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Sensor History
Author: Dennis Dauenhauer
There are certain stories I tend to tell when we have visitors in Sunnyvale or when I first meet people in the sensor business. The extent and detail of these stories vary as is appropriate with the interests of our visitors or the occasion. I like to recount some of the history of silicon based sensors in Silicon Valley and give some examples of applications we've worked on in the past. Often this triggers some common ground upon which we might have interests, people, or other experiences in common to share. I shall try to share some of this by way of this news letter.
The Fairchild Semiconductor Days
For all practical purposes I've been directly involved with the first silicon sensor work in Silicon Valley. The person most responsible for bringing sensor technology to the area was Art Zias. Art was a technical writer at Bell Labs while an engineering student in the late fifties. The physics of piezoresistance in silicon and germanium was derived from the work of Phann, Thurston, and Smith at Bell and was chronicled by Art. Art also worked as a professional saxophone player at the major New York studios during the fifties. In his own words, "I was skilled enough to play with the top jazz artists, but not talented enough to be ranked with them." Pfann's work inspired Art to make a lifelong career of silicon sensors. Bill Pfann made a comment at the time that not only inspired Art, but perhaps defined the industry, "Now that we've studied the transduction effects in semiconductors for the purpose of getting rid of them, maybe they're useful."
In 1960, Art joined GE where he won a competition against Honeywell for an Airforce (WADC) contract on solid state motion transduction. That motivated Tony Kurtz to leave Honeywell and found Kulite. In 1964, Art joined Honeywell to start the Solid State Electronics Center (SSEC). During the sixties, Art lead SSEC's development of piezoresistive accelerometers and pressure sensors for the Aerospace, Industrial, and Microswitch divisions. Hans Keller was then a physicist at SSEC. He later founded Keller Druckmestechnik in Switzerland. In 1969, Art joined ex-Honeyweller, Don Lynam, as director of Engineering at Fairchild Camera & Instrument's Transducer operation. Gene Burk soon left Honeywell to join Art. Art credits Gene with the original work on bulk silicon micromachining. Prior to Gene's work sensors did not incorporate three dimensional structures, only planar structures. Don, Art, and Gene Burk left Fairchild and founded IC Transducers (now Foxboro ICT) with Fairchild's blessings in 1971.
In 1972, Art and Bill Hare founded National Semiconductor's transducer operation without Fairchild's blessings. In addition to ICT, an effort continued at Fairchild aimed at automotive applications. At Fairchild the hope was to develop a manifold absolute pressure sensor, similar in technology to the ignition module, based on silicon piezoresistance technology. With Art's departure, the effort was stopped. National and Fairchild became involved in a legal dispute over the nature of Art's departure. What remained of the technology at Fairchild was sold to Bob Hood, became Cognition, and was eventually sold to Emerson Electric, never to be heard of again.
I met Art in 1973 at a golf outing arranged by a mutual friend and fellow engineer at Fairchild Semiconductor, Rick Schaffzin. Rick became president of IC Sensors in the eighties. Art has a horrible golf swing. It's best that one just learning the game look away when Art swings to avoid the Methuselah curse. Rumor has it that seeing Art's swing may turn one into a pillar of salt.
At Fairchild, we developed the first solid state ignition modules with Delco Electronics, shipping 50,000 modules a week during peak production. I was a process and product engineer for automotive and other hybrid products. The engineering manager was Rodney Smith, now president of Altera.
The National Semiconductor Days
In the early seventies the only commercial silicon based sensor work in the Valley was Art's work (just starting at National Semiconductor), Don Lynam at IC Transducers (also just starting), and the effort at Fairchild (coming to a close through Cognition). Elsewhere in the world, there were other commercial efforts with the work continuing at Honeywell Microswitch, Hans Keller at Keller in Switzerland, Kulite in New Jersey, and at Phillips in Europe. The largest research efforts were at the universities in the United States. There were significant efforts at Case Western, under Dr. When Ko, Stanford under Dr. Kendall Wise, and by John Gragg at Carnegie Mellon. National Semiconductor wanted to get into the business because of the potential automotive applications. Art was asked by National's management to explain "transduction." Art told them he would put it into the simplest terms, and one they could relate to best. He described transduction as the ability to take silicon and convert it to money. That appealed to National, Art was hired and the ten year transducer effort at National was to begin. Art has more accurately described the circumstances, as the events surrounding this statement also provide an insight into the character of National Semiconductor at the time.
In the mid seventies, I assumed responsibilities for marketing of all National's hybrid products, including Transducers. At the time there was a major effort by the car companies to develop an automotive MAP sensor. At National we worked with Delco Electronics and Ford to codevelop two types of MAP sensors. The Delco version had a sensor die similar to the Honeywell sensor die of the time and was packaged in a housing similar to the Fairchild ignition module. This product and versions of it are still manufactured by Delco and other aftermarket suppliers. Similar versions of this sensor were developed for all other major car companies in the world and its specification is the defacto industry standard. The Ford version was a silicon variable capacitance pressure sensor. It is still manufactured today by both Ford and Motorola. However, it is not used by any other car manufacturer. It is more costly than the piezoresitive version. There are other thick film hybrid MAP sensors also serving this market.
In 1977 I was participating in a Transducer Range Commanders conference in Seattle along with Joe Mallon, vice president of engineering at Kulite. At this time Joe had a ton of patents for silicon piezoresistive pressure sensor processing (In 1983 Joe, Kurt Peterson and Janusz Bryzek were to become cofounders of Novasensors; more on them later). I got to know Joe from this meeting and found him to be the most knowledgeable person at that time concerning temperature effects due to semiconductor processing for pressure sensors in silicon. Even today most companies reference his original work for determining appropriate concentration levels for dopants in silicon to set the temperature coefficient of resistance and sensitivity.
In 1978 I was attending Semicon West in San Francisco and was at "Herr Doktor" Janusz Bryzek's presentation on discrete temperature compensation of silicon pressure sensors. Janusz presented a circuit that had at least twenty amplifiers, and several hundred resistors and many potentiometers. The most elaborate scheme for temperature compensation I had ever seen, truly a technical wonder to behold. He was asked by a member of the audience, "Doktor Bryzek what is the error in such a compensation with so many components?" Without hesitation Janusz replied, "there is no error, it.... is perfect!" At the time I felt he could quite possibly be right but wondered how he would test it (An engineers mentality, not a marketing mentality). From this conference I got to know Janusz.
During this same time period American Hospital Supply approached National for a $5.00 disposable blood pressure sensor. The first work started then for what is today, most probably, the second largest pressure sensor application in the world behind the automotive MAP sensor.
The 1977 National Semiconductors Transducer Handbook became the reference book in the transducer business. Most sections of this book are still reprinted with each reprint of the Sensym handbook. This handbook is still the reference book of choice for pressure sensors. The 1977 handbook was unique because each section had an unusual introductory title and preface including, "The pig who squealed Dixie," a section concerning acoustic measurements and "Samson and Delightful," a section on signal conditioning. This book was the result of a years work by Art, Ray Pitts a Ph.D. in physics who was consulting and rewriting the bible at this time, and myself. Ray was the major contributor. He had an unhappy ending to his story at National and a tragic ending to his life shortly thereafter.
In 1980 I became Director of Operations for Transducer Products at National and Art Zias reported to me. It was a truly challenging and joyful time period for us all as Art kept everyone on their toes and entertained. In addition to engineering, Art performed as master of ceremony at the National Semiconductor annual sales meeting and would use me as a sounding board for many of his anecdotes. One of his more memorable ones was about Charley Sporck, founder and CEO of National Semiconductor. In reaction to financial analysts criticism of him at the time, Charley made the statement, "he would chomp on groins and spit testicles." Art, in reference to this statement told an audience of several hundred National employees and sales Reps, "that it just goes to show you that angry rich men can develop strange gourmet fetishes." The charter for the transducer business was to determine what was needed to grow the business to $100 million in a short time period. At the time I didn't know it, but the only other alternative was to exit the business.
National Semiconductor notable persons involved with the Transducer operations.
Most notable was Mike Scott, director of operations for hybrid and transducer products from 1974 to roughly 1979. I reported to Mike during this time period, and he was the most knowledgeable marketing, and possibly the brightest person I have ever met. Mike, who previously worked for Mike Markula at Fairchild, left National to become the first president of Apple Computer and left Apple in 1983 when he and Steve Jobs did not see things the same. Markula, Chairman of the Board for Apple, opted for Steve instead of Mike. Mike left Apple at this time with his eight million shares of Apple stock and has enjoyed himself ever since. He did have one fling in the satellite launching business with the failed launch of their first satellite, and company, Starstruck. The concept for their satellite had considerable technical appeal. But in the end, they had an expensive boat ride that saw their satellite and investment forever disappear into the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Floyd Kvamme was Vice President of marketing and sales for National. Pierre Lamond headed R&D. Both Floyd and Pierre are very well known today in the venture capital community. At National our semiconductor fab processing was done in the linear group, headed by Bob Swanson. Bob left National with a team of National linear people and started Linear Technology, a very profitable semiconductor company today. Their leaving National caused Charley Sporck to file legal action against the group as it "appeared" unusual to see them talking daily in the cafeteria for some time prior to leaving. Especially since they had never socialized before this time. One of the cofounders of Linear, Brent Welling for whom I worked for a brief time period at National, would later join us at Sensym as Vice President of marketing and sales.
At National I was a member of their eleemosynary committee and had the opportunity to visit a sensor group at Stanford University. Kendall Wise was head of the effort and was just leaving to form a sensor research effort at the University of Michigan. I met Jim Knutti who was involved with an implanted integrated injection logic, combination pressure, and temperature sensor used to monitor bodily functions of sheep, funded by the National Institute of Health. Jim worked with Dr. Henry Allen and the two of them later (1984?) started a company to manufacture force sensors using silicon for what Art had earlier published as "the fingertips of the robot." This company, Transensory Devices Inc, was acquired by IC Sensors and Jim and Henry stayed with IC Sensors. Jim left a short time after the acquisition and started a sensor operation in Switzerland with Ascom. Ascom was eventually sold, there was a fire in their fab, and finally they exited this business. Henry joined Jim and the work done with Ascom allowed the two of them to start Silicon Microstructures in 1992. SMI was acquired by Exar in 1995 and Jim and Henry continue to be active at SMI/Exar. They have done some very good work with silicon stress concentration, modeling thereof, and silicon structures for low pressure devices and accelerometers.
The Sensym Days
In 1982 after I made a presentation to National management stating it was not realistic to expect the Transducer business to become at $100 million business in the foreseeable future I was instructed to sell the business. At the time John Nesheim was treasurer for National and provided guidance for me during this process. John later formed Ministry Management with Art Linkletter, of television fame, and has written several books concerning venture capital financing. At that time my marketing manager was Manny Naik, now the president of Integrated Sensor Solutions. Manny and I talked with Joe Mallon and the three of us considered how we might get into the business ourselves. We decided to invite Janusz Bryzek into the discussions as well. After many meetings suffice it to say that we could not agree on a structure for the company the ("Office of the President" later adopted at Novasensors, did not appeal to me) and I decided to propose a leveraged buyout of National's operation and Janusz would join us as Vice President of Engineering.
Manny stayed at National, later to leave and found Integrated Sensor Solutions. ISS is now active in pressure sensors for automotive applications and has strategic relationships with companies in Japan, Germany and Breed Automotive in the United States. Manny is, without doubt, the best marketing person in the pressure sensor business. I was given one month by National to arrange financing for the purchase of the Transducer Group.
