text:
Eloquent justifications for what is, ultimately, a description of plausibility.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
On Piracy
I pirate Windows. I doubt many readers batted an eye. A few might have thought it theft. A few more probably thought "Good, stick it to Microsoft."
How about this: I pirate Libronix. All of it. I have, without exaggerating, 95% of all available resources on my HDD as we speak. I also pirate BibleWorks. And QuickVerse, thought I never use it. I`d very much like to pirate Accordance, even if it would have to run in a VM, but unfortunately I've never found a release.
I downloaded a PDF of Sanders' Paul and Palestinian Judaism 20 minutes ago (to be fair, I own the book). I have JSTOR access that I obtained by manipulating online subscription services. Probably 60% of my research is done with texts I shouldn't legally have.
I do so unapologetically. I also pirate games, though if I enjoy the game I pretty well always pay for it. And movies, though I'll always buy them after too, sometimes even if they suck. I don't usually pirate software, because I'm an OSS evangelist.
So why do I have no qualms about using such a vast quantity of resources without comensurating the developers?
I wouldn't have bought it anyway. They didn't actually lose any money, I'm just using it for free. The question is what I'm supposed to be able to use, not what they're supposed to get paid, because they weren't getting paid anything in the first place.
While for the serious student or professional scholar Libronix is a steal, for the working father of two kids in diapers the expense for the collection I have is preposterous to consider. My kids need Christmas presents more than I need cool software for what, ultimately, is a hobby.
As Jim West often laments, peer-reviewed research is prohibitively expensive, so I take very much a "buy what I can and get even more" approach. I can't justify the cost of Hermeneia, you'll have a hell of a time convincing me that that means I shouldn't read it, or that I should turn down an opportunity to acquire it by other means.
So if you're interested, and with the proviso that your actions in no way represent any copyright holder, send me a message, I'll send you a link to a blog with a snazzy collection of rapidshare links to fantastic books. If you've any kind of skill in beating protection schemes get me a license for Libronix 4.0
I hear it has Google fast searches.
29 comments:
- Loren Rosson III said...
Good for you, Rick. I pirate occasionally, though my logic is opposite from yours on the following point:
Why do I have no qualms about using such a vast quantity of resources without comensurating the developers? I wouldn't have bought it anyway. They didn't actually lose any money, I'm just using it for free.
When I take the trouble to obtain things I shouldn't legally have (films or TV shows usually), it's because it's something I will eventually buy, because I'll want a pristine copy with all the added features and commentaries. But I also want it badly enough that I can't wait for the DVD release date. If it's something I doubt that I'll buy, that means it's usually something I can happily wait for to rent (either free through my public library or through Netflix), and have little interest in bothering to download.
So for instance, I still have bootleg copies of the Lord of the Rings films, Hard Candy (:)), Doctor Who, and a few others. But I also bought the official DVDs for all these, and on top of that I saw each of the LOTR films many times in the theaters. So the studios are getting their money from me.
Your logic makes sense too, though many people disingenuously tell themselves the same thing -- "I wouldn't have bought it anyway, so no one ended up losing any money". If you really wouldn't have bought it anyway -- and if you're not lining anyone else's pockets, as you say, just obtaining it free -- then it's true no one is being harmed. But again, in my case, if it's something I'd never buy, it's something I usually wouldn't care to download.
Pirate on! But watch out for Stephen Carlson. Our resident patent attorney may point an admonishing finger at us. (What say you, Stephen?)
- Stephen C. Carlson said...
My normal advice is to never admit to a crime unless you're getting a plea deal.
- Stephen C. Carlson said...
That being said, there are huge (and in some sense) institutional advantages that go to professional scholars in the humanities. I am thinking of the benefit that having a well-stocked academic library can provide. When I was an independent scholar, getting adequate access to the necessary resources was frustratingly time-consuming and expensive. That's why I fully support open-source scholarship and other such initiatives as much as possible.
- Danny Zacharias said...
What a post :-)
- The Dilettante Software Pirate said...
I tend to feel the same - if I didn't download the book, I would borrow it from the library. If I didn't download the software, I would just do without it.
For those interested in lanugages (not only Biblical languages), click on my (fake) name for a great site.
Now then, how do we go about finding out about this site you recommended?
- Rick Sumner said...
For the most part I either pirate what I intend to buy, or pirate to see if it's worth buying. If I enjoy the product I pay for it, even if I'm not likely to watch/use it again. Doubly so with movies, and triply so with with independent movies.
But here there's no possibility that I'd have acquired it without piracy. Libronix was out for years before I found a license, if I was going to buy it, I would have. And while we might make the case that the Photoshop pirate should use GIMP, I'm not aware of a Libronix alternative.
Heh. In my youthful indiscretions my attorney once advised me that the only question to ask during an interview was why there was no chair for my lawyer.
I support any Open Source inspired endeavour as much as I can. My son's named Linux, after all. :D
And institutional advantage is entirely too true. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd still scam my way on to JSTOR.
Thanks. I think what makes the post work is that, because most of my readership is as passionate about the subject as I am, the gut reaction goes both ways. You don't want to see academics or publishers get ripped off for their hard work--Libronix is a great product, and if I could justify the cost I'd buy it, really I would, and it would be worth every penny.
But on the flip side, you don't want to see someone get left out of a subject they love because of something so trivial as economics.
It's really not that I begrudge anyone their money, and I really can't condemn copyright law for the most part--at least in general and on principle (software patents are administered by idiots, but that's neither here nor there).
If 7Zip wants to give their algorithm away then that's fantastic to see, but I can't criticize WinRAR because they don't. I see the need for the protection, and realize the laws have to be largely black and white--we can't open the doors too widely to the slippery slope of the whim of the magistrate.
So I realize that what I do not only is illegal, it rather has to be. I'm just not so sure that being illegal makes it wrong--at least in this specific context.
- Rick Sumner said...
@Dilettante Software Pirate
Send me an email (address is on the top left of the page).
I don't want to post it here since I am 100% certain the host will get rid of it if they receive a complaint.
- Loren Rosson III said...
So I realize that what I do not only is illegal, it rather has to be. I'm just not so sure that being illegal makes it wrong
You're right, of course. What's illegal has nothing (necessarily) to do with what's unethical or immoral, since the latter are subjective. Look at the drinking age in the U.S.! Age of consent laws are also peculiarly high in many of our states. Not wearing a seatbelt while driving can be criminal, as can attempting to commit suicide, but (in my view) those are ridiculous.
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I'm a worker bee at one of the software companies whose products you shamelessly bragged about stealing. I don't know if you consider yourself a Chriistian, Rick, or if you just have an intellectual interest in biblical studies, so some of these comments may not apply directly to you. It makes my heart sink that there are people who call themselves Christians out there stealing my work and the work of my co-workers, and not only justifying their sins to themselves, but actually evangelizing for their sinful behavior, sharing their little justifications and the links to enable others to sin. Come on, Mr. Exegete, do you really think when God said "Thou shalt not steal" He meant "except if you weren't going to pay for it anyway"? Stealing software is NOT the same as borrowing a book from the library. Even if YOU don't pay for the library rental, the publisher and author were still paid for that copy. When you steal software no one, not the publisher, author, or software developer, gets anything to help buy toys for THEIR kids. Piracy is not a victimless crime, and even if you were never going to purchase the tools you use for your 'hobby', encouraging and enabling others to follow your sinful ways makes you a scoundrel of the first order, Rick. And if the question is, as you put it, "What am I supposed to be able to use?", where does this sense of entitlement come from that you're "supposed" to be able to use tools you have no inclination of purchasing, even as you concede their value? At some point you have to wonder, who are you serving? I can only pray that one day you'll actually take the Bibles and commentaries that you steal to heart and repent.
- Rick Sumner said...
By "software company" you mean Libronix, just to clarify for anyone who didn't put that together.
I knew I'd get at least one comment like this, so I won't expand too much on the usual financial arguments surrounding piracy, nor on the semantics between piracy and theft, except to suggest that your presentation is a gross oversimplification, as bad as the individual who suggests that piracy is always victimless (which is not a position I endorsed).
What I will note, however, is that I didn't claim a sense of "entitlement," my only point in that regard was that I was accessing material I wasn't supposed to be able to, rather than depriving anyone of any money.
The question is not whether or not I have the "inclination" to buy it, it's whether or not I have the capability. I don't have the money to spend on it. That's just reality, and all the inclination in the world isn't going to change that.
As to how "Christian" it makes me, well, I suppose I might have more issue with it if I shared that theological world-view.
Though, if I did, I might retort by inquiring as to how Christian it is to have information controlled solely by people with money? Where might Christianity stand if Paul's epistles, for example, were circulated only to people with a certain measure of disposable income? It's a reductio ad absurdum of course, but then, so is relating piracy to the ten commandments.
For what it's worth, should the time come that I'm in a position to purchase the software I will. I don't encourage people to pirate things they can afford (though I suppose I do enable that. 'Tis unavoidable--you can't serve one without serving the other), I just don't condemn them for pirating things they can't.
As for repentance, I have to say that it's extraordinarily unlikely. As I noted to Loren above, while I recognize the need for it to be illegal, I don't think that inherently makes it wrong.
I do wonder, however, one thing, and wonder if you would do me the courtesy of answering a question?
I noted in my post that I also scam on to JSTOR. I do it by manipulating online services. The nearest university to me is about 2 hours away, and if I couldn't scam my way on, I'd just have to drive down.
JSTOR gets paid the same either way--the same institutions are paying the same volume license for me to use it whether I do it at home or head down to the University.
So my question:
Is there a victim in that? Because it is a form of piracy. But I don't see how anyone absorbs any financial loss at all. Not only don't they, I don't see how they could, or how that will affect the pay of anyone.
Rick, I didn't identify myself or my employer because my response to you was personal. My thoughts on this don't represent my employer in any way. I just find it sad and amazing that someone can dedicate so much energy to studying the Bible and yet be so completely un-affected by the process, whatever your theological world-view is. I get that you've constructed all sorts of logical castles so that you can think you're a good person, sleep soundly at night, and pretend no one is hurt by your actions. You acknowledge the need for anti-piracy law while refusing to believe it applies to you. You recognize that you're not "supposed" to have access to the software, but refuse to believe that illegally gaining access is "wrong". You delight in trying to create moral grey areas in which to hide yourself. I just don't understand why you bother pretending to care about morality and right/wrong when you clearly act as if you are a law unto yourself, not subject to international law or any higher power.
Calling your thievery 'piracy' doesn't make it sexy. You're not Captain Jack Sparrow; you're just a thief. I'd say 'petty thief', but it sounds like you're more into grand larceny. It's a "gross over-complification" to pretend that taking commercial software without permission and without paying for it isn't stealing.
I don't mean to be evasive about your direct question, but I simply don't know anything about the JSTOR licensing terms, policies or pricing structure to be able to express any sort of informed opinion on that question. But since I already think you belong in jail, I'll side with JSTOR if pushed on the issue.
- Danny Zacharias said...
Question on the JSTOR thing— are you a paying student, staff, or faculty? If so, then you have the right to access the material, and universities often provide a way for students/staff to access JSTOR using a virtual private network.
If you are not student/staff, then yes you are ripping someone off— not JSTOR but the university. Part of student tuition and the university operating budget is to pay for access to the JSTOR archive.
- Rick Sumner said...
I suspect we could have a very long discussion on the financial impacts of piracy, and the difference between piracy and theft, and other fun things. Most of which I won't comment on. But I will comment on the correlation you draw between legality and morality, because I'm not as sure as you are that that correlation exists.
I don't know what you do at Libronix, you could be a coder or just proofing the OCR. But assuming you're a coder, on average, about 1 out of every 20 lines of code you write is owned by someone else. Distributing it is illegal. If not for open source initiatives, that number would be closer to 1 in 10.
It's unfathomable for any programmer to be familiar with every line of code that's patented, every function that someone else owns. There are far more patents than anyone could hope to remember. That type of infringement is both inevitable and, for the most part, harmless. The laws need to be there, but in most cases, they don't reflect any statement on ethics one way or the other.
The dilemma is that you can't decide what is IP too arbitrarily. Microsoft owns a patent on navigating a browser with the tab key. That's silly. WinRAR owns a compression algorithm that's very complicated. That isn't. But how do you tell the difference without being arbitrary?
