Author Archives: Speysyde

Big B – Here Comes The Lightning

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Exclusive Video Premiere and Interview: Big B – Here Comes The Lightning

“Here Comes the Lightning” was co-written with Grammy winner P!nk and producer Butch Walker.

by Chris MUG5 Maguire +,  and has been Read 718 times.
Last Edited by: Chris MUG5 Maguire May 16th, 2013.

Las Vegas hooligan Big B has just premiered his new video for “Here Comes The Lightning” online with VEVO. “Here Comes The Lightning” was co-written by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter P!nk and producer Butch Walker, and is the first single from Big B‘s new album Fool’s Gold, which hits stores and online outlets July 9th on Suburban Noize Records.

WATCH | Big B – Here Comes The Lightning

In celebration of this video premiere AltSounds was given a little time to sit down with Big B to discuss the making of “Here Comes The Lightning,” His new album “Fool’s Gold” and his excitement for his upcoming tour with The Dirty Heads. We were most curious about the collaboration with P!nk andButch Walker on “Here Comes The Lightning“, Big B was very excited to state:

It’s just a feel good, fun song. I had been friends with P!nk‘s husband Carey Hart for the past fifteen years, and I had became good friends with P!nk as well. I worked with him for a long time, and P!nk and I had talked about making music together for a long time and for this record it finally happened. We hadButch Walker produce the track and help us write some of the music for it. I had known him for a really long time and we were friends. He had some music that went with the ideas that P!nk and I had, and when he played us the track I immediately knew that that was it. P!nk and I just both grabbed a pen and pad and starting writing the song.

It was an honor to work with both of them. It was cool mesh my writing style with theirs, and the song we created together turned out to be one of my favorite songs on the record. I’m a fan of both. Butch Walker is one of the most talented guys I know. He’s always been a great songwriter and whenever he comes around on tour I’ll always try and go see him. With P!nk, how could anyone not be a fan? She’s a great songwriter and an amazing artist. I’m actually a fan and bought both of their albums long before I worked with either of them.

Big B‘s new album Fool’s Gold features musical collaborations with Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, and members of legendary punk outfits NOFX andPennywise. The end result is a collection of songs that are just as contagious as Big B‘s thuggish charm. With the entire music industry focused on finding the next huge star on reality television, Big B has taken a back-to-basics approach on Fool’s Gold and filled it with fun and spirited songs that can fit into any music lover’s playlist. The album is rich is musical diversity and is cleverly inventive, as Big B seamlessly bridges the gap between rock, hip-hop, and alternative. He had this to say about it all:

This album is just me growing up a little bit musically. I think I’ve evolved as an artist, and I know every album has been different, but I think people are starting to finally see it. I’ve done the whole white rapper thing, but it wasn’t a place for me to call home, but now I think I’m at place musically that I’d call home. I’m working with a full band now and writing songs instead of just writing rhymes over a beat that you purchased. I pride myself on that and that I’ve evolved over the past couple of albums into a songwriter. People can just expect some really good, fun songs from me. The name of the album comes from when you come into the music business you think that you’re going to take over the world, but it doesn’t always happen. When it doesn’t happen you can lose friends, label mates and even family members just searching for that “Fool’s Gold“. 

It was really just me and Jim Perkins sitting in a room working things out. I’m constantly writing all the time and I’ve got songs in my head. We sit down together with Jim and his acoustic guitar, and I just start signing him melodies or choruses. We start from scratch and we just tart building it up from there. It’s just the two us in a room together for months putting together songs. 

Then we invited some other musicians into the studio when we were recording like Byron from Pennywise who played drums or Jonathan from OPMplayed keyboards. We do everything ourselves and then we just add a little flavor. With 

Slightly Stoopid I just got really lucky, because they had talked about working with me for a long time. I went over to their studio and they had a track that they thought would be perfect for me. They produced that whole song, and then Jim and I took it back home and chopped it up. It was going to be on theSlightly Stoopid record, but they said it worked better as a Big B track. At first I thought it might have been a b-side that they recorded for their album, but it turned out that they really had intended to use it, but they thought it would be given a better home over at my house. I went through a little bit of a hard time in my life over the past couple of years, so a lot of these songs were written during that period and what I was going through. I got through that rough period in my life and I came out of it with some good songs and the girl, which means I made out OK!

