Daily Archives: May 7, 2017

20000-year-old artifacts, 21st century technology – The Verge

Posted: May 7, 2017 at 11:45 pm

Im standing in the admissions line at a museum in New York when I overhear a surprising claim: Its like going to the dentist, a man declares. Id rather go the dentist than go to a museum.

We can go somewhere else if you want, his partner offers.

No, its fine. He pauses. I strongly believe that people arent interested in museums. They just go because its a must.

This man isnt alone in his skepticism. Recent reports from the National Endowment for the Arts recorded an eight percent drop in the number of US adults who visited art museums in the past two decades, as well as a particularly sharp decline in museum-going rates among millennials in their twenties and thirties. In response to the findings, Sunil Iyengar, director of research and analysis at the NEA, told Pacific Standard in 2015 that theres no tidy answer as to why this is happening, but added that theres a lot of competition for leisure activities.

Museums must find new ways to engage and excite visitors. The growing slew of digital entertainment options wrestling for our attention may be part of the problem for museums, but for many institutions, digital technology also offers a potential solution. Charged with the crucial task of preserving our past, museums must now navigate the future.

Catherine Devine, chief digital officer at the American Museum of Natural History, sees the task at hand as keeping the museum relevant for a number of different audiences, and she has spent the past five years working to really get [the museum] into the 21st century. That means rethinking the way visitors experience museums to better match the way they lead their daily lives, where tasks as varied as ordering food or finding a date can be accomplished with just a click or a swipe.

Visitors expect their digital experiences to follow them into the museum

A lot of peoples expectations are framed in the rest of their lives, and then when they come to the museum, [] they expect that experience to continue, Devine says.

One step in that direction has been the launch and ensuing redesign of the museums smartphone app, called Explorer. Originally developed in 2010, the museum officially relaunched the app last November, filled with reimagined content like behind-the-scenes trivia and virtual games. When I open Explorer inside the Hall of Ocean Lifewhere the museums famous 94-foot-long model of a blue whale presidesthe app promptly informs me that a blue whale weighs as much as five subway cars, and lets me listen to an underwater recording of whale songs.

The app uses a network of 800 beacons placed throughout the museum to pinpoint visitors locations and show content related to your immediate surroundings, as well as provide relevant logistical information, like directions. According to Scott Rohan, the museums senior publicist, Explorer has been downloaded more than a million times since July 2010.

In nearly two decades working at the American Museum of Natural History, Vivian Trakinski, director of the museums Science Bulletins, has witnessed the evolution of visitor experiences firsthand. Originally hired to produce short science documentaries, Trakinski now spends most of her time working on data visualizations in a variety of digital formats.

When I came here [in 1999], we were focused on video, she says. She still produces videos, but says that now, we are focusing on more immersive and interactive platforms [...] People want to be able to curate their own content. People want to be engaged in the creation of it.

Trakinskis team is currently working on a number of augmented reality prototypes that will allow visitors to more actively engage with the museums specimens and datasets, including an immersive AR experience of what it would be like to play golf on Mars, using data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiters Context Camera. Her team also took a CT scan of a Mako shark and created an AR experience in which visitors can look through a Google Tango tablet or a stereoscopic AR headset, see the scanned skeleton overlaid on top of the museums actual shark model, and make the shark swim or bite.

Its not a passive experience where were telling you something, says Trakinski. [Visitors] are actually creating the learning through the interaction with this real artifact of science.

As the Museum of Natural History tests out its AR prototypes, just a few miles uptown at the Met Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has collaborated with the Canadian Film Centres Media Lab, Senecas School of Creative Arts and Animation, and the Art Gallery of Ontario to showcase their experiment with virtual reality. This spring, the Met launched an exhibit Small Wonders: The VR Experience, inviting visitors to don a VR headset and explore the detailing on a 16th century Gothic prayer bead up close. Lisa Ellis, a conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, spearheaded the original micro-CT scanning of the miniature beads. She recalls that her team was blown away when they saw the intricacies of the beads designs and wanted to share them with a wider audience. The immersive experience provided by the HTC Vive headset was the perfect vehicle for this object.

Immersion and interaction are also key elements in the visitor experience at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. The museum reopened in late 2014 after a three-year renovation. (Check out The Verges 2015 interview with the museums former head of engineering here.) Technological upgrades included the introduction of an electronic Pen that allows visitors to draw on digital display tables and to download and save items throughout the museum to a personal web account linked to their Pen.

