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Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy
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Decimals Whole Numbers and Exponents
- Details
- Parent Category: Math League Website
- Published: 15 September 2008
Decimals, Whole Numbers, and Exponents
Decimal numbers
Whole number portion
Expanded form of a decimal number
Adding decimals
Subtracting decimals
Comparing decimal numbers
Rounding decimal numbers
Estimating sums and differences
Multiplying decimal numbers
Dividing whole numbers, with remainders
Dividing whole numbers, with decimal portions
Dividing decimals by whole numbers
Dividing decimals by decimals
Exponents (powers of 2, 3, 4, ...)
Factorial notation
Square roots
Decimal Numbers
Decimal numbers such as 3.762 are used in situations which call for more precision than whole numbers provide.
As with whole numbers, a digit in a decimal number has a value which depends on the place of the digit. The places to the left of the decimal point are ones, tens, hundreds, and so on, just as with whole numbers. This table shows the decimal place value for various positions:
Note that adding extra zeros to the right of the last decimal digit does not change the value of the decimal number.
Place (underlined)
Name of Position
Ones (units) position
Ten thousandths
Hundred Thousandths
In the number 3.762, the 3 is in the ones place, the 7 is in the tenths place, the 6 is in the hundredths place, and the 2 is in the thousandths place.
The number 14.504 is equal to 14.50400, since adding extra zeros to the right of a decimal number does not change its value.
Whole Number Portion
The whole number portion of a decimal number are those digits to the left of the decimal place.
In the number 23.65, the whole number portion is 23.
In the number 0.024, the whole number portion is 0.
Expanded Form of a Decimal Number
The expanded form of a decimal number is the number written as the sum of its whole number and decimal place values.
3 + 0.7 + 0.06 + 0.002 is the expanded form of the number 3.762.
100 + 3 + 0.06 is the expanded form of the number 103.06.
Adding Decimals
To add decimals, line up the decimal points and then follow the rules for adding or subtracting whole numbers, placing the decimal point in the same column as above.
When one number has more decimal places than another, use 0's to give them the same number of decimal places.
76.69 + 51.37
1) Line up the decimal points:
2) Then add.
12.924 + 3.6
1) Line up the decimal points:
+ 3.600
2) Then add.
+ 3.600
Subtracting Decimals
To subtract decimals, line up the decimal points and then follow the rules for adding or subtracting whole numbers, placing the decimal point in the same column as above.
When one number has more decimal places than another, use 0's to give them the same number of decimal places.
18.2 - 6.008
1) Line up the decimal points.
- 6.008
2) Add extra 0's, using the fact that 18.2 = 18.200
- 6.008
3) Subtract.
- 6.008
Comparing Decimal Numbers
Symbols are used to show how the size of one number compares to another. These symbols are < (less than), > (greater than), and = (equals). To compare the size of decimal numbers, we compare the whole number portions first. The larger decimal number is the one with the lager whole number portion. If the whole number parts are both equal, we compare the decimal portions of the numbers. The leftmost decimal digit is the most significant digit. Compare the pairs of digits in each decimal place, starting with the most significant digit until you find a pair that is different. The number with the larger digit is the larger number. Note that the number with the most digits is not necessarily the largest.
Compare 1 and 0.002. We begin by comparing the whole number parts: in this case 1>0, 0 being the whole number part of 0.002, and so 1>0.002.
Compare 0.402 and 0.412. The numbers 0.402 and 0.412 have the same number of digits, and their whole number parts are both 0. We compare the next most significant digit of each number, the digit in the tenths place, 4 in each case. Since they are equal, we go on to the hundredths place, and in this case, 0<1, so 0.402<0.412.
Compare 120.65 and 34.999. Comparing the whole number parts, 120>34, so 120.65>34.999.
Compare 12.345 and 12.097. Since the whole number parts are both equal, we compare the decimal portions starting with the tenths digit. Since 3>0, we have 12.345>12.097.
Remember that adding extra zeros to the right of a decimal does not change its value:
2.4 = 2.40 = 2.400 = 2.4000.
Rounding Decimal Numbers
To round a number to any decimal place value, we want to find the number with zeros in all of the lower places that is closest in value to the original number. As with whole numbers, we look at the digit to the right of the place we wish to round to. Note: When the digit 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 appears in the ones place, round up; when the digit 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 appears in the ones place, round down.
Rounding 1.19 to the nearest tenth gives 1.2 (1.20).
Rounding 1.545 to the nearest hundredth gives 1.55.
Rounding 0.1024 to the nearest thousandth gives 0.102.
Rounding 1.80 to the nearest one gives 2.
Rounding 150.090 to the nearest hundred gives 200.
Rounding 4499 to the nearest thousand gives 4000.
Estimating Sums and Differences
We can use rounding to get quick estimates on sums and differences of decimal numbers. First round each number to the place value you choose, then add or subtract the rounded numbers to estimate the sum or difference.
To estimate the sum 119.36 + 0.56 to the nearest whole number, first round each number to the nearest one, giving us 119 + 1, then add to get 120.
Multiplying Decimal Numbers
Multiplying decimals is just like multiplying whole numbers. The only extra step is to decide how many digits to leave to the right of the decimal point. To do that, add the numbers of digits to the right of the decimal point in both factors.
4.032 × 4
We can multiply 4032 by 4 to get 16128. There are three decimal places in 4.032, so place the decimal three digits from the right:
4.032 × 4 = 16.128
6.74 × 9.063
We can multiply 674 by 9063 to get 6108462. Then there are 5 decimal places: two in the number 6.74 and three in the number 9.063, so place the decimal five digits from the right:
6.74 × 9.063 = 61.08462.
Dividing Whole Numbers, with Remainders
1400 ÷ 7..
Since 14 ÷ 7 = 2, and 1400 is 100 times greater than 14, the answer is 2 × 100 = 200.
Many problems are similar to the above example, where the answer is easily obtained by adding on or taking off an appropriate number of 0's. Others are more complicated.
4934 ÷ 6. Use long division.
So the answer is 822 with a remainder of 2, written 822 R2.
To double-check that the answer is correct, multiply the quotient by the divisor and add the remainder:
(822 × 6) + 2 = 4932 + 2 = 4934.
Dividing Whole Numbers, with Decimal Portions
Find 32 ÷ 6 to the nearest whole number.
32 ÷ 6 = 5 r2. 6 is the divisor; 2 is the remainder.
2 is closer to 0 than 6, so round down. The answer is 5.
Dividing Decimals by Whole Numbers
To divide a decimal by a whole number, use long division, and just remember to line up the decimal points:
13.44 ÷ 12.
When rounding an answer, divide one place further than the place you're rounding to, and round the result. Add 0's to the right of the number being divided, if necessary.
1.0 ÷ 6. Round to the nearest thousandth.
To round 0.16666 . . . to the nearest thousandth, we take 4 places to the right of the decimal point and round to 3 places. Here, we round 0.1666 to 0.167, the answer.
Dividing Decimals by Decimals
To divide by a decimal, multiply that decimal by a power of 10 great enough to obtain a whole number. Multiply the dividend by that same power of 10. Then the problem becomes one involving division by a whole number instead of division by a decimal.
0.144 ÷ 0.12
Multiplying the divisor (0.12) and the dividend (0.144) by 100, then dividing, gives the same result.
The answer is 1.2.
Be aware that some problems are less difficult and do not require this procedure.
6 ÷ 2.00
This is the same as 6 ÷ 2! The answer is 3.
Exponents (Powers of 2, 3, 4, ...)
Exponential notation is useful in situations where the same number is multiplied repeatedly. The notation is often shown as "^"
The number being multiplied is called the base, and the exponent tells how many times the base is multiplied by itself.
4 ×4 ×4 ×4 ×4 ×4 = 46
The base in this example is 4, the exponent is 6.
We refer to this as four to the sixth power, or four to the power of six, written as 4^6.
2 ×2 ×2 = 2^3 = 8
1.1"2 = 1.1 × 1.1 = 1.21
0.5^3 = 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.125
10^6 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 1000000
Observe that the base may be a decimal.
Special Cases:
A number with an exponent of two is referred to as the square of a number.
The square of a whole number is known as a perfect square. The numbers 1, 4, 9, 16, and 25 are all perfect squares.
A number with an exponent of three is referred to as the cube of a number.
The cube of a whole number is known as a perfect cube. The numbers 1, 8, 27, 64, and 125 are all perfect cubes.
A number written with an exponent of 1 is the same as the given number.
23^1 = 23.
Factorial Notation n!
The product of the first n whole numbers is written as n!, and is the product
1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × … × (n - 1) × n.
4! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24
11! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 × 9 × 10 × 11 = 39916800
When dividing factorials, note that many of the numbers cancel out!
The number 0! Is defined to be 1.
Square Roots
The square root of a whole number n is the number r with the property that r × r = n.
We write this as
We say that the number n is the square of the number r.
The square root of 9 is 3, since 3 × 3 = 9.
The square root of 289 is 17, since 17 × 17 = 289.
The square root of 2 is close to 1.41421. We say close to because the digits to the right of the decimal point in the square root of 2 continue forever, without any repeating pattern. Such a number is called an irrational number, meaning that it cannot be written as a fraction.
Since the square root of a whole number n is the number r with the property that r × r = n, we always have
That is, the square of the square root of any number is just the original number.
We also have, for any number r that the square root of the square of r is the absolute value of r.
We say the absolute value, because the notation actually means the positive square root of n.
From the example above, we see that each positive number n actually has 2 numbers r that satisfy r × r = n, one is positive, and the other is negative.

