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Nikon Coolpix 5000Nikon moves into the 5 megapixel era with a new chip, new lens, and new body, but no retreat from the legendary Nikon feature set!
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Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 9/18/2001
Test Results
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, I encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the Coolpix 5000 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
Overall, the Coolpix 5000 performed very well, delivering good image quality and excellent color throughout my testing. Colors were very natural and accurate, looking more "film-like" than some competing models with higher color saturation. Under daylight conditions, the auto white balance was quite accurate, although I sometimes chose the Daylight white balance preset to get a slightly warmer tone. Manual white balance seemed a little problematic though, as I frequently got a slightly greenish cast from it. - I'm going to experiment a bit further with it, to see if it might have been the paper I was using as a white reference, but at this point, I'm thinking it's the white balance itself that was just a tad green. Indoors (under household incandescent lighting), the Manual white balance option was the only satisfactory option, as both Auto and Incandescent settings produced shots that were too warm-toned. Overall though, for the vast majority of shots, Auto white balance worked fine.
The default tonal balance of the Coolpix 5000 was just slightly contrasty for my tastes, but overall about in the middle of the range among digicams I've tested. In contrasty scenes, highlights tended to get a little "hot" if the midtones were properly exposed, but as noted, the 5000 was actually about average in this respect. I also found the 5000's image noise levels a bit higher than average, relative to its competition, with the greatest impact in the blue channel. Image noise is an area that people respond very differently to. For some, noise is anathema, cause for much wailing and gnashing of teeth. For others, it's just "digital film grain", and not a cause for particular concern (unless it's *really* bad). The noise levels on the Coolpix 5000 are a bit higher than some competing models, but well within the range most users will find acceptable. - But please don't take my word for it: The whole point of me shooting all the standardized test photos I do is so you can form your own opinions of which camera you like best.
On the noise front, I've just recently become aware of some amazing and very affordable Photoshop "actions" developed by pro photographer Fred Miranda that do an incredible job of reducing image noise without significantly impacting detail. Fred's developed a custom set of actions specifically tuned to the 5000's image characteristics that do a fantastic job of cleaning up the 5000's chroma noise, especially at high ISOs. (The ISOR filter cuts the image noise by almost two stops, making ISO 400 look nearly as good as 100, and 800 look nearly as good as 200, etc. - I checked a chunk of the wall in these sample images, the standard deviation at ISO 400 from the camera was 4.96, but only 2.27 after ISOR. At ISO 100 out of the camera, it was 2.11.)
The photo above (click to see the full-sized version so you can really see the noise) shows how effective Fred's action is on an ISO 400 shot from the Coolpix 5000. If you have Photoshop, I think the $15 for Fred's "ISOR" actions should be a complete no-brainer for any Coolpix 5000 owner. - Click here for more information, or to buy them! (Congrats to Fred on an amazing job with this!)
The Coolpix 5000 did pretty well on my "laboratory" resolution test chart. It started showing artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions as low as 1,000 - 1,100 lines per picture height, in both horizontal and vertical directions, but I found "strong detail" out to about 1,250 lines. "Extinction" of the target patterns occurred at about 1,500 lines. These results were somewhat interesting relative to the Sony F707, which uses the same CCD (AFAIK), but a different lens and different image processing. - The 5000 edges the 707 slightly in terms of the maximum frequency it can cleanly resolve (the 707 showed more aliasing at the 1200-1300 line level), but the 707 shows at least some image activity to much higher levels (the "extinction" point). - This supports my earlier conclusion that the 5000 seems to be capturing as much actual detail, but just isn't displaying it as crisply in its files. I spent some time squinting at 8x10 and larger prints from both cameras, and found that the 5000 seemed to do a better job with high-contrast fine detail (eg, tree branches against the sky), while the F707 did better with low-contrast fine detail (eg, hair on people's heads). Both cameras capture a lot of detail, and you can make quite large prints with no pixelization or artifacts from both. Ultimately, it'll come down to personal preference (as it always does anyway) which camera any given user will prefer.
Optical distortion on the Coolpix 5000 was just on the high side of average with the lens set to its widest angle focal length, where I measured an approximate 0.88 percent barrel distortion. (The average is closer to 0.8 percent. I'd really like to see *all* digicam lenses have lower barrel distortion, but the 5000 is only just over average in this respect.) The telephoto end fared better, as I found about 0.19 percent pincushion distortion. Chromatic aberration is moderate, showing about three or four pixels of red coloration and five or six pixels of green coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges of the field of view on the resolution target.) The Chromatic Aberration doesn't seem much worse than average (on this test at least), but IMHO, "average" is too high for a high-end camera like the Coolpix 5000. (For what it's worth, the Canon G2's lens had less, while the F707's lens had the same amount or more.)
The Coolpix 5000 offers full manual exposure control and a maximum timed exposure of 8 seconds (outside of the Bulb setting), with bulb exposures as long as 5 minutes possible. Combined with Nikon's noise reduction system, this gives the camera excellent low-light shooting abilities. The camera captured bright, clear images at light levels down to the 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux) light limit of my test at all four ISO settings (100, 200, 400, and 800 equivalents). Color looked good as well, even at the darkest light levels. Noise remained low at the 100 and 200 ISO settings, increasing slightly at ISO 400. Noise was much higher at ISO 800 (as you'd expect), even with the camera's Noise Reduction feature turned on.
The Coolpix 5000's optical viewfinder is a little tight, as I measured approximately 87 percent frame accuracy at wide angle, and about 82 percent at telephoto. (Most digicams seem to aim for about an 85% frame coverage with their optical viewfinders, so the 5000 is average in this respect. Inaccurate optical viewfinders are a pet peeve of mine though - I really don't see why digicams, especially high-end ones like the Coolpix 5000, shouldn't have more accurate optical finders.) The LCD monitor fared much better, showing approximately 98 percent of the frame at wide angle, and about 99 percent at telephoto.
Like the rest of Nikon's Coolpix line, the Coolpix 5000 performed very well in the macro category, capturing a tiny minimum area of just 1.29 x 0.96 inches (32.7 x 24.5 millimeters), among the better macro areas I've seen. Resolution was outstanding in the details of the dollar bill, and the printing details were very sharp. The close shooting range rendered the brooch details out of focus (this is normal, due to the limited depth of field this close), and I noticed some minor corner softness from the lens in the left corners. (Corner softness is also common in extreme macro shots with digicams. - You really need to go to a high-end macro lens on an SLR to avoid the curvature of field that produces this in extreme macro shooting.) Color was good as well. While the Coolpix 5000's flash had trouble throttling down for the ultra-close macro range, it actually did much better than I expected, given the very close proximity of the camera to the subject.t.
Overall, I liked the Nikon 5000 quite a bit. Most of all, I liked its very natural, "filmlike" color rendition. I really think Nikon got the color management on the 5000 just right: Appropriately saturated, hue-accurate, very pleasing. I'd like to see a bit less image noise, and "crisper" in-camera image sharpening, but prints I made from its files were very pleasing to the eye. On the plus side, its macro and low light capabilities are really outstanding. My favorite feature is the (magical) Best Shot Selector feature, which let me capture reasonably sharp handheld exposures at shutter times as long as 1/2 second.(!) Probably the bottom line is that I really enjoyed shooting with the Coolpix 5000 in the time I had with it, and it ended up being my camera of choice for several family events while I had it around. - Impressive, considering the range of cameras that were in the studio at the same time. (Sorry, I won't name names, to protect the innocent.)