Caroline Baumann, the director of Cooper Hewitt, recalls that the museum confronted many skeptics when first floating the concept of the electronic stylus, with some critics assuming that no visitors would put down their smartphone for long enough to use the Pen. Today, she proudly notes that 97 percent of visitors actually take the Pen upon entering the gallery and that 21 million objects have been downloaded to visitors accounts using the gadget. Baumann hoped that the tool would be accessible to all and would cut across education, class, privilege, and she believes that the digital redesign of the museum has succeeded in drawing both museum connoisseurs and first-timers. Were seeing people that have never been to a museum, she says.

For many institutions, the digital revolution has required a complete rethinking of the museum model and a new digital mindset that filters through the entire operation.

I feel that digital is not something that sits to the side, says Devine. It has to be really integrated into the physical experience. It has to augment it and add a layer that you dont have with the physical space.

The shift to digital is beginning to permeate museum culture

Pamela Horn, acting director of digital and emerging media at Cooper Hewitt, acknowledges the pervasive change that has taken shape since the museums digital revamp. Something very interesting has been happening in the last three years since we have reopened, and thats that we've had an internal cultural shift of everybody adapting to this way of working, she reflects. Digital isn't just an appendage on top, it has infiltrated all of the departments.

And so far, museum leaders are pleased with the results.

Though Devine does not believe that the Explorer app on its own is responsible for attracting more visitors, she says that the museums research on the apps effectiveness revealed that visitors who used the app found the whole museum experience more thought-provoking, on average, than those who did not use the app.

Ellis similarly cites internal research which found that 90 percent of people who used the VR headset to explore the prayer bead at the Met thought it was highly successful (including a group of visiting nuns who reportedly got a big kick out of it). Perhaps most striking of all, Horn notes that Cooper Hewitts digital redesign has attracted younger visitors at a time when the coveted demographic seems to have reduced its museum attendance overall. Before the museum closed for renovations in 2011, the average age of Cooper Hewitt visitors hovered around 60 years old. After its reopening in December 2014, the average age has dropped precipitously to 27.

But success like this requires significant commitment.

The key is having a digital person as part of the senior management team and a digital team thats really, really strong, says Baumann. And a funder.

Financing these projects is a crucial challenge, and many of the museums have relied on outside donations to fund their experiments. Support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, facilitated both the Cooper Hewitt renovations and the development of the Museum of Natural Historys Explorer app.

Museum staff also emphasized the necessary balance between embracing the digital and preserving the analog features of museums.

We are the museum of the future. Despite being in [Andrew] Carnegies mansion, which was built in 1899, finished in 1902, you come in and you know immediately that its a digital experience, Baumann explains. Still, her team had to be careful not to overdo it: We didnt want to put digital all over the walls, ceiling, ground. The fifteen new tables with touch-screen digital displays are scattered spaciously throughout the museums multiple floors.

Technology should serve to enhance a visitors understanding of a museums collection

For Ellis, the original artifacts must remain a priority, and technology should serve to enhance the visitors understanding of the physical objects. With the 16th century prayer beads, you get in [the VR headset] and youre just blown away, she says, leading many visitors to return for a second look at the art in person.

Our primary focus is bringing people to the art and giving them access to the art, so we would only use a technology that allowed us to do that, she adds. Were not in it for the bells and the whistles or to show off.

Museum leaders expect upcoming years to bring a number of changes, including deeper immersion, more communal creation, and greater personalization.

Devine predicts that in a few years we will see a shift away from smartphone-focused tech and towards more wearables and updated versions of smart glasses. Though museums like the Met have already experimented with forays into virtual reality, Devine says shes excited about future experiences that will likely immerse all of the senses.

Baumann cautions, however, that technologies like VR and AR are changing so rapidly that it is hard to know how museums will eventually take advantage of their capabilities. Where are we going to be six months from now? she asks. I dont want to unveil something unless its right-on.

For Trakinski and her work on data visualization, the future revolves around communal creativity, like open source projects that elicit involvement from partner institutions and outside developers. She cites the Museum of Natural Historys current involvement in the NASA-funded project OpenSpacean open source data visualization software to communicate space exploration to the general publicas an example of a growing movement.

I think sharing resources, sharing knowledge, open source software development, customization, [and] using common tools is something of a trend that I would see driving all of our work forward in a communal context, she says.

The Met has similarly chosen to share more of its resources and encourage communal creativity. In February, the museum released a collection of more than 375,000 images for public use under a Creative Commons license.

How can we take one physical space and present it differently to different people?

One element receives nearly unanimous support from museum leaders: personalizing the experiences of future museum-goers. Devine adds that such customization is one of the key opportunities of digital technology, allowing designers to ask, How can we take one physical space and present it differently to different people?