Fans can catch Big B on tour this summer with The Dirty Heads and The Expendables on the Cabin By The Sea Tour throughout June and July. Dates are below. Big B seems really excited about the tour and winning over some new fans:

I’m excited but super nervous at the same time because I haven’t toured in a while, and I need to bring my A-Game. The fans of the Expendables and theDirty Heads expect a lot from their opening bands, so I need to make sure I give them the best possible show. There isn’t one show that I’m looking forward to more than the others. The first show will be the one that it sinks in that we’re out here doing it. As far as cities go, San Francisco has always been good, Los Angeles is always a big one, and I love Texas. There are a lot of cities that have supported me over the years and the fans always come out to the shows and show a lot of love.

For me it’s just performing in front of audiences and seeing their response. I always like the ones that are just standing there with their arms crossed, giving you this evil eye, and about fifteen minutes later you look back at them and they are dancing or singing songs they didn’t know before because its catchy. It’s just a great feeling to win over that fan. Then it’s also funny to see the fan that is just so mad that they won’t give into you, because you know they are living a miserable life. I never understand why anyone would pay money to go to a show and then not want to enjoy the whole thing. Winning over fans is always the best part for me. The last couple of years I’ve seen a lot of the same fans come back after performing with Everlast or just touring. To have them come up to you and say they had never heard of you before, and now they own one of your records is a highlight for me.

We will definitely be playing a lot of tracks from “Fool’s Gold.” I know we will be playing “Here Comes The Lightning” and I want to play the Dirty Headstrack “Hangovers With You“. We will be playing a few more, but I also want to play tracks from my previous albums that fans love. I think our set has gotten a lot tighter over the past couple of years with the full band, and I think fans will really respect what we’re trying to do.

BIG B TOUR DATES:

  • 06/21 – Austin, TX – The Belmont
  • 06/22 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
  • 06/23 – Jacksonville, FL -Free Bird Live
  • 06/24 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
  • 06/25 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
  • 06/26 – North Myrtle Beach, FL – House of Blues
  • 06/28 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
  • 06/30 – Ocean City, MD – Seacrets
  • 07/02 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
  • 07/08 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
  • 07/09 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
  • 07/11 – Kansas City – Midland Theatre
  • 07/12 – Denver, CO – Exdo Event Center
  • 07/15 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
  • 07/16 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
  • 07/21 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
  • 07/22 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
  • 07/24 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory Concert
  • 07/26 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
  • 07/28 – Costa Mesa, CA – Pacific Amphitheatre

And so that was it, our time with Big B was up and undoubtedly you guys have had a chance to listen to and watch “Here Comes The Lightning” a bunch of times already. Before we left our chat with Big B we asked him for some parting words:

I just want to thank everyone that has supported me on this journey and I hope they like what they hear. I want to thank everyone at Suburban Noize andKevin Zinger for believing in me. Jim Perkins for making this album possible and all the fans that continue to go out and support my albums every year.

Read more at http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/158966-exclusive-video-premiere-interview-big-b-lightning.html#xo0tJ6rzFlSOLqKe.99

David Beckham Announces Retirement

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To coincide with his retirement announcement, David Beckham conducted an interview with his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville. In the interview, Beckham discussed everything from why he felt it was time to end his long and distinguished career at 38 years old to the hurt caused by his celebrity overshadowing his playing career. And how Lionel Messi is ultimately to blame for him hanging up his boots.

When asked “Why now?” Beckham replied:

“I think over the years, when I’ve seen players retire — when you ask them about it, they always say ‘You know when you’re ready.’ And I think I know when I’m ready. I think I’m ready. Obviously it’s a difficult decision because I still feel I can play at the top level — and still have done for the last six months. But I always secretly said to myself that I want to go out at the top.”

Beckham has played these last few months at PSG, donating his wages to charity (though, as of April,that charity still hadn’t been chosen yet) after his five years in MLS with the LA Galaxy. Though Beckham has only made 13 appearances with the Paris club, he still goes out as a Ligue 1 champion, adding the French title to those he won with Man United, Real Madrid and LA. And at each stop, he won a domestic title in his final season with the club.

