text:
This is like hanging onto a firehose.
Exactly what I thought. The background music was also well selected as it sounds like something from a cruise line/vacation spot advertisement. This is the new Parasailing.
What I don't get is why the promo video made it look SOOO boring! If this is a way to live out childhood fantasies, fly around a little. Do something more than just hang in the air like you were attached to a rope!
Most useless invention ever...
Most useless invention ever...
It's called entertainment. Some may call it useless. Frankly, I would say it's the only inherently useful thing humans create -- all other "useful" inventions are useful only to the extent that they further our ability to enjoy. The only useless invention is one that never leads to any increase in human joy. Anything that is properly classified as entertainment does, by definition.
Maybe it's the American in me, but I was hoping to see the jet pack fail in mid flight as the guy takes a Red Bull flight contest dive.
Maybe it's the American in me
You might try telling him you've agreed to a democractic process for choosing your breakfast and ask him to leave.
"human weighing up to 150 kilos" You have to wait until they come out with the American version.
Indeed, but not because of the units. Just the amount....
You're then pulling along a 20km hose behind your rocket, and that hose has to be strong enough to support its own weight. You're going to add more weight than you're subtracting.
Unless you built a 20km tall tower that the hose hangs down from and as the rocket ascends you retract the hose so the rocket doesn't have to carry the slack. But then you have to build a 20km tall tower that can hold an enormous amount of hose (still sturdy enough to be 20km long) and the weight of the fuel item you're moving, and since that weight is going to be on one side of the tower you'd have to counterbalance it on the other side. Tricky.
But then you have to build a 20km tall tower that can hold an enormous amount of hose (still sturdy enough to be 20km long) and the weight of the fuel item you're moving, and since that weight is going to be on one side of the tower you'd have to counterbalance it on the other side. Tricky.
If you build it high enough, then you can just toss the satellite of the roof to get it into orbit. Didn't I read something about this idea in the Bible? The Tower of Babel?
Oh, yeah, that kinda sorta fell down. But with modern nanotube technology, maybe we can work something out?
If you build it high enough, then you can just toss the satellite of the roof to get it into orbit.
Orbit is about velocity, not altitude. You would have to "toss" it at orbital velocity, otherwise it would just drop...
Not true if you have a 36,000 km tall tower -> geostationary orbit, taller than that you actually need to slow the object down so it would stay in orbit.
Note: a 22,000 miles tower would actually be needed to achieve what I describe, 22 miles wouldn't do it.
Then again, you could always use a geostationary satellite with a large mass and attach a rope to it instead of building a tower and make other satellites to be launched climb up that rope instead.
Build up the mass of the pulling satellite slowly, in many operations ($$$). Take pieces of that rope gradually to the pulling satellite and have space welders assemble it in the way back to Earth.
The nice thing
I see that you're already aware that you just reinvented the space elevator [wikipedia.org]
The nice thing is there is no "you need to support the weight of the rope" non-sense because with centripetal forces, it all equates out and the rope doesn't have to support its own weight.
While the space elevator is a really neat idea, the problem is that your rope unfortunately *does* need to carry its own weight. And for that you need a "rope" with some amazing properties, specifically immense tensile strength.
Carbon nanotubes theoretically have high enough tensile strength, but it's not yet possible to manufacture them in the quantities and with the properties required. If we do manage to construct a space eleva
First some definitions. For the purposes of this post
Tope is defined as a construction that is built to withstand tension but will simply bend out of the way if subject to compression. Further it has mass. The mass and strength of a rope may or may not be uniform (for a space elavator it most likely wouldn't be)
A space elavator is a rope running from the earths surface and held up by cetrifugal force.
The nice thing is there is no "you need to support the weight of the rope" non-sense because with centripeta
Weight is proportional to the objects mass multiplied by the inverse square of altitude. Centrifugal force is proportional to the objects mass multiplied by altitude.
Just to clarify those altitudes are relative to the center of the earth not to the earths surface.
And what we love about PHBs is that they divide by a thousand and think it doesn't make any difference.
But details are for minions. I'm sure that if he doesn't want to build it, you'll find someone else with the right attitude...
Ha, someone that actually understands PHBs! Mods if I had any.
20km is 140km short of low earth orbit. Though you'd have to talk to someone with more structural engineering knowledge than I have to know how impractical a 20km tall tower is this week. And someone with more rocket science knowledge to tell you if this scheme of whatever quantity of fuel this would offload is of any benefit at all.
As for nanotubes, it's my understanding that they have excellent tensile strength but poor compressive strength, making them useful for a "hanging" space elevator but useless
http://www.howstuffworks.com/space-elevator.htm [howstuffworks.com]
Better yet, http://www.ebook3000.com/The-Web-Between-The-Worlds_115648.html [ebook3000.com]
Ah, Slashdot!: Where no creative idea is too good to be voiced without being shot down by a dozen technical objections before it can even take flight.
The OP's idea is speculative, but could be a good way of saving fuel in the first few seconds of rocket flight. But if the general community of engineers has the kind of attitude on display around here, I doubt anyone will even bother to do the calculations.
If this place had been around in earlier years, I doubt space flight, microwave ovens or integrated circ
The OP's idea is speculative, but could be a good way of saving fuel in the first few seconds of rocket flight. But if the general community of engineers has the kind of attitude on display around here, I doubt anyone will even bother to do the calculations.
No need to bother with the numbers. That is optimizing the, by far, cheapest part of a spacecraft flight by a very small percentage indeed at a staggering capital cost. Its merely pointless.
The other "minor" engineering problem not discussed so far is the tiny problem of maximizing both the height of the building and the lifetime of the building, because to make a profit vs just burning a little more cheap fuel is going to take centuries, eons. We're talking about budgeting around, thru, and long after t
Although fuel is the cheapest part of the spacecraft flight, it still makes sense to optimize on it, because the sheer quantity of fuel required, as expressed as fraction of the total mass of the vehicle, means that the structures always have to be gossamer things with exotic enough materials and calculations out the wazoo to make that work.
If you could cut the fuel mass to even 50% of the total, you open up a whole slew of possibilities for economizing and safety that just aren't available at our current b
Ah, Slashdot!: Where no creative idea is too good to be voiced without being shot down by a dozen technical objections before it can even take flight.
Space flight was achieved by addressing technical objections, not by ignoring them and pretending "creativity" is all there is to it.
So for instance, if your creative idea requires a 20km high tower made of solid unobtainium, then you have a problem, until you actually succeed at coming up with a material with the required properties.
The OP's idea is speculative, but could be a good way of saving fuel in the first few seconds of rocket flight. But if the general community of engineers has the kind of attitude on display around here, I doubt anyone will even bother to do the calculations.
You're proposing the idea, it's your job to prove it can be done. So go provide some calculations.
I doubt anyone will even bother to do the calculations.
We invite you to do them for us. But I have intuitively strong objections to dangling a hose full of combustible fuel behind a rocket that is trailing a long, hot flame.
That depends on the mass of the fuel and the friction of the hose. You could get something like a small-scale orbital fountain effect, so the hose could be designed to be self-supporting.
The problem of how you dispose of a 20 km hose after it detaches would still remain.
Easy to calculate. The nice thing is that you don't need to worry about any properties of the elastic band. We will simply assume that you want to replace the thrust available for the length of the launch tower with a mechanical pusher, for some existing rocket.
Let's say we were to "optimize" Falcon 9 that way. Falcon 9 has qty 9 Merlin-1C engines, each operating at isp=300s and thrust=560kN at sea level.
From that we get that each of those engines consumes about 190kg/s of combined propellant (fuel+oxidizer
Forgot to say the obvious: yes, you could say a little bit over 1% of the propellant (combined fuel+oxidizer). You'd still have to assume that whatever mechanical strong points needed to apply the pushing force come for free in terms of weight -- that's a rather unlikely scenario. Never mind loss of fault tolerance.
10-20km of hose would be kind of heavy. Especially the top of the hose which has to hold up the rest...
Not just tensile strength. 10km of head of pressure is not insignificant, and would require one hell of a pump to push it up there, and a lot of strength to hold it in.
Not just tensile strength. 10km of head of pressure is not insignificant, and would require one hell of a pump to push it up there, and a lot of strength to hold it in.
Well, you could put multiple pumps along the hose. Of course there will be problems supplying them, so how about distributed tankage along the hose.
Then maybe you could optimize that, by simplifying, by installing all the pumps and tanks in the vehicle. Hmm. I think this idea has promise, powerpoints and promotions for all!
Not just tensile strength. 10km of head of pressure is not insignificant, and would require one hell of a pump to push it up there, and a lot of strength to hold it in.
Not just tensile strength and massive pumps, but that hose is going to be trailing through the exhaust plume of a rocket. It's going to have to have enormous insulating properties for it to maintain cryogenic temperatures within the hose while facing 3000C temperatures on the outside.
This is the idea behind laser powered flight. Rather then carry the energy (fuel) up with you, you fire the energy at the craft and save a lot of weight. The reason they want to use a laser and not a fuel hose is that nobody is willing to untangle several kilometers of hose after the launch and put it in the rather large garden shed.
WARNING: Jet Pack does not function as a flotation device.
The Tethered, Water-Powered Jetpack. With 1,900-Newton thrust.
Falling 30 feet onto water might not be pleasant, but neither is it going kill you.
"Do you care to comment, Mr. Knoxville? We would like an expert opinion.
Depending on the lake, 2 hours might not even be enough time to get across. It's only vertical distance that's tethered. Horizontal movement is free.
I mean, when you think about it "why would anyone want or need to walk around on the surface of the ground for two hours nonstop"?
Flying at 35 milies an hour with 30' off freedom would be awesome. You could travel up to 70 miles with this. I assume the mileage per gallon of fuel is pretty terrible (maybe 2 miles per gallon?)
However, I can also see this as a way to do certain kinds of maintenance work as well.
Falling 30' could kill you- the odds are slim. But it's possible. But fun!
Reminds me of an old joke about a wrist watch with a built in TV and built in radio and photo-camera and various other tools.
The only catch was that if you bought that watch you always had to carry 2 suitcases with you.
They were filled with batteries.
Reminds me of an old joke about a wrist watch with a built in TV and built in radio and photo-camera and various other tools.
Old indeed. Now it's hard to find a smartphone that doesn't have these features.
I'm watching that clip and wondering if you strap on SCUBA gear, make the engine neutrally buoyant, include oxygen tanks for its engine, and just go nuts under water.
Now you have a jet-powered underwater propulsion system. That's got to be rather cool and maybe even useful?
There are already more versatile underwater propulsion systems that do not require a tether. There is even a "dolphin" high performance submarine that is more suited to the task. Plus, couple that with the potential risk for an air-embolism if you descend or ascend quickly and you have a recipie for disaster. It makes considerable more sense (and fun!) to use above the water.
Jet Pack Runs For Hours On Water [slashdot.org]
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday February 17 2009, @06:11AM
from the got-your-back dept.
Ponca City, We love you writes
Jet packs have been around for half a century, but there's always been one problem: they run out of fuel in around 30 seconds. Now a German company has taken the standard jet pack design, run a fat yellow hose out the back, and connected it to a small unmanned boat that houses an engine, pump, and fuel tank and sends pressurized water up the hose, where it's shot out by two nozzles just behind the wearer's shoulders. Called the JetLev-Flyer, the design purportedly can reach a height of 15 meters, a speed of 72 kph, and a range of 300 kilometers based on four hours of flying time. A digital fly-by-wire system is used to control the throttle. Future designs may achieve higher altitudes, higher top speeds, and extended range, and even travel below the water's surface. The American manufacturers claim it is 'amazingly easy to learn and operate' and they're taking orders now at $130,000 each.
It's 2009 again!
they're taking orders now at $130,000 each.
Perhaps the news peg is the $30,000 price cut since then?
it costs $100,000 and your dragging a huge engine in a boat behind you.
would it save you from getting seasick or would you be bouncing up and down with the swell anyway?
wonder if it would be any use for sea rescue its relatively quick at 35 mph and you'd have a reasonable chance of spotting someone in the water. cheaper than a helicopter any way.
diving with it or something similar might be another interesting possibility
looks like fun anyway.
Renting it could prove popular
Of course first US Navy and Marines will fund the R&D to develop it as AMBaIV (Advanced Marine Boarding and Inspection Vehicle) to serve in the blockade missions. The R&D Center will be in the home district of some powerful senator. So it will get funded. Then the specs will creep up, ability to hover with a machine gun
Put a 10 meter scissor-lift on a boat?
I can't imagine shooting a massive fire hose directly into the water is exactly "stealthy", I'm not sure how stable the guy floating on that water jet is, making recon photos (at the least) blurry, and if you have to keep a boat and a tether with you, what are you saving versus a boat with a scissor-lift.
Or, perhaps you could use one of those "mobile surveillance towers" [policemag.com] I've seen in some parking lots/sporting events
So this is jut like hanging from a crane boom mounted on a boat, just much more expensive, using much more energy and not as safe?
This device will likely be immensely popular. Even though there are dozens of posts here that dismiss it because one flaw or another, they overlook one of the most obvious and lucrative fields. Tourism. Just like getting parasailing (boat pulling a parachute) is not a practical form of travel, it is quite fun. Also, I suspect the 8.5 meter water jet flight is probably safer than the 15-20m parasail experience. Expect to see jetpack trips on every popular tourist beach in a few years.
From TFA: "The rub is that this costs $100,000 to buy. At this price, it is aimed more at water-sports–rental businesses than at the private user"
"Hey Ivan, check your six." -- Sidewinder missile jacket patch, showing a Sidewinder driving up the tail of a Russian Su-27