ConclusionIn final analysis, the Coolpix 5000 is a great photographic tool. It offers excellent color, 5 megapixels of resolution, and the usual bevy of cool Nikon features. I really liked the articulated LCD screen, actually preferring it to the swivel-body design of earlier high-end Coolpix models. I also found the Nikon accessory lenses (I had a 2x telephoto and wide angle to play with) to be of exceptionally high quality, far beyond the typical add-on optics common in the digicam arena. The hot shoe for connecting an external flash is a very welcome addition, but I'm puzzled as to why Nikon didn't provide support for the zooming flash heads on their high-end speedlights. Still, the standard hot shoe makes interfacing to a host of third-party flash products (including studio strobes) easy. Looking over some of the emails I've gotten lately, and seeing some of the chat in our forums, I think Nikon's having a hard time living up to some of the advance billing of the product. It's a great camera, but not an event on the order of the Second Coming, which many Nikon enthusiasts had been building it up to. Nikon themselves raised expectations by touting it as being "as fast as a film camera", but that claim turned out to only apply to a very restricted shooting condition (when the camera is prefocused by a half-press of the shutter button), and shutter delay otherwise is only average. Had they not made the early speed claims, the 5000's performance in this area would likely have passed without comment. Apart from the speed, the 5000 wins in some areas (color, IMHO), and not in others (image noise, although not badly, again IMHO). Image-quality issues will have to be decided by each individual user, which is why I shoot so many standardized test images: Compare the test shots with other cameras you're interested in and make up your own mind. At the end of the day, I (personally) found the Coolpix 5000 to be a very appealing, functional, powerful photographic tool, comfortable in the hand, and easy to control. - And it took pictures I was happy with, often under challenging conditions, the true bottom line. Overall, I'm pretty confident in predicting that Nikon will have no trouble selling as many 5000's as they can make, and that they're going to make a lot of photographers very happy!
Reader Comments! --> Visit our discussion forum for the Nikon Coolpix 5000!
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Waivers under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as No Child Left Behind) allow states to avoid NCLB-mandated accountability targets in favor of state-determined accountability regimes.
Most states have applied for and received a waiver from the Department of Education that allows them to avoid the 100 percent proficiency targets set by No Child Left Behind. In September 2011, President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that the administration would allow states to request flexibility in meeting some of the requirements under NCLB in the absence of the law's reauthorization.
Requirements that the Department of Education offered to waive include states meeting AYP targets whereby students must reach 100 percent student proficiency by 2014 in reading and math, and mandated interventions, whereby districts must allow students to attend different schools and offer Supplemental Educational Services for Title I schools and school districts failing to meet the AYP targets. The waivers also allowed states to opt out of mandatory interventions for districts failing to meet requirements to staff only 'Highly Qualified Teachers' in their schools.
In order to receive flexibility through a waiver, states needed to demonstrate that they had adopted or would implement a series of reforms to their academic standards, student assessments, and accountability systems for schools and educators. Specifically, the Department required states to implement 1) college- and career-ready standards and assessments that measure student achievement and growth; 2) a differentiated accountability system that both recognizes high-achieving, high progress schools (reward schools) and supports chronically low-achieving schools (priority and focus schools); and 3) teacher and principal evaluation and support systems to improve instruction. A team of peer reviewers, along with Department staff, studied the proposals, commented on each request, and offered suggestions to states to help them win approval.
Since February 2012, 34 states and Washington, D.C. have been granted waivers, which will be in effect until the end of the 2013-14 school year, when states will have the opportunity to extend their waivers for another two years. For states without waivers, NCLB remains in full effect.
States have struggled with implementing the policies outlined in their waiver agreements with the Department of Education. Just like the provisions in NCLB that the waivers allow states to escape, reforms states set in motion using waivers have been controversial. Some constituencies have objected to the new policies. These include the new Common Core State Standards and assessments many states have adopted; the annual student achievement targets that states have set (which are often different for historically disadvantaged groups of students); states' new systems for measuring school quality and/or identifying schools for improvement; and states' plans to implement teacher and principal evaluations based in part on student test scores. Despite these difficulties, it appears likely that waivers will continue to serve as de facto federal policy until NCLB is reauthorized.

subset: commoncrawl


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A hypnotic 3D runner game focused on speed and rhythmLaunch Project
Also available on the Chrome Web Store
Test your reflexes in a challenge to move up and down to avoid the barriers and survive. Game controls include mouse, keyboard, touch screen and Leap motion controller.
Featuring the song 'Surging Memories' by Du Tonc, the music is not only part of the background, but plays a lead role in the experience. The game mirrors the speed and rhythm of the track and even pulses to the beat of the music.
The game was built in Unity and coded in JavaScript, using the Three.js to render WebGL graphics and Web Audio API for the sound effects.
HelloRun has been optimised for mobile browsers with WebGL support and tested on Chrome and Firefox for Android.
- Webby Awards Winner Best Game
- FITC Awards Best HTML5 Web Game
- FWA Site Of The Month
- Adobe Cutting Edge Project of the Week
- Web Designer Site of the Week
- FWA Mobile Of The Day
- FWA Site Of The Day
- Awwwards Site Of The Day
- Google Chrome Experiment
- Thinking Digital Newcastle, May 2014
- FITC Amsterdam, Feb 2014
- Play and Make Dusseldorf, Dec 2013
- Google DevFest Madrid, Nov 2013
- HTML5 Game Dev Group London, Oct 2013
- Reasons to be Creative Brighton, Sep 2013
Press Kit
These talks give a deep dive into the story of how the project was made, highlighting the positives and the creative challenges to make this happen.
Drawing on his experience building interactive 3D pieces, Carlos details both the problems faced as well as the unexpected opportunities presented, when designing HelloRun.


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Patent application title: Acquisition and Encoding of GPS Codes
Samuel J. Curry (Redondo Beach, CA, US)
David M. Schwartz (Northridge, CA, US)
IPC8 Class: AG01S500FI
USPC Class:
Class name: With position indicating using global positioning satellite (gps or glonass) gps receiver signal processing
Publication date: 2008-09-18
Patent application number: 20080224926
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Patent application title: Acquisition and Encoding of GPS Codes
Samuel J. Curry
David M. Schwartz
Origin: EL SEGUNDO, CA US
IPC8 Class: AG01S500FI
USPC Class:
A method for acquiring Global Positioning System (GPS) code includes
describing GPS code as a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code, and
decoding the LDPC code to achieve acquisition by directly solving for the
correct code phase.
1. A method for acquiring Global Positioning System (GPS) code,
comprising:describing GPS code as a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code;
anddecoding the LDPC code to achieve acquisition by directly solving for
the correct code phase.
2. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein the GPS code comprises Clear/Acquisition (C/A) code.
3. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein the GPS code comprises Gold code.
4. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein the GPS code comprises product code.
5. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein decoding the LDPC code comprises using an error correction decoding algorithm.
6. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein decoding the LDPC code comprises using a belief propagation algorithm.
7. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, wherein decoding the LDPC code comprises using an iterative algorithm.
8. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 1, further comprising: pre-screening the GPS code for inversions using a parity check matrix.
9. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 8, wherein the LDPC code comprises block code that includes the parity check matrix.
10. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 9, wherein the block code comprises forward error correction (FEC) block code.
11. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 8, wherein the parity check matrix has an odd number of non-zero terms in each row.
12. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 8, wherein all rows of the parity check matrix have either 3 or 4 terms.
13. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 8, wherein the pre-screening is accomplished at a lower signal-to-noise ratio than is needed to decode for the correct code phase.
14. The method for acquiring GPS code of claim 8, further comprising: randomizing the parity check matrix prior to an additional iteration of the decoding.
15. A method for protecting communications channel data, comprising:providing information bits from a data source; andusing a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder that includes a shift register to process the information bits and output LDPC codewords to a communications channel.
16. The method for protecting communications channel data of claim 15, wherein providing information bits comprises providing Global Positioning System (GPS) Clear/Acquisition (C/A) codes.
17. The method for protecting communications channel data of claim 15, wherein providing information bits comprises providing Pseudo-random Noise (PN) sequences.
18. The method for protecting communications channel data of claim 15, wherein providing information bits comprises providing Gold Codes.
19. The method for protecting communications channel data of claim 15, wherein providing information bits comprises providing product codes.
20. A method for acquiring Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum codes code, comprising:describing Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum codes as Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes; anddecoding the LDPC codes to achieve acquisition by directly solving for the correct code phase.
[0001]The invention relates generally to Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and, in particular, to the acquisition and encoding of GPS codes.