subset: commoncrawl


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Grief & Healing
Lean on us, find your way
We understand that everyone grieves differently, and we're here to support you in whatever ways make the most sense for you. Our online grief support resources can be accessed any time, day or night, so you can get the support you need - when you need it.
Interactive Aftercare
Explore our interactive videos for insight into grief and its complexities. Learn coping strategies tailored to your unique grieving process.
Daily Email Affirmations
We know the healing process takes time. When you sign up for our email affirmations, you'll get a message of support and hope every day for a year.
Grief Support Guide
Whether it's support for you or for others, we can guide you. Explore our Grief Support Guide for comprehensive insights into the journey of grief, healing, and beyond.
Grief Support for Kids
While everyone experiences grief differently, this is especially true for children. Learn more about how you can support a young person and their healing process.
Additional Resources
Grief is personal and emotional, but you're not alone. These are additional resources you may find helpful.


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Prototype Laugo submachine gun, which served as a starting point for the design of SKORPION EVO III submachine gun.
SCORPION EVO III submachine gun.
SCORPION EVO III submachine gun.
Caliber | 9x19mm Luger / Parabellum |
Weight | 2.1 kg empty |
Length (stock closed/open) | 400 / 650 mm |
Barrel length | 196 mm |
Rate of fire | 1100 rounds per minute |
Magazine capacity | 20 or 30 rounds |
SCORPION EVO III submachine gun is a most recent product of the famous Czech small arms manufacturer Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod (CZ-UB). This weapon began its life in Slovakia in around 2002, as the Laugo submachine gun / personal defense weapon. Once the design became mature, it was sold to CZ-UB, which brought it to public attention in 2009 as SKORPION EVO III submachine gun. It seems that this weapon is targeted for police market, but it also can found some use by certain military units. An export version of the SKORPION EVO III submachine gun is also proposed, chambered for .40SW ammunition which is very popular as a police round in USA and certain South American countries.
SCORPION EVO III submachine gun is a simple blowback operated, selective fired weapon that fires from closed bolt. It has a separate hammer unit, with ambidextrous safety / fire mode selector, that offers single shots, 3-round bursts and full automatic fire modes. The charging handle is located on the left side of the gun, above the forend. The receiver, pistol grip / trigger unit and the forend all are made from polymer. The side-folding shoulder stock is also made from polymer, and can be adjusted for length of pull due to telescopic design. Iron sights are installed on removable bases, using integral Picatinny type rail on the top of receiver. Additional sighting equipment can be added using this same rail; three more accessory rails are installed at the sides and bottom of the forend. Feed is from detachable box magazines, made of semi-translucent plastic, that hold 20 or 30 rounds of ammunition.


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No teacher begins a teaching career with ill intentions. Yet most of us make our biggest mistake on our very first day. I was no different, five years ago. I chose to do everything the way I had been taught in college—the way the popular new-teacher advice books said I should.
Sure, I laughed with the students and made noises about our "class community." But as the all-important first week of school progressed, I went about dictating rules, establishing who was in control, and setting tight boundaries for the year.
As a result, I lost the opportunity to create the kind of relationship with my students that leads not only to motivation and engagement but to real ownership of learning and ultimately greater achievement. At the time I didn't recognize the loss—it took several years, in fact. If you're a new teacher about to begin your journey, maybe my lessons learned can help you avoid the pitfalls of a pretend partnership with your students.
Rule-Maker in Chief
On my first actual day of teaching (the one after orientation), I stood smiling at my door, shaking the hand of each 4th grader entering my room. I was eager to start our very first conversation: "How We Enter the Classroom." As the students took their pre-assigned seats, I asked them for their attention and then proceeded to model for them exactly how I wanted them to come into the room. I told them what they needed to bring and what the consequences would be for entering unprepared.
Then we moved on to the next important conversation: My rules and the consequences for breaking them. Here I relied on a novice-teacher staple, The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete. The authors pose the enticing idea of making it appear that your students themselves are coming up with the classroom rules and procedures, thus facilitating buy-in as you steer them to the inevitable conclusion. In fact, I already had the rules typed up: "Respect each other, take care of yourself, and take care of our property."
My intentions were noble. I wanted my students to feel like they were part of the management of the classroom. But I was creating a false notion. I had no intention of letting them set the rules. I knew from all my training and reading that my number one job was to be the leader of this learning space. And leaders make the rules.
Missed Opportunities
The rest of that first week of school was an actual blur. Most teachers (veteran and new) are dazed by the end of the first week, caught up in the anxiousness to get started with curriculum, but also busy figuring out who their students are and how they will manage them throughout the year.
I was in awe of the kindness my kids had shown to me, but also very tightly gripping the reins of control for all of our learning. Now was not the time to appear too weak or too friendly. I'd staged numerous ice-breaking activities, and I thought we had gotten to know each other well. In fact, I knew very little about each student, definitely not anything that could guide me in my teaching. I figured those things would come later (and sometimes they did), but in reality I had completely missed the biggest opportunity I would have to truly get to know my students.
In essence, I was fearful that if I did not firmly assert my authority from the very first day of school, the rest of the year would be out of control. So assert I did—that year and for several years after. We did OK. I taught. My students learned. But I could sense so much wasted potential beneath my iron grip.
Giving Back the Classroom
Since I had been taught how to set up the first week of school to assert my authority and control, dismissing those notions was hard. It's a journey I write about in a book that will be published later this year, The Passionate Learner: Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students Starting Today.
Let me just say here that I know now that what we do in the first week of school to listen, communicate, and share our genuine interests with one another sets the tone for the rest of the year more deliberately than any list of rules or expectations ever will.
Were you to come into my classroom now on the very first day of school, you'd see a much different approach—one that is kinder, slower, and more in tune with what I now understand my students really need: respect and a place to call their own.
Now, at the beginning of each school year, I remind myself to hold back—to not give in to the pressure of pacing guides and classroom-procedure gurus. I now know from experience that if I take my time with my students, that investment will pay off all year long.
On the first day, every year, I remind myself of the following:
• We are all brand new to each other.
• We are cementing our routines.
• We are discovering our rules.
• The curriculum will mean nothing if we do not get excited about it.
• We relish our freedom.
• We have to build trust.
Out With the Old
So what does it look like in practice when a teacher tries to honor these intuitive precepts? Well, first let me tell you what it doesn't look like. Here are some common start-of-school practices that I now advise against:
Don't pre-post your rules. Nothing says "This is my classroom" like a beautifully laminated poster of your rules that have been hanging there for years.
Don't spend days writing a class constitution. As a social studies lesson, I think this might make be a marvelous project. But it's not a way to build classroom community. Think of it through the eyes of a child—days spent discussing the rules for the rest of the year and then pledging to uphold all 20 or so of them. What a dull way to start a year together.
Don't "set clear boundaries" and label them. I was a label master, making sure students knew exactly when they had crossed into my territory, whether it be my desk, my cabinets, or my pencils. With labels come restrictions, and classrooms have enough restrictions put on them already; we do not need to add more.
Don't invest much time in icebreakers. I have never made a connection through an ice-breaking activity, sorry. Instead, invest in something meaningful as a community, such as a connection map, or a student-designed tour of the classroom, or anything that the students can work on as a team challenge. If they can focus on a task rather than the act of connecting, the community building will naturally start to evolve.
Don't announce that "we will now build community." I love setting goals, and we set many throughout the year, but this goal is better left unsaid. It's like telling people that you are trying to become their friend; the hyper-focus tends to make things weird and uncomfortable. Instead, tell the students you are happy to be their teacher and then do something together that you know actually builds community.
Don't have a million things planned. Sometimes the best beginnings of a community come from just spending low-key time together. When you plan too much or have too much to do, there isn't time for just getting to know each other, so be choosy what you invest your time in.
A New Start
So, if you're not doing those things, what should you do the first week of school? Here's might advice on fostering a creative and engaged classroom community:
Be yourself. Students can see through any phoniness and an act is hard to keep up for more than a few days. So if you happen to have the personality of a comedian or a perfectionist or a massive dork, like I do, let it shine through.
Share your life. I often start my year with a video or two of my children or a funny story about one of them. Nothing planned or long, just a quick story. The students get to know me and my family, and they share their own stories as well.
Laugh a lot. I love to laugh, and I think kids are hilarious. Give them a chance to speak in humorous ways.
Start decorating the classroom. I stress over and over that this is "OUR classroom," so the students get to make decorating choices as well as furniture setup decisions.
Start learning. I know I said to go easy on curriculum the first week, but do get started with something right away. The students are ready to learn because they cannot wait to see what it will be like in this new grade.
Decide on expectations together. Spend some time having the students discuss what they expect out of the year and then have them discuss what that means for their learning environment.
Give it time. Great community does not spring up on the first day of school, but you do need to plant the first seeds that day. So tend to it and nurture it, and give it the time it deserves to grow tall and strong.
In the end, that first week, that first day, that first moment of school carries more weight than we realize. We know first impressions tend to stick. They are not impossible to rectify, but why not start out right? Signal to the kids that this is their room, that this year is about them, and the learning path they want to take. Let them know that they matter, that their voice matters, and that this year will matter.
They'll figure out that this year, in your class, things may be a little different than they're used to. And maybe lots better.


