Category Archives: Deep Mind

Astro Bob: Journey to the deep sky with Cassiopeia as your guide | INFORUM – INFORUM

Deep-sky objects are "extended" (not pinpoint stars) celestial objects and include nebulas, star clusters and galaxies. (NASA, ESO)

Deep-sky objects are non-stellar celestial objects that usually require optical aid to see. They include all those magnificent galaxies, star clusters and nebulae (clouds of dust illuminated by stars) famously pictured with the Hubble Space Telescope. The brighter naked-eye stars are typically dozens to hundreds of light-years away, while deep-sky objects are often much more remote, from thousands to billions of light-years distant. Deep.

To find deep-sky objects in binoculars start at a bright star and create a path to the target. I own several binoculars but use a pair of 8x40 most often. Eight (8) is the magnification, while "40" is the size of the lenses in millimeters. 40 millimeters equals about 1.5 inches. (Bob King)

Once I became familiar with the brighter stars I used them to star-hop to a nebula or cluster. I'd lay open my star atlas and note the position of a deep-sky target with respect to a star I could easily identify. I'd mentally draw a path to the object, then point my binoculars at it and slide a little this way and a little that way until I spotted what I was looking for. Often, I had to use more than one star to get there the same way you'd carefully chose steppingstones to cross to the other side of a river.

Use this map to help guide you to the featured deep-sky objects. 5 is equal to three fingers held together at arm's length against the sky. A fist covers 10 of sky. (Stellarium with additions by the author)

You can hunt the deep-sky, too. How would you like to see three star clusters and the closest, biggest galaxy beyond the Milky Way? All are within a stone's throw of the familiar W of Cassiopeia and visible in a pair of 35mm or larger binoculars. You'll need a clear, preferably moonless sky for the hunt and warm clothing. Clothing is important for comfort's sake. Properly dressed, you can observe in a relaxed state of mind, which increases the enjoyment of stargazing.

Our deep-sky targets are the Andromeda Galaxy, the Perseus Double Cluster and NGC 752, a bright but neglected star cluster in Andromeda. Depending on the size of your binoculars and sky darkness they may all strike you as little more than hazy patches of light at first glance. Most things do in typical amateur instruments. Only larger telescopes and time-exposure photographs show the kind of detail we've grown accustomed to seeing in published images.

Deep-sky objects appear more delicate and nuanced and require an observer to spend at least a few minutes to appreciate what's there. The act of focusing your attention will not only reveal more detail than you thought was present at first encounter, but there are spillover benefits. Visual concentration sharpens our powers of observation of other natural phenomena.

We're going to use Cassiopeia as our steppingstone to the deep-sky. Start around 8 o'clock local time in mid-February and allow about 10 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness. Look halfway up in the northwestern sky to spot the W of Cassiopeia. This time of year it's tilted on its side and better resembles the Greek letter sigma, written as .

The Double Cluster in Perseus is a sparkling sight in any instrument. (Hunter Wilson)

While looking up, raise the binoculars to your eyes and focus sharply on the top two stars of the W. Then slide about one binocular field of view (~6) up and to the left. You should now see two dense clumps of stars, one on top of the other. This is the Perseus Double Cluster, comprised of two paired star clusters, NGC 869 and 884, that lie 7,500 light-years from Earth. Each is 4th magnitude, bright enough to see with the naked eye from a dark sky.

In my 8x40s I see two dense piles of starry gems, each with its own distinctive appearance. It was just an impression, but the stars in both appeared to spill over the sides as if heaped too high. Both are young clusters, born from gas and dust clouds (nebulae) 12.8 million years ago. The Pleiades in contrast are much older, roughly 100 million years.

At left is a time exposure photo of the Andromeda Galaxy made with a telescope. At right is a sketch I made using 10x50 binoculars of the galaxy under dark skies. It's surprising how much binoculars can reveal. Besides the Andromeda's elongated shape and bright core, two of its satellite galaxies M32 and M110 were also visible. (John Chumack (left) and Bob King)

After you've taken your measure of the Double Cluster, point your binoculars at the bottom three stars in the W that form a bright equilateral triangle. Then slide about three binocular fields to the left until you see something fuzzy. That's the Andromeda Galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years away. It's the nearest large galaxy to our own and contains about a trillion suns in a flattened disk 220 million light-years across twice the size of the Milky Way!

Andromeda is so far away that its faint stellar multitudes blur into a cigar-shaped puff of light 2-3 long. One detail stands out the galaxy's brighter core, where the stars are more densely concentrated. Can you see it? Like the Double Cluster, the galaxy is faintly visible without optical aid under dark skies.

NGC 752 is a spread-out star cluster in Andromeda located near a skinny, bright triangle of stars (below in this image). (PANSTARRS DR1 / Aladin Sky Atlas)

From the Andromeda Galaxy, follow the short arc of stars to its left to the bright star Mirach. Then slide about two binocular fields straight up to find the sprawling 6th magnitude star cluster NGC 752. It looks like a smoky patch about 1 across shot through with faint stars. While nowhere near as compact as the Double Cluster, it's still a true star cluster. All of its members hang together by their mutual gravities as they travel across space like a school of fish in the ocean. NGC 752 is ancient about two billion years old and 1,300 light years away.