She expects that future iterations of the Explorer app will feature multiple languages and new capacities to promote relevant content based on the time of day, like where to find an afternoon coffee or how to exit the building after 5 p.m. The idea is to try and anticipate what you need in that momentand then thats different for different peopleand then provide that to you without you having to navigate to it, she explains.

She also envisions personalization of the museums website, where different visitors will see different content: Museum members wouldnt need to be shown information on how to become a member, mobile visitors in New York might see ticketing services first, and teachers would find educational materials upfront.

Baumann likewise reflects on her goals for a customizable future. She thinks about a group of visitors surrounding one of the digital tables, each drawing or researching individually with their Pens, and would love it if a 7-year-old can have his experience, and then the Pratt student studying industrial design can have a slightly more advanced experience.

The most popular spot in the Cooper Hewitt museum is the second-floor Immersion Room. Inside, two of the walls are covered by giant screens where a variety of patterns and wallpapers flash on rotation. Using the touch-screen table in the center of the room, visitors can choose their preferred wall dcor from among several hundred samples shown on the screen, or they can use their electronic pen to draw their own design and then project it all around them. The same space can be uniquely personalized based on individual taste.

The future of museums sounds a lot like the Immersion Room, as a single museum may eventually provide customized experiences for each person who enters. Knowing the digital platforms that exist out there, Baumann says, the opportunity is huge.

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Blockchain technology could increase the trust in data that we never knew we’d lost – Stuff.co.nz

Posted: at 11:45 pm

TOM PULLAR-STRECKER

Last updated08:56, May 8 2017

STUFF.CO.NZ

Blockchain, the technology behind virtual currency Bitcoin, is a large focus at Techweek 2017.

Virtual currency Bitcoin has been "more of a curse" than a blessing for blockchain.

So says 3months.com director Mark Pascall, organiser of theBlockchain.nz a three-day conference featuring 30 international speakers that kicks off in Auckland today as part of Techweek.

It is thanks to blockchain technology that Bitcoins are impossible to counterfeit and hard to steal, despite only existing on computers.

LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS

Blockchain technology is the reason bitcoin is impossible to counterfeit and hard to steal.

But Bitcoin has been a controversial poster boy for the technology, because the most obvious reason for using Bitcoin is to hide financial transactions from authorities.

READ MORE: *Blockchain could cut real estate costs by streamlining transactions *Mike O'Donnell: Volkswagen, Blockchain, and the fear of disruption

Regrettably, the most common reason most Kiwi "mums and dads" might want Bitcoin is to pay off a fraudster after a ransomware attack.

But Pascall says the applications of blockchaintechnology extend far beyond the financial world.

Examples of data that we frequently mistrust are more common than one might think, and this is where theblockchaincomes into its own.

It could help employers ensure foreign qualifications are legitimate, track diamonds to provide assurancethey come from ethical sources, and stamp out the falsification of car odometers.

Blockchain is notoriously difficult to explain, Pascallnotes.

But it involves distributing records of transactions such as Bitcoin payments across many interlinked computers, each of which keeps a complete history of past transactions.

The result is a distributed ledger that is less prone to errors and falsification than a traditional, centralised database.

If car yards entered vehicle odometer readings into a blockchain each time a vehicle was serviced or sold, for example, they would be nigh on impossible to doctor.

Blockchain could also allow a ride-sharing service "without Uber", or a trading platform that didn't require an intermediary such as Trade Me, Pascall says.

A clue to the breadth of the applications is that the speakers at Blockchain.nz include a former chief executive of Estonia's Nasdaq Tallin stock exchange, Kaidi Ruusalepp, and Professor John Halamka, innovation professor at Harvard Medical School.

Australian online travel agent Webjet is expected to explain at the conference how it has been working with blockchain technology to try to eliminate the mix-ups that can occur with hotel bookings.

It is not just data that can be stored in the form of "blocks". Instructions can also be embedded into the blockchain, Pascall explains.

"We can now cement in 'sets of rules' that might call for a will to be executed, or a bet or a mortgage, and no bank or government can stop that transaction happening. That will have huge implications for the way world commerce works."

Blockchain enthusiasts have been lobbying the Government to amend the Electronic Transaction Act, to make it explicit that contracts executed through blockchain are valid, he says.

Bell Gully says the Arizona state government "broke legal ground" by making that explicit in its equivalent legislation. It would remove uncertainty if the New Zealand government followed suit, the law firm said.

Pascall says blockchain has been through "a few hype cycles".