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Talk all things pregnancy, childbirth and more in this forum for the readers of our Expecting 411 book
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If you haven't read the Hunger Games you really should! They're pretty awesome. Check them out:
If you're already a fan of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins…
You should add these books to your to be read pile!
(The recommendations are in no particular order.)
Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie
In a world where Officials pick your perfect mate, what happens when you've two choices?
Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner
A boy wakes up in a Glade with other boys knowing only his name, not how he got there, or how to escape the enclosed walls.
Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
A young boy is given the job to retain the Community's memories and to advise them using that knowledge, but he doesn't like what he sees when he knows the past.
Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
A city of light amidst the darkness begins to go black and survival means finding a way out by going through the unknown.
Uglies Quartet by Scott Westerfeld
When you turn 16 you can get a license to become Pretty and live in paradise, but one girl's license is in jeopardy when her friend runs away. If she doesn't find her and bring her back both are doomed to be Ugly for life.
Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass
One girl must compete against 34 other girls and get selected to marry a prince on live television, but what if she doesn't want to marry him?
- The Selection
- The Prince (novella)
- The Elite
- The One
- The Prince (novella)
- The Guard (novella)
Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh M. O'Brien
You either live in the Enclave or you don't. A portion of the poor outside the walls are advanced into the Enclave as infants. It is considered a privilege for your child to be selected, but our heroine isn't so sure that's the truth when her parents are arrested.
- Birthmarked
- Tortured (novella)
- Prized
- Promised
Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
A girl's results for the Affinity Exam show that she is Divergent, which means she can pick where she wants to go of the five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless. But can she define herself in only one way?
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
A girl sees something nobody else can see and is pulled into a world of demons and demon hunters.
- City of Bones
- City of Ashes
- City of Glass
- City of Fallen Angels
- City of Lost Souls
- City of Heavenly Fire
Ender's Saga by Orson Scott Card
A young boy is taught to battle aliens and climbs the ranks at his intergalactic boarding school.
(As a note, reading order and publishing order are different. I've included Ender's Saga and Ender's Shadow series in the list below. Author's comments on reading order are here.)
- First Meetings in Ender's Universe
- Ender's Shadow
- A War of Gifts
- Ender's Game – Movie coming to theaters in November 2013
- Ender in Exile
- Shadow of the Hegemon
- Shadow Puppets
- Shadow of the Giant
- Shadows in Flight
- Speaker for the Dead
- Xenocide
- Children of the Mind
Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson
She was surrounded at birth by light and marked as the Chosen One destined to fulfill a prophecy. But can a failure of a princess ever hope to meet such a daunting task?
Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver
The government demands that everyone on their 18th birthday get the cure to eradicate love from their system, but 95 days before turning 18 Lena falls in love and that changes everything.
- Delirium
- Hana (novella)
- Pandemonium
- Requiem
Last Survivors Trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A meteor knocks the moon closer to Earth and drastic climate changes occur leaving few left to navigate their new world.
Cold Awakening Trilogy by Robin Wasserman
A girl wakes up from a car crash and realizes she's been downloaded into a new body made of wires, circuits, and synthetic skin. She doesn't recognize herself anymore and apparently nobody else does either.
Across the Universe Trilogy by Beth Revis
A girl wakes up from a cryopreservation (frozen sleep) onboard a spaceship 50 years before they reach their destination and must discover her would-be murderer before he succeeds and targets her parents.
Bar Code Trilogy by Suzanne Weyn
Everyone over the age of 17 must get a bar code tattoo, according to a new conglomerate in America pushing this law through. The bar code holds everything about your identity, but it's also a lot more sinister than the convenient Google Wallet.
Stand Alones:
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- Anthem by Ayn Rand
- Lord of the Flies by Willian Golding
What other books do you suggest?
Don't leave without checking out: 12 Ways to Gear-up for a Catching Fire (Hunger Games) Party!


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The Pawbamacare Pet Insurance Marketplace is open
Get affordable coverage for accidents & illnesses, plus exclusive discounts, in minutes!
What is Pawbamacare? Pawbamacare is a campaign to raise awareness of pet insurance and get more of America's cat and dogs enrolled in a plan. When cats and dogs have insurance, they're more likely to get the health care they need.
American canine and feline leadership watched as humans did a poor job of rolling out Obamacare. So cats and dogs united to do a better job. They built an easy-to-use website with affordable insurance plans. And to ensure no dog or cat is left behind, 10% of the proceeds from Pawbamacare enrollments will go to rescue organizations.
We work with America's top pet insurers
How the Pawbamacare marketplace works
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Side Gates
Velarde's Ornamental Iron has become one of the leading manufactures of custom iron gates in the Central Valley. We design, manufacture and install a wide range of gates to fit your specific needs. Our custom iron gates offer safety, security and privacy that come in a variety of styles. You can select a style from one of our previous projects or tell us a unique design to craft for you.
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"Thank you for your valuable support and trust in me, which enabled me to earn this significant milestone as a Great Eastern Life Achiever. This achievement is dedicated to you, for placing your trust in my abilities. I count it as a true privilege to serve you as your financial advisor, and I will continue to protect your financial peace of mind."
Years of Service: 9 years
Gender: Male
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MDRT Qualifier


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Eclipse® HX is a highly scalable, extensible and programmable advanced digital matrix intercom platform for enabling non-blocking, bi-directional communication for small to large collaborative work teams. The system enables up to thousands of direct (point-to-point) and one-to-many (group and partyline or conference) audio and data signal distributions/connections. All systems can intelligently trunk over IP (Dante, AES67 and native), redundant Fiber, MADI and audio CAT5 without compromising audio quality or performance. Eclipse HX can also seamlessly integrate with IP communications, interoperability and SIP telephony interfaces, digital wireless solutions, and many other devices—providing a comprehensive communication solution that is virtually accessible everywhere over secure and reliable connections.
Complete your Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System with our suite of products.
System Card Frames for point-to-point and conference communications in 1RU, 3RU or 6RU rackmount formats.
Easy and intuitive configuration tools for administrators and operators of Eclipse HX networks.
Interface frame cards for the Eclipse HX systems to establish intelligent connections.
Rackmountable interface frames for interface modules of Eclipse HX systems.
Interface modules for the Eclipse HX systems enabling connections with 3rd party devices.
Multi-color TFT high contrast 10-character display keypanels with built-in IP connectivity for Eclipse HX.
Keypanels with built-in touchscreen technology.
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Headsets and microphones for Eclipse HX endpoints.
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Connect as many of your users on the networked 64-matrix system over multiple media types. The expansive network is achieved with four high-density and high-performance system frames and supported by user devices consisting of any combination of hard-wired key panels, mobile apps, soft-panels, two-way radios, POTS, IP telephony, wired or wireless beltpacks—connected over either 4-wire, trunked IP (Dante, AES67 and native), E1/T1, Fiber, CAT5, and/or MADI.
Expand your Eclipse HX system to connect with any third-party audio, intercom and video sources. Through a host of robust system interfaces and the Host Control Interface (HCI) layer, Eclipse HX opens itself to communicate with any system in order to act as one integrated communications solution.
Choose from the widest selection of user devices that most suits your communication needs. Eclipse HX seamlessly integrates the most sophisticated and robust FreeSpeak II transceiver modules and wireless beltpacks in either 1.9 or 2.4GHz or mixed frequency bands in the same matrix system. For users with their own smart devices, they can easily download the Agent-IC mobile app and immediate connect to the host Eclipse HX system once authenticated by the System Administrator. Digital two-way radio platforms and SIP telephony may also integrate with the Eclipse HX network via the LQ Series IP Interfaces. Device options are almost endless as the system can easily interface with any 2-wire, 4-wire, IP and wireless communication device.
Improve your intercom system with the latest IP audio technology and keep your production organized with V-Series Iris. These multi-color, 10-character TFT display user panels deliver high quality uncompressed AES67 audio, allows users to create color-based user groups, and can deploy up to 64 panels in an AES67-based network.
In a small-scale matrix system, the Eclipse HX-Delta system is ideal for a single facility that requires a maximum of 256 ports. This capacity allows many users to communicate on different types of V-Series Iris keypanels connected over 4-wire, trunked IP (Dante, AES67 and Native), E1/T1, Fiber, CAT5, and/or MADI. Additional contributors to the conversation that need to remain untethered to the desk or a specific position, and do not frequently require access to the intercom, could be on the complementary Agent-IC mobile app that depends on WiFi, 3G, 4G or Internet signal connections.
View Diagram
For large-scale system deployments, any combination of Eclipse HX systems can be networked into a single, redundant system, providing communications to thousands of user positions. With this setup, Eclipse HX users have many user device options. There are different types of V-Series Iris keypanels connected over 4-wire, trunked IP (Dante, AES67 and Native), E1/T1, Fiber, CAT5, and/or MADI. Contributing users that need to remain untethered to the desk or a specific position, and do not frequently require access to the intercom, could be on the complementary Agent-IC mobile app that depends on WiFi, 3G, 4G or Internet signal connections.