I've shown you one way to star-hop to each of our featured deep-sky objects, but like driving to a destination, there's often more than one way to get there. With the help of the map you can choose to start at a different star and arrive at an object by an alternate route. More power to you! Finding your way in the sky takes advantage of your own ingenuity. The more you use it, the more satisfying your journey.

"Astro" Bob King is a freelance writer for the Duluth News Tribune. Read more of his work at duluthnewstribune.com/astrobob.

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Astro Bob: Journey to the deep sky with Cassiopeia as your guide | INFORUM - INFORUM

In an anxious winter, the garden offers consolation – Sumter Item

By JULIA RUBIN The Associated Press

Deep into this pandemic winter, it can be hard to remember what a refuge gardens were last spring and summer.

In those frightening early days of COVID-19, victory gardens and household vegetable plots sprang up all over. Seed companies reported shortages. Hardware stores saw a run on garden tools. Millions found comfort, release and a sense of safety outdoors with their hands in the dirt.

That feels like a long time ago. We dreaded this winter, and we weren't wrong: January was the deadliest month yet from the virus. Political violence shook Americans' sense of security and shared purpose. Businesses and household incomes are struggling. And the human interactions that might help us process all this anxiety and grief are discouraged.

Yet the garden is still there, hunkering down, too. And it can still help. Even in winter, it can provide solace, inspiration and perspective. Fresh air. And an assurance that spring is coming.

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens - the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house and the garden of the mind's eye," Katherine S. White, an editor and writer at The New Yorker and an avid gardener, wrote several decades ago.

As we round the bend into mid-February, and with the hope that vaccines will bring real change, all three of those gardens offer a promise of light.

THE GARDEN OUTDOORS

To the eye, there's little in a winter garden that can compare to spring and summer's binge-worthy drama of growing, blooming and buzzing. Only the most serious gardeners (or those in warmer climates) can keep the growing going outside, using cold frames, fabric or plastic tunnels and other techniques.

But there are smaller joys to be had. The trees' bare branches make for beautiful silhouettes and better views of birds and sunsets. Landscape photographer Larry Lederman, author of the recent book "Garden Portraits," recommends getting to know your garden better in the winter, when "everything is bare and you can see the bones of the landscape."

More significantly, gardens remind us that winter is just one season in a cycle. Death is everywhere in a garden, all year round, but it makes rebirth possible. The species keep going.

"The return of spring each year can be endlessly relied on, and in (plants) not dying when we die, we have a sense of goodness going forward," Sue Stratis-Smith writes in her new book, "The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature."

"This," she says, "is the garden's most enduring consolation.''

Of course, the constancy of the seasons these days can't be taken for granted as in the past. So winter is also a good time for reevaluating our own yard-size battles against climate change. We can start or continue composting. And we can research services, products and methods to help make next year's garden - and those beyond - more sustainable.

THE GARDEN INDOORS

Houseplants are hot now, and Instagram is full of plant influencers posting photos.

New technologies make it easier to grow plants anywhere indoors, with or without soil. The plants offer not only beauty, but the rewards of caring for living things and seeing them grow.

Indoor vegetable gardening, too, has become especially popular both as a food source and as a family activity. For instance, you can buy organic mini-farms in Mason jars, cans and boxes - all intended for the windowsill. You can grow mushrooms in their cardboard box with just a spritzer, or set up a large jar of tomatoes adding nothing but water.

Sales of backyard greenhouses and grow lights are up, and seed companies are already reporting another year of high demand. Johnny's Selected Seeds, a high-end, mail-order seller based in Winslow, Maine, recently suspended orders from home gardeners temporarily, saying that because of COVID-19, order volume "has exceeded our capacity to pack seed and to ship orders quickly."

Some gardeners have already started planting the seeds of cold-weather vegetables in flats indoors - seeing the sprouts of cabbage, onions, spinach and more. In just a couple months, perhaps, they can think about transplanting them outdoors if they have the space.

As the Vermont Bean Seed Company says in its 2021 spring catalog: "In each seed and seed-bearing fruit, there is a promise of a new beginning."

THE GARDEN OF THE MIND'S EYE

Which brings us to the third garden: the one we imagine and plan.

"I shall never have the garden I have in my mind, but that for me is the joy of it; certain things can never be realized and so all the more reason to attempt them,'' the author/gardener Jamaica Kincaid once said.

The new seed catalogs carry the promise that, this year, you can make your garden better. Maybe that means converting more lawn to flowers and vegetables, choosing more native plants, reducing water use, putting in paths and water features. A garden is never finished.

Planning it is creative and hopeful. And as our second pandemic spring approaches, those hopes are being buoyed by the rollout of vaccines, too.

As Amanda Gorman said in her inauguration poem last month, in a shoutout to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was quoting George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, who were quoting the Bible: "Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid."

The garden as metaphor for peace, safety, prosperity, calm. Not a bad place for the mind's eye to rest, particularly in this most unsettling of winters.

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In an anxious winter, the garden offers consolation - Sumter Item

The Empowerment of AI Robotics by Mech-Mind Helped Increase Operational Efficiency for Over 110 Logistics Firms in 2020 – PRNewswire

With online retail sales growing ten-fold in ten years in China alone, there is already enormous demand for technological solutions to 'fine task' oriented processes in logistics. In addition, the latest reports from Logistics IQ show an expected compound annual growth rate of 14% worldwide in the market of logistics automation, reaching $ US 30 billion by 2026. In adapting to the sheer volumes of packages that are expected to be moved around the world every day, technology companies like Mech-Mind Robotics are poised to provide crucial and cost-effective solutions that genuinely improve operations for logistics providers.