The USPO has decided to err on the side of caution and administer too many patents rather than too few. And that's probably the best choice so far as ensuring everyone's protection goes.
Software patents are notoriously abused, but while I am one voice among millions in the need for reform, like most of those voices I don't have any real idea how that reform could be implemented. The system isn't good, but it's better than any alternative I can come up with.
Which is the problem. The laws have to exist, but they don't make any real statement on ethics.
Of course, I'm not saying that's the same thing as piracy. That's not the point of the illustration.
Rather it's that the line you draw, where legality and morality are synonymous, is arbitrary, and even misguided. There are scores of laws that exist because they have to, because their existence is necessary for people's protection, but their existence makes no comment on the morality of the actions they cover.
Though if the correlation you suggest exists does, does it work both ways? Because I could conceivably argue that Libronix has given me tacit permission to pirate their software. So, if it isn't illegal, is it therefore ethical. And if not--if it isn't so simple and black and white one way--why is it so simple the other? It begins to smack of a marriage of convenience.
"Because if you want to steal the Bible, we want you to have it." - The Logos 'blog linked above
I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Like I said, I expected at least one response to that effect (even expected it from a Logos employee. . .does that make me a prophet?), so thank you for your opinion. I respect it. I understand it. I just don't agree with it.
- Rick Sumner said...
I am not a student or faculty. I do have a card for the university library, and so have paid for the access from the local university.
I have not paid for it from the institution I manipulate.
I suppose one could say I'm stealing the bandwidth for the proxy (I'm not going to elaborate on who pays it, lest someone find the hole and close it), but of course both net neutrality and the vast majority of subscription arrangements say that isn't really true, and the institution is paying the same monthly rate for their service whether I use it or not.
So I have paid for JSTOR access (actually, according to the last breakdown for tuition I saw, I pay more for JSTOR than a student). Just not JSTOR access at home. I can access the university's JSTOR. I just can't access their proxy.
The analogy to piracy is probably closest to installing an OEM copy of Windows on a second machine, or even in a VM on the same machine. I have a license to use it, just not a license to use it here.
The impossibility (or at least extreme implausibility) of me obtaining JSTOR at home is the reason I noted in my comments to Stephen above that even if I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd still scam my way on.
- Rick Sumner said...
@ Danny
I should probably add that the requirements I dodge for my access are not monetary. Even if I qualified for the access, it would be entirely free. I would not fall into the group that absorbs the cost.
The monetary loss is $0.
Rick, you are finally right about one thing: you have no idea what I do for a living.
I don't confuse illegality and morality. What you're doing just happens to be both illegal and immoral.
Nothing in your reply indicates that you have any grasp of how software is designed, but putting that aside: You're not just stealing lines of code; you're stealing reference books. And since most of those reference books are not in the public domain, a lot more than 1 of 20 or even 1 out of every 10 books you're stealing belong to someone else.
I get it; I really do. I've read Proverbs: The way of the fool is right in his owns eyes. The fool flaunts his folly. To turn away from evil is the abomination of fools. I shouldn't even be talking to you.
- Rick Sumner said...
I knew I should have italicized the point of the illustration.
Rick, just for a fun experiment, why not call the president of Logos and ask him if your rationalization is an accurate interpreation?
Call 800-875-6467 and ask for Bob Pritchett.
Then post his response here so we can all see, I would love to hear what he says!
I want to know if your suggestion that you "could conceivably argue that Libronix has given me tacit permission to pirate their software." is a good argument when you are talking to their president.
I don't know? Maybe Bob was saying, please steal from me? Maybe not?
Perhaps Bob was thinking "If you are dead in your trespasses and sins and headed straight to hell as an unregenerate heathen, we care for your soul! If you are wallowing in your sin and have to steal, it is probably good for your eternal security that you stole a Bible rather than a car, because we trust that the living and active Word of God which is the gospel, (the power of God for salvation) will grip you with such conviction of your lost and hopeless state that you will flee to Christ for the salvation of your immortal soul."
"Once you are saved the Holy Spirit will convict you of the sin in your life, and you will turn from your wicked ways and choose to be holy as you were called to be holy just as God is holy. At which point you will cleanse your life from sin, and be like the thief in Proverbs as he had to "pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house."
Maybe that's what Bob meant? Maybe he didn't really mean, "please steal from me so I can't buy my kids Christmas presents" like you suggest may be implied tacitly.
Maybe you are right? Maybe you are wrong. Only one way to find out? Do you really want to know, or are you afraid of what you might find out?
Give Bob a call, he loves to talk to customers! Oh wait, you're not a customer, you're a common criminal, oh but I get ahead of myself, perhaps that was uncharitable, judgemental, irresponsible and wreckless, we haven't heard from Bob yet. Maybe you are a stand-up fella? Let's hear what Bob says.
- Rick Sumner said...
The question of what Bob intended, and what I "could conceivably argue" are two different things. And whether or not Bob can buy his kids Christmas presents from my piracy is comically misguided. Libronix was out for years before I could pirate it (Bob's post on the topic in fact comes shortly after the first publically leaked key for Logos 3 circulated. I know. I downloaded it. The "universal unlocker" showed up shortly after, reverse engineered from purchases made using the pirated license, and finally a license generator followed suit, though it has some limitations). If I was going to buy it--if I had the means to buy it--I already would have.
Nothing I have done has affected his Christmas one way or the other. I didn't crack it. I don't pass the crack around. The only potential sale he's lost as a result of me (at least to date, I make no promises I'll never link anyone to the unlocker) was. . .to me. Except I couldn't buy in the first place. So the net loss of Libronix is $0.
It's what distinguishes piracy from larceny. Larceny, you take the tangible object, which has a tangible value, and translates to a tangible loss.
Piracy is closer to plagiarism. If the RIAA, for example, would have actually made sales on every pirated MP3 (as they so often like to lament), they would have had astonishingly record breaking years. Every year.
The only company that suffers a lot of piracy, and can legitimately claim to have lost sales on almost every instance is Microsoft, because most people wouldn't know how to set up Linux. So every pirated XP/Vista/7 .iso probably cost them an actual sale.
But back to me, since I don't generally bother to pirate mp3s, excepting Pink Floyd ROIOs, which are, by definition, illicit in the first place.
But I'll tell you what, I'll meet you halfway.
I'll post a comment, on Bob Pritchett's own blog post, on what I pirate and why. He's welcome to respond as he sees fit. You can encourage him to do so, if you like.
Here's my dilemma. I refuse to accept that my collar is too blue to allow me to participate in a field I love.
I refuse to accept that "I can't afford it" translates to "I need to sit out the conversation."
And I refuse to accept that "I'm not a student, and my University library is sub par" translates to "I need to have thousands of dollars of disposable income to engage the field I'm passionate about."
One might reply that, prior to the web, I wouldn't have had a choice. What would I have done then?
I'd have done without. I'd have sat out the conversation. And that would have been a travesty. Me, and others like me, would have been robbed of the opportunity, not because of capacity, not because of passion, but because of economics.
So unless you have a solution that both avoids any sort of IP theft, and avoids me missing out on the field, I'm afraid I remain unapologetic. As we stand right now, the only way to help us both out is if I pirate more books and less software.
- Danny Zacharias said...
I belong to the "pirating" generation, so I'm more "understanding" of the whole piracy thing. Rick, you make one statement that continues to eat at me. "If I was going to buy it--if I had the means to buy it--I already would have." This sense of entitlement is a plague of teens and high school students— I want it so deserve to have it no matter what the means.
Anyway, just my thoughts for what they're worth....
- Rick Sumner said...
It is not simply that I "want it" so deserve to have it. I want ABBYY FineReader. It would save me god knows how many hours trying to train tesseract. Ultimately it's probably not as good (at least that's my understanding), but I lack the technical knowledge to end up doing much more than typing it myself.
In the other cases I mentioned--movies and games--if I enjoy it I pay for it, and if I don't I delete it. It's just a question of guaranteeing my investment--sort of "Try Before you Buy"--that is fundamentally no different than a demo. What sets this apart is that I keep it and I don't pay for it.
And my reasoning for that is not simply "I want it," it's that I am extremely passionate about the subject, and would have no real hope of obtaining legitimately the resources I would need to engage it seriously.
Ultimately if I could pirate the books instead of the books inside the DLS reader, I'd go with that. One never knows when an update is going to kill it, when the newest resources will stop working. Especially with such niche software. With the forum that sponsored most of it shutdown, it's unlikely that Logos 4 will be pirated any time soon, for example.
It's not the feature set of the software I'm pirating (and ultimately, the software itself is free anyway), it's the information provided there-in. The books. Books I don't have any realistic means of getting any other way.
Do I have the right to engage a subject I'm passionate about? I'd argue that I do. And I'd argue that, while it has to be illegal, I'm not doing anything immoral in ensuring I'm able to do that.
So as long as you're PASSIONATE about what you're stealing, it's not immoral, even if it is illegal? So it's bad to casually steal things you don't really care about, but if you REALLY want it, then it's ok? That is some messed up self-deception, hombre.
- Rick Sumner said...
I'm not entirely sure if you're frustrated but want to understand my point of view, or if you're just driven to spew vituperative rhetoric while you convince yourself self-righteously that it's for my own good. It looks a lot like the latter, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. If it's the latter, I'll save you some grief: You're wasting your time.
If the "object" in question that I'm taking is "knowledge," then yes. I think passion for it warrants me getting however I need to, if there's no other option. I do not think that is immoral. That is what I'm telling you.
Let's put aside, for the moment, the question of legality (I've never said it shouldn't be illegal).
Let's assume, for the moment, that I'm telling you the truth. I really do support publishers as much as is feasible, and probably more than I should. I really can't justify the cost of Libronix. I really couldn't buy it if I couldn't pirate it. Consequently, you really aren't losing any money.
Assuming, as we are, that all of that is true, we're left two possible outcomes:
1) I am deprived of the opportunity to engage material integral to the study of a field I love.
2) You (or your employer, rather) are deprived of the opportunity to restrict my access to that same information.
First of all, see how the wording is everything? Now you sound less heroic and I sound less villainous. So let's drop the rhetoric. Please. I could phrase everything to make you a horrible evil too. It doesn't contribute anything, unless it makes you feel self-satisfied. . .though if it does it's baseless. It's not accomplishing anything.
More importantly, the monetary loss in both possibilities is $0. So we can drop that from the equation too.
The question is which, of those two possibilities, is the greater evil. I think the former is. And I've explained why. You haven't really given me a reason why the latter is, except for the imagined monetary loss.
So, assuming for the moment at least, that I'm telling you the truth, and there is no monetary loss, why is the latter the greater evil?
If there's a third option, I'm still all ears. But I suspect the reason you haven't named one is that you don't know one.
What are your thoughts on this recent news story on software piracy and jail time?
- Rick Sumner said...
I think there's a difference between pirating a program for personal use that you couldn't afford in the first place and selling counterfeit goods while purporting to be an authorized retailer. It's apples and oranges. And even that only generously. It's closer to apples and skyscrapers.
I still find that "pirating" Bible software to be impossible. I find that charging money to an impoverished person the message of the gospel to be anti-christian. How can giving the gospel be charged for at all? What did Jesus require for the greatest gift in the history of the universe? Belief. If Libronix, Quickvese, and any other bible software were really attempting to get the Word of God out to the masses, wouldn't it be free? I mean really, the ability to get the message out to the whole world in every language available is of the Spirit. But to limit it for financial reasons is unconscionable. These "companies" are not Church, they are capitalist businesses. And they take what was given freely by Jesus Christ and His apostles and attach a monetary value on it so as to create a profit. When it is all said and done, let them have thier money, they have earned it, they bled on the cross to get this message to you so they should be handsomely paid for their suffering. Just because they produce this work does not mean they have faith that the God in those books will faithfully supply their every need.
Hey Rick, I've been looking for a copy of the Hermeneia Commentaries for Libronix. All the torrent sites have it included with 8 gig of other files! Any suggestions?
- Alceu Lourenço said...
Rick, here in Brazil those softs are even more expensive! Prohibitive, indeed.
For your question on how missing informations would be avoided before internet, it's simple: people who could buy books just lend them to their friends. No editors wold claim gain loss because no-payers are reading their products. Welllll... internet just made easy to make new friends and lend some books - no mattering where they are in the globe. Including here in Brazil. Huge hug!