3months' sister company Blockchainlabs.nz has sometimes had to advise clients that a conventional database is sufficient for their needs.

"But there are really clear benefits when you might have an issue over who is trusted to run a database.

"The other thing is, the more centralised databases we have, the bigger the prize for hackers."

Pascall says New Zealand is lagging somewhat applying blockchain, but he hopes the conference will change that. Three hundred people will attend, including many from government.

Given the number of international speakers, the conference has been a big financial risk, he says.

Fairfax Media is the media partner for Techweek'17 which is a week of events bringing together New Zealand's brightest technology and innovation talent to tackle global issues with local ingenuity from May 6 to May 14, techweek.co.nz

-Stuff

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Progress continues for Matt Garza – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Matt Garza delivers against the Pirates Saturday.(Photo: Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH - The transformation continues for Matt Garza.

Once again utilizing a solid three-pitch mix, the right-hander went inning for inning and pitch for pitch with Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole on Saturday night at PNC Park.

While it wasn't enough to beat Cole and the Pirates the Milwaukee Brewers managed only three hits in a 2-1, 10-inning loss Garza's showing was easilythe highlight of the series thus far.

He went seven innings and allowed eight hits and one run (earned) while not issuing a walk for the second straight outing. Garza also struck out four and took advantage of some solid defense behind him to get out of several jams.

"I had to battle that guy. I used to be that guy," Garza said of Cole. "Used to be able to come in and let it go and tip my hat at the end of the day. It was fun seeing a guy like that because thats where I was. But I like the guy I am now. Im able to use my stuff and control and locate. Im proud I didnt walk a guy.

"Im just trying to command my stuff. Im pitching."

This is what the Brewers envisioned when they asked Garza to alter his approach this spring by making more use of his off-speed stuff. He was hit hard in Arizona then missed the first three weeks with a groin strain before returning to the rotation on April 24.

RELATED:Pirates 2, Brewers 1 (10 innings): Offense quiet again

BOX SCORE:Pirates 2, Brewers 1

Garza went four innings in that one, then extended himself to 6 2/3 innings in picking up his first victory on April 30 against Atlanta.

He battled steady rain, wind and temperatures in the mid-40s on Saturday, allowing his only run in the fourth on a Gregory Polanco groundout.

He took advantage of some poor Pittsburgh baserunning in the second, when the Pirates doubled in consecutive at-bats against him but failed to score. Then after Garza gave up three straight singles to open the sixth, Travis Shaw turned a pretty 5-2 double play to help him out of that jam.

One final double-play ball in the seventh erased a leadoff single, and Garza closed out his night after 86 pitches.

"The defense was amazing tonight," said Garza, who went seven innings just once in 19 starts last season. "They stepped up in these kinds of conditions no errant throws or anything like that. It was huge.

"Anytime you can have a clean game like that, we give us our best chance to win."

Colecombined with the conditions to make things tough on Milwaukee hitters. He also went seven innings and allowed just two hits a Hernn Prez home run and a Domingo Santana single in the fourth and two walks while striking out eight.

"Throwing the crap out of his slider and spotting it," was how Garza summarized Cole's night. "Hes been good. Ever since hes been up and even in college. The guys got a live arm and he just keeps shoving it at you and going at you.

"Thats all you can ask for from a guy like that."

HAUDRICOURT:Braun's'10 and 5' isn't huge factor

NOTES:RyanBraun could return as early as Tuesday

Where does Milwaukee's rotation stand now with Garza coming around?

Chase Anderson is pitching lights-out to this point, Zach Davies is slowly getting back on track, Wily Peralta has been solid and now Garza is solidly in the mix with his ERA down to 2.55. Jimmy Nelson looked good before his start was scuttled by rain after three innings on Friday.

"Getting starting pitchers performing and doing well is big," manager Craig Counsell said. "(Garza) has gotten into the seventh inning his last two starts, and thats important. Hes done it well. Hes made pitches. As much as anything, just having a guy youre (relying on) when youre rolling around every fifth day, (is valuable).

"Hes in a good spot right now. Hes pitching very well."

Continuing down that path is the top priority for Garza, but he wasn't interested in making any big-picture statements after the game.

"Im not looking that far. Im just looking at tomorrow," he said. "Ill just take it one day at a time. Sometimes we put the cart before the horse and we get run over.

"Im just going to keep going one day at a time. Tomorrow Im going to come in and do my work and start prepping for next week."

