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Used 2009 Honda Pilot Review
Edmunds expert review
The 2009 Honda Pilot looks tougher than its predecessor and offers more room for third-row passengers, but the stereo and climate controls are less than intuitive, and some interior plastics feel cheap.
What's new for 2009
Vehicle overview
The first-generation Honda Pilot was a trendsetter, spearheading the initial wave of carlike SUVs that gave rise to the crossover SUV craze. The redesigned 2009 Honda Pilot seems designed to set a trend as well -- namely, a trend toward angular, Jeep-like styling in the midsize crossover SUV segment. We're not sure whether it will catch on, but no one will call the Pilot's new look generic. The real question, though, is whether the virtues of the first-generation Pilot -- one of our favorite midsize crossover SUVs -- have been retained.
The answer is yes and no. On the bright side, Honda has made a point of enlarging third-row accommodations so that actual adults can fit back there, in part by adding an extra inch of width and 3 inches of length. Traditional Pilot traits like a well-cushioned ride, a smooth powertrain and optional four-wheel drive are also present and accounted for. However, the 3.5-liter V6, which receives only mild revisions for second-generation duty, feels sluggish compared to other V6s in this segment. Despite this lack of power, fuel economy is about equal to more muscular competitors. More distressing, though, were the long stopping distances we observed at our test track -- this alone makes it difficult to recommend the Pilot.
Another departure from the past that's not entirely welcome is the 2009 Pilot's befuddling array of buttons for operating the audio and climate control systems, as opposed to the no-brainer layout in last year's model. But those attracted to the new Pilot's distinctive styling may be willing to forgive such idiosyncrasies. Maximum cargo volume remains essentially the same at 87 cubic feet, which should satisfy all but the most haul-happy families. Fuel economy, while still nothing to write home about, has improved a smidge.
Competition is stiff in the midsize crossover SUV segment. GM offers the impressive Buick Enclave/Chevrolet Traverse/GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook quadruplets, while the Ford Flex, Hyundai Veracruz, Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander are equally viable contenders. If we had our way, Honda would have done a little more to distinguish the 2009 Pilot from both the competition and its likable but aged predecessor. It's certainly still worthy of consideration, but unless you're smitten with the new Pilot's tough-guy styling, we'd recommend giving other midsize crossover SUVs a thorough look as well.
Trim levels & features
The 2009 Honda Pilot is a midsize crossover SUV offered in four trim levels: LX, EX, EX-L and Touring. Each is offered in front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The LX comes standard with 17-inch steel wheels, an integrated trailer hitch, power side mirrors, keyless entry, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, full power accessories, cruise control, 60/40-split second- and third-row seats and a seven-speaker CD/MP3 audio system with an auxiliary input jack. The EX adds foglights, 17-inch alloy wheels, a power driver seat, an in-dash six-CD changer, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, tri-zone automatic climate control and satellite radio. The EX-L upgrades to leather upholstery, heated front seats, a sunroof and a rearview mirror-mounted back-up camera. The high-end Touring model includes a 10-speaker audio system, a navigation system with voice recognition and an integrated back-up camera, Bluetooth, a power liftgate and a USB audio interface.
There are no available options on LX or EX models. Optional on the EX-L is a DVD rear entertainment system that's packaged with a 10-speaker audio system. The DVD system is the only option on Touring models, which come standard with the 10-speaker stereo.
Performance & mpg
The 2009 Honda Pilot is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that generates 250 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque -- increases of 6 hp and 13 lb-ft over last year's model. A five-speed automatic is the only available transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all Pilot models are available with an all-wheel-drive system that automatically apportions power to the rear wheels -- up to 70 percent -- when front slippage occurs. This system also has a driver-selectable "lock" feature that routes the maximum 70 percent of torque to the rear wheels at speeds below 19 mph.
Having gained a few horsepower as well as a few pounds, the 2009 Pilot was projected to be about as fleet-footed as its forebear. Imagine our surprise, then, when our test vehicle loped from zero to 60 mph in a leisurely 9.7 seconds -- that's roughly a half-second slower than the previous-generation model despite similar gear ratios. At least fuel economy has increased slightly thanks to Honda's Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system, which shuts down half of the V6's cylinders when they're not needed. According to the EPA, 2WD models should achieve 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined, while AWD models come in at 16/22/18.
Standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. In government crash tests, the Pilot performed flawlessly, scoring a perfect five stars in frontal and side-impact testing.
With an even 8 inches of ground clearance -- up 0.2 inch from the previous model -- the 2009 Pilot should make quick work of light-duty off-road tasks when equipped with all-wheel drive. But most Pilot owners are about as likely to leave the pavement as the Pilot is to receive an official "trail rating." Around town, the 3.5-liter V6's relative lack of low-end torque makes it feel rather flat-footed off the line. Passing power isn't much better, as Honda's VTEC technology uncharacteristically fails to bring the V6 to life at higher rpm. And although the feel of the brake pedal instills confidence, the Pilot turned in an unacceptable braking performance at our test track, requiring almost 150 feet to stop from 60 mph. That's nearly 20 feet longer than some competing crossovers.
Dynamically, the 2009 Honda Pilot feels every bit as big as it looks. There's bountiful body roll, and brake dive is significant even at low speeds. The reasonably precise steering is extraordinarily slow but nicely weighted, and the soft suspension affords a comfortable ride over rough roads and on the highway. The latter traits should endear the Pilot to family-minded buyers.
The 2009 Honda Pilot's interior layout is attractive in the same rugged way as the exterior, but it drew split opinions among our staff in regards to whether it maintains Honda's traditional combination of intuitive controls and high-quality materials. The center stack is littered with small buttons that are difficult to decipher at a glance, but some found they become intuitive with repeated use. The main information screen/navigation system's central control knob and related buttons are located at knee level, requiring a potentially unsafe downward glance, but some liked that they fell right at hand level and could be operated by feel. The new Pilot's dash consists of roughly textured hard plastic: Some of our editors appreciated the low-sheen rugged look, while others thought they looked cheap and preferred the richer-feeling materials found in competitors such as the Hyundai Veracruz. Gauges are clear and pretty nifty-looking to boot, while the navigation system is one of the best in the business once you've got it up and running. The sound quality of the uplevel 10-speaker stereo is also top-notch.
The ace up the 2009 Pilot's sleeve in this category is its appreciably roomier third-row seat. There are 1.8 extra inches of legroom back there relative to the previous Pilot, and Honda claims that a "95th-percentile adult male" can now ride in the third row without issue. We're not sure how happy that guy's going to be about it, but it's true that the new Pilot's third row isn't the penalty box it used to be. Both the second and third rows are plagued by low cushions, though, which means that even moderately long-legged passengers will be forced to adopt a knees-in-the-air riding style. Overall, rival crossovers like the Flex and GM's Acadia/Enclave/Outlook/Traverse foursome offer superior third-row accommodations.
Edmunds expert review process
This review was written by a member of Edmunds' editorial team of expert car reviewers. Our team drives every car you can buy. We put the vehicles through rigorous testing, evaluating how they drive and comparing them in detail to their competitors.
We're also regular people like you, so we pay attention to all the different ways people use their cars every day. We want to know if there's enough room for our families and our weekend gear and whether or not our favorite drink fits in the cupholder. Our editors want to help you make the best decision on a car that fits your life.
related vehicle information
2009 Honda Pilot Information
- 2009 Honda Pilot Build and Price TMV®
- 2009 Honda Pilot Incentives & Rebates
- 2009 Honda Pilot Consumer Discussions
- 2009 Honda Pilot Consumer Reviews
- 2009 Honda Pilot Features & Specs
- 2009 Honda Pilot Pictures
- 2009 Honda Pilot Review
- 2009 Honda Pilot Dealer Price Quotes
- 2009 Honda Pilot Used For Sale Near Me
- 2009 Honda Pilot Ownership Costs


text: Clyde's work is representational, expressing warm heartfelt events in Clyde's life and others around me. Botanical, ancient historical monuments, foreign landscapes, seascapes. "I attempt to visually tell a story of life's journey from early age to present." Working in water color, acrylic paint with a tight illustrative hand and occasionally using pen and ink. Clyde's work is an expression of life's adventure, and sometimes the torture we as humans must endure. He is fond of saying "my work is warm and fuzzy" however just living is not always that. Clyde's process of creation is influenced by past and current events in this world, not always delightful, also including the dark events of our lives. Is that not being human? Always working forward to perfection as our Father in heaven commands?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NAMM 2009: Orange Dual Terror Head
Seems a bit of a secret so far but here it is…
The Dual Terror OS-DT30-H from Orange Amps is a 30/15/7 watt Class A Dual Channel Amplifier Head with a 3 stage gain section and includes a padded gigbag.