Through John Nesheim's referral I was able to arrange quick financing from Robertson, Coleman and Stephen's, now Robertson, Stephens & Company in San Francisco through Bob Cummings. Bob also got Crosspoint Investments to contribute and we developed a business plan with the help of John Mumford, general partner for Crosspoint. I was very lucky to have John Nesheim's referral and introduction to the legitimate financial community. We completed the purchase of the business in October 1982, from this Sensym was born. I had a very good relationship for the prior five years with our European marketing manager in Germany, Helmut Gutgesell. He offered to start a company in Germany with mutual exclusivity for the Sensym products. Thus was born Sensortechnics GmbH. Sensortechnics is today one of the more successful value added suppliers of pressure sensors in Europe.
I located Sensym at 1253 Reamwood Avenue, Sunnyvale, a facility that had been recently vacated by Interdesign. Interdesign had been sold to Ferranti and they moved to Scotts Valley. This address may look familiar as it is where I currently reside with Data Instruments ASG. We put in a four inch semiconductor fabrication facility and had the capability to build linear IC's as well as silicon micromachined structures. Some of our notable work at Sensym included disposable blood pressure sensors for both invasive and non invasive application, including catheter tipped disposable pressure sensors for multilumen catheters down to a size of four french (less than 0.023" wide). We developed a hybrid module for Michelin including a pressure and temperature sensor with a full custom IC (all of which was manufactured in house). The initial use was for tire pressure sensing on the BMW model 850. We developed a full custom artillery shell distance sensor for safe and arm electronics. This included our first silicon accelerometer. The module performed a double integration of acceleration to determine distance. We also developed the first, low cost digital tire pressure gauge. It was, by far, the most sophisticated pressure sensor of its time for the price. The tire pressure business was a business, within a business and had a story of its own. In the eighties Sensym was where a significant portion of the industry research (more correctly, development) was being done. Novasensors did research, Sensym did development.
Janusz Bryzek stayed with us for about three months and left to join Don Lynam who had just left Foxboro ICT to start IC Sensors. In his stead we hired John Gragg from Motorola to manage our engineering efforts. John had worked at Carnegie Mellon on shear strain in silicon for the purpose of manufacturing pressure sensors. This technology had its roots at the Bell Labs in the work of Pfann and Thurston. Three basic technologies are used to manufacture silicon based pressure sensors; variable capacitance, uniaxial longitudinal and transverse strain piezoresistance and shear strain piezoresistance. There are tradeoffs for each rendering one more suitable than the other for particular applications. John and Carl Derrington had been instrumental in taking this technology from the university and commercializing it at Motorola. Motorola is the only company to employ both piezoresistance and variable capacitance pressure sensing technologies commercially. Motorola is currently the only United States non captive supplier of OEM automotive pressure sensors. John stayed with Sensym less than a year. His wife didn't want to live with his commute from Phoenix to San Jose and would not move from their home in Phoenix. John returned to Motorola to pursue interests in another Motorola technology.
Automotive applications have been the catalyst for much of the silicon sensor development. It first started with the manifold absolute pressure sensor and more recently has extended to air bag crash sensors and fuel vapor sensing and has been considered for oil pressure, comfort seat bladders in memory seats, air conditioning pressure switches, tire pressure, and intelligent shock absorbers (Not to mention all the off-road vehicle and truck applications). Research efforts have been funded in Germany by Siemens and Fraunhauffer Institute. Siemens acquired the Bendix sensor research group when Bendix's automotive business was acquired by Siemens. This group had received over fifty million dollars in funding when part of Bendix. The research efforts in Germany have been largely funded by the government (over several hundred million dollars) and the auto industry.
In spite of all this funding the only company that sold products was one small operation near Munich owned and operated by Texas Instrument manufacturing, only piezoresistive sensors for disposable blood pressure. This business ended several years ago.
In 1989, seven years after having taken money from the venture capital folks, as is common in the venture business it was time for Sensym to provide a return on their investment. At Sensym we raised money one other time, in 1984, when a note due National secured by my house was due and I did not have the funds to pay it. To make a long story short, National voided the note and took an equity position in Sensym thanks to Charley Sporck and Gary Arnold, Nationals Vice President of Finance at the time and current member of National Semiconductor's Board of Directors. In 1989 I retained Bob Harris of Kahn & Harris, now Harris-Roja, for the purpose of selling Sensym. We received much interest from a large number of companies interested in acquiring Sensym. After close to twenty visits we had a short list of less than five companies based upon their management compatibility and the price they would be willing to pay. In the end we opted to accept an offer from Hawker Siddeley. Our investors received between seven and ten times their original investment as a return on their investment. The return on investment was acceptable.
Hawker Siddeley had a large sensor group in the United States managed by Dale Bennett in Rhode Island called Fasco Sensors and Controls. This group included Fasco in North Carolina, Elmwood Sensors in Rhode Island, Aerospace and Aviation Inc in Long Island, Mason in Southern California, Laserdata in Florida, Clairostat in New England, and Senisys a fiber optic module company in Texas. I would become very familiar with all these companies through group meetings and when I was asked to provide technical assessment for each of them. We hired Art Zias to consult for us for a year and to provide a technical inventory of each of the Fasco businesses. In 1981 Hawker Siddeley attempted to fend off a hostile takeover by BTR, another British conglomerate. During that time period we came close to being able to repurchase Sensym from Hawker Siddeley but the deal didn't get done before BTR acquired control of Hawker and therefore of Sensym. BTR has a management philosophy totally different from what had been the norm for Hawker Siddeley. BTR has been very successful with their approach; acquire a company, raise prices ten percent and cut labor costs by ten percent. Vale, fifteen percent to the bottom line. Each subsequent year a BTR plan begins with raising prices by inflation plus one percent and budgeting labor costs to increase by inflation less one percent. Very simple. Such is the norm for a BTR company. Suffice it to say that such an operation takes only an accountant to run and I submitted my resignation at the end of my contract, March 1992. Prior to leaving Sensym, I offered to BTR that I would purchase Sensym for a reasonable price rather than allow the fate of the gradual demise of the business operating under such a system. They decided to decline my offer. Sensym continues today in the BTR environment.
BTR and Siebe merged in 1997 and with this merger Sensym and Foxboro/ICT were consolidated under Chris Cartsonas. The ICT facility was sold and all operations consolidated with Sensym. Sensym's manufacturing is done primarily in Juarez, Mexico, with silicon processing still in Milpitas.
The Sensym name is being replace by Invensys Sensor Systems. This is a group name for all companies that were formerly the Sensor Group of BTR.
Art Zias
But what became of Art Zias you ask. During Christmas 1996 and New Year 1997, Art and his lovely wife, Ellie, toured Africa. There were reports their trip was partially funded by the Oakland school district for research into the true origins of Ebonics. Yet other reports have Art starting another sensor company or as lead saxophone for the Swahili military marching band. Based upon Art's background any one of the stories could, in fact, be true. Upon leaving National Semiconductor in 1982 Art went to be cofounder of Tricomp Sensors, ultimately a publicly funded company that went belly up thanks to the fine efforts of Ralph Voerst their principal investor and fund raiser par excellence. Art then founded Captorr along with professor Barry Block.
Barry is "the guru of variable capacitance, silicon to pyrex to silicon microstructures" having made a name for himself through the sale of the technology to Signetics in the seventies for automotive accelerometers. Each person associated with Barry has a different word for the "name" he has made for himself. I have found him to be incredibly interesting. However, it is a little bit disconcerting when all your meetings with him include his attorney and you have been told that he has made a significant amount of his money by way of lawsuits.
Captorr contracted with Dresser Industries to develop and "turn-key" a very low pressure (0.1 inch of water column full scale) variable capacitance differential pressure transducer. The technology developed for Dresser is now used in Dresser's low pressure devices and in some products manufactured though a Dresser Nagano joint venture in Japan. Other silicon pressure sensors manufactured in Japan by Fujikura, Nagano and others had there origins via technology transfers between Honeywell, Dresser, Foxboro ICT, and their Japanese partners. Captorr technology rights were sold to Dresser and Art and Barry left for other pursuits.
Art joined Teknekron Sensor Development Corp in Menlo Park, a company formed by a wealthy man, Harvey Wagner, residing on a ranch near Lake Tahoe. Apparently Harvey made a lot of money when he sold a credit report software company to TRW. Teknekron was formed for the purpose of developing companies in an incubator environment for the purpose of liquidity and provide a large return on investment to the principal investor, Harvey. The working principals where a handful of Phd's from industry and academia with interests in sensors of all types. The facility had state of the art sensor semiconductor and micromachining capability. In the end TSD, had its funding terminated when the forecast for the return on investment was determined to be too low. Four of the individuals, Martin Przybylski as President, Art as VP of engineering, Shawn Kahil in engineering and Norm Nystrom for facilities left to form a silicon gas flowmetering company called Fluid IC. This company had funding for the purpose of developing a replacement for the home natural gas meter and other monitoring system metering in the gas distribution business. Fluid IC was absorbed by Itron and ceased operation in 1995.
Art now consults through Ziasense, a "dba" of CapTorr. Art is an active consultant to several companies in the sensor industry. He provides a short tutorial on silicon sensor technology for newcomers to the technology or full courses for those skilled in the technology and business. Art also is an active director of MCA Technologies, a promising new company founded by Ali Rastegar, that provides ASIC signal conditioning circuits for sensors. To all that know Art he is truly a fine person and has been instrumental in the formation of the silicon micromachining industry. However, he's still has a horrible golf swing.
NeXt Sensors
In 1992 I retired for most of the year. Retirement is not what one might make it out to be, especially for one who has worked since he was twelve years old and enjoyed doing it. A friend of mine that retired in his forties after making enough money to do so from stock options would say "I don't miss the rat race but I do miss some of the rats!" I enjoy both, as long as you know what race you're in.
In early 1993 I informed Sensym I would be participating in the Sensor Show in San Jose and since I had a two year "not-to-compete" agreement they should determine what they might want to do. Sensym filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent me from participating in the show. The courts ruled against their request and I was allowed to attend with certain provisions. Sensym spent a considerable amount of legal time and dollars to attempt to keep me out of the sensor business. We had differing opinions regarding the not to compete provision that was finally settled by the courts. In the end, I learned a lot about the law and the legal system and Sensym spent a lot of money to prevent me from competing in the United States until June 1, 1994. I believe had Sensym spent all the money they spent on legal bills on product improvements they would be much better off today than they are.
Since I was having trouble getting started in the United States I exhibited at the Sensor Show in Nuremburg, Germany in May, 1993. I had a booth with no products, only some flowers and myself. Hans Keller stopped by and asked if I was now in the flower business. It was very fortunate I went to this show as I met Alexander Breitenbach. Alexander had just, within weeks of the show, left Sensortechnics Gmbh. Alexander had been the best salesman at Sensortechnics and the person responsible for a significant portion of their business. By the beginning of 1994, Alexander and I founded NeXt Sensors Gmbh and we were in the sensor business in Europe. At least, on paper we were in the business.
I incorporated NeXt Sensors in the United States and started production of some pressure sensors similar to Sensym's with improved performance in June, 1994. Two of the best people I have ever had the pleasure to work with joined me during the first month, Dale Dauenhauer, my brother and Marissa Magcase. Marissa had been our Quality Assurance manager at Sensym. Fred Adamic, who was Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing for Sensym until 1993 join us in our facility, not as an employee rather he started his own company, Spectrum MicroDevices. Fred is still here, and Spectrum MicroDevices is still active. Fred is pursuing dielectrically isolated structures in silicon as well as some novel silicon gage structures. During the early days we received invaluable assistance from a couple companies and some needed financial support from some other people. Tim Shotter, founder of Gandolf who had designed the tire pressure gage for Sensym, provided product design support. Derek Bowers, founder of DB Design who had worked at Sensym ten years earlier provided package design and test fixture design support. I received financial support from Robertson & Stephens and from John Easton, president of Sensotec. The support from all was greatly appreciated.
