By Mike Mount, CNN Senior National Security Producer

updated 6:07 AM EDT, Thu October 25, 2012

(CNN) -- The Air Force wants to rebuild a "fence" around Earth to keep out the riffraff.

Sounds like a Hollywood script to counter aliens or asteroids but it's a real program the military wants to update at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion.

Just don't expect any space cowboys digging post holes and wrangling barbed wire in orbit.

The "space fence" is a series of radar signals managed by the Air Force that has long tracked an ever-growing pile of rocket and satellite parts and other man-made fragments from collisions that zoom around Earth's vicinity at thousands of miles per hour.

The military tracks about 20,000 pieces of so-called "space junk" but the actual size of the problem is ten times larger than that. Pieces that need tracking are as small as a softball to as large as a bus.

Regardless of size, the debris is a danger to manned space flight, such as the International Space Station, and unmanned operations, like the hundreds of satellites circling the planet at any one time.

Those satellites bring in television, run GPS and carry cell service, so the everyday and commercial stakes of managing the problem are high. The military also operates communications and other satellites.

The space station crew has been forced to take shelter in escape capsules because of the possibility of being hit by orbital debris on three occasions. The last incident was in March when a piece of debris from a Russian satellite passed close by.

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Mending fences in space

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Texas A&M equestrian senior Emily Williams was named the first-ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) Over Fences Rider of the Month by the conference office today. Williams (Woodbine, Md.) is the only SEC rider in any discipline with a perfect 4-0 record on the season and has defeated her opponents by an average of 10.0, including a 12.7 point difference on the road. The over fences standout owns one Most Outstanding Player (MOP) award on the season, which she earned at No. 1 Georgia. Williams has recorded two scores in the 80s, against top-ranked UGA and No. 3 Auburn. Three of her four victories have been against top-10 teams, and three were earned on the road. The No. 4 Texas A&M equestrian team officially joined the SEC in July as the conference decided to sponsor the sport for the 2012-13 season. The Aggies will host Fresno State (RV) on Nov. 10 at the Brazos Valley Expo Complex (BVEC). To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter.

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Williams Named SEC Over Fences Rider of the Month

The Padres plan for Petco Park to still be a pitcher's park, but just not as extreme as its current dimensions.

Andy Hayt/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark - which some people derisively called Petco National Park - to one that plays more fairly.

"We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans," Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. "That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint."

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).

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Padres plan to move in portion of Petco's fences

The Padres plan for Petco Park to still be a pitcher's park, but just not as extreme as its current dimensions.

Andy Hayt/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark - which some people derisively called Petco National Park - to one that plays more fairly.

"We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans," Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. "That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint."

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).

See the original post here:

Padres plan to move in portions of Petco's fences

The changes to Petco Park involve moving in the fences in both left and right field.(San Diego Padres)

SAN DIEGO -- Dimension changes are officially coming to Petco Park in 2013, changes the Padres hope will allow their downtown ballpark to play more neutral moving forward.

The team announced on Monday that the modifications will affect left-center, right-center and right field. Construction is set to begin this week.

The changes will include:

Moving in the wall that runs from the right-field porch to right-center 11 feet. The wall will also be lowered to match the height of the sub-eight-foot wall in left and center field.

The out-of-town scoreboard in right field will be relocated. Seating modifications in that area will be announced later. In right-center, the wall will move from 402 feet to 391 feet.

The wall in left-center will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet.

The visiting bullpen, currently down the right-field line in foul territory, will be moved to center field behind the existing home bullpen area.

The Padres, who moved into their downtown ballpark in 2004, have ranked last in the Major Leagues in runs scored at home four times since 2004 (2006 to 2009) and 29th on two occasions (2005, 2011). Their best finish, oddly enough, occurred this past season, when they ranked 24th.

The Padres pored over offensive data dating back to the ballpark's opening but focused more of their attention on the results of the last three seasons. Josh Stein, director of baseball operations, and his team were the ones responsible for the research.

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Padres moving the fences in at Petco in 2013

UpdatedOct 22, 2012 9:20 PM ET

The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark, which some people derisively called Petco National Park, to one that plays more fairly.

''We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans,'' Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. ''That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint.''

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).

Link:

Padres to move in Petco's fences

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark which some people derisively called Petco National Park to one that plays more fairly.

"We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans," Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. "That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint."

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).

The changes are good news to sluggers like Chase Headley, and even pitcher Tim Stauffer said he's OK with them.

"Any way that they can make a ballpark play a bit more fair is a good thing," said Headley, who won the NL RBI title with 115 and set career bests with 31 homers, 173 hits and 95 runs scored. "I definitely like a variation among the stadiums, but when you have a stadium that plays so drastic to one side, anything that you can improve the consistency of for both sides is a positive."

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Padres to move in portion of Petco's fences

(MoneyWatch) If you have trouble finding files because you use your Windows desktop as a sort of free-form filing cabinet, then there's hope on the horizon. In the past, I've recommended what might well be my favorite Windows utility of all time: Fences. Fences lets you quickly and easily rope off sections of the desktop to organize files in groups that look sort of like open folder windows. You can hide all of these "fences" with a double click, and double click to bring them back again. Fences might not sound like much, but trust me: It's utterly transformational. Almost without exception, when people see my desktop they ask me about Fences, and often they try it and fall in love as well.