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At the 2015 Intermat, Liebherr exhibits the new crawler loader LR 636. It is the first machine from the new generation 6.
The LR 636 offers an operating weight of 21,200 kg. Its Liebherr diesel engine returns 135 kW / 181 HP of power and complies with the Stage IV / Tier 4f emissions standards. The maximum bucket capacity is 4.6 m³.
The main components of the new crawler loaders come from Liebherr's own production line. Among these, are the diesel engine and the common rail injection system as well as the hydraulic and electronic components. These are adapted optimally to the requirements of the machine programme. Here, Liebherr draws on more than 50 years of experience in the development of crawler tractors and crawler loaders.
The new LR 636 crawler loader is powered by a 4-cylinder Liebherr diesel engine that complies with the Stage IV / Tier 4f emissions standard. To achieve the requisite emissions and consumption targets, Liebherr has optimised the whole combustion process and has already reduced particulates generated within the engine to a minimum. The ideal adaptation of the various parameters is supported, among other ways, by an in-house developed common rail injection system including an in-house developed electronic engine management system.
Technical data
|Engine output
|135 kW / 181 PS
|Operating weight
|21 t
|Bucket capacity
|2,0 – 4,6 m³
|Travel speed
|0 – 11 km/h
As with the 6th generation of crawler tractors from Liebherr, the new crawler loader also features an electronically-regulated drive control system with integrated ECO function. This gives the driver the opportunity to choose between high performance and maximum operating efficiency. In doing so, the ECO control system provides more economy for the drive unit in light to medium heavy operations compared with the previous generation.
The proactive power control is another innovation of the 6th generation. Here, both internal engine and external machine parameters are recorded - such as the actual deflection of the drive joystick. For the machines, this results not only in faster reaction times, but also tangibly higher performance and pulling power for driving and loading modes.
With its striking machine design, characterised by the pleasant aesthetics of flowing lines and soft edges, the new LR 636 crawler loader already makes claim to its innovative prowess at first glance in this equipment category.
The modern overall appearance is continued in the driver cab. The windscreen, made from one single piece of safety glass, follows the driver's line of vision over the entire lifting distance and enables unrestricted view to the working area and work equipment. In addition, the new machine design supports perfect all round view.
The comfortable driver area with generous dimensions, numerous stowage areas, an additional coolbox and standard air conditioning system round off the unique level of driver comfort of the new Liebherr crawler loader.
All crawlers of the new 6th generation feature the touch-sensitive system display for Liebherr earthmoving machines. With this important operating parameters such as the ECO function and comfort functions like the standard rear view camera or the air conditioning system can be operated intuitively.
It was also possible to further enhance the reaction speed of the work equipment. With the demand controlled working hydraulics that now have even more power and the automation functions integrated in the single lever control, namely automatic "bucket return", "floating position" and "lift end switch", assurance is provided that the work equipment can be operated quickly and efficiently.
The chassis units have pendulum mountings and flexible bearings. As a result, unevenness in the ground is balanced out and particularly good contact with the ground is achieved which, in turn, improves climbing ability and firm footing on uneven terrain. By rearranging the support rollers, it was possible to further improve the self-cleaning effect of the chassis.
Central servicing points, a standard hydraulic tipping driver cab, wide-opening wing doors, maintenance-free bucket pins and the chassis design guarantee unrivalled service friendliness and reduce the maintenance complexity to a minimum.
Long service intervals of the main components, e.g. the diesel engine and hydraulic system, keep down the service costs.
A comprehensive array of equipment ranging from standard load buckets, light material buckets, waste cage attachments and 4-in-1 buckets to various rear devices, such as a 3-tooth rear ripper or winch, round off the package of offers for Liebherr crawler loaders. Complete equipment packages for industrial applications – from recycling and waste management to steelworks – are also available.