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The material secrets of a concrete Roman breakwater that has spent the last 2000 years submerged in the Mediterranean Sea have been uncovered by an international team of researchers using a variety of techniques, including x-ray microdiffraction, x-ray spectroscopy, and synchrotron-based high-pressure x-ray diffraction. Analyses of the ancient samples pinpointed why the best Roman concrete was superior to most modern concrete in durability, why its manufacture was less environmentally damaging, and how these improvements could be adopted in the modern world.
The most common type of cement used today is called Portland cement, from its similarity to a type of stone that was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The ancient Romans, however, made concrete by mixing lime and volcanic rock. For underwater structures, lime and volcanic ash were mixed to form mortar, and this mortar and volcanic tuff were packed into wooden forms. The seawater instantly triggered a hot chemical reaction. The lime was hydrated—incorporating water molecules into its structure—and reacted with the ash to cement the whole mixture together.
Using Beamlines 188.8.131.52, 12.2.2, and 12.3.2 along with other experimental facilities at UC Berkeley, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, and the BESSY synchrotron in Germany, the researchers investigated maritime concrete from Pozzuoli Bay in Italy. They found that Roman concrete differs from the modern kind in several essential ways. One is the kind of glue that binds the concrete's components together. In concrete made with Portland cement, this is a compound of calcium, silicates, and hydrates (C-S-H). Roman concrete produces a significantly different compound—one with added aluminum and less silicon. The resulting calcium-aluminum-silicate-hydrate (C-A-S-H) is an exceptionally stable binder. At ALS Beamline 22.214.171.124, x-ray spectroscopy showed that the specific way the aluminum substitutes for silicon in the C-A-S-H may be the key to the cohesion and stability of the seawater concrete.
Another striking find concerns the hydration products in concrete. In theory, C-S-H in concrete made with Portland cement resembles a combination of naturally occurring layered minerals, called tobermorite and jennite. Although these crystals are nowhere to be found in conventional modern concrete, Al-tobermorite (Al for aluminum) occurs in the mortars of all the ancient seawater concretes studied so far. High-pressure x-ray diffraction at Beamline 12.2.2 measured its mechanical properties for the first time and clarified the role of aluminum in its crystal lattice. Al-tobermorite has a greater stiffness than poorly crystalline C-A-S-H and provides a model for concrete strength and durability in future concretes made with environmentally friendly supplemental materials. Finally, microdiffraction studies at Beamline 12.3.2 showed that Al-tobermorite crystallized in the cementitious matrix that binds the Roman concrete, followed by crystallization of the zeolite crystal, phillipsite. Integration of the results from various beamlines revealed the ancient mortar's potential applications for high-performance concretes, including the encapsulation of hazardous wastes.
Environmentally friendly modern concretes already include volcanic ash or fly ash from coal-burning power plants as partial substitutes for Portland cement, with good results. These blended cements also produce C-A-S-H, and with these studies, their long-term performance can be more fully determined. The analyses showed that the Roman recipe needed about 10% lime by weight, made at two-thirds or less the temperature required by Portland cement. Lime reacting with aluminum-rich pozzolanic volcanic ash and seawater formed highly stable C-A-S-H and Al-tobermorite, insuring strength and longevity. Both the materials and the way the Romans used them hold lessons for the future. The ancient concretes provide a sustainable prototype for producing Al-tobermorite in high-performance concretes with natural volcanic ash. The proven endurance of the crystals in seawater for 2000 years indicates exceptionally high durability in a complex pozzolanic concrete composite, on a par with the stable rock forming cementitious minerals of the earth's crust.
Contacts: Paulo Monteiro and Marie Jackson
Research conducted by: M.D. Jackson, S.R. Chae, S.R. Mulcahy, R. Taylor, H.-R. Wenk, and P.J.M. Monteiro (Univ. of California, Berkeley); J. Moon (Univ. of California, Berkeley, and Stony Brook University); P. Li (Tsinghua University, China); E. Gotti (CTG Italcementi S.p.A., Italy); M. Kunz (ALS); A.-H. Emwas (King Abdullah Univ. of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia); C. Meral (Univ. of California, Berkeley, and Middle East Technical Univ., Turkey); P. Guttmann (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Germany); P. Levitz (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France); S. Yoon (Univ. of California, Berkeley, and Univ. of Aberdeen, UK); and G. Vola (Cimprogetti S.p.A, Italy).
Research funding: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia; the Loeb Classical Library Foundation, Harvard University; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Samples of Roman maritime concrete were provided by Marie Jackson and by the ROMACONS drilling program, sponsored by CTG Italcementi of Bergamo, Italy. Operation of the ALS is supported by DOE BES.
Publications about this research: M.D. Jackson, J. Moon, E. Gotti, R. Taylor, S.R. Chae, M. Kunz, A.-H. Emwas, C. Meral, P. Guttmann, P. Levitz, H.-R. Wenk, and P.J.M. Monteiro, "Material and Elastic Properties of Al-Tobermorite in Ancient Roman Seawater Concrete," J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 96, 2598 (2013), doi:10.1111/jace.12407; M.D. Jackson, S.R. Chae, S.R. Mulcahy, C. Meral, R. Taylor, P. Li, J. Moon, S. Yoon, A.-H. Emwas, G. Vola, H.-R. Wenk, and P.J.M. Monteiro, "Unlocking the secrets of Al-tobermorite in Roman seawater concrete," Am. Mineral. 98, 1669 (October 2013), doi:10.2138/am.2013.4484.
There has been a great deal of popular interest in the results of the research, and responses to the original press release registered as first place on the Reddit and Futurity Web sites on June 5, 2013.


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- Pro Trailer Backup Assist helps make backing up a trailer as easy as turning a knob
- New Special Edition Appearance Packages available on XLT and Lariat with unique wheels, graphics and finishes
- Compressed Natural Gas/Propane gaseous fuel prep package available for 5.0-liter V8-equipped F-150s, helping reduce operating costs and tailpipe CO2 emissions
ll-new Pro Trailer Backup Assist makes it easier for drivers of all skill levels to back a trailer up to launch a boat or park in a driveway. The segment-first technology allows customers to steer a trailer instinctively by turning a knob left or right to indicate direction; the truck controls its steering and limits vehicle speed. Ford engineers developed the system leveraging advanced camera technology and tested it for almost a decade. Ford earned five patents for the technology along the way, with 10 more pending.
The Special Edition Packages for XLT and Lariat further personalize F-150 to customer tastes, adding all-new unique 20-inch premium anodized dark-painted aluminum wheels with red sport lettering, black running boards, smoked headlamps, unique bodyside graphics and badging, special edition seats with Alcantara® inserts, red contrast stitching and red bolsters, and unique red stitching on the steering wheel, transmission gear selector boot and instrument panel. This package also features a dark anodized grille with black mesh on XLT while the Lariat dark anodized grille receives red accents.
F-150 also features SYNC 3 – Ford's newest communications and entertainment system that features enhanced voice recognition, high-speed performance and capacitive touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface.
Responding to customer requests, the 2016 Ford F-150 with the 5.0-liter V8 engine will offer a gaseous-fuel prep option, making it the only light-duty pickup capable of running on compressed natural gas or propane.
New features and color choices
Other changes for the 2016 F-150 include:
Shadow Black replaces Tuxedo Black
Lithium Gray replaces Guard Metallic
20-inch machined aluminum wheels with painted silver pockets available on XL


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KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (AP) — Police are searching for a woman who they say kidnapped a baby boy from an upscale shopping mall in suburban Philadelphia.
Upper Merion Township police say 7-week-old Ahsir Simmons was abducted by a stranger Thursday evening at the King of Prussia Mall.
Police say a woman befriended the boy's family at the mall. She was alone. Police say they sat down together in the food court. That's when they say the woman asked if she could hold the baby, and then took off with him.
An Amber Alert has been issued as police continue to search for the unidentified woman and the baby.