[0002]Acquisition of the GPS Clear/Acquisition (C/A) codes at low signal-to-noise ratio, such as exists inside buildings, is a difficult technical challenge for two basis reasons: (a) the amount of GPS receiver hardware needed to detect the presence of the GPS signal and acquire the C/A code (or alternatively the time needed for acquisition) becomes large as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases toward the theoretical acquisition threshold, as defined by the Shannon limit; and (b) the correlation time over which the GPS receiver is able to process the received noisy signal (which in turn sets the effective signal-to-noise ratio) is limited by the fact that the C/A code has data bit transitions that invert the C/A code, randomly, at intervals of 20 msec.
[0003]It would be useful to be able to provide an acquisition technique that addresses one or more of the problems described above. It would also be useful to be able to provide an acquisition technique that can be used by GPS receivers to improve the acquisition of signals in a disadvantaged signal environment, such as inside buildings.
[0004]Techniques and embodiments described herein are directed toward improving the overall efficiency of C/A acquisition (in terms of either the amount of hardware needed, or the acquisition time for a given amount of hardware). In an example embodiment, the strategy used to accomplish this improvement is to describe the C/A code as a low-density parity check code (a type of forward error correction code), rather than a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) spreading code as C/A is normally thought of. Describing C/A as a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code facilitates the use of existing, highly efficient LDPC decoding algorithms, such as the belief propagation algorithm, to achieve C/A acquisition by directly solving for the correct code phase. This is in contrast to the traditional method of C/A acquisition that relies on a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based correlator to exhaustively search all possible C/A code phases to pick the correct one.
[0005]Techniques and embodiments described herein attempt to improve the acquisition threshold by overcoming the problem of underlying data transitions, which, as noted above, limit the received signal coherency to 20 msec. In an example embodiment, this is accomplished by recognizing that the LDPC decoding algorithm can be constructed to determine if received samples of C/A code are inverted (due to underlying data bits) or not-inverted. Furthermore, this determination of inverted vs. not-inverted can be done at a lower signal-to-noise ratio than is needed to decode for the correct C/A phase. In an example embodiment, a strategy to lower the acquisition threshold signal-to-noise ratio includes three basis steps: the received data samples are pre-screened to determine if they are inverted or not-inverted, using a variation of the LDPC decoding algorithm; data samples that are found to be inverted are re-inverted and then added to corresponding non-inverted samples, thereby increasing the effective input signal-to-noise ratio; and, after the effective signal-to-noise ratio has been improved by the pre-screening process, the correct code phase is found by directly decoding the correct phase using the LDPC algorithm.
[0006]Techniques and embodiments described herein involve families of forward error correction (FEC) block codes that are embedded in each 1023-chip cycle of every GPS C/A code. These FEC codes are intrinsic to the C/A codes by virtue of the Gold code generators used to generate the C/A code. Other Gold codes besides C/A will have these embedded block codes, as will the more general class of product codes. By way of example, these embedded block codes can serve as the basis for constructing other efficient C/A acquisition techniques, as well as facilitate the efficient construction of encoders for LDPC codes. Currently LDPC encoders require complexity that is comparable to LDPC decoders. A simple encoder based on product code generators would be more efficient than existing LDPC encoding algorithms.
[0007]In an example embodiment, a method for acquiring Global Positioning System (GPS) code includes describing GPS code as a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code, and decoding the LDPC code to achieve acquisition by directly solving for the correct code phase.
[0008]In an example embodiment, a method for acquiring Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum codes code includes describing Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum codes as Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes, and decoding the LDPC codes to achieve acquisition by directly solving for the correct code phase.
[0009]In an example embodiment, a method for protecting communications channel data includes providing information bits from a data source, and using a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder that includes a shift register to process the information bits and output LDPC codewords to a communications channel.
[0010]FIG. 1 shows an example of a C/A code generator;
[0011]FIG. 2 shows an example of a 20-Stage Equivalent Linear C/A Code Generator;
[0012]FIG. 3 shows an example of a C/A Generator With Two Feedback Taps;
[0013]FIG. 4 shows an example of a C/A Generator With Three Feedback Taps;
[0014]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of an acquisition system;
[0015]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a GPS receiver;
[0016]FIG. 7 shows the general flow of data over a channel protected by a LDPC code, encoded by a conventional encoder; and
[0017]FIG. 8 shows the general flow of data over a channel protected by a LDPC code, encoded by shift registers.
[0018]Techniques and embodiments described herein exploit certain properties of Gold codes, including the GPS Clear/Acquisition (C/A) codes, relating to their intrinsic error correction features. These error correction features can be used to implement strategies described herein for detection and synchronization of the C/A code in navigation applications. An example embodiment involves a method of representing the GPS C/A spreading code as a low-density parity check (LDPC) code. Also described herein, a strategy using existing LDPC decoding algorithms can be used to achieve C/A acquisition rapidly and at low signal-to-noise ratios. A method of reducing the threshold signal-to-noise ratio for C/A code acquisition below that required by conventional C/A code acquisition techniques is also described herein. This acquisition technique can be used by GPS receivers to improve the acquisition of signals in a disadvantaged signal environment, such as inside buildings.
[0019]Techniques and embodiments described herein exploit forward error correction block codes that are embedded in Gold codes, using the GPS C/A code as an example. These embedded block codes can be used as the basis for constructing new acquisition algorithms. A second separate application is the use of these embedded codes to construct families of forward error correcting block codes for communication applications.
[0020]Conventionally, the most efficient method of implementing C/A code acquisition is FFT-based correlation, which tends to be hardware intensive at low signal-to-noise ratios. In contrast, the techniques and embodiments described herein address C/A code acquisition as a decoding problem, and this enables an alternative approach to C/A acquisition that is faster (more efficient) and able to work at lower signal-to-noise ratios.
[0021]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a C/A code generator, which includes two 10-stage feedback shift registers, with the outputs of these registers summed (modulo-2) to form the C/A code. There are 32 such C/A codes used by the GPS system. All 32 codes have the same structure in terms of the generator polynomials of the component G1 and G2 codes, and the only difference is the initial fill word (or initial phase) of the G2 register. The initial fill of the G1 register is set to "all ones" at the beginning of the GPS X1 epoch, a GPS system-wide time reference. The feedback taps on the two shift registers were selected to provide a resulting C/A code that is a member of the Gold code family.
Equivalent Linear C/A Code Generators
[0022]It follows directly from FIG. 1 that the generator polynomials for the component codes G1 and G2 are given by:
It also follows that the generator polynomial for the C/A code is given by the product of g1(x) and g2(x).
C(x)=g1(x)*g2(x)=1+x2+x5+x8+x11+x16+x.s- up.18+x19+x20
From this generator polynomial it follows that an equivalent way to generate the C/A code is with one 20-stage linear shift register, as shown in FIG. 2. If the initial fill of this shift register is set to the first 20 chips of a particular C/A code at the beginning of the GPS X1 epoch, then the shift register of FIG. 2 will generate that C/A code, even though it has a different structure than the original generator shown in FIG. 1. Any one of the 32 possible C/A codes can be generated with this 20-stage shift register; the particular code is determined entirely by the initial fill of 20 C/A chips.Linear C/A Generator with Two Feedback Taps
[0023]Techniques and embodiments described herein utilize other equivalent linear generators that have the minimum number of feedback taps. FIG. 3 shows an example embodiment of a linear shift register configurations with a low number of feedback taps that generate C/A. In this example embodiment, the linear generator has two feedback taps, and the shift register has length 682 C/A chips.
[0024]This shift register will generate the C/A code if the register is initially loaded with any segment of 682 consecutive chips of the C/A code. The polynomial for this realization of the C/A code generator is
C(x)=1+x341+x682 Eqn (1)
Eqn (1) reveals an interesting property of the C/A code, namely that the C/A chips must satisfy the following parity check relationship:
Cn+Cn+341+Cn+682=0 Eqn (2)
where Cn is any n-th chip in the C/A code and the addition is modulo-2.
[0025]Thus, this 2-tap code generator defines a number of parity check relationships on the C/A chips. For one cycle of C/A (1023 chips), the parity check given by Eqn (2) must be satisfied for each chip position, n, between 0 and 1022. Thus, the generator polynomial of Eqn (1) leads to the definition of 341 independent parity check equations over one cycle of the C/A code.