By mid 1995 I recognized we would need more financial support than I could afford and I retained the services, again, of Harris-Roja to see what could be done. Since much of the investment was needed to establish a United States sales and marketing effort we decided to look for companies interested in a merger and use their existing infrastructure. In a short time period we had the interest of two companies, Data Instruments and Telcom Semiconductor. My personal interest was to work a deal with Telcom because I have known their Vice President of finance, Mike O'Malley, for close to twenty years and I was very favorably impressed by their CEO, Phil Drayer, who I had seen give a presentation at the Monterey AEA's Emerging Companies Financial Conference.
We merged NeXt Sensors with Data Instruments and created Data Instruments Advanced Silicon Group in December 1994. History has yet to write itself as to what will ultimately happen with DI-ASG.
In 1995 Data Instruments also acquired NeXt Sensors Gmbh and consolidated all Data Instruments European Marketing and Sales into the merged company Data Instruments -Next Sensors GmbH in northern Germany, close to Hannover.
In January, 1996 Sensymtronic, in Paris, France was acquired by Data Instruments and merged into Data Instruments France. The company president for each company continues with the respective operations.
In November, 1998 Data Instruments was sold to Honeywell. The ASG group (NeXt Sensors) was closed and moved to Freeport, Il. NeXt Sensors people assisted in the six month process of transition from Sunnyvale to Freeport. All key people remain in the Bay Area. All key people at Data Instruments in Acton, MA are no longer with the company.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Heavy metal makeover
Our experts shake up an indie record label's business plan.
(FSB Magazine) -- Never before in the history of the planet has there been so much music floating around, of all kinds and easily accessible. Thanks to iTunes and its cousins, from YouTube (great for live concert clips) and MySpace (unsigned bands) to satellite radio, Internet radio and the vast underworld of illegal file sharing - well, as Aretha almost said, What you want, baby, you got.
As a music lover, Andreas Katsambas, 35, can appreciate all that. He remembers what a struggle it was to get his fill of his favorites - Pink Floyd, AC/DC and Slayer, in that order - when he was growing up on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Which is why a part of him is just as thrilled with the modern digital cornucopia as the rest of us are. But as CEO of The End Records (theendrecords.com), a nine-year-old heavy-metal label in New York City, Katsambas fears for the life of his company.
On the face of it, you might think the guy's in pretty good shape. After launching in his bedroom in San Diego in 1999 and shifting operations to Salt Lake City in 2002, Katsambas moved this past summer to new headquarters in the trendy East Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn. (Incredibly, 13 of The End's 14 loyal employees followed.)
Sales in 2006 were $3.5 million, up 25 percent over the year before, and the company is profitable. In December, Katsambas signed a North America licensing agreement with celebrated Finnish monster-rockers Lordi, whose members dress as mummies and vampires. Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah" took first prize at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, an annual pan-European jamboree that launched the careers of ABBA and Celine Dion.
But Katsambas worries. When Tower Records folded in October, The End lost a major distributor that was more friendly to indie labels than are mainstream giants Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) and Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500). The fallout was immediate. "Suddenly all the big chains got very tight with their budgets," Katsambas says. Sadly, he can't count on small record stores to pick up the slack. Hundreds of those have closed in the past several years, he says, "and you don't see any new ones opening up."
Meanwhile, back in Brooklyn, expenses are through the roof. The move from Salt Lake cost $30,000. His $6,000 monthly office rent is twice what he used to pay. Internet access is considerably more expensive in New York, taxes are higher, even trash pickup is an extra $200 per month. "Every month I sit down with my accountant," Katsambas laments, "and she says, 'Things are tight. How do we make it work?' "
He's looking for answers to basic questions. "How do we maintain a steady cash flow?" he wonders. "Where do we allocate our available budget?" If the traditional record-label business model - investing in studio sessions and concert tours and making the money back on CD and record sales - is dead, and practically everyone agrees that it is, then what's next for The End?
Katsambas checks his e-mail from bed every morning, even before he turns on the light. He isn't panicking - yet. " In times of crisis, I make the best decisions," he says. But he needs a roadmap.
Over two days, three industry experts recruited by FSB climb the steep steps to The End's second-floor offices to meet with Katsambas and his sales VP, John Cariaso. First up is Nicholas Butterworth, 39. He arrives wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with VEGAS inscribed on the front, and quickly blends right in. Butterworth made his industry bones by running the music Web site SonicNet. When MTV bought SonicNet in 1999, Butterworth became CEO of MTV Interactive Group. These days he's a part-time deejay and full-time entrepreneur. His latest project is Travelistic.com, a video site for travelers.
Katsambas takes Butterworth on a quick tour of the adjacent warehouse, where scary-looking kids with extra holes in their bodies (Katsambas is the only staffer whose skin is neither painted nor punctured), some on skateboards, are picking and packing CDs and mailing them all over the world. Katsambas started this business within a business because he wasn't happy with the mail-order distribution his label was getting from third parties. Today it's the biggest metal music mail-order site on the Web, handling dozens of labels in addition to The End and accounting for two-thirds of company sales and all its profits. "If it wasn't for mail order," Katsambas admits, "the label wouldn't work."
Back in The End's plywood-paneled conference room, sparsely decorated with a Salvador Dali beach scene print, Butterworth asks, "Out of total sales for the label, what percentage are digital?"
"One percent," says Cariaso, the sales guy. "Metal and hard-core fans would much rather buy a full CD. They want to be able to read the lyrics and listen to the whole album." That's a mixed blessing, replies Butterworth. On the one hand, it means The End is less vulnerable to digital piracy than the major labels are. Then again, digital sales generate 10 percent of total sales at a typical major label - not just singles that go for 99 cents on iTunes but also licensed ringtones that can sell for several dollars a pop.
"I think you should continue to investigate digital sales," says Butterworth. "The fact that digital hasn't taken off among this audience doesn't mean that it's not still going to be meaningful." He suggests experimenting on The End's own Web site rather than waiting for iTunes to figure it out.
Maybe the solution is digital content not available on CD, he suggests, or digital prereleases available one month before a new CD hits the streets - but only to preferred customers. "Your first, best customer is somebody who already likes the band," Butterworth explains. "But then I'd rather market to somebody who already has records from The End and knows the label."
Another lesson from the majors: The End should think about moving into a different sort of partnership with artists, where they can participate in touring income as well as merchandise such as hats, T-shirts and collectibles. Katsambas jumps at the idea: "That's something we want to establish as well - the merchandising part for sure."
"You don't want to get into a bidding war for merchandise rights with established artists," Butterworth cautions. "It's even worse than bidding for music rights. It's more risky, and you can get stuck with inventory that you don't want. But maybe you could offer [a partnership deal] to new bands you're developing. They'd be ecstatic, and you could grow with them."
Butterworth also wonders if there's a way to add some higher-margin products to the mix. "Either reissues or greatest-hits records or cover records and concept albums," he muses. Katsambas looks skeptical. Butterworth grimaces a little. "I mean, all these can be cheesy," he says. "It will never be a hit and deliver the upside in the same way but, you know, TVT Records (tvtrecords.com) was built on recordings of songs from TV. They sell every year at insanely high margins."
After lunch comes Dan Levy, 48, a former management consultant who now builds Web sites for rock stars, including Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Levy checked out the Web site before he got here, listened to some clips, found at least one band he liked, Estradasphere ("weird band, weird name, major musicians," says Katsambas), and ordered a CD.
He says he was struck by the large number of international bands on the label. "I was thinking it would be really neat on the Web site if you had a world map that showed where all the bands come from," he says. Katsambas nods approvingly and writes down the suggestion.
"When I go to the Web site, I'd like to be able to find out more about the bands," says Levy. "If you have bands that are really motivated, you should make them create more content for your site. You've got the kind of audience that really wants to know more. You can create original content like audio interviews, or just Q&As, or open up the Q&As to the fans."
Levy wants to know if The End has thought about any other places it could sell CDs besides record shops. "You're probably not going to get this music into Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500)," he allows. "But is there some other retail environment that your audience goes to? Maybe it's not skateboard or surf shops, but it has to be someplace."
"This is the dilemma I'm facing," says Katsambas. "There is no audience for this music. We've created it. There was nothing like Estradasphere before."
Levy isn't buying it. "The teenagers who like this music now are very similar to teenagers who liked [1970s progressive rockers] Emerson, Lake & Palmer and" - he pauses for a beat - "have since grown up to be journalists and consultants. There's a mentality of music appreciation. It can't be that your audience is so alienated that they don't shop in stores and go places."
Last up is Peter Spellman, 49, director of career development at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and author of two books on the music industry, including "The Self-Promoting Musician" (Berklee Press, $24.95).
Spellman sports a black ribbed pullover, a pencil mustache and a goatee. "I think it's always wise to be looking at the low-hanging fruit," he says expansively. For example, Katsambas could generate a tidy revenue stream by licensing The End songs for TV, film and videogames. "Just focus on plugging the songs and then outsource the administration for a 5 percent fee," he urges, "so you don't have to worry about the details so much."
"I totally agree," says Katsambas, sounding not quite convinced. "This is something I need to explore. But you know, with the move to New York ..."
"I totally understand," says Spellman, not letting up. "But you need to learn as much as you can about licensing. You should also figure out as many ways as possible to make the fan a co-creator in the success of these acts. It can be as little as getting fans involved in selecting what single gets pushed to radio. It can be deciding which one of three graphic images gets selected for a CD cover. The artists who are open to that are going to find that it's the most powerful solidifier of loyalty ever."
"Keep doing what you're doing," Spellman says, summing up. Here he's on the same page with Butterworth and Levy. All three consultants agree that the Lordi signing is a key development, one that could make or break The End. "My opinion?" says Spellman. "Seeing everything you've done so far - the smart decisions that have been made, the infrastructure you've built, the contacts you've made - you've got the ingredients to now put a large act into that and amplify that success."
A few weeks later we caught up with Katsambas by phone at a music industry trade show in Cannes. He told us about one cash-generating idea he had already implemented: publication of a $40 limited-edition book/CD combo tied to the release of The Novella Reservoir, the latest album from the dark-metal band Novembers Doom. Katsambas is also working to expand international distribution of his mail-order catalog. Next checkpoint: the Lordi release in March. Stay tuned. We promise to follow this story right through to the end.
Our consultants suggested everything from selling CDs in skate shops to offering digital sneak previews to committed fans. Please e-mail your thoughts to FSB's Makeover editor at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Could your business use a makeover? In general, successful Makeover candidates are profitable small companies with at least $1 million in annual gross revenues. To submit your firm for consideration, e-mail the FSB makeover editor. Please describe your business briefly, provide your most recent and projected revenues, and explain why you think your company would benefit from a Makeover.
Could your business use a makeover? In general, successful Makeover candidates are profitable small companies with at least $1 million in annual gross revenues. To submit your firm for consideration, e-mail the FSB makeover editor here. Please describe your business briefly, provide your most recent and projected revenues, and explain why you think your company would benefit from a Makeover.