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The Epstein Incident
Epstein was a renowned physician who earned his undergraduate, graduate, and medical degrees in his home town and then left for Manhattan, where he quickly rose to the top of his field.
Soon he was invited to deliver a significant paper, at a conference, coincidentally held in his home town. He walked on stage and placed his papers on the lectern, but they slid off onto the floor. As he bent over to retrieve them, at precisely the wrong instant, he inadvertently farted.
The microphone amplified his mistake resoundingly through the room and reverberated it down the hall.
He was quite embarrassed but somehow regained his composure just enough to deliver his paper. He ignored the resounding applause and raced out the stage door, never to be seen in his home town again.
Decades later, when his elderly mother was ill, he returned to visit her. He reserved a hotel room under the name of Levy and arrived under cover of darkness.
The desk clerk asked him, "Is this your first visit to our city, Mr. Levy?"
Dr. Epstein replied, "Well, young man, no, it isn't. I grew up here and received my education here, but then I moved away."
"Why haven't you visited?" asked the desk clerk.
"Actually, I did visit once, many years ago, but an embarrassing thing happened and since then I've been too ashamed to return."
The clerk consoled him. "Sir, while I don't have your life experience, one thing I have learned is that often what seems embarrassing to me isn't even remembered by others. I bet that's true of your incident too."
Dr. Epstein replied, "Son, I doubt that's the case with my incident."
"Was it a long time ago?"
"Yes, many years."
The clerk then asked, "Was it before or after the Epstein Fart?"
Sunday, June 18, 2017
The Epstein incident...
The Epstein incident... This was passed along by long-time reader Simi L.:
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'Space Jam 2' Gets a New Director
There's been a change of plans for Space Jam 2.
Deadline reports that the sequel to the 1990s most inexplicably beloved children's film now has a new director, with Malcolm D. Lee replacing Terence Nance at the helm of Space Jam 2. They report that "Nance's departure from the project was amicable, and essentially the filmmaker and the studio/producers had different takes on the creative vision for Space Jam 2." (I would love to hear more about the creative vision for Space Jam 2.)
Lee has had several comedy hits in a row with Tiffany Haddish, including starting with the acclaimed Girls Trip in 2017 and continuing with last year's Night School. Nance's work is a bit more on the indie side, with films like An Oversimplification of Her Beauty and the HBO series Random Acts of Flyness. Given their respective filmographies, it's not hard to imagine that one would have a very different take on the material than the other. (Black Panther's Ryan Coogler remains a producer on the project.)
Space Jam 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 16, 2021. The cast includes LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Bugs Bunny, and, should his agent agree to terms and he and Lee can come to an understanding on the film's creative vision, Daffy Duck.
Gallery — The Best Disney Villains of All Time:


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My hard time choosing and managing the migration from the soon to be deceased Windows Live Mesh, made me think about the dependency I seem to have on some software tools and how hard it is to replace them and change the installed workflows around the tools in use at some point. From that, the idea of a post about my current software tools, highlighting some of the genuine gems out there, was a small step. So here it is, a list of software I use and some of the reasons I use it.
Personal Productivity Software
Office 2013 – this is the latest version of Microsoft Office. The big difference to the previous version, from my personal perspective, is the integration with SkyDrive, extending the ability to cooperatively create and edit documents to Word, Excel and Powerpoint, something that was already available with OneNote. OneNote2013 is clearly me favorite app, probably the one I use the most, after Outlook, which I use as my email client. OneNote is a superb app, which I actually loved when I first came in contact with it, at the time I bought by first tablet pc, back in 2005. I still use it everyday, either to take notes while I read books and articles, or to work cooperatively about ongoing projects with the other guys from Web2Automation.
I really don't like web email clients, don't think I ever will, and the native email client in Windows Phone 7.5, in my Nokia Lumia 800, works as a fine email client replacement when I am away from my laptop. When I am there, I use Outlook 2013, which has some annoyances yet to be solved, but which I find perfectly acceptable as email clients go.
For PDF handnote taking, I use PDF Annotator. It is a great tool for that purpose and was especially useful when marking student papers or providing feedback on PDF documents produced by others.
Software Development
The main tool is, naturally, Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate, although I still keep Visial Studio 2010 Ultimate on my desktop, which I still use for the occasional Php project, when I then use the excellent VS.Php add-in (which runs on VS 2010, only). I also use Microsoft Expression Web Studio 4, although much less frequently.
For SQL Server development, the main tool is SQL Server Management Studio, although I have been using SQL Server Data Tools a bit more. When dealing with MySQL databases, WebYog's SQLYog is a great and indispensable tool. I use Team Foundation Server 2012 as my local ALM tool, but the very good and free Team Foundation Service will see increased usage, as I migrate to cloud based tools, since I am really getting to enjoy the benefits of accessing the info I need regardless of where I am. As we are using TFService at work, the move to use it personally is looking quite natural.
There are other tools that are quite useful, when developing. A superbly designed tool is my long time favorite Beyond Compare – when it comes to file comparison, it doesn't get much better than that. LINQpad is another great tool, when messing around with LINQ. I used EditPlus for quite a long time, when developing asp apps, and I still use it occasionally, when having to support Snitz related stuff. I have moved to Visual Studio as my default editor, even when dealing with ASP, since the integration with TFS is so much easier, but I thought EditPlus still merited a reference here.
For modeling, I have used Microsoft's Office Visio, coupled with specific UML templates. Visual Studio is also looking like a tool that can be increasingly used for this purpose.
Another tool used mainly connected to my software development activity is SmartFTP. It is a great FTP app and it's still a frequently used way to upload stuff to deployment servers.
Backup and File Synchronization Tools
My main backup software is Acronis True Image 2013. I started using Acronis TI back at version 8 and it has saved me quite a few times. I find it preferable to Windows native backup and as it has not failed me yet, I will keep using it. I image my own computers once a week, using two external drives, which I rotate. Just this week I started using Cubby as a file syncing tool, replacing Windows Live Mesh, after Microsoft's announcement of Mesh's impending death. As a file syncing tool, Cubby offers pretty much the same features as Live Mesh, but just for the Pro version, which I have subscribed. As Cubby Pro comes at least with 100 GB of cloud storage, I have started to use that space to backup selected parts of my data.
I like SkyDrive as a means to store and enable cooperation over Office documents. It's really great for that, but the wrong choices made over the SkyDrive app made me choose a different option for cloud storage. Shame, really, as Microsoft could have done much better.
Security Tools
I have used software firewalls since I first connected my personal computers to the internet, back when the access was still done at 56Kbit/s. Even though my home computers run behind a hardware firewall, I find the protection offered by HIPS rather comforting. For the last 3 years or so, my HIPS of choice has been Emsisoft's Online Armor. As HIPS go, you can't fare much better than with OA, even if it can be a bit annoying, both immediately after installation and when installing software, but that is nothing that cannot be easily solved with its own learning mode. Emsisotf's also produces a top of the line anti-malware product, Emsisoft Anti-Malware. The combination of EAM and OA provide multiple layers of protection, without putting any noticeable overall in the normal running of my computers, and so I find this a very good combination to run. I also use Malwarebytes Antimalware Free, on demand, for regular scans.
Communication, IM and Social Networking Tools
I don't use IM much, but the only tool I use infrequently is Google Talk. Other than that, I use Skype for voice and video chat, and the free for personal TeamViewer, when I need to help someone or for a quick chat. My favorite Twitter client is MetroTwit, of which I use the desktop version only.
Other Tools
I still use Winzip as my main zip compression tool and use the Outlook add-in Winzip Courier to have email attachments automatically compressed. Another Outlook add-in that I find invaluable is Xobni – it's much better than using the native windows search and it will index all my .pst files. One handy tool I became aware of through LogMeIn's support is UnLockIT Free. It's very useful to check what apps, if any, are locking a file or folder and unlock it.
This covers most my tools. I will probably update this post as I go along and other useful tools come to mind.


