Moored in the shadow of the Bay Bridge off of Treasure Island, a former military base, the nondescript barge is stacked several stories high with white shipping containers, and sprouts what appear to be antennas on top. The hulking structure, half shrouded in scaffolding, has stirred intense speculation in the Bay Area since reports of its existence surfaced late last week.

Technology website CNET theorized that the vessel might be a floating data center that will house banks of computers. Local TV station KPIX said the barge is intended to serve as a floating retail store for Google's "Glass" wearable computer device although its external appearance, at least thus far, doesn't suggest such a purpose.

Adding to the mystery, a second similar barge was recently spotted in Portland, Maine, and is also registered to By and Large LLC, according to local media reports.

The company itself is keeping mum, refusing even to acknowledge its affiliation with the vessels.

Secrecy is a standard business practice in Silicon Valley, where technology companies such as Apple Inc go to great lengths to keep their latest gadgets under wraps and a constellation of blogs compete to reveal highly prized details. Authentic Kamerion Wimbley Jersey

But the concealment effort surrounding the barge is in another league. Chainlink fences and security guards encircle a pier and a couple of nearby buildings on the island, which sits between San Francisco and Oakland.

A California state inspector, who said he had business in the hangarlike Building 3 where some of the early construction took place, told Reuters he had to surrender his mobile phone and sign a confidentiality agreement in order to enter.

Bob Jessup, a construction company superintendent who works in a building across the street, said Google spent the past year working on the project. He said they fenced off a wide area and brought in at least 40 welders a day, who worked around the clock and refused to say a word.

"They wouldn't give up any of the information," Jessup said. "It was a phenomenal production. None of them would tell us anything."

He said they worked on the inside and the outside of the shipping containers, outfitting them with electronics "very hush hush" and then loaded them onto the barge with a crane. They put sides on the containers, with glass windows in some of them. They had to weld them very precisely so they could stack, Jessup recounted.

Jessup said he could not imagine that Google would try to use the floating vessel as a retail outlet. "Who's going to want to climb up in there?" he asked. "It's really ugly."

The vessel is registered to a company called By and Large LLC, and some nearby property on Treasure Island has been subleased to the same firm. Representatives of the firm could not be reached for comment.

Larry Goldzband, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, told Reuters his agency has had several meetings with Google officials about the barge in recent months. Yet the company provided little information other than telling him that the vessel will be used for "general technology purposes," he said.

Google "could not give us a specific plan of any kind," not even whether they intended the barge to move or stay in one place, Goldzband said. If the barge remains in place for an extended period of time after its construction is completed, it will require a permit from the BCDC, he said. Authentic Nate Washington Jersey

"We've asked counsel to get us as much information as soon as they can, so that we can continue the discussion," Goldzband said, referring to Google's law firm.

In December of 2012, they released their first single off of the album, "Violence (Enough is Enough)," which got everyone pumped for what was to come from Common Courtesy. tours that they have done this year, they have played other songs from the album, like "Right Back At It Again" and "Dead Buried." I thought the songs were amazing live, but on the actual record, you learn so much more about the songs and appreciate it so much more.

For someone who has never listened to A Day to Remember but enjoys poppunk music, here's what to expect: I can almost guarantee that you'll enjoy at least a little bit. Their melodies are bound to get engraved in your brain. And if you're going through a semibitter breakup, you'll probably relate to a few of the songs. Let's be honest: What's better than being able to relate to music? (Let alone supercatchy music!) Authentic Pat McAfee Jersey

For someone who has listened to A Day to Remember: Common Courtesy reminded me of a lot of their older albums in different ways, which is a good thing, of course. For example, "Life Lessons Learned The Hard Way" was a heavy song, something that would remind a fan of something from For Those Who Have Heart. Then, they have a couple acoustic songs, which may remind them of "If It Means A Lot to You." Overall, the way I look at it is that the album is almost like a time line of music they have made, and music they are beginning to make. On the first listen, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It wasn't a snoozer album every song told a new, different story with different music with different beats.

Pros of Common Courtesy: I really enjoyed how relatable a lot of the songs were. I also loved how the song "The Document Speaks for Itself" gives you an insight on their court case with their record company. It's a unique and interesting way to let the fans know what exactly is going on.

Cons of Common Courtesy: I may be being a little biased because A Day to Remember is my favorite band, but I can't pick out any flaws with the album. Yes, it is that good!

To sum it up, I will happily give Common Courtesy five out of five stars. It's easy to get stuck in your head and easy to jam to; it's truly 54 minutes of pure amazingness! I can say that I'm really proud of these guys for being able to put out such a phenomenal album all by themselves. To get a listen to this album, you can listen to it on YouTube or buy it off of their online store (it isn't available on iTunes yet, nor in stores because of their court case). However, in a few months they are looking to release a physical copy with three extra songs! How exciting is that?

