text:
Ruby Manor is two things. The first, and most obvious, is the series of conferences held in London focussing on the Ruby programming language. The second is our manifesto for how we believe conferences could be run.
A conference for the ruby community with a focus on simplicity
Ruby Manor is two things. The first, and most obvious, is the series of conferences held in London focussing on the Ruby programming language. The second is our manifesto for how we believe conferences could be run.
The first in the series, originally just "Ruby Manor" but now retconned* as "Ruby Manor Classic" to avoid confusion with the series, happened in 2008. We gathered together 120 rubyists from London, the rest of the UK, and mainland Europe for a day of 10 talks about their favourite language. All this for only £12!
We followed this in 2009 with "Ruby Manor 2: Manor Harder". This time it was a slightly smaller affair with just over 100 attendees paying £8 each. Not everything was smaller though, as we managed to fit in 12 talks.
The conference took a break in 2010 while we worked out what we could do better next time around. In 2011 we returned with our third installment, "Ru3y Manor". For £14 per attendee we filled a lecture theatre with 150 attendees and 8 talks.
After another break in 2012, the conference returned as "Ruby Manor 4.0" in 2013. This was our largest event yet, attracting 250 attendees at £15 each, and again featured 8 talks.
Each Ruby Manor has been run by a small team of organisers:
Ruby Manor Classic — Present
Ruby Manor 2: Manor Harder
Ruby Manor Classic — Present
Ru3y Manor — Present
Ruby Manor wouldn't be possible without help from the community. Our thanks in particular go to Andrew France, Andrew White and James Cox, who helped with camera equipment.
We have tried with each Ruby Manor to involve the community directly. To this end we only act as organisers and never as curators.
Our CFP process is held in the open and we encourage the community to interact directly with those proposing talks to help focus their proposal on what the community would find most relevant. Final selection of talks is then made by community vote, with the most popular talks being chosen.
The details of this process change over time, but it is key to our manifesto goal of relevancy of content.Originally it was run by hand via our mailing list.
For Ru3y Manor we premiered a webapp, Vestibule, to provide more structure and publicise the community involvement more. We plan to improve Vestibule for future Ruby Manor installments.
We believe a conference should be focussed on content and community.
We don't believe in servicing conference traditions. We strive to continually evolve and refine the way our conference is run to explore new, different and (hopefully) better alternatives to the status quo.
We don't believe in big-name keynote speakers appearing for their own sake, or sponsor presentations, or war stories that aren't relevant. We want to actively encourage presentations that are thoughtfully prepared and rehearsed, with extensive community involvement to ensure they cover the aspects that everyone finds most interesting and relevant.
We believe that conferences don't need to cost hundreds of pounds. We believe that many typical conference traits are unnecessary — t-shirts, swag, pastries, and so on — and that without these distractions, everyone can save money without compromising their conference experience.
We want to deliver a world-class developer conference that redefines the community's expectations about what a conference really ought to be.


text:
Categories: Labor and Employment Law
Instructor(s) Leachman, Gwen
The first semester of Labor Relations Law, usually offered in the Fall and often referred to as "Labor and Employment Law" is the basic introductory labor course. It examines the various mechanisms for regulating the workplace relationship--market regulation (including collective bargaining and other forms of bilateral determination of workplace rules) and statutory regulation--and provides an in-depth look at the methods of implementing each of these mechanisms (court action, administrative enforcement, administrative regulation and/or arbitration). The course examines the scope of the employment relationship, issues of federalism and preemption, and constitutional issues raised by workplace regulation. The course provides a brief introduction to the National Labor Relations Act and its promotion of collective bargaining; it examines the conflict between collective rights and individual rights and looks at the regulation of economic weapons.
In addition, the course introduces the student to anti-discrimination law, wage laws, safety and health laws, worker compensation law, and the regulation of pension and health benefits. The course contains some comparative law material and looks very briefly at some of the recent efforts to provide international labor standards in an increasingly global economy. The materials include a brief survey of emerging common law doctrine prohibiting wrongful discharge, and prohibiting invasions of privacy, fraudulent inducements and failures to disclose.
A more detailed examination of these and other areas of labor law is provided in a number of advanced courses and seminars, for which "Labor and Employment Law" (the Fall component of Law 745: Labor Relations Law) is a prerequisite. These advanced courses include: "Labor Relations II" (the Spring component of Law 745); Protective Labor Law; and Arbitration. Courses are also offered in Equal Employment Law and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), for which "Labor and Employment Law" is not a prerequisite.
The second semester of this course, usually offered in the Spring and often referred to as "Labor Relations II" is a detailed examination of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act with an emphasis on representation issues, collective bargaining, protection of individual rights, enforcement of the collective bargaining agreement and regulation of economic weapons used by both management and labor. Student grade is based on completion of simulation assignments based on the typical labor law practice.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Heating & Air Conditioning » Boilers » Crown Boilers » Residential Boilers » Residential Oil Boilers » Freeport 2 (FWZ) » Beckett Burner
The Freeport 2 FWZ Series boiler is a 3-pass cast-iron, oil-fired, hot water boiler. The Freeport 2 FWZ is designed for installation with a standard chimney. This boiler is available in heating capacities from 73 to 197 MBH and all models of the Freeport 2 FWZ boiler are ENERGY STAR® qualified. See the specifications and documentation listed below for more details.
The Freeport 2 FWZ features a swing door with burner disconnect plug for easy access to all heating surfaces on the front of the boiler. A Beckett AFG burner comes standard, and a Riello burner is optional on most sizes. The burners are packaged separately for easier handling.
The standard control features a simple thermal purge function for increased efficiency, as well as second zone operations available for heat and domestic hot water using an indirect water heater like the Mega-Stor®. An optional control console is easily installed in the field, allowing for additional functions including outdoor reset, low water cut-off (manual or auto-reset), second limit (manual or auto-reset), and a touch screen display for simple adjustments and diagnostics. An optional 120V low water cut-off kit is also available.
Crown Boiler
Residential / Light Commercial
Heat Exchanger
Cast Iron
Burner Input
Heating Capacity
AHRI Net Rating
Water Content
11.08 Gals
Heat Transfer Surface Area
20.29 Sq. Ft.
Ship Weight
545 lbs
1. Specifications and dimensions are subject to change without notice.
2. Consult factory if an unusual piping or pickup requirements exist.
3. Burner capacity rating, GPH, is based on #2 fuel oil with a Gross Heating Value equal to 140,000 BTU/gal.
4. The AHRI Net Water Ratings shown are based on a piping and pickup allowance of 1.15.
5. Maximum working pressure, water - 50 PSI.
22 1/4 in
24 in
6 in
We Match. You Save.
Found a price that beats ours? We'll match it, guaranteed.
How do you do it?
Step #1: Find the Ad, Copy the URL
When you find a lower price, save the web page URL. You'll need it to get your discount.
Step #2: Use the Price Match Request Form
You'll see a form at the bottom of this page. Paste the full web page URL into the appropriate slot, fill out the rest of the information, and send it to us.
Step #3: Profit!!!
Enjoy your savings, you wiley scoundrel.
What's in it for us?
We love you, and we want your business. We don't want you to run off with some other online retailer, so we're, of course, willing to give you the same deal they are. Plus, in the end, our deal will be way better than theirs! We'll match their price while we deliver life-of-product technical support, real customer service, and free shipping.
More Technical Details
To qualify for a Price Match, you must be able to produce a published price from a legitimate online retailer. Hearing about a 'great deal' from your cousin's neighbor's best friend does not count. The retailer in question will also need to have the product in stock and ready to ship. If it's on backorder, that's a mulligan. You get one claim per product, and cannot use the Price Match Policy in conjunction with other coupons, discounts, Labor Day (or other holiday) sales, or Voodoo magic. Typos, mail in rebates, closeout sales, and other non-standard retail transactions don't count either. Also, finding a great deal on Ebay or another auction site doesn't work.
Basically, the competing price must be for the same product, brand new, factory-sealed, style, model, etc etc. We also reserve the right to deny the IWAE Price Match Policy to anyone who we think is trying to get one over on us and/or trade us a wooden nickel.
Request Price Match