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The Dinar wind project, located outside Afyon city, will use 22 2.3-108 turbines and is expected to come online by the end of the year. The deal includes delivery, installation and a five-year service contract.
Olgu Enerji Uretim is an affiliate of Turkish construction company Guris Holdings. Dinar is Siemens' third wind project in Turkey. It also has projects at Mahmudiye (30MW) and Dagpazari (39MW).
Last week, Nordex was awarded a 27.5MW order from Turkey's Tektug Elektrik Group for a project in the east of the country. The Sincik wind farm, which will be located near Adiyaman in south-eastern Turkey, will use 11 N100 2.5MW low wind speed turbines.
Figures from Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) showed installed wind capacity rose by 521MW to 1,799MW last year.
Looking beyond 2012, however, investors agree that the market framework needs to be improved if Turkey is to come close to fully exploiting its ample wind resources.


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All material © 2015 Traffic Experiment Music Ltd. Please support independent music
Music by Traffic Experiment is a free 7-track mini-album containing music from our existing catalogue and is a good place to start if you've never heard anything by us. Click here to listen to and download the album.
TRAFFiC EXPERiMENT are a progressive art rock band based in the UK. We release music through our own independent label.
To hear what Traffic Experiment sound like (and bypass the obligatory, and usually vacuous, list of superlatives, influences and dubious claims) skip straight to the music section here.
Or, if you really do want to know more about what we think we're all about, then click this link here.