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The TOPAZ OCR combines video magnification and text-to-speech features into a single desktop video magnifier. The high-definition camera produces a clear picture with sharp images and crisp text. This lets you use a lower magnification to maximize the amount of information displayed on the screen. It also reduces the need to move the XY table as much when reading text, looking at pictures, or working on crafts and other projects. The TOPAZ also includes an OCR camera. A simple screen tap changes TOPAZ from a video magnifier to a scanning and reading device with speech. When in OCR mode, TOPAZ displays, processes, acquires, and reads aloud the document currently displayed on the screen.
Magnification Features:
All the features of our standard TOPAZ XL HD magnifier PLUS…
24-inch touchscreen display
High-definition camera provides a crisp image that is easy to read at all magnification levels
Widest field of view to fit more text on the screen at once, for greater productivity with less fatigue
Use the optional GEM® image management software to view, capture, and save magnified images from TOPAZ to your computer
OCR Features:
Acquire and process documents displayed on the screen
Listen to the unit read the processed text
See a full page view of the document with clearly marked reading zones
Reading zones permit fast document navigation by tapping a zone and having immediate speech from that part of the document
Continue to add more pages to the document, and quickly save it to an SD card


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July 14th - Bastille Day, a French national holiday formally known in France as La Fête nationale or more commonly, Le quatorze juillet - was always celebrated in my childhood home.
But we were not French, although since my mother was of English and Scots-Irish descent, I suspect there was some French (Norman?) blood coursing through her veins.
July 14th was the day my parents celebrated their first meeting and date in 1941. That landmark occurred in the hamlet of Bethlehem, NH, at the Maplewood Hotel and Golf Course, which at the time was a semi-fashionable resort in the White Mountains. My father John was an assistant golf pro at the Maplewood course, and Ruth Emerson a waitress at the hotel. He was 25 and from Boston; she was only 21 and from North Carolina. Their meeting resulted in a 'soda date' at Parker's Drug Store on Main Street. Hey, Earth girls are easy!
Courtship followed, culminating in marriage on 29 May 1943. They were happily married for 41 years, till my father's death in 1984.
Great role models, and I finally got it right, Mom and Dad. My first date with Mary Frances was 18 December 1987: dinner (Marie Callender's in Reno) and a movie (The Princess Bride).
Good things happen to those who wait.
"This is true love - you think this happens every day?" - Westley, The Princess Bride


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Shall the words not sing of sorrow
Leave for others words of lament
The label 'Funeral Doom Metal' is used to describe a plethora of bands that share a largely fatalistic ideological outlook in common. This is an extreme interpretation of the inherent misery of Doom Metal as a wider movement that dates back to when 70′s bands such as Pentagram and Pagan Altar, and 80′s bands St. Vitus, Candlemass and Cathedral from the early 90′s carried the baton bearing these surface qualities taken from Black Sabbath. It was, later still, passed on to bands best represented by Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Katatonia, who integrated this slow and doleful style with Death Metal techniques, as this movement had reached it's apex in the remarkable 'goldmine' period (1989 – 1993). This style called Doomdeath would eventually become more extreme, spawning suicidal and eschatological Funeral Doom Metal bands such as Mournful Congregation, Paramaecium, Worship and Pantheist. They would claim more of a descent from the band most synonymous with the tag: Finland's Skepticism, however, whose consistancy and contribution to Metal music as a whole far outweighs their status as the archetypal form of some sub-sub-genre. Emerging almost simultaneously from the South of Finland, both Skepticism and Thergothon were playing music less concerned with the self-obsessed emotions of Doom Metal; infact, they followed more in the footsteps of Death and Black Metal, illustrating their reverence for nature/cosmos, it's eternal patterns and magestic forces that confront our fragile and often illusory perceptions (and feed the despair of most Doom Metal in it's fatalism).
This appropriately brings us to the annual 'Dooomstock' festival held at the Lepakkomies bar in the Sörnäinen district of Helsinki. More importantly, it brings us to Skepticism's role not only as headliner, but the most uncompromising example of what has been discussed so far: that Skepticism – who bring the epic spirit of Romantic, nihilistic Metal to the Doom scene – reign supreme in a sea of shit. It's the second day of the festival, and the opening act – Funeral Planet – amounted to little more than an extremely heavy and slow Rock band, which is the most unfortunate symptom of this kind of Black Sabbath worship. Thanks to the trial-and-error, improvisational nature of Rock composition, one or two riffs could be enjoyed but, without some meaningful musical context, only as a soundtrack to consuming bottles of Karhu – Finland's premium lager. The Celtic Frost cover was a nice addition to the set but only served to increase the anticipation for Skepticism by hearing the work of another legendary band. Such an honourable title, the Finns in attendance would tell you, couldn't be more applicable to the country's original Doom Metal band and second act on the line-up: Spiritus Mortis, now being fronted by Sami Hynninen who is more well-known as Albert Witchfinder from Reverend Bizarre. Their brand of traditional Doom Metal is more competent than the preceding act, in that their sound hybridizes a wider range of influences, from Trouble and St. Vitus to the somehow rousing dirge-anthems of Pagan Altar and post-Nightfall Candlemass. But was there more to the set than a collection of tightly-played tribute songs for a diehard group of Finnish Doom Metal connoisseurs? Beside's Sami's enthusiasm for singing to his own band within this lot of fans, in a voice more suited to Spiritus Mortis than to a bizarre cover of Burzum's 'Dunkelheit', the answer would be that there was no more meaning. The next band, Ophis from Germany represented the new generation of Doomdeath bands, and delivered almost as promised, a juvenile set of clichéd tracks that rip-off the approach played first by diSEMBOWELMENT and littered this with token chugging lifted from the cruder moments of Worship's first album. Ending the set with a cover of a band that nobody had heard of planted Ophis solidly into the grave, but it did feature a lot more of that chugging which is ambrosia for the Doom Metal fan, as shredding is for speed-addicts.
With all of this noise done and dusted, the stage was set for the mighty Skepticism, and those who seemed to have better understood the significance of what would come made their way to the feet of the masters. Skepticism's image is about as disparate from their peers' as their music is, with the band maintaining a strictly non-Metal sartorial code, led by Matti on vocals and his dishevelled conductor's suit. The set began with an awe-inspiring and trance-inducing rendition of the classic 'Sign of a Storm', opener to the debut album. The opening words are growled more chthonically than on record, accompanied by Matti's gestures as he appears to summon and conduct the elemental forces of nature, explaining his customary choice of attire. His performance as vocalist is in sharp contrast with Sami's; his actions are erratic extensions of a music which is greater than himself and, though he is aware of the audience, knows his role as mediator at all times. In the basic element of sound, Skepticism sound more like a coherent whole rather than an unbalanced loudspeaker for an isolated riff, some crowd-friendly chugging or double-bass layer. The next song, as the tracklist of the Stormcrowfleet album dictates is 'Pouring' and demonstrates the brutal harmony of their sound. None of their coherence is sacrificed as the set enters the classic 'Aether' from the second album, which creates a lot more ambient space and dynamic demands that are delivered expertly. 'The Curtain' and 'The Arrival' from the latest album, Alloy follow to demonstrate the quality music that Skepticism is still creating – a very rare phenomenon in the world of Metal. Next came two tracks that, while enjoyable, explain why 'Farmakon' was such a hit-and-miss affair. The riffs are quite cumbersomely arranged, but with their characteristic power and glimpses of innovation, Skepticism drive them forward regardless. To close, nothing could have been a more fitting choice of song than the epic 'March October' as the band returns to 'Alloy' one last time. What a gift to leave behind for the audience to be inspired – sonic patterns of the continuum of life. The epic Skepticism transcended the Doom Metal festival in every aspect of their music and performance, and this is what, perhaps paradoxically, makes a Metal band great; by letting the form of the music be shaped and directed by the fundamental impulses that inspire it, like the sea upon the coming of a storm.
Proudly join the tunes sounding
Gallant ways the pulse beating
Take their place in the Alloy
Fortify the compound forming
And unite the substance growing
And meld matter made for lasting
To complete the March October
Tags: Death Metal Live Reviews, Death Metal Live Shows, Death Metal Show Announcements — Tags: Death Metal, Doom Metal, Finnish Death Metal, Heavy Metal


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State Procurement and Contracting (2016)
The purchase of goods and services by public entities in Colorado is generally governed by the state procurement code. This code is designed to ensure the fair treatment of people seeking to do business with the state, to foster broad-based competition through a bidding process, and to save money on purchases made with state funds. This issue brief outlines the agencies and types of purchases subject to state procurement rules, explains the vendor selection process, discusses bidding and contracting for construction projects, and describes the types of preference that exist for awarding contracts.