"Complex picking activities in logistics, such as mixed-carton palletizing and depalletizing, order picking and parcel loading, seem fairly complicated and hard to achieve by robots. But actually, it is no longer like that today. We empower integrators with our AI abilities. With our empowerment, integrators can easily deploy AI solutions to end users. We feel very lucky to be riding the wave of AI," said Tianlan Shao, CEO and Founder of Mech-Mind Robotics.

Mech-Mind offers universal platform products, which include Mech-Eye Industrial 3D Camera, Mech-Vision Graphical Machine Vision Software and Mech-Viz Intelligent Robot Programming Environment. Various typical smart applications in actual logistics scenarios can be realized by non-experts in days. By integrating Mech-Mind's products into real solutions, robots are therefore implanted with 'eyes' and 'brains'. Mech-Mind enables a low threshold for robot operators, making the whole software control process completely code-free. Besides, for experienced engineers, Mech-Mind's software also supports secondary development, creating enough flexibility for engineers.

Recently in China, Mech-Mind Robotics has been working with a multinational logistics firm to increase the efficiency of their logistics sorting system. After using Mech-Mind's technology solution, the already highly optimized process recorded a significant efficiency increase. Adapting robots instead of people allowed for round-the-clock processing of packages and was used to alleviate some of the pressure caused by the rise in demand for shipping coupled with a reduction in staff numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, labor dependence was reduced, warehouse management efficiency was improved, and overall transfer capacity was increased.

Mech-Mind Robotics also has rich experience in other major industries, especially in manufacturing. Applications such as machine tending, high-accuracy locating, gluing and assembly in automotive, steel and machinery can also be easily achieved. Mech-Mind Robotics increases the usability of industrial robots through utilizing cutting-edge technologies of 3D vision and motion planning to allow them to observe their environment and then make refined decisions and adjustments through a process of deep learning. Mech-Mind's products have now been widely used in Japan, the US, South Korea, Germany, and other countries.

For more information, please visit http://en.mech-mind.net/.

About Mech-Mind Robotics

Mech-Mind was founded in 2016, aiming at putting intelligence into industrial robots. Through advanced technologies including deep learning, 3D vision, and motion planning, Mech-Mind offers cost-effective solutions to mixed-carton palletizing and depalletizing, bin picking, order sorting, machine tending and assembly/gluing/locating in logistics and manufacturing.

Mech-Mind's intelligent industrial robot solutions have been deployed in automotive OEM plants, appliance plants, steel plants, food plants, logistics warehouses, banks, and hospitals in countries such asChina,Japan,South Korea,Germany, and the US.

SOURCE Mech-Mind Robotics

http://www.mech-mind.net

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The Empowerment of AI Robotics by Mech-Mind Helped Increase Operational Efficiency for Over 110 Logistics Firms in 2020 - PRNewswire

Bucks on Trucks: Deep discounts abound on this new Ford F-150 – Driving

The experts at driving.ca regularly combine manufacturers incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability, and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars.

Today, we look at one truck in particular, the 2021 Ford F-150 XLT 44 SuperCrew. Check out the deal below.

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $47,939Manufacturer Incentive: $4000Unhaggle Savings: $2000Total Savings: $6000Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $2080Total Before Tax: $44,019

Its big news any time the Blue Oval makes major changes to its best-selling pickup, the F-150. Stakes are high in the half-ton truck market since these machines are a major profit centre and account for a significant chunk of annual sales.

For the 2021 model year, the F-150 is significantly revised both inside and out. It doesnt enjoy the wholesale changes made in 2015 when the body was switched to an aluminum construction, but there are enough alterations to get Ford fans jonesing for a new ride. The crew at Unhaggle.com have uncovered some savings on a particular trim and body style that could help buyers save a few dollars.

Specifically, this deal applies to the XLT SuperCrew model with a short 5.5 box. That explains the 145-inch notation in this posts title; its the wheelbase measure and helps to distinguish this specific body style from F-150s with the 6.5 cargo box. Keep this in mind when shopping because it may make a difference in both available savings and interest rates.

The XLT is the next-to-base trim but is hardly a stripper truck. Without adding a single extra feature or additional option package, the XLT comes with active safety kit like blind-spot monitoring and the second-gen Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of driver aids. An active front air dam channels air around the truck at highway speeds in such a way as to save fuel. Fog lights are embedded in the front bumper and the heated side mirrors are power adjustable.

Under the hood, a XLT-grade truck will be equipped with the base 3.3L V6 engine, which is good for 290 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. If that naturally aspirated mill doesnt turn your crank, there are no fewer than five other engine options, including the newly introduced full-hybrid powertrain that makes nearly 600 lb-ft of torque (though one does have to select an extra option package to get this engine). Most notably, the excellent 2.7L EcoBoost V6 is available as a stand-alone option for just $900, bringing with it 325 horsepower plus 400 lb-ft of torque and the capability to tow up to 10,000 lbs when properly equipped.