text:
Our intrepid fossil-hunters, digging in the sun-baked Red Beds of Baylor County, face myriad dangers to life and limb (and fingers and toes). There are afternoons when the thermometer in the bone quarries reaches 140 degrees, and even Harvard PhDs have been known to hallucinate.
There are two species of rattlesnake, plus the occasional angry Black Angus bull. At times, thousands of dark, hairy tarantulas — all males — start marching on their courtship walk-about, searching for coy females tucked away in their burrows. Much worse are the fearsome foot-long centipedes who run up inside your pants to sink their venomous fangs into the soft sectors of your thigh. These will send you to the friendly folks at the emergency room at the efficient Seymour Hospital.
Could there be a more malicious menace? Our paleontologists might have found one: Paleo-Zombies!
As cable TV has taught us, the key identification mark of a zombie is its hunger for brains. Well, classical zombies are also cannibals. They are especially fond of the cerebral morsels from the heads of their own species. Given such zombie lore, how would we tell if a prehistoric critter was a zombie? Easy. It would leave gnaw marks on the skeletons of its own kind, concentrated on the braincase bones that housed the brains in life.
Since 2007, we've dug up hundreds of chewed reptile and amphibian bones from our Red Beds sites, which were formed during the Early Permian Period about 285 million years ago. We have thigh bones chewed on both ends, shins bitten in half, shoulders and hips deeply scarred by scavenging teeth. We've found the "chiropractor's nightmare" — vertebral spines snapped in two by massive bites. Even some jaw bones and muzzles bear scars made by gnawing, gnashing fangs.
We have some fossils that are truly disturbing — bones that wrapped around the brain in the living animal. We can see clear evidence of determined nibbling and biting. Something was trying to gobble down brains — or so it seems.
The back of a Dimetrodon skull. Note the serious nibbling to the left of the brain cavity. Photo by Matt Mossbrucker, Director of the Morrison Museum in Morrison, Colorado
Our brain-bitten victim is a Dimetrodon, the top predator of early Permian times. Dimetrodon was about as heavy as a tiger, but with short legs and scaly toes. So who was the biter? We have some CSI evidence in what we call "fossil ballistics." When Dimetrodon fed, it shed tooth crowns shark-style. A hard-gnawing D'don would lose a crown or two, but no harm done — new crowns were already growing up through the tooth sockets to replace the old ones. Crowns get fossilized in the mud next to the skeleton that was chewed. The shed crowns are like the bullets found in crime scenes today — unambiguous evidence of who chewed whom.
Our HMNS field crew is super-compulsive about "fossil ballistics." We crawl around on hands and knees, scouring the red rock, gently extracting every scrap of dental clue. We shovel up piles of mud and then dissolve the sediment over fine-mesh screens to catch the tiniest crowns. We've recovered more hard evidence on gnawing than any other expedition to the famous fossil fields north of Seymour.
But enough about us. Let's get back to our brain-bit victim, Dimetrodon. Shed teeth dug near the skeletons are strong evidence pointing to the perp. The identification of the chewer is clear: It was another Dimetrodon! That is seriously spooky. Even for a veteran dino hunter, the image of brain-crazed Permian reptiles is a bit unnerving.
A scientifically accurate reconstruction of a brain-seeking zombie Dimetrodon.
Don't worry, no Federal funds were expended in generating this image.
(Dr. Bob drew it while eating a breakfast burrito.)
But there's a catch. Human zombies are more efficient predators of their own kind. Human brains are huge, with each braincase offering up to three pounds of easily digested food that's naturally low in cholesterol, to boot. (If you're not a zombie, I'd suggest going to one of our fine Greek restaurants and sampling Miala tiganita, or fried calf brains, to get a sense.)
By comparison, Dimetrodon brains were tiny. A determined Dimetro-zombie would get only a few ounces of Permian brain-meat from an adult victim. When I cleaned out the inside of a big Dimetrodon braincase, the brain inside was smaller than a cocktail frank.
Gnawing and losing crowns just to get at a D'don brain appears to be a waste of time and teeth. So what was going on? Is there an alternative explanation for the bite marks on the braincase?
What do you think is a more believable hypothesis to replace the notion of Red Bed Paleo Zombies?
Learn more about Dimetrodons and what their extinction can tell us about our own evolution this Tuesday, Oct. 30 at a lecture I'm hosting: "Life After the Dinosaurs: Darwinian Saga of the Mammalia." Click here for tickets.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sean Labsan admitted his best stuff wasn't there, but it hardly mattered.
He threw strikes, and Palm Harbor University's team had problems against Riverview's senior left-hander.
Click here for photo gallery
When it was over, Labsan had a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and the Rams had secured a 7-0 win over Palm Harbor in a Class 8A-District 8 semifinal Tuesday at Twin Lakes Park.
The Rams (20-6) will go to Tarpon Springs and face East Lake (22-3) for the district title at 6 p.m. on Thursday. In the other 8A-8 semifinal, East Lake was a 7-3 winner over North Port, with the Eagles benefiting from eight Bobcat errors.
"We had their (Hurricanes) number all year, but this is the game you need," third-year Riverview coach Chuck Antczak said. "We're going up there to win a district title."
Riverview broke it open with four runs in the third inning off Hurricanes starter Will Shay. No. 9 hitter Kenny Corrigan singled to right field to start the rally. After a walk and a force play, the Hurricanes (9-12) opted to walk Sean Labsan and took their chances with Cory Labsan.
"The bottom of the lineup got it started," Antczak said. "And they showed Sean some respect. They should be glad he's graduating. He was a Palm Harbor beater."
The same plot developed in last year's district semifinal, and both of the Labsan brothers knew it. The Rams got the better of that deal — and landed their first playoff berth in 11 years — and they got the better of it again.
Cory Labsan's hard smash down the third-base line brought in one run. Shane Mullen dove to keep the ball from getting out of the field, but he had no play.
It only delayed the inevitable. Alex Detwiler laced a single to left that scored two more runs, then Cory Labsan came home on Kyle Washburn's flare to center.
That was all Sean Labsan (10-1) would need. He gave up a walk and a hit in the first inning, but he never let another Palm Harbor batter get to second for the rest of the game.
"As long as I kept throwing strikes, the defense would help me out," the Rams' pitcher said. "I didn't have the velocity or location, but as long as I threw strikes with those two pitches, I was fine."
The Hurricanes finished with two more singles. Sean Labsan returned 11 straight at one point after he got the run support.
"As the game progressed, he was actually throwing harder," Antczak said of his ace lefty. "I'd put him up against some of the best (pitchers) in the state."
Cory Labsan started the Rams' fifth with a single to left, but the junior third baseman was a bit worse for wear after being hit in two different spots on separate pickoff throws by reliever Brian Auerbach.
After a Washburn hit and a wild pitch, Bradley Phillips ran for Cory Labsan at third and scored on Sam Dannheiser's slow grounder to second to make it 5-0.
Riverview added to its lead in the sixth with two more runs. Justin Cohen singled home one run and Cory Labsan hit a sacrifice fly.
The Rams banged out 11 hits. Washburn was 2-for-2 while Corrigan, Sean Labsan and Cory Labsan each went 2-for-3.
Sean Labsan struck out the side in the first and seventh innings, finishing strong in a 110-pitch outing.
It's believed to be the Rams' first 20-win season in 17 years. The 1996 squad went 22-8, won a district title, and beat East Lake in the first round of regionals before falling to defending state champion Lyman in the region finals.
The Rams and Eagles split their two meetings with the visiting team winning each time. East Lake handed Sean Labsan his lone loss.
Antczak, who has also coached in the area at Cardinal Mooney and North Port, would like to see that slide end. Beat East Lake and the Rams would open Region 2 play at their confines.
North Port (10-11) bobbled its chances away in two innings.
Two Bobcat errors led to three runs in the first inning. In the third, the Eagles used two hits, two walks and three more North Port errors to score four more runs.
That would be all that East Lake starter Cameran Churchill would need. He did give up a pair of homers, but the Bobcats' hole was too deep to escape.
Mike Brown hit a two-run shot in the fourth and Brian McAlpine hit a solo shot to open the sixth.
James Sheldon added a pair of doubles for North Port.