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This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of my favourite breakfasts of all time. So called because they are surrounded by two different types of salsa like divorcees whose friends are taking the side of one or the other, huevos divorciados are a perfect start to the day.
I never made them very much, because the preparation of the salsas requires overnight pre-soaking of chiles that are hard to get in the first place, but over time, I have now come up with the necessary satisfactory short cuts to make this as easy a breakfast as any to put together. For the red salsa, I use chipotles out of a jar or tin (instead of the customary dried chile ancho and chile de arbol) as well as tinned tomatoes. And I use store-bought salsa verde as I can't buy tomatillos here in Asia... At least not without depositing one of my cute blond kids at a Chinese pawnshop until the next paycheque comes through!
After that, it's just a matter of spreading a good measure of frijoles on a wheat or corn tortilla, sprinkling it generously with grated cheese, then topping it with two eggs fried sunny-side up and the sauces spooned over. And on the subject of frijoles, I usually make my own, but you could easily use canned ones of a brand you trust.
So, doesn't that sound like a walk in the park? It is, trust me - and you will have a breakfast to impress your family or friends with in no time!


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Michael Graves is a good architect. That might be a truism to some, and a statement of radical revisionism to others, but the reality is that he has designed some buildings whose spaces, imagery, and relationship to their surroundings make sense, and that also delight and amaze us. It is true he has, as most architects with a large office have, created quite a few mediocre designs. It is also without a doubt that his way of making buildings is not only distinctive, but also is so strong as to elicit reactions that are not always positive. But when he is on top of his game, he can make magic.
I was reminded of this when a small group of us visited the San Juan Capistrano Library in California almost 30 years after it was completed. Truth be told, I was the only person in our coterie who really liked the building. One of our troupe, an architect who now works for the government, thought the building was horrible. Another felt it was cramped and limited in its achievements. A third welcomed its achievements, but felt its style overwhelmed the spaces it created. To me, the rooms and forms were stirring.
Sited on a small rise adjacent to the Mission's church, whose larger size and diagonal placement overwhelm the sea of parking in which it is now marooned, it takes the shapes of that neo-Spanish architecture and breaks them down to the scale and aggregation of forms that make up the residential neighborhood to the north.
It faces the Mission with its off-center entrance, marked by a turret, and a square-mullioned window that has become a standard of thousands of other buildings. That is part of the library's problem: its individual pieces have been copied so often. What nobody has achieved is the march of the boxes and towers that make it into a building that is both civic and domestic. They articulate the structure, relate it to the institution's larger neighbor, and make it part of both a historic and spatial line.
Inside, the library is cramped. Its scale is, like so many buildings, much smaller in reality than what you remember from the first time you see it. It consists of rooms, rather than spaces, each with a frame, a scale, and a place in a sequence all its own. None of them are large, and some are intimate, such as the reading nook all the way at the end, where a solitary reader had cozied up to the fireplace above which Graves, in a moment of bravura or narcissism, placed a reproduction of his sketchbook with images of his design over the mantle. There is no grand space of gathering, only a long and exceedingly narrow corridor whose ending in a fire escape door is either one of Postmodernism's greatest witticisms or one of its greatest failings.
The reading room is a pleasant space, coffered and contained by its buttresses, but the library's strength is really exactly the variety and sequence of small rooms, which somehow seemed very American on this trip, as it provides everybody their own private nook, even in a public institution. The only place of gathering, a courtyard of supremely perfect proportions, was empty on this cold winter day, and showed few signs of occupation in general.
The former editor-cynic among us pointed out that the library has no way to expand, other than to build an addition. The government-employed architect dismissed the immense amount of articulation as pure waste, and the modernist aesthete complained of the fussiness, but I felt completely at home in this warren of retreats and dens, tied together by wood beams and decorative stencils, surrounded by the sheltering walls of stucco that mimicked the ways in which the first Western inhabitants of California protected themselves against the weather and the unknown.
If you are going to make a civic space that feels intimate, that connects to at least one part of our history, and that provides a sequence and variety of rooms that are comfortable and comforting, look to the San Juan Capistrano Library. After all these years, it is the built equivalent of a well-worn armchair, the kind of place that makes you one with the learning our culture has stored up and that should surround us.
Aaron Betsky is a regularly featured columnist whose stories appear on this website each week. His views and conclusions are not necessarily those of ARCHITECT magazine nor of the American Institute of Architects.


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The research landscape is complex, and different actors have different options to help with a systemic move towards open science.
Research institutions
In this thread, I would like us to explore which options research institutions have to encourage open science in-house as well as in the communities and other stakeholders they interact with.
If you have multiple ideas for concrete actions, I suggest to post them as separate answers (rather than as one monolithic answer), so as to facilitate the discussion and refinement of your ideas.
Change hiring and promotion practices.
The criteria used in hiring and promotion processes should
A good starting point for considering this issue is this commentary on a passage in a job ad, which asked candidates to outline their activities around openness: http://www.nicebread.de/open-science-hiring-practices/ .
Encourage experimentation around open science at all levels within the institution - by individual researchers, educators, students as well as research teams and institutional subunits or across all of them - as well as between institutions.
A prime example for an entire institution experimenting with open science is the Montral Neurological Institute, which declared in early 2016 that
Starting this year, any work done there will conform to the principles of the "open- science" movement—all results and data will be made freely available at the time of publication, for example, and the institute will not pursue patents on any of its discoveries. Although some large-scale initiatives like the government-funded Human Genome Project have made all data completely open, MNI will be the first scientific institute to follow that path, Rouleau says.
For a recent update on that, see http://doi.org/10.1038/533S71a, which also contains pointers to some similar initiatives.
On the level of subunits, a legal department could review existing legislation from an open science perspective and make suggestions for sharing-friendly language in contracts, agreements and other legal documents, as demonstrated, e.g., by Creative Commons licenses as well as author addenda to copyright transfer agreements and redesigned material transfer agreements.
Put the website and outreach materials under an open license. For example, the legal department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) observed:
through the use of a CC licence, additional usage rights are granted and thus, a higher degree of dissemination of the published media content owned by DLR will mostly be achieved.
Change evaluation practices. This is closely tied to Change hiring and promotion practices but broader. The classical example that is often given in this context is that of the University of Liège, where
depositing papers in the repository was henceforth the sole mechanism for submitting them to be considered when researchers underwent performance review.
While that policy and also the repository (more details here) are focused on providing free-to-read access to scholarly publications, institutions could expand that to repositories of other kinds, e.g. for data, software, specimens, teaching materials and other results of the work of their staff.
Directly from this tweet:
Every scientific institution should have the subdomains software.theinstitute.tld and data.theinstitute.tld
On those subdomains, the software or data generated by the institution should be made accessible with minimal barriers. If they are hosted in a recognized repository elsewhere, the respective persistent URLs should be given.
Sign declarations relevant to Open Science and related issues - and act accordingly.
Some examples:
Even if you were not part of the original community that drafted a particular statement, signing on to those principles later on (or with some adaptations, e.g. for discipline-specific things) may make sense.
Review the openness of institutional websites:
- to what extent is the content openly licensed, and tagged as such?
- to what extent are these websites built using free and open-source software? Is this documented?
- to what extent is the website content properly archived, e.g. with the Internet Archive? And what about content linked from the website?
- if the robots.txt has restrictions, are these justified?
- do the websites use the Memento protocol?
- how do the websites perform when used from various platforms (Linux, OSX, Windows, ...), devices (desktop, smartphone, tablet, screen readers ...) or locations?
- are job ads, event announcements, notes on construction work and other rather ephemeral pieces of information included in any of the above?
Appoint a contact person for matters of open science, similar to such contact persons for ethical, diversity or open access matters.
Do not assume that they will take on this role as a volunteer in the long run, but make it part of their job description.
This idea came out of the final meeting of the Open Science Fellowship program 2016.
Provide recognition for researchers doing open science or producing open educational resources.
This could be achieved by
This idea was discussed at the final meeting of the Open Science Fellowship program 2016.
Ask Open Science used to be called Open Science Q&A but we changed the name when we registered the domain ask-open-science.org. Everything else stays the same: We are still hosted by Bielefeld University.
If you participated in the Open Science beta at StackExchange, please reclaim your user account now – it's already here!
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Ubqari Magazine September 2019 Free Read and Download In PDF
Ubqari Magazine September 2019
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This article is more than 1 year old
IBM eats Blade Network for switches
Another $400m in 'research and development'
Sam Palmisano got out the Big Blue check book once again this morning and wrote out what was reportedly a $400m check to the owners of privately held Blade Network Technologies.
For a company whose chief executive officer and chairman has slammed rival Hewlett-Packard over its inability to invest in its own innovation, IBM is sure on a spending spree to fill in some pretty big product gaps of its own.
Blade Network is the networking spinout of the defunct Canadian telecom giant Nortel Networks that was sold to private equity firm Garnett & Helfrich Capital in 2006. IBM and Blade Network did not disclose the terms of the acquisition deal.
Blade Network makes the Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches commonly used in blade servers manufactured by IBM and HP, but its products do not carry its own brand when used inside of the blade chassis. The company's RackSwitch top-of-rack products do, however, carry the BladeNetwork brand.
Back in September 2009, Japanese server maker NEC, which also resells Blade Network's blade switches, and Juniper Networks, which rebadges the RackSwitch products, were among the four vendors who kicked in $10m in Series B funding to the switch maker. At the time, Garnett & Helfrich were also putting in some of that $10m kitty, as was an unnamed IT player who we all guessed was none other than IBM. Blade Network has tight ties to IBM because of the embedded switches it makes for the BladeCenter blade server chassis as well as the reseller agreement in place to peddle RackSwitch products. Moreover, to help bolster its IP portfolio (and thereby shield it somewhat from lawsuits from bigger switching players), Blade Network inked a cross-patent licensing deal with Big Blue in April 2009. With IBM probably accounting for around half of its revenues, which are not disclosed, Blade Network was a natural target for acquisition by IBM. And for HP, for that matter.
As part of its investment in Blade Network a year ago, NEC's pencil pushers reckoned that Blade Network had a market value of around $230m, which Vikram Mehta, Blade Network's president and chief executive officer, bragged to El Reg a year ago. If that make value has not changed, then the price premium that IBM is paying for the company is around 74 per cent. As of the Series B funding last year, Nortel still had a stake in Blade Network, which was under 20 per cent.
The blade and rack switch maker had an annual revenue run rate of around $100m in 2009, and was growing at above 30 per cent. Provided revenues are growing at about the same rate and Blade Network is on track to do around $130m in 2010, then IBM is paying a 3X multiple against revenues to get the switch maker. And probably to keep Blade Network out of the grips of HP.
That revenue multiple for Blade Network is a lot lower than the 7X that Big Blue shelled out last week for data warehousing appliance maker Netezza, which is on track for about $250m in revenues and some modest profits this year.
IBM says that about half of its BladeCenter customers use Blade Network switches, so you can see why Big Blue cannot afford to let this company slip into HP's hands. HP, by contrast, makes its own blade switches as well as a slew of switches and routers that come from its former 3Com and ProCurve product lines. HP bought 3Com last November for $2.7bn, and has been purging its data center of Cisco gear.
IBM had plenty of smarts in the networking arena and the Internet might be a better place had Big Blue open sourced its Systems Network Architecture protocols decades ago so they could have been the backbone of the Internet. IBM might have been Cisco then, instead of selling off its networking business to Cisco in 1999. For many years, SNA was arguably better than TCP/IP, but IBM kept such a tight grasp on it that it killed it, leaving the market open for companies like Cisco to swoop in and dominate.
This acquisition of Blade Network does not represent any major reversal, but if IBM buys QLogic, Voltaire, or Mellanox, we could see the IBM-Cisco partnership, which has been strained by Cisco's entry into the server racked in March 2009, strained. HP and Cisco have hit the breaking point already this past February, when Cisco cut HP from its certified partner program, leaving it without all those juicy switch and router product roadmaps.
IBM expects the Blade Network Technologies deal to close in the fourth quarter. That is provided regulators approve the deal - which they will - and someone doesn't make a better offer - which someone just might. ®