Speaking of towing, this specific body style (SuperCrew 44 short box) can tow a hearty 8,200 lbs at minimum with the 3.3L V6 engine. Properly equipped with the correct powertrain, that number soars to a staggering 13,900 lbs, a number squarely in the domain of heavy-duty pickups not that many years ago. Be sure to do your homework on engine size and axle ratio before signing on the dotted line to make sure the truck youre buying has the towing capability you need.

While the XLT is certainly low on the F-150 totem pole of trim levels, it isnt the hose-em-out base truck one may remember from their youth. Single-zone air conditioning is standard, along with cruise control and a cloth split bench seat. Yes, one can still spec a no-charge rubber floor covering instead of carpet in a nod to practicality. Infotainment is handled by a large 8-inch touchscreen in the centre stack; this size of display was once an expensive option. Fords new Sync 4 system works with certain voice commands and also features both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Extra packages are available intended to either jazz up the exterior or add more creature comforts to the cabin. The latter can bring everything from heated seats to better infotainment options. It should be noted that XLT trucks are only available with a bench seat, no matter the price tag. Various payload and towing options can be selected to equip the truck with capability matching your future weekend plans.

The 2021 Ford F-150 XLT 44 SuperCrew Short Box arrives with a $6,000 combined Unhaggle discount, leaving a sticker of $44,019. This price includes freight and PDI along with other mandatory government fees but does not include sales tax.

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Bucks on Trucks: Deep discounts abound on this new Ford F-150 - Driving

Astro Bob: Journey to the deep sky with Cassiopeia as your guide – Grand Forks Herald

Deep-sky objects are "extended" (not pinpoint stars) celestial objects and include nebulas, star clusters and galaxies. (NASA, ESO)

Deep-sky objects are non-stellar celestial objects that usually require optical aid to see. They include all those magnificent galaxies, star clusters and nebulae (clouds of dust illuminated by stars) famously pictured with the Hubble Space Telescope. The brighter naked-eye stars are typically dozens to hundreds of light-years away, while deep-sky objects are often much more remote, from thousands to billions of light-years distant. Deep.

To find deep-sky objects in binoculars start at a bright star and create a path to the target. I own several binoculars but use a pair of 8x40 most often. Eight (8) is the magnification, while "40" is the size of the lenses in millimeters. 40 millimeters equals about 1.5 inches. (Bob King)

Once I became familiar with the brighter stars I used them to star-hop to a nebula or cluster. I'd lay open my star atlas and note the position of a deep-sky target with respect to a star I could easily identify. I'd mentally draw a path to the object, then point my binoculars at it and slide a little this way and a little that way until I spotted what I was looking for. Often, I had to use more than one star to get there the same way you'd carefully chose steppingstones to cross to the other side of a river.

Use this map to help guide you to the featured deep-sky objects. 5 is equal to three fingers held together at arm's length against the sky. A fist covers 10 of sky. (Stellarium with additions by the author)

You can hunt the deep-sky, too. How would you like to see three star clusters and the closest, biggest galaxy beyond the Milky Way? All are within a stone's throw of the familiar W of Cassiopeia and visible in a pair of 35mm or larger binoculars. You'll need a clear, preferably moonless sky for the hunt and warm clothing. Clothing is important for comfort's sake. Properly dressed, you can observe in a relaxed state of mind, which increases the enjoyment of stargazing.

Our deep-sky targets are the Andromeda Galaxy, the Perseus Double Cluster and NGC 752, a bright but neglected star cluster in Andromeda. Depending on the size of your binoculars and sky darkness they may all strike you as little more than hazy patches of light at first glance. Most things do in typical amateur instruments. Only larger telescopes and time-exposure photographs show the kind of detail we've grown accustomed to seeing in published images.

Deep-sky objects appear more delicate and nuanced and require an observer to spend at least a few minutes to appreciate what's there. The act of focusing your attention will not only reveal more detail than you thought was present at first encounter, but there are spillover benefits. Visual concentration sharpens our powers of observation of other natural phenomena.

We're going to use Cassiopeia as our steppingstone to the deep-sky. Start around 8 o'clock local time in mid-February and allow about 10 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness. Look halfway up in the northwestern sky to spot the W of Cassiopeia. This time of year it's tilted on its side and better resembles the Greek letter sigma, written as .

The Double Cluster in Perseus is a sparkling sight in any instrument. (Hunter Wilson)

While looking up, raise the binoculars to your eyes and focus sharply on the top two stars of the W. Then slide about one binocular field of view (~6) up and to the left. You should now see two dense clumps of stars, one on top of the other. This is the Perseus Double Cluster, comprised of two paired star clusters, NGC 869 and 884, that lie 7,500 light-years from Earth. Each is 4th magnitude, bright enough to see with the naked eye from a dark sky.

In my 8x40s I see two dense piles of starry gems, each with its own distinctive appearance. It was just an impression, but the stars in both appeared to spill over the sides as if heaped too high. Both are young clusters, born from gas and dust clouds (nebulae) 12.8 million years ago. The Pleiades in contrast are much older, roughly 100 million years.

At left is a time exposure photo of the Andromeda Galaxy made with a telescope. At right is a sketch I made using 10x50 binoculars of the galaxy under dark skies. It's surprising how much binoculars can reveal. Besides the Andromeda's elongated shape and bright core, two of its satellite galaxies M32 and M110 were also visible. (John Chumack (left) and Bob King)

After you've taken your measure of the Double Cluster, point your binoculars at the bottom three stars in the W that form a bright equilateral triangle. Then slide about three binocular fields to the left until you see something fuzzy. That's the Andromeda Galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years away. It's the nearest large galaxy to our own and contains about a trillion suns in a flattened disk 220 million light-years across twice the size of the Milky Way!