That's all we know so far……Keep checking back for updates on this. It apprently has a 'fat' channel for all those who like it thick & dirty.


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How HTML5 Web Sockets Interact With Proxy Servers
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With the recent explosion of WebSocket server implementations, a lot of questions have come up about how HTML5 Web Sockets deal with proxy servers, firewalls, and load-balancing routers. Will proxy servers automatically kill WebSocket connections? Do HTML5 Web Sockets handle firewalls and proxy server issues better than Comet? Are Web Sockets the silver bullet in seamless proxy server traversal? In this article, I'll explain how HTML5 Web Sockets interact with proxy servers, load balancing routers, and firewalls. Additionally, I'll explain how Kaazing WebSocket Gateway and its Web Socket emulation can add additional value.
About HTML5 Web Sockets and Proxy Servers
Let's start with some basic concepts: what exactly are HTML5 Web Sockets and proxy servers?
HTML5 Web Sockets
The HTML5 Web Sockets specification defines the Web Sockets API that enables web pages to use the Web Socket protocol for full-duplex communication with a remote host. It introduces the WebSocket interface and defines a full-duplex communication channel that operates through a single socket over the Web. HTML5 Web Sockets effectively provide a socket connection over the Web with minimal overhead. This delivers an enormous reduction in unnecessary network traffic and latency compared to legacy polling and long-polling (Comet) solutions that are often used to push real-time data to clients or even simulate a full-duplex connection by maintaining two HTTP connections.
To use HTML5 Web Sockets to connect from a Web client to a remote end-point, you create a new WebSocket instance and provide it with the URL that represents the end-point to which you want to connect. The specification defines a
ws:// and a
wss:// scheme to indicate WebSocket and WebSocket Secure connections, respectively. A WebSocket connection is established by upgrading from the HTTP protocol to the Web Socket protocol during the initial handshake between the client and the server, over the same underlying TCP/IP connection.
Proxy Servers
A proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary between a client and another server (for example, a web server on the Internet). Proxy servers are commonly used for content caching, Internet connectivity, security, and enterprise content filtering. Typically, a proxy server is set up between a private network and the Internet. Proxy servers can monitor traffic and close a connection if it has been is open for too long. The problem with proxy servers for web applications that have a long-lived connection (for example, Comet HTTP streaming or HTML5 Web Sockets) is clear: HTTP proxy servers — which were originally designed for document transfer — may choose to close streaming or idle WebSocket connections, because they appear to be trying to connect with an unresponsive HTTP server. This behavior is a problem with long-lived connections such as Web Sockets. Additionally, proxy servers may also buffer unencrypted HTTP responses, thereby introducing unpredictable latency during HTTP response streaming.
HTML5 Web Sockets and Proxy Servers
Let's take a look at how HTML5 Web Sockets work with proxy servers. WebSocket connections use standard HTTP ports (80 and 443), which has prompted many to call it a "proxy server and firewall-friendly protocol." Therefore, HTML5 Web Sockets do not require new hardware to be installed, or new ports to be opened on corporate networks--two things that would stop the adoption of any new protocol dead in its tracks. Without any intermediary servers (proxy or reverse proxy servers, firewalls, load-balancing routers and so on) between the browser and the WebSocket server, a WebSocket connection can be established smoothly, as long as both the server and the client understand the Web Socket protocol. However, in real environments, lots of network traffic is routed through intermediary servers.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Figure 1 shows a simplified network topology in which clients use a browser to access back-end TCP-based services using a full-duplex HTML5 WebSocket connection. Some clients are located inside a corporate network, protected by a corporate firewall and configured to access the Internet through explicit, or known, proxy servers, which may provide content caching and security; while other clients access the WebSocket server directly over the Internet. In both cases, the client requests may be routed through transparent, or unknown, proxy servers (for example, a proxy server in a data center or a reverse proxy server in front of the remote server). It is even possible for proxy servers to have their own explicit proxy servers, increasing the number of hops the WebSocket traffic has to make.
Figure 1—Web Sockets architecture with explicit and transparent proxy servers
Unlike regular HTTP traffic, which uses a request/response protocol, WebSocket connections can remain open for a long time. Proxy servers may allow this and handle it gracefully, but they can also throw a monkey wrench in the works.
The WebSocket Upgrade
HTML5 Web Sockets use the HTTP Upgrade mechanism to upgrade to the Web Socket protocol. HTML5 Web Sockets feature an HTTP-compatible handshake so that HTTP servers can share their default HTTP and HTTPS ports (80 and 443) with a WebSocket server. To establish a WebSocket connection, the client and server upgrade from the HTTP protocol to the Web Socket protocol during an initial handshake, as shown in Example 1. Once established, WebSocket data frames can be sent back and forth between the client and the server in full-duplex mode.
Example 1—WebSocket upgrade handshake
Client to server:
GET /demo HTTP/1.1 Upgrade: WebSocket Connection: Upgrade Host: example.com Origin: http://example.com WebSocket-Protocol: sample
Server to client:
HTTP/1.1 101 Web Socket Protocol Handshake Upgrade: WebSocket Connection: Upgrade WebSocket-Origin: http://example.com WebSocket-Location: ws://example.com/demo WebSocket-Protocol: sample
Unencrypted WebSocket Connections
The Web Socket protocol itself is unaware of proxy servers and firewalls; it just defines WebSocket upgrade handshake and the format for the WebSocket data frames. Let's take a look at unencrypted WebSocket traffic in two proxy server scenarios (explicit and transparent).
Unencrypted WebSocket Connections and Explicit Proxy Servers
If a browser is configured to use an explicit proxy server then it will first issue the
HTTP CONNECT method to that proxy server while establishing the WebSocket connection. For example, to connect to the server
example.com using the
ws:// scheme (typically over port 80), the browser client sends the
HTTP CONNECT method shown in Example 2 to the proxy server.
Example 2—HTTP CONNECT method using port 80
CONNECT example.com:80 HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com
When the explicit proxy server allows the
CONNECT method, the WebSocket connection upgrade handshake can be made and when that handshake succeeds, WebSocket traffic can start flowing unimpeded through the proxy server.
Unencrypted WebSocket Connections and Transparent Proxy Servers
In case the unencrypted WebSocket traffic flows through a transparent proxy on its way to the WebSocket server, the connection is likely to fail in practice, since the browser does not issue the
CONNECT method in this case. When a proxy server forwards a request to the (WebSocket) server, it is expected to strip off certain headers, including the Connection header. Therefore, a well-behaved transparent proxy server will cause the WebSocket upgrade handshake to fail almost immediately.
Not all proxy servers conform to the HTTP standard regarding expected proxy behavior. For example, some proxy servers are configured not to remove the
Connection: Upgrade header and pass it on to the WebSocket server, which in turn sends the
101 Web Socket Protocol Handshake response. Problems then arise when the client or the server starts sending the first WebSocket frame. Since the frame does not resemble anything the proxy server might expect (such as regular HTTP traffic), some exception will likely occur, unless the proxy server is specifically configured to handle WebSocket traffic.
Hop-by-Hop Upgrade
During the WebSocket handshake, the
Connection: Upgrade header is sent to the WebSocket server. If the proxy server has to participate in the Upgrade mechanism, additional proxy server configuration would be required, because a hop-by-hop transport is used; the Upgrade sent from the proxy server to the browser is only good for that one hop, and the proxy server must send its own Upgrade header to handle the next hop from the proxy server to the WebSocket server (or to yet another intermediary server). In addition the proxy server must stop processing the request as HTTP.
Today, most transparent proxy servers will not yet be familiar with the Web Socket protocol and these proxy servers will be unable to support the Web Socket protocol. In the future, however, proxy servers will likely become Web Sockets-aware and able to properly handle and forward WebSocket traffic.
Encrypted WebSocket Connections
Now, let's take a look at encrypted WebSocket traffic in two proxy server scenarios (explicit and transparent).
Encrypted WebSocket Connections and Explicit Proxy Servers
If a browser is configured to use an explicit proxy server then it will first issue an HTTP
CONNECT method to that proxy server while establishing the WebSocket connection. For example, to connect to the server
example.com using the
wss:// scheme (typically over port 443), the browser client sends the HTTP
CONNECT method shown in Example 3 to the proxy server.
Example 3—HTTP CONNECT method using port 443
CONNECT example.com:443 HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com
When the explicit proxy server allows the
CONNECT method, the TLS handshake is sent, followed by the WebSocket connection upgrade handshake. After those handshakes succeed, WebSocket traffic can start flowing unimpeded through the proxy server. HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) work the same way; the use of encryption typically triggers the HTTP
CONNECT method.