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Norway’s Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision of boys – Jerusalem Post Israel News

Posted: at 11:45 pm

Circumcision. (photo credit:REUTERS)

The Progress Party in Norway voted on Saturday in favor of a law banning ritual circumcision of children under the age of 16, a day after the environment committee of Belgiums Parliament of Wallonia voted in favor of banning ritual slaughter, posing a threat to both shechita (kosher slaughter) and brit mila (circumcision) in Europe.

Proponents of the Norwegian bill, which was discussed during the partys national gathering over the weekend, claim that circumcision constitutes mental and physical harm to children and constitutes a serious violation of childrens rights. The Progress Party is the third-largest party with 29 of 169 seats in parliament it serves as the junior partner in Prime Minister Erna Solbergs cabinet.

Reacting to the news, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, general director of the European Jewish Association, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett calling on them to urgently establish a joint working team for both government offices and Jewish organizations in Europe, in order to prevent the spread of anti-Jewish legislation.

I have no doubt that the State of Israel the state of the Jewish people cannot remain indifferent to it, and I call on you to exert all your political influence in order to prevent the exclusion of Jews from life in various European countries.

Regarding the Norwegian bill, Margolin said: We will act in every way we can to fight this disgraceful bill... There is no doubt that this is an anti-Jewish decision that is blatantly antisemitic, because the bill does not harm Muslims who are not obligated to circumcise their children as infants and can perform the procedure even at an older ages as the bill allows.

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Angels’ Shoemaker upbeat about progress despite loss – Los Angeles Times

Posted: at 11:45 pm

Matt Shoemaker is certain hes close to being the pitcher he was for most of last season.

Very confident, he said.

Just clean up a few things. Stop with the uncharacteristic walks. And one other little thing: Eliminate that three-run homer, he said.

He gave up a three-run homer to Houstons Jose Altuve on Sunday, the decisive blow in the Angels 5-3 loss to the Astros.

Shoemaker (1-2, 5.21 ERA) was charged with five runs in his six innings. He walked four and gave up two home runs, things he seldom did last season when he had 10 starts without walking a single batter. He had one stretch of 49 consecutive strikeouts without a walk.

But that was all before he took a wicked comebacker off his head Sept. 4 in Seattle, a frightening blow that would ultimately require brain surgery and a long recovery.

This season, Shoemaker has not been the pitcher who finished with a 2.83 ERA in his last 20 games in 2016.

Matt will get it, said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. In stretches weve seen all year, hes dominant. Its still in him.

Shoemaker said hes viewed tape of himself from last season and is certain hes close.

Maybe a little mechanically better, more mentally better, he said. Im still not quite there yet.

Trout still out

Mike Trout did not start for the third time in four games as he tries to nurse a tight left hamstring.

Trout said he hoped to play Monday in Oakland, but Scioscia said the Angels will continue to be cautious with their franchise player.

Hopefully its moving in the right direction, Scioscia said. Well continue to monitor him and see how it feels (Monday) and make decisions on a daily basis.

Trout, 25, has never been on the disabled list.

Hamstrings are just a different animal, Scioscia said. If your shoulders a little sore, you can DH or do this or get a day. But when your hamstrings a little tight and achy, you need to make sure you get it addressed. And thats where we are right now.

Short hops

In his first at-bat for triple-A Salt Lake City, C.J. Cron (left foot bruise) was hit on the right wrist by a pitch and left the game for what the Angels said were precautionary reasons. X-rays were negative. Scioscia said closer Cam Bedrosian (right groin strain) was still a couple of long throw sessions away from getting back on the mound. Second baseman Danny Espinoza is hitless in his last 28 at-bats and has two hits in his last 48 at-bats.

sports@latimes.com

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Mets GM Alderson says injured Cespedes making progress – Asbury Park Press

Posted: at 11:45 pm

Mets manager Terry Collins talks about T.J. Rivera J.P. Pelzman

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson (file)(Photo: Brad Penner, Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

NEW YORK -Yoenis Cespedes will come to New York for some more tests Monday, general manager Sandy Alderson indicated Saturday.

But its not because the Mets injured slugger had a setback with his strained left hamstring. In fact, Alderson said Cespedes rehab is going well. Cespedes went on the 10-day disabled list on April 28 after pulling up lame on a double against atlanta the day before.

Yoenis is making good progress with his hamstring, Alderson said. However, were bringing him up here Monday to undergo an evaluation thats a little broader than just the hamstring to try and get to the question of why he may have recurring hamstring injuries.

Cespedes has had leg woes before this latest setback, so thats why the Mets want to take a closer look at him physically.

Alderson said the goal is to see if theres something preventative that we can do to address the possibility of these injuries recurring.