text:
(a) ELIGIBLE EMPLOYMENT- Section 443(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 2753(b)(1)) is amended by inserting `, including internships, practica, or research assistantships as determined by the Secretary,' after `part-time employment'.
(b) COMMUNITY SERVICE- Section 443(b)(2)(A) is amended--
(1) by striking `in fiscal year 1994 and succeeding fiscal years,' and inserting `for fiscal year 1999,'; and
(2) by inserting `(including a reasonable amount of time spent in travel or training directly related to such community service)' after `community service'.
(c) TUTORING AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES- Section 443 is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(2)--
(A) by striking `and' at the end of subparagraph (A);
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); and
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
`(B) for fiscal year 2000 and succeeding fiscal years, an institution shall use at least 7 percent of the total amount of funds granted to such institution under this section for such fiscal year to compensate students employed in community service, and shall ensure that not less than 1 tutoring or family literacy project (as described in subsection (d)) is included in meeting the requirement of this subparagraph, except that the Secretary may waive this subparagraph if the Secretary determines that enforcing this subparagraph would cause hardship for students at the institution; and'; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
`(d) TUTORING AND LITERACY ACTIVITIES-
`(1) USE OF FUNDS- In any academic year to which subsection (b)(2)(B) applies, an institution shall ensure that funds granted to such institution under this section are used in accordance with such subsection to compensate (including compensation for time spent in training and travel directly related to tutoring in reading and family literacy activities) students--
`(A) employed as reading tutors for children who are preschool age or are in elementary school; or
`(B) employed in family literacy projects.
`(2) PRIORITY FOR SCHOOLS- To the extent practicable, an institution shall--
`(A) give priority to the employment of students in the provision of tutoring in reading in schools that are participating in a reading reform project that--
`(i) is designed to train teachers how to teach reading on the basis of scientifically-based research on reading; and
`(ii) is funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and
`(B) ensure that any student compensated with the funds described in paragraph (1) who is employed in a school participating in a reading reform project described in subparagraph (A) receives training from the employing school in the instructional practices used by the school.
`(3) FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal share of the compensation of work-study students compensated under this subsection may exceed 75 percent.'.
(d) USE OF FUNDS FOR INDEPENDENT AND LESS THAN FULL-TIME STUDENTS- Paragraph (3) of section 443(b) is amended to read as follows:
`(3) provide that in the selection of students for employment under such work-study program, only students who demonstrate financial need in accordance with part F and meet the requirements of section 484 will be assisted, except that if the institution's grant under this part is directly or indirectly based in part on the financial need demonstrated by students who are (A) attending the institution on less than a full-time basis, or (B) independent students, a reasonable portion of the grant shall be made available to such students;'.
(e) FEDERAL SHARE- Paragraph (5) of section 443(b) is amended to read as follows:
`(5) provide that the Federal share of the compensation of students employed in the work-study program in accordance with the agreement shall not exceed 75 percent, except that--
`(A) the Federal share may exceed 75 percent, but not exceed 90 percent, if, consistent with regulations of the Secretary--
`(i) the student is employed at a nonprofit private organization or a government agency that--
`(I) is not a part of, and is not owned, operated, or controlled by, or under common ownership, operation, or control with, the institution;
`(II) is selected by the institution on an individual case-by-case basis for such student; and
`(III) would otherwise be unable to afford the costs of such employment; and
`(ii) not more than 10 percent of the students compensated through the institution's grant under this part during the academic year are employed in positions for which the Federal share exceeds 75 percent; and
`(B) the Federal share may exceed 75 percent if the Secretary determines, pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Secretary establishing objective criteria for such determinations, that a Federal share in excess of such amounts is required in furtherance of the purpose of this part;'.
(f) AVAILABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT- Section 443(b)(6) is amended by striking `, and to make' and all that follows through `such employment'.
(g) ACADEMIC RELEVANCE- Section 443(c)(4) is amended by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: `, to the maximum extent practicable'.
|Table of Contents


text:
Palmetto Medical Group will soon have a new home to provide health care to patients.
Construction on a 8,600-square-foot medical facility is underway on Bluffton Parkway near Myrtle Park.
Palmetto Medical Group is the home of Drs. Scott Cummings, Kamal Patel, Lynn Goetze and physician assistant Stephanie Lovato.
Cummings said medical staff and patients have outgrown the current location on Sheridan Drive. The doctors did not want to disclose to Bluffton Today what the investment is in the new facility.
The medical office design will comply with the theme of Old Town Bluffton and will have 24 exam rooms, Cummings said.
Construction started in August on the new facility and should wrap up in January, he said. Although, Cummings said, rain has delayed the construction.
Goetze said parking has been "problematic" at the current location. Goetze said she and her colleagues wanted a facility that would have sufficient parking for patients.
Goetze said the practice has 10,000 patients and each physician treats about 34 patients daily.
Beaufort County and town of Bluffton have been great to work with during the development of plans for the new facility, Goetze said.
Cummings said their medical practice is in a "central location." He said he and the other medical providers serve patients in Bluffton, Hilton Head, Hardeeville and Beaufort.
"We love it here," Goetze said, explaining that she and her colleagues plan to retire in the area.
Medical services
The physicians offer a comprehensive range of services for the entire family, including pediatric care, internal medicine, family medicine, and women's health care. Occupational health services are provided, which include drug screening, breath alcohol testing, S.C. DOT and non-S.C. DOT physicals, pre-employment physicals, immunizations and worker's compensation claims.


text:
After nearly 90 minutes of testimony and discussion regarding the city of Hood River's Transportation System Plan and Interstate Access Management Plan one thing was clear: May Street residents would like their crosswalk back.
While some speakers raised concerns about potential changes to exits from I-84, the bulk of the conversation focused on a crosswalk at May and 12th which was recently closed after the opening of Providence Hood River's three-story parking structure.
"This is a perfect example of poor planning and wasteful spending, said Morgan Graves, a seventh-grader at Hood River Middle School. "It's hard to envision why city planners would want citizens to cross a busy street three times instead of once."
At the intersection of 12th and May, to get across May Street from the north side, a pedestrian must cross to the south, cross 12th Street, and then cross May again to get back to the north side.
Many of the speakers said that the reason given for closing the crosswalk - pedestrian safety - made no sense in that it then forced them to cross the street several times.
Kateri Osborne Lohr, Hood River County School District board member for the area, said many parents of children at May Street School had approached her about the crosswalk situation.
"I've had numerous residents and members of the school come to ask me what I could do," she said.
She said one major example of why the crosswalk needed to be reopened was in the May Street swimming program, where children walk from the school to the Hood River pool several blocks away.
Instead of following the north side of May Street to Hood River Middle School and crossing there, they must now cross back and forth several times.
Lohr said she was acting in a personal capacity by coming to the meeting, but Mayor Arthur Babitz encouraged her to seek out feedback from the school board on the matter.
Omar Sankari, a May Street resident, said that the city's TSP data showed people continued to cross at both the intersection at 12th and May and a closed intersection farther up May Street, and that the area would be more safe and livable if the crosswalk were reopened.
"People will cross where they think it is reasonable and safe to cross, regardless if it is closed or not," he said.
He encouraged the council to act soon to reopen the crosswalk.
"I would like to see the crosswalk reopened as soon as possible; preferably before school starts," he said.
The meeting was filled with transportation issues.
The council approved an exemption to the competitive bidding process for Key Development for a realignment of Country Club Road. Mike Caldwell, owner of Stonehedge restaurant, testified before the council and asked them to proceed carefully with the project.
"This is literally opening up a scab ... we had such a nasty experience with how things get developed and right-of-ways get used," he said.
He said he was supportive of the overall concept of the plan and believed it would encourage growth, but stated he was concerned that the plan would cut 150-200 feet into the tree line surrounding the Stonehedge restaurant property and that construction would be occurring during the middle of wedding season.
"We are in support of this much-needed growth, he said. "But we are just barely recovering from the last development project during an economic downturn."
City Manager Bob Francis said that before the project began construction there would be numerous planning meetings and pre-construction meetings and that Caldwell was welcome to attend as many as he would like.
The council also voted to approve an exemption from competitive building for Moore Excavation to work on a sewer line for a future sanitary sewer pump station to be placed on the north side of the Highway 35 and Marina Drive intersection early next year.
An annexation request from KIHR and Columbia Gorge Broadcasters to connect the station to the city's sewer system was approved unanimously.
Comments are subject to moderator review and may not appear immediately on the site. A user's first several comments must be manually approved by a moderator.
Please read our commenting policy before posting.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)


text:
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has rejected claims federal drought assistance is not reaching afflicted farmers.
Only 28 - 15 in Queensland and 13 in NSW - apparently have been able to access cheap finance the government announced as part of its drought package in February.
That's unlocked only $17 million of the total $280 million concessional loans scheme designed to assist debt-laden farmers hit by a protracted period of drought.
Mr Joyce said more than 3000 drought-hit farmers were receiving welfare assistance - a separate part of the federal package.
As well, there had been 89 drought applications for cheap loans received, with many more to come.
"I am confident that the concessional loans will be fully utilised," he told AAP on Thursday.
The National Farmers Federation said it's understandable a small number of applicants have accessed the scheme so far given it has only been operating for two months.
It's estimated only 17 loan applications totalling $11.5 million have been approved in Queensland alone.
But the federation is concerned the application process is too onerous and acting as a disincentive to some farmers.
It is urging the government to explore ways to help producers with their applications.
Labor says the government should acknowledge the scheme isn't working and simply start from scratch.
"Barnaby Joyce is delusional if he thinks his drought package is working. No one believes that," opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said.