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Root Locus Design
Root locus design is a common control system design technique in which you edit the compensator gain, poles, and zeros in the root locus diagram.
As the open-loop gain, k, of a control system varies over a continuous range of values, the root locus diagram shows the trajectories of the closed-loop poles of the feedback system. For example, in the following tracking system:
P(s) is the plant, H(s) is the sensor dynamics, and k is an adjustable scalar gain The closed-loop poles are the roots of
The root locus technique consists of plotting the closed-loop pole trajectories in the complex plane as k varies. You can use this plot to identify the gain value associated with a desired set of closed-loop poles.
Tune Electrohydraulic Servomechanism Using Root Locus Graphical Tuning
This example shows how to design a compensator for an electrohydraulic servomechanism using root locus graphical tuning techniques.
Plant Model
A simple version of an electrohydraulic servomechanism model consists of
A push-pull amplifier (a pair of electromagnets)
A sliding spool in a vessel of high-pressure hydraulic fluid
Valve openings in the vessel to allow for fluid to flow
A central chamber with a piston-driven ram to deliver force to a load
A symmetrical fluid return vessel
The force on the spool is proportional to the current in the electromagnet coil. As the spool moves, the valve opens, allowing the high-pressure hydraulic fluid to flow through the chamber. The moving fluid forces the piston to move in the opposite direction of the spool. For more information on this model, including the derivation of a linearized model, see [1].
You can use the input voltage to the electromagnet to control the ram position. When measurements of the ram position are available, you can use feedback for the ram position control, as shown in the following, where Gservo represents the servomechanism:
Design Requirements
For this example, tune the compensator, C(s) to meet the following closed-loop step response requirements:
The 2% settling time is less than 0.05 seconds.
The maximum overshoot is less than 5%.
Open Control System Designer
At the MATLAB® command line, load a linearized model of the servomechanism, and open Control System Designer in the root locus editor configuration.
load ltiexamples Gservo controlSystemDesigner('rlocus',Gservo);
The app opens and imports Gservo
as the plant model for
the default control architecture, Configuration
In Control System Designer, a Root Locus Editor plot and input-output Step Response open.
To view the open-loop frequency response and closed-loop step response simultaneously, click and drag the plots to the desired location.
The app displays Bode Editor and Step Response plots side-by-side.
In the closed-loop step response plot, the rise time is around two seconds, which does not satisfy the design requirements.
To make the root locus diagram easier to read, zoom in. In the Root Locus Editor, right-click the plot area and select Properties.
In the Property Editor dialog box, on the Limits tab,
specify Real Axis and Imaginary
Axis limits from -500
Click Close.
Increase Compensator Gain
To create a faster response, increase the compensator gain. In the Root Locus Editor, right-click the plot area and select Edit Compensator.
In the Compensator Editor dialog box, specify a gain of
In the Root Locus Editor plot, the closed-loop pole locations move to reflect the new gain value. Also, the Step Response plot updates.
The closed-loop response does not satisfy the settling time requirement and exhibits unwanted ringing.
Increasing the gain makes the system underdamped and further increases lead to instability. Therefore, to meet the design requirements, you must specify additional compensator dynamics. For more information on adding and editing compensator dynamics, see Edit Compensator Dynamics.
Add Poles to Compensator
To add a complex pole pair to the compensator, in the Root Locus Editor, right-click the plot area and select Add Pole or Zero > Complex Pole. Click the plot area where you want to add one of the complex poles.
The app adds the complex pole pair to the root locus plot as red
's, and updates the step response plot.
In the Root Locus Editor, drag the new poles to locations near –140 ± 260i. As you drag one pole, the other pole updates automatically.
As you drag a pole or zero, the app displays the new value in the status bar, on the right side.
Add Zeros to Compensator
To add a complex zero pair to your compensator, in the Compensator Editor dialog box, right-click the Dynamics table, and select Add Pole or Zero > Complex Zero
The app adds a pair of complex zeros at –1 ± i to your compensator
In the Dynamics table, click the Complex
Zero row. Then in the Edit Selected
Dynamics section, specify a Real Part of
and an Imaginary Part of
The compensator and response plots automatically update to reflect the new zero locations.
In the Step Response plot, the settling time is around 0.1 seconds, which does not satisfy the design requirements.
Adjust Pole and Zero Locations
The compensator design process can involve some trial and error. Adjust the compensator gain, pole locations, and zero locations until you meet the design criteria.
One possible compensator design that satisfies the design requirements is:
Compensator gain of
Complex poles at –110 ± 140i
Complex zeros at –70 ± 270i
In the Compensator Editor dialog box, configure your compensator using these values. In the Step Response plot, the settling time is around 0.05 seconds.
To verify the exact settling time, right-click the Step Response plot area and select Characteristics > Settling Time. A settling time indicator appears on the response plot.
To view the settling time, move the cursor over the settling time indicator.
The settling time is about 0.043 seconds, which satisfies the design requirements.
[1] Clark, R. N. Control System Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, 1996.
See Also
Control System Designer | rlocusplot


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Archbishop of Canterbury calls for primates' gatheringPosted Sep 16, 2015 |
[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby today wrote to all 37 primates inviting them to attend a special primates' gathering in Canterbury to reflect and pray together concerning the future of the Anglican Communion.
The meeting, to be held in January 2016, would be an opportunity for primates to discuss key issues face to face, including a review of the structures of the Anglican Communion and to decide together their approach to the next Lambeth Conference.
The agenda will be set by common agreement with all primates encouraged to send in contributions. It is likely to include the issues of religiously motivated violence, the protection of children and vulnerable adults, the environment and human sexuality.
Welby said: "I have suggested to all primates that we need to consider recent developments but also look afresh at our ways of working as a Communion and especially as primates, paying proper attention to developments in the past.
"Our way forward must respect the decisions of Lambeth 1998, and of the various Anglican Consultative Council and primates' meetings since then. It must also be a way forward, guided by the absolute imperative for the church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make disciples and to worship and live in holiness, and recognizing that the way in which proclamation happens and the pressures on us vary greatly between provinces. We each live in a different context.
"The difference between our societies and cultures, as well as the speed of cultural change in much of the global north, tempts us to divide as Christians: when the command of Scripture, the prayer of Jesus, the tradition of the church and our theological understanding urges unity. A 21st-century Anglican family must have space for deep disagreement, and even mutual criticism, so long as we are faithful to the revelation of Jesus Christ, together.
"We have no Anglican Pope. Our authority as a church is dispersed, and is ultimately found in Scripture, properly interpreted. In that light I long for us to meet together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to seek to find a way of enabling ourselves to set a course which permits us to focus on serving and loving each other, and above all on the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ."
The proposed dates for the meeting are Jan. 11-16, 2016.
Welby will also extend an invitation to Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America or his representative to be present for part of the time.


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Lebanon, PA, United States — Solar Powered Energy Theft is a new book by Jon Nelsen that teaches homeowners how to efficiently use solar energy and legal ways to leverage Government-funded solar energy without any down payment.
Jon Nelsen is a popular solar consultant and a self-proclaimed solar junkie. He has helped countless people get the most out of rooftop solar. To bring his knowledge and expertise to the masses, he has written "Solar Powered Energy Theft: Legal No Money Down Solar Panels for Homeowners."
This exclusive book has everything a homeowner needs to:
– Save up to 26% of their solar costs on their income taxes
– Lock-in energy price for life
– Increase their home value
– And so much more without spending money out of their pocket.
Jon Nelsen began working with private clients and homeowners across the US in 2022. He wants them to transition to using solar energy for no down payment. He also wants homeowners to get the benefits of the state and federal incentives that they did not know they were qualified for. Helping them save money and reap the multiple benefits associated with solar panels.
To assist homeowners in harnessing solar energy's power and get all the benefits out of their solar panels, Jon Nelsen has written the book "Solar Powered Energy Theft: Legal No Money Down Solar Panels for Homeowners". It provides ideas and guides the homeowners on how they can best use solar power to meet their daily energy needs in their homes. The book is available in paperback and hardcover versions on Amazon.com.
"Solar panels have dropped in price by about 70% in the last decade as they have become more widely used and efficient. The primary impediment to a lower price is the materials required to manufacture them, and as more people switch to solar, the price may actually begin to rise. While a typical system in the United States can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000, depending on your energy needs and the efficiency of your roof, financing has reduced the cost to a low monthly payment that's less than your current electric bill. Furthermore, just like your home, once you've paid off the panels, you own them outright, and any energy they generate is almost free," said Jon Nelsen while talking to the media.
One of the most significant benefits of shifting to solar energy is that you do not rent the energy. You buy it. The payments you make for solar energy are for your infrastructure. However, if one pays the traditional energy companies, it goes for paying for their infrastructure. With the help of solar energy, you become your own power plant from day one.
To purchase the book "Solar Powered Energy Theft: Legal No Money Down Solar Panels for Homeowners (Homeowner House Help)", visit Amazon.com.
Apart from Amazon, Google, Apple Bookstore, and Rakuten, for a limited time only, people can download the book Solar Powered Energy Theft from Jon Nelsen's website.
For more information, visit https://sleek.bio/jonnelsen.
Media Contact:
Business Name: Do Social Smarter, LLC
Contact Person: Jon Nelsen
Email: [email protected]
Website: jonnelsen.com