Syndergaard apologizes: During his session with reporters Saturday, injured pitcher Noah Syndergaard said he wanted to clarify an incident that occurred several days before he was injured at Washington. Syndergaard snapped at Mets long-time media relations maven Jay Horwitz when reporters approached him after a game.

I was a little confused about why the media was approaching me after the game, Syndergaard said. I didnt think anything had changed (in his injury situation). I didnt mean anything disrespectful toward Jay Horwitz or anyone in general.

MORE: Mets' Syndergaard won't throw a baseball for six weeks

Collins quips: Mets manager Terry Collins saw a photographer taking his picture Saturday afternoon during his pregamebriefing and said, "Is this going out with that other photo? Just wanted to make sure.

Collins was referring to an incident Friday night when the Mets official Twitter account inadvertently sent out a photo of T.J. Rivera which showed a sex toy in teammate Kevin Plaweckis locker. It became a sensation on social media. Plawecki said Saturday it was not his and that a teammate must have planted it as a prank.

Plawecki said he first heard about it while on his way home after the game.

Somebody said check the internet, and it just kind of blew up from there, he said Saturday. I've got nothing to do with it, I know that. I didn't know about it. It's not mine. Nothing to do with that thing.

There are some good pranksters on this team, he added. It's definitely awkward. It's weird, but at the same it is kind of funny, but by no means does it reflect who I am as a person.

Staff Writer J.P. Pelzman:jpelzman@gannett.com

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Dustin Johnson pleased with progress in return – StarNewsOnline.com

Posted: at 11:45 pm

World No. 1 battles from cut line to leader before Brian Harman's win

By many accounts, Dustin Johnson's work at the Wells Fargo Championship proved a successful PGA Tour return.

It was almost successful enough to win a fourth-straight tournament.

The world's No. 1 player went from reaching the 1-over cut line on the number to the lead after birdying No. 18 Sunday. Minutes later, a 28-foot beauty there by Brian Harman prevented Johnson from remaining unbeaten on the Tour since February.

"The first two days I didn't play that bad," said Johnson, who finished second at 9-under with Pat Perez. "I had a good practice session before my third round and hit it well the last two days. I'm pleased with where my game is going into next week."

He suffered a freak back injury after falling down stairs days before the Masters and had to withdraw. The Columbia, S.C. native hadn't played since the World Golf Championships in early March.

Johnson noted some rustiness, which showed on Friday when he went 3-over for the round and narrowly stayed alive for the weekend.

Maybe that practice session was all he needed to better understand windy Wilmington. Two 67s provide plenty of evidence.

He made his charge Sunday thanks to back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12-13. A 37-footer for another bird lipped out a hole later.

"Hey DJ, Calabash loves you," shouted one fan while Johnson made his way on 14.

Judging by the crowd swelling, the devotion went beyond the Brunswick County hamlet.

Perhaps the best way to tell Johnson was back in a groove was how he hit out of trouble on 12 and 16.

He avoided water at 12, and managed a birdie anyway.

"I didn't catch it quite like I wanted to, but it was still on a pretty good line," Johnson said. "I guess you could say I got lucky it didn't go into the water but a little bit unlucky that it lands where it did and doesn't land on the green. Either or I guess."

The 16th was also iffy thanks to a tee shot that landed deep in pine straw. Again he found a way out and managed par.

His short game was on Sunday -- not just on 18, but also an 18-foot putt on 2 -- and it appeared that put him in position for a fourth-straight trophy.No one has won four or more in a season since Jason Day and Jordan Spieth (five each) in 2015.

If Wells Fargo was any indication, Johnson is poised to break Day and Spieth's mark.

"Physically, I'm really good," Johnson said. "Everything's 100 percent, feeling great. I can swing at it, no problems. Still got a lot of practice to do to get ready for next week, but looking forward to it."

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Athletics’ reliever John Axford making progress with shoulder strain – The Mercury News

Posted: at 11:45 pm

OAKLAND John Axford is getting closer to helping shoulder the burden of being a contributing member of the Athletics bullpen.

I just warmed up like I would going into a game, a general warm-up routine, and then faced two simulated batters, Axford said. Someone stood in the box to get that kind of feel. It feels really good. I was season-ready (when injured) so I was already built up strong, ready to go. A few weeks off throwing is not the biggest thing.

Next up for Axford will be facing live hitters during a Wednesday batting practice session, then off to a rehab assignment at a site to be determined.

Axfords versatility makes him a valuable commodity, one manager Bob Melvin missed Sunday given the use of relievers Daniel Coulombe, Liam Hendricks, Ryan Dull, Ryan Madson and finally Frankie Montas in the previous nights epic 6-5 comeback win over the Tigers.