Linear C/A Generators with Three Feedback Taps
[0026]Other example embodiments utilize linear C/A generators with three feedback taps (340 such generators have been found), each having the form
C(x)=1+xk+xl+x.sup.m Eqn (3)
This polynomial corresponds to a shift register with feedback taps located at stages k, l, and m.
[0027]Corresponding to this polynomial, the following parity check condition must be satisfied for chip positions, n:
This leads to the following parity check condition:
Cn+Cn+m-k+Cn+m-l+Cn+m=0 Eqn (4)
The values of m, m-k, and m-l that satisfy this equation are listed in Appendix 1. There are 340 such combinations that correspond to the 340 three-tap linear C/A generators that were found with an exhaustive search algorithm. For example, one of the three-tap C/A generators has the generator polynomial
C(x)=1+x.sup.499+x895+x899 Eqn (5)
FIG. 4 shows the shift register generator for this particular polynomial. This polynomial requires that every code chip, Cn, must satisfy the parity check condition
or, equivalently,
Cn+Cn+4+Cn+400+Cn+899=0 Eqn (6)
Eqn (6) defines 1023 parity checks that the C/A code chips must satisfy, one for each choice of n. There are 340 such unique generator polynomials, each of which defines 1023 parity checks within the code cycle, one for each choice of n between 0 and 1022
Low-Density Parity Check Code Representation of C/A
[0028]As shown above, each cycle of the C/A code must satisfy 341 parity checks involving three terms, and a much larger number of parity checks involving four terms. These parity checks are used to describe C/A as a low-density parity check (LDPC) block code and to derive a parity check matrix. LDPC codes were originally described by Gallager (see, Robert G. Gallager, "Low-Density Parity-Check Codes", MIT Press, 1963, incorporated herein by reference), and re-discovered by MacKay (see, David J. C. MacKay and Radford M. Neal, "Near Shannon Limit Performance of Low Density Parity Check Codes", Electronic Letters, vol. 32, pp. 1645-1646, Jul. 12, 1996, incorporated herein by reference).
[0029]The advantage of describing C/A as a LDPC code is that this allows the use of well-known efficient LDPC decoding algorithms, such as the "belief propagation algorithm" (see, David J. C. MacKay and Radford M. Neal, "Near Shannon Limit Performance of Low Density Parity Check Codes", Electronic Letters, vol. 32, pp. 1645-1646, Jul. 12, 1996 and Bernhard M. J. Leiner, "LDPC Codes, a brief Tutorial", Apr. 8, 2005, both incorporated herein by reference), to solve directly for the C/A codeword. By correctly decoding the first 20 chips of the C/A code, C/A can be regenerated with the correct phase using the shift register of FIG. 2. Thus, decoding the first 20 chips is equivalent to code acquisition. Appendix 2 describes how to derive a parity check matrix, H, which has either three or four terms in each row, i.e., a low-density parity check matrix. The H matrix derived in Appendix 2 has 1021 rows, and most (but not necessarily all) are linearly independent.
[0030]A procedure for constructing the H matrix is described in Appendix 2. The first 341 rows of H consist simply of the three-term parity checks defined by Eqn (2). The other 680 rows consist of four-term parity checks as described in Appendix 2.
[0031]An interesting feature of the parity check matrix, H, is that the same matrix can be used to detect and acquire any of the 32 GPS C/A codes. This follows from the fact that all C/A codes have the same generator polynomial. This feature is useful because it allows a single decoding operation to determine whether any of the 32 GPS codes are present. A GPS receiver usually does not know the exact RF frequency that signals are using (due to both Doppler shift and receiver oscillator instability). Thus, much of the acquisition time is wasted searching empty Doppler bins. Using the LDPC decoding technique allows a Doppler bin to be searched for all 32 GPS C/A codes with a single decoding operation. This is a potential advantage over the conventional correlation acquisition technique that searches for individual C/A codes.
[0032]In other situations, the objective may be to acquire a specific C/A code in a CDMA environment. The strategy in such situations is to detect and acquire the strongest C/A code using a generalized H matrix that applies to all 32 C/A codes. After the strongest code is decoded, the H matrix can be changed so that it excludes the C/A code that has already been found and decodes the next-strongest C/A code. Appendix 2 describes how to construct an H matrix to discriminate against a previously found C/A code.
[0033]Another feature of the H matrix is that it is that there are many H matrices that can be derived. This feature could be useful. Because the LDPC decoding algorithm is iterative, using simple randomized row-shift operations, a different H matrix can be used for each stage of the iteration. This randomizes the decoding errors in much the same way that interleaving between decoding iterations does in turbo decoding, and may lead to better performance of the decoding algorithm as compared to a conventional LDPC decoder. The H matrix has the property that all rows have either 3 or 4 non-zero terms. Once this H matrix is defined, one can decode the C/A code using the iterative "belief propagation" algorithm for low-density parity check codes.
Extending the SNR Threshold for C/A Acquisition
[0034]There is much interest within the GPS navigation community in acquiring the C/A code in disadvantaged environments, such as inside buildings, where the signal-to-noise ratio is very low. The theoretical limit on SNR threshold for C/A acquisition is set by the fact that the RF phase of the C/A waveform is coherent only over a short time interval, and thus coherent correlation can be done only over a limited time span. Phase coherence is limited by the following factors: [0035]The C/A waveform has underlying data, which causes random phase inversions at intervals of 20 ms (20 C/A code cycles). [0036]The C/A waveform is subjected to a Doppler shift that causes uncertainty in the received carrier frequency.These factors limit the dwell time of a coherent correlation detector to a fraction of the 20 ms data bit interval. A conventional correlator typically dwells over about 4 ms, corresponding to 4 C/A code cycles. One can show that the Shannon limit for C/A code acquisition based on 4 coherent C/A cycles is approximately Ec/No=-27 dB, where Ec=energy per C/A chip. Of course, this theoretical limit must be de-rated by several dB to account for implementation losses, so, the practical SNR threshold for a traditional correlation detector using 4 C/A cycles is in the range -20 to -25 dB. Note that if there were no phase inversions due to the factors listed above, much longer coherent integration times could be used and the threshold signal-to-noise ratio for acquisition could be much lower.
[0037]Even after allowing for the factors discussed above, it is possible that the error correction features of the C/A code can be used to lower the signal-to-noise threshold for C/A acquisition. First, consider the three-term parity checks defined by Eqn (2):
If the C/A code is inverted (due to a data bit inversion, for example) then these 340 parity checks are no longer satisfied. Using parity checks with odd numbers of terms allows estimating whether a given segment of the C/A code is (a) not inverted, (b) inverted, or (c) so ambiguous that it should not be used.
[0038]An H matrix can be constructed that has an odd number of terms in each row, and this matrix can be used to determine if a segment of C/A code is inverted or not. With this H matrix, all parity checks will fail if the code is inverted, will pass if the code is not inverted, and will be ambiguous if a data transition occurs in the middle of the data samples. The premise behind this approach is that it should be possible to determine whether the C/A sequence is inverted at a lower signal-to-noise ratio than is needed for acquisition, because: (a) the approach involves trying to decode one bit of information (inverted or not-inverted) vs. 10 bits of information for acquisition, and (b) utilization of the fact that phase inversions are spaced exactly 20 code cycles apart. Using an H matrix having an odd number of terms in each row facilitates pre-screening segments of the C/A code prior to acquisition to determine if they have undergone an RF phase inversion. For example, invert-and-add the code samples that fail the parity test, simply add the samples that pass the parity test, and ignore the segments that are ambiguous. In this way, the pre-detection SNR of the C/A code can be coherently increased. This is a potential strategy for reducing the SNR threshold for C/A acquisition.
Embedded Block Codes
[0039]There are other features of the GPS C/A code (and other product codes) that should be noted, although they are not necessarily used in the C/A acquisition strategy described herein.