Andromeda is so far away that its faint stellar multitudes blur into a cigar-shaped puff of light 2-3 long. One detail stands out the galaxy's brighter core, where the stars are more densely concentrated. Can you see it? Like the Double Cluster, the galaxy is faintly visible without optical aid under dark skies.

NGC 752 is a spread-out star cluster in Andromeda located near a skinny, bright triangle of stars (below in this image). (PANSTARRS DR1 / Aladin Sky Atlas)

From the Andromeda Galaxy, follow the short arc of stars to its left to the bright star Mirach. Then slide about two binocular fields straight up to find the sprawling 6th magnitude star cluster NGC 752. It looks like a smoky patch about 1 across shot through with faint stars. While nowhere near as compact as the Double Cluster, it's still a true star cluster. All of its members hang together by their mutual gravities as they travel across space like a school of fish in the ocean. NGC 752 is ancient about two billion years old and 1,300 light years away.

I've shown you one way to star-hop to each of our featured deep-sky objects, but like driving to a destination, there's often more than one way to get there. With the help of the map you can choose to start at a different star and arrive at an object by an alternate route. More power to you! Finding your way in the sky takes advantage of your own ingenuity. The more you use it, the more satisfying your journey.

"Astro" Bob King is a freelance writer for the Duluth News Tribune. Read more of his work at duluthnewstribune.com/astrobob.

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Astro Bob: Journey to the deep sky with Cassiopeia as your guide - Grand Forks Herald

How the Hannibal Lecterverse Made Its Real Star the Human Mind – The Ringer

With CBS debuting Clarice on Thursday nightand the 30th anniversary of The Silence of the Lambs arriving just three days laterThe Ringer is spending a day celebrating Hannibal Lecter and his strangely intoxicating universe.

Shortly before Hannibal Lecter makes his first appearance in The Silence of the Lambs, FBI special agent Jack Crawford delivers specific instructions to his protg, Clarice Starling: Youre to tell him nothing personal, Starling. Believe me, you dont want Hannibal Lecter inside your head.

Four novels written by Thomas Harris, adapted into five feature films and two network TV shows, have made Hannibal Lecter into one of the scariest and most indelible characters in contemporary American fiction. Weve seen him tear off a policemans face and wear it as a disguise, feed a man a portion of his own brain, and change an entire generations perception of fava beans. But Crawfords warning distills the essence of what makes Lecter so scary. Its not the threat of physical violenceLecter is a small man with thinning hair and a high-pitched, nasally voice; hes not even the most physically imposing serial killer in his own movie. And in Silence, Starling talks to Lecter through bars, or a plexiglass wall, or a telephone. At no point is she in physical danger.

But there are worse things than being eaten.

The challengeacross Silence of the Lambs, Manhunter, Red Dragon, and the NBC TV series Hannibalis for the hero to understand the killer without cracking under the weight of that understanding. To learn from the murderous Hannibal without getting close enough to let him inflict further damage.

The Lecterverse, if you will, comprises a series of appallingly gory and violent films and TV shows, but the physical action comes only in short bursts. These are fairly talky movies, in which most of the drama comes not from running, jumping, and shooting, but from characters sitting around and thinking.

The interior machinations of an unsound or traumatized mind are a tough thing for a director to capture. The task tripped up no less skilled a filmmaker than Ridley Scott, whose 2001 film Hannibal was one of the most forgettable offerings for both the series and director. But this stage also offers tremendous potential. 1986s Manhunter, the first film adaptation of Harriss books, was only moderately successful on first release but is now viewed as Michael Manns first masterwork. NBCs Hannibal might be the most visually striking network TV show of the past decade, and despite its short three-season run, it has reemerged as a cult classic. And of course theres The Silence of the Lambs, one of just three films to sweep the big five categories at the Academy Awards, including a Best Director win for Jonathan Demme.

On Thursday, the Lecterverses latest offering debuts on CBS: Clarice. Set a year after the events of Silence, Clarice centers on the titular Agent Starling and faces a bigger challenge than any other title in the series. Because of the same kind of IP balkanization that kept Spider-Man out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years, Clarice cannot legally mention Hannibal Lecter.

In the opening minutes of the pilot, an FBI therapist muses that Starlings last therapist was an inmate in the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane and ate his patients. That Lecter can be invoked so clearly without using his name speaks to the enormous challenge the show faces. Not only does Australian actress Rebecca Breeds have to pick up where one of the half-dozen or so greatest living actresses left off, she has to do so without most of the series other memorable characters: Lecter, Crawford, Will Graham, Dr. Chilton, and so on.

The mind on display in Clarice will not be that of Hannibal Lecter, or another serial killer like Buffalo Bill or the Tooth Fairy. Instead, it will be Clarices own. But how does a director get inside, as such esteemed filmmakers as Demme and Mann once did?

It was about portraying her duality with the way that we shot it, Maja Vrvilo, who directed the Clarice pilot, told me over Zoom. The scene with the therapist is a good example because its shot in two ways. Its regular footage that shows Clarice the way she presents herself to the world. And then there are all those macro shots and flashes to Buffalo Bills basement that explain the state of her inner mind.