Encrypted WebSocket Connections and Transparent Proxy Servers
In the case of transparent proxy servers, the browser is unaware of the proxy server, so no HTTP
CONNECT method is sent. However, since the wire traffic is encrypted, intermediate transparent proxy servers may simply allow the encrypted traffic through, so there is a much better chance that the WebSocket connection will succeed if Web Sockets Secure is used. Therefore, it is always best to use Web Sockets Secure with TLS encryption to connect to a WebSocket server, unless you're absolutely certain there are no intermediaries. While this has the added benefit of being more secure, TLS encryption does increase CPU consumption on both the client and the server, although this is usually not a dramatic increase and with hardware SSL/TLS acceleration, it can be reduced to near-zero.
Let's recap. Figure 2 shows the decisions that are made during the setup of a WebSocket connection between the browser and the WebSocket server. The figure shows the different connections scenarios in both the WebSocket (
ws://) and WebSocket Secure (
wss://) cases with explicit and transparent proxy servers.
Figure 2—Proxy server traversal decision tree
Figure 2 shows how using unencrypted WebSocket connections are more likely to fail in all but the simplest network topologies. It all comes down to understanding the end-to-end network topology you are deploying your WebSocket application in. Some HTTP proxy servers may restrict ports or allow access only to specific, authorized servers. A WebSocket server that is used in such a scenario must be added to the white list of servers for connections to be successful. Typically, the decision about which protocol (
ws:// or
wss://) to use to connect with has to be made up front by the client developer and is also based on the privacy characteristics of the WebSocket wire traffic. In the future, WebSocket gateways and servers may even be able to dynamically upgrade to Web Sockets Secure if an uncooperative proxy server is detected.
Kaazing WebSocket Gateway and Proxy Servers
For example: If Kaazing WebSocket Gateway detects the presence of the Flash plugin, client libraries can take advantage of the single (Flash) TCP socket connection and if a direct connection is not possible (for example, if communication must flow through a firewall or an HTTP proxy server), then client libraries can still take advantage of the Flash runtime, minimizing the client's memory profile.
If intermediate proxy servers lie between Kaazing WebSocket Gateway and a client, then a highly optimized encrypted streaming connection is used and the proxy-server-aware gateway automatically redirects the HTTP request so that it uses an encrypted HTTP (HTTPS) connection to make the proxy server agnostic to the streaming nature of the downstream HTTP traffic. In a production environment it would be anticipated that HTTPS streaming can be used as a worst-case scenario to fall back to. However, for this to work the Gateway has to be configured with a suitable certificate for TLS encryption. Without that (this should be considered a configuration error), Kaazing will fall back to an advanced non-streaming implementation.
Kaazing's Web Socket emulation is highly optimized and will easily outperform most legacy Comet solutions, because it can guarantee minimal latency by falling back to HTTPS streaming, thanks to Kaazing's underlying support for cross-origin HTTP and HTTPS requests. Note that the different fall-back scenarios are only used in emulated mode. One major benefit of using Kaazing WebSocket Gateway and its Web Socket emulation is that you can code applications against the HTML5 Web Sockets standard, today, and these applications will work in all browsers.
Load-Balancing Routers and Firewalls
This section describes how HTML5 Web Sockets work with load-balancing routers and firewalls. Additionally, it explains how Kaazing WebSocket Gateway can add additional value.
HTML5 Web Sockets and Load-Balancing Routers
For this discussion, let's distinguish between two different kinds of load-balancing routers:
Ø TCP (Layer-4) load-balancing routers should work well with HTML5 Web Sockets, because they have the same connection profile: connect once up front and stay connected, rather than the HTTP document transfer request-response profile.
Ø HTTP (Layer-7) load-balancing routers expect HTTP traffic and can easily get confused by WebSocket upgrade traffic. For that reason, Layer 7 load balancing routers may need to be configured to be explicitly aware of WebSocket traffic.
HTML5 Web Sockets and Firewalls
Since firewalls normally just enforce the rules for inbound traffic rejection and outbound traffic routing (for example, through the proxy server), there are usually no specific WebSocket traffic-related firewall concerns.
Kaazing Websocket Gateway and Load-Balancing Routers
Layer-7 load-balancing routers may be confused by WebSocket protocol upgrade requests when they are placed in the critical path between a browser and multiple WebSocket servers. For this reason, services running on Kaazing WebSocket Gateway support peer load balancer awareness, which allows the load-balancing router to be configured as a peer next to WebSocket servers. This way, the load-balancing router handles only the initial client requests and discovers the best active gateway instance to route traffic to.
Once the load-balancing router has chosen a gateway instance, the gateway instance can then redirect the browser to connect directly to that active gateway instance. This means that the load-balancing router stays out of the way of the actual WebSocket traffic, thus reducing latency. In case of a hardware failure or network error, however, the clients will auto-reconnect to the load-balancing router, which automatically forwards those requests to another active Kaazing Gateway instance.
Comet and Proxy Servers
Finally, let's take a look at how Comet deals with proxy servers. Since there is no Comet standard as such, let's distinguish between two types of Comet implementations: long-polling and streaming.
Ø Long-polling, provided it is implemented in a robust way, will not suffer from too many proxy server issues, because it is still just using the HTTP request and response model. However, each request and response carries with it lots of unnecessary HTTP header overhead and latency. This is where HTML5 Web Sockets really shine — it can provide up to a 1000:1 reduction in unnecessary network traffic and reduce latency.
See also: our orange paper Web Sockets — a Quantum Leap in Scalability for the Web provides a detailed analysis of the dramatic reduction in unnecessary network traffic that HTML5 Web Sockets provide over legacy Comet solutions.
Ø Streaming is often a lot more efficient than long-polling, because it keeps the response open on the server and sends only the essential data to the client over the open connection. However, this approach suffers from the aforementioned proxy server issues. For example, a proxy server may be buffering the response and cause latency. Alternatively, the proxy server may be configured to disconnect HTTP connections that are kept open for a certain amount of time. This is why most legacy Comet solutions simply use long-polling.
While the HTML5 Web Socket protocol itself is unaware of proxy servers and firewalls, it features an HTTP-compatible handshake so that HTTP servers can share their default HTTP and HTTPS ports (80 and 443) with a WebSocket server. Some proxy servers are harmless and work fine with Web Sockets; others will prevent Web Sockets from working correctly, causing the connection to fail. In some cases additional proxy server configuration may be required, and certain proxy servers may need to be upgraded to support Web Sockets.
If a browser is configured to use an explicit proxy server (for both encrypted and unencrypted WebSocket connections) then it will first issue an HTTP
CONNECT method to that proxy server while establishing the WebSocket connection.
If an unencrypted WebSocket connection (
ws://) is used, then in the case of transparent proxy servers, the browser is unaware of the proxy server, so no HTTP
CONNECT is sent. As a result, the connection is almost likely to fail in practice today.
If an encrypted WebSocket Secure connection (
wss://) is used, then in the case of transparent proxy servers, the browser is unaware of the proxy server, so no HTTP
CONNECT is sent. However, since the wire traffic is encrypted, intermediate transparent proxy servers may simply allow the encrypted traffic through, so there is a much better chance that the WebSocket connection will succeed if an encrypted WebSocket connection is used.
Kaazing WebSocket Gateway is a highly optimized, proxy-aware WebSocket gateway, which provides native WebSocket support as well as Web Socket emulation for older browsers. If intermediate proxy servers are detected, then a highly optimized encrypted streaming connection is used for the downstream HTTP traffic. This is made possible by Kaazing's underlying support for cross-origin HTTP and HTTPS requests. In the field, we have been able to establish a WebSocket connection — either native or emulated — to the Kaazing WebSocket Gateway 100% of the time.
About the Author
Peter Lubbers is the Director of Documentation and Training at Kaazing where he oversees all aspects of documentation and training. Peter is the co-author of the Apress book Pro HTML5 Programming and teaches HTML5 training courses. An HTML5 and WebSocket enthusiast, Peter frequently speaks at international events.
Prior to joining Kaazing, Peter worked as an information architect at Oracle, where he wrote many books, such as the award-winning Oracle Application Server Portal Configuration Guide and the Oracle Application Server Developer's Guide for Microsoft Office. Peter also develops documentation automation solutions and two of his inventions are patented.
Before joining Oracle, Peter architected and developed the internationalized Microsoft Office User Specialist Testing Framework. Peter was also a technical reviewer for the book "Pro JSF and Ajax: Building Rich Internet Components" (Apress, 2006).