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MITZPE RAMON, Israel — A menacing swarm of locusts that entered southern Israel earlier this week has been largely smitten, according to the Israeli government and local reports. But some of the insects' ilk may be back later this week.
Officials sprayed the flying insects with pesticide early this morning (March 6), greatly reducing the number of living, flying insects, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
However, there's a "moderate risk" that another, small swarm could reach this region, in Israel's Negev Desert, later this week or on the weekend, said Keith Cressman, a senior locust-forecasting officer in Rome for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The desert locusts, whose scientific name is Schistocerca gregaria, arrived a couple weeks before Passover, the weeklong festival that recounts the biblical exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. According to the Bible, swarms of locusts were the eighth plague sent into ancient Egypt as a punishment for suppressing the Jews, said Hendrik Bruins, a researcher who studies the archaeology and environmental aspects of desert peoples, at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
"This [current swarm] fits very well with the seasonal timing of the exodus in the bible," Bruins said.
But could the plague be a divine punishment this time around? "This, we cannot say," Bruins told LiveScience. "Because there have been so many plagues throughout history, not every locust plague can be classified in that way," he said, laughing. [ See Images of the Desert Locust Swarms ]
Gregarious grasshoppers
All locusts are grasshoppers, or in the grasshopper family, but not all grasshoppers are locusts, said Amir Ayali, a researcher at Tel Aviv University. About 15 species of grasshoppers can be classified as locusts, essentially meaning they can fly and create swarms. The creatures are usually solitary and avoid each other, but in the right conditions, they congregate in large groups, exhibiting what is called a "gregarious" behavior, Ayali said.
The current swarm originated in southeastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan, despite efforts by these countries to control the insects' populations, Cressman said. The animals thrive in relatively wet conditions, and the locusts moved on once the area started to dry out in early February, he continued. By March 2, they had reached Cairo, buffeted by winds out of the south. There were many thousands of locusts in the swarms that have arrived in southern Israel, but the exact number is unclear, according to officials.
Locusts are passive fliers, and can't get far flying into the breeze; however, under the right conditions, they can fly up to 90 miles (150 kilometers) per day, Cressman said.
On March 4, winds from the west brought a small swarm into Israel's Negev, and another group arrived the same way the next day (March 5), Cressman added. Now, however, the insects have been sprayed, and the wind has shifted, now blowing out of the northeast, greatly reducing the threat the insects pose. The creatures are also "less active and voracious than normal because they have already traveled quite some distance," Cressman said. [ In Photos: Nature's Biggest Pests ]
However, a small swarm could reach northeastern Egypt and the Negev on Friday or Saturday, Cressman said. This morning, officials warned Israel, Jordan and Egypt to take necessary measures, he said.
Zapping locusts
The only way to deal with large locust outbreaks is to spray them with pesticides, Cressman said, a process that "has become increasingly safer and more environmentally friendly over the years." Persistent pesticides (that don't break down after spraying) are no longer used, having been replaced with varieties that evaporate after 24 hours, he said. The chemicals are also sprayed directly on locusts instead of on vegetation or the ground, are only used in small quantities and are deployed by highly trained specialists, he said.
Such specialists increasingly rely on a new family of bio-pesticides, such as a chemical called Green Muscle that comes from a naturally occurring fungus that only attacks locusts. In particular, officials use these bio-pesticides in sensitive areas like nature reserves, he said.
The FAO warned Israel a couple days ahead of time that swarms were likely, and the country "immediately mobilized teams [and] resources, and informed farmers and other parties so they were prepared for the locusts," Cressman said.
The locusts may not be all bad, however. The locust is the only kosher insect, meaning it is acceptable to eat under Jewish law, Bruins said. "I've never eaten them, but they seem to be quite tasty."
Cressman, however, has sampled the critters. "I have eaten desert locusts roasted on the fire, boiled, dried and fried — rather a poor man's version of shrimp," he said.
Generally, however, the locusts are the ones doing the eating. A swarm the size of Cairo — which is not unusual for the desert locust — could, in one day, eat the same amount of food as 15 million people could consume, Cressman said. That's about twice the population of Cairo, he added.
Email Douglas Main at email@example.com or follow him @Douglas_Main. Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+.


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- Home
- Government
- Form of Government
Form of Government
Since 1990, the Borough of Hawthorne has operated under a Mayor - Council form of government, as authorized by the State of New Jersey's Faulkner Act (N.J.S.A. 40A: 69A-31 et seq), with a charter approved by the local voters. Under this form of government, similar in concept to our federal government, the Mayor and the Council are two separate but co-equal power centers. The Mayor serves as Chief Executive of the Borough, responsible for supervising the operations of government and seeing that the laws are enforced, while the Borough Council serves as the Borough's legislative body, passing local ordinances and resolutions.
All elected officials serve a term of four years. Municipal elections are held every two years on a partisan basis, with the terms of the Mayor and at-large council members overlapping those of the ward council representatives.
The Mayor of Hawthorne is elected directly by the voters. He is not a member of and therefore does not have a vote on the Council, but does have the right to attend and participate in discussions at all meetings. Among the powers and duties the Mayor exercises as chief executive are as follows:
- Enforce the charter, ordinances and general laws
- Report annually to the Council and the public on the state of the Borough
- Supervise, direct and control all departments of Borough government
- Prepare and submit to the Council an annual operating and capital budget
- Supervise the care and custody of all Borough property
- Negotiate contracts for the Borough
- Serve as ex officio nonvoting member of all appointive bodies in the Borough government
- Appoint a borough administrator, a Borough attorney, other department heads (Revenue and Finance; Public Works), a Borough engineer, a tax assessor, a municipal court judge and prosecutor, members of various boards and commissions (planning, zoning, library, recreation, health, shade tree, environmental, etc.), and various other officials.
- Serve as head of the department of public safety
- Veto of ordinances adopted by the Council
- Designation of an acting mayor when prevented from attending to the duties of the office
The Borough Council consists of four members elected from and by wards, and three elected at-large. The Council meets in the evening on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Among the powers and duties of the Council are the following:
- Electing from among its members a president and vice president, and adoption of its own rules
- Adopting local ordinances and resolutions
- Overriding (by 2/3 vote) a veto by the Mayor
- Exercising advice and consent to many appointments of the Mayor
- Appointing the Borough Clerk and Deputy Borough Clerk
- Adoption of the annual budget
- Approval of contracts presented by the Mayor
- Conducting a legislative inquiry or investigation into the conduct of any municipal department, office or agency
- Removal, by 2/3 vote, of any municipal officer (other than the mayor or a council member) for cause
- Delegation of any number of its members as an ad hoc committee
- Designation of an official newspaper
Borough Clerk
The Borough Clerk appointed by the Council serves as the clerk of the Council, the official custodian of Borough records and local officer in charge of elections, and issues licenses authorized by the Council under the Alcoholic Beverage Law and other licenses.
The Borough Administrator appointed by the Mayor assists the Mayor in preparation of the budget, serves as the Borough's purchasing agent, administers the Borough's personnel system, supervises all the operations in the Department of Administration, and performs all such duties and exercises any authority as may be delegated by the Mayor.
Planning Board & Zoning Board of Adjustment
The Borough's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment exercise powers as authorized under the state's Local Land Use Law to control zoning and development within the Borough.
Board of Education
The Hawthorne Board of Education is elected separately by the voters to exercise control over the local public schools.
State Laws
Laws promulgated by the State of the New Jersey often tightly regulate the discretion of local government in conducting its affairs. Some of these are:
- Budgeting (Local Budget law)
- Fiscal operations (Local Fiscal Affairs Law)
- Borrowing funds for municipal purposes (Local Bond Law)
- Assessment and payment of taxes
- Purchase and disposal of municipal property (Local Land and Building Law)
- Purchase of goods and services (Local Public Contracts Law)
- Employee union contracts (Public Employee Relations Act)
- Land use (Local Land Use Law)
- Building permits and inspections (Uniform Construction Code)
- Fire safety (Uniform Fire Safety Code)
- Health (Health Code)
These often establish rules and procedures the Borough must follow, rules the Borough must follow, rules the Borough must enforce, and the qualification and appointment of officials to perform certain functions.


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Download Here's Kingsman: The Golden Circle Game APK Puzzle Game Latest for Android. . Be recruited as a Kingsman agent! You'll need to pass your training by completing Merlin's virtual simulation. Step into the shoes of Eggsy, Harry, Roxy, Merlin, and many more, each with their own style, skills and gadgets, and save the world from the hidden threats that lurk within.
Prove you have what it takes to be a real Kingsman. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle Game, live out Kingman's greatest battles in a brand new puzzle action game!
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Game ANDROID LATEST FEATURES:
- FUN and FRESH new puzzle action game!
Play Kingsman to make matches furiously in real-time! In this brand new game genre, make matches quickly before the enemies take you down, interrupt bosses with your timing and skills, and utilize quick-time events on the puzzle board. - CHALLENGE over four different game modes! Fight iconic villains in Story Mode, put together a team to challenge other players in Bounty Battle PVP, partner up with your Kingsman mentor to complete missions for the agency in Tag Team mode, and battle endless waves of enemies in a daily Event mode.
- CUSTOMIZE and UPGRADE your team of agents!
Choose your favorite outfit and loadout for each of your agents. Pick from a variety of suits that alter your character's skills, then upgrade and augment their gear, guns, and gadgets to guarantee success in your next mission. - MARVEL at the incredible action!
Make a great match and watch as your favorite agent delivers attacks that brings the crisp, amazing quality of the action scenes of the movies. - Intense PVP Action! Real-time combat — multiple PVP modes to suit your style of play, each more fun and strategic than the last. Have a blast as you rise through the ranks and prove to everyone that you have what it takes to truly join the ranks of the illustrious Kingsman.
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle Game features all your favorite characters from the first and second movie, wrapped up in a compelling, never before seen action puzzle game. Download for free today and experience Kingsman action now!
Requirements : 4.1 and up
Version : 1.1.6


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Music software website kvraudio.com has launched the download stage of its second annual KVR Developer Challenge - take part here.
For the uninitiated, the KVR Developer Challenge is a like a gladiatorial contest, except rather than battling with tridents and swords, the participants must use their programming skills to create the most interesting and useful bit of music software. The entries are in a variety of formats including stand-alone programs and plug-ins, and this year there are a whopping 41 potential winners to choose from. Last year the excellent Triple Cheese from u-he won. Can the standard possibly be as high this year? Head over to the voting page to download this year's entries and see which is your favourite. Voting begins on September 17th, so get downloading now!