text:
- Fast-food workers scheduled protests across the country this week
- John Sutter: Class seems to be the social justice issue of our time
- It's been 50 years since the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom"
- Economic justice remains a distant dream for many, Sutter says
Editor's note: John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion and head of CNN's Change the List project. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. E-mail him at email@example.com.
(CNN) -- Let's play a little game.
Which of the following signs did protestors hold at the March on Washington, 50 years ago this week, and which were held up this year by fast-food workers:
The exclamation points, which apparently were more popular in the 1960s (despite what Twitter would have you believe!!!), are your best clue.
Signs one and four are from 1963. Two and three are from 2013.
Fifty years later, it's easy to forget that the full name of the 1963 "March on Washington" was actually "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."
Sutter: 99 must-reads on economic inequality
But flip through some pictures from that rally, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech and where civil rights leaders, to borrow his words, bent the arc of history towards justice and greater equality, and you'll see protest signs that put the economy as a front-and-center issue, just as it is now.
President Obama, in commemorating the 50th anniversary of that march this week, smartly picked up on the theme that economic equality is "the great unfinished business" of King's vision for a just and fair America.
"...[A]s we mark this anniversary, we must remind ourselves that the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blacks had joined the ranks of millionaires; it was whether this country would admit all people who were willing to work hard, regardless of race, into the ranks of a middle-class life," Obama said Wednesday. "The test was not and never has been whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit wider for a few. It was whether our economic system provides a fair shot for the many, for the black custodian and the white steelworker, the immigrant dishwasher and the Native American veteran."
The subtext of his argument: Class may be the new race.
It's not that all battles for racial equality have been won -- they haven't -- or that we live in a post-racial society. But, in some remarkable and troubling ways, class has become an increasingly significant barrier to equality in modern America. The gap between rich and poor has been growing in the United States since the late 1970s, and our level of income inequality, one proxy measure for that gap, is now on par with many sub-Saharan African countries.
Sutter: Who cares about the economy? ... You!
It's become more difficult for the poor to move up into the middle class and more difficult for the middle to dig in its heels to stop from slipping into poverty.
The American mantra of "work hard and you'll get ahead" is not always enough to sustain people. It's harder now to secure a financial future.
This is the theme that underlies much of what's happening in America today. And it's something that goes back much farther than the recent recession.
The fast-food workers, for example, who scheduled demonstrations across the country on Thursday, are frustrated by the fact that they can't make ends meet on $7.25 per hour. If you doubt whether that's true, please take a look at one fast-food worker's budget. Some workers, as Forbes reports, have to choose between paying for rent or food. "Should I pay my light bill (or) should I pay my gas?" one fast-food worker asks in this CNNMoney video. "I never can pay it all at once."
"Right now the gas is off," she says.
The workers demand a living wage of $15 per hour.
I'm not sure what the fair wage would be. That's the subject for another column...or perhaps a book. But I do know that, as The Atlantic reports, fast-food workers in Australia make $14.50 an hour, about twice the U.S. minimum wage.
And burgers haven't become too expensive Down Under.
Some context is helpful for understanding that movement as well.
The U.S. minimum wage is actually lower than it was in the late 1960s. Five years after King's speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the federal minimum wage, when converted into 2013 dollars, was $10.70, compared to $7.25 now. (The nominal minimum wage, according to the Congressional Research Service, was only $1.60 per hour in 1968. The $10.70 amount is adjusted for inflation).
Sutter: White House should pay its interns
Education is another example. There's evidence poverty is a better indicator of educational achievement than race.
"According to a 2011 research study by Stanford sociologist Sean Reardon, the test-score gap between the children of the poor (in the 10th percentile of income) and the children of the wealthy (in the 90th percentile) has expanded by as much as 40% and is now more than 50% larger than the black-white achievement gap -- a reversal of the trend 50 years ago," Sarah Garland writes for The Atlantic.
"Underprivileged children now languish at achievement levels that are close to four years behind their wealthy peers."
Four years behind their peers.
Just because of their income.
That challenges the very notion of who we are as Americans.
We see ourselves as a middle-class country -- a place where anyone can work hard and succeed. And many do. We're a country of fighters.
But it's become more difficult for the non-rich to make it.
The country has made great strides toward racial equality since the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. But, in the 50 years since King's speech, economic justice seems to have become the more distant dream.
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter.


text:
MPs slam employment agency IT
Systems at Jobcentre Plus 'slow and problematic'
Poor IT is hampering efficiency at Jobcentre Plus, according to a Commons report.
A parliamentary watchdog has said staff at Jobcentre Plus are having to work with slow and problematic IT, which often does not have the basic functionality that would be expected in a modern office.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee found that many of the shortcomings in the IT system are simple but irritating for agency's jobs and benefits advisers: for example by requiring them to re-key identical information for every new customer, or by making it hard to print out the information they need.
In a report, the committee says although changing IT systems can be costly, given what the Department for Work and Pensions pays its supplier for IT support, it should press for simple improvements in order to help save on staff time.
Under the government's efficiency programme, 24 per cent of gains should come from greater productivity of staff. Improving the amount of time advisers spend with customers is a key element of helping Jobcentre Plus achieve its efficiency targets, says the committee.
Edward Leigh, chair of the committee, said: "It's up to Jobcentre Plus to give advisers the kind of working environment and support facilities - including an IT system - that makes life easier not harder - to enable them to increase their face-to-face time with customers.
"The more time advisers can spend getting people into work, the greater the contribution they can make to saving public money."
A spokesperson for the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents Jobcentre Plus staff, told GC News: "The whole of the efficiency review is underpinned by IT, but it is quite clear that at Jobcentre Plus it has not been doing that and in some instances it has made life worse."
The report also criticises the Jobcentre Plus Direct call centre service, the first point of contact for clients. Although the ability to conduct much of an initial claim for benefits over the telephone can simplify the process and help people in rural areas, it can also create problems.
Clients with mental health difficulties or who do not speak English as a first language can find it more difficult to deal with a contact centre, rather than speaking to an adviser face to face.
"We have always said that if the government was true to its word about delivering better public services, then there would be choice. At Jobcentre Plus that choice has been whittled down to only the telephone," the PCS said.
Earlier this year the committee reported on the poor performance of the contact centre and said that in some areas both advisers and clients complained of delays in booking interviews and errors which delayed the payment of benefits.
Jobcentre Plus said performance has now "substantially improved", due to a revised process for handling first contact claims for benefits and the completed roll out of a national 0800 freephone service for all customers in May.
This article was originally published at Kablenet.
Kablenet's GC weekly is a free email newsletter covering the latest news and analysis of public sector technology. To register click here.


