By Brian Benson/Daily News staff Milford Daily News Posted Oct 03, 2012 @ 12:01 AM Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x422903774/Natick-Labs-crafts-armor-for-the-female-body#ixzz2UcCJgR8r Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial Follow us: @metrowestdaily on Twitter | MetroWestDailyNews on Facebook NATICK — Three years ago, female soldiers presented workers at Natick Soldier Systems Center with a problem: Body armor vests they wear, sometimes 24 hours a day, didn’t fit them. Some complained of hip bone bruises because the vests were too long or that they couldn’t adequately aim weapons because the shoulder area was not properly fitted, said Lynne Hennessey, a clothing designer at the base’s Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. "They couldn’t really accomplish their mission," Hennessey said. "…Women comprise at least 14 percent of the Army population, so it is a big issue." But, thanks to research performed at what is commonly known as Natick Labs, the U.S. Army is preparing to outfit some female soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division with body armor vests specifically designed to fit their bodies. Soldiers will test the equipment when they deploy to Afghanistan in the coming months Combing the efforts of clothing designers, people who study body sizes and the others at Natick Labs, scientists designed the armor, called an improved outer tactical vest, with narrower shoulders and a "better, closer curved fit," said Hennessey, who lives in Ashland and has worked at Natick for more than two decades. Workers also shortened the vest and made it more adjustable at the waist and shoulders, Hennessey said. Project engineer Deana Archambault said the changes impact the vest and not the performance of hard plates that go inside it, to keep soldiers safe. "They have the same level of protection," said Archambault, who lives in Framingham. The newest generation of vests –whether designed for a man or woman – have an improved release system so soldiers can take them off quickly in an emergency, Hennessey said. Archambault, who wore the new vest as part of a limited user evaluation, said the improvements were readily apparent. "What a difference it made," Archambault said of wearing the vest for eight hours a day while participating in obstacle courses and other training soldiers would endure. "Because I’m not a soldier, I had never worn the (prior generations of the vest) for any extended period of time. To do this comparison was very eye-opening." Hennessey said soldiers who have tested the new vests said they are balanced on their bodies. "They could just feel the difference," Hennessey said. Archambault said the team plans to continue taking feedback from soldiers and may make some tweaks before finalizing specifications so they can be ordered for women throughout the Army. (Brian Benson can be reached at 508-626-3964 or bbenson@wickedlocal.com.) Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x422903774/Natick-Labs-crafts-armor-for-the-female-body#ixzz2UcCYOSRA Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial Follow us: @metrowestdaily on Twitter | MetroWestDailyNews on Facebook ---------------------------------- Jenniza here: I was listening to general chat today, and there seemed to be debate about the concept of the quick-release armor plating system. I was hoping this might contribute to the conversation a little; but, not aggravate it. Not trying to flame, troll, etc. Just trying to help. I probably didn't understand the full objections to the discussions on chat anyway. My apologies.

I forget whether it was KOTOR 1 or KOTOR 2; but, my character had just unsuccessively tried to save a very very major party member from the Dark Side.... it all went very very very badly.... a lot of blood was spilled, my character ended up with some major major new equipment..... when she exited the boss mob combat room, there she stood, in all her glory, looking TOTALLY dark dark dark (the opposite from her goody two-shoes look) Between the entire 30 minutes or so of intense roleplay, combat and looting/equipping, she had felt like she went from Light to Dark right before my eyes when I saw her standing there in the doorway. It was shocking. I just sat there in my chair for about a minute staring at the transformation. It was one of the most amazing transformations I had seen in a couple of years (not necessarily in my life; but you asked for Star Wars memories )

Always read the fine print..... It quite clearly states that Early Game Access will be First Come, First Served. Even though I was ready to play today if that was even possible, I did not reschedule my life around a game. Real life take priority. Always remember that. Yes, my husband and I laid out close to $300 for Collector's editions of the game; but, still real life takes priority over a game: doctor's visits, finals, etc. Granted I wanted to play today; but, when I heard that the potential schedule for EGA was: Tuesday: July Wednesday: August Thursday: September Friday: October Saturday: November Sunday: December We figured maybe this would give us a chance to see a movie on Thursday [Email: Dated October, 2011] How to redeem your "Star Wars: The Old Republic" early access code: Step 1: Go to http://www.swtor.com/preorder/code Step 2: Click "Register your pre-order" (You will be prompted to log in or create a "Star Wars: The Old Republic" account if needed) Step 3: Enter and Confirm your pre-order code when prompted Step 4: Complete Registration Step 5: You will be notified by email of your early access time at a later date For support, please visit http://www.swtor.com/support Thank you for your continued support of Amazon Games. ~Amazon.com Video Games Editors *Pre-order offer expires when product releases. Code expires December 31, 2012. Good only for new purchases of "Star Wars: The Old Republic" ("product"). Valid only at participating retailers. Code will be given at time of pre-order and may not be substituted, exchanged, traded, sold or redeemed for cash or other goods or services. Valid wherever product is sold. May not be combined with any other offer, gift card, rebate or discount coupon. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Acceptance of end user access and license agreement, persistent internet connection, account registration (13+ to register), paid subscription and valid payment method required to access gameplay. EULAS and disclosures can be found at http://www.ea.com/1/product-eulas . Payment method age restrictions may apply. Entitlement to early access is contingent on the date of your pre-order and the release date of the product. See pre-order FAQ's at http://ww.swtor.com/preorder/faq for details. SWTOR online service may be retired after 90 days notice posted on http://www.swtor.com . Agreement to share account information with Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. ("Lucasfilm") is required. Privacy policy and terms of service available at http://www.swtor.com . The first 30 days of subscription is included in the purchase price of the product. Subscriptions may be cancelled at any time. See http://www.swtor.com for details. While supplies last. Pre-order quantities limited. [Email: Dated: December 07, 2011] Early Game Access* will begin on December 13th at 7:00AM EST, 2011 and ends on December 19th, 2011 at 10:01PM EST. During this time, we will be emailing invitations to join Early Game Access based on the order in which you redeemed your Pre-Order Code. Pre-load the game client now, so you're ready to play when your Early Game Access invitation arrives. Note that download time can vary and may take awhile.