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The Seattle Seahawks nearly pulled off the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NFL playoff history. And yet Pete Carroll and his crew will spend much of the offseason wondering: What if?
This was a game the Seahawks should have won. They scored zero points on two trips inside the 15-yard line in the first half. And they should have been able to capitalize on Russell Wilson's sensational effort after they grabbed the lead with 31 seconds left. Perhaps the most confusing moment came when Carroll took a timeout before Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant's game-winning field goal.
Carroll took a timeout, then Bryant was able to get off a "practice kick." Bryant missed it. Carroll was irate after the play because of a pregame conversation he had with officials, who warned him that kickers wouldn't be able to take a practice kick, like Justin Tucker did between overtime periods in the Baltimore Ravens' win Saturday.
"The officials told us before the game that nobody's going to get a chance to do that," Carroll said. "I asked them pregame what if somebody does, and they didn't know what the answer was, obviously. I had never heard that before, so I was just challenging it."
It's quite possible Carroll misunderstood what the officials told him before the game. The situation was much different Sunday in Atlanta than it was Saturday in Denver.
Still, it's hard not to wonder if Bryant would have made the kick without a practice attempt. Icing the kicker has been statistically proven not to help. Giving Bryant an extra swing at the ball only hurt Carroll.
(Also a detriment for the Seahawks: They blitzed on Atlanta's two completions on the game-winning drive. The blitzer was late both times.)
A lot of stories will be written about the Falcons finally getting over the hump with their 30-28 win. They deserve a ton of credit, but Seattle's mistakes in the first half and its approach in the final 31 seconds helped along the way.
"I would have really liked it if he missed the kick," Carroll said.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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Smith: Cartoon propaganda on sequestration
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, you printed an editorial cartoon depicting and elephant (Republican) wielding a chain saw labeled sequestration threatening Uncle Sam. Do you have any commitment to the truth or do you just mindlessly print propaganda? This cartoon is wrong on so many levels. Sequestration was the idea of Obama. The federal budget has automatic increases built into it which exceed the amount of any cuts proposed in sequestration. So there are actually no cuts, just a reduction in the amount of increase. The administration has embarked on a fear campaign of lies. They don't really need your help.
I lived in California in the '80s during a time of budget cutting. The first thing they would do is close the libraries and turn off the street lights. Never mind all the worthless wasteful spending. Government just cannot do with less, even though everyone else is. The news today includes Obama releasing illegals being held by INS. What next? Closing the libraries?
Steve Smith, Dillon
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Game cards trigger memories, stories in 'Lotería'
In an institutional room in California, the aptly named Luz ("light") tries to make sense of the trauma and tragedy that has befallen her family. She has only a journal, the presumed attention of You, the God or higher power she addresses, and a deck of Lotería cards.
In "Lotería: A Novel," debut novelist Mario Alberto Zambrano makes the cards, used in a Mexican game as the visual counterpart of the numbers in bingo, serve as writing prompts. They're not instruments of divination like tarot cards, but, like the tarot deck, the simple, traditional design of the Lotería cards gives them a touch of the archetypal. (Large images of the cards begin each of his novel's short chapters.)
Nearly every card she turns up brings a memory to mind for Luz, but that's not surprising, since her Castillo family played the game with the Silvas nearly every Sunday after church. "La Escalera" ("The Ladder") prompts a story of Luz spying on Papi, who's gone off the wagon, and is furtively drinking Don Pedro in the garage. With "El Diablito" ("The Little Devil"), she remembers a mean prank she played on her otherwise beloved Aunt Tencha.
"La Estrella" ("The Star"), the pivotal chapter, focuses on Luz's older sister Estrella. Light-skinned, pretty and girly, Estrella makes teachers at school wonder if she is Spanish, not Mexican. This makes the darker-skinned Luz burn: Luz is the only one actually born in the United States. Estrella takes after Mom; Luz identifies with Papi ("I wanted to be the mini version of him"). The girls squabble but love each other, and hold each other for comfort while their parents engage in angry, furniture-hurling, bruise-leaving fights. No one in this family escapes Papi's violent wrath. But Luz, her father's daughter, does not condemn him out of hand. Late in her recollections, she remembers watching Papi, in a fit of remorse after slapping Estrella hard enough to knock her out, punishing himself:
"But I kept quiet and watched the whole thing, flinching every time he hit his hand against the wall. Once he was done, I went to the freezer and took out a bag of frozen shrimp so he could ice his hand. It was all purple and swollen. I grabbed a kitchen towel and rinsed it with warm water and cleaned the blood from his hand and from the wall. He didn't say or do anything but keep his head down, embarrassed. 'Cabezón,' I said. 'Eres muy cabezón, Papi.' ('Pigheaded. You are very pigheaded.')
"That night I figured he fought us not because he didn't love us but because he believed in right and wrong."
Both Mom and the State of California don't necessarily see Papi's actions in the same light that Luz does, which leads to significant complications.
It doesn't hurt to know a little Spanish, including some familiar curse words, to read "Lotería," but it isn't mandatory. In fact, feeling a bit dislocated or between cultures puts a reader in position to be more empathetic with the Castillos. Papi, a steelworker, doesn't get the promotion he's seeking. Is it because his English isn't good enough?
While Luz looks unmistakenly Mexican, this American-born chica doesn't have as solid a grasp on Mexican culture or the Spanish language as the rest of her family. In "El Arpa" ("The Harp"), a section that should warm the heart of any beginning Spanish student, Luz complains about the difficulties of mastering which words take the masculine article el and which take the feminine article la: "How am I supposed to know what is woman and what is man simply by the arrangement of letters?"
Each Lotería card is associated with a traditional riddle the caller cries out during play; sometimes a witty caller improvises new ones relevant to the players. Luz uses the cards to work through the riddles thrown at her: Is it better to live in the U.S. or in Mexico? How can love and violence be present in the same family?
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Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading Blog: Books editor Jim Higgins highlights things worth reading, in print and online.