Anyone whos seen The Silence of the Lambs even once will recognize these flashes: the stone-lined well, Buffalo Bill at his sewing machine, Precious the dog, and moths flurrying around an overhead lampall accompanied by a bar or two of Q Lazzaruss Goodbye Horses.

At this point, Buffalo Bills elements are not flashbacks, because she did not witness any of it, Vrvilo said. Its really trauma caused by the whole experience that comes back to her in her dreams, and its haunting her.

Stories about heroic cops and serial killers often gloss over the mental toll that witnessing violence and depravity can cause, but Harriss stories look that cost straight in the face. In fact, some of the very first lines uttered in the Lecterverse films are about trauma. In Manhunter, Crawford (played by Dennis Farina) has to coax Graham (William Petersen) out of retirementa retirement necessitated by Grahams inability to cope with the weight of previous cases, not least among them his own near death at Hannibals hands.

Later in the film, Petersens Graham tries to articulate why his gift of being able to think like a serial killer is also a curse. I tried to build feelings in my imagination like the killer had, so that I would know why he did what he did. Because that would help me find him, he said, before going on to describe the encounter in which Lecktor (as it was spelled in Manhunter) attacked him. After my body got OK, I still had his thoughts going around in my head. Theyre the ugliest thoughts in the world.

No two people experience trauma the same way, even people who have been through similar events, and there are many ways a director can portray it. The conversation in Manhunter takes place in a brightly lit grocery store, in one of the quietest and calmest scenes of any of the Lecterverse films. Vrvilo, on the other hand, focused on sights and sounds that might be triggering to Clarice. One of the shots showcased in the opening scene is set on the steps of the Department of Justice building as Clarice faces the press after the Buffalo Bill case. This sequence, Vrvilo said, was inspired by Wong Kar-wais The Grandmaster.

He loves all those slow-motion shots and close-ups and black-and-white details, she said. Thats the imagery that, to me, represented Clarices trauma. The loud sound effects, the popping flashes of the cameras. Thats what the scene was about.

Even when we see Clarice projecting a calm demeanor externally, Vrvilo wanted to emphasize her isolation. Even though she is a part of the team, I tried to keep her either surrounded or just a little away from the rest of the team, Vrvilo said. Inside the bullpen, often its her against everybody else. At the crime scene by the river, its her against everybody else. Theres also a little bit of male gaze that Jonathan Demme did wonderfully in the movieevery time she walks by you see men looking after her, and the camera stays on them just a touch too long.

That extends to emphasizing Clarices smallnessanother detail Vrvilo carried over from The Silence of the Lambs. The film has multiple scenes in which Starling is the only woman in a room full of tall, imposing men. Vrvilo pointed out one shot in particular, in which Jodie Foster boards an elevator full of older, bigger FBI agents. Breeds, the new Clarice Starling, is almost a foot shorter than Michael Cudlitz, who plays Paul Krendler, Starlings boss. (Krendler is one of the few legacy characters Clarice gets to play with; moviegoing audiences last saw him in Hannibal, played by an open-skulled Ray Liotta.) Rather than try to close the distance between the characters, Vrvilo emphasized it, dressing Breeds in flats rather than heels and shooting point-of-view shots from extremely high or low angles to show Starlings physical vulnerability and isolation.

What Vrvilo didnt do is ape Demmes most famous directorial technique. When Clarice and Lecter have their famous first meeting in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, both Foster and Anthony Hopkins deliver their lines directly to camera. Demme used this shot in other films, like Philadelphia and The Manchurian Candidate, but its become synonymous with The Silence of the Lambs.

Demme, who died in 2017, explained the logic behind the shot to Rob Feld in a 2015 interview for DGA Quarterly:

The most powerful shot of all is when you put the viewer right in the shoes of one of the characters so that they are seeing exactly what the character is seeing and, ideally, having the same response that the character is having because theyre so identified with them. Of course, you dont want your audience to realize your actors are staring into the camera. You want them to be so immersed in the moment that its their reality, so you need that tight, tight over the shoulder to get in and out of the subjective camera. We felt like that shot was made for The Silence of the Lambs because, in their confrontations with each other, Dr. Lecter and Clarice are going deep inside each others heads. The more you back off and loosen the over-the-shoulders, youre just moving away from the goal of the intensity of the sequence, becoming more and more objective. I love pushing the subjective side of things whenever possible for the viewer.

Vrvilo used that type of framing only briefly, at the very end of the pilot.

I wanted to do this at the end of the pilot as she finds her confidence, Vrvilo said. As she stands up to the press for the first time, and this time the flashbulbs do not make her walk away. Thats really the only time I shot her looking straight to camera being very calm. But any other time it just felt inappropriate. It felt like an hour imitating Silence just wasnt the right thing to do.

Its also not necessary. Harriss works offer a fascinating variety of avenues into characters complex and tortured psyches. NBCs Hannibal, for instance, is known for its rich, deep color palette and its time spent inside Will Grahams imagination. Clarice is shot with somewhat more conventional colors and offers only fleeting glances into its heroines mind.

The first two films of the series, Manhunter and Silence of the Lambs, could not have taken more different routes through similar terrain. Manhunter, set in the Southeastern U.S. and directed by Mann at his Miami Viceiest, looks like Dire Straits Brothers in Arms soundsits quiet and slow-developing, but with bright white and neon background coloration. The Silence of the Lambs is darker, with colder, earthier colors appropriate for its mid-Atlantic winter setting.