text:
Do we know how safe it is to work or live in a building made of these chemicals?
I remember when portables started being added to schools, it was determined all the various chemicals in them were making kids and teachers sick.
They need to determine the potential effects on health first.
The possibility of it collapsing is probably more of a concern than "chemicals." (FYI water is a chemical, and concrete generally contains water, so I guess they're screwed).
Interpolating from the rate that their other quickly constructed buildings fall down, these probably started to crumble shortly after this headline published.
We are going to build quality housing with this technology someday.
I hope the lab-grown replacement organs manufactured from my own stem cells are perfected by the time I need them... I would love to see this future.
Back in the 1960's, we used to build high-rise buildings using pre-fabricated blocks. Bits of geometry like stairwells, floors, blank walls and window frames. The only problem was that these structures were completely air-tight with no ventilation or air conditioning. Combine that with people cooking, drying off laundry in their living room and airing closets, there wasn't anywhere for the moisture to go. So it just condensed into the walls creating mold and other health problems.
Only for compression. Concrete is pretty weak when it comes to tensile strength.
Does this 3D printer also print rebars?
You're forgetting buckling, and weak, fresh cement is famous for buckling. Heck, poorly supported brick walls will buckle and collapse during construction because the mortar isn't strong enough -- all the while the same will will stand just fine once the mortar has cured.
Well, if they can solve the problem of rebar, then buckling won't be an issue anymore, since rebar has proper strength from the get-go. I don't really see a slower machine being much better than a fast one. The overall size of the machine depends on what you fabricate, not how fast you go about it (within reasonable limits of concrete pouring).
If I were to make a product out of it, I'd have a 5 axis machine with switchable heads. One head with an extra axis or two that can put out, restrain, cut and spot-weld rebar. Another head that can print concrete. With a 5 axis machine you can trivially print concrete on the surface of rebar going in any orientation. Heck, if they use a mix with fast initial cure, they can do skin/infill just like plastic 3D printers do, except that the infill uses a less viscous mix that self-levels. This could dramatically speed it up, and you wouldn't need to print around every piece of rebar but only some trickier ones.
This could be very much a breakthrough technology, but it would need a bit of capital investment as those machines wouldn't be cheap. For very large constructions, instead of X-Y-Z linear actuators you would need a delta-style arm [youtu.be]. Even a big one could be assembled on site and print an entire highway overpass in a week or two, starting with nothing but a hole in the ground.
Once you have a positioning system (a manipulator) good enough for 3D printing concrete, then adding rebar functionality is peanuts in comparison. Heck, not doing so would be silly, since you should try to leverage the heck out of the expensive manipulator. I personally don't see much housing uses for non-reinforced concrete. As the ground settles, it will crack. Rebar is a relatively cheap fix for that.
Actually, what I had in mind was smaller buildings that don't need rebar,
I wouldn't be comfortable even making a concrete driveway without reinforcing.
I'd be willing to bet with these things there's bits of rebar standing up and linking the different layers.
and tackling the problem of concrete hardening
Pretty well understood chemically for the last century with a lot of variations for different conditions.
This thing sounds like a more flexible version of the sort of thing used to make concrete beams offsi
You could allow rebar to be installed in the traditional way as a skeleton before the pour.
Bonus round: A few human jobs for those dinosaurs who can't sit around and do nothing.
There is a simpler option, which is to replace the rebar with another tensile option, such as fibreglass or plastic.
Rather than a welder, it would be much simpler to have a spool of fibreglass/plastic ribbon which is then laid down at intervals in the 3D print.
Even simpler still is to add chopped fibres to the concrete mix, which make the concrete more durable and stops the propagation of cracks. Considering how long we've managed with brick walls that have practically zero tensile strength , a fibre reinf
Chopped fibres aren't the same as long fibres. But I agree that having fibreglass ribbons embedded in the concrete would be a great alternative, as long as long as test coupons would pass relevant tests.
It can be. It can also crumble in years to decades. It can crack within months to years. In worst case, it can fail completely even before construction is complete.
It all depends on... well, a multitude of factors.
its china, they dont give a shit
Slashdot has gone to a sad place. You are honestly asking if it's safe to work and live in a building made of cement? Is that a real question that is actually being posted on a website who's tagline is supposed to be "news for nerds, stuff that matters"?
https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]
Look at all those poor poor people living in cement buildings. I hope they don't get the cancer. But I kind of hope you DO.
Those structures are bigger and sturdier than a tiny house [tinyhouseliving.com] with the added advantage of being made from recycled building materials.
The real question is structural strength and integrity and what agents are they using to make the mix dry fast. The Chinese could be using some nasty chemicals that wouldn't fly in building materials over here (Chinese drywall anyone?).
Still, if the units end up being even roughly equivalent to poured concrete, I could see living in a printed house, no problem.
In the photos, it looks like they're hanging sheets of pre-printed concrete.
I'm not sure this is anything novel, other than how they "printed" the Lego pieces and then drove them to the site.
Poured concrete house with no rebar? Sounds like a bad idea when an earthquake hits. I don't see anything in this process that would provide the necessary flexing strength.
No different from a brick building, really. You can use brick in some places, in some other places you can't. Hopefully here they could use brick
Formaldehyde and a host of known carcinogens leach from things like new carpet and OSB wallboard.
Remember the FEMA trailers?
As the future president of the U.S.A. would say, I'm not sure.
I would trust Contour Crafting constructions since they're built in a single run. But not this method of printing half walls in a factory which are then assembled on-site, I'm not sure what they're gaining by doing it this way. Looks more like a 3D printed puzzle to me.
But not this method of printing half walls in a factory which are then assembled on-site, I'm not sure what they're gaining by doing it this way.
I assume you missed the part about building 10 single-room buildings in a day for $5,000 each.
I assume you missed the part about building 10 single-room buildings in a day for $5,000 each.
Well, the price is right, but people have been building modularly for a long time. Single room buildings don't really seem that challenging, especially since it is just a concrete box.
The Hilton Palacio Hotel [modular.org] in San Antonio was built in just 202 days, and that was 500 rooms, fully furnished, decorated and kitted (down to the bottle openers and coffee makers). And this was back in 1968.
Well you see the whole show was technically an illusion. The extrusion process for the material is really neither here nor there. The computer control of a concrete pump and the outlet of a house. The real important information that everyone is ignoring is the concrete mix. What is in it, how are they achieve higher extrudability with low slump http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... [wikipedia.org], what is the compressive and tensile strength of the concrete, how is it being reinforced, what are it's insulative properties, how is moisture movement being controlled, what happens when ice forms and how does it handle cracking. Exactly how toxic is the mix and how safe is it to use. What happens when you cut and drill into it.
Everyone loves to focus on 3D printing whilst ignoring the material the is used to do the printing and how it actually performs.
well, because 3d printing draws the page clicks.
As you noticed, they could have achieved the same 'feat' by simply taking a concrete truck, some hoses, and filling in molds. But then no one would care.
Seems they could have simply created some "molds" with a some 2x4s and a couple plywood sheets and just dumped the cement formula in to make the individual walls instead of this elaborate process.
How many laborers would they need to make all of those molds to allow them to build 10 buildings in 24 hours? Would your method be any cheaper than $5,000 per building?
Once you have the forms, you can bang the buildings out all day. 3d printing is interesting not for churning out identical houses, which yes we can do very cheaply already, but for making custom ones on-site. So it is quite puzzling what they hoped to prove by doing so. Clearly the printer and process work for building little square shacks.
Of course, China has whole cities standing empty, so I'm pretty sure they don't need to come up with new fast ways to build more...
As the Queen of England has no real power, this mod helps not a bit with your Karma.
Nonetheless, well posted.
As the Queen of England has no real power,
The Queen has infinite power, so long as she chooses to not wield it. Of course, I live in a commonwealth country, and saying that could get me into a fight, but nobody has actually argued it, other than being offended I'd say something that diminishes the Queen's Divine Right.
Maybe they want to reduce the number of trees cut down to make those plywood sheets? Don't forget the amount of chemicals used to kill off insects, make the wood fireproof, adjust the color, bind the woodchips together.
...phthalates and bisphenol A vapors?
...read the headline, not the summary?
Or perhaps you have an idiosyncratic understanding of the word "concrete".
phtala... phathla... phtahla...
Nope, I can't.
While 3d printing is cool and all what advantage does 'printing' concrete slabs offer or normal precast molds and just pouring the concrete in the old fashion way?
The article doesn't make it clear, but since this is a company and not an experiment one has to assume they see sort of useful reason in doing it this way, but for the life of me I don't see what it is.
If you're using a mold for concrete it's almost literally as fast as you can pour the concrete when using one...
Jesus, does anybody really have to explain this to you? You do realise that the printer is controlled by SOFTWARE? You do realise that because of that, you don't have to make a DIFFERENT MOULD for every type of wall you want to build, because you don't use a mould? Jesus.
You can create round walls, walls of different heights, etc. You can eventually take your printer out to the building site and build directly onto the foundations, etc.etc.
How can people actually be asking stupid questions like this?
You've obviously never done construction... there's no market for 7' 11" walls, 8 foot walls, and 8' 1" walls when 8 foot walls will work fine.... goto a lumber store, you'll fine 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8, etc. Why? It's not like the saw couldn't be easily be programmed to cut out a 2x3.75453 board it's just no one cares.
And even for the options you would need available you could have 1000s of molds for the price of one of these printers.... 1000s of molds that can all be working at once while this printer can
You can pour in the factory if that's what floats your boat.
RE: the headline
No. From TFA:
Yingchuang New Materials Inc. was able to print the shells of 10 one-room structures in 24 hours
The way this summary is worded, they make it sound like this company actually printed the buildings in place. Which did not, in fact, happen.
Chinese, in contrast to Americans, are more interested in
3D-printing buildings than in 3D-printing guns.
Color me misinformed.
they 3d printed bits of it and then assembled them...
which is probably fine just a distinction.
The problem is that a half-hour after you move into one of these houses, you want to move into another.
The primary cost of building a tropical doldrum Atmospheric Vortex Engine is a huge hollow structure called the "arena" that contains the low pressure created by the vortex. The low pressure is relieved through compact, high speed turbines at the base of the arena. Since the turbines are compact they don't have to be costly and since they are high speed they don't have to be numerous.
What good is a tropical doldrum Atmospheric Vortex Engine?
It can generate its own building material from the ocean and atmosphere -- so if you can print them rapidly you can have rapid doubling time exponential growth in clean baseload electric production that within a decade dwarfs all energy use by civilization.
Oh, and it also provides tropical atoll seasteads sufficient to feed and house the total population of the world.
Seastead this [blogspot.com].
pure calcium carbonate? concrete has an aggregate, sand and rocks for example, bound with that. otherwise you have a giant eggshell or snail shell, not too hard
Look up Carbocrete's properties. While its true it does require some sand, in addition to the CaCO3 and carbon fiber, it requires much less sand than ordinary concrete and no rocks. Moreover, sand is ubiquitous on the ocean floor. A refinement of the calculation would substitute sand dredging for some of the CaCO3 energy use as well as including the energy for the carbon fiber.
but the ocean floor ISN'T always sand, there are clays and shell deposits. some areas have gravel which is good for this idea.
The idea is good but in practice won't be quite so easy, sand might have to be mined and transported.
In less than a century, computers will be making substantial progress on ... the overriding problem of war and peace. -- James Slagle