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Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Martin Tyler
With your 'Failure/Success?' paths in the decision tree have you managed to do much real world testing to know the outcome or is it based on theory?
One thing I don't understand is your stance on Comet. You seem to want to distance Kaazing from Comet, despite the fact that your WebSocket emulation is surely Comet. More than this though, WebSocket itself is also Comet since Comet is just a paradigm, not a any specific transport mechanism.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Mihai Rotaru
I don't try to defend Comet as I think it is not a very well established term. But trying to present WebSocket as something different from Comet is not totally correct.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Peter Lubbers
Thanks for the kind words. The Success/Fail paths are based on quite a bit of testing and deployment in the real world. The bottom line is that it is best to use WebSocket Secure and, surprisingly, the encryption does not add all that much extra overhead. We have actually seen things speed up in some scenarios.
I don't agree with you (and Mihai) when you say that WebSocket is the same as Comet. Here is how I see it:
Comet is a programming model that allows a web server to push data to a browser. This is often achieved through a long-held HTTP request, but there really is no standard or specification for Comet; it is just an umbrella term for all the different ways that can be used to achieve this.
WebSocket, on the other hand, is a well-defined API and protocol that allows for full-duplex, bidirectional communication (not just server push).
Finally, to your point about the WebSocket emulation, you're right, when WebSocket is not natively available, the Kaazing WebSocket Gateway emulates WebSocket using what is available in the browser and often it will use a highly optimized encrypted streaming connection for traffic from the server to the client, especially if it detects proxy servers. This is still better than other Comet solutions though, because those simply use (or fall back to) long-polling. Using this has the additional benefit that developers can start coding against the HTML5 WebSocket API today and their code will work in all browsers.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Mihai Rotaru
It looks like only Google Chrome supports WebSocket API. Given this reality, any WebSocket server – including Kaazing WebSocket Gateway – necessarily emulates its API using different ad-hoc techniques for the major browsers. These techniques are generally called Comet as you also state.
Concerning the encrypted streaming you mention for pushing data via proxies and firewalls. Our Comet solution Migratory Push Server also supports encrypted streaming. You can see a live demo at www.migratory.ro
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Peter Lubbers
I'd like to point out that most WebSocket servers don't try to provide emulation at all, so to access those, you would (today) need Chrome. (Safari, Firefox, and Opera will follow soon).
Apart from emulation, which needs to use whatever is available, there is a definite difference between (native) WebSocket and Comet: Comet is a unidirectional, half-duplex push solution (actually standardized with HTML5 Server-Sent Events and the EventSource API) whereas WebSocket is a bidirectional full-duplex solution.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Sidda Eraiah
HTML5 Websockets == a W3C specification (dev.w3.org/html5/websockets/), protocol specification worked on by IETF(tools.ietf.org/html/draft-hixie-thewebsocketpro...)
Comet has been a good learning experience leading up to the need for HTML5 Websockets, but it is on its death bed now. Thanks to Google, W3C and IETF we are now moving towards a sensible and a scalable solution to achieve pushing data from server to webclients in real-time.
On one side you have Google pushing for open standards and with its kick-ass browser implementing the same (other browser vendors don't have a choice but to follow, or should I say catchup). On the other side you have a practical solution with comet, stitched together with bandages.
What would you bet your money on? What would your customers bet their money on?
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Mihai Rotaru
I hope that your optimistic prediction – that all the browsers will follow Google Chrome to support WebSocket API – will come true. I also hope that all the browsers already installed will be replaced with browsers supporting WebSocket API.
But what customer will deploy a real-time web technology that supports IE6, IE7, IE8, Firefox, Opera (including mobile version), and Safari (including iPhone) through a bunch of hacks == Comet? Do you consider Kaazing's support for these browsers an unreliable bunch of hacks?
We at Migratory Data Systems consider that Comet is an established and proven technology deployed in large production systems. For our technology Migratory Push Server we implemented guaranteed end-to-end message delivery that is rock-solid.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Sidda Eraiah
Kaazing provides an easy path for customers to move from Comet programming to standards based HTML5 WebSocket programming. To provide maximum return on customers' investments in new applications based on HTML5 WebSocket API - Kaazing emulates HTML5 WebSocket API for older browsers so customers don't have to program against a different Comet like API separately. Kaazing's implementation of the HTML5 WebSocket API emulation is better than the competition - as independently verified by a customer. Kaazing also supports the new EventSource API in HTML5 specification, for those interested in doing Comet style data fetching (from server to client only).
Web applications of the future will need the full-duplex communication channel provided by HTML5 WebSocket. Google recently announced Quake II on HTML5 technology and it uses HTML5 WebSocket for bi-directional data. This is a wonderful example of applications to come in the future - standards based and scalable.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Martin Tyler
WebSocket is Comet, Kaazing's fallback mechanisms are Comet - however much you want to dress them up.
As Mihai says, all these comet 'hacks' are being used in full production systems by some very big players.
Unless we could get to the point of everyone having WebSocket capable browsers (years away if ever) then you will always need to use a product that hides it away from you and implements fallback connection methods.
Anyway, the reason I came back to this page was to link to this post on the hybi mailing list- www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/hybi/current/msg0...
It shows some stats pulled together by Google on the success rate of WebSocket. It shows that even if you have a new browser, you could still have problems - the proxy issue.
Re: Proxies and WebSocket/Comet
Martin Tyler
Browser proxy server settings and client IP
Nizzy G
I was in HTML5 Dev Conf in SFO a week ago. I talked to Kaazing people there. I got interested in looking at HTML5 WebSocket implementation. Before, I used Flash to make socket connections and was able to by-pass the proxy settings of the browsers. I manually set my browser proxy settings with SOCKS v5 and was able to surf like that but at the same time, I was able to make socket connection through Flash. However, HTML5 does not allow me make a socket connection while the proxy setting is on in my FireFox. Is this normal by the new HTML5 WebSocket?
Second question: I was able to capture the client IP with Flash socket, but not with HTML5 WebSocket. How can I get the client IP?
Thanks Peter.


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Since the onset of the economic downturn, organizations across the country found their executive compensation packages placed under a magnifying glass and scrutinized at every turn. Now, average base rates are slowly recovering but fewer companies are offering perquisites to their highest-ranking employees. According to the Executive Compensation 2011/2012 survey results, 61.5 percent of organizations offer perquisites to their chief executive officers. That's down from 77.6 percent in 2010.
Of the perks offered to CEOs, supplemental life insurance is the most prevalent, 29 percent. Company cars and club memberships are offered at a rate of 23.5 and 21.9 percent, respectively. More than 20 percent of companies offer voluntary deferred compensation programs to CEOs.
"Many companies have seen executive level employees sustain reduced pay or perquisites in light of the country's economic standpoint," said Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys, the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. "This cautious approach to executive compensation will likely continue for some time for many organizations."
The newly released results report CEOs' salaries are slowly increasing after taking a significant hit in 2008. That year, average base rates stood at $382,000, but the 2009 results indicate it dropped to $346,600. In 2010, that number dropped even further to $332,900. This year's results show the average base rate was $338,300, demonstrating the possibility for an upward trend.
Adversely, the average base salary for Top Manufacturing Executive has seen a steady increase in the past few years. In 2010, the average base rate was $158,100. This year, that number increased to $161,100. The results also indicated 46.5 percent of participating organizations offer perquisites to the Top Manufacturing Executive.
About the Survey
Executive Compensation 2011/2012 analyzes national and regional data by base pay and total cash compensation for more than 65 executive and senior management positions. Information was collected from over 4,500 organizations across the country, reporting on more than 20,000 incumbents.
Compdata Surveys is the nation's leading compensation and benefits survey data provider. Thousands of U.S. organizations provide data each year ensuring the reliability of our results. Compdata Surveys has been providing comprehensive data at affordable prices to organizations from coast to coast since 1988. For further information about their compensation and benefits surveys, contact Michelle Willis at (800) 300-9570.


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There is a definite difference between a custodial parent and a visiting one. It's called sanity.
As my 8-year-old son moved in with me, I tried to establish a plan of "Do- and Do-Not" items. I realized that Gen. Custer also had a plan. Upon reviewing this list with my worldly sagacious son, I realized the numerous errors of my ways. Perhaps I should have written this in pencil. I had no idea my son reserved the right to a line item veto, which he exercised way too frequently. I believed he had the best intentions in mind as he reviewed it. It seems perfectly reasonable to an eight year old to be too tired to clean his room, and mysteriously get second wind five minutes later, and play deck hockey for three hours.