Research consistently finds that listening to music distracts athletes from their "bodily awareness" (read: pain). And a recent study found that not just listening, but controlling and creating music in time to one's pace had an even more profound effect on perceived effort during a workout.

While the study did suggest there's more to it than distraction, working out with music did make participants less aware of their exertion. Such a distraction can benefit athletic performance by up to 15 percent, The Guardian reported. The faster the better, according to WebMD: Upbeat tunes have more information for our brains to process, which takes your mind off of that side stitch. Andre Iguodala Jersey

A 2010 study found that cyclists actually worked harder when listening to faster music as compared to music at a slower tempo. But too fast is no good, either. Songs between 120 and 140 beats per minute (bpm) have the maximum effect on moderate exercisers.

3. Music puts you "in the zone".

Everyone has that goto song that gets you "in the zone," and there's science to why it works. We associate certain songs with memories, often relating to the context in which we originally heard them, such as the first time you watched Rocky. Channeling that memory or even just the emotion of the singer boosts the motivational power of the song, and has been shown to improve physical performance.

4. A good beat can help you keep pace.

The rhythm of your workout music stimulates the motor area of the brain as to when to move, thereby aiding selfpaced exercises such as running or weightlifting. Clueing into these time signals helps us use our energy more efficiently, since keeping a steady pace is easier on our bodies than fluctuating throughout a sweat session.

5. Music can elevate your mood.

An August 2013 analysis found that people often listen to music as a way to change their mood and find selfawareness. Study participants said that listening to music allowed them to think about themselves, who they wanted to be and give them an escape from the present. No matter what happened an hour ago, you can use your tunes to help you escape negativity and power you through your workout and you know you'll feel great when it's over. Klay Thompson Authentic Jersey

You really can't stop the beat! Researchers found that when music possesses "highgroove" qualities, the brain gets excited and induces movement in the listener. Basically, your playlist has the ability to make you move no matter how much you're dreading that workout.

7. Listen to music already? Take it to the next level: Making music while you work has an important added benefit.

According to a study published earlier this month, the relationship between music and physical exertion may be more complicated than we initially thought. It isn't just listening to music that drowns out our pain and exhaustion, asserts lead researcher Tom Fritz. The process of creating and controlling music in time to one's exercise improves the experience even more.

Participants exercised on machines designed to alter the music they were listening to based on their movements, essentially allowing them to create their own soundtrack. Compared to exercisers who had no control over the music, those with "musical agency" reported feeling like they hadn't worked as hard.

We can't all work out on equipment that coordinates our movements with musical sounds, but we can harness the power of creating music when we exercise. The finding, said Fritz about his study may provide "a previously unacknowledged driving force for the development of music in humans: making music makes strenuous physical activities less exhausting."

Does music improve your workouts? Let us know in the comments below!

Eases Anxiety In Cancer Patients Researchers from Drexel University found that cancer patients who either listened to music or worked with a music therapist experienced a reduction in anxiety.

The review by the Cochrane Collaboration included 1,891 people with cancer, and found that people who participated in music somehow not only had decreased anxiety, but also better blood pressure levels and improved moods, HealthDay reported.

Reduces Stress If you listen to your iPod every day on your way to work or break out the guitar every evening, then you'll like this finding.

A doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg reveals that listening to music every day lowers stress. The thesis was based on the results of two studies, which showed that people who listened to music also felt positive emotions. "To get the positive effects of music, you have to listen to music that you like."

Helps During Surgery Listening to music while lying on the operating table could help to lower stress, TIME reported.

The research, conducted by Cleveland Clinic researchers, included patients mostly with Parkinson's disease as they were undergoing brain surgery. The researchers found that the study participants who listened to pure melodies versus just rhythmic arrangements, or a mix of the two were comforted the most. Their brains also reflected this calming, TIME reported, with some of the study participants even falling asleep.

Protects Your Ears' SoundProcessing AbilitiesA 2011 study in the journal Psychology and Aging shows that being a lifelong musician is linked with better sound processing, the Washington Post reported.

The study included 163 people (74 of whom had played music all their lives). The researchers also found a link between hearing test scores and the amount of time the study participants practiced their music, according to the Washington Post.

Boosts Heart Health Odd as it may seem, University of Maryland Medical Center researchers have found a link between listening to music and heart health.

The researchers found that listening to joyful music is linked with dilation of blood vessels' inner lining, meaning more flow of blood through the blood vessels. Specifically, the diameter of blood vessels grew by 26 percent when a person listened to happy music. However, the opposite effect was noted when a person listened to anxietytriggering music blood vessel diameter decreased by 6 percent as a result.