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Any page in FROONT can have it's own domain name. You can add the whole domain to your FROONT page, a subdomain, or a path on a domain, for example:
- www.mydomain.com (domain)
- aboutme.mydomain.com (subdomain)
- www.mydomain.com/contact (path on a domain)
To add one of the above, follow these steps:
1) If you don't have a domain name, go to Namecheap.com (or any other registrar you like) to purchase one.
2) When you purchased a domain name or you already have one, go to registrar's settings panel for that domain name. Find Host records (sometimes also referred as DNS records) and add following two A records:
In case of the Namecheap it will look like this:
In this type of setup you also don't need any redirects or change the name servers. The reason why there are two records is that your page should be accessible via mydomain.com and www.mydomain.com. Technically www is a subdomain, so the same way you add other subdomains like anything.mydomain.com.
3) To be sure that everything works, enter the domain name in FROONT and press Test Domain. You will be notified something isn't right.
4) If you use Typekit fonts, you will be asked to input the Typekit Kit ID. You need to register on typekit.com, create your own kit containing the fonts listed, publish the kit, and then enter its ID here:
That's it! FROONT will take care of the rest and your new page will be up and running in few moments!
Everything should be working, but I can't see the page
Although usually your page will be visible quickly, in some cases updating the global DNS records to all the regions can take time up to 72hours.
You also want to add an email service
Note, that if you want to use email service with the same domain, you must add MX or TXT records (see the instructions from your email provider).
How to use CNAME
Another method is to add CNAME for your subdomains and keep the domain name on an A record. In that case use CNAME record pages.froont.com. The problem here is that not all registrars allow adding a CNAME.


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Jean Pickton
In 1954 Jean was invited to become a Windmill Girl at the famous Windmill Theatre in the West End of London. During her time there she worked with such greats as Harry Secombe and Bruce Forsyth.
In the 1970s Jean spent some time in the USA having been invited to represent the UK and 'Britishness' due to Jean's cabaret act. Jean performed at venues such as the Chicago Hilton Hotel and the Carlton Hotel, New York. Whilst in the USA Jean became a regular on the Joey Adams' chat show, 'Coast to Coast'.
In the 1980s Jean returned to England and was often seen on British TV. Jean worked on shows such as 'Hi-de-hi', 'EastEnders' and appeared in many TV ads. At the same time Jean was working on the British cabaret circuit as an established performer. Upon retiring from show business at the beginning of the 1990s Jean began painting as a hobby but quickly realised she had a talent for art. Because of this Jean decided to take her art seriously and this led to Jean attaining a BA Hons degree in Fine Art in 2002.
Since gaining her Degree, Jean's new found career as an artist has gone from strength to strength. As a professional artist Jean's work sells not only throughout the UK but also Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and as far away as North America, Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Jean is truly an international artist.


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Clark C. Havighurst taught courses in health care law and policy, antitrust law, and economic regulation at the Duke University School of Law from 1964 until his retirement at the beginning of 2005. His scholarly writings include articles on most phases of regulation in the health services industry; the role of competition in the financing and delivery of health care; medical malpractice; private contracts as vehicles for reforming American health care; a wide range of antitrust issues arising in the health care field; and antitrust and other issues surrounding private standard setting, accrediting, etc., in health care and other fields. His law school casebook, entitled Health Care Law and Policy: Readings, Notes, and Questions, was published by Foundation Press in 1988; a new edition, with two co-editors, was published in 1998. In 1982, he published a major study of economic regulation in health care, Deregulating the Health Care Industry. A later book, Health Care Choices: Private Contracts as Instruments of Health Reform, was published in 1995 by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI).
A member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Havighurst served as a member of the Institute's Board of Health Care Services from 1987 to 1997. He also served for many years as an adjunct scholar of AEI. On sabbatical leaves, he has been a scholar in residence at the Institute of Medicine (1972-73) and the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica (1999) and a resident consultant at the Federal Trade Commission (1978-79) and at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Epstein, Becker & Green (1989-90). In 1988-89, he served as the Executive Director of the Private Adjudication Center, Inc., an affiliate of the Duke Law School specializing in alternative dispute resolution; he also served for some years as a member of the PAC's executive committee. He has served as chairman of the executive and management committees of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. From 1965 to 1970, he edited the Duke Law School's prestigious journal Law and Contemporary Problems (founded 1933), and he has published frequently in that journal, contributing more pages to it than any other author. He has been a visiting professor of law at Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, and William & Mary. Havighurst served as interim dean of Duke Law School in the last half of 1999.
Havighurst is known as a leading and innovative proponent of policies that would rely less on government or the medical profession and more on competition and consumer choice to guide the health care industry's development. He began to write about the merits of competition in medical care as early as 1970. Rather than confining his attention to the then-emerging concept of health maintenance organizations, however, he anticipated many of the other innovations in managed health care that began to appear only in the 1980s. In 1974, he wrote a brief amicus curiae stressing the need for antitrust enforcement in the health care industry in Goldfarb v. Virginia State Bar, the case in which the Supreme Court first applied the Sherman Act to the "learned professions." Since then, his scholarship has helped to point directions for antitrust enforcement in the health care field. In 1995-96, his critique of the antitrust agencies' overly regulatory approach to evaluating physician networks was instrumental in prompting a revision of enforcement policies. Many of Havighurst's contributions to antitrust enforcement in the health care field are documented in a 2008 book, Carl F. Ameringer, The Health Care Revolution: From Medical Monopoly to Market Competition (California/Milbank Books on Health and the Public, 2008).
One of the first academic critics of health planning and certificate-of-need laws, Havighurst organized an early conference challenging their now-discredited regulatory premises at AEI in 1972, publishing the proceedings in 1974. He wrote critically of Professional Standards Review Organizations in 1975, arguing the need to confront "quality/cost trade-offs" in medical care rather than being concerned (as physicians tend to be) only with waste in the form of unnecessary, "flat-of-the-curve" medicine. He was also a critic of regulation in other forms and actively participated (while on a sabbatical in Washington in 1978-79) in the policy developments of that year, during which the federal government finally abandoned its regulatory agenda, tentatively embraced competition as a constructive force, and shifted responsibility for health care cost containment to public and private health plans. Since that time, he has continued to stress the potential virtues of decentralized decision making on health care issues.
Havighurst's work in the field of medical malpractice has been equally unconventional. In 1973, he proposed a still-discussed "no-fault" strategy for redressing medical injuries while strengthening incentives to improve treatment outcomes. Instead of legislative reforms of malpractice law, he has proposed "private reform" -- i.e., the use of private contracts to redefine patients' rights and providers' obligations. In work on practice guidelines and innovative health care contracts, Havighurst sought once again to free the health care field from centralized decisions and professional dominance and to widen the scope of consumer choice. His 1995 book, on "private contracts as instruments of health reform," can be read as an attack on the legal system for systematically undermining opportunities for consumers to specify the legal rules under which their health care will be provided. A 2000 article endorses enterprise (vicarious) liability as a means of making managed-care organizations ultimately responsible for the quality as well as the cost of care, thus allaying some of the criticism directed at such plans. In a 2002 article ("How the Health Care Revolution Fell Short"), Havighurst provided an extensive and highly critical review of developments in health policy since he first took an interest in them in the late 1960s. His 2000 article in Health Affairs provided an overview of health care law, emphasizing its haphazard development, inconsistencies, and incoherence on matters of economics and basic policy. In an autobiographical article published in 2004, he reviewed his "life and times in health care law and policy."
Havighurst's most recent project focuses on distributional issues in health care and his contention that the health care system unduly exploits ordinary premium payers for the benefit of elite interests, including the health care industry itself and high-income users of the health system. This large subject is explored in a 2006 symposium in Law and Contemporary Problems, in which he and Barak D. Richman authored the lead article, entitled "Distributive Injustice(s) in American Health Care." More recent work develops this and similar themes in the context of the 2010 reform legislation.