Homework was always an adventure. When I said, "Get your homework done," he looked at me is if I had spoken in an unknown tongue.
Getting him to bathe on a regular schedule required a lot of my will power, to battle with his won't power. Yet, once Mike got into the tub, he stayed there for hours. I had no idea what he was doing in there, until I reviewed the damage - six towels thrown on the soaking ground, 27 toys in the tub, shampoo all over, and cowering in the corner, a dry bar of soap. The bathroom looked like Sea World, after Shamu went amok.
The most amazing thing about Mike was all of the objects he managed to cram into his pants' pockets. The first time I washed his clothing, I didn't think to look into his pockets. I turned the washing machine on, and it sounded like we were being invaded. I shut the machine, and started digging around inside. I pulled out a ninja turtle figure, unchewed gum, a broken pencil and a six-inch ruler, all from one pair of dungarees. My mind cringed at the idea of all the discomfort these items could provide, when strategically located. How, why would one want to walk around with the contents of a variety store in his pockets? I still wince.
A frustrating lifestyle I had to adjust was my vocabulary. All of my life, I thought the word "No" was a complete sentence, notwithstanding the person saying it. However, my son showed me the error of my ways. When an adult says "No", it means 'open to debate, ask later'. However, when a child utters that lovely two-letter word, it is written in stone, irrefutable, fini and amen.
I tried to become less nervous to life-threatening antics Mike would pull because he was bored. One night he became exceptionally quiet. His bedroom door was closed, and there was not a sound in his room. The parent alarm in me screamed, "THIS IS NOT GOOD!" I quietly peeked into his room. He was standing on his 12-inch television. As our eyes met, his expression betrayed his thoughts, "You mean, I'm not supposed to be doing this?" Mike was no small boy, and thoughts of irreparable disaster raced through my overworked mind. I actually heard some of my remaining hairs turn gray before imploring, "Get down."
Bedtime was another word I had to approach with the utmost tact. Mike would set all of the traps for delay his mind could manifest. One night, after an extremely difficult time (measured by the amount of 'good nights' we exchange, I became annoyed. As a parent, I understood he needed his rest, he didn't. I was just dozing off, when I heard this little voice rocket through the hallway to my bedroom, "Daddy?" Angrily, I asked, "What is it now, Mike?" Quietly, his mind was groping for an excuse of this blatant act of defiance. Eureka! Try this! "Daddy, what time is it in Japan?" Now, let's put this in proper perspective. Mike had a few tests the next day, his room was in a shamble. I am totally confident in the conjecture that the exact time in Japan was one of his lesser concerns. Yet, the way he asked it, and the underlying reasons why he did it, just clobbered me. I could not stop laughing. He heard my infectious laughter, and joined in with me. In between laughs, I managed to ask, Why do you want to know what time it is in Japan?" He couldn't answer, but it didn't matter, we just continued laughing.
As I watch him grow, as an endless sea of energy and experimentation, I only grow to love him more. When I check in on him before I go to bed, I see him sleeping with about 30 stuffed animals, re-energizing his body for his next day's demands.
Torn shirts, scraped knees, pets, missing homework and great times we share hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. He and I will get through his childhood and form an impenetrable bond.
Perhaps when my son turns into an adult, he'll give a soft smile about all of the things he and I experienced together. That is all I can wish for as a parent.


text:
Rotator Rod by Colleen O'Connell
Design: Rotator Rod - The Space Saving Shower Rod
Materials: Stainless steel rod, Chrome or Brushed Nickel Plating, Molded Plastic/Nylon
Designer: Colleen O'Connell
"Small bathrooms just got bigger! They say necessity is the mother of invention and this was true for the Rotator Rod. When I downsized and found myself wrestling with the shower curtain every morning, so I installed a curved shower curtain rod, like the ones I had seen hotels."
"It worked great and my shower space felt bigger and brighter! BUT, the curve came out so far that it cramped the rest of the bathroom. So I set out to solve the problem - with Gatorade caps nailed to the wall and using lots of glue and wire, I created one that would move out of the way when it wasn't in use. The first Rotator Rod was born. It's come a long way since then, but now, anyone can expand space in or out of the shower with a simple 'flip' of the rod – no glue required. Oh, and this may be the best part – now, when wet towels or bathing suits are hung over the shower rod, they drip into the tub, and not on the floor.
I have more/different pics of the rod and of me, if necessary."
Designer: Colleen O'Connell
Link: RotatorRod.com
Location: Sarasota, FL
• Voting is open for four days on each design!
• Follow on Twitter - #ATShowcase
• About Design Showcase 2010: This summer we're celebrating the best in design for the home. We're taking submissions from independent and student designers from around the world and letting our readers vote on who they think has the best design. There's also a panel of august judges (no pun intended). Two winners will win $20,000 in targeted advertising placements on our sites to help launch their careers ($10k apiece).
• Submission Form (until Sep. 17)


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Friday, May 17, 2013
Looking at some potential Dodgers' draft picks in 2013 MLB mock drafts
5 comments:
Id totally take Ervin guy. Drafting pitchers kinda bores me, so Id rather them take the best positional prospect or this guy. You dodgers can just trade after a year or whatever for an organizational need If they look ligit or make room for em on the roster etc, etc.ReplyDelete
Sean Manaea has to be the ideal pick here. If he can just get over the injuries the velocity should follow, huge amount of upside and we need that in the system. We can afford mistakes especially with the money and renewed international presence. Although Smith would be sweet to have also.ReplyDelete
I want to say, "If the Dodgers take the BPA on their board, I'll be happy." But then I think back to 2011 and the Chris Reed selection. Then I'm not so sure.ReplyDelete
Manaea has the most boom potential, but he probably has the most bust potential, too. We shall see.
To me, Bickford looks like he has the highest ceiling.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 2, 2013 at 11:44 PM
Out of those choices Bickford for me ! Dodgers have always been about pitching first.ReplyDelete


text:
Cory's Key West Cottage
Like this entry? Favorite it below!
- Name:
- Cory
- Location:
- Key West, FL
- Square Feet:
- 188
- Division:
- Teeny-Tiny
- What I Love About My Small Home:
- It is a cute Key West cottage -- it forces me to be organized and neat. Takes 20 minutes to clean, saves on utilities, allows me to live in Key West; I am a senior citizen, I also have a sustainable garden, grow my own vegetables and fruits and have 5 hens for eggs. It allows me to stay on my budget and still be independent. They should design sustainable homes for older people instead of putting them in "OLD FOLKS HOMES".
- Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space:
- Storage, keeping my books and clothes. I use lots of baskets to store almost everything. I also have a MINI dog and use the stairs for my books.
I learned to get rid of things I have never used for a year, and donate my books and other household items to Salvation Army. Got an iPad2 for my reading, books and magazines -- no more Cable TV. Kept my CDs and sewing machine though.


text:
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) - Orders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million in their first 24 hours, more than double the amount of its predecessor over the same period.
Apple started taking iPhone 5 orders at 3 a.m. EDT on Friday.
The company also says that while most orders will be delivered on Friday, demand for the iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply, so some of the devices are scheduled for delivery in October.
The Cupertino, Calif. company's stock added $7 to $698.28 in morning trading after rising as high as $699.54 earlier in the session.
The iPhone 5 has a bigger screen -4 inches (10.16 centimeters) measured diagonally- that allows room for another row of icons and lets widescreen movies fit better. The calendar will now show five days at a time instead of just three. Previous iPhone models carried 3.5-inch (8.89-centimeter) screens. The phone is also thinner and weighs less than previous models.
Janney Capital Markets analyst Bill Choi said Apple's announcement Monday "suggests iPhone 5 is running well ahead of iPhone 4S." In a note to investors, Choi reaffirmed his earlier expectation that Apple will sell 7 million to 10 million iPhone 5s by the end of September.
The iPhone 5 sells for $199 for the 16 gigabyte model, $299 for the 32 GB or $399 for the 64 GB model.
Apple says the iPhone 5 will be available at its 356 U.S. stores starting Friday. Each customer that makes a purchase at a store will be offered free personal setup service, which will help them customize their device.
The phone will be available in more than 22 countries on Sept. 28.
Aside from Apple stores, the iPhone 5 will be available at Apple's website as well as through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, some Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart stores and certain Apple authorized resellers.