text:
More on Birds and Dinosaurs
The topic of the evolution of birds always interests NCSE readers, and so it was not surprising to find so many good questions in our mailbox that we thought it would be interesting to collect them all together and respond in a single column. First, however, I have to apologize to readers and thank John Ruben of Oregon State for pointing out a misstatement on my part. I said that some dinosaurs such as Beipiaosaurus and Sinosauropteryxhad beta-keratins in their integumentary coverings (RNCSE 2000; 20 [5]: 28-31). Sorry! Rather, the alvarezsaurid dinosaur Shuvuuia, which is close to oviraptorids, has beta-keratin in the filamentous, featherlike integumentary structures on its head (Schweitzer 2001). More importantly, like birds and unlike other reptiles, these structures lack the alpha-keratins found in reptile scales and all vertebrate skin. Beipiaosaurus and other feathered and "fringed" non-avian dinosaurs are in the same clade of birds and closely related theropod dinosaurs, but, contrary to what I noted, they have not yet been tested for keratins. They have the same kinds of integumentary structures, which appear to be homologous to the feathers on today's birds as well as to those of ancient birds such as Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis. Because all these animals have the same kinds of structures, and they are in the same clade of closely related animals, we infer that all these structures lacked alpha-keratins, and that hypothesis must be tested by future discoveries. I apologize for creating confusion: I was thinking of one animal and writing about another, and my fingers got ahead of my brain (or vice versa). For more information on feather biochemistry and evolution see Brush (2001 and his previous papers cited therein).
Readers Ask
What is a bird in the first place?
Any taxon, or group of organisms, has a definition and a diagnosis. The definition is expressed as a function of descent, or relationship. For example, most of us (but see papers in Gauthier and Gall 2001) define Aves as living birds, plus Archaeopteryx and every animal that evolved from the common ancestor of Archaeopteryx and living birds. This would include extinct forms such as Confuciusornis and Hesperornis (Cretaceous birds that are more distantly related to living groups) as well as birds such as the moa and the dodo (which are within the group of living birds).
The diagnosis of a taxon such as birds proceeds from the definition, in part, and it comprises the diagnostic features that were present in the common ancestor of the group as it is defined. What features did that common ancestor have that its relatives outside birds did not? These are the diagnostic features. To reason this out, we do not have to find the exact common ancestor. Rather, we infer from these features what the most basal ("primitive") members of the bird lineage shared that non-birds do not share.
As you can imagine, it is more difficult to give birds the easy diagnosis of "feathers," now that we have full-blown feathers on dinosaurs that are not birds but are closely related to them (and these feathers, like bird feathers, lack alpha-keratins). However, Archaeopteryx and the other basal birds had a full complement of flight feathers, with primary and secondary feathers, and they also had arms that were approximately as long as their legs, unlike their non-flying feathered dinosaurian relatives. There are other more technical features of the skull, vertebrae, girdles, and limbs that separate birds from other dinosaurs (see Padian and Chiappe 1998).
How did feathers evolve?
We are getting closer to a fuller understanding of how feathers evolved. The simplest structures that seem to be related structurally to feathers are seen in the dingy, furlike, thick covering of Sinosauropteryx and its relatives. The first specimens discovered were not preserved well enough to reveal what later discovered specimens did: that these structures were branched (Xu and others 1999). Moreover, there are several kinds of feathers, in addition to these fringe-like structures, on some related non-avian dinosaurs such as Caudipteryxand Protarchaeopteryx (Xu and others 2001; Padian and others 2001). Some of these are flattened, with vanes composed of highly aligned barbs, like typical bird feathers of today. Others have a more down-like aspect, and still others seem to be almost brush-like, gathered at the base into a distinct stalk. Archaeopteryx, the first known bird, preserves no evidence of the latter two types, but has fully developed flight feathers. Many beautifully preserved specimens of the early Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis seem to have a "halo" of feathers that are not flight feathers, but rather look like simpler filamentous structures. And the development of actual feathers has much in common with this evolutionary transition from branched, filamentous structures to vaned, barbed feathers. Of course, we have no records of the actual developmental patterns involved in these ancient structures, and there are many differences between them and the feathers of living birds, too.
Don't other extinct animals have feathers?
The bizarre integumentary structures of the (presumed diapsid) Triassic reptile Longisquama have recently been likened to feathers (Jones and others 2000), and have even been called "para-feathers" (Maderson and others 2001). They are long, frond-like structures, but their resemblance to feathers is superficial at best (Reisz and Sues 2000, 2001). They appear to have a central stalk with intermittent, internal pith-like structures superficially like feathers (and also to some plant stems). However, the vane-like structures on either side of the stalk appear to be solid, with wavy corrugations that lack barbs, and the whole thing is surrounded by a discrete band of tissue. The entire structure is not planar but three-dimensional. Nothing of their composition is known, and only one specimen is adequate to provide good details. For these reasons, although Longisquamahas been known for over 30 years, no one has considered its structures feathers or feather-like until recently, and this claim has not met much acceptance – to the contrary, there is considerable skepticism. Most qualified observers agree that the similarities to feathers are merely superficial. Because, as I noted in my previous piece, there is so little support for this hypothesis, Longisquama cannot be claimed to have feathers. Moreover, if these were feathers, birds should be closely related to Longisquama, but no one claims this or offers any additional evidence in support. So, if there is no relationship to birds, how can these be feathers?
How do we know that the feathered Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx are non-avian dinosaurs instead of secondarily flightless birds?
Good question, especially since they share some morphometric features with true birds (Jones and others 2000). They could indeed be flightless birds, but phylogenetic analyses of the entire range of skeletal features (as opposed to a few morphometric similarities) do not imply this. Caudipteryx is considered related to the oviraptorids by several independent studies (reviewed in Sereno 2001). Isolated morphometric features are interesting, but they have to be assessed as part of a phylogenetic analysis before we can use them to help to determine relationships. Sometimes these similarities are misleading. For example, hummingbirds have unusually short wings, even for their size. Their backs have not become longer, though, and we know this because we can compare a lot of different measurements in the skeletons of other birds related to hummingbirds to demonstrate that it is the wings that have shortened. We also have an explanation: hummingbirds produce lift on both upstroke and downstroke, which are far more symmetrical actions than in other birds. Like any features, morphometric ratios can change, often for very different reasons. We must examine the context of the morphometric difference in order to use it as a character in phylogenetic analyses.
What if these specimens are all faked?
Indeed. Was not National Geographic embarrassed by the specimen of "Archaeoraptor" that turned out to be a mixture of two or more animals assembled by the Chinese villagers who sold the specimen? Yes, but the specimen was still being studied by computerized tomography (CT-scan) to check just this question whenNational Geographic went ahead with its report. The specimen was never described scientifically, the artifice was quickly discovered (Rowe 2001), and part of the find became the new small dromaeosaur Microraptor (Xu and others 2000). For details on the history of this specimen, see Padian (2000). Tampering has come to be almost automatically suspected in many cases of specimens discovered from certain areas, because they are collected and prepared by local people who know that more complete or more attractive specimens will bring more money when sold to commercial fossil dealers. When there is doubt, the pieces are disassembled, more closely examined microscopically, and CT-scanned if possible. Usually this happens only when there is reason to suspect that some features are unexpected or out of proportion.
Birds are said to have fingers that represent II, III, and IV of the pentadactyl hand, whereas theropod dinosaurs have I, II and III, so they cannot possibly be related, can they?
Some inferences from limb development have been used to support this conclusion (Burke and Feduccia 1997). However, no bird embryo appears with the developmental precursors of all 5 fingers (and not simply the cartilage condensations associated with the developing digits). Unfortunately the remaining 4 fingers do not come with numbers on them, so this evidence is inconclusive. Sadly, we have no prospects of developmental series from Mesozoic dinosaurs. What we do have, however, is a robust phylogeny of archosaurian reptiles (Padian and Chiappe 1997, 1998; see accompanying figure) that shows (on the basis of trees constructed from many other characters) how the hand was reduced from a 5-fingered ancestor. In all archosaurs (including crocodiles) the 4th and 5th digits are smaller than the other two. In the first dinosaurs this is still true; in theropods the 5th is at first reduced to a nubbin (Dilophosaurus) and then lost, and the 4th is only represented by the metacarpal (palm bone). This too is lost in all more derived theropods, in which only I, II, and III are preserved. III is lost in tyrannosaurs, and both III and II are lost or greatly reduced in alvarezsaurids such asMononykus. What is interesting is that the three digits of Archaeopteryx and the other birds preserve the exact forms, proportions, numbers of phalanges, and wrist connections as those of the three-fingered theropod dinosaurs. Coincidence? Not likely.
However, there may be a resolution even to the embryological problem. Wagner and Gauthier (1999) suggested that a mutation may have shifted the embryological II-III-IV series in theropods to a I-II-III position such as we see in living birds. A plausible mechanism, based on other developmental examples; it remains to be seen whether tangible evidence in this case will emerge.
What's the take-home message?
Glad you asked. We often encounter creationist arguments that science cannot be authoritative because scientists disagree about the answers to many major questions. Science does not command unanimity or even consensus; as scientists, we do not have to (and should not) accept conclusions that we do not understand or have no expertise in. Though science does not demand consensus, the fact is that science does produce consensus – not by commanding it, and not by ignoring important discrepancies among positions, but by working hard to answer unanswered questions and find conclusive evidence. Most of all, science works by conducting scientific business out in the open in the forum of peer-reviewed scientific research literature. The consensus is not forced but persuaded. However, there is no rule that scientists have to agree. A corollary is that the fact that not everyone agrees on a conclusion does not mean that the conclusion is incorrect. We like to say that science is open-minded but not empty-headed. Contrary ideas and opinions can be held; no vote is taken, no censure given to those who disagree.
However, as conclusions become stronger, the bar becomes higher for those who wish objections to be taken seriously. They have more evidence to explain away. They have to come up with a better hypothesis that explains all that evidence and more. And they have to show us that they are using methods of science that the community of scientists in that field accepts. I made the argument that in the case of the origin of birds, the vocal opponents (who actually are far fewer than their representation in the "even-handed" media suggests) do not treat the vast majority of evidence that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs; they have no rival hypothesis to be tested; and although they do not use cladistic analysis (which is standard for all branches of systematic biology), they do not provide or justify a better method. This debate, which began scientifically in the modern sense in 1973, has gotten to the point where it is no longer scientific, for the reasons just noted.
Many creationists use a literal reading of the Bible as a litmus test for scientific pronouncements. This reading is their authority in all matters, and so it is sometimes difficult for them to understand how science can be authoritative if it is not authoritarian (that is, if there is no governing body deciding the validity of scientific conclusions). How can scientists disagree about something this important and expect us to respect their work? As I noted previously, the scientists involved in this debate do not disagree that birds evolved from reptiles; the questions are which reptiles and how. However, not all views are equally supported by evidence or equally justified by methods. In 1971 we could easily say that the origin of birds was an open question; this is much more difficult to say in 2001. On the other hand, most scientists from many disciplines used to think, on the basis of good evidence, that there was no way that the continents could move.
Thanks again to John Ruben, Brent Warner, Steve Hunter, Alan Brush, John Hutchinson, and other correspondents for good questions and information.
>Brush AH. The beginnings of feathers. In: Gauthier JA, Gall LF, eds. New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. p 171-180.
Burke AC, Feduccia A. Developmental patterns and the identification of homologies in the avian hand. Science1997; 278: 666-8.
Gauthier JA, Gall LF, eds. New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
Jones TD, Ruben JA, Martin LD, Kurochkin EN, Feduccia A, Maderson PFA, Hillenius WJ, Geist NR, Alifanov V. Nonavian feathers in a Late Triassic archosaur. Science 2000; 288: 2202-5.
Jones TD, Farlow JO, Ruben JA, Henderson DM, Hillenius WJ. Cursoriality in bipedal archosaurs. Nature 2000; 406: 716-8.
Maderson PFA, Hillenius WJ, Martin LD, Ruben JA, Jones TD, Geist NR. Reconstructing Longisquama skin. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 2001; 21 (3, suppl.): 76A.
Padian K. Feathers, fakes, and fossil dealers: How the commercial sale of fossils erodes science and education.Paleontologica Electronica. http://palaeo-electronica.org/2000_2/editor/padian.htm. Last accessed February 7, 2002.
Padian K, Chiappe LM. Bird origins. In Currie PJ, Padian K, eds. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. San Diego: Academic Press, 1997. p 71-9.
Padian K, Chiappe LM. The origin and early evolution of birds. Biological Reviews 1998; 73: 1-42.
Padian K, Ji Q, Ji S-A. Feathered dinosaurs and the origin of flight. In: Carpenter K, Tanke D, eds. Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Bloomington (IN): Indiana University Press, 2001. p 117-35.
Reisz RR, Sues H-D. The "feathers" of Longisquama. Nature 2000; 408: 428.
Reisz RR, Sues H-D. Longisquama does not have feathers. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 2001; 21 (3, suppl.): 92A.
Rowe, T. The Archaeoraptor forgery: A high-resolution X-ray CT analysis. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology2001; 21 (3, suppl.): 95A.
Schweitzer MH. Evolutionary implications of possible protofeather structures associated with a specimen ofShuvuuia deserti. In: Gauthier JA, Gall LF, eds. New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. p 181-92.
Sereno PC. Alvarezsaurids: Birds or ornithomimosaurs? In: Gauthier JA, Gall LF, eds. New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001, p 69-98.
Wagner GP, Gauthier JA. 1,2,3 = 2,3,4: A solution to the problem of the homology of the digits in the avian hand. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 1999; 96: 5111-6.
Xu X, Zhou Z, Wang X. The smallest known non-avian theropod dinosaur. Nature 2000; 408: 705-8.
Xu X, Zhou Z-H, Prum RO. Branched integumental structures in Sinornithosaurus and the origin of feathers.Nature 2001; 410: 200-4.
About the Author(s):
Kevin Padian
University of California Museum of Paleontology
Berkeley CA 94720-4780
Author(s): Kevin Padian, NCSE President Volume: 21 Issue: 5–6 Year: 2001 Date: September–December Page(s): 33–37