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About Environmental Studies at UCSB
Established in 1970, The Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara is one of the oldest and largest programs in the nation, and is recognized as one the most successful undergraduate environmental programs in the world.
With over 7,300 alumni, our graduates can be found holding leadership positions, nationally and internationally, in government, industry, law, and dozens of other fields. We pioneered an interdisciplinary educational model that is now widely adapted by other institutions around the globe. We combine a rigorous classroom experience with practical skills training.
Our mission is to train leaders, develop new knowledge, and devise solutions that will restore and sustain the health of our planet. Click here to learn more about the Environmental Studies Program.


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Artist description:
im not dead, guiz, its all good. Constructive critisim pleeease. And could someone please tell me how to make my drawings look more realistic -_-
Java Draw Created Mar 17, 2012 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2012 Victoria__babeey.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Just now seeing this.. I fail at realism so I have no advice.. but this is gorgeous! And real or not, I wish I had that hair! lol 5/5
Great draw, the face looks good. As for the hair I would say to add more colors and lines to make it look like strands of hair. Regardless, great draw! 5h :)
wow, this is cool, I wonder how much time u've used to draw this x33 impressive !! 5/5
I WAS going to say I really liked it, but I heard that you wanted tips and criticism. The face looks good, maybe the lips need to be more centred and possibly bigger, the main thing is the hair, make it more natural and different strokes curves :)
This is beautiful
I LOVE this!!! I LOVE all her hair and how you shaded her and everything!!! Fantastic drawing!!! 5/5!!!
wow.. I think you did an amazing job. I like that style :)


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Door Seals for Commercial Fridges Tyne and Wear
Commercial fridges are used more often than those in your own at home and naturally, wear and tear happens over time. A split seal can lead to food expiring, which not only leads to extra waste but can be dangerous for customers; luckily though, our FiltaSeal service provides replacement fridge and freezer seals for commercial fridges in Tyne and Wear.
Do you require replacement seals for your commercial fridges? We manufacture and fit seals on site for just about any make or model. Contact us on 01788 550100.
Do I need replacement commercial fridge door seals?
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Have you spotted any of these signs of damage on your commercial fridge door seal? Contact us to have one of our professional engineers take a look.
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The fridge door seal is what keeps the cold air in the fridge and the warm air out. This seal is airtight and if breached, will allow cold air to escape.
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Contact us today to find out more about how we can tailor a service to you without too much of an interruption to your day, or a long wait time.


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I have started studying normed spaces. I wonder what's the need of defining notion of distance using norm function. For example , we know that $\mathbb{R}$ is a metric space with respect to usual metric defined by $d(x,y) = \mid x-y \mid$.
Now, I am studying $\mathbb{R}$ is a metric space with respect to metric induced by norm defined by $d(x,y) = \parallel x - y\parallel$.
Edit 1: I mean can't we simply study metric spaces using distance function which doesn't involve norms? Why we have introduced concept of norms?
I have no problem in understanding things related with norms. But this question is troubling me which might sound trivial.
Thanks for helping me.