Well, Stardock has released a new version of Fences, and it's amazing how much they've overhauled the app without "breaking" what I love about it: Its simplicity.

Perhaps more than anything, Fences 2.0 feels like it's built into Windows itself rather than an add-on from some other company. Settings and preferences for Fences are now baked into the Windows Control Panel, for example. And like an ordinary folder, you can now sort and arrange the contents of a Fences group using all the usual criteria, and even show files in list format as opposed to icons.

That's not all. Fences now supports "pages" of Fences; you can swipe your desktop to change the Fences that appear. Not unlike the way you can browse through pages of apps on your phone or tablet. Have a folder full of files that you need persistent access to on the desktop? Rather than copying the folder to the desktop, you can turn that folder into a Fences group.

Fences 2.0 is an awesome upgrade to what was already one of the few absolutely indispensable Windows utilities. I guarantee that you'll be more organized and walk with a spring in your step after trying Fences. The only downside: Unlike the original Fences, there's no free version of Fences 2.0. After the 30-day trial, you'll need to pay a very reasonable $10 to keep the program. Give it a try, though, and I think you'll see that it's well worth the equivalent of a couple of cups of coffee.

Go here to see the original:

Clean up your desktop with Fences

Updated: October 22, 2012, 9:22 PM ET

SAN DIEGO -- The vast outfield at Petco Park will no longer be a place where long fly balls go to die.

The San Diego Padres said Monday that work will begin this week to bring in the fences in right field and left-center, and to move the visitor's bullpen from right-field foul territory to behind the home bullpen beyond the fence in left-center.

After years of angst by their sluggers, the Padres said it was time to change the extreme nature of the downtown ballpark -- which some people derisively called Petco National Park -- to one that plays more fairly.

"We want the park to play the right away for players and for the fans," Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said. "That was driven first by baseball operations in terms of the right way to construct the dimensions to make it more fair for players. Players know what's fair and what's not. When they crush a ball that would be out in 29 other parks, and it's not out here, they know that it's not fair. We wanted to make it more fair from that standpoint."

For the fans, the changes might result in fewer boring games.

From the right-field porch to the right-center gap, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 391 feet and lowered to match the rest of the outfield wall. The out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall will be relocated to a new spot above right field as part of seating modifications.

In left-center, the fence will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet to allow for the visiting team's bullpen to be relocated, mostly for safety issues.

The dimensions will remain the same down the left-field line (336 feet), right-field line (322) and straightaway center (396).

The changes are good news to sluggers like Chase Headley, and even pitcher Tim Stauffer said he's OK with them.

Originally posted here:

Padres will move in portion of Petco's fences

A new version of Fences was released earlier this month, adding a couple of new tricks to the Windows desktop organizer.

Fences 2.0 doesn't mess with what worked in the first version, which we loved when we looked at it three years ago. You get the same easy functionality of creating shaded areas (aka fences) on your desktop for organizing your files and folders. It lets you create rules, as you could with the old Fences Pro version, which automatically direct certain types of files to particular fences. Fences 2.0 introduces two new and useful features -- Folder Portals and Desktop Pages -- but before we get to them, let's quickly go over how the app works.

When you launch Fences 2.0, you can either start with a default layout or start from scratch and create your own fences. Choose the former, and the app will organize all the icons on your desktop, save the Recycle Bin, into fences. In my case, it created three fences: Programs, Folder, and Files & Documents.

To create a new fence, draw a rectangle on your desktop and choose "Create Fence here." You can then name and resize the fence. You can also drag the fence to reposition it, and there are a number of views and ways to sort a fence, which are accessible from a pull-down menu located in the upper-left corner of a fence.

Click the X in the upper-right corner to close a fence. When closing a fence, you can choose to delete all of the files contained therein, or you can close the fence while leaving its files on your desktop.

Lastly, you can double-click to hide all of the fences on your desktop, and you can exclude certain folders from this quick-hide feature (from the View menu accessible from the upper-left corner). Double-click again and your hidden fences reappear.

Now, to the two new features: Folder Portals and Desktop Pages.

A Folder Portal does not take you to another dimension, but it does offer a live view from your desktop to any folder. There are three ways to create a Folder Portal. You can hold down the Alt key while dragging and dropping a folder to your desktop, draw a rectangle on your desktop and choose the "Create Folder Portal here" option, or you can right-click on a folder and choose "Show this folder on the desktop." Not only does a Folder Portal give you quick access to the contents of a commonly accessed folder, but it also lets you open the folder by double-clicking the header or any blank space of a Folder Portal.

Desktop Pages lets you create multiple desktop screens (aka pages). Much like swiping through screens on a smartphone, you can swipe through these Desktop Pages. To swipe, move your cursor to the side edge of your display and drag while holding down the left-mouse button. Or you can hold down both mouse buttons and drag from anywhere on the screen. You can also use the Alt key and the arrow keys on your keyboard to swipe through your pages. To move a folder from one page to another, simply drag it to the edge of your screen.

Pricing has changed. There is no longer a limited free version and a pro version. Instead, there is one version, but you can try before you buy with a 30-day free trial. Fences 2.0 costs $9.99 (or $6.99 upgrade for Fences Pro users).

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Fences 2.0 helps manage your desktop chaos