text:
During an intensive development period, the SMD2 was developed with the help of professional downhill riders. The enty-level model of the SMD2 Series is highlighted by its robust and stable CroMo rails. The entire surface design follows a tilted saddle orientation and offers the rider complete freedom of movement over the bike. The guidance of the bike with the inner leg is improved through the circumferential padding found on the edges of the saddle. Clearance at the rear of the saddle allows for undisrupted tire and suspension travel.
- Shell: nylon composite
- Uses: MTB, gravity, downhill
|Manufacturer's Part Number
|Vendor Number
|Black / One Size


text:
Sign Up for Our Monthly Asia Newsletter
I accept the T&C and Privacy Policy.
Given the frenetic pace that accompanies a casino-based destination such as Macau, a visitor might be excused for not expecting to find an exceptional culinary scene boasting truly elegant settings. But that's just one pleasant surprise awaiting visitors to this distinctive Chinese city-state.
At last count, there were more than 1,000 restaurants in the city. Of that number, the "2014 Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau" listed 74 starred restaurants in Macau. One restaurant, The Eight, in the Grand Lisboa Hotel, was added to the list in recent weeks and accorded three stars. Many restaurants boast chefs trained in Michelin-starred restaurants abroad, and it's impossible to categorize the creative and diverse fare as Chinese, Western or even Macanese, a distinctive combination of Portuguese and Chinese cooking.
Even experts in the culinary arts are amazed at the scope and quality of Macau's fine dining.
"In the past six or so years there has been a complete transformation of Macau's restaurant scene," said Jean Alberti, a professional chef and restaurant writer who owned two restaurants in San Francisco before moving to Macau.
Perhaps a decade ago the city was quite provincial, Alberti recalls, with little cuisine of merit. But that's all changed.
"With every new luxury resort hotel that opens, perhaps 60 more restaurants open. It's pretty amazing," said Alberti.
Since the overwhelming majority of visitors to Macau are from China, Japan and other countries in Southeast Asia, it follows that the city has an especially strong range of cuisine from those countries. In fact, visitors who are curious about cuisines that are distinct to specific regions of China or other countries in Asia are in luck — they can find Cantonese, Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai and Hongkongese menus. There are also restaurants that specialize in Taiwanese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Burmese, Vietnamese, Thai and Spanish fare. Of course, there are many offering Portuguese and Macanese specialties and, of course, Western menus as well.
Top SpotsStand-alone restaurants can be found throughout the area, but fine-dining menus by world-class chefs, with presentations that are practically works of art, are mostly located in Macau's major hotels.
For a distinctive Chinese cuisine experience, visitors will enjoy the Xin restaurant in the Sheraton Macau. Xin (meaning "fresh") elevates the familiar hot pot. Here each diner has his or her own pot and selects the specific type of broth desired, as well as a choice of ingredients.
At Jade Dragon, in the City of Dreams, executive chef Kwok Fung specializes in menus that reflect the best ingredients of each season. In the Galaxy Macau's Gosto, authentic Portuguese fare, mainly seafood, is one specialty of chef de cuisine Mario Gil.
The Grand Lisboa Hotel offers one of the largest buffet selections in the region, with more than 200 dishes on offer. The diner has such mouth-watering choices as roast rib eye, Mongolian barbecue beef or roasted pork.
The charming Albergue 1601, located in the heart of old Macau, offers a far more intimate dining experience. Lunch or dinner here is a true Macau experience, as the establishment offers a Mediterranean menu, with such specialties as jumbo scallops with garlic and Portuguese sausage and entrees that include African chicken, salted codfish with eggs and shredded potato fries and stuffed cabbage rolls.
As a result of the culinary revolution that has swept through Macau, the city-state offers distinctive dining venues in addition to gaming and historic attractions, giving visitors a truly well-rounded experience.
Albergue 1601www.albergue1601.com
Cotai Strip Resorts Macaowww.cotaistrip.com/en
Macau Government Tourist Officewww.macautourism.gov.mo
Sands Macaowww.sandsmacao.com
Sheraton Macaowww.sheratonmacao.com


text:
Fresh off its acquisition by a French industrial giant, Sage Electrochromics has finished building a $150 million factory in Faribault, Minn., and is poised to ramp up sales of its variable-tint glass. And reap its first profits.
The market for smart glass is expected to grow eightfold to nearly $700 million by 2020, according to recent report by Pike Research. Sage's technology, which alters light transmission with a flip of a switch, offers energy savings on lighting, heating and cooling, especially in large buildings.
Sage, now a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, a French building products company with $54 billion in annual sales, believes the market could be even bigger. And for now, Sage stands to be the key player.
"They see this as the future of glass," Sage founder and CEO John Van Dine said of the company's new owners.
For Faribault, a city of 23,450 people located 50 miles south of the Twin Cities, the project already is creating well-paying jobs, and promises more.
"This is the largest economic development project that the city has done in recent years, probably ever," said Faribault's community development director, Peter Waldock, who helped assemble $13.6 million in state and local loans and incentives. "This is new technology. ... We hope to see it grow."
Van Dine founded Sage in New York in 1989, and moved it nearly a decade later to Minnesota, which he calls "the Silicon Valley of the window industry" because it's home to windowmakers like Andersen, Marvin and Viracon. Saint-Gobain acquired 100 percent of Sage in May.
SageGlass has been produced at a smaller, adjacent plant in Faribault since 2004, and used widely in skylights. But for commercial building windows, it's remained a niche product, installed in projects ranging from a truck weigh station in Wyoming to a college library in White Bear Lake to a wind turbine factory in Kansas.
Windows using SageGlass don't need shades or blinds to reduce glare. Sunlight is controlled by sending electric current to a patented electrochromic film applied on the inside of the double or triple panes. Even when set to maximum tint, the windows offer a view outside.
Yet the windows have had major disadvantages -- higher cost compared to conventional glass, relatively small panel sizes and only one tint color, blue. Van Dine said those drawbacks will disappear when glass starts rolling off the new plant's automated production lines next year.
The new factory will produce glass in a range of color tints, with panel sizes up to 5 feet by 10 feet, he said. The glass will cost less -- about $45 to $55 per square foot -- thanks to economies of scale, and the goal is to be "price neutral" against the combined cost of conventional glass and window treatments, he said.
"Everyone who has ever seen our glass says they want it," said Van Dine, who expects Sage to make a profit in 18 months after production begins next year.
Market to take off?
Smart glass has a high "cool factor." But it has cost two to three times more then conventional glass, said Eric Bloom, senior research analyst for Pike Research and co-author of a recent report on the smart glass market. If prices drop after the opening of new factories like Sage's, Bloom said, the glass should gain broader acceptance.
"Smart glass is the first innovation in the history of glass that transforms glass from a passive to an active technology in a building," Bloom said.
Denver architect Paul Hutton, who advocates building designs relying on natural light, said variable-tint windows can be tied to automated controls to boost efficiency of lighting, cooling and heating.
"Daylight is free and electricity is expensive," said Hutton, principal in Hutton Architecture Studio. "If we are very careful with how we use daylight in a building, we can use it to substitute for electric lights. It can be among the most important energy efficiency strategies in a large building."
Hutton turned to SageGlass to solve an unusual design problem -- workers at a new Wyoming truck-weighing station needed a glare-free view of the highway and incoming trucks.
"Any kind of window blinds was too much of an obstruction," he said. "We needed to find another way to let them see what's going on yet prevent them from being blinded by the sun."
Several competitors offer other types of smart glass, though electrochromic glass represents a major share of the market segment and Sage argues it is the most controllable. One other electrochromic glass company, California-based Soladigm, looms as a major competitor, with a plant under construction in Mississippi.
Sage already adding jobs
Sage has ramped up hiring for the new factory, and production lines are now being tested.
The company expects to have 140 production workers when the plant is fully staffed, and about 250 for the entire company. That's up from 65 production workers at the existing plant and 137 total employees, the company said.
Sage's production process begins with raw glass purchased from a supplier. It applies electrochromic, or variable-tint, layers to the glass, then cuts panels to size, adds controls and seals the panes into window units.
Sage doesn't produce window frames, though it sells SageGlass units to Marvin Windows of Warroad for insert into custom-order products. Van Dine said the company is talking with other window makers to add SageGlass to their products.
Computer workstations, sealed chambers, glass cutters, conveyors and robots are scattered across the Faribault factory floor. Basic production work will pay about $13 per hour, but other jobs requiring technical training will pay more, up to $80,000 a year for engineers, the company said.
Some existing workers will move over from the adjacent existing plant, which is being converted into a research center, Van Dine said.
After Saint-Gobain acquired full ownership of Sage, Van Dine said, the global company shifted all its electrochromic glass efforts to the U.S. subsidiary, abandoning plans for a factory in France and centralizing marketing of the new product in Faribault.
"This new facility is not only going to employ people in Minnesota, but is going to ship this product around the world," Van Dine said.
David Shaffer • 612-673-7090


text:
Mackie VLZ3 Series in stock now
We know it's hard to believe, but Mackie have designed a new line of Mackie mixers that improves on the legendary performance of our highly acclaimed VLZ-Pro compacts. Their engineers burned the late-night oil and extracted even more headroom and frequency response the soon-to-be famous XDR2™ preamps. Then they tweaked the channel EQ for optimal performance and built an even better Mix Bus. After the dust settled, and after some much needed sleep, they unveiled the new VLZ3 Series—mixers with individual mic pre THD below 0.0007%, and overall THD less than 0.0025%. (In case you're not an electronics engineer, that means they're incredibly quiet!)
The Mackie VLZ3 Series builds on the features and functionality of previous VLZs, and they sound and look better than ever. And the new universal switching power supply means you can use these mixers anywhere in the world, without investing your life's savings in bizarre voltage adapters. The Mackie mixers you've come to know and love are now even more perfect than perfect.
Whats more we have these increadable mixers in stock now!