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8 Item(s)
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Francis Dupuis–Déri, a professor of political science and a radical anarchist, reveals through dialogue with his father the deeply humanistic and peaceful roots of anarchism.
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If you're an Android user -- or want to be -- you've likely heard about all the security risks of Google's mobile operating system. But how real are these threats, and how much damage can they do? Despite the fears, are Android devices actually a safe bet for an enterprise mobility strategy?
These are key questions for any organization thinking about a broad Android rollout or even simple acceptance of Android devices in a BYOD context. The answers may not be what you expect.
[ Mobile security: iOS vs. Android vs. Samsung SAFE vs. BlackBerry vs. Windows Phone. | The truth about Samsung's Knox for Android security. | Bob Violino and Robert Scheier show how businesses today are successfully taking advantage of mobile tech, in InfoWorld's Mobile Enablement Digital Spotlight PDF special report. ]
Depending on whom you talk to, you might hear horror stories about Android security that "prove" the need for multiple solutions to address. Or you might be advised that buying a single tool will obliterate all your Android fears.
The truth is somewhere in between, and before making a serious commitment to Android as a mobile platform, it's important to determine where Android's relevant security issues are and how you can assess their actual risk and remediation.
Android's two fundamental risks
The Android ecosystem has two main security risks, according to mobile security experts:
The Google Play Store
The fragmentation of devices and OS versions
The Google Play Store's risks. Android is a truly open OS, and that makes it risky, says Andrew Borg, research director for enterprise mobility and collaboration at research firm Aberdeen. "Unlike Microsoft Windows Phone or Apple iOS, there is no walled garden, and this leads to potential security vulnerabilities when not managed coherently," Borg says.
Google Play (formerly called the Android Market), the digital distribution platform for applications for Android devices, is itself a source of potential security risks. "With Google Play, there is a higher percentage of apps that contain malware, or social engineering to connect to malware, than any other app store by an order of magnitude," Borg says. "It's not a well-policed environment, and these factors continue to create friction or resistance toward greater adoption of Android in the enterprise."
When users download apps from Google Play, they often don't pay attention to the extent of permissions an app can have on their device, says Chandra Sekar, senior director of the Mobile Platforms Group at Citrix Systems, a provider of cloud-based mobility and collaboration products. "They usually just accept the permission during installation," he says. "And more often than not, apps ask for more permissions than they really need."
The security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices can cause actual performance issues and data loss -- not just minor inconveniences.
Borg tells of a demonstration he saw at a conference that gave him the "willies." The demonstrator, a white hat hacker, took an out-of-the-box Android device and downloaded a game called Very Angry Birds, basically a clone of the popular Angry Birds game, from an app store. "The device had the latest McAfee and Symantec security for Android, but the game contained malware that neither solution flagged," Borg says.
Everything looked fine, and once the game opened nothing changed on the device. "Then the demonstrator took out a laptop and was able to bring up a control stream where he could see all the smartphones that had downloaded the game and could inspect them and see all the emails they had downloaded."
He then put the Android device to sleep and took a picture from the device remotely using the laptop. "Normally, you hear a shutter sound, but this [malware] had turned off the audio," Borg says. "It took pictures and video, and all along it looked like the device was asleep."
For Borg, such examples justify IT's strong aversion to Android, despite its huge popularity among users. "This is a clarion call that security cannot be taken for granted. I don't think these [Android security] issues are overblown."
The risks of Android's fragmentation. The Android platform also suffers the issue of fragmentation -- there are multiple versions of Android in the market, even on current devices. Manufacturers often make their own changes to Android, so they could be behind Google's current reference release. In addition, carriers and manufacturers may not update their devices' Android version when Google does, or they take months or even years to do so.
As a result, many people within the same organization might be using outdated versions that could be riddled with security vulnerabilities. "People focus on malware risks of Android, but arguably the greater risk is that fragmentation creates different user experiences," says Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy at MobileIron, a provider of enterprise mobility management products. "This variety of user experiences makes it hard to educate your employees about how to take security measures, because the experience on each device is different."
Research shows that a majority of Android device users worldwide have devices with noncurrent versions of the OS, says Bob Egan, chief analyst at consulting firm Sepharim Group. "Some of the phones and OSes have very public weaknesses on security," he says.
If users have older versions of Android, that could mean vulnerabilities are left unpatched and new features of the OS won't reach them. "Maybe you can address the security holes for the HTC One, for example, but that might not apply to an older Samsung device," Borg says. The fragmentation issue multiplies the attack surface; thus, there's no single security solution that will fit all of Android's variations, he says.
Some Android risks are overstated -- and others are underestimated
Experts note that some Android risks are overstated, while others don't get enough attention.
Although Citrix's Sekar says fragmentation doesn't receive enough focus in security assessments, he considers Android malware fears overblown. "Traditional antivirus software vendors often hype up the threat of Android malware," he says. While these threats exist in isolated scenarios where users access apps from untrusted, private stores, the threat to enterprises from malware is overstated, he says.
Another Android risk that's overstated is tapjacking -- when an invisible application on top of an app manipulates key gestures to make purchases without the user's knowledge, says Scott Kelley, Android product manager at AirWatch, a provider of mobile device management (MDM) products.
But one risk that's often overlooked, Kelley says, is users' willingness to tap the Accept button for whatever permissions an app requests. "This is compounded by developers' often overzealous permission requests, due to a lack of understanding of which permissions an app needs," he says. "Apps should request the least number of permissions possible to function appropriately, and users should be in the habit of not automatically granting permissions to apps whose functions wouldn't seem to need them."
How to build a secure Android environment
If your organization is preparing a significant rollout of Android devices or a BYOD program that includes devices running the OS, it needs to develop a strategy to keep the company protected from the known security risks and vulnerabilities. Here are the key components of that strategy.
Develop a trust model. Part of this involves identifying what the real risks of data loss are, says MobileIron's Rege. Based on those risks, you determine what level of enterprise content should be made available on the devices.
"We call this developing a trust model that establishes which users are trusted with which data or apps under what circumstances," Rege says. "Every major organization has gone through data classification to establish this underpinning for its security policies." But he notes, "This will take longer for Android because the Android fragmentation makes the process more complicated."
Designate an Android expert in IT. A key best practice is to designate an individual in the organization to be the Android expert, Rege says. "More and more of the overall IT team should gain Android familiarity, but our customers have found that they need one point-person who is chartered to keep up with the rapid pace of the Android ecosystem," he says. Otherwise, IT's Android knowledge base quickly becomes obsolete.
Use an app reputation service. Another good practice is to use a third-party app reputation service that evaluates apps and assigns them a risk score. "Then you can use these risk scores to set policies" in an MDM tool, Rege says. For example, you could set a policy that if an employee installs an app with a high risk score, his or her email is blocked and that user can't access corporate resources until the app is removed.
"With mobile, you have to assume the environment changes all the time as apps are installed and operating systems versions change," Rege says.
Layer your security. As with other IT security strategies, layering security makes sense for the Android environment. If you look at the mobile security stack in layers (starting from the bottom up) as network/carrier layer, hardware layer, operating system layer, and application layer, the chances of exploits increase as you climb the ladder, says Tyler Shields, a senior analyst for mobile and application security at Forrester Research. "Enterprises also have less control the lower we go in the stack," Shields says.
To try to mitigate the risk at each layer, Shields recommends a combination of mobile security technologies each specifically aimed at a different security layer. "The baseline security requirement is to have [an MDM] system managing every device in your environment," he says. "This will help with the remote-wipe capabilities, tracking lost devices, and general management and baseline security requirements."
Deploy MDM. Companies that have rolled out Android broadly agree with the MDM recommendation. "Android devices should not be deployed in any enterprise without robust MDM," says Abhi Beniwal, senior vice president of global IT at Daymon Worldwide's Interactions subsidiary, a provider of in-store product demonstrations for retailers and manufacturers. With an MDM platform in place, enterprise IT has the visibility it needs into mobile devices and can proactively manage security vulnerabilities and threats, Beniwal says.
Interactions has deployed Android-based tablets and mobile apps in more than 1,000 stores in North America. Most of its workforce is field-based, and mobile technology allows users to share real-time information, Beniwal says.
The company implemented an MDM platform from AirWatch before deploying any Android device in the company, and it hasn't experienced any security-related problems with the devices, Beniwal says. "At the same time, we take it very seriously and are always monitoring and proactively managing any potential security threat to our devices," he adds.
Also relying heavily on MDM is the Center for Young Professionals in Banking (CYP), a training center in Zurich that has rolled out 1,400 Android tablets that students use to access CYP's learning management system. CYP uses MobileIron's platform for enterprise mobility management. The platform ensures that only approved apps are installed on devices, and it reports any breaches.
Among CYP's concerns about Android security and management are data loss prevention, malware, OS version control, and data on lost devices. The MobileIron platform addresses each of these and other concerns, says Thomas Fahrni, deputy general manager of CYP, as do most serious MDM systems.
Create a compliance policy. Aberdeen strongly recommends that companies create a compliance policy for BYOD units, so that not every smartphone or tablet is acceptable for use within the work environment.
"Organizations should test the vulnerability of the most popular platforms and versions and verify that they can be managed securely" before granting those devices access to the corporate network, Aberdeen's Borg says. "This is a BYOD policy with constraints. An unbridled BYOD policy is very problematic" because it invites access to the network by devices that might not be secure.
This effort shouldn't be too much of a hindrance for many organizations, Borg says, because many of the latest versions of Samsung Android smartphones are likely to be compliant with a company's security requirements. "If you stay in the Samsung universe, there are viable, robust security solutions [that] work with the MDM tools," he says.
Stop supporting old Android versions. Enterprises should set a specific stop date for older OS support, to ensure that users have up-to-date versions of Android, Sepharim Group's Egan says. He also recommends that companies not use Android for much more than email, "and then only on 'safe' devices."
New security efforts will make Android more secure
Within the Android ecosystem, efforts are being made to improve Android security.
For example, Samsung offers Knox, a containerization technology for higher-end Samsung Android devices that's designed to create a virtual partition on the devices that would insulate corporate-managed apps and data from attack. "Samsung Knox is the first real security solution coming out for Android," Egan says. However, Knox is no cure-all, given several limitations: It currently works with just a handful of Samsung devices and only a small number of MDM tools, and it requires a monthly per-user fee in addition to the normal MDM fees.
Still, the container approach looks promising for delivering the kind of security enterprises will need with Android devices. "Containering or sandboxing can protect data files or applications [within the container], so that container can be used for corporate communications and file storage," Borg says. "A phone could have no other security [provisions], but as long as there is a secured container then the overall security of the device is less important."
Another potentially effective approach is the use of "multiple persona," where there can be distinct identities that go all way to the kernel of the OS, Borg says, so you can have multiple instances of the OS running concurrently on the same device. "You can have one persona for work and one for personal use; it's like a firewall within the device," he says. "From IT's perspective that's probably the ideal solution."
But this type of solution hasn't seen wide adoption. There's a lot of resistance on the part of users, Borg says, because it gets in the way of using the device. BlackBerry 10 OS supports this capability when used with BlackBerry's Enterprise Service 10 server, and a few multiple-persona options for Android devices are available from companies such as Divide and General Dynamics, though they work only a subset of current devices.
Don't let security fears thwart Android adoption
Although security concerns about Android are justified, companies need to avoid taking an extremely restrictive approach and damaging the user experience, says MobileIron's Rege. "The risk that is underrated is that creating on overly restrictive environment will drive employees to unsafe behaviors," he says.
When enterprise employees have a bad experience on their device, such as due to security-justified restrictions, they look elsewhere for enterprise productivity tools -- and this can drive them to take risky actions such as using unauthorized file-sharing apps, Rege says.
"If you approach Android with a mindset of fear, you will create an experience users hate and one that ultimately undermines your security policies," Rege says. "However, if you approach Android with a productivity mindset, you will create a great user experience while keeping data secure."
The strategies and tools are there today to let at least current and recent Android devices be productive additions to your technology portfolio, joining your iOS and BlackBerry devices.


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Wifi power reduction
From Openmoko
|Wishes warning! This article or section documents one or more OpenMoko Wish List items, the features described here may or may not be implemented in the future.
To save power have WiFi able to wake up and check for a designated SSID then sleep again if not found (i.e. I'm not home) or wake up by GPS location (only come up at home and in the office)
- Variable TX power, to the minimum needed to connect to the AP.
- Some sort of caching (encrypted?) internet proxy that can store and forward packets. Instead of having the radio constantly on, it turns the radio on every 30s, for just long enough to register with the AP, and ask the proxy if it has new packets for it.
- An optimisation might be if the hardware, and the AP can do broadcast packets. The receiver is only turned on for .5s/30s, to recieve a broadcast packet saying 'you've got packets' without registering with the AP, or transmitting at all. The GPS synchronises the timing.
- This slows the initial connection to the phone, but most tcp/ip applications will not time out in 30s.


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Assorted Canine Members
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Any of my photos can be purchased through SmugMug either in print form or digital download. In addition to any prints you might like smugMug also offers a variety of gifts that can be purchased as well. For more information on your purchasing power feel free to visit Purchase Information page powered by SmugMug.