[0040]In considering a single cycle of the C/A code (1023 chips), it is possible to identify a large number of FEC block codes embedded within the C/A sequence. These codes can be constructed by repeated application of the parity check conditions derived previously, namely, Eqns (2) and (4).
[0041]For example, consider the following subset of 15 C/A chips, starting with any arbitrary chip position, n:
Cn Cn+4 Cn+37 Cn+59 Cn+217 Cn+341 Cn+345 Cn+378 Cn+400 Cn+558 Cn+682 Cn+686 Cn+719 Cn+741 Cn+899 For any initial chip position, n, within the 1023 C/A code, the sub-set of 15 chips listed above form a (15, 6) block code with minimum Hamming distance between codewords of 6. Thus, this code can correct double errors and detect triple errors. The sub-set of 15 chips listed above is just one example of a large number of unique (15, 6) block codes that can be identified as existing within one C/A code cycle. It turns out that for each value of n there are 85 unique (15, 6) block codes that can be identified within the 1023 chip C/A code cycle.
[0042]Also, there are large numbers of (63, 12) block codes embedded within a C/A code cycle having minimum Hamming distance 24 that can correct up to 11 errors and detect up to 12 errors. There are several interesting things about these embedded codes: [0043]They are good codes in terms of minimum Hamming distance, although not quite as good as the most powerful known block codes, such as BCH codes [0044]A low-density parity check matrix can be constructed for them. [0045]They can be decoded with existing efficient interative algorithms. [0046]The encoding operation for these codes is simple because they can be generated with shift registers
[0047]Thus, techniques and embodiments described herein relate to a strategy for C/A code acquisition based on describing C/A as a low-density parity check code. As noted above, Appendix 2 shows how to construct a 1021×1023 parity check matrix that applies to all 32 GPS C/A codes. This parity check matrix has the property that each row contains either 3 or 4 non-zero terms. LDPC codes have efficient, powerful decoding algorithms that can be used to find the first 20 code chips, and thus acquire the C/A code phase. One decoding algorithm that can be used is the belief propagation algorithm for LDPC codes. Also, techniques and embodiments described herein relate to a strategy for extending the SNR threshold for acquisition that involves pre-screening segments of the C/A code for phase inversion.
[0048]The fact that the parity check matrix can be randomized between iterations of the LDPC algorithm might help overcome the relatively short length of the C/A code (1023 code chips), compared to the typical LDPC block length of 10,000 or greater.
[0049]Referring to FIG. 5, in an example embodiment, an acquisition system 500 includes an A/D converter 502, a timing reference 504, a snapshot buffer 506, a pre-detection combiner 508, an inversion detector 510, a LDPC decoder 512 and a C/A code generator 514, configured as shown.
[0050]By way of example, the input to the acquisition system 500 is a noisy C/A code provided by a GPS receiver (not shown in this figure). The GPS receiver has been tuned to a particular frequency search bin that may contain one or more C/A codes. The SNR of the input signal may be very low, and the receiver may not know which of the 32 possible C/A codes is present in this frequency bin.
[0051]The A/D converter 502 digitizes the input signal by taking at least 2 samples per C/A code chip. Since the RF phase of the input signal has not been resolved at this point, the A/D converter 502 takes I and Q samples to preserve the phase information.
[0052]The timing reference 504 has two main functions: (a) it commands the snapshot buffer 56 to store a snapshot of the received signal samples beginning at time T0, and (b) it keeps track of the time that elapses between T0, the time when the snapshot begins, and T1, the time when the code chips stored in the snapshot memory have been successfully determined. The timing reference 504 counts the number of C/A code chips that occur between T0 and T1, and tells the local C/A code generator 514 how many extra clock cycles to advance the generator to compensate for the delay between T0 and T1.
[0053]The snapshot buffer 506 stores digitized I and Q samples of the input data, beginning at time T0, as commanded by the timing reference 504. The length of this time snapshot is selectable, but in most cases it will correspond to 20 C/A code cycles, or 20460 C/A code chips.
[0054]The pre-detection combiner 508 reads samples out of the snapshot buffer 506 and adds samples spaced by exactly 1 C/A code cycle. It does this to improve the SNR prior to attempting to solve for the code chips. In an example embodiment, the pre-detection combiner 508 adds samples over 10 code cycles and forms an "overlay" code, where each chip of the overlay code is the sum of 10 chips (spaced by exactly 1 code cycle) from the snapshot buffer 506. One cycle of the overlay code is simply the sum of 10 cycles of the original code stored in the snapshot buffer 506.
[0055]The inversion detector 510 determines whether the overlay code has been inverted. Inversion may occur due to the 50 bps data that modulates the C/A code, or due to drift in the RF phase. If the inversion detector 510 determines that inversion has occurred in either I or Q components of the overlay code it re-inverts the samples so that non-inverted samples are provided to the LDPC decoder 512.
[0056]The LDPC decoder 512 solves for the actual C/A code chips. If the LDPC decoder 512 can successfully decode 20 consecutive C/A code chips, these 20 chips can be used to initialize the local C/A generator 514. The LDPC decoder 512 sends the 20 chips to the code generator 514 at time T1 and sends T1 to the timing reference 504.
[0057]The local C/A code generator 514 uses the 20 consecutive code chips provided by the LDPC decoder 512 as an initial fill word to start generating the C/A code that corresponds to the data stored at time T0. The local C/A code generator 514 then receives the timing difference T1-T0 from the timing reference 504 and adds extra clock cycles to catch up with the current phase of the received C/A. At this point, the code generator 514 is producing a clean copy of the C/A code that is aligned in time with the noisy received C/A code. Code acquisition has been achieved.
[0058]Employing the techniques and embodiments described herein, it should be possible to acquire the C/A code down to Ec/No=-21 dB. The threshold is determined by the threshold for detecting sequence inversions, which is Ec/No=-21 dB. At this input SNR, the LDPC decoder 512 will be operating on a 10-cycle overlay code that has an SNR of -11 dB, which is well above the threshold for LDPC decoding.
[0059]It should be appreciated that the principles described herein are applicable to the acquisition of all Gold codes and, still more generally, to the acquisition of product codes.
GPS Receiver Implementation
[0060]There is great interest within the GPS navigation community in minimizing the amount of hardware needed for GPS receivers. There is probably even more interest in reducing the threshold signal-to-noise ratio needed for acquisition. For example, there is great interest in having GPS receivers work reliably inside buildings, driven in part by the desire to provide automatic location for 911 calls made from inside buildings.
[0061]Referring to FIG. 6, in an example embodiment, a GPS receiver 600 includes an antenna 602, a RF amplifier and down-converter 604, an A/D converter 606, a snapshot buffer 608, a (C/A) code acquisition block 500, a local (C/A) code generator 610, a local clock 612 and a receiver controller 614, configured as shown. The functions performed by the various blocks in this diagram are summarized below.
[0062]The RF amplifier and down-converter 604 provides an amplified analog signal for subsequent processing. The A/D converter 606 samples the analog signal and provides a snapshot of these digital samples to the snapshot buffer 608. The snapshot buffer 608 time tags a block of samples, stores them, and provides them to the (C/A) code acquisition block 500. Time tagging is done relative to a stable local clock. The (C/A) code acquisition block 500 reads in a block of input data samples from the snapshot buffer 608, and in an example embodiment performs the LDPC decoding function to solve for 20 consecutive C/A code chips. These 20 decoded chips can be used as a fill word for the local (C/A) code generator 610. The local (C/A) code generator 610 reads in the 20-chip fill word from the (C/A) code acquisition block 500. This defines the correct state of the code generator 610 at the time the snapshot data was loaded into the buffer 608. The local (C/A) code generator 610 must now advance its state by the number of clock cycles that have elapsed since the snapshot was taken. It does this by comparing the current reading from the local clock 612 to the clock reading at the time the snapshot was taken and advancing the state of the generator 610 by the corresponding number of chips. The local clock 612 provides a stable source of timing for the receiver 600. The receiver controller 614 provides an overall management function for the GPS receiver 600. For example, the receiver controller 614 tells the snapshot buffer 608 when to load a sample of the input data, and tells the (C/A) code acquisition block 500 when to perform the LDPC decoding function. For simplicity, FIG. 6 does not show the various filtering functions, does not show that the down-converter is tunable to accommodate search over many Doppler bins, and does not show the details of the A/D conversion process.