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Irish Stapleton Coat of Arms Family Crest Ireland Tapestry Irish Tapestry
Irish Stapleton Coat of Arms Family Crest Ireland Tapestry Irish Tapestry
Introducing ScotsTee's exquisite Irish Tapestry – a celebration of heritage and style that transcends borders. Crafted with precision for customers, this premium tapestry pays homage to the rich Irish legacy with every intricate detail.
- Our tapestries are meticulously constructed from a high-quality lightweight polyester material, ensuring not only maximum color vibrancy but also exceptional durability. The state-of-the-art wide-format printers employed in the printing process guarantee uncompromising gallery quality, capturing the essence of Irish in vivid detail.
- Versatility is key, and ScotsTee understands the need for seamless integration into your living space. Whether adorning the walls of your home or enhancing the ambiance of your outdoor gatherings, our tapestries are designed for both indoor and outdoor use. Hang them effortlessly using thumbtacks, nails, or clothespins – no rod pocket needed.
- For your convenience, maintenance is a breeze. Simply machine wash cold on a gentle cycle, tumble dry low, and iron only on the reverse white side to maintain the pristine appearance of your Irish Tapestry.
- Embrace the warmth of your Irish roots and infuse your surroundings with the timeless beauty of ScotsTee's Irish Tapestry. Elevate your space with a touch of tradition, available exclusively for our valued customers.
- Tip: Buying 2 products or more at the same time will save you quite a lot on shipping fees.
- How Long Will It Take To Receive The Orders?
All our products are print-on-demand and customizable, meaning your product will go into production shortly after your order has been processed. Customers can expect to receive their products around 15-30 business days after placing the orders.
- How Much Should I Pay For Shipping?
We ship international orders through DHL Express, FedEx (Express Shipping), DHL eCommerce, USPS, YUN Express, 4PX and China Post (Standard Shipping). You can select your preferred shipping method at checkout.
Production Time?
You can change the order details (change size, color, quantity) or cancel the order within the first 24 hours.
We typically take about 5-14 business days to make and ship out your product, depending on the type of product.
The detailed time frame for production correspondence with the products group is as below (not including shipping time):
- Printed apparel (regular/partial printing): 4-5 business days
- All Over Print apparel (Full Prints/3D Printing): 7-10 business days
- Homewares and Home decor: 7-10 business days
- Footwear: 10-12 business days Bags & Handbags: 7-10 business days
- Phone case, mugs, posters, accessories: 5-7 business days
- Shipping Time?
Standard Shipping takes approximately 2-3 weeks to arrive.
Express Shipping takes 7-10 days.
(not including production time).
Once the package is shipped out, it entirely relies on a third party: The Courier.
See Our Full Shipping Policy > Click here & Return & Refund Policy > Click here
Each ScotsTee item is handcrafted to order. Tartan is printed and pressed onto our premium fabrics before being cut into individual panels and sewn together by our skilled sewing team.
Once the sewing is finished, the garments must be finished before they can be shipped.
- Trimming - All loose threads on the garment are removed.
- Quality Assurance - All garments are inspected to ensure they meet our high standards of quality.
- Pressing - To ensure that the finished product is of the highest quality, all garments are pressed using an industrial steam press.
- Bagging - The garments are then folded, bagged, counted, and ready for shipment.
Search for your clan in the Scottish Tartan & Clan Finder to find products in your crest
DON'T DELAY! We frequently sell out due to high demand. Please contact us at email@example.com if you have any further questions. |
Join Our Family and Get 8% Off
Be the first to know about new arrivals, sales, exclusive offers, and special events.
What customers say about us?
I love my shirt
I sent a photo of myself wearing it to my only sibling, who replied, "Where is mine?" He immediately ordered one, two very happy Clan Ferguson siblings.
Will get back and order more
The shirt arrived on time. My siblings adore it and have requested the website. I'm going to wear it to the next family event.
Thank you very much!
My son-in-law was ecstatic about his new shirt! His first Graham clan shirt, and he adored it! Thank you very much!
I'm very pleased
This is my second purchase from Scottish Plaid, and I'm very pleased. This is my Father's Day gift to him, and he adores it. I will tell all of my friends about it. Thank you once more for the materials.
Fantastic business
They changed the flag's name to my surname, Argyll. My package was lost in the mail, and they agreed to resend it without hesitation. Thank you for an amazing experience!
Right tartan, good material
Thank you so much! I just received my Polo today; it's very nice, the right tartan, good material, and I adore it. Will return to buy more soon
Recomend to buy it
The shirt outperforms my expectations. It feels and looks great. The time spent ensuring they got it right was time well spent.
I'm very happy with my purchase
Fantastic!! I'm very happy with my purchase; it's the perfect color, material, and size. Thank you so much, Scottish Plaid; I will order more.
This is my first order
This is my first purchase from Scottish Plaid, and they are offering me a 10% discount. I received the quilt today, and it is fantastic. I'm very pleased, and I just ordered two more for my sisters, and I'll be ordering more.


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New Year's Resolutions….everyone makes them, few of us stick to them. Because we are sometimes too tough on ourselves - promising on January 1st to make huge and sometimes difficult changes.
That's why this year, our motto is:
Forget 'New Year, New You', (you were already pretty fabulous in 2017), we're all about making small tweaks that deliver big results. Whether it is taking more time for yourself, nutrient-rich food to give you a boost, or finding a new track that makes you feel a million dollars - sometimes a little change can make a big difference.
All month, we'll be sharing tips and tricks from registered nutritionist and wellbeing expert Sarah Jackson on how you can feel even more amazing, you can watch Sarah's tips here.
But it's not just about feeling great physically, in 2018 we want to encourage everyone to invest in themselves and be more mindful 2018. Mindfulness is all about being more aware of the present moment, and acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, and body.
Now, we're not talking about going on a trip to Bali, staying in a monk temple and going silent for 3 days whilst you find yourself. Like we said, it's all about the small changes!
Here are a few things you can do to be more mindful and take some time out for you.
One of the easiest things you can do for mindfulness is listening to music. We've created a playlist that is perfect for anytime of day. So whether you're on your commute, sat in the office or just chilling at home, give it a listen to up your zen factor.
It's time to treat Yo' self! Run yourself a bath with extra bubbles, pour yourself a glass of wine and just relax.
Have some you-time. You deserve it.
Meditation is a great way for you to de-stress and focus on your body.
Not sure where to start? There are loads of apps and videos to help you get started.
Mindfulness is about being in the real-world and not being glued to the screen all the time.
So how about you put a phone ban when you are socialising with friends - you are there to see each other right?


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Arthur Pushes Portland Fourth of July Fireworks to Saturday
A dire forecast calling for heavy rain and thunder storms on Friday night forced Stars and Stripes Spectacular organizers to rescheduled the fireworks show and Portland Symphony Orchestra concert to Saturday, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The daily newspaper reported that event organizers were expected to announced at a Friday afternoon press conference that all of the events scheduled for Friday would take place at the same times on Saturday, including the 7:40 p.m. Portland Symphony Orchestra "Patriotic Pops" show. The fireworks will be launched at 9:20 p.m.
WHOM morning hosts Teddy McKay and Sandra Harris are also scheduled to do a live broadcast during the Portland Symphony Orchestra concert and the fireworks show.
Are you planning to see the fireworks in Portland on Saturday, July 5? Share your comments on our web site and on our Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #PortlandJuly4Fireworks.


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Washington, District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States founded on July 16, 1790. The U.S. Constitution allows for the creation of a special district to serve as the permanent national capital. The District is therefore not a part of any U.S. state and is instead directly overseen by the federal government. Within the District, a new capital city was founded in 1791 and named in honor of George Washington. The City of Washington, along with Georgetown and outlying areas within the federal district, were placed under a single, unified government following an act of Congress in 1871. It is for this reason that the city, while legally named the District of Columbia, is known as Washington, D.C.