On days like today, well probably have a couple of guys not available, and thats where Axford really is a swing guy for us, Melvin said. He can close if we need him to close. He sets up. On a day like this more than any other day, you really miss him because there will be at least a couple of guys that wont be available.

Shoulders have been an issue for Athletics pitchers this season, as Sean Doolittle, Kendall Graveman, Sonny Gray and Sean Manaea have all spent time on the disabled list with similar injuries.

We have talked a little bit. I think its good for guys to be able get to know what someone else is feeling or what they felt along the way, Axford said. When I talk to Sonny, obviously hes a starter so he throws a little bit more, but it helps understand where his pain is of where he feels certain things.

Hes ahead of my schedule. Maybe Ill be able to do the same thing for Doolittle when my time comes. It provides good notes for us.

Chad Pinder received his first start in right field against the Tigers after playing as a designated hitter and infield. He has been working in the outfield since spring training.

Hes kind of embracing the role of being that utility guy, Melvin said. Hes been working in the outfield and today just seemed like the day to do it. We want to keep our infield intact, especially with Sonny on the mound. Usually when hes pitching there are a lot of ground balls. We wanted to get a right-handed bat in there.

Josh Phegley, on the concussion disabled list, will go to extended spring training in Mesa, Arizona, where hell catch and play designated hitter.

Manaea will start for Class AAA Nashville Tuesday, throw approximately 70 pitches, and be followed by Chris Bassitt, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

We just wanted to make sure hed pitched in a game based on him not feeling great (in his last start) and we want him to get past it, Melvin said. My guess is he probably could have pitched here, but we want him to get his pitch count up to normal and be secure in his mind.

Melvin on signing his own bobblehead doll, which was distributed to fans Saturday night: Its odd. especially when you have to sign the bill of the hat. Its a small little area to have to sign and my motor skills arent probably that great.

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Beloved steam locomotive comes home to Petersburg – News – The … – Progress Index

Posted: at 11:45 pm

58 years after last official run, Norfolk & Western 611 stops at Union Station en route to Lynchburg

PETERSBURG First the sound, straight from the movies, a single, stirring chord that seemed to have been struck from a colossal pipe organ. Then the steam, billowing clouds of it, the scent of coal and superheated water. Finally, the sight, a scrap of memory from days gone by.

The Norfolk & Western Class J 611 steam locomotive has pulled into Petersburgs Union Station.

Once a daily sight in Petersburg, today the 611 passes by the banks of the Appomattox only once a year when the Virginia Museum of Transportation mounts its annual excursion from Lynchburg to the Cockade City in partnership with Norfolk Southern railway. This year the mighty engine pulled into town May 6, almost an hour early thanks to an unexpected lack of freight traffic.

Its like a bullet, just like a bullet, said Jim Stump, chairman of the VMT steering committee that oversaw the $1.7 million restoration of the 611 and now is responsible for its maintenance and travels throughout the commonwealth.

360 PHOTOGRAPH: Click or tap on the image and drag to change the angle of view. Onlookers surround the Norfolk & Western 611 steam engine in Petersburg on Saturday, May 6, 2017. (Photograph by Scott P. Yates/The Progress-Index)

Released for its first run May 29, 1950, and operated until 1959, when the last of Virginias steam engines were taken out of commission, the 611 is coming up on its 67th birthday. But even in its grand old age, it has the sheen and glow of a brand new locomotive thanks to a complete restoration that was finished in 2015.

Most steam trains arent slick, said Jean Todd of Williamsburg, who with her husband Richard, a native of Petersburg, has turned out for the 611s Lynchburg-Petersburg run every year since its restoration.

The 611, however, is just that: jet black with a sleek burgundy and gold stripe, this mechanical "thoroughbred" has been a marvel of both engineering and design since its conception. Capable of going over 100 mph, it could be late at Petersburg and early at Norfolk, said Stump.

At the time of its construction, the technology had advanced to such a point that the Norfolk & Western was capable of carrying on with steam engines when everyone else had switched to diesel, said Brandon Martin, a locomotive aficionado and former train chaser. Part of the technologically sophisticated J class of engines, the 611 was named a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1984.

Still, nothing could stop the flow of progress, and by the end of the 1950s, diesel had brought a decisive end to the age of steam locomotion. The shift was inevitable, even as it was met with widespread mourning.

No Diesel ever had a soul like a steam engine, The Progress-Index declared in an article published Oct. 21, 1959. The huge, evil smelling, growling, oil consuming Diesel will never have the appeal and the seeming life of the steam locomotive.