“When did that moment come, when did it hit ya?” Neville then asked.

“Probably when Messi was running past me,” Beckham joked, referring to PSG‘s Champions League quarterfinal elimination to Barcelona. “Playing in the MLS last year and winning the championship there and then coming to PSG and winning the French league here, it’s a good way to go out.”

(Getty)

Despite all of his achievements on the pitch — all the titles and all the caps for England (a record 115), Beckham is keenly aware that his celebrity off the pitch has cast a shadow and one that he doesn’t particularly appreciate.

“I just want people to see me as a hard-working footballer,” Beckham said. “Someone’s that’s passionate about the game and someone that everytime I stepped on the pitch, I gave everything I had.”

He added:

“I think over the years, my life and my career, people have obviously looked at some other things that have gone on throughout my career and sometimes that’s overshadowed what I’ve done on the pitch and what I’ve achieved on the pitch. And that’s — as much as I say that that doesn’t hurt me, of course it does.”

“At the end of the day, I’m a footballer that has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, played with some of the best players in the world, played under some of the biggest and best managers and achieved almost everything in football and I think of course it hurts when people, not question it, but think about other things. And to come to the end of my career now and to look back and to say I’ve achieved everything with every club that I’ve played for — played for my country 115 times, been runner-up twice for World Player of the Year to amazing footballers — I’m very proud of that.”

Of course, Beckham has no one to blame but himself and the unrivaled genius of his management team for the explosion of Brand Beckham. He married a Spice Girl, endorsed products around the world, posed in his underpants and went through a myriad of highly publicized “look at me” hairstyles. His wife publicly calling him “Golden Balls” probably didn’t help, either.

If he just wanted to be known for his football above all else, he could have kept his head (and his hair) down, limited his engagement with the press and just played — like former teammate Paul Scholes, who is also retiring at the end of this season. But, he didn’t. And now David Beckham — a name 1,000-feet tall in glittering lights — will remain one of the biggest in the world both to fans of the game and to people who think a penalty shot involves kicking someone in the crotch, long after his playing career ends in a few weeks time. David Beckham outgrew the game. His notoriety became independent of it. For that reason, with his time now freed up from all that training and medal winning, he might now reach even greater heights of world domination.

For more, here’s a documentary on Beckham from 2006…

 

Turning the Tables: Laser Cut Wood Record

Filed in: Art & Design | Tags: , , ,
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Laser Cut Record from Amanda Ghassaei on Vimeo.

A few months back, I wrote about how I used a 3D printer to transform any mp3 into a physical record.  Though all the documentation for that project is available here, and the 3D models could potentially be printed through an online fabrication service, I knew that the barrier to entry for normal people interested in trying out the process themselves was prohibitively high.  With this project I wanted to try to extend the idea of digitally fabricated records to use relatively common and affordable machines and materials so that (hopefully) more people can participate, experiment, and actually use all this documentation I’ve been writing.

These records were cut on an Epilog 120 Watt Legend EXT to a theoretical precision of 1200dpi (thekerf of the cut and some tricks I used to avoid crashing the laser cutter dropped the actual precision down by ~1/6).  The audio on the records has a bit depth between 4-5 (typical mp3 audio is 16 bit) and a sampling rate up to about 4.5kHz (mp3 is 44.1kHz).  So far I’ve successfully cut audio on wood (figs 1-2), acrylic (figs 3-4), and paper (figs 5-6), and I’m sure there are many more materials that would work.  I wrote the Processing sketch that generates the record cutting paths so that it can be modified for any song, material, cutting machine, record size, and turntable speed (skip ahead to download the code and learn how to make your own records).

You should also note that in this Instructable I’ll demonstrate specifically how I used a laser cutter for this process, but the cutting files I’m using are standard vector graphics in a PDF format, so they can be extended to many other digital fabrication tools. For example, I’m curious to see if it’s possible to use a CNC mill or a CNC razor blade paper cutter with my cutting files (a group of people were able to cut out some sine waves on paper using a Cameo in this Instructable).

Below are some of my final results, read on to see how they were made and how you can make your own.

Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart on clear acrylic (download vector files):

Radiohead – Idioteque on wood (download vector files):

The Velvet Underground and Nico – Femme Fatale on maple (download vector files):

Step 1: How Does a Record Work?
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I’ve explained a bit about how a record works and the scale of vinyl microgrooves in my 3d printed record project.  The main difference between these laser cut records and my 3d printed records is the axis that the grooves are cut on.  Since I can’t control the power of the laser while it is cutting a vector path, the laser cut records are cut laterally on the surface of the material.  This means that the needle only vibrates in the plane parallel to platter of the turntable.  The 3d printed records are “cut” vertically, meaning the needle vibrates in the plane perpendicular to the platter.  I chose to modulate the grooves vertically for the 3d printed records because the vertical axis is the most precise axis on the machine (resolution of 16 microns).

Stereo (2 channel) vinyl records are cut both vertically and laterally, this way it’s possible for two isolated channels of audio to fit into one groove.  Mono vinyls are cut laterally only, this is because the vertical cuts can become distorted, especially if you try to increase the amplitude of your waveform to increase the dynamic range of the sound.  Although I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, it’s better to to cut a mono groove laterally.

To give you an idea of the size of the grooves on a modern record, check out the image above fromChris Supranowitz, a researcher at The Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester.  This is a close up image of a vinyl record, taken with an electron microscope.  The dark objects in the grooves are tiny particles of dust.  The laser cutter cannot make such precise cuts because the width of the beam is too large, so the grooves on my records are about 1-2 orders of magnitude larger in every dimension than these grooves.

Song Premiere: Big B’s “Here Comes the Lightning”

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ARTISTdirect.com has teamed up with Big B to premiere the track “Here Comes the Lightning” from Fool’s Gold, out via Suburban Noize on July 9. It was co-written by pop diva P!nk with an assist from producer Butch Walker, who has worked with everyone from Weezer to Katy Perry to Taylor Swift.

“P!nk is a good friend of mine and we always wanted to do something together, but the timing never worked out because of her insane schedule,” Big B said. “For this album, everything just worked out, as she had the time to work on a track together with Butch Walker. It was a cool mesh my writing style with theirs and the song we created together turned out to be one of my favorite songs on the record.”

And now you can listen to the fruits of their labor.

Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/song-premiere-big-b-s-here-comes-the-lightning/10491080#pisWogBZcZ8qzUqo.99

 

 

BIGGEST TEAHUPOO EVER

Filed in: Sport / Fitness / Outdoors | Tags: , , , , , ,
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BIGGEST TEAHUPOO EVER from UnFuzzy on Vimeo.

This day at Teahupoo- Aug 27th 2011 during the Billabong Pro waiting period is what many are calling the biggest and gnarliest Teahupoo ever ridden. Chris Bryan was fortunate enough to be there working for Billabong on a day that will go down in the history of big wave surfing. The French Navy labeled this day a double code red prohibiting and threatening to arrest anyone that entered the water.
Kelly Slater described the day by saying “witnessing this was a draining feeling being terrified for other people’s lives all day long, it’s life or death. Letting go of that rope one time can change your life and not many people will ever experience that in their life.”
All images where shot by Chris Bryan using the Phantom HD Gold camera. To see more of Chris’ work check out his website.WWW.CHRISBRYANFILMS.COM
Music: Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun’ by M83.
by Chris Bryan

How to Be Happy: 8 Ways to Feel Better About Everything

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By  | Healthy Living – 1 hour 27 minutes ago

Who doesn’t wanthappiness? For most people, the question of how to achieve it is right up there with that of wondering what happens to us when we die. And psychology professorSonja Lyubomirsky is on the forefront of helping everyone find some answers, both through tireless research as well as with her books, like “The How of Happiness” (2007) and its just-published follow-up, “The Myths of Happiness.”

Happiness according to Krylon

Happiness according to Krylon

Lyubomirsky, based at the University of California, Riverside, believes that everyone has his or her own set happiness level, noted the New York Times in a recent profile of the researcher. And the less happy among us tend to share traits like frequently comparing themselves to others (and finding personal disappointment in others’ successes), rationalizing often, and dwelling on unhappy events. Happy folks, meanwhile, have a greater tendency to store up positive moments in their memory.