text:
Your chipper TV friend Flo, otherwise known as Progressive Insurance's ubiquitous shill, wants you to be excited — very excited. As you've probably learned from her effervescent commercials, she and her Big Brothers in the insurance biz want you to see their new tracking devices for your car not as a privacy-destroying step to justify raising your government-mandated car insurance premiums. Instead, they want you to see the gizmos, which record your vehicle's every move, as a great innovation to get you premium discounts for safe driving.
Yet, despite the happy TV ads, questions are nonetheless swirling around this so-called "telematics-based insurance" — questions that Flo doesn't want you to ask, because the tracking system is so frighteningly invasive and arbitrary.
To appreciate that disturbing reality, consider how the system operates. Quoting a Progressive manager, FoxNews.com reports that the tracking technology "works on algorithms that use your driving style to predict how likely you are to have an accident and how expensive it will be if it happens." Among the myriad data points that could be collected are braking frequencies and commuting routes.
This may seem innocuous, but the potential use of such data makes the film "Minority Report" seem less like fantasy than spot-on prophecy. In that flick, humans have developed technology to fight "pre-crime" — that is, to stop crimes before they occur and punish people for allegedly preparing to commit said crimes.
"Telematics-based insurance" could easily become the insurance-industry realization of that technology. It could help insurers charge you higher rates for embracing driving styles and geographic routes that supposedly mean you are about to incur collision costs, even if you haven't actually incurred said costs — and even if you never will incur said costs in the future. Put another way, rather than charge you higher premiums after you incur costs, the companies can use this technology to preemptively punish you beforehand a la a Department of Pre-Crime.
What's wrong with such a system? The assumptions baked into the algorithms, that's what. Yes, actuarially speaking, your particular braking method may suggest you are more likely to crash at some point. But citing generalized odds to assume that you in particular will definitely crash in the future — and to then act on that assumption by charging you higher premiums in the present — would be both illogical and predatory, forcing you to pay for accidents that haven't occurred.
Of course, Flo insists the system today only exists to give customers premium discounts for "good" driving. However, if and when the devices become a prerequisite for insurance — which many experts predict will happen — we would likely see a system in which the standard premium is inflated and the discounts for "good" driving only slightly reduce premiums.
What can be done about this? Fox reports that some states "currently have specific mandates that prevent insurance companies from requiring" the tracking devices. That's a good step, but the regulation is easy for the industry to get around with punitive pricing schemes for those who do not put the devices in their vehicles.
No, the only real protection is for states to ban targeted premium hikes against drivers who haven't increased payout costs for their insurer.
Insurance executives will no doubt say that's an unacceptable government intervention into the "free market." But, then, so too is the government requirement that all drivers buy car insurance. And if states are going to force people to be the insurance industry's customers — a mandate that is a financial boon to insurers — then in exchange, it's fair to require those companies to adhere to some basic consumer-protection regulations.
Without such rules, Flo or another one of her Big Brothers will probably soon be in your car — whether you like it or not.
David Sirota is a best-selling author of the new book "Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now." He co-hosts "The Rundown" on AM630 KHOW in Colorado. E-mail him at [email protected], follow him on Twitter @davidsirota or visit his website at www.davidsirota.com.


text:
Writing With Numbers
This workshop was led by John Bean (Seattle University), author of Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings (Longman, 2004). The purpose of the workshop was to help faculty prepare students to present arguments in writing that use data as evidence. We discussed how to design assignments that call upon students to employ empirical evidence in their writing and guide students on how to do so appropriately. Our discussions were informed by the findings of Carleton's Quant Squad, which has read a sample of student papers submitted to meet the College's writing portfolio requirement. All participants received a copy of Jane Miller's book The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers.
John Bean identified these specific goals for the workshop:
- To share insights about what constitutes evidence in different disciplines with particular emphasis on quantitative data.
- To share observations and analysis of problems students exhibit in incorporating quantitative data into papers.
- To develop teaching strategies that increase student comfort with numbers and their confidence in analyzing and using numbers.
- For one course, to develop a major writing assignment requiring students to gather, interpret, and use quantitative data in a disciplinary or civic paper.
- To create one or more skill-building exercises or assignments that serve as scaffolding for the major paper.
Following the workshop, John Bean and Mary Savina wrote an on-line module on Quantitative Writing Assignments that captured the methodology discussed at the workshop. A collection of assignments in this module shows how Carleton faculty implemented what they learned at the workshop. The National Numeracy Network held a follow on workshop to develop a broader collection of examples.
This workshop was sponsored by Quirk and the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program at Carleton. The development of on-line resources was done in partnership with Pedagogy in Action,with funding by the National Science Foundaton.


