the past few years.

Brian Garfinkel / Getty Images

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51933847/ns/sports-baseball/

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Arduino Robot launches at Maker Faire, we go hands-on (video)

Arduino Robot launches at Maker Faire, we go handson video

There's a new kid on the Arduino block, and it's called the Arduino Robot. Launched yesterday at Maker Faire Bay Area, it's the company's first product that extends beyond single microcontroller boards. The Roomba-like design, which we first saw in November 2011, is the result of a collaboration with Complubot. It consists of two circular boards, each equipped with Atmel's ubiquitous ATmega32u4 and connected via ribbon cable.

The bottom board is home to four AA batteries (NiMH), a pair of motors and wheels, a power connector and switch plus some infrared sensors. By default it's programmed to drive the motors and manage power. The top board faetures a color LCD, a microSD card slot, an EEPROM, a speaker, a compass, a knob plus some buttons and LEDs. It's programmed to control the display and handle I/O. Everything fits inside a space that's about 10cm high and 19cm in diameter.

Pre-soldered connectors and prototyping areas on each board make it easier to customize the robot platform with additional sensors and electronics. It even comes with eleven step-by-step projects and a helpful GUI right out of the box. The Arduino Robot is now on sale at the Maker Faire for $275 and will be available online in July. Take a look at our gallery below and watch our video interview with Arduino founder Massimo Banzi after the break.

Gallery: Arduino Robot at Maker Faire 2013

Filed under: Misc, Robots

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Via: Make

Source: Arduino

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/PLw_Ah8Kago/

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White House accuses Republicans of 'fishing expeditions' (reuters)

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Weeklong traffic mess possible after CT derailment

A derailed Metro-North rail car is hoisted back on to the tracks in Bridgeport. Conn. on Sunday, May 19, 2013. Crews will spend days rebuilding 2,000 feet of track, overhead wires and signals following the collision between two trains Friday evening that injured 72 people, Metro-North President Howard Permut said Sunday. (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post,Brian A. Pounds ) MANDATORY CREDIT

Metro-North employees work at the site of Friday's train derailment in Bridgeport. Conn. on Sunday, May 19, 2013. Crews will spend days rebuilding 2,000 feet of track, overhead wires and signals following the collision between two trains Friday evening that injured 72 people, Metro-North President Howard Permut said Sunday. (AP Photo/The Connecticut Post,Brian A. Pounds ) MANDATORY CREDIT

Map locates Bridgeport, Conn

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? Traffic in southwest Connecticut could be a mess for as much as a week until service is restored to the commuter rail line affected by a derailment that injured scores of passengers, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy warned Sunday.

Malloy used dire language to describe traffic troubles for the work week ahead in an area that even in normal times is a pain for motorists. And the governor warned that the weather will not cooperate as rainy weather forecast will make driving a bit more treacherous.

Malloy even urged commuters to stay out of the state if possible.

"Tomorrow's commute will be extremely challenging," he said at a brief news conference in Hartford. "Residents should plan for a week's worth of disruptions."

If all 30,000 affected commuters took to the highways to get to work, "we would literally have a parking lot," the governor said. If a substantial number of affected consumers hit the roads, traffic will be "greatly slowed," he said.

The state will dispatch more state troopers and tow trucks to respond to car accidents that could come with crowded roads and slipper conditions, he said.

"If you are going to New York and you get to New York or you're transporting yourself to New York you may decide that perhaps you should stay there for the duration of this disturbance," Malloy said.

Crews will spend days rebuilding 2,000 feet of track, overhead wires and signals following the collision between two trains Friday evening that injured 72 people. Nine remained hospitalized, with one critically.

"This amounts to the wholesale reconstruction of a two-track electrified railroad," he said.

Several days of around-the-clock work will be required, including inspections and testing of the newly rebuilt system, Metro-North President Howard Permut said. The damaged rail cars were removed from the tracks on Sunday, the first step toward making the repairs.