Earlier Monday AT&T Inc. said it set a sales record for the iPhone 5, with customers ordering more of them than any previous iPhone model on the first day of orders and over the weekend.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
- Arizona
- Tucson
- Red Rock
- Red Rock Village
- Wesley
Home Features
- 10-year structural warranty
- 1-year workmanship and materials warranty
- 2-year mechanical warranty
- 5-year leak warranty
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Choice of architecturally designed exterior elevations
- Durable Boral® concrete roof tile
- Exterior coach light at garage
- Front yard landscaping
- Gutters
- Sherwin-Williams® painted exterior
- Spanish lace exterior stucco finish
- Typar House Wrap
- InSinkErator® 1/3 horse power disposal
- Laminate countertop and backsplash
- Moen® Chateau® single handle faucet
- Pre-plumbed for ice maker
- Stainless steel kitchen sink
- Timberlake® birch cabinetry
- Whirlpool® appliances in black and white
- 6-panel interior doors
- 9' first floor ceilings
- Cable outlets at owners suite and gathering room
- Ceiling fan pre-wire in gathering room and owners suite
- Decora® rocker light switches
- Durable carpeting
- Schlage® chrome hardware for all interior doors
- Separate bedrooms
- Sherwin-Williams® interior paint
- Telephone outlets at owners suite and kitchen
- Therma-Tru® 6-panel front door
- Tile flooring in entry, kitchen, master bath and powder bath
- Vinyl flooring in laundry and secondary baths
- Laminate vanity in secondary baths
- Mirrored medicine cabinets in master bath and secondary baths
- Moen® Chateau® polished chrome faucet in all baths
- Timberlake® birch cabinetry
- Vikrell® tub/shower surrounds
- Post-tension slab foundation
- 200-amp electrical service
- AQUAPEX® plumbing system
- Hose bibbs front and rear
- Pre-plumb for reverse osmosis
- 100% ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances
- 14 SEER air conditioner
- 50-gallon hot water heater
- Energy efficient Low-E dual-pane vinyl windows
- Programmable thermostat
- Sterling® Riverton™ high efficiency toilet
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Pulte Energy Advantage
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text:
Whooboy... The Zaza Phase IV deployment target is edging ever closer, and quite a bit has been done to wrap things up, but there is more to do. I have made major updates to reaction, poslibtcx and poslib and a bunch of minor updates to the map applet, face, and voice system since the last post.
Last weekend's test run went very well. All of the software modules performed flawlessly. The only problem observed was an ACCESS.bus lockup at the end of the run.
Three weeks ago the DC/DC converter that supplies the -12V reference voltage for both of the motherboards on the robot failed and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately the RocketPort serial board needs this voltage to drive the serial interfaces for three of the robot's subsystems. A drop-in replacement part wasn't available, so a TI PT4224 had to be installed in it's place. The new part is substantially more efficient, but larger and a different form factor so it required an adapter board to be made. Removing the old part was a real exercise. The power distribution board needed to be removed from the robot which took about an hour and a half. Then the old part needed to be delicately removed with a Dremel tool and large pair of Vise-Grips ;) The new part was installed and tested operational less than a week after the old part failed, but I might have stressed the ACESS.bus cables a bit re-installing the power distribution board causing the overly sensitive bus to be even more flakey. I'll need to fix this before next weekend's run.
I'll be announcing a limited public run of the new web-based tourguide functionality (Phase IV) for TRCY club members this week for next Saturday's run. If you aren't already a member, join and get in on the fun!


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Beef, dairy and veal producers nationwide overwhelming support the national beef checkoff, results of a USDA Beef Checkoff Survey released today show. Conducted by the Gallup Organization, the survey of 8,002 beef, dairy and veal producers nationwide found 72% of those surveyed either strongly approved or somewhat approved of the Beef Checkoff Program.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 4 through Nov. 21, with oversight by USDA, and was conducted as part of a settlement between the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) and the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA). The settlement followed a May 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled the Beef Promotion and Research Act constitutional.
The survey was funded by checkoff dollars. Representatives of the USDA, CBB, LMA and the Federation of State Beef Councils collaborated in developing the survey questions. Some highlights of the results include:
- 66% of respondents strongly approve or somewhat approve of the CBB contracting directly "with any entity, including businesses, university researchers, advertising and marketing agencies, and other consultants." Less than 25% would disapprove of this move.
Currently, the Beef Promotion and Research Act requires that CBB contract only with "established national nonprofit industry-governed organizations ... to implement programs of promotion, research, consumer information and industry information."
- 82% strongly approve or somewhat approve of a periodic referendum on continuation of the Beef Checkoff Program.
- Almost 92% strongly agree or somewhat agree that "if it were possible, all or at least some portion of beef checkoff dollars should be used to promote only U.S. born and raised beef." Currently, because importers pay into the program at $1/head on live animal imports and a $1/head equivalent on beef products, the program promotes beef in general. In total, importers account for a total of $8 million, or 10%, of total checkoff assessments collected.
To view all the results, go to www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mpb/rp-beef.htm and click on: Beef Checkoff Program Survey Results - PDF file.
-- USDA news release


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Hey everyone,
Spring is here, and with it, new anime titles to announce on Crunchyroll!
First off we're going to start with some titles that we announced exclusively at Kawaii-kon a little while ago, with Sparrow's Hotel and Oreimo 2!
Sparrow's Hotel will be available to worldwide audiences starting on Tuesday April 9 at 5:30 am PDT.
For the newcomer - Sparrow's Hotel, here's a little breakdown of what you can expect to see with this particular series:
"Because Sparrow's Hotel is located downtown, dangerous things like over-drinking and fights are commonplace, which causes trouble for manager Shiokawa Tamaki. Then Satou Sayuri approaches the front desk for a job interview, listing her special skills as "large breasts" and "assassination." She is hired on a trial basis as a special task force and guard, but... Massive strength! Massive breasts?! This gag anime illustrates the daily lives of the new front desk staff, Satou Sayuri; the level-headed manager who happens to look like a middle schooler, Shiokawa Tamaki; and the guests who visit the Sparrow's Hotel just to see them."
For Oreimo 2, we are stoked to see the return of Kyousuke and Kirino, along with all the crazy otaku antics that ensue with them!
Starting on Saturday April 6 at 10:30 am PDT, Oreimo 2 will be available in the following territories: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Central and South America.
But for those new to the game, here's a little break down:
Kyousuke Kousaka is a high schooler who has been leading a quiet, humdrum life. However, his life is turned upside-down when his little sister, Kirino, comes to him for 'life counseling.' It turns out that Kirino, a well-rounded winner in life, has many otaku-ish hobbies and loves anime and games. Kyousuke sincerely takes on Kirino's request to tackle life counseling.
And so, as more and more people get involved--including Kuroneko and Saori Vageena, whom Kirino met via social networks; Kirino's friends, Ayase and Kanako, and Kyousuke's childhood friend, Manami--changes to their icy cold brother-sister relationship begin to appear. After overcoming the crisis of Kirino suddenly leaving to study abroad, what kind of craziness will her 'life counseling' cause next!
Then, yesterday, Aniplex of America announce the acquisition of Valvrave the Liberator which is to be streamed right here on Crunchyroll!
Arguably, one of the more highly anticipated series this season, Valvrave is set to broadcast Friday starting on April 12 at 11 a.m. Pacific time for its premium members in the following territories: US, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland only. Free users will get it one week after initial Crunchyroll broadcast.
To whet your appetite for more, here's a little idea of what you can expect to see:
"A new age where 70% of the human population lives in space thanks to the development of "Dyson Sphere", a city in space. The world is divided into two main powers: The Dorssia Military Pact Federation, a power which grew out of a military alliance, and the Atlantic Rim United States (ARUS), which grew in power as it expanded its trade agreements.
The minor nation of JIOR has declared neutrality between these two forces and maintains its peace through economic prosperity. Within the JIOR's Sphere, Haruto Tokishima lived an ordinary life as a high school student in the division known as "Module 77"—until the Dorssian military begins their sudden invasion! But the whole world will be shaken when Haruto meets the mysterious humanoid weapon, Valvrave!
Next up we have Mushibugyo, a samurai action series that takes place in an alternate-history of Edo-era Japan, where the Mushibugyo, a group of warriors, fight to protect the city's denizens from giant bugs!
Mushibugyo launches on Crunchyroll on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 3:00am PDT.
Mushibugyo will be available to Crunchyroll audiences worldwide except for: Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and The Philippines.
Based off of the original manga Joujuu Senjin!! Mushibugyo by Hiroshi Fukuda, Mushibugyo is set in an alternate history version of Edo-era Tokyo, where a special unit called the "Mushibugyo" protects the city's denizens from the giant insects that run rampant throughout the city. Jinbe Tsukishima left his home to join the Mushibugyo, and now fights alongside his fellow comrades to exterminate the giant bugs while striving to be a warrior who never loses. He and the rest of the Mushibugyo risk their lives to protect not only the peace in Edo, but the smiles of the people as well!