text:
Forum | << BookCrossing Site Announcements | << Parent Thread | Refresh | Search
Sort Options
Complete Thread
[Edited to reflect a few months of additional delay. :-/ ]
In June or July 2014 - it depends on when we actually receive them - Release Bags will be available in the BookCrossing Store again!
We will offer one size only, for the time being: 21 x 26 cm (~ 8.5 x 10.5" ).
A preview of the new layout will be AVL shortly.
== Multilanguage
We'll start with English and German bags.
We are preparing to offer the bags also in a few more languages but haven't yet decided which languages that will be. It's a bit difficult: We have to order a pretty significant number of each language to get a halfway reasonable price. But we cannot just go by level of activity in your country or even by the number of wild releases. We think it's safe to assume that in warm and dry countries the need for plastic bags for outdoor releases is much lower then e.g. in northern countries like Finland (yes, Finish probably is a strong candidate for your own release bags - or maybe a Scandinavian edition with several languages on one bag.).
If you can manage to organize a group order of at least three to five thousand bags in your language that would help getting your language into the store! More on this below.
== Pricing
Currently I can't give you final numbers (they are just not yet finally decided upon).
I *think* it will be around or even slightly lower then their price had been years ago (some 20 $-cent per bag, if I remember correctly). We still have to figure out how to deal with the shipping costs since those bags are pretty heavy and bulky in shipment. Probably part of these costs will go into their retail price. Of course volume discounts will apply, as usual.
== Pre-Order / Group-Order
We are considering offering a significant discount for large orders (say: minimum 500 or even 1000 bags) that are placed and paid well in advance. The price might get as low as 12 $-cent per bag (plus actual shipping costs). The idea is that some BookCrosser in a region places the order and then distributes the bags to others either by mail or even personally (e.g. at meetings).
We are not sure it really makes sense for the English (and German?) bags (now waiting for your feedback ;-> ), but it may be very interesting for the "small" languages. As indicated above it might help bring your language into the store if you can arrange group orders of a significant volume.
We'll decide upon and provide more details after we've done some more research - and after we've seen some of your feedback.
Let's hope the gods of speedy printing and delivery are in our favour. :-)
Hi Moem,
Any chance of getting any Dutch bags? I'd be happy to pre-order a 100 bags or so.
Hi Moem,To have a batch of bags printed for a reasonable price we'd have to order some ten to twenty *thousand* bags with the same layout - at least ... :-/
We think it's safe to assume that in warm and dry countries the need for plastic bags for outdoor releases is much lower then e.g. in northern countries like Finland (yes, Finish probably is a strong candidate for your own release bags - or maybe a Scandinavian edition with several languages on one bag.).
This is what I've been dreaming of - never thought it would come true, though. Release bags in Finnish, or in Finnish and Swedish (practically all Scandinavians - which Finns really aren't - do understand Swedish, I think) would be a dream come true. Yesh! Can't wait for the day...
practically all Scandinavians - which Finns really aren'tMmmmmaybe we should put Estonian - and possibly even Hungarian - on these bags, too ... ;-)
And, btw, if no one has said this in a while:
3 cheers for Ardik!
And, btw, if no one has said this in a while:
3 cheers for Ardik!
At least 3. But really lots more!!
Let me add in my YAY!
I love the bags :) I hope to see a return of many of the items the store use to have.
Well, I'm afraid most of them did not sell well enough for us to start stocking them again. But for some of them, we are working on ways to offer them.
Very good, thank you :)
Good news!
I will report to the spanish group and keep you informed :D
This was the one thing I was really missing from the supply store
I'm in Winnipeg in the middle of Canada so the climate reasons for release bags are obvious but even more I like them because they really help give the books visibility. My catch rate is over 20% and I attribute that to using release bags a great deal.
Fantastic! I'm sure these help releases to be seen and they are certainly needed for the inclement and unpredictable British climate.
Is there somewhere in England from where they can be ordered, please?
Is there somewhere in England from where they can be ordered, please?
You can just order them from the Supply Store once they arrive. There isn't a separate Store for every country, but there is a European branch now, and whatever you order there will be sent to you from within the EU.
Thanks for all your hard work. The bags were very popular at the Leeds Convention. I tend to use cheap food bags for my children's book tree and the real bags for adult books (who need a bit more tempting that it's not a con or religious matter).
I have been missing those for the geocaching releases that I've been doing! :)
Looking forward to those, as bad weather knocks at the door. :)
Thank you AGAIN for all your hard work. ("You" meaning the whole support team, of course.)
Finally. In January or February 2014 - it depends on when we actually receive them - Release Bags will be available in the BookCrossing Store again!
Not yet...
I just ordered some World Book Night and some International BookCrossing Day bookplates from the Supply Store, but didn't see any release bags yet.
The bags will not arrive before June.
The seriously embarrassing part is that this is mostly caused by some mis-communication on my end which I happened to realize just recently.
I'm very sorry and sincerely apologize for this additional delay. Of course we wanted to have them available well before the Convention and before BookCrossing Day.
I'll post an update as soon as I know more details, which might happen in a week or two.
Thanks for the update...i will endeavor to be patient ;)
I love these bags, especially for outdoor releasing in such a rainy climate as Manchester, Uk!
Thank you! I've missed them and will definitely order a lot! Even on sunny days I use some kind of plastic bag 'cause here in Norway you never know when the weather will change and we release books in any kind of weather all year around.
If you decide on a scandinavian edition I would be even happier.
...where cann i Buy some of those Releasbags?
Becaus i would Travel ti Edingbourgh this September!
Greetings from Berlin Germany!
...where cann i Buy some of those Releasbags?
See above from Ardik:
The bags will not arrive before June.
The bags will not arrive before June.
And once they arrive, you can buy them in the Store.
I have only one bag left after creating a Booktree in the forest on the international BC day!
I was looking for information about how to Get some more BC plastic Bags with zip on. It's great to read they will comeback in the store. I love to do wild release and the Bags are so usefull! Glad to learn the new Bags will be back early in summer! I do hope the europeian store will have them as well..? Please tell us as soon as we can order them! Thank you very much!
I do hope the europeian store will have them as well..?
Yes, because there is only one Store. The European branch never had, and never will have, a separate Store.
Everything the Store sells is available to all members, all over the world.
I have an order to place with the store and just noticed this post. I'm going to wait until the bags arrive in the store to place the order. Can't wait!!
You didn't sell out while I was on vacation and AFK, did you? ;)
We received word from the vendor:
The bags are currently cruising the seven seas and are expected to arrive in early September. That would mean we'll have them ready in the store probably in the 2nd week of September.
Good to know they're at least getting closer!
Great news! I got a couple of Bags as a RABCK from another member and used two in the rainy outdoor releases I made today. So I'm quite "needy" just now, autumn coming up and all, it will be very fine to get more BC bags to use in this season. Thank you for all the work you do to support us in this wonderfull hobby or lifestyle!
You'll start seeing them in the store this weekend.
We'll start with a few options to order big amounts for a significantly lower price and we will add the regular amounts / prices a bit later.
Expect the final price to be roughly around 20ct (US-$) per bag.
Thank you for the update!!


text:
People just can't get enough of Tux, the world-renowned penguin mascot of Linux. I'm saying this because my collection of "30 Coolest and Funniest Tux Icons" has already received a mind-blowing number of hits in just a short period of time. Because of that, I decided to give Tux lovers another treat by handing out my list of twenty-five coolest, funniest, and maybe cutest Tux wallpapers. So without any more delay, here they are:
Note: click on the images to see full size
Note: click on the images to see full size
1. Tux Pirate
2. Black Tux
3. Stone Age Tux
4. Tiny Tux
5. Star Wars Tux
6. Rocket Tux
7. Prisoner Tux
8. Homer Tux
9. Evil Tux
10. Grammatically Incorrect Tux Pirate
11. iPhone Tux
12. Tux Art
13. Gambler Tux
14. Techie Tux
15. Apple-eating Tux
16. Tux of Zorro
17. Sky Tux-apple
18. Tux Guevara
19. South Park Tux
20. Tux Graffiti
21. Glowing Tux
22. Silver Tux
23. Killer Tux
24. Tux World
25. Giant Tux
You may also want to checkout my other wallpaper collections:
*20 Coolest Linux Distro-themed Wallpapers
*25 Coolest Linux Wallpapers
Random Entries: Minimalist Wallpapers


text:
Organic chemistry: Carboxylic acids (4)
Organic chemistry: Acidity of carboxylic acids; ranking compounds in order of acidity; acid/base reactions with carboxylic acids; extraction (laboratory separation technique). Carbonation (reaction of Grignard reagent with carbon dioxide to form carboxylic acid). Reduction of carboxylic acids with lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4) to form alcohols. Reaction of carboxylic acids with SOCl2 (thionyl chloride) to form acyl chlorides. Decarboxylation This is a recording of a tutoring session, posted with the students permission. These videos are offered on a "pay-what-you-like" basis. You can pay for the use of the videos at my website: http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm For a printable document containing the handout discussed in this video series, go to my website. For a list of all the available video series, arranged in suggested viewing order, go to my website. For a playlist containing all the videos in this series, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29wmkO2IV2g&feature=PlayList&p=7AC3C75B787B59E8&index=0&playnext=1 (1) Acidity of carboxylic acids (2) Continued. Ranking compounds in order of acidity (3) Continued (4) Continued. Acid/base reactions of carboxylic acids (5) Continued (6) Extraction (laboratory separation technique) (7) Carbonation (attack of Grignard reagent on carbon dioxide to form carboxylic acid) (8) Reduction of aldehydes and ketones with lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4) or sodium borohydride (NaBH4) to form alcohols (9) Reduction of carboxylic acids with lithium aluminum hydride to form alcohols (10) Continued (11) Reaction of carboxylic acid with SOCl2 (thionyl chloride) to form acyl chloride (12) Continued (13) Decarboxylation (14) Continued
Length: 11:00