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Unlike previously, today individuals with disabilities happen to be recognized, and therefore are less discriminated against. Also many public structures happen to be designed or renovated to be able to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
With all of these enhancements, individuals with disabilities can now travel for vacation or company business to places a long way away using their home. However, with all of these enhancements we've made, travelling for those who have disabilities continues to be challenging on their behalf, especially when they're travelling alone or, they're going to a mystery destination. Here is a guide to help individuals with all of types of disabilities to visit securely.
1. Plan well ahead of time
Planning is essential to any kind of success. This will be relevant since it reduces likelihood of getting stranded and being inconvenienced. Booking flights and rooms in hotels would be the top priorities, however if you are planning to remain in a friend's or perhaps a relative's house notifying them ahead of time is essential. Then they may be prepared as well as collect you in the airport terminal.
2. Book hotels which are disabled friendly
Hotels with disabled friendly structures are extremely convenient because they allow disabled visitors to move freely with minimal effort. Many of these hotels also provide special emergency protocols that ensure disabled folks are not left out in situation of the emergency, compared to other hotels where these problems are gone looked.
3. Make use of a tour operator that provides holiday packages for disabled travelers
Booking flights and rooms in hotels with travel specialists that provide travel methods to disabled people is beneficial in many ways. They ensure they book for his or her disabled clients airlines and hotels which are disabled friendly. They make an effort to offer services and suggestions which will ensure their customers travel easily.
4. Understand and know your legal rights when in the airport terminal
Travelling, for those who have disabilities, is extremely hectic, particularly when they reach the airport terminal. They face the task of having proper information and directions. This really is further irritated through the huge number of individuals traveling and lengthy queues. In airports, you will find family and friends that are meant to deal with the requirements of individuals travelling with disabilities.
Disabled travelers shouldn't, and aren't, treated differently once they undergo safety measures. They're also protected against any kind of discrimination from the air travel. Disabled travelers are encouraged to be very conversant using their legal rights to prevent and report any kind of discrimination when travelling.
5. Bring extra medication
There's no harm in transporting an additional dose of medicine when travelling. People do lose their luggage because they travel so, getting an additional dose will behave as a backup when one dose will get lost. This helps to ensure that when travelling, a disabled person doesn't exhaust their medicine forcing these to start searching for any pharmacy when travelling. These medications ought to be stored correctly to make sure their safety.
6. Have a doctor's note and phone information when travelling
A doctor's note contains information about a disorder that a disabled individual is facing and will also help doctors save considerable time on tests in situation of the emergency. Contact details for the physician enables other doctors to obtain information out of your physician if the need arise. This small, but vital, information can help to save lives.
7. Use direct flights
It's very hectic and tedious for any disabled traveler to make use of connecting flights. Using connecting flights exposes these to lack of their luggage as well as injuries because they get interior and exterior an airplane. Utilizing a direct flight cuts each one of these risks lower and saves a great deal time and effort when travelling.
8. Disabled travelers are encouraged to possess some understanding about where they're going to
There's anything difficult than searching for directions to some place you don't learn about. This really is even tougher for disabled travelers so, you should have a minimum of some understanding and understanding regarding their destination. This gives them a maximum hands when getting around and also the understanding to understand what to do where to not go.
9. Carry the right luggage
Disabled travelers are encouraged to carry luggage that they'll manage when they're travelling. Unless of course they've company, travelling with a lot of luggage is difficult.
10. Enjoy travelling
Many disabled people don't travel frequently because of a lot limitations which discourages them. However today's technology ensures safe travel for those no matter their condition. Travelling ought to be enjoyed by all as it is an opportunity to experience something totally new which are diverse from what they're accustomed to.


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Companies went global in new mutual funds and new ETFs, as well as reporting results from global funds and moving into the automotive market. Also, Schwab announced results from its Q1 Investor Snapshot in this week's activity.
First Trust Advisors Drives New ETF
First Trust Advisors L.P. announced that Tuesday was the first trading day for its new ETF focused on global automobile manufacture. The first automotive ETF in the industry, the First Trust NASDAQ Global Auto Index Fund (CARZ), will seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield, before fees and expenses, of the NASDAQ OMX Global Auto Index, which is designed to track the performance of the largest and most liquid companies making cars.
Ryan Issakainen, vice president and ETF strategist, said, "We are launching this fund as a way for investors to potentially capitalize on the trend toward increasing demand of automobiles, which has led automakers and suppliers to grow in emerging markets and consolidate operations in mature markets." He cited Zacks Equity Research as foreseeing growth over the next ten years, with automakers in six major markets dominating the industry: China, India, Japan, Korea, Western Europe and the U.S.
He added, "J.D. Power and Associates expects auto sales in the U.S. to reach 13 million units, up 12% from 2010. However, in 2010, for the first time, emerging markets accounted for 51% of global light-vehicle sales, signaling the shift of power in the global automotive market that has been taking place during the past five years. Both China and India ended 2010 with sales of light vehicles up by more than 30%. Momentum in the emerging markets is expected to continue throughout 2011, with China as the driver for global market growth."
BlackRock Launches India Fund
BlackRock, Inc.announced the launch of the BlackRock India Fund (BAINX) on May 9. The fund, which offers U.S.-based investors a new opportunity to invest in the world's fourth largest economy, is a joint venture with Mumbai-based DSP BlackRock Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd., one of India's leading investment management companies; it has advised the BGF India Fund since 2005 in partnership with BlackRock for offshore investors. The new fund for U.S.-based investors will join BlackRock's existing open-end mutual fund product offerings in the U.S.
"We believe India's strong growth and diversity of investment themes presents an exciting opportunity for investors over the medium to long term," said S. Naganath, president and chief investment officer of DSP BlackRock Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd.
Van Eck Adds New Regions, Lowers Fees
Van Eck Globalhas made a number of additions and changes. On Thursday, it announced the launch of its latest ETF. The Market Vectors LatAm Aggregate Bond ETF (BONO)("Bono" is Spanish for "bond") tracks an index consisting of sovereign and corporate debt securities issued by Latin American issuers and denominated in U.S. dollar, euro and local currencies of the issuers.
According to the company, the ETF "comes to market as Latin American debt markets have undergone several years of quick maturation. Limited overseas borrowing, proliferating infrastructure projects, and better transparency have all led to improved sovereign credit ratings," and these, combined with the bonds' relatively high yields, have increased demand for both sovereign and corporate debt from the region.
Van Eck also announced on Tuesday that its Market Vectors Indonesia ETF had reached $500 million in AUM.
And on May 4, the company said it has reduced expense caps on five of its Market Vectors ETFs. The cuts, which were effective on May 1, were on Market Vectors Africa Index ETF (AFK), to 0.78% from 0.83%; Market Vectors Brazil Small-Cap ETF (BRF), to 0.62% from 0.65%; Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), to 0.56% from 0.59%; Market Vectors RVE Hard Assets Producers ETF (HAP), to 0.59% from 0.65%; and Market Vectors Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF (NLR), to 0.60% from 0.62%. The company expects a resulting reduction in the funds' net operating expenses. The reduced expense limitations are capped contractually until May 1, 2012; interest expense and certain other expenses are excluded.
Schwab Investor Snapshot for Q1 Shows ETF Assets Up 32%
Schwab announced on Wednesday that, according to its Investor Snapshot for Q1 2011, ETF assets custodied at Schwab increased to $121 billion—up 32% over the past year. Retail investor ETF assets have grown 58%, now accounting for 37% of total ETF assets at Schwab. Other data show that in Q1 2011, assets in international fixed income ETFs have decreased 57% while U.S. fixed income ETF assets have increased 15%.
ETF flows over 12 months, according to the data, were driven equally by retail investors and RIA clients (each 47% of annual net flows). In the last quarter, U.S. equity and sector ETFs dominated flows, capturing a combined 68% of all ETF net flows.
The company also said that retail traders' share of positive ETF flows has decreased in the past year, led in Q1 2011 by outflows from international equity ETFs (-35% net ETF flows for retail traders).
NilePan Africa Fund Gives First-Year Performance
Nile Capital Management, advisor to the Nile Pan Africa Fund, an actively managed mutual fund focusing exclusively on the African continent, on Wednesday took a look at the fund's first-year performance and portfolio characteristics. It also highlighted Money Watch Africa, its investment blog launched in late 2010.
From inception on April 28th, 2010 through April 30th, 2011, the fund gained 22.07% annualized. During the same time period, the MSCI Frontier Markets Index gained 9.94%, the Dow Jones Africa 50 Titans Index increased 11.07% and the S&P 500 Total Return Index advanced 16.67% annualized. The fund also showed low monthly correlation to the S&P 500 (0.72) and the MSCI Frontier Markets Index (0.48). Annualized standard deviation, based on monthly returns, was 16.77%—lower than the S&P 500 (18.09%) and MSCI Frontier Markets (17.21%).
Larry Seruma, the fund's manager and chief investment officer of Nile Capital Management, said of the results, "We are pleased to report that the Nile Pan Africa Fund not only outperformed the MSCI Frontier Markets Index during its first year of operation, but also showed low monthly correlation to the index and … an attractive risk profile. We believe these characteristics make the fund a compelling investment tool for investors who are looking for deeper diversification of their global portfolios."
Nomura Launches Conviction Buy List for the U.S.
Global investment bank Nomura presented its first U.S. Conviction Buy List on Tuesday. The list consists of U.S.-listed stocks that the firm expects to outperform the S&P 500 index over a 12-month period. Stocks on this inaugural list include Cablevision (CVC), Dover (DOV), Goldman Sachs (GS), Limited Brands (LTD), Marriott International (MAR), Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM), News Corp (NWSA), PetSmart (PETM), PNC Financial Services (PNC) and Viacom Inc. (VIAB).
The list will typically consist of 10 to 25 stocks, and will be rebalanced quarterly to achieve equal weighting in connection with the addition and/or deletion of any stocks. Each stock must have an average daily trading volume of at least $5 million, calculated over the preceding six months. Managed by Nomura's head of U.S. equity research, Michael Rietbrock, and Michael Lean, deputy director of U.S. research, the list highlights the best long-only ideas generated by the firm's fundamental equity research department.
Read last week's Portfolio Products Roundupat AdvisorOne.com.