text:
"...The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall serve as the Suitability and Credentialing Agent..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
"...primary executive branch service provider for background investigations..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
The content available is no longer being updated and as a result you may encounter hyperlinks which no longer function. You should also bear in mind that this content may contain text and references which are no longer applicable as a result of changes in law, regulation and/or administration.
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Office of Personnel Management Deputy Director Dan G. Blair, representing Director Kay Coles James before Congress, today advocated Administration support for veterans, giving lawmakers a review of the re-employment rights of federal employees upon their return from active duty. He also offered the agency's full support if legislation passes that would extend the period of health benefits coverage for federal employees called to active military duty.
Testifying before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Blair articulated a series of federal job protections for returning servicemen and servicewomen under the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA.) He said Director Kay Coles James takes OPM's obligation under USERRA to re-employ veterans "very seriously."
"These veterans left their employment and placed their careers on hold to go fight in far-off lands," said Blair. He added that they "deserve more than our thanks" and that when they are discharged from duty "they deserve to know their right to return to public sector employment is protected."
The job protections range from placing the individual into the position vacated at the time of call-up for active duty, or into a position the employee would have attained had there been no call-up, as well as guaranteeing time-based promotions. Blair said he is not aware, at this time, of any case in which a returning reservist from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan has not been restored to federal employment.
The federal government is the single, largest employer of veterans, with roughly 450,000 former servicemen and servicewomen -- or 25 percent of its total work force -- on the payroll. It employs about 120,000 reservists and National Guard members.
OPM conducts agency audits to ensure veterans are treated fairly in Veterans' Preference, promotion and restoration rights.
Blair also spoke to a proposal to amend USERRA. If amended, federal employees called to active duty would be eligible for two years of insurance coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. Currently, active-duty reservists are eligible for 18 months of coverage.
Blair said James would "strongly encourage" agency heads to authorize payment of the full share (government and employee) of the FEHB premium for employees who remain in active duty.
"OPM will continue to support our called-up employees in every way possible," said Blair, "If the extension of FEHB coverage to 24 months becomes law, we will again strongly encourage agencies to pay both shares of the health benefits premium for the entire 24-month period."
Blair noted James' central role in convincing the vast majority of agencies to pay full cost of health premiums for federal employees who were called to active reserve duty following the September 11 terrorist attacks and for other military operations. The 4 percent of agencies not paying the full premium cost are small, independent departments or boards that do not have reservists or National Guard members on the payroll.
"Director James is committed to finding ways to provide health benefits for our called-up employee reservists who bravely commit themselves to defending our country," said Blair.
Currently, more than 15,000 federal employees are serving on active duty, and Blair estimated the additional cost of the USERRA amendment to agencies would be $9.6 million.
Blair's testimony illustrated the human resource agency's strong and ongoing support for servicemen and servicewoman. He referred to OPM's veteran-friendly, job-search web site (www.usajobs.gov) and a number of OPM initiatives, including the Veteran Invitational Program (VIP), designed to help veterans transition to civilian life. The VIP teams OPM with Transition Assistance Program offices on military bases to provide veterans with timely and useful information on Veterans' Preference rights and federal job opportunities.
Blair also noted various veterans' outreach efforts orchestrated by James, including a seminar for soldiers and human resource specialists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C, and he quoted James' comments to the Veteran Employment Symposium on the contributions veterans make to federal operations:
"Today's veteran brings the same level of dedication to the job as previous generations of veterans, but in addition, they bring many of the high-tech skills needed in the current federal work force. The federal government has a responsibility to help these
men and women as they transition back to civilian life. As members of the best-trained, volunteer military in the world, veterans have demonstrated an appreciation and competence for excellence and teamwork, and I cannot think of a better source of talent for the federal government than those who have completed their service in uniform."
OPM leads and serves the Federal Government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. By Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People, we provide leadership and support to U.S. agencies on issues including human resources policy and oversight, background investigations, federal employee benefits, retirement services, guidance on labor-management relations, and programs to improve workforce performance. For more information, visit OPM.gov or follow OPM on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.


text:
News Release
Please note: As of January 20, 2017, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.
ETA News Release: [05/20/2011]
Contact Name: Michael Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-3984
Release Number: 11-0773-ATL
US Department of Labor provides $3.6 million to help Tennessee residents recover from severe storms
National Emergency Grant to fund temporary jobs in 19 counties
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $3,589,704 National Emergency Grant to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts in the wake of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and associated flooding that struck Tennessee last month.
"The devastation caused by recent storms across the Southeast has been heart-wrenching," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "While we can't eliminate the distress caused by the storms, the grant announced today is part of the rebuilding process to help the people of Tennessee get back on their feet."
The funds are being awarded to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and will be used to create temporary jobs to assist in recovery efforts.
As a result of the recent storms, President Obama declared the state of Tennessee a disaster area. On May 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared Bradley, Greene, Hamilton and Washington counties eligible for its Public Assistance Program. On May 9, FEMA added Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henderson, Henry, Houston, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, Montgomery, Obion, Shelby and Stewart to the list of eligible counties. All of the counties under these two declarations have been targeted to receive assistance under this grant. More information on designated disaster areas in Tennessee is available from http://www.fema.gov.
National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor's discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state's ability to meet specific guidelines. For more information, visit http://www.doleta.gov/NEG/.


text:
Today I have a treat for you!
I am happy to be hosting a massive giveaway with some of my favorite bloggers.
Some you may know, others might be new to you. Hop over to each of their blogs check them out. You will be glad you did!
- Jessica from The Mom Creative
- Lisa-Jo from The Gypsy Mama
- Me
- Hayley from The Tiny Twig
- Megan from Sorta Crunchy
- The Nester
- Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy
- Allora from Allora Handmade
- Kristen from Rage Against the Mini Van
We each have Facebook pages for our blogs and decided to put together a fun summer giveaway. It's super easy to enter!
Simply like each of our blog Facebook pages using the handy Rafflecopter tool (you will need to be signed into your Facebook account for it to work) and you will automatically be entered to win one of the following amazing prizes:
- A Becky Higgins Project Life Kit, coordinating album and page protectors
- 18″ Custom Monogram from Southern Nest
- $60 Shop Credit to Allora Handmade
- $50 Shop Credit to The Pleated Poppy Shop
- Gracewear Cuff Bracelet from DaySpring
- Necklace, Earrings, and Bird Ornament from The Mercy House Shop
- $75 Gift Card to Anthropologie
- $50 Gift Card to Noonday Collection
- $100 Gift Certificate to Punjammies
And the grand prize is an incredible gift basket including all of the following:
- A Xyron 5″ creative machine + cartridges
- Large 18″ Custom Monogram
- Allora Handmade Bracelet and earrings
- $25 shop credit to The Pleated Poppy
- DaySpring "Redeemed" rug
- Mercy House Basket
- $50 JCrew Gift card
- $25 gift certificate to Earth Mama, Angel Baby
- Luna Reece Ceramics paintings
- 31 Bits jewelry
Awesome, huh? Good luck and thanks for liking our pages. (If you're reading this as a subscriber, you might have to click over to my blog to enter).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is restricted to US residents only. Thank you to all the amazing businesses who contributed to this giveaway!


text:
Today in History
September 20
480 BC Themistocles and his Greek fleet win one of history's first decisive naval victories over Xerxes' Persian force off Salamis.
1378 The election of Robert of Geneva as anti-pope by discontented cardinals creates a great schism in the Catholic church.
1519 Ferdinand Magellan embarks from Spain on a voyage to circumnavigate the world.
1561 Queen Elizabeth of England signs a treaty at Hamptan Court with French Huguenot leader Louis de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde. The English will occupy Le Harve in return for aiding Bourbon against the Catholics of France.
1565 Pedro Menendez of Spain wipes out the French at Fort Caroline, in Florida.
1604 After a two-year siege, the Spanish retake Ostend, the Netherlands, from the Dutch.
1784 Packet and Daily, the first daily publication in America, appears on the streets.
1806 Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark pass the French village of La Charette, the first white settlement they have seen in more than two years.
1830 The National Negro Convention convenes in Philadelphia with the purpose of abolishing slavery.
1850 The slave trade is abolished in the District of Columbia.
1853 The Allies defeat the Russians at the battle of Alma on the Crimean Peninsula.
1863 Union troops under George Thomas prevent the Union defeat at Chickamauga from becoming a rout, earning him the nickname "the Rock of Chickamauga."
1934 Bruno Hauptmann arrested for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby.
1952 Scientists confirm that DNA holds hereditary data.
1965 Seven U.S. planes are downed in one day over Vietnam.
Born on September 20
1833 Petroleum V. Nasby (David Ross Locke), humorist whose work was enjoyed by Abraham Lincoln.
1842 Lord James Dewar, physician who invented the vacuum flask and cordite, the first smokeless powder.
1878 Upton Sinclair, author best known today for The Jungle.
1884 Maxwell Perkins, editor, the first to publish F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.
1885 Ferdinand Lamenthe (Jelly Roll Morton), jazz pianist, composer and singer, one of the first to orchestrate jazz music.
1891 Lamine Gueye, Senegalese political leader.
1917 Arnold "Red" Auerbach, second winningest basketball coach in history with 1,037 victories for the Boston Celtics.


text:
AAA Three-Diamond Hotel Close to Two Universities
Delaware is home to a prominent college —Ohio Wesleyan University, a private liberal-arts school renowned for its high percentage of international students and steadfast commitment to community activism and the Ohio State University campus in Columbus lies nineteen miles south of Delaware. The comfortable, convenient Best Western Plus Delaware Inn sits between the two universities, just minutes from Ohio Wesleyan and about a half-hour drive from OSU.
A complimentary full breakfast served each morning includes eggs, breakfast meat, fruit, juice, and coffee. The hotel has a heated indoor pool with an adjacent steam room and spa, as well as an exercise facility that stays open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Contemporary double-queen rooms come equipped with free WiFi and flat-screen televisions.
Delaware, Ohio: Home to Liberal-Arts College and Pedestrian Mall
Delaware is close enough to Columbus to make the capital city's attractions accessible, but the town is just far enough away to have an identity of its own. Ohio Wesleyan University occupies about half of the city's quaint downtown area, where you can see Greek Revival campus buildings and the picturesque Stuyvesant Hall, which was built in 1930. The other side of downtown holds many of Delaware's shopping opportunities, including the Delaware Commons pedestrian mall. Used bookstores, a historical cinema, and the iconic Arts Castle—a nonprofit cultural center offering visual- and performing-arts classes as well as exhibits of locally produced work—provide engaging alternatives to big-box retailers.
Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.