text:
(NewsUSA) – Staying active is key to a quality lifestyle — whether it's taking in a sporting event, frolicking at a resort, or just catching up with friends over lunch. But there's no denying you lose a lot of that "quality" if you can't see clearly.
If you're like many people over the age of 40 who find themselves struggling to focus on close objects or small print — including everything from smart phones to restaurant menus — you may be developing a vision issue known as presbyopia.
Presbyopia is the gradual loss of the eye's ability to actively focus on close objects. It occurs with the natural course of aging — generally around the age of 40 — and requires some form of vision correction.
Common symptoms include:
* The need to hold reading material at arm's length
* Blurred vision at a normal reading distance
* Headaches or fatigue from doing close work
Sound familiar?
Your eye care professional can help select the best and most comfortable vision-correction option for you. But one effective option to correct presbyopia is specially designed multifocal contact lenses.
Air Optix Aqua Multifocal contact lenses, for example, not only can deliver clear vision, but also fit easily into your daily routine — whether you're at work, home, away on business, or even playing sports. All while providing all-day comfort and helping you look your best.
When selecting multifocal contact lenses:
Be patient: The brain needs to learn how to adapt to new or different contact lens prescriptions. Because Air Optix Aqua Multifocal contact lenses are designed to help correct vision issues for all distances, near through far, correcting presbyopia takes time.
Know what to expect: Your eye care professional can help you understand and set expectations about the fitting process, which is important in achieving vision satisfaction. This includes testing the contact lenses over one to two weeks.
All-day comfort is key: The material contact lenses are made of is important. So be sure to consult with your ECP about lenses that are made of materials that have been shown to maintain their comfort even after the end of a month of wear, which is key to satisfaction.
For more information on presbyopia or multifocal contact lenses, or to download a coupon for a free trial of Air Optix Aqua Multifocal contact lenses, visit www.airoptix.com.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


text:
Event Coverage
FASHION WEEK: Orlando Pita Flatirons Braids at Derek Lam
Derek Lam's shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week always draw large crowds--they are always one of the most popular, most talked-about shows and for good reason--this designer knows how to wow.
He called upon Fashion Week king Orlando Pita for T3 and Phyto to create the look for this season's show. "The collection is called Bohemian Minimalism," Pita says, "though the hair is shaped, it still has texture."
To begin, the hair was sectioned into three-inch wide parts and sprayed with Phyto Workable Holding Spray and dried with the T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i Dryer. Then, eight braids are created around the head and flatironed with a T3 SinglePass Flat Iron. The braids are left to cool and then brushed out with slight back teasing. Then, it's finished with a severe center part and pinned behind both ears.
While we talked with Pita about the look, I couldn't help but think back to being a kid, going to sleep with braids in my wet hair so I could wake up to texture.
"I was a teenager in the '70s during the disco era, and all my girlfriends would sleep with rag-curls in their hair and even sometimes little braids to get a crimped textured look with a side pony," Pita says. "It's such a fun look."
The make-up was designed by Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder with, obviously, the lip being a major focal point. To design the lip use the following colors: Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in Burnished Bronze, Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer in Electric Wine, and Pure Color Stay-On Eye Shadow Paint in Sinister.
"On the eyes, we've created a 'ray of light' using nude grays--sort of a stripe from eyebrow to eye lashes," Pecheux says. "We didn't do an eyebrow or a mascara. Without a defined brow, it creates a sort of casualness. Very few designers are so talented--and Derek is one of them. What makes him good, of course he has his creative energy and design, but he has this respect of women. WHen you add this minimalistic flavor with incredible material he makes women look very feminine and luxurious and ample."
Nails: Jin Soon Choi for Estée Lauder


text:
chuckylefrek needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 73 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
Layour required for website listing pet friendly accommodation, pubs, beaches and other places. I am seeking a mockup of the homepage design. I do not require any html coding.
The most important elements are the photo and the search form and a good color scheme.
Please read the discussion for further info
Pets Welcome.net
We require the design of a layout for a pet travel directory site. Essentially it is the design of the homepage we require but this should contain elements that all pages of the site can share such as the header with logo, navigation menu etc.
The main features on the home page will be a striking image and a search form.
The site is aimed towards people who own a dog and are seeking places to go or stay with their dog. It therefore is aimed at a predominantly adult audience. Initially the site will be aimed at the UK only so please bear this in mind when choosing photos etc. For example I don't want a photo of a dog in Time Square in New York:)
I have 2 different logo designs:
I think the horizontal logo would work best on the header but if you feel the round one will work better with your design please go for it.
I do not mind if you need to change the color of the logo to fit in with your design. If you need an illustrator version of the logo then please PM me with your email address and I will send it to you.
I want the design to have a really striking photo / photos. I am happy to buy the photos from the image library assuming they are not too expensive but please PM me with details of any photos you need. It is essential any photos used are not stolen from other sites so you will need to let me know the source of any photos used.
The theme for photos is obviously pets. The site will be primarily listing pet friendly accommodation such as hotels, guest houses, campsites but it will also list pet friendly pubs and beaches. Even know it is called Pets Welcome, it will in reality mainly be dogs that people take away with them so you will probably find it easier to use a photo with only dogs in it.
Ideas for photos:
Dog in a hotel
Dog in a caravan
Dog(s) on a beach (walking / playing / sunbathing)
Dog(s) camping
Dog(s) in a pub / bar
Dog(s) in trunk/boot of car with suitcases
The photo should portray a happy dog(s). May work best to include at least one person with the dog. A loving pet owner or perhaps a happy family.
I think the photo will make or break the design so please try and use really great photos!!
I envisage the homepage design as follows:
Fixed width centered design with curved outer edges (bottom right very curved like in the http://www.millets.co.uk/ site). Possibly a little bit of drop shadow too on the outer edge if that works with your design.
A header (maximum 100 pixels) including the logo on the left hand side and a link to register and login on the top right of the header. A tag line could be included too but as I don't have one yet, don't worry too much about this.
A horizontal navigation bar with variable width buttons / tabs. Please ensure the design includes at least 7 bttons / tabs.
Here are some button titles to use for now:
Days out
Add Listing
A really good photograph(s) possibly taking up the entire width of the site (960 pixels). If you want to include a few photographs I can make a flash or gif slideshow to fade in and out of the photos.
I was thinking you could include some search boxes overlaying the image. Possibly somethink similar in style to those on http://www.enjoyengland.com/ Or alternatively you could left / right justify the image and put the search boxes to the side of the image.
Below the image area, the page content will be divided up into 3 columns as follows:
Left hand side Column Width: 240px
Middle Column Width: 480px
Right hand side Column Width: 240px
Within these columns I would like to include the following sections:
Would you like to advertise your business on PetsWelcome.net for FREE? Thousands of pet lovers search this site every day in search of Pet Friendly places to stay and places to go. Click here to add the details of your business.
Help promote your Pets Welcome business with the aid of one of our FREE fantastic sticker designs. Click here for details.
Btw the sticker design will be the same as the logo so if you want to include this image here, please do. It is not crucial though. Whatever works best with your design.
Welcome to PetsWelcome.net, the website containing essential information on places to stay with your pet, places to eat or drink with your pet as well as a huge variety of exciting places to visit with your pet.
This could include several listings for places to stay in a style similar to the listings here http://www.enjoyengland.com/stay/
This could include several listings for pubs where pets are welcome in a style similar to the listings here http://www.enjoyengland.com/stay/
This could include several listings for pet friendly days out in
a style similar to the listings here http://www.enjoyengland.com/stay/
This could include either a vertical banner advertisement or google ads.
The above is not set in stone but is a rough idea of the kind of content I want in these columns below the image. The columns also do not necessarily need to be exactly as I specified above. Just do whatever works best with the content and your design.
I prefer white / light backgrounds for text areas so please do not make all the columns have dark coloured backgrounds with white text.
Footer (with very curvy bottom right similar to http://www.millets.co.uk/)
With regards the search form(s), as the site will allow you to search for accommodation OR pubs OR beaches OR other places, it could either use one generic search box with a drop down of types of places and a text input field for location. Alternatively it could use several small search boxes like on the http://www.enjoyengland.com site. Whatever works best with your design.
Hopefully that is enough information to get you going. Please ask if you have any more questions.
I really like the design of the Millets site http://www.millets.co.uk/
Photos used must be Royalty Free and not too expensive. If you are unsure about the cost of the photo please ask me about it.
Please read the discussion for further info
- Width 960 pixels
- Rounded corners
- Royalty Free Photo
- Well designed and prominent form
- Great colour scheme with all design elements considered
- Originality
- Form must be visible when viewing at 1024 by 768
- Not keen on bevels
- No Rights Managed Photos
- Copying each others designs