[0063]In an example embodiment, the GPS receiver 600 incorporates the method of C/A code acquisition described herein. The only change (compared to a conventional GPS receiver) is in the C/A Code Acquisition block 500. In a conventional receiver the C/A Code Acquisition function would be done by a FFT-based correlator; in the GPS receiver 600 described herein, this function is done by a LDPC decoder (such as discussed with reference to FIG. 5).
Efficient Encoding of Low Density Parity Check Codes
[0064]Other techniques and embodiments described herein pertain to encoding data on a communications channel and, in particular, to providing a LDPC encoder. Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes are a class of powerful error correcting codes that have a simple decoder implementation relative to other classes of error correcting codes with comparable error correcting capability.
[0065]FIG. 7 shows the general flow of data over a channel 700 protected by a LDPC code, utilizing a conventional encoder. In this general channel model there is an information (or data) source 702 that produces a stream of data that is to be transported over a noisy channel 706 to a data destination 710. The conventional LDPC encoder 704 transforms the information bits from the data source 702 into a series of LDPC codewords. Conversely, the LDPC decoder 708 transforms the received, noisy LDPC codewords back into the information bits. If the decoding process is correct, the information bits delivered to the data destination will be error free. If a decoding error is made, then the information bits delivered by the decoder will contain errors.
[0066]The conventional LDPC encoder 704 consists basically of a matrix multiplication, in which a block of information bits is multiplied by a generator matrix G to produce the LDPC codeword. There are two significant problems associated with conventional LDPC encoder 704: it is not easy to choose a particular generator matrix G that has good performance, and generating the codeword requires a matrix multiplication of the generator matrix and a block of information bits. Doing matrix multiplications at a high rate to generate the codewords can be a computation burden that requires significant hardware.
[0067]Techniques and embodiments described herein recognize that it is possible to define a certain sub-class of LDPC codes that have the property that a feedback shift register can be used to perform the encoding function. For example, as demonstrated herein, the GPS C/A code, which is a Gold code generated from two 10-stage shift registers, can be described as an LDPC code. Therefore, it follows that if the C/A code is used as the error correcting code in the communications channel, as shown in FIG. 8, the LDPC encoder 704' can be implemented as a simple shift register, eliminating having to figure out how to construct the G matrix and also the matrix multiplications. The sub-class of LDPC codes that can be encoded by shift registers is not limited to just the GPS C/A code, but also includes: Pseudo-random Noise (PN) sequences, Gold Codes and, the more general class of product codes.
[0068]Although the present invention has been described in terms of the example embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-described embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the scope of the present invention extend to all such modifications and/or additions.
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Patent applications by Samuel J. Curry, Redondo Beach, CA US
Patent applications in class GPS receiver signal processing
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text:
Terry Southern
Biographical Information
Southern's dark and often absurdist style of broad yet biting satire helped to define the sensibilities of several generations of intelligent writers, readers, directors and filmgoers. He is credited by journalist Tom Wolfe as having invented New Journalism with the publication of "Twirling at Ole Miss" in Esquire in 1962, and his gift for writing memorable film dialogue was evident in Dr. Strangelove, The Cincinnati Kid and Easy Rider. His work on Easy Rider helped create the independent film movement of the 1970s, in opposition to Hollywood film studios.
Born in Alvarado, Texas, Southern left Southern Methodist University to serve as a Lieutenant in the US Army during World War II, returning to the States to study at Northwestern University, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1948. While studying on the G.I. Bill at the Sorbonne he wrote short stories, one of which ("The Sun and the Still Born Stars") was the very first short story published in the Paris Review.
In 1958 his first novel, Flash and Filigree, was brought out by Andre Deutsch, soon followed by The Magic Christian (1960). In 1958, Candy, written by Southern in collaboration with Mason Hoffenberg, was published by Olympia Press under the pseudonym Maxwell Kenton. Southern and Beat poet Gregory Corso helped convince Olympia publisher Maurice Girodias to first publish the controversial novel Naked Lunch by then-little-known author William S. Burroughs.
On the recommendation of British actor Peter Sellers, director Stanley Kubrick asked Southern to help revise the screenplay of Dr. Strangelove (1964). Kubrick's first draft of the script was based on the novel Red Alert (1958) by Peter George. Kubrick, Southern and George shared the screenplay credits, but most of the dark and satiric dialogue was written by Southern.
During the latter half of the sixties Southern worked on the screenplays of The Loved One (1965) The Collector (1965) The Cincinnati Kid (1966) Casino Royale (1967) and Barbarella (1967). In 1968 Southern wrote the script for Easy Rider, generously sharing writing credit with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. The character of the small-town lawyer played by Jack Nicholson was originally written by Southern for actor Rip Torn.
Hired by Michael O'Donoghue to write for Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, Southern taught screenwriting at New York University (NYU) and Columbia University from the late 80s until his death in 1995 at the age of 71. His final novel, Texas Summer, was published in 1992 by Richard Seaver.
In early 2003 Southern's archives of manuscripts, correspondence and photographs were acquired by the New York Public Library. The archives include correspondence and other items from George Plimpton, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Frank O'Hara, Larry Rivers, William Styron, V. S. Pritchett, Gore Vidal, Abbie Hoffman, and Edmund Wilson, as well as John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and the Rolling Stones. Fittingly, the announcement of this acquisition was made on April 1.
1958 - Flash and Filigree
1958 - Candy (with Mason Hoffenberg)
1960 - The Magic Christian
1960 - Writers in Revolt
1965 - Journal of The Loved One (with William Claxton)
1967 - Red-Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes
1970 - Blue Movie
1992 - Texas Summer
1964 - Dr. Strangelove (with Stanley Kubrick and Peter George) (Academy Award nomination for screenwriting)
1965 - The Loved One (with Christopher Isherwood)
1965 - The Collector (rewrite; uncredited)
1966 - The Cincinnati Kid (dialogue rewrite of Ring Lardner Jr. script)
1967 - Barbarella
1968 - Easy Rider (Academy Award nomination for screenwriting)
1969 - End Of The Road
1970 - The Magic Christian
1975 - Stop Thief! (teleplay; with William Claxton)
1986 - The Telephone (with Harry Nilsson)
Film appearances:
The Man Who Fell to Earth (journalist at launchpad)
(Books) The Magic Christian (1959)
The Rat is a Yin,
and is the First sign of the Chinese horoscope.
AppealInfluenceThriftSociabilityIntellectual SkillCharisma
NervousnessVerbosityAcquisitivenessThirst for PowerGuileMeddling
Birthday: May 1, 1924
The beginning of a cycle or an adventure; a risk must be taken.
Birthday: May 1, 2017
Rigid or imprisioning structures need to be torn down and replaced with the new.


text:
NCAA Tournament 2013: Underrated Teams That Will Make a Cinderella RunMarch 16, 2013
The NCAA men's basketball tournament is one of the most exciting annual sporting events in the world, largely because practically every squad 68-team field has a chance to win and anything can happen.
2013 projects to be no different, as we foresee plenty of thrilling contests going wire-to-wire, overtime battles and buzzer-beaters looming on the horizon.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of March Madness is when a low-seeded program comes out of nowhere to make a magical run during the tourney.
It's always fun to watch David take down Goliath and a Cinderella story unfold, so let's take a look at a few candidates to earn that distinction this year.
Creighton Bluejays
Superstar forward Doug McDermott and his father, coach Greg McDermott, helped navigate the Bluejays through a thrilling Missouri Valley Conference tournament that culminated with a championship game victory over the feisty Wichita State Shockers.
The team is clearly heating up at the right time and has now won five games in a row. They are taking this momentum into the NCAA tournament and have the pieces in place to advance deep.
Perhaps the only concern for this squad is its lackluster defensive capabilities, but that can easily be hidden if its shot attempts are falling.