text:
Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
CEA Named One of the Best Places to Work in Virginia for Third Consecutive Year
By: Business Wire
Nov. 28, 2012 02:16 PM
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced today its recognition as one of the 2013 Best Places to Work in Virginia, by Virginia Business and Best Companies Group, as part of its annual survey and awards program. This is the third consecutive year that CEA has been honored by the program, which recognizes the 80 best places of employment in Virginia, benefiting the state's economy, its work force and businesses.
"At CEA, we are committed to providing our staff with a diverse benefits package and various programs and policies that assist them in living a balanced, family-friendly life," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "We are thrilled to receive recognition as one of the best places to work in Virginia, and strive to improve our offerings year after year to keep our employees happy, healthy and motivated."
CEA offers a 35-hour work week with flexible hours, and encourages employees to work from home one day each week, with subsidized broadband service. CEA also provides employees with up to $5,250 per year in tuition reimbursement, and a mortgage assistance benefit, which is a $25,000 three-year, forgivable loan for purchase of a primary residence in Arlington County.
CEA places a great emphasis on employee health and wellness, offering an on-site gym for employee use which is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Additionally, on-site boot camp, strength training and yoga programs are all offered to employees at no cost.
The rankings of the 3rd annual Best Places to Work in Virginia will be unveiled and published in the February 2013 issue of Virginia Business.
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $206 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media: https://www.facebook.com/#!/CEAfeed, http://twitter.com/ceafeed, http://blog.ce.org/.
Latest AJAXWorld RIA Stories
Subscribe to the World's Most Powerful Newsletters
Subscribe to Our Rss Feeds & Get Your SYS-CON News Live!
SYS-CON Featured Whitepapers
Most Read This Week


text:
WWF urge Thai government to ban all ivory trade in the country
Bangkok, November 18, 2012 : President Obama yesterday acknowledged the progress Thailand has made in addressing illegal wildlife trade, however there is no time for complacency. Tens of thousands of Africa's elephants are being slaughtered each year to supply the rising demand for ivory in Asia. Foreign militias are posed again to enter Cameroon where they killed over 300 elephants earlier this year. Thailand remains the largest unregulated ivory market in the world and therefore has a responsibility to address illicit wildlife trafficking, which is a global organized crime. WWF is pleased that Thailand has committed to addressing trans-national crimes and we urge Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to take the additional necessary step of banning all ivory trade in Thailand.
Poaching for international trade has escalated dramatically in recent years and is now the greatest threat to many of WWF's and TRAFFIC's flagship species, jeopardising decades of conservation investment and threatening survival of some of our flagship species. Rhino poaching in South Africa increased by more than 3,000% between 2007 and 2011, while tens of thousands of elephants are killed each year for their ivory, and there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild. Illegal trade is one of the greatest factors in the continued decline of these species.
The current demand for endangered species products in Asia is unprecedented and largely driven by demand for medicinal products, such as rhino horn and tiger parts, or as a demonstration of economic and social status, through products like ivory and rhino horn carvings or tiger bone wine. Growing wealth in Asia has resulted in an increase in the number of consumers with the financial means to purchase such products.
Despite its severity, illegal wildlife trade is not accorded the priority it deserves. In many jurisdictions offenders are secure in the belief that they can operate with near impunity, or if caught, will face derisory penalties. In short, the illegal wildlife trade is a low risk, high profit business.
The global Illegal Wildlife Trade Campaign is a conservation advocacy campaign with the goal of spurring governments and international institutions to treat illegal wildlife trade as a serious crime.


text:
One of the oldest matchmaking services providing Calpine personals to the area. Matchmaker specializes in helping singles in the Calpine personals area find that special someone. Whether you are seeking a serious relationship or marriage; matchmaker.com can help you today. Our Calpine personals service provides the latest in dating services to help you meet Calpine single men and Calpine single women. Create a free singles ad and start dating online, its easy!
CalpineJoin Now Free!
Calpine Girls | Calpine Men | Calpine Gay | Calpine Lesbians
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
More Calpine Links:
Calpine Dating | Calpine Speed Dating | Calpine Chat | Calpine Singles | Calpine Love
Senior Dating | Catholic Dating | Christian Dating | Muslim Dating
Black Singles | Asian Singles | Latin Dating
Specializing in Calpine personals services for the past ten years and helping Calpine singles find that special someone has helped matchmaker become one of the best online destinations. Our cupid matchmaking service allows you to receive email updates when new members that match your preferences join out Calpine dating service. Find the best Calpine classifieds and Calpine personals when joining our online dating service today!


text:
It is my pleasure to announce that Joel (webbgem) has joined the TCC Content and Graphics Team.
Joel will be a valuable addition as he works with the team to:
1. Write, review and edit new hobby articles, product reviews and more.
2. Publish press releases received directly from numerous hobby sources.
3. Maintain various content sections throughout the entire TCC site, especially the Resources section (see left-side menu).
4. Assist in the preparation of various promotional materials including newsletters, flyers, videos, and print ads.
5. Maintain a positive, family-friendly tone and environment throughout the Collector Zone.
We're very happy to have Joel join the team. Based on his obvious interest and enthusiasm for the hobby and TCC coupled with his strong communication skills and experience with video, we're certain that his addition will lead to further success for TCC.
Please help me in welcoming Joel to the team.


text:
Told you that it might be happening, and it is. Darwin Barney was placed on the DL, I'm assuming it will be retroactive to Saturday when the injury happened, you know, when it probably shouldn't have happened. Alberto Gonzalez will take Barney's spot on the active 25 man roster, Gonzalez did some good things last year in the minors and had a nice spring, but at this point he is nothing more than a place holder at the moment. Happy Opening Day from the Cubs!
Thanks for reading,
– George


text:
Loading product details ...
Reviews (0)
Need Help?
Product Description:
Men's ASICS® Kayano® 1993 Tee :: Celebrate 20 years of the ASICS® GEL-Kayano® running shoe in style with the all-new ASICS® Kayano® 1993 Tee. A retro 1993 print sits front and center atop its extremely comfortable tri-blend fabric, and clean color options make it easy to pair up with anything.
Features & Benefits:
Your Help Is Here
Shop with confidence knowing your team of Fit Experts is waiting to answer all your questions. You can always find your perfect product and your perfect fit. Your Road Runner Sports Fit Experts will make sure you get exactly what you want and have tons of fun in the process! Give us a call, chat, or email!
Call 800-743-3206 to
You May Also Like


text:
CrossFit craze: The intense workout that's going mainstream
Related Stories
Athena Maikantis signed up for a free CrossFit class at a local gym in July of last year after encouragement from a friend who was a fan of the intensive workouts. Her excitement wore off on fiance Greg LeGros, who tried a free workout of his own in September. Now the two regularly attend classes at West Toronto CrossFit.
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that improves fitness through intensive, physically demanding workouts. "We take the best of weightlifting, gymnastics, and monostructural exercises—running, skipping, or rowing—and combine it into an effective conditioning program that will increase various aspects of fitness like strength, power, speed, stamina, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, coordination, agility, and balance," said Jordan Symonds, head coach and co-owner at Reebok CrossFit Liberty Village in Toronto.
CrossFit is increasingly popular with athletes and military veterans, as well as celebrities like The Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper, Jessica Biel, and Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan. Forbes has called CrossFit "one of the fastest growing sports in America." There are now more than 5,500 official CrossFit affiliates around the world - up from just 500 in 2008.
But CrossFit—founded by Greg Glassman in 2000 - isn't just for people who are looking to compete, or those who are already athletes. "It's probably one of the best things that somebody who hasn't had much experience or is out of shape can do," Symonds said. Classes are coached throughout, so people aren't going into their workouts blind, he said.
At Reebox CrossFit, most of the members are health-conscious young professionals in their 20s and 30s, Symonds said, though they also have two 16-year-old girls who come regularly and members as old as 65. The split between men and women is about even, he said.
Canada's oldest and largest CrossFit gym, or "box," is Crossfit Vancouver, but there are now official CrossFit facilities located across the country, with boxes in every Canadian province as well as the Yukon. A typical facility is usually industrial and bare bones by design and are run by affiliates who apply for the right to license the CrossFit name on an annual basis.
LeGros and Maikantis are happy with their results so far, which include weight loss, increased energy, and improved endurance and strength. "I've lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time," LeGros said.
Bottom line: whatever your current fitness level, if you're sick of the typical gym environment and looking for a challenge, this could be the workout for you.
Would you ever try Crossfit?
or view results
0 votes
Yes, I'm interested
0 votes
I already do it!
0 votes
I've tried it and didn't like it
0 votes
No, not my type of workout


text:
GROUP 11 is in talks with the Manly Sea Eagles to bring a NSW Cup match to Apex Oval and possibly an NRL game in 2014.
The matter was one of many discussed at the group's annual general meeting on Sunday, with officials to speak to the northern Sydney club in coming weeks.
Part of the new Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) charter is to take the game to bush fans, and with Parramatta set to meet St George-Illawarra at Mudgee next season, Dubbo has quickly emerged as a likely location for Manly the following season.
Group 11 president Ross McDermott, who was re-elected at the annual meeting, said talks with the Sea Eagles have been positive.
"We have another meeting with them in a couple of weeks, and at this stage we are looking at the possibility of them bringing a NSW Cup game to Apex next year," McDermott said.
"Obviously part of the discussions in relation to that will be to do with bringing a full-on NRL game. We'd like an assurance that if the NSW Cup game goes well that we will get first shot at bringing one of their NRL games to Dubbo as well.
"If we can host a game like that every couple of years, the money we make from it goes a long way to helping every club in the competition cover costs like insurance and the like."
In other news to arise from the annual meeting, Narromine's Steve Sambrook replaced Wellington's Trent McQuillan as a senior selector for the Group 11 representative side while the 2013 junior selection panel will be made up of Marty Nelson, Phil Carney, Jim Kelly, Dennis Moran and a representative from the Woodbridge Cup, who are affiliated with Group 11.
The judiciary panel remains the same as it was this season, however secretary Bob Walsh indicated the process, which saw a points scale used for the first time, may be tinkered with slightly.
"This year was the first time we used that system so we will look at it and ways that might improve it going in to next year," Walsh said.
"Overall it was a good meeting, every club was represented at the meeting and had their say.
"Even though it is the off-season on the field, off the field things are still busy and we have a lot of things we want to try and have in place by the time 2013 rolls around."
A draw for next season hasn't been drafted at this stage, however it appears as though the competition will begin at its usual starting time of late April, with the inaugural Indigenous All-Stars game, which had to be cancelled this year, firmly back on the agenda.