text:
It's the No. 1 question of the spring season in Rolla. Although there are plenty of other winter annuals invading lawns and gardens this spring, the top three have been Common Chickweed, Purple Deadnettle and Henbit.
It's the No. 1 question of the spring season in Rolla. Although there are plenty of other winter annuals invading lawns and gardens this spring, the top three have been Common Chickweed, Purple Deadnettle and Henbit.
And yet another example of the effects of last year's drought. Many lawns in the area, which had previously been thick with grass, died back due to the drought causing more bare patches in lawns to receive more sunlight.
This occurred at the opportune time for annual broadleaf weeds such as chickweed and henbit to germinate and get established last fall and early winter.
Once sprouted and established, those weeds bolted this spring producing a flush of growth which seemed to carpet every lawn and garden in the city.
Common Chickweed (Stellaria media), Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), and Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) are all annual broadleaf weeds which germinate in the fall and complete their life cycle in the spring when they go to seed.
By the time the temperatures start to rise, these weeds will gradually diminish in the lawns around Rolla. Already, when I went to get photos for this article, chickweed and henbit were starting to decline along the Deible Loop Trail.
"How do you get rid of winter annual broadleaf weeds in your lawn?"
Recently the MU-Extension horticulture specialists from around the state discussed the control and preventative measures for these winter annuals which are plaguing not just Phelps County, but the entire state of Missouri. The conclusion was as follows.
Since most of the winter annuals such as chickweed have already gone to seed and completed their life cycle, the best immediate solution for this year is to continue to mow your lawns at an appropriate height or hand rake, hoe or till under the weeds in your gardens. The plants thrive in cool weather and will diminish as temperatures begin to get warmer.
The best way to prevent a population explosion of winter annuals occurring next year is to re-establish a thick lawn by this coming fall.
Once the lawn is establish, the carpet of grass will provide too much competition for the winter annuals to invade at such high levels. Keeping your lawn healthy with adequate timely fertilizer and watering during dry spells will improve a turf grass stand this spring, summer and fall and will aid in weed control.
With any weed pest, a combination of multiple methods of control work best. I have already mentioned a mechanical method of proper mowing or ripping the plants out with a garden rake, and a cultural control method of re-establishing a thick turf before this fall.
The final recommendation would be to use a pre-emergent herbicide, such as Gallery, one that prevents the weed seeds from germinating. Timing is everything with a pre-emergent herbicide. After seeds sprout, the herbicide has no effect on the plants. Remove as much grass debris as possible, and apply the pre-emergent herbicides in late September. It will prevent the weeds from getting a hold on your lawn during the fall and winter season.
For more information on weed control in lawns, fact sheets from the MU-Extension on home lawn weed control guide number G6750 can be found at www.extension.missouri.edu.


text:
I'm glad you're here. That in all the craziness of wedding planning, you found your way to my door. I left the porch light on for you.
If you're like most people, your wedding is the only time in your life you'll ever hire a professional photographer.
I promise, this can be easy. Maybe even fun.
My name's at the top of the page, but I hope if you stay for a bit and look around, you'll see that what's here isn't about me at all. It's about telling the stories of two people falling in love. Two people committing to spend their lives together.
It's about telling love stories.
My part in all of this... my work & my passion... is to be your storyteller. To help you tell your unique love story... a story that you'll tell your children and grandchildren about the day you married your beloved.
Part of your story will be about how your dress looked and what color your flowers were and the beautiful archway that framed the venue. Of course you'll want to remember these personal touches that you put so much love & care into.
At the heart of it, though, your love story will probably be about the way you feel on your wedding day. Happy... tearful... romantic... beautiful... feminine... and yes, maybe a little scared and stressed out, too. All of those moments together create the unique story of your wedding day...
Your personal, one-of-a-kind love story with an amazing, magical happy ending waiting for you on the last page.
So please come in and look around. Make yourself at home. See if you're comfortable here. Take off your shoes and put your feet up. Jump on the furniture. Raid the refrigerator. Snuggle in.
And enjoy the stories.


text: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 Increasing Patient-centered Communication Effective communication is critical to the successful delivery of health care services. It's been estimated that there are more than 300 languages spoken in the United States, and more than 90 million Americans have low health literacy. The Joint Commission's facts about patient-centered communications provides tools and resources to help clinicians promote effective communication and meet patients' unique cultural and language needs.


text:
bjohnson045 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 52 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
Whitney J Photography
I am a professional Wedding Photography that also does portraits (senior pics, families, babies, etc). Please view http://www.whitneyjphotography.com to see the style of my pictures. I do it because I love photography and working with people. I am trying to show a professional and elegant personality through the logo and business card.
Photography industry, artistic, elegant, professional, weddings, etc.
You are free to be creative.
I am looking for a logo which includes the words "Whitney J Photography" which will be used on media and our website.
I am --also-- in addition to the logo having some frosted plastic business cards printed that I need a design for as well. (http://clearplasticcards.com/)
Please use the "Standard Card Template" here:
So this project includes the standard logo on its own + then a matching business card design using the template above
The name of the company is Whitney J Photography. An idea we want to try is to have the "j" serve as also the "i" in "Whitney" but in a way where its still clear what the title is. Perhaps make the "j" larger and more elaborate. This is only one idea, please be creative. Colors should include lighter (web 2.0 style colors) more "elegant colors". View http://www.whitneyjphotography.com for the current website.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
New SEMI Standards to Combat IC Chip Counterfeiting
SEMI and SIA Collaborate on Approaches for Industry-Wide IP Protection Issues
SEMI has published new standards designed to facilitate identification of counterfeit IC chips. The secure technique of product authentication covered by these standards can be practiced consistently at key points in the trade stream, driving unintended counterfeit purchases to a minimum. The authentication can be deployed easily and relatively inexpensively in a wide variety of settings.
These new standards help trusted manufacturers of authentic goods use strongly-encrypted batch numbers. Using a free authentication service, anyone considering the purchase of a batch of goods can use the encrypted batch number as the basis for a validation check. Secure serialization is a major deterrent to counterfeiters
"Counterfeit products in semiconductor manufacturing are profitable, so counterfeiters will continue to break the law. But now we have an early warning system if counterfeiting occurs," said James Amano, Director, SEMI International Standards, "so more counterfeiters will be caught and punished. Plus, reduced counterfeiting will result in increased downstream manufacturing yield and less down time."
These standards were developed because the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force asked the SEMI Traceability Committee to develop a suite of global, open, consensus-based industry standards that cover: the overall system description, object labeling, authentication service communication, and Authentication Service Body (ASB) qualifications. The new standards are the result of work by members of the Traceability Committee in the United States and Japan over the past several years. These standards constitute three of the four standards to be developed in this area. The fourth will describe the various communication links in greater detail.
Although secure serialization systems alone do not prevent the copying or theft of codes, they can be effective at detecting that such fraud has occurred. Thus, secure serialization serves as a deterrent and an early warning system. Developed for use with semiconductor circuits and devices, these procedures can also be extended to apply to other electronic parts and other types of products.
The new SEMI Standards that are focused on deterring IC chip counterfeiting include:
- SEMI T20 — Specification for Authentication of Semiconductors and Related Products
- SEMI T20.1 — Specification for Object Labeling to Authenticate Semiconductors and Related Products in an Open Market
- SEMI T20.2 — Guide for Qualifications of Authentication Service Bodies for Detecting and Preventing Counterfeiting of Semiconductors and Related Products
The SEMI Standards Program, established in 1973, covers all aspects of semiconductor process equipment and materials, from wafer manufacturing to test, assembly and packaging, in addition to the manufacture of flat panel displays, photovoltaic systems and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). More than 2,100 volunteers worldwide participate in the program, which is made up of 19 global technical committees.
SEMI Standards are published three times a year. The new standards, part of the November 2009 publication cycle, join more than 780 standards published by SEMI during the past 35 years. More information about the SEMI standards is available at www.semi.org/standards. For pricing or product information, please contact Susan Turner at 408.943.7019.
The new and the revised standards were developed by technical experts from equipment and materials suppliers, device manufacturers and other companies participating in the SEMI International Standards Program. The standards are available for download purchase at www.semi.org. They are also available through a new SEMI Standards product called SEMIViews, an online Web 2.0 service enabling access to SEMI International Standards 24/7 from any location. For more information, visit www.semi.org/semiviews.
November 2, 2009


text:
Doctoral Student Boot Camp: Preparing for Successful Entry to the Job Market
Friday, October 26, 2012, Half Day 8:30am-12:30pm (workshop fee)
At the same time doctoral students are engaged in the most demanding research project of their career to date, the dissertation, they find themselves thrust onto the job market stage with little time for adequate preparation. The doctoral student boot camp provides students with the opportunity to perfect their CV, teaching philosophy, and research agenda statement well in advance of graduation. Facilitators will provide professional advice and answer questions about cover letters, answering difficult interview questions, proper dress, job talks, and other related topics. Participants can take advantage of CV and interview critiques provided by experienced professionals. This workshop provides a unique opportunity to prepare for successful entrance to the academic job market.
Karen Miller, University of South Carolina
Naresh Kumar Agarwal, Simmons College
Early Bird: Members $40, non-members $70
After Sept. 7: Members $70, non-members $95


text:
OPC server software
OLE for Process Control (OPC) server software by Carlo Gavazzi is designed to interface with MODBUS protocol for energy meters and EOS-Array products.
Carlo Gavazzi has launched OLE for Process Control (OPC) server software designed to interface with Carlo Gavazzi energy meters and EOS-Array products with other OPC devices. OPC is a worldwide standard for industrial data communication. It enables reliable data exchange among products and applications from different manufacturers or developers. Carlo Gavazzi's OPC Server software is for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It is developed to interface by means of MODBUS protocol to the company's energy meters and EOS-Array products. The software enables users to manage real-time data from electrical or photovoltaic installations using the OPC client of choice (among a large selection of third-party software, such as SCADA and/or data management tools). Up to 10 concurrent connections with 32 devices connected can be managed by single server installation, as long as hardware and network speeds permit.
Carlo Gavazzi
Log in or create an account to submit your comment for this article.