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After you have made the decision which kind of business you have to buy you might then have to request yourself theĀGeneral Business next questions:
What's my General Business? Not only for the cost but furthermore for such things as stock and capital. Keep in mind you'll most likely have costs to pay for across the purchase e.g. lawyers, a cpa, stock takers. Will you have to request any upgrades, modifications to the present business? Your financial budget could also dictate whether you can purchase a freehold business (that you simply own the dwelling) or whether you decide to choose a leasehold business (a landlord will collect rent of your stuff alone don't own the dwelling). As being a very general guideline, if you're getting bank funding, a bank will lend you 50% within the cost for nearly any leasehold business and around 65-80% for nearly any freehold business.
Do If perhaps to resideĀGeneral Business or round the premises? You might be trying to find a 'lifestyle' business that you'd certainly live within or close to the premises. What continues if you don't always have to survive the premises nor indeed would you need to. Living round the late evening pub or club for people who've a youthful family, for instance, is most likely not appropriate. Residing in the premises then request yourself…
What measures shall we be held held ready to General Business? I've offered numerous companies since the entrepreneurs underrated how dull and zapping travelling extended distances two occasions every single day would become! Unless of course obviously clearly you would like driving, a company that's even more than 20-half an hour drive may soon be described as a hassle rather than a pursuit. You really will most likely be forward and backward more than two occasions every single day, you might have shipping, cash & carry runs etc.
Must i have qualifications and/or training? Some companies will require have qualifications and can also need continue-to-date with laws and regulations and rules and rules and rules. Even controlling just a little corner shop will need that there's an individual Licence for the purchase of alcohol, a Publish Office will require undergo a 'job application' and procedure and food companies will need you've relevant hygiene certificates.
Their list of questions you need to be wondering is nearly endless and relies on the kind of business that you are looking at purchasing. Through the duration of the amount of articles I'll give relevant advice highly relevant to particular companies from recognizing a good chance and asking the most effective queries to doing research and using unskilled potential.
Naturally, insurance draws on the concepts of safeguarding an individual or business from particular risks. This may include from problems to robbery to damage to property.
Yet, when the involves business, the kinds of risk may well be a much more significant, furthermore to much more pricey. Not just are you currently presently presently accountable for what continues on your own property and employees, but additionally you're responsible to people with whom your small company is accessible in touch. General insurance covers these risks and safeguards your company from possible adverse economic situations. Professional insurance also covers people same risks, but is much more specific to a particular professional fields.
General insurance and professional insurance act like two sides in the gold gold gold coin. Whether it's personal, business, or corporate insurance, insurance packages and corporations envelop a variety of facets for people and categories of people. Despite the fact that the boundary may also be blurred including the various insurance policy supplied by either general liability or professional insurance, you will find surely versions including the 2.
Ultimately, the versions between general insurance and professional insurance put them in a variety of groups, including business insurance, and general insurance. Knowing the versions and obtaining possibly the best insurance plans are an essential move for that organization. Insurance should almost always be considered a fundamental bit of your business.
Recommendations considered general insurance typically address claims of bodily injuries or damage to property liability. Many organizations are really experienced in general liability including: injuries, atmosphere impact, casualty, and a lot of like.
Professional insurance differs since it requires negligence connected together with your professional services. The injuries is usually financial, instead of physical. Accordingly, a professional for example a cpa la may be vulnerable to perform within the certain manner and have a collection code of conduct. Breaking people concepts could support the accountant accountable for harm or damages carried out to others. An administration consultant have a different quantity of professional anticipation to follow along with together with. Both professionals must uphold their very own professional standards, or might be vulnerable to liability suits and resulting damages.
Similar to general insurance, professional insurance policies are vital since it covers the indirect outcomes of the conduct. A mobile phone conversation with a 3rd party counseling them concerning how to approach the one that applies to them clients could make you responsible for your conduct. Consequently, professionals also need to rehearse most likely probably the most care when undertaking their responsibilities. To be capable of be faithfully careful, you need to contain the appropriate general insurance, along with the proper professional insurance that could prevent financial harm.


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Doing my nightly Twitter search for "formula feeding", I come across this gem from a lactivist blogger:
Formula feeding moms are more likely to abuse their children.
She then links to this article, from the Telegraph (UK), that details a study showing that "mothers who do not breastfeed their children are almost four times more likely to neglect or abuse them."
My blood was boiling so much at this point that I nearly couldn't finish the article. However, I muddled through just so that I could make a somewhat intelligent analysis of it on the blog.
There's a few important things to keep in mind with this study (not that I expect any of the extreme lactivist ilk will do so). First of all, let's look at the numbers themselves:
"They studied 6,000 women and found that of the 1,421 women who did not breastfeed their children in the group, 7.2 per cent neglected or abused their child in some way. This compared with 4.8 per cent of the 2,584 women who breastfed for less than four months and 1.6 per cent of the 2,616 women who breastfed for more than four months."
Okay. So, 7.2% of the bottle feeding women in this sample abused their kids.That means that 92.8% DID NOT ABUSE THEIR KIDS. 92.8%. Seriously, guys. We're talking tiny numbers here. And this study is just making the other 92.8% of formula feeding women look like crap, in their own eyes and the eyes of society.
"Lane Strathearn, author of the research, which is due to be published in the journal Pediatrics in February, said…women formed a close bond with their children while breastfeeding.
'I think for a long time we've thought anyone can feed the baby as long as it's expressed breast milk,' he said. 'But this is saying well hold on, it's not just the milk, it's that relationship that's important. Breastfeeding may simply promote that interpersonal bond between a mother and her baby – the physical touch, the holding, the eye-to-eye contact. It ensures that physical touch occurs in an attuned way, but I would imagine a similar result for any mother who has that same one-on-one contact while they're feeding on a regular basis.'
Not only is he suggesting that expressed milk does not confer the same bennies (which is an important distinction – it is not breastmilk that is performing this anti-abuse magic; it's the act of breastfeeding, which is simply not possible for working moms to do exclusively), he is also saying that the "physical touch, the holding, the eye-to-eye contact" is what is important. I don't know about you, FFFs, but until my child got too independent and wanted to feed himself, I cherished those bottle feedings… I would stare into his eyes, play with his fingers… he'd stroke my hair… I have a feeling these were the acts that Mr. Strathearn was referring to.
So once again, when you look at the quotes from the researcher; when you look at the numbers in a real-world manner; when you take a step back… this study isn't doing much but insulting people for no reason.
Just wanted to clarify in case any of you start worrying that you might suddenly turn into Mommy Dearest as a side effect of your bottle feeding. 😉


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Posts Taggedstability
The Internet has been a godsend to gaming. Having an infrastructure in place to connect multiple systems together for collaborative or co-operative play has made millions of hours of entertainment possible and verified the art as a viable social pastime. However, the Internet has brought with it some of the biggest controversies of the modern technology era.
Over even just the past few months, the industry has been alive with controversy over DRM, stability and other Internet-related worries and the announcement of Microsoft's Xbox One last week has sparked the latest batch of discussion. Today we're going to take a look at some of these controversies and how they might be affecting our gameplay. (more…)


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iLBC (internet Low Bitrate Codec) is a speech codec suitable for robust voice
communication over IP, and is designed for narrow band speech. The iLBC
codec enables graceful speech quality degradation in the case of lost frames,
which occurs in connection with lost or delayed IP packets.
Maintained by: David Woodfall
Keywords: speech,codec,voip,rfc3951
ChangeLog: ilbc
Download SlackBuild:
ilbc.tar.gz.asc (FAQ)
(the SlackBuild does not include the source)
|Individual Files:
| configure
| extract-code.sh
| gips_iLBClicense.pdf
| ilbc.SlackBuild
| ilbc.info
| slack-desc
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