text:
Garage Door Installation & Repairs in Middlesbrough
CSM has a vast amount of experience in supplying and fitting high quality electric garage doors and roller shutters at excellent prices.
Adding a new garage door to your property is an affordable way to both enhance the look of your home and improve security.
Working all across Middlesbrough and the surrounding areas, we offer a range of stylish electric roller garage doors, designed with security in mind. All of our doors are electrically operated by remote control and are available in a range of different styles, patterns and colours, offering you the ability to personalise the appearance of your garage door to complement your home.
The majority of the doors we install are made to measure, which means you can get the perfect fit for your garage – at no extra cost.
From quotation to completion, we strive to provide an exceptional level of service to customers in Middlesbrough and throughout the Teesside.
Middlesbrough Garage Door Repairs
Over time garage doors can become difficult to open or stiff, or perhaps your garage door simply just does not work as smoothly as it used to. If this is the case then it might be time to get your garage door professionally serviced. CSM Garage Doors carry out professional, cost-effective garage door repairs for homeowners in Middlesbrough and throughout Teesside.
We offer a comprehensive garage door repairs service to keep your garage door in tip top condition, ensuring the security of your garage is not compromised.
Regular maintenance of your garage doors, can prevent costly repairs in the long run or a complete door replacement. Contact us today to arrange a FREE consultation with one of our garage door experts.


text:
Despite the rising usage of emails in the business world, the importance of fax machines haven't diminished. Apart from being faster and cheaper than the regular mail, fax machines are a good way of sharing contracts, proofs, and other written documents. How does fax machine works? A fax machines scans the document and converts those images into a series of light and dark … [Read more...]
You are here: Home / Archives for laser fax machine


text:
Tebow wanted NY because of the media. He got what he wanted.
I know you better..this is a put on.
Straight up for Tebow ... A number 2. And we get your 4 . THAT'S it.
Not sure of MD contract..but he was recently quoted saying..I'm tired of losing.
That would preclude the JETS.
MJD for TEBOW makes ALOT of sense rt now too!!! DO IT!!!! CMON!!!
If Rex truly is insane enough to continue going with Sanchez when he's playing this bad, then there is little reason to have a back up quarterback at all. Sanchez will be here until Rex is gone and Rex will ride him until they both get run out of NY by an angry mob. With the lack of usage, Tebow is just taking up a roster spot at this point.
But you could also argue some of it had to do with the fact they had a rookie QB last year and still wanted to see what they had in him with a new coach.
So far this year, Gabbert's done nothing to prove he is their man.
Last edited by Whichfan; 10-11-2012 at 09:12 PM.
Oh and Jacksonville was unwilling to pay "their best player" more than 4.5 million per year this past summer. You realize the Panthers are paying Deangelo Williams 8 million per year. Johnathan Stewart 6...Jacksonville's contract to MJD right now is pretty insulting.
I believe they are willing to get rid of him. Either way I can't see him sticking around in Jacksonville after that mess. Jacksonville isn't willing to pay out big money, and you can't blame them. New owner, and they have problem selling tickets. Tebow helps that franchise way more than MJD.
Last edited by Whichfan; 10-11-2012 at 09:34 PM.
That would make too much sense. Send him away
In fact if it is indeed true Tebow had no say, then the real question is why would a team accept a lesser offer to send Tebow here? I think that's where you will find your answer.
If you are going to speculate then I can specualte as well. Maybe the Jets badly wanted Peyton, and maybe Peyton didn't want any part of Tom. They agreed to back off Peyton with Elway in exchange for Tebow....so maybe it wouldn't have mattered what anyone offered for Tebow, he was coming here anyway.
But I prefer sticking to facts.
The Jags were the highest bidder.
The Jags don't value MJD enough.
The Jags are 1-4 and their rookie QB is looking less and less like their franchise QB.
The Jags need a face and help selling tickets.
The Jags will likely lose MJD anyway.
The Jets need a running game, and MJD would fix that.
The Jets coach message is: no matter how ****ty Mark's playing Tebow isn't starting.
The contract money exchange is very doable.
The trade deadline isn't here yet.
The Jets will destroy both QB's values if they replace Sanchez with Tebow and Tebow tanks the rest of the season.
That's all I am going off of.
Last edited by Whichfan; 10-11-2012 at 10:19 PM.
ME? Put on? Tanny and Rex know how to build a team. Just look what Rex has done. Piece by piece. Patiently building a stud team. Sort of like Landry or Noll or Walsh.
My dead a$$.
Of course I am jesting. These bozos couldn't put 3 legos together without them collapsing.
While Tebow is a good attention grabber - the realistic side of it is the Jets gave up a lousy 4th rd pick that most of the time doesnt contribute much if at all...Tebow has arguably contributed more than a 4th rder already and is a fine emergency QB....also hes pretty cheap. I didnt have a problem with the move then nor now -
the problem is Sanchez keeps stinking it up and having no offenseive playmakers. The solution is not pretty because if you replace Sanchez with Tebow you are in essence ending Mark's career with the NYJ while he is on the books for over $10M next season.
Wake me up when its 2014
I am dreaming of the day Teblow is no longer a member of the team I root for. I will NEVER forgive Woody and Tannenbaum for trading for him.


text:
Template talk:Oriental
Can we put something in the files marked with this template that shows how the non-Chalcedonian opinions expressed are "at variance" with the Orthodox understanding? --Matrona 10:25, 3 November 2005 (CST)
- Certainly! Noting the opposition is always useful and good, ISTM, so long as it is done as neutrally and factually as possible. I haven't been reviewing the articles in question, as I haven't had time between ordination and seminary assignments lately, so please forgive me for that. But all are welcome to work on these articles. The texts of contributed articles needs to remain as submitted, but there's no reason extra sections noting disagreements can't be added. —Fr. Andrew talk contribs (THINK!) 13:25, 3 November 2005 (CST)
Tome of Leo link, etc.
I removed the link to Leo's Tome, as simply reading it won't give a detailed discussion of the particular difficulties that may be covered in each article. Additionally, I'd prefer to keep this template as compact as possible.
Perhaps we could include an article critiquing OO Christology from the POV of Chalcedonian Christology, which could be linked from this template marker. Further, each article which includes this template should ideally include a section charting the Chalcedonian POV.
See further comments at Talk:Oriental Orthodox.—Fr. Andrew talk contribs (THINK!) 14:42, 3 November 2005 (CST)
- Yeah, I wasn't talking about anything like what Arbible did. What I was thinking of, was a paragraph or link appended to each article (not part of the template) explaining how the article's contents depart from Orthodox Christology. For instance, a non-Chal POV article relating to monotheletism ought to have a link explaining what monotheletism is and why Orthodox reject it as heresy. --Matrona 14:58, 3 November 2005 (CST)
- Actually monothelism is also considered a heresy by non-Chalcedonians, as it includes an element of Dyophysitism. But before discussing the Will of Christ, we should define/agree on what 'will' is/means. A good article to read that touches on these issues can be found at http://www.geocities.com/mfignatius/others/byzantine03.html - You will find that we are not in disagreement with the Eastern Orthodox Christology. The Eastern Orthodox confess one hypostasis, that is one concrete reality in Christ. They acknowledge that it is the one hypostasis of the Logos incarnate who wills and acts.


text:
The Reading Public Schools is pleased to announce the four finalists for the position of Reading Memorial High School Principal. These finalists were part of a rigorous interview process that was conducted by the 15 member RMHS Principal Screening Committee. The four finalists are:
- Adam Bakr, Assistant Principal, Marlborough High School
- Daniel G. Bauer, Assistant Principal, Beverly High School
- John M. Dillon, III, Assistant Principal for Educational Services, Minuteman Regional Vocational High School
- Jahmal Mosley, Principal, Somerset Berkley Regional High School
A copy of each finalist's resume is found below. On Thursday, March 27th, the finalists will be on a site visit to Reading Memorial High School and meet with staff, students, and administrators. On Thursday evening, March 27th, in the Patrick A. Schettini Library Media Center at Reading Memorial High School, each candidate will be interviewed by the Reading Community in an Open Microphone format. The interview times are as follows:
6:00 p.m. Adam Bakr
6:30 p.m. Jahmal Mosley
7:00 p.m. Dan Bauer
7:30 p.m. Jack Dillon
A special thanks goes to the RMHS Principal Screening Committee for their efforts in this process.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Reading Public Schools Administrative Offices at 781-944-5800.