Starting with the Monday morning rush-hour, a shuttle train will operate about every 20 minutes between New Haven and Bridgeport and two shuttle buses will run between Bridgeport and Stamford stations, state transportation officials said.

For morning and evening peak commutes, limited train service will operate between Grand Central Terminal and Westport.

State officials said travel times will be significantly longer than normal and trains will be crowded. Commuters are advised to use the Harlem line in New York.

Amtrak service between New York and New Haven was also suspended and there was no estimate on service restoration. Limited service was available between New Haven and Boston.

Jim Cameron, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said he's asked officials in numerous towns to suspend parking rules to accommodate what could be tens of thousands of motorists driving to unaffected train stations. Twelve stations are affected by the shutdown.

But Cameron said he doubts many commuters will use three modes of transportation to get to work: driving their cars to catch a bus to get to a train station for the final leg.

He suggested that local and regional officials post highway signs directing motorists to available parking so motorists "don't get off the highway and drive in circles looking for where to dump their cars."

About 700 people were on board the trains Friday evening when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to New Haven derailed just outside Bridgeport. It was hit by a train heading west from New Haven.

Dan Solomon, a trauma surgeon who lives in Westport and was headed to work at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, was on the train that derailed. He said he treated several injured passengers, including a woman with severely broken ankles.

He said he was in a front car that was not as badly affected as cars in the rear of the train.

"I hardly lost my iced tea," Solomon said in an interview.

Solomon said walls were torn off both trains and he quickly checked injured passengers to separate the most badly injured from others.

"When the EMS arrived, I was covered in everyone's blood," he said.

Investigators are looking at a broken section of rail to see if it is connected to the derailment and collision. Officials said it wasn't clear if the rail was broken in the crash or earlier.

NTSB investigators arrived Saturday and are expected to be on site for seven to 10 days. They will look at the brakes and performance of the trains, the condition of the tracks, crew performance and train signal information, among other things.

The MTA operates the Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation. The Metro-North main lines - the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven - run northward from New York City's Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut.

The last significant train collision involving Metro-North occurred in 1988 when a train engineer was killed in Mount Vernon, N.Y., when one train empty of passengers rear-ended another, railroad officials said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-19-Trains%20Collide-Conn/id-e9ebac2b5a7b44acb0324b37bf4d5542

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C'mon Baby Light My (Magnetic) Fire

Living in Los Angeles for the last six years, I?ve become quite familiar with the spread of wildfires, with a corresponding deepening respect for Nature?s power. Given the devastation an out-of-control wildfire can cause, it?s not surprising that there?s been quite a bit of research into modeling the specifics of how forest fires spread over the last few decades, with an eye towards developing ever-more efficient methods for stopping the flames in their tracks. And now it seems as though the way that fires spread has something in common with the propagation of so-called ?magnetic avalanches? that occur in magnetic crystals, according to a new paper published in Physical Review Letters this week.

The very word ?avalanche? calls to mind snowy avalanches and sand piles, but materials get their properties, like magnetism, from atomic structure, putting this is the realm of quantum mechanics. We?re really talking about a cascade of ?spin flips? that culminate in a reversal of the sample?s magnetization ? a not-well-understood phenomenon called magnetic deflagration. ?Spin? is the quantum mechanical version of angular momentum ? electrons have spin, and hence angular momentum ? except it?s never so simple at the atomic scale. I?ll let Chad Orzel of Uncertain Principles give you the ?toddler? version (there?s a lot more detail and a fun toddler-centric video at that link):

?Electrons, and all other fundamental particles, have a property known as ?spin.? This is an intrinsic angular momentum associated with the particles, as if they were little spinning balls of charge. ? The spin angular momentum of an electron does have some strange properties, though, that are very unlike those of ordinary rotating objects. For one thing, it has only two possible states, ?spin up? and ?spin down.? ? Electron spin is like a turntable with only forward and backward settings at a single speed, with the power cord wired directly into the mains so it can?t be shut off. It?s always spinning in one direction or the other.?