But whatever your set level is, Lyubomirsky’s research has showed there are many ways—known as “hedonic benefits”—to boost it, some of which may be surprising.

1. Perform random acts of kindness
“The generous acts don’t have to be random and they don’t have to be a certain kind (e.g, anonymous or social or big, etc.),” Lyubomirsky told fellow happiness-expert Gretchen Rubin. “We have found that almost any types of acts of kindness boost happiness.” Recent studies have corroborated the findings, she noted, with one showing that when 9- to 11-year old kids were asked to do good deeds for several weeks, they not only got happier, but became more popular with their peers.

2. Live in a home that’s rented, not owned 
Lyubomirsky takes the American Dream to task, saying that renters are happier than owners. At least one study agrees, finding that “Homeowners are no happier than renters by any of the following definitions: life satisfaction, overall mood, overall feeling, general moment-to-moment emotions (i.e. affect) and affect at home but instead derive more pain from their house and home.”

3. Count your blessings
Learning to practice gratefulness is particularly key to happiness, Lyubomirsky says. And there are many ways to do it: by keeping a gratitude journal, in which you ruminate on 2-3 things for which you’re currently grateful, “from the mundane (your dryer is fixed, your flowers are finally in bloom, your husband remembered to stop by the store) to the magnificent (your child’s first steps, the beauty of the sky at night),” she wrote in a recent blog post. Alternately, you can choose a fixed time that’s set aside for thinking about your blessings, or when you can talk about what’s good in your life with a gratitude partner, or even tell people directly that you’re grateful for them or their actions. Writing one day, and then thinking or discussing the next, is a good way to keep your gratitude practice fresh, she notes.

4. Be thrifty
Materialism, overconsumption and overspending will ultimately get you down, Lyubomirsky hasnoted, reiterating the point by using age-old tropes (possessions break, while memories only get better) and quotes (“Our necessities are few, but our wants are endless”). “Promoting sustainable happiness means helping people transcend set points and setbacks to live more rewarding lives,” she writes in one study. “Thrift can complement this endeavor by extending the meaning of sustainability, ensuring that the collective can flourish as well as the individual.” In other words? Greed makes everyone sad.

5. Become a parent
No, it’s not for everyone, and definitely not a quick or simple fix. But parents experience greater levels of happiness and meaning in life than people without children, according to research that Lyubomirsky led in 2012. “We are not saying that parenting makes people happy, but that parenthood is associated with happiness and meaning,” she explained. “Contrary to repeated scholarly and media pronouncements, people may find solace that parenthood and child care may actually be linked to feelings of happiness and meaning in life.”

6. Learn to savor positive experiences
“The ability to savor the positive experiences in your life is one of the most important ingredients of happiness,” according to Lyubomirsky. How to do it? Put together a small album with happy photos or mementos and carry it around with you. Try to be present and fully appreciate small, happy moments—from taking a shower to eating a meal. And tune in to natural joys, from the sound of a bird singing to the smell of fresh spring blossoms in the air.

7. Take baby steps toward life goalsMaking a list of your big goals in life, and taking baby steps toward them, is very happy-inducing. That’s because a component of happiness is the sense that your life is good, “that you’re progressing towards your goals in life,” Lyubomirsky told Diane Rehm. This is a digestible way to make it possible.

8. Stay healthy and live long: Happiness peaks at age 65
As she noted in her first book, a 22-year study of about 2,000 healthy veterans of World War II and the Korean War revealed that life satisfaction increased over the course of these men’s lives, peaked at age 65, and didn’t start significantly declining until age 75. Takeaway: Not happy at 30? Don’t give up, and don’t rush it. There’s still time.