So prized was the 611 that at its retirement, the railroad donated it to the city of Roanoke instead of scrapping it. Alternately used as a display and an excursion vehicle for more than 50 years, the engine most recently returned to the rails in 2015 thanks to the dedicated efforts of the VMT and Norfolk Southerns 21st Century Steam program. Today it is the only large steam engine that remains on the East Coast.

Its so rare to be able to do something like this, said Chris Armes, a Norfolk Southern engineer.

Rare it may be, but many of those who turned out to Union Station Saturday greeted the 611 with nostalgic glee, as if it were an old and beloved friend.

For us its like bringing back our childhood memories, said Petersburg resident Medha Udayakumar, who recalled her fathers work on the railroad back in India.

Jean and Richard Todd too could look back on a life closely intertwined with the rails.

Everywhere in my life you could always hear the trains, said Jean Todd.

For her husband, not only their sound was familiar but their sight and feel. Growing up only a block from the train station in Hampton, Richard Todd as a boy would ride his bike down to the platform in the afternoons. There he made the acquaintance of the engineers, who often invited him to climb into the cab and accompany them on the brief jaunt to Phoebus.

Nothing will ever replace the mystique of the steam, he said.

Martin, who has been as far north as Canada and as far south as Florida chasing trains, also encountered his first steam locomotive as a child. He still recalls the sound of its whistle as he stood in his house, preparing for church.

Its just the motion, the excitement, the people, the mechanical part of it, he said. Theres just something about it.

360 PHOTOGRAPH:Click or tap on the image and drag to change the angle of view. A team of volunteers helps passengers board the Norfolk & Western 611 steam engine in Petersburg on Saturday, May 6, 2017. (Photograph by Scott P. Yates/The Progress-Index)

Sarah Vogelsong may be reached at svogelsong@progress-index.com or 804-722-5154.

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Salzman Road extension project making progress – Hamilton Journal News

Posted: at 11:45 pm

MONROE

Construction is moving forward as a dead-end road that serving an industrial park in Monroe will soon become a major through route for heavy truck traffic to an industrial park in Middletown as well.

Everything is on schedule to be finished by the end of the year, said David Spinney, executive director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. He said utility relocations and site preparation work are underway for the Salzman Road extension.

Were almost done with the water line and the storm sewer should be completed in mid-May. he said. Weve done a good bit of grading work to build up the profile of the road, he said. We had to strip a lot of topsoil from the ground to wrap up the utility work.

Spinney said Duke Energy is scheduled later this month to raise the power transmission lines crossing the site.

The BCTID coordinated the design and funding for the $1.81 million project with the cities of Middletown and Monroe, Spinney said. He said the project is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, weather permitting and will be managed by the Butler County Engineers Office.

No road closures are anticipated with this project since it is a new roadway extension. However, there may be some lane closures or short-duration intersection closures at Todhunter and Yankee Roads for utility work and when tie-in of the new extension occurs.

Spinney said Salzman Road will be extended from its current terminus northward to Todhunter Road where it will tie in at the Yankee Road west intersection. Yankee Road currently doglegs east on Todhunter Road and then south to Ohio 63, crossing a railroad in the process and forcing large semi-trucks to negotiate two sharp 90-degree turns.

Once Salzman Road is connected and aligned with the north section of Yankee Road, motorists will have a straight route between Todhunter and Ohio 63. This will provide much easier access to the commercial and industrial portions of Monroe and Middletown, lending a positive impact on the local economy. It will also pull heavy truck traffic off of nearby Yankee Road where it passes the Monroe school campus.

Spinney said the road extension has been identified as a needed project in the BCEO long range Thoroughfare Plan since 1994. It is also included in Middletown and Monroes comprehensive plans.

A construction contract was awarded to Kelchner of Springboro, Ohio which submitted a low bid of nearly $1,82 million. Funding for the project consists of federal money from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and state money from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The cities of Middletown and Monroe will provide local matching funds to the federal portion.

Monroes City Manager William Brock said the project represents an important piece of the citys overall infrastructure plan with the major goal of separating industrial and school traffic.

Middletown will see immediate benefits from the road extension as a $16 million distribution facility was recently announced for a 35-acre site near Yankee and Todhunter roads in the MADE Industrial Park.

Middletown officials are also excited to see this project becoming a reality.

Middletown Public Works Director Scott Tadych said the project is a critical piece of infrastructure to the South Middletown area that will benefit existing and future commercial and industrial development by providing direct access to Ohio 63.

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