As Chad?s post makes clear, spin is really complicated (and important) but all you need to know for purposes of this post is that there are only two possible states (spin-up and spin-down) and it?s possible to flip those spins via, for example, a magnetic pulse. So back to that new paper: the scientists were interested in modeling these magnetic avalanches (uncontrolled cascades of spin-flips) because this can be a significant source of energy loss in things like electrical generators. They can also damage disk drives.

Credit: Pradeep Subedi et al. Source: Physical Review Letters.

The researchers ? hailing from New York University, the University of Barcelona, City College of New York, and the University of Florida ? used a molecular magnet (basically a collection of magnetic molecules) to test the hypothesis. They zapped one side of the sample with a magnetic pulses, and traced how that initial pulse spread throughout the sample material thanks to carefully placed magnetic sensors.

This enabled them to pinpoint the precise conditions that lead to magnetic avalanches. And they found that it?s actually more like a wildfire ? a tiny, magnetic, spin-flipping wildfire spreading through a quantum mechanical forest.

Fire isn?t a substance, contrary to what the ancient Greeks believed; it?s a chemical reaction ? oxidation, to be specific ? and the three basic components needed are fuel, heat, and air (oxygen). Under the right circumstances, these basic ingredients ignite a sustained chemical chain reaction, and if that isn?t nipped in the bud, the fire spreads rapidly via conduction, convection and radiation. Take out one of those three ingredients, and you stop the spread. That?s the basis for firefighting strategies.

Photo: Federal Bureau of Land Management. Via How Stuff Works.

Exactly how wildfires spread is a complicated thing to model, but the seminal work on this was done back in 1972 by an aeronautical engineer named Richard Rothermel. His model still widely used, even though ? like many mathematical models ? it?s an idealized case study. It?s well suited if you?re talking a fire spreading through a uniform field of wheat, but less accurate for fires spreading through a landscape dotted with clumps of trees and shrubs, for example. But it?s quick and simple, and reasonably reliable, and hence useful in the field, where time is of the essence.

Using Rothermel?s model, it?s possible to determine just how much energy would be needed to transfer sufficient heat to ignite the fuel. (Every kind of fuel has an ?ignition point? or ?flash point?; the flash point for wood is 572 degrees Fahrenheit, or 300 C.) Once you know that, you can calculate the rate of ignition needed for the fire to spread rapidly, accounting for critical variables like wind speed and the slope of the ground.

What?s this got to do with flipping spins in a magnetic crystal? The magnetic pulse the scientists applied to their sample is the equivalent to a ?spark? igniting a bit of fuel, kickstarting the chemical chain reaction that leads to a rampant wildfire. Or rather, when the spins flipped, they released energy and transmitted it to other nearby atoms in the crystal, which then flipped their spins, and so on, producing a runaway reaction ? magnetic deflagration.

So magnetic avalanches are more like wildfires (or wildfires behave like magnetic avalanches), even though they seem like very different systems. Who knows what we could learn by mimicking combustion processes at the atomic level, both for materials and for battling forest fires?

References:

Bortolozzo, U. et al. (2007) ?Light intensity distributions for spatiotemporal pulses generated in a ring cavity with a liquid crystal gain medium,? Physical Review Letters 99(2): 023901.

Rothermel, Richard C. (1972). ?A mathematical model for predicting fire spread in wildland and fuels,? USDA Forest Service INT-115.

Scott, Joe H. and Burgan, Robert E. (2005). ?Standard Fire Behavior Fuel Models: A Comprehensive Set for Use with Rothermel?s Surface Fire Spread Model,? USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-153.

Subedi, Pradeep et al. (2013) ?Onset of a propagating self-sustained spin-reversal front in a magnetic system,? Physical Review Letters 110(20).

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=404cc92c8b044a43d5011020a09e542c

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