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Burgundy & Provence with London For Wine Lovers - Northbound
Opportunities abound on this delightful river cruise vacation to learn about France and the French. Your adventure begins with an overnight on the French Riviera—the inimitable Côte d'Azur. Then, travel to Arles in the Provence region to board your ship and sail into the peaceful Camargue area during dinner (daylight permitting) before returning to Arles. Avignon, charming Viviers, medieval Tournon, Vienne, France's gastronomic capital of Lyon, St. Jean de Losne, and fascinating Beaune await you. Take the TGV train from Dijon to Paris for two overnights, guided sightseeing, and free time to explore the remarkable "City of Light" on your own. Then, trade your "Bonjours" for "Cheerios" as you are whisked away to London for three exciting nights.Your Monograms package includes hotel reservations, guided sightseeing, daily breakfasts, a destination guide to familiarize you with the city, and best of all—the services of a Monograms Local Host® to welcome you and lend a helping hand throughout your stay! This "friend in the city" can answer your questions, offer suggestions, and help make your vacation what you want it to be. In this exciting city, guided sightseeing will help you to see all the famous sights—Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and more. Enjoy VIP access to St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece and the wedding site for Lady Diana and Prince Charles. You'll have plenty of free time to perhaps visit Madame Tussauds celebrity wax figure museum, join a London pub dining experience, or enjoy an illumination cruise on the Thames. Day trips are available out of the city to mysterious Stonehenge, the pretty Cotswolds, or Windsor Castle to visit the State Apartments. Monograms offers over 40 exciting activities and excursions, so there's plenty to choose from to make your vacation perfect for you!For specific details on this special interest river cruise, please view the day-by-day itinerary.
City Highlights
Day 1 Côte d'Azur: welcome to FranceDay 2 Côte d'Azur–Transfer to Arles (Embarkation): onboard welcome reception; sail into the Camargue region (daylight permitting)Day 3 Arles: guided sightseeing, visit the Roman AmphitheaterDay 4 Avignon: guided sightseeing, visit Palace of the Popes and a winery in Châteauneuf du PapeDay 5 Cruising–Viviers: onboard chocolate and wine tasting; guided walk, visit the Old Town and the cathedralDay 6 Tournon/Tain l'Hermitage–Vienne: guided walk in Tournon; guided walk in VienneDay 7 Lyon: guided sightseeing; picture stop on Fourvière Hill; excursion to Beaujolais; onboard food and wine pairing dinnerDay 8 Cruising–St. Jean de Losne: day at leisure; onboard cheese and wine tastingDay 9 St. Jean de Losne (Disembarkation)–Beaune–Dijon–Paris: visit the Hôtel-Dieu or wine tasting in Beaune; TGV train from Dijon to ParisDay 10 Paris: choice of guided sightseeing or "Heart of Paris" walk, visit Notre Dame CathedralDay 11 Paris–London: travel to London by HIGH-SPEED EUROSTAR TRAIN (Standard class)London: 3 nights hotel accommodation with buffet breakfast; Monograms Local Host Service & Destination Guide with city map; guided sightseeing, inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE; high-speed Eurostar train from Paris to London (standard class*) with porterage for one suitcase; transfers to/from train stations.
In the event of water level problems or any problems of a technical nature, it may be necessary to operate the itinerary by motorcoach or to alter the program.Included visits and special features are subject to change. If a change becomes necessary, a substitute will be offered.In the event that a high-speed train is unavailable due to strikes or technical reasons, the route will be operated by motorcoach.


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Your Next Supply Chain
New forces and dynamics are emerging to influence the supply chain designs of the future. And even the old forces are influencing it in new ways. Interviews with David Simchi-Levi and Charles H. Fine — two of the field's premier thinkers — suggest how to capitalize on what's coming.
From the Editor
Looking backward, the trends that dominated supply chain management are easy to spot. As leading supply chain thinker David Simchi-Levi describes, the 1980s were all about the demands of just-in-time. In the '90s, it was outsourcing. In the '00s, it's been the emergence of the Internet — which especially shaped procurement practices.
The Leading Question
What does the future of supply chain design look like?
- There are six main forces that will influence supply chain design: globalization; rising logistics; rising risk; labor cost increases in the developing world; sustainability; and growing volatility.
- One of the main design choices is between win-win (integral) and zero-sum (modular) architectures. An industry's level of maturity is a key driver of the choice.
But the coming decade? Not so easy to see.
Some long-present factors, such as the sweep of globalization, will have new effects. Other factors, such as rising levels of risk, will throw greater weight — and have broader impact — than they did before. And the whole question of supply chain design will be more central to overall organizational competitiveness than it has been. As longtime visionary Charles H. Fine argues, supply chain questions become value chain questions; the whole dynamic ecosystem of a company's suppliers, customers and stakeholders, not to mention the ecology of the industry it competes in, now must drive choices in supply chain design. Some of the choices look simple but aren't. (Do I minimize costs, or maximize resilience?) Some of them look obvious but are subtle. (Do I create a game that's win-win, or zero-sum?)
In the conversations on the following pages — and, in greater depth, on MIT Sloan Management Review's Web site, sloanreview.mit.edu — Simchi-Levi and Fine, two of the world's premier strategists on the subject, explore those questions and others. Their insights begin to provide a context for how the smartest executives will need to address his or her company's own unique supply chain design challenges.
Those challenges in general have been under the scrutiny of Simchi-Levi and Fine, both leaders of the MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation, for a long time. Simchi-Levi, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and engineering systems at MIT, is also an entrepreneur and executive.


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Being poor in spirit is, essentially, recognizing one's dependence on God and turning to Him in true humility - knowing that He provides not what we deserve but what He desires to give as a reward for our effort. "Perfection" is defined as being "complete, whole, fully developed". Therefore, being "imperfect" means being "incomplete, part, partially developed" - being, to some degree, an unfinished, "natural (wo)man". This leads to an interesting meaning of repentance that is radically different than what was taught in ancient Israel (the Law of Moses perspective), with its emphasis on works.
The "classic" definition of repentance can be summarized in the following way: "feel sorry for your mistakes and stop making them". It is, in a very real way, a process of surgery - attempting to cut out and discard the "bad" from within us, so that we will stop making mistakes. This can be incredibly destructive for three reasons: first, it can confuse "sin" (things we choose to do, knowing we should not) with "transgression" (mistakes or violations of a law that are not intentional actions) - which means that people can spend enormous time and energy beating themselves up about and trying to rid themselves of weaknesses that often are beyond their control without outside help - things that have been paid for already by the Atonement; second, it assumes that we are competent surgeons (which deserves an entire thread all by itself); and third, it takes one's focus away from the powerful nature of true repentance (the changing of one's mind and view which changes one's very nature) - a process that is outlined clearly in the life and words of Jesus.
I need to step back at this point and emphasize a critical point: Repentance IS a process of change that involves ridding ourselves of those tendencies that keep us from being Christ-like. It DOES include gaining control over those things that cause our transgressions. However, it does NOT need to be a guilt-inducing, depression-causing, overwhelming chore. That happens when repentance is viewed as the companion to the type of perfection that I described previously - when repentance comes to mean eliminating mistakes and walking completely in lock-step with a detailed list of do's and dont's without ever stumbling. Let me emphasize again that "repentance" means changing one's VIEW about God, oneself and the world. It means SEEING the process differently - I would argue in the empowering way taught by Jesus Himself in the Sermon on the Mount.
To illustrate what I mean, consider again that the admonition in Matthew 5:48 to be perfect means to be whole, complete and fully developed, but also consider that it comes at the end of a chapter that lists specific attributes and actions - and the admonition itself begins with the word "therefore". What does this mean? It means "because of what has come before" - or "through what has come before". In that light, Matthew 5:48 says:
"Be ye (through what I have said so far) complete, whole, fully developed, even as your Father which is in heaven is complete, whole, fully developed."
This changes the entire meaning of repentance - since it says that reconciling to God is a process of acquiring the characteristics listed by Jesus as leading to perfection - adding them to your character - NOT cutting out pieces of yourself and assuming the holes will be filled somehow. It means repentance is the process of closing the gap between what we are naturally (incomplete, part, partially developed) and what He has commanded us to become (complete, whole, fully developed). It is a process of addition (becoming more) - not subtraction (becoming less). It is a process of acquisition, not elimination.
Think of a bucket full of liquid that is, to some degree, impure. The goal is to make the liquid in the bucket pure. You could attempt to do so by identifying the impurities and trying to remove them with just the use of your hands while not removing the pure liquid - or you could allow an expert chemist to add pure liquid to your bucket that would isolate the impurities and force them to spill from the bucket - replaced by the liquid that was added. Each is an effort to change the composition within the bucket, but the first is destined to produce frustration and heartache, while the other heals and fills and never depletes.
[FireTag made a comment (12/3/11) that I really like, and I am inserting it here to add clarity and meaning to the post:
"The analogy of the chemist struck me as a little odd. Adding liquid would DILUTE the impurity, not remove it. Would this be like those who try to do more and more good works to cover up the impurity within, yet never deal with the faults at all?
A chemist would use some process that did separate the purity from the impurity. So is seeing ourselves differently an inherently impurity separating process?"]
To make this practical:
If you struggle with a temper that manifests itself through yelling at your kids, you can try to "overcome" this tendency in one of two ways. You can take the classic approach and exert tremendous effort to recognize when you are about to lose it and, in that moment, exert even more effort to control that tendency by suppressing it - assuming that if you suppress it often enough you will gain total control over it. The problem is that the temper has not been eliminated; it simply has been suppressed, which means it still is there. When that effort to suppress fails and the temper flares again, you feel like a failure, since your effort couldn't stop the outburst.
On the other hand, with a different VIEW, you can look more deeply than just at the manifestation (your temper) and focus on the cure (becoming poor in spirit) in ALL aspects of your life. You can focus on the character trait that Jesus has identified as part of becoming perfect (in this case, poor in spirit) and allow Him to help you rid yourself of the underlying cause of the action. You repent by giving Him your burden (a temper) and agreeing to carry his yoke instead (walking humbly with Him). You repent by giving Him your heart and letting Him change your actions. You repent by forgetting about what you want to do and accepting what He wants you to do. You repent by ceasing to try to lessen who you are (eliminate part of yourself) and allowing Him to increase who you are (adding perfecting characteristics). In short, you repent by "losing (your view of) yourself" and "finding (His view of) yourself".
This changing of your view probably will not be immediate, but it is worth any effort. For myself, I have chosen to tackle this process in a very simple but systematic way (described here), but each person needs to take the first steps in whatever way makes sense individually.