Mushibugyo is being produced by Seven Arcs, whose other works include Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, the Dog Days series, and Asura Cryin'. The cast includes voice actor/singer KENN as Jinbe Tsukishima, whose debut role was Judai Yuki in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and also plays Hibito Nanba in Space Brothers. Voice actress Satomi Akesaka, also known as krkr in gdgd Fairies, stars as Oharu, and Rumi Ookubo, whose other roles include Chinatsu Yoshikawa from YuruYuri, is Hibachi.
For those seeking a light-heated comedy, AIURA will also be coming to Crunchyroll's spring lineup.
AIURA will be premiering on Crunchyroll on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 10:05am PDT.
AIURA will be available to Crunchyroll's audience worldwide excluding Japan for Premium members, and worldwide excluding the following territories for free members: East Asia, Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Iran & Afghanistan, and Southern Pacific.
AIURA is based off of a four-panel manga of the same name, created by Chama. It's a comedy that follows the antics of a trio of unmotivated high school girls, Kanaka Amaya, Saki Iwasawa, and Ayuko Uehara, as they do, well, not much! AIURA is being produced by the animation studio LINDENFILMS, who also animated another comedic short, Senyu.
The cast features several newcomers to the voice-acting industry, including Yui Nakajima as Kanaka, and Nao Tamura, whose other role previously was Hinata Kinoshita in The [email protected] Million Live mobile game, as Ayuko. Yuko Iida rounds out the trio as Saki, with previous minor roles in hits such as Haganai NEXT, Say "I love you", and Kotoura-San.
Stay tuned in for more new titles coming to you soon~!
3/15 - Sparrow's Hotel
3/15 - Oreimo 2
3/29 - Valvrave the Liberator
3/30 - Mushibugyo
??? - ???
I'm looking forward to watching Oreimo. and Mushibugyo I hope that you also announce Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W, HENNEKO, & Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru.
So far, planning to watch 5 out of 5 shows
CR, get Date A Live!
What even
Cheers to the new shows, and hope everyone enjoys the selection Crunchyroll brings forth to us!
Looking forward to Valvrave the most since its mecha and from Sunrise. Hope Aniplex USA can snag the home video rights as well. If not I just hope the Japanese releases come with subs. *crosses fingers*
Life is a bitch, so if its easy you're doing it wrong
So far, Only watching Oreimo 2 for sure. Could check out Mushibugyou depending on how busy Spring schedule will be and what I hear about it.
Nice grabs. I hope we have a great season coming up...
Feeling too lazy to go after Nico atm... :( ill try later on...
Within the limits of my own schedule, I hope to watch at least the first episode of whatever CR brings up, and Oreimo2 at least I expect to watch to completion. For as-yet-unannounced streams, my only must-get wish for CR is Nyaruko-san W.
ill try all of them but i probably wont like sparrow hotel.
Legal Anime http://www.crunchyroll.com/user/Assassinx89/pages/legalsites
I was wondering when we'd start getting announcements.....Everything outside or Ore. is a ehhhhhhhhhhh I'll have to test it. I honestly feel like there are way to many robot space shows this season.
Oh great anime gods, what do I watch on this day?
Damn, Australia isn't listed. Guess I'll have to settle with fansubs for Oreimo and Valvrave
Nice additions, CR. I'm hoping we see Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet) by Production IG and script by The Butcher (heh) Urobuchi Gen.
leave a message after the beep
SquadmemberRitsu wrote:
Damn, Australia isn't listed. Guess I'll have to settle with fansubs for Oreimo and Valvrave
Oreimo 2 is available to Australia.
Oreimo 2 will be available in the following territories: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Central and South America.
It would be nice to Crunchyroll were able to expand the availability of the first season(and get the OVAs)
SquadmemberRitsu wrote: Damn, Australia isn't listed. Guess I'll have to settle with fansubs for Oreimo and Valvrave
I made the same mistake ~ I started reading the Sparrows Hotel description and then saw the countries listed at the end, and didn't realize that the paragraph listed Sparrows Hotel as worldwide and had switched to giving the Oreimo 2 region list in the middle of the paragraph.
I'm still hoping that the titles from licensors who are part of Daisuki are not all as narrow as Valvrave turned out to be. The other region lists look better, even for Africa and the Middle East, which seem to be hard to get licenses for..
8 years as a premium member, but no more


text:
Keep parks free
On the one hand, Dave Harlan laments about the high unemployment rate, low incomes, and high housing prices in Hood River County. On the other, he announces that the Port will look at user fees for park use.
User fees are a regressive tax which affect disproportionately those very individuals about whom Mr. Harlan expresses so much concern. To the folks in the high end houses with good jobs, a few buck "pay to play" fee is inconsequential. To a struggling family getting by on minimum wage paychecks, it can mean the difference between a day in the park or day parked in front of the TV.
User fees rarely earn back more than the administrative costs of collecting them, and the proliferation of them (Washington and Oregon State Parks, Forest Service, Port Districts, etc.) results in an inefficient and costly hodgepodge of enforcement and collection regimes.
It is time to stop the rush to user fees by public entities, which exist to benefit the public as a whole, not the wealthy. Parks and recreation should be free and accessible to all, and paid for by all through increased taxes and levies.
William H. Sumerfield
Hood River
Honor Lariza
It was interesting to review again the background and accomplishments of Frank Lariza in the July 23 obituary account. However, no such brief review could recount the impact of Frank Lariza on Hood River County schools.
For example, the item acknowledged that he earned his doctor's degree from the University of Oregon in 1964. What it did not relate was that his dissertation involved a building study of a newly-consolidated county district, and recommendations on future development course. The district was Hood River County. That document is stored somewhere in the school district archives, and those recommendations track almost exactly what has been developed. So his imprint began years before he even dreamed of heading that newly-consolidated district.
More than that, when he did take over the helm here, he was coming into a district that still was "fractured" in many ways and in need of leadership to bring the factions together. That his administration lasted some 17 years testifies to his success in achieving this. This cleared the way to focus on improving education instead of on outside issues. How did he do it? Well, one way was to get personally involved. When the district didn't have enough funds to put in irrigation pipelines, for example, you cold be sure Frank Lariza would be organizing a volunteer work party, and wielding a shovel along with the rest.
He became a real part of the community, proven by his decision to remain here as an orchardist, continuing his active interest in Hood River County life.
Through all this, he remained a true advocate of his alma mater, the University of Washington. He more than held his own — in a good-natured way — with the many Ducks and Beavers in the valley.
But most important were his achievements in guiding the district educational development during those critical years of his incumbency as superintendent. It would be altogether fitting, at some future time, to establish a memorial in his recognition. Not a statue or marker, but perhaps an educational building, park or — acknowledging his interest and participation in athletics — a field or playground.
Many in the community will always remember Frank Lariza fondly, but a memorial would reinforce this memory, and carry it forward to future generations which have not had the privilege of knowing him personally.
Wally Eakin
Hood River
Expand Wal-Mart
We have read many articles for and against a new Wal-Mart. We are both in favor of a new Wal-Mart for not only the additional jobs but a larger selection of goods.
Even if Wal-Mart was not here at all, we would not shop downtown as it is too expensive to shop down there and they don't carry the kind of goods we are usually shopping for. It seems they cater a lot to the windsurfers and we don't fall into that category. We do shop in some local stores but would shop in The Dalles and Portland for the majority of our needs if Wal-Mart wasn't here. We know all the stories about products made in China being sold at Wal-Mart, but we've found things from China in other local stores and no one seems to mention that.
There are many people that are very loyal to the local downtown businesses and say they won't shop at Wal-Mart, so we're sure that the local businesses will not go away with all their loyal followers, as well as all the tourists who spend their money and time downtown.
We also don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to look at something other than the trailer park when they are passing through Hood River. It seems it would be a much more pleasing site. We also think that people coming into Wal-Mart to shop off the freeway would probably also be taking time to fuel up and eat while they are in the area, thus more business for Hood River.
When we shop in Portland we usually buy our gas and eat at a local restaurant before we make our way home. For those of you who will not shop at Wal-Mart if it expands, then we say shop downtown and let us shop at Wal-Mart. For those items you will not find downtown travel to Portland or other areas for those goods. There are a lot of people who do not have the means to travel to Portland or The Dalles to shop or to work and find Wal-Mart meets their needs. There are fine people working at Wal-Mart who we're sure would not be there if Wal-Mart was such a terrible place to work.