SLO Weekend

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Shot minutes before the sun drops behind the cliffs in Pirates Cove. San Luis Obispo, CA

Made a quick trek up the coast this last weekend to Central California for a few Allensworth shows.  We meet some great people at the Sanitarium Spa in San Luis Obispo, CA.  Vince and Suzy are the owners/caretakers of the bed & breakfast, who have strived to make the sanitarium not only one of California’s best bed & breakfasts, but a breeding ground for creativity and expression.  If you get a chance, book a night or two and enjoy the city, it’s surroundings and nightlife.  You will not be disappointed. Check out the gallery below >

The Plight of The Torpedo People

Filed in: Sport / Fitness / Outdoors | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Come Hell or High Water, Keith Malloy’s debut film explores the history and progression of the sport of body surfing and the pureness that comes from riding a wave.  Primarily shot in 16mm, the film takes a unique look at the culture, beauty and simplicity of the sport while capturing the stories and locations important to the community of body surfing.​​

While Malloy is most widely known for his time in the water as a surfer, his exploration into the world of body surfing began some 10 years ago when he wanted to reconnect with the ocean and did so through body surfing. ​

It’s about taking a breath and kicking your feet in the big blue sea.

 

Fun fitness stoke fully immersed in nature. Voyeuristic solitude. Freeform spontaneous silly amusing disciplined focused. Out for a swim and getting some too. No game face needed; invisible. Picking choosing positioning treading sprinting charged electric reposition kick ride. Fin rub cramp up work out. Floating weightless not sitting or standing on it, but in it. Food chain member. No shackles–float bob trip undulate stretch out like no one’s business. Underwater bending and contorting, a lunatic bouncing off the walls. Body chemistry and water composition matched. Relaxed neutralized and massaged by the sea pressure. Stimulated by power beauty and marine life. Two ounces of Speedo, fins and saltwater. Go swim.​

– Mark Cunningham.

 

 

Michigan Tech Scientist Honored for Food Safety Innovation

Filed in: Grow Your Own | Tags: , , , , ,
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mtunews@mtu.edu

906-487-2343,

By Marcia Goodrich

Nearly all fresh fruit and vegetables are safe and nutritious. Michigan Tech researcher Jaroslaw Drelich has developed a new antimicrobial compound that could make our food supply even safer.

Nearly all fresh fruit and vegetables are safe and nutritious. Michigan Tech researcher Jaroslaw Drelich has developed a new antimicrobial compound that could make our food supply even safer.

March 18, 2013—

Microbes lurk almost everywhere, from fresh food and air filters to toilet seats and folding money. Most of the time, they are harmless to humans. But sometimes they aren’t. Every year, thousands of people sicken from E. coli infections and hundreds die in the US alone. Now Michigan Technological University scientist Jaroslaw Drelich has found a new way to get them before they get us.

His innovation relies on copper, an element valued for centuries for its antibiotic properties. Drelich, a professor of materials science and engineering, has discovered how to embed nanoparticles of the red metal into vermiculite, an inexpensive, inert compound sometimes used in potting soil. In preliminary tests on local lake water, it killed 100 percent of E. coli bacteria in the sample. Drelich also found that it was effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus, the common staph bacteria.

Other studies have shown that copper is toxic to Listeria, Salmonella and even the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA.

Bacteria aren’t the only microorganisms that copper can kill. It is also toxic to viruses and fungi. If it were incorporated into food packaging materials, it could help prevent a variety of foodborne diseases, Drelich says.

The copper-vermiculite material mixes well with many other materials, like cardboard and plastic, so it could be used in packing beads, boxes, even cellulose-based egg cartons.

And because the cost is so low—25 cents per pound at most—it would be an inexpensive, effective way to improve the safety of the food supply, especially fruits and vegetables. Drelich is working with the Michigan Tech SmartZone to commercialize the product through his business, Micro Techno Solutions, the recipient of the 2012 Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest Food Safety Innovation Award. He expects to further test the material and eventually license it to companies that pack fresh food.

The material could have many other applications as well. It could be used to treat drinking water, industrial effluent, even sewage.  “I’ve had inquiries from companies interested in purifying water,” Drelich says.

And it could be embedded in products used in public places where disease transmission is a concern: toilet seats, showerheads, even paper toweling.

“When you make a discovery like this, it’s hard to envision all the potential applications,” he says. It could even be mixed into that wad of dollar bills in your wallet. “Money is the most contaminated product on the market.”

Drelich’s initial research on the copper-vermiculite materials is described in the article “Vermiculite Decorated with Copper Nanoparticles: Novel Antibacterial Hybrid Material,” published in 2011 in Applied Surface Science. The coauthors are Bowen Li, Patrick Bowen, Jiann-Yang Hwang, Owen Mills and Daniel Hoffman.

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.