One could explain those distinctions away by noting the changing fashions of the times: Even between 1986 and 1991, design and artistic sensibilities changed, and Manhunter looked a little dated even five years after its release. But its also illustrative of the points of view of the films respective heroes. Starling is afraid because shes traveling into uncharted territory; Will Graham is afraidprobably even more so than Starlingbecause he knows exactly what hes getting into.

Red Dragon, the 2002 Silence of the Lambs prequel, offers another interesting visual contrast to Manhunter. Red Dragon replaced Demme with Brett Ratner but brought back Hopkins and Silence screenwriter Ted Tally. The film adopted a similar visual style to Silence, but some of its scenes and dialogue are almost identical to Manhunter. Through this, were offered the opportunity to see Manhunters Graham and Hannibal in an austere, stark-white prison facility, with Petersen and Brian Cox playing the conversation fairly down-the-middle:

Versus the same scene in the dark, earthen Silence of the Lambsstyle set of Red Dragon, with Hopkins dialing his cannibalistic menace up to 11.

Both approaches are effective, but Id argue Manhunter is more so, because the primary focus is not on Hannibal, but on Graham.

Ever since Manhunter debuted in 1986, the actors whove donned Hannibal Lecters white prison jumpsuit or bespoke European suitswhether its Cox, Hopkins, or Hannibals Mads Mikkelsenhave spent most of their screen time throwing 100 mph heat. And why not? Hannibal is a terrifying, weird, cool character who owns every room hes in and gets all the best lines. Hopkins in particular turned Lecter from a memorable secondary character into a national nightmare. That Hopkins won Best Actor for Silence of the Lambs despite having just 16 minutes of screen time has become a legendary bit of movie trivia.

Clarice is a direct sequel to Silence, and as a network drama, it will inevitably draw comparisons to Hannibal. Yet Ive devoted a lot of space in this story to Manhunter, the oldest and by far lowest-grossing movie in the series. Manhunter has zero character overlap with Clarice and not much more in common stylistically. But its the closest thing to a spiritual progenitor to Clarice because its the only other work in the series that isnt mostly about a serial killer. Cox gets even less screen time in Manhunter than Hopkins does in Silence. Francis Dollarhyde, the films proximate villain, doesnt get much more. Manhunters focus is mostly on Will Grahams struggle to work through his own emotional trauma; the serial killers are little more than plot machinations.

The drama in Clarice is similarly internalized; as viewers, were not gawking at the derangement of a murderer but rather empathizing with a person who narrowly escaped one. Clarice wont try to replace Hannibal Lecter with another similarly sinister nemesis; which is probably smart, since any Lecter proxy would draw unflattering comparisons to the genuine article.

But its also part of a deliberate shift in focus. Starlings big speech at the end of the pilot comes after shes just apprehended her bad guy, and when reporters ask about the killer, she responds by listing the names of his victims. In this show, the killers mind is not the one most worthy of exploration.

Serial killers became celebrities through movies and television, said Vrvilo, who cited that monologue as one of the highlights of her time on set. Movies are made about them, television shows are made about them, and its exciting. The audience craves that. But Clarice is not about that. Its not a story about Hannibal Lecter. Its not a story about the new serial killer. Its a story about her, and she doesnt need any of those people.

Nor does the series. For 35 years, filmmakers have used Harriss books as a way to explore the human mind, and what happens when its strained, damaged, or pan-fried to be served with a dollop of caviar. That explorationand the creative opportunities it presentsis the true draw of the Hannibal Lecter films.

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How the Hannibal Lecterverse Made Its Real Star the Human Mind - The Ringer

KHNs What the Health?: All About Budget Reconciliation – Kaiser Health News

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President Joe Biden has said he still wants a bipartisan bill to provide the next round of covid relief. But in case that doesnt happen, House committees this week got down to work on a budget reconciliation bill that could pass the Senate with a simple majority. Proposals cover not just covid-related issues, but also some significant changes to the Medicaid program and the Affordable Care Act.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for mask-wearing. But the guidelines are confusing for many, highlighting the rapidly changing science around the virus that leaves many laypeople uncertain about how best to proceed.

This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the takeaways from this weeks podcast:

In honor of Valentines Day, the panelists chose their favorite #healthpolicyvalentines from Twitter. KHN is also selecting its own assortment, to be published Friday.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: The Washington Posts Oh, Were Still in This. The Pandemic Wall Is Here, by Maura Judkis

Joanne Kenen: The New Yorkers Inside the Worst-Hit County in the Worst-Hit State in the Worst-Hit Country, by Atul Gawande

Paige Winfield Cunningham: The Atlantics Frustration Is Spreading Faster Than the Vaccine Is, by Anne Applebaum

Sarah Karlin-Smith: HuffPosts Delay Second Doses? A Guide to the Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Debate, by Jonathan Cohn

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Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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KHNs What the Health?: All About Budget Reconciliation - Kaiser Health News

AI in Healthcare Market Research Report Forecast to 2030 Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 | Nuance Communications, Inc., DeepMind Technologies Limited,…

(Feb 2021 trend research report )The newly added report titledGlobal AI in Healthcare Market Report 2020, Forecast to 2030to the database ofinsightSLICEreveals existing trends and tendencies in the industry. The report contains vital insights on the market and a thorough overview of the market where it identifies industry trends, determines industry insights, and offers competitive intelligence. The report helps to figure out and study the market needs, market size, and competition. The report includes noteworthy information alongside future conjecture and point by point market scanning on a worldwide, regional, and local level for the global AI in Healthcare industry. The research document is designed with correctness and in-depth knowledge which helps the business to grow and henceforth results in revenue growth.