text:
Difference between revisions of "Debian hdd spindown"
From NAS-Central Buffalo - The Linkstation Wiki
(Added link to Hard Drive)
m (Category: Debian)
|Line 14:
|Line 14:
edit /etc/init.d/sysklogd and set SYSLOGD to
edit /etc/init.d/sysklogd and set SYSLOGD to
SYSLOGD="-m 0"
SYSLOGD="-m 0"
Revision as of 01:55, 10 July 2006
If you're not using your Kurobox 24 hours a day, it could be good to allow the hard drive to spin down and reduce noise and power usage. For this you'll need to install hdparm to tune the sleep delay, and configure syslog to prevent it from writing to the disk, causing it to wake up every 20 minutes!
Install & Configure hdparm
- Installation
apt-get install hdparm
- Configuration
nano /etc/hdparm.conf
and uncomment the lines about /dev/hda at the end of the file, then add
spindown_time = 240
between the brackets. 240 means 240*5 seconds = 20 minutes idle before spinning down ;)
Modify syslogd Configuration
If you do not do that, your HDD will be turned on every 20 minutes because syslog will log a "MARK" in /var/log/messages every 20 minutes. So we need to remove that marking : edit /etc/init.d/sysklogd and set SYSLOGD to
SYSLOGD="-m 0"


text:
This morning my dad and I did an hour-long stand on the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL-FM, 99.5. Milk Bones to Dave Smiley (pictured), KJ (pictured) and Weedman for having us on the show. It was a great segment that included an investigative report by Smiley, heavey breathing and barking from me, commentary and the facts from my father, and a call-in phone interview with Marion County Prosecuter, Carl Brizzi.
I expect to have a link to the audio from the radio interview in the near future and once I have that, I'll be sure to post it here for all to listen.
Then while I was doing my radio gig, my good buddy Brad Ward in the Office of Admission was simultaneously uploading a video he shot and edited of me looking around campus for the mascot costumes. You can scroll down to my previous post from today to watch that or visit Blue2Tube at www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.
Evidently that video prompted our rivals and fellow Horizon League member, University of Wisconsin Green Bay and their mascot Phlash to do a costume hunt (video below). Unfortunately, their exhaustive search produced no results and thus, it has been determined that the Butler Bulldog costumes are not in Green Bay, Wisc. Thanks for looking anyway, Phlash!
The story continued to generate attention in the media/news again today. It even got some national coverage! Keith Olbermann (pictured) of MSNBC picked up the piece and ran it in his "Oddball" segment on his Countdown show. You can view that here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#26649166
Locally, it received a follow-up story in The Indianapolis Star. In fact, it was front and center with a color picture in the Metro/State section. Here's a screen shot of that in case you missed it:
You can read the article here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809100352
It's worth a quick read and it brings up some quick points of note/clarification.
First, the Butler Bulldog mascot costume is NOT named "Butler Blue," or "Blue." People (students, university officials, media) have used that name quite a bit in the last couple of days and I think that's what's generated most of the frantic calls to my parents from friends and family that think I've come up missing.
The name "Butler Blue" first came about in 2000 when Frank and Jeane King of Kong King Kennel, Lizton, Ind., donated Butler Blue I to the university. "Butler Blue" was the name that received the most votes in a "name the new live mascot" contest and thus the reason why I'm known as "Butler Blue II" today.
So I just wanted to take the opportunity to clear that up.
Also, at the end of that Indy Star story, it reads, "The new costumes could arrive as early as Nov. 1, Tuell said. Until then, students will have to rally around the school's other mascot, a real live bulldog known as Butler Blue II who does not dance."
Well just call me "Blue II the belittled!" I'm so sorry that the university only has this mangy old mutt to serve as mascot for the next several weeks. Sure, I might not be able to dance, but I do have a fine repertoire of tricks and at least I do not smell like B.O.! Last time I checked, many colleges, universities and high schools have a costumed mascot, but only a fortunate few have the privilege of having the real thing to represent their school. The condescending Heather Gillers is on my list!
Oh well, as long as it continues to make the news, well then I'll continue to shamelessly stump for the cause online, on-air and wherever I can. We just couldn't buy this kind of coverage otherwise! I can't say exactly why media/news outlets keep covering the story. I'm sure there are lots of reasons, but if it distracts us for just a moment from political campaigns, hurricanes, oil prices and foreign fighting, then I suppose it serves a purpose.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I attended another home volleyball match last night in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. After all, I am the only mascot we have at the moment so I've got to make the rounds. My good friend Mike Freeman took me out on the court for starting lineups in our matching against the Sycamores of Indiana State University. I had a great time and I even came home with a mini-volleyball (pictured) signed by all of the Lady Bulldog players!
Below is some footage from the event…
Good times! I am definitely ready for my first home football game on Saturday!
Be sure to check back to the blog often for more info, updates and news regarding the search for the missing mascot costumes. In addition, text "follow butlerblue2" to 40404 (Twitter.com) for daily updates from yours truly.
Blue II.


text:
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The weekend accident that injured nine members of a circus troupe, along with two other people, during a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance in Providence, Rhode Island, was caused by a 5-inch D-ring that snapped, the lead investigator for the city's fire department said Monday.
"It was a single piece of equipment that failed," fire investigator Paul Doughty told reporters.
The steel caribiner was part of a rig designed to hoist performers by their hair into the air above the audience, where they would perform acrobatics. When it snapped, the rig fell to the ground to the confusion and horror of the audience.
What caused the D-ring -- also called a caribiner -- to snap remains under investigation, Doughty said.
The caribiner was rated for about 10,000 pounds, and the weight of the performers and the rig that fell was about 1,500 pounds, he said.
Doughty declined to say if the rigging appeared safe. But Providence Fire Chief Clarence Cunha said his crews would not rely on a single caribiner for safety.
First responders described a gruesome scene, with performers scattered on the floor, some suffering from compound fractures in which the bone protrudes through the skin. Many appeared to be in shock, they said.
"One of the girls looked up at me and very calmly but sadly said, 'I can't feel my legs,' " said Providence police Officer Sean Carroll, one of the first emergency officials to respond.
A performer on the ground and two other people were also hurt, officials said. Many suffered broken bones, officials said.
Of the nine people transported to the hospital, three remained critical on Monday, three were serious and the others were in good condition, Cunha said.
A circus spokesman called the accident "unprecedented."
"We have never had an accident like this with this number of performers injured," said Ringling Bros. spokesman Stephen Payne. "It really is a testament to, you know, their physical fitness and skills, that the injuries were not more severe than they were."
The injuries came after the failure of a rig holding eight members of the Medeiros Hair-Hang Act aloft by their hair. The rig collapsed as the audience looked on. Many suffered broken bones, Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said Sunday. No spectators were hurt.
"I screamed. I'm like, that's not right," Chelie Barrie, a spectator, told WPRI. "You know, sometimes you're surprised and it's part of the show, but this clearly wasn't."
Rhode Island Hospital has confirmed that each of the eight women named by Ringling Bros. as part of the act are in the hospital: Viktoriya Medeiros, Widny Neves, Samantha Pitard, Viktorila Liakhova, Dayana Costa, Julissa Segrera, Stefany Neves and Svitlana Balanicheva.
The Medeiros Hair-Hang Act is touted on the Ringling Bros. website as a "one-of-a-kind act ... the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Andre and Viktoria Medeiros, (who) have devised and improved the mechanisms and methods making possible the myriad of maneuvers this troupe will perform for audiences."
"It is Andre's attention to every detail, even welding the three different rigs that the girls hang from, that keeps his troupe safe and sound each and every time the act is presented," according to the website.
The circus canceled both of its scheduled performances Monday amid the investigation, which Pare said is now being led by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Payne said the circus is cooperating fully with investigators trying to understand what happened.
Elaine Alcorn, a circus performer who was not involved in the show, said "nothing is ever 100% sure" in a dangerous pursuit such as the circus.
"There can always be mistakes, there can always be failures in the rigging," she said.
It's something performers accept, she said.
"They don't call it death defying for nothing," she said. "As a circus performer it is our job to do the impossible, to stare death in the face and conquer it. We don't just do it for entertainment. We do it to inspire people, to inspire them to conquer their own fears or overcome their own obstacles."AlertMe


text:
Hey, Andy, how are you doing?
Just to let you know, I would be interested in a few of those geocoins; I know you must make sure all pre-orders are out, however, I wanted to let you know that I am interested.....I could stop by 'Sound Shapers' to pick them up.
Thanks......Ron (AKA Rpapaman)


text:
Feb. 15, 2004
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Behind another strong outing from sophomore right-hander Michael Martin, the UC Santa Barbara baseball team knocked off San Jose State 4-2 Sunday afternoon, salvaging one game of this weekend's three game series. The victory pushes the Gauchos record to 4-3.
Martin (2-0) held a San Jose State offense which had scored 20 runs in the previous two games to just one earned run while striking out a season high eight batters. In his 7.1 innings of work, Martin allowed just three hits but walked four Spartans.
Pacing the Gauchos' offensive attack were senior third baseman Nate Sutton and sophomore first baseman Bill Rowe. The two infield cornerstones each had two RBI. Sutton finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored.
UCSB took the lead early in the two-hour, fifteen minute contest as it put two runs up on the board in the first and never relinquished the lead. After Spartan starter Brandon Dewing walked Sutton and second baseman Chris Malec to lead off the Gaucho first, Rowe stepped up two batters later and cranked a double down the right field line, scoring both runners.
In the second the Gauchos padded their lead with Sutton's first RBI of the day. With junior left fielder Matt Stevens on second, Sutton drilled a two-strike pitch up the middle to give Santa Barbara a 3-0 lead.
Martin allowed an unearned run in the Spartan third after walking lead-off hitter Ruben Martinez and allowing him to advance to third on a botched pick-off attempt. After another walk and a stolen base put runners on second and third, right fielder Ryan Angel reached with an infield single, allowing Martinez to score. Martin escpaed further damage by striking out the next batter and then inducing second baseman Kevin Frandsen into a fielder's choice ground out.
The score remained 3-1 until the bottom of the seventh when Sutton picked up Stevens again with an RBI signle to right. Stevens had reached via a one-out double and advanced to third on shorstop Chris Valaika's blooper single.
Meanwhile, Martin faced just one batter above the minimum possible between the fourth and seventh innings. The right-hander cruised through the game's middle innings, allowing just two baserunners and doubling off one of them by inducing an inning-ending ground ball double play in the seventh.
Back to back one-out base-hits in the eighth plated the Spartans' second run, and Martin eventually gave way to southpaw Ivan Ramirez. The senior escpaed the inning by getting shortstop Anthony Contreras to ground into another inning-ending double play.
Senior Aaron Jones pitched a perfect ninth inning for his third save of the year.
The Gauchos return to action Tuesday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium in a non-conference matchup against Westmont College at 2 p.m. Freshman right-hander Andy Graham is expected to get the nod for UCSB.