McDermott is a bona fide star who averaged 23.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists during the 2012-13 campaign. He's going to be the one taking (and likely making) all the big shots for Creighton and has proven time and time again that he can slip double teams and always seems to find new ways to get open.
The 6'8" junior is augmented perfectly by a plethora of role players that screen, rebound, hustle and do all the little things necessary to get a victory.
Temple Owls
Khalif Wyatt is the engine that keeps this Owls program running. He's putting up a solid 19.9 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game this season, helping Temple to a respectable record that includes some big-time victories over top-notch competition.
Wins over then No. 3 Syracuse and recently No. 21 VCU are two big notches in this program's belt and further proves that the Owls should be considered one of the most dangerous underdogs during March Madness.
It all hinges on Scootie Randall and Anthony Lee stepping up and making their shots consistently, as the team as a whole has struggled at times with field goal percentage.
Aside from the shooting woes, Temple has the personnel to match up with most foes in the paint and defensively at every position. Anything could happen if the Owls can get their jumper to fall during the tournament.
Belmont Bruins
The Ohio Valley Conference champions likely can't wait to dance in 2013, as they are riding one of the bigger hot streaks in all of college basketball.
Since New Year's Day, Belmont has only lost two contests, putting together a ridiculous 17-2 record in that span. The Bruins dominated in the conference postseason tourney up until the finals, in which their mettle was tested and resolve shown in a 70-68 overtime victory against Murray State.
Ian Clark (18.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals per game) and Kerron Johnson (13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals per game) make up perhaps one the best backcourt tandems in the nation and their play could see this group going extremely far into the NCAA tourney.
While the level of competition Belmont faced isn't exactly the best, we're positive that no opposing team is looking forward to matching up with the Bruins this month.


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On Sun, Feb 01, 2009 at 02:45:51PM +0100, Vincent Lefevre wrote: > On 2009-02-01 09:28:47 +0100, Michael Schutte wrote: > > Unchanged. Anyway, this isn´t urgent at the moment, as trang is not in > > Lenny; since no Java or QA people reacted at the time I posted the fix, > > I decided to postpone it. > > But trang is in Etch (and works well there). So, what about Etch > users who need trang? When they upgrade to Lenny, they will have > a bad surprise. Upgrades should not be affected, but you are of course still right for new installations. I understand that you would like to have trang in Lenny, but I don't know whether it is a good idea to actively get an orphaned package into a stable release. I'm not willing to pick up this package, I merely provided a patch for it last September. I also see that there is movement on #454810, so I don't really consider it my task to follow this further. Cheers, -- Michael Schutte <firstname.lastname@example.com>
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from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. Plural form of tusk.
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Reflect that, although the graph refers to tusks obtained from licensed kills, the selection pressure that produced the trend could well have come mostly from poaching.
Sprouting behind the tusks was a snaggle of fangs that glistened razor-sharp in the argent twilight.
Taking out the tusks was a delicate task: a slip of the axe would scar the ivory and halve its value.
Only you would imagine that writing an article about elephant poaching in Kenya would be ambiguous without the author pompously trumpeting "Killing elephants illegally for their tusks is a huge sin and I condemn it in all possible terms."
BTW, my first thought on seeing the "tusks" on the mole rat was that it had French fries stuck up its nose.
Before she woke up, he removed the "tusks" and put in the proper replacement teeth.
When a man can kill bison for their tongues alone, bull elk for their "tusks" alone, and shoot a whole colony of hippopotami, -- actually damming a river with their bloated and putrid carcasses, all untouched by the knife, -- the men who do such things must be classed with the cruel wolf and the criminal dog.
Mr. Batten adds that in imagining what kind of Demon the Eclipse Demon was, the Jataka writer was probably aided by recollections of some giant octopus, who has saucer eyes and a kind of hawk's beak, knobs on its "tusks," and a very variegated belly
Also the billet sensors (aka "tusks") were plastic and did not resemble the film ones in the least in terms of surface or, really, shape.
This most certainly marked it as an early proboscidean as members of this group of mammals had the number of their incisors reduced during their evolutionary history, with many later forms (including modern elephants) retaining only the modified second incisors commonly called "tusks" in the upper jaw.


text:
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Marek Zmyslowski, CEO & Founder of HotelOga, will be speaking at the 6th Annual CEM Africa Summit.
Kinetic is an international business-to-business conference and exhibitions producer based in Cape Town. Our mission is to equip senior management executives with knowledge, market intelligence and viable commercial opportunities. Kinetic are leaders in providing business facilitation platforms throughout Africa.
For general information about the CEM Africa Summit, including registration, please contact us at:
+27 (0)21 180 4700
+27 (0)86 547 5371
2nd Floor, Dean Street Arcade Dean Street, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
Copyright © 2017 Kinetic


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This the 3rd guest post is from Teresa Dalmata. Thank you and Happy Anniversary!
I am writing this entry on May 9th, my 4 year wedding anniversary. It's a Thursday, my last Thursday before I go back to work, my husband is working, my son is at daycare and I haven't gotten a thing done I wanted to do except go for a run. Four years ago on my wedding day I also went for a run, I planned it the second we decided to go for a 7pm wedding. After all, what else would I be doing all day?? I was one of those brides that had everything done beforehand and just wanted to show up and get married. I was very hands-off on the actual day, I only wanted a couple of things – to go for a run, get a massage and get married. I figured the other stuff would take care of itself.
I was getting married in Saratoga Springs and thought I would do the course for the Silks and Satins 5k, I had done it a couple of times, thought it was pretty straight forward and drove to the starting line at 8am. I parked on a side street and was off, now somewhere along the way I strayed from the course, I can't tell you where I just know at some point I started to panic. I am a super laid back person in general, even then when I was doing all of the wedding stuff I don't think I had a meltdown, but I was getting a little nervous. I started wondering how long I needed to be gone before my maid of honor would start to panic. My back-up plan was I would just walk back to the hotel if I didn't get back on course, I didn't think I was that far away, but then again I thought I could remember the course. I ended up at the wrong end of the race track and asked a security person where the street was where I had left my car, he didn't know, nor did anyone else he asked on his walkie talkie, so I kept going and going until I found a familiar street. I have a feeling I ended up running a bit more than my planned 5k, but hey – I got my run in! I still would recommend doing a workout or a run if that relaxes you on important days – I would just bring a gps just in case. (Even with my roundabout run, my wedding day was perfect!)
Today, four years later, I did a run at the gym. I know it was a beautifully serene morning but my allergies have been stalking me this last week. One thing about allergies, everyone has got an opinion about them. You can say in a room full of people – Wow, my allergies are really bad this year and just about everyone will have a response similar even if they had never had allergies until that very week. Most of my symptoms have past without much horror, sure I've had to keep my pockets stuffed with tissues, but even that hasn't been so bad, right now it's my eyes. I have to fight my hands from scratching them out. I found that this week has been the week the itchy eyes symptom have caught up with the sneezes and runny nose. I'm not sitting inside a bubble, I just went back to the gym and the treadmill for a few days. I have upped the distance to a 5k and today I even ran it in intervals. I bumped up the speed to 6.5 at my fastest then back down for bit, then back up, I had a good time with the up and down buttons. That may sound corny but it worked.
Do you run on important/stressful days?


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Originally posted on 60 Max Power O | Last updated 11/6/12
No reason to not believe what Bradshaw is saying. Here is his explanation for his on air gaffe. "I'm so sorry if I hurt anybody and I'm shocked I'm in this position. Bradshaw said the comment was just part of a running joke Sunday that Johnson's "big thing is chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken. He won't share it with anybody." Jimmie Johnson backs us the story. For all those "chicken" comments..TB kids ME about how much I like chicken.. He was referring to me! — Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) November 5, 2012 I eat 4 pieces of fried chicken every Sunday on our set..only problem now is my wife knows..so Im in trouble — Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) November 5, 2012 Like I said on Twitter it was just a bad analogy at the wrong time with the wrong player. He apologized and there is nothing more that should be said. We all make mistakes, Bradshaw's mistake in my opinion wasn't malicious or racist. Check out other great articles at BlackSportsOnline. var switchTo5x=true; stLight.options({publisher:''});
PLAYERS: Terry Bradshaw, Reggie Bush
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Everyone has their "thing," right?