How many downtown businesses offer benefits such as 401k or hire as many people as Wal-Mart does and do for the community the things Wal-Mart does? We don't feel Wal-Mart will take Hood River off the map as so many others do. We hope Wal-Mart is able to make it past the committee that is fighting to keep them from expanding. If those who are against Wal-Mart succeed in their quest to stop Wal-Mart from expanding, be prepared to drive 20 miles or more for the things you will not be able to find in Hood River. It's nice to be able to shop at a store that offers low prices and free parking.
Don and Gail Johnson
'Open Space?'
"Words have meaning." This seemingly simple and obvious statement is a guideline I advocate and consider carefully when communicating my thoughts and ideas. "Language is an art" is also a favorite. When we combine these two sayings, we get to one of the biggest problems with the waterfront development debate: statements and news reports which use words and facts in phrasing that are misleading or easily misunderstood.
The phrase that pushed me over the edge is the term "open space." Every report on the waterfront that I have read in the Hood River News this year has included some form of the following quote from the July 23 cover article, "Under the port's current planning process, more than 50 percent of the undeveloped property will remain in open space." I claim that this statement is purposely misleading people to believe that more than 50 percent of the property will be developed as landscaping, shade-dappled park benches, and large open green areas. This is NOT the meaning of the term "open space."
It is my understanding that for planning and development purposes, the term "open space" is defined as all property that is not physically occupied by a building or structure. This means that the 50 percent of property that is open space includes parking lots, access streets, curbs and utility areas. What does this mean in practical terms? One example is that over 50 percent of the existing Safeway and Wal-Mart properties can be considered "open space." Does the existing Wal-Mart parking lot fit your idea of the open space you would like to see developed on the waterfront? Do you see what I mean about easily misunderstood?
My challenge to all parties involved is this: if you claim to represent the majority interest, then you don't need to use misleading or easily-misunderstood words in making your case. I have a further challenge to the Hood River News: as the primary news-reporting entity in our community, you have an even greater responsibility in your reporting practices. That is to listen through the statements made on controversial issues, and report the facts behind the statements. Add clarifying comments every time you quote vague or misleading statements. And double check the meaning behind your own words. Your wording in the July 23 article could easily be read as Mr. Harlan stating that the average yearly cost for park maintenance is $74,000 per acre. I don't think that is what he said. If that is indeed accurate, I will start a business tomorrow doing park maintenance at a discount rate of $30,000 per acre per year, and we'll all be happy.
"Words have meaning. Language is an art." By practicing the art of language and choosing our words in order to honestly represent — and not misconstrue — the facts, we can spend much less time arguing about facts, and instead move to a clear understanding of the will and desires of the public — that's you and me.
David Dorocke
Hood River
Many thanks
My name is Janet Fields, on July 18 of this year, my parents, my daughter and myself were involved in an accident on Interstate 84. The back passenger tire of the suburban blew out and my dad lost control of the truck. We ended up jack knifed with the trailer up on the cement median and the truck under it. The frame of the trailer crushed the passenger side of the truck and pushed in the window behind my mom's head, scaring the hell out of my dog.
The reason I am writing you this letter is in hopes that you will publish it in the Hood River News as a thank you to all the people who offered assistance. A big thank you to our angel at the Pine Grove Fire Department who was on his way home and just happened to be there when we needed him. I don't even think the truck was stopped for a minute when his gentle face appeared in the driver's side window and asked if we were all alright. He stood for hours in full firefighting gear to help the tow truck drivers and to keep us safe. Thank you to the dark haired gentleman who stopped to offer assistance and to the nurse who showed up too. Thank you to River's Edge Towing for their quick response and for their quickness in getting us to a cooler place to wait for family members to come pick us up. Thank you to Wal-Mart for allowing us to bring the dog into the store and giving her free water. Thank you to the gal at Geno's Coffee who let us hog up her tables and thank you to the customers who showed concern when they heard about the accident.
The residents of Hood River are very special people and we thank you all for caring. I would also like to thank the State Police dispatcher who called AAA for us and kept us updated on what was happening on their side.
Janet and Jubilation Fields
Harold and Marylu Schweitzer
Keep rules
The members of CRG (Citizens for Responsible Growth) said goodbye to objectivity. Whether their noisy, unruly and insulting behavior will have any influence on the decision making in the hearing on the Wal-Mart application remains to be seen. One thing, however, is clear. The respect for their cause among the citizenry of this city and county must have vanished completely. Democratic behavior, rules and regulations are necessary if we want our cause, whatever that may be, to succeed.
Peter H. Von Oppel
Hood River
No condos
To the Hood River City Council: Asking developers what they would do with the waterfront is like asking a personal injury attorney whether he would like to sue Microsoft after you slipped on an icy entrance way to their building. The waterfront should be made into a natural space with improved access for recreation — period.
People don't come to Hood River to look at condos on the waterfront. Any economic benefits that condos would generate would be short term and directed to the builders (who should be ashamed of themselves.) The City of Hood River has an awesome responsibility and must act with the long term good of the scenic area and not the short term good of real estate developers. They don't call the Gorge a National Scenic Area because of beautiful condos.
Stephan Bennett
A Super plan
Hood River Wal-Mart has been the most affordable store in the area. I know that most everyone shops there. The working family needs low price, convenience, and good quality. Wal-Mart has that in the Hood River store. So it would be the best thing for our area to have the Super Wal-Mart. And in this day and age everyone could use the, one stop shop.
MaryAnn Benton
Glenwood, Wash.
How public?
There continues to be a great deal of confusion about what the Port reports in the Hood River News and the real figures presented in the minutes of their meetings. The talk is that there has been plenty of public input into the waterfront plan. The key word that they fail to mention is "current" waterfront plan.
Yes, the old Leland Plan had a great deal of public input — hours of input. However, the Port felt that the plan was too expensive and revised it in September-October 2001. After this date, there has been no specifically delineated public meetings on the revised (and now revised again) waterfront plan. Port manager Dave Harlan continues to refer to these 47 meetings and yet there were no specific public meetings connected to the current plan. Half of these meetings were connected to the "old" Leland plan, not the current one. The other half were regular Port or work sessions that the waterfront was merely mentioned or discussed. Yes, these meetings are open to the public, but does that constitute "public meetings on the waterfront plan"?
In addition, if the Port felt that there has been plenty of public input, and the public was quite clear on wanting a Park on Lot 6, then why did the Port change this without public input? And change it to a smaller lot, that has a building which needs to be torn down (increasing the cost of a park by $80-100,000 plus environmental clean-up, even before a park is constructed?) I wonder if there had been a citizen advisory committee, if they would have decided the same?
Public input, true public input, is vital to the success of any development on the waterfront, especially ours. I am glad to see that this process is beginning, with the informational meeting on July 31. I am hopeful that the public process, as tedious as it can sometimes be, will continue for the benefit of all.
Susan Froehlich
Hood River
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text: On Mon, 17 Jan 2005, George Georgalis wrote: > If you really want to focus on efficiency and engineering, I bet one > (appropriately sized) power-supply per 3 or 5 computers is a sweet spot. > They could possibly run outside the CPU room too. For a smallish cluster, I actually was just communicating with somebody who has just such a cluster -- laid out on open shelves, one OTC PS per shelf, three mobos/shelf, no chassis at all, largish fans blowing right over the shelf mount. All it required is a bit of custom wiring harness to distribute the power on down the shelves. Regarding disks, most computers don't NEED local hard drives any more for many/most computations. So skip the floppy, the HD, any CD drive -- just get lots of memory (to act as a de facto ramdisk), CPU, PXE NIC and video (the latter onboard). This saves power, saves money, gives you fewer components to fail, and leaves you with money to buy better AC. But remember, also -- you MUST remove all the heat that you generate or things will get hotter and hotter as they operate. Putting e.g. PS's outside the room or inside the room just alters where you have to remove the heat from or what components you're going to choose to run hotter. I'll try to talk the owner of the cluster into posting his cluster URL. I really want him to consider writing it up for e.g. CWM. rgb -- Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/ Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305 Durham, N.C. 27708-0305 Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:rgb at phy.duke.edu _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf


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GSE Counselor Education students conduct holiday toy drive
Monday, November 25, 2013 - 9:00am
The local chapter of Chi Sigma Iota is collecting unwrapped toys on behalf of the Child Hero program, a partnership between PSU's Graduate School of Education and community youth volunteers. Collection bins are located by the information desk at Smith Memorial Student Union, in the library and in the 2nd floor lobby of the Graduate School of Education/School of Business from December 2 to 13. Please donate an unwrapped toy and help a child in need this holiday season! Thank you for your support.