The report analyzes the current market trends, consumer demands, and preferences, market situations, opportunities, and market status. Other principles studied in terms of the market report include market definition, market segmentation, competitive analysis, and research methodology. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the global AI in Healthcare markets historical data and estimated projections about the market size and share in the forecast period from 2020 to 2030. It also includes market trends, revenue growth patterns market shares, and demand and supply. The report is segmented on the basis of types, end-users, applications, and regional markets.

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In terms of geography, this research report covers almost every major region in the world, such as North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. Europe and North America are expected to increase in the coming years. The Asia Pacific AI in Healthcare market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. The latest technologies and innovations are the most important features of North America and the main reason why the United States dominates the world market. The South American market for AI in Healthcare is also expected to grow in the near future.

The report covers the impacts of COVID-19 on the market.

The ongoing pandemic has changed several facets of the market. This research report provides financial impacts and market disruption to the AI in Healthcare market. It also includes analyzing potential opportunities and challenges in the foreseeable future. insightSLICEinterviewed several industry delegates and engaged in primary and secondary research to provide customers with information and strategies to address market challenges during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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AI in Healthcare Market Research Report Forecast to 2030 Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 | Nuance Communications, Inc., DeepMind Technologies Limited,...

In an anxious winter, the garden still offers consolation – Tulsa World

To the eye, theres little in a winter garden that can compare to spring and summers binge-worthy drama of growing, blooming and buzzing. Only the most serious gardeners (or those in warmer climates) can keep the growing going outside, using cold frames, fabric or plastic tunnels, and other techniques.

But there are smaller joys to be had. The trees bare branches make for beautiful silhouettes, and better views of birds and sunsets. Landscape photographer Larry Lederman, author of the recent book Garden Portraits, recommends getting to know your garden better in the winter, when everything is bare and you can see the bones of the landscape.

More significantly, gardens remind us that winter is just one season in a cycle. Death is everywhere in a garden, all year round, but it makes rebirth possible. The species keep going.

``The return of spring each year can be endlessly relied on, and in (plants) not dying when we die, we have a sense of goodness going forward, Sue Stratis-Smith writes in her new book, ``The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature.

This," she says, "is the gardens most enduring consolation.

Of course, the constancy of the seasons these days cant be taken for granted as in the past. So winter is also a good time for reevaluating our own yard-size battles against climate change. We can start or continue composting. And we can research services, products and methods to help make next years garden and those beyond more sustainable.

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In an anxious winter, the garden still offers consolation - Tulsa World

Opinion: During uncertain times we must keep our focus on God instead of our circumstances – Spartanburg Herald Journal

Seth Buckley| Special to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal

As I stood on the edge of the diving board, my mind raced back to just a few years earlier when I had a near-drowning incident when I was swept down river before my uncle L.T. saved me at the last minute.

I was an ok swimmer at the time and my daddy was trying to encourage me to jump into the deep end and swim to the side. As he saw the fear welling up in my face, he began to make his way into the deep water and he said, Son, jump, I will be right here to help you if you need it.

As comforting as that was, I continued to see the water and my mind continued to race. He then said, Son, look straight at me and jump towards me. Ive got you! OK, that was a different level. I looked at him and he said again, Come on, Ive got you!! I jumped into the water, and sure enough, daddy was there to help and he turned me towardthe side and said, Now swim on to the side, youre good. That one moment helped me to overcome a fear that was so real to me.

The fear that I had was so real. I wasnt sure I could face the unknown of deep water again. But my focus was in the wrong place. I was focusing on the circumstances. This story is very similar to the story from Matthew 14 where Jesus invited Peter to walk towardhim on the water. Peter was successful until he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the winds and waves (14:30). He then cried out to Jesus who rescued him and then challenged all of the disciples in the boat to examine the depth of their faith.

We are facing uncertain times, which could actually be a theme that each of us could probably state over our entire lives. But isnt that what life is? If you read through the chronicles of history, every generation faced moments, even years, that were filled with worldwide uncertainty.

The question we have to ask ourselves is if we are going to allow the fear we have overwhelm us and keep us from experiencing the life that God has ordained for us to live. I think that it all depends on where our focus is. The more we focus on the circumstances, it will be as if they are growing before our very eyes and seem insurmountable. I heard an old country preacher say one time, Dont tell God how big your circumstances and trials are, tell your circumstances and trials how big your God is! It is all about your perspective!

That statement is easier said than done, but I do believe that when Joshua was faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua could hear the voice of God saying in Joshua 1:9, 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;do not be discouraged,for theLordyour God will be with you wherever you go. Modern day translation for me? Come on Son, Look at me! Ive got you! And I believe that He is saying that to us today.

The Rev. Seth Buckley is minister of students, First Baptist Spartanburg. Reach him at sbuckley@fbs.org.

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Opinion: During uncertain times we must keep our focus on God instead of our circumstances - Spartanburg Herald Journal