Mine is teaching yoga history, philosophy, and tradition throughout a physical asana class. You know what? They're great classes, but there's so much to say about everything!
The teaching of "more than asana" definitely fits better in the workshop format. So, I've evolved my style of teaching classes into a traveling road-show, of sorts, teaching workshops across the US – and eventually beyond.
Unbranded is about removing the labels we apply to ourselves and moving forward in our lives with a clean soul – a clean identity.
We build who we are by the actions we perform, not the names we call ourselves. On our path of actions, we find our own "cool."
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.It is your journey to re-translate what you have learned, not regurgitate it..
All of my studying points to one basic truth: No two paths are the same. Each and everyone of us is different. There is no chance that any of our paths can be completely identical.
But the goal, the end of the quest is always the same. Enlightenment, Valhalla, Heaven; it doesn't matter what you call it. It's that supreme peace, that whole happiness, that ever persistent connection to YOU. (more…)Read More


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Mrs. Hawk resurrected the Secret Life of Bees tradition in August and I thought I'd continue with my own version. I thought I'd share three things about me that I haven't been able to share in the past.
I'm a politics and news junkie.
I am fascinated by politics and the media. While I remember loving current events when I was young, I think my interest in the media stems from a short stint working at MSNBC just after my freshman year in college, when it was a brand new network. My job was purely administrative, but I was in awe of the staff of The News. The News was Brian William's old show and his staff occupied the area of the newsroom next to my desk. I would FedEx plane tickets to producers or prepare shipments of MSNBC swag to be given out at the DNC while listening to his staff talk about how they would cover the events of the day. I loved being a fly on the newsroom wall.
While many are getting tired of the media's coverage of our candidates' every moves, I'm amped up for the final weeks of the election season. I only wish Tim Russert was still around with his white board.
I sometimes drive an animal taxi.
Our love of animals isn't a secret, but I've never discussed some of the rescue work I do. One of the activities in which I've loved being involved is called rescue transport. Rescue transporters relay homeless animals, often from kill shelters in the south, to new homes in the north. A coordinator assembles a list of drivers by putting an itinerary out on a listserve. Drivers sign up to cover a segment of the trip, meeting the next driver on the list at a designated spot where a transfer is made. At the end of the day, there's usually an update about the passenger getting to his or her new home.
On the left, my first passenger (from years ago…look at my short hair!) and on the right, my most recent one.
I love dramatic haircuts.
After years of having keeping my hair short, I decided to grow it out to donate to charity. I had my first donation cut in 2004 and have had three more since. Unfortunately, I found out that the charity that got my first donation often sells hair and doesn't make too many wigs for sick folks, which I had assumed was their primary activity. The next time I cut my hair, I wound up selling it online and donating several hundred dollars to a local charity.
My second haircut for charity.
Does anyone else share my "secret" activities?
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A judge said a plea deal reached for former Deputy District Attorney David Schubert in a cocaine possession case is too lenient and stepped aside rather than sentence him to probation.
"You're getting a better deal than people you've prosecuted, and I don't think that's just and proper," said Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Herndon, who recused himself from the case.
Schubert, who handled the high-profile Paris Hilton and Bruno Mars celebrity cocaine cases, was arrested in March after a small amount of cocaine was found in his car during a traffic stop. He resigned from his job with the Clark County district attorney's office in April and in October pleaded guilty to felony cocaine possession charges.
A prosecutor from the state attorney general's office, which is handling the case because of the local district attorney's conflict with Schubert, agreed to recommend probation.
But during Schubert's sentencing Thursday, Herndon unexpectedly announced that he was recusing himself from the case. Herndon had worked in the district attorney's office at the same time as Schubert, but Herndon said he didn't have a personal relationship with Schubert.
The reason he is stepping aside, Herndon said, is because he didn't agree with the plea deal struck.
Herndon admitted his feelings about the negotiations might be impacted by his history as a prosecutor, noting that he felt prosecutors should be held to "a higher sense of responsibility."
"I just can't reconcile it with myself," he said.
Thom Gover, the chief deputy attorney general prosecuting the case, said he was surprised by Herndon's decision and thinks the recommended sentence for Schubert is fair.
"That's (Herndon's) honest reaction I'm sure," Gover said. "We disagree and think it's an appropriate sentence."
Gover noted that the amount of cocaine found in Schubert's possession and the fact that it was his first offense qualify Schubert for probation under Nevada Statue.
Schubert's case will be sent back to the court's master calendar, where it will be assigned to a new judge, and a new sentencing hearing will be scheduled.


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Write the Future
So the previous video I posted made me all sappy and even a little – ew – uplifted. But this new World Cup ad from Nike is a very different experience:
AW YEAH! Seriously, I've watched this four times in the past half hour and it just KEEPS GETTING MORE AWESOME. I'm literally bouncing in my chair in my cubicle (having this chair makes that a bit easier). What I really love about it is not just that it shows the incredible waves of excitement and fervor surrounding the game and the Cup around the world, but also all the tongue-in-cheek bits and the sort of "inside baseball" ("inside soccer"?) scenes – the ridiculous rise and fall of opinion in the British press and public, the uber-glamorous-fantasy Ronaldo montage, the YouTube videos of people trying to imitate Ronaldinho when no one can really imitate Ronaldinho, etc. (Have to say it makes me a bit sad to see him in the video, since Dunga decided on his roster after four days of peyote-driven sleep deprivation or something. Obviously this was all put together long before the rosters were named, and I doubt Nike thought he'd get left behind.)
Every day I think I can't get more excited for the World Cup. Then something comes along to increase my anticipation by a mile, and it's now approaching slight insanity. By the time June 10th rolls around, I may be speaking in tongues.
(H/T to Dirty Tackle)


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Phil Jackson Was Already Concerned About Carmelo Anthony & Amar'e StoudemireMarch 15, 2014
Yes, Phil Jackson does know exactly what kind of mess he's getting into with the New York Knicks.
He described the stench of this franchise so comprehensively during a 2012 interview on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, you would swear the Zen Master had doused himself in James Dolan's cologne.
He told HBO's Andrea Kremer he had no interest in joining the Knicks then because "there's just too much work that has to be done with that team," (h/t Bob's Blitz). He described the roster as "clumsy" and singled out high-priced players Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire as two pieces that didn't "fit together well."
Jackson is now apparently ready to throw himself in the center of that "clumsy" mess.
ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and Chris Broussard reported Friday that the 11-time champion coach finalized a five-year contract worth $12 million annually to become the team's new president. Sources told Scott Cacciola of The New York Times that Jackson will be officially introduced on Tuesday.
What a difference two years can make. Well, that and a cool $60 million.
Maybe this isn't about the money. Maybe Jackson is just a big fan of Andrea Bargnani. Maybe he sees something in Raymond Felton the rest of us can't.
OK, maybe this is about the money.
Or a longing to lift his old franchise back to basketball bliss. Or a sadistic desire to return to the NBA in the most painful way possible.
Regardless of the motivation, he's unofficially officially back. And he's inherited those same "clumsy" pieces he slighted just two years ago.
He has to be headed for an awkward entrance, no? Actually, no, he doesn't. At least, not according to Anthony.
"I really don't know what to say or how to respond to those comments," Anthony said when asked about Jackson's criticisms after practice Friday, via Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "In the past, I've heard Phil said some things about me. But I don't take it personal. I don't take it no way. At that point, he was just another guy who had an opinion."
Of course, Jackson isn't just another guy. Anthony knows this.
"At the end of the day, it's Phil Jackson, man," he said, via Iannazzone.
It is Jackson, but unlike we've ever seen him before.
A coaching guru, he's now tasked with putting out the worst tire fire in the league from a front-office seat he's never held before. As he's extinguishing those flames, he'll also need to build something with a championship ceiling—without draft help, financial flexibility or, possibly, Anthony himself.
Maybe starting from scratch isn't such a bad idea, though. Not if the situation is as truly grim as Jackson saw it just two years ago.


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