text:
Crossbar/hub arrangement for multimedia network
A home network architecture has an internal digital network interconnecting devices in the home. Entertainment services are introduced into the network through network interface units that are coupled to an external network and to internal network. The network interface units are selectively directly connected by a direct circuit crossbar to set-top electronics so that video data, for example, may be directly provided from a network interface unit to the set-top electronics without jitter. A passive hub, which does not have packet routing capability, is then used to provide signal regeneration and re-transmission of other data over the network.
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This patent application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/561,758, filed on Nov.22,1995, entitled HOME MULTIMEDIA NETWORK ARCHITECTURE; U.S. application Ser. No. 08/561,757, filed on Nov.22,1995, entitled SET-TOP ELECTRONICS AND NETWORK INTERFACE UNIT ARRANGEMENT; U.S. application Ser. No. 08/561,535, filed on , Nov. 22, 1995, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING DATA STREAM CLOCK.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multimedia digital networks, and more particularly, to the hub of a network that receives and re-transmits data over the network to and from end units or terminals connected to the network.
2. Background of the Invention
The rapid gains in digital technology and telecommunications have increased the desirability of having a network in the home to interconnect a multitude of products in the home with each other and to the outside world. The range of available outside services includes interactive services, cable video and audio services, satellite networks, telephone company services, video on demand, and other types of information services. However, penetration of the personal computer into homes in the United States is approximately 33% and only growing slowly, although governments desire more extensive penetration to encourage "telecommuting" and reduce road traffic and pollution. Further penetration of computers in the home will originate from the purchase of consumer entertainment and informational products containing an embedded computer and operating system hidden by an opaque user interface. Such a product is a conventional set-top box.
Set-top boxes are multi-media computers that augment the use of televisions. A conventional set-top box has an external network interface module that connects the set-top box to the external network and data provider. The network interface module has to perform a number of sophisticated functions, such as interfacing to a specific external network, tuning, demodulation, error correcting, video descrambling, recovery of MPEG clock, and encryption and decryption specific to the external network. Consequently, the network interface module is a relatively expensive component of Set-top boxes. This expense would be necessary even when a single television is present in the house. However, most homes contain multiple televisions, and providing each with its own set-top box and associated network interface module is a duplication of expensive components.
The conventional hub in a network has a signal regeneration function such that a signal may be transmitted a maximum distance in the network from a device to a hub, and another maximum distance again from the hub to another device. A complex hub in a network has a store and forward or packet routing scheme that examines the addresses of data packets as they are received by the hub, and performs a switching function to properly route the data packets to their intended destination. This functionality comes at a high price, however, so that the costs of a home network with such a hub may be prohibitively high for the typical homeowner, who will then shy away from installing a home network.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above described and other problems are overcome by the present invention which provides a method and apparatus for connecting terminals to a network. In certain embodiments of the invention, a passive hub and direct circuit crossbar arrangement are provided. The passive hub, which does not have any packet routing circuitry, merely regenerates signals it receives and transmits the signals over the network. A direct circuit crossbar provides a selectively switchable direct circuit for two terminals on the network, effectively bypassing the hub and the network.
The establishment of a direct circuit may be used, for example, between a network interface unit to transmit video data directly to set-top electronics. This provides the advantages of separating the network interface unit from the set-top electronics, i.e., no duplication of the network interface units for a particular service at each set-top electronics, ability to select among competing service providers, etc. These advantages are gained without the loss, however, of picture quality which might otherwise occur if the direct circuit through the crossbar were not available, as an inexpensive home network based on Ethernet, for example, would likely introduce unacceptable jitter to the signal. The direct circuit crossbar provides the direct circuit between the network interface unit and the set-top electronics as if they were physically located in proximity to one another and connected by a bus, as in conventional set-top boxes.
When other data is sent to a directly connected network interface unit, but is not intended for the directly connected set-top electronics, this data may be re-routed by the set-top electronics onto the network as a whole through the hub. This avoids the need for a complex switching arrangement to accomplish this function of introducing data into the network in addition to the direct transmission of the video data to the set-top electronics.
The foregoing and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a home network constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a depiction of an exemplary installation of the home network of the present invention within a home.
FIG. 3 is a logical diagram of the home network of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of a network interface unit and a set-top electronics unit constructed in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present Invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a network interface of the set-top electronics constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the network interface of the network interface unit constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a hub and direct circuit crossbar, constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, coupled to a network interface unit and a set-top electronics unit.
FIG. 8 is a logical diagram of an exemplary user interface for the home network of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a home multimedia network 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is exemplary only, however, as the network 10 may be configured in any of a number of different ways within the scope of the invention, and include different devices coupled to the network 10. Additionally, the invention is not limited to networks located in homes, but is applicable to networks installed in other types of structures, such as offices, apartment buildings, etc. For purposes of illustration, however, the exemplary embodiment will be described in the context of a home installation.
The network 10 is a digital network that provides connectivity of different types of equipment to the world outside the home. This equipment can be, for example, analog television 12, digital television 14, digital VCR 16, digital camcorder 18, personal computers 20, audio equipment 22, printers 24, facsimile machines 26, and telephones 28, among others. In addition to connecting this equipment to the outside world, the network 10 also connects the digital video, digital audio, computer and telephone equipment together internally in the home. This unifies communication and control within the home, making the full power of the external network connections or internal data sources available to any terminal on the network 10.
Communication with the outside world is performed through a number of separate network interface units (NIU's) 32 and may be combined physically in an entrance unit 30, with each network interface unit 32 permitting a connection between a different external network and the home network 10. The different external networks may carry different types of signals. These may be, for example, broadcast signals (digital or mixed analog/digital) carried on hybrid fiber coax or cable. Other types of signals are ISDN, broadcast/digital satellite service, FTTC, FTTH, ADSL, and others. At least the following data types may be carried: compressed video, compressed audio, compressed internet WWW graphics and data, internet e-mail and other data, computer file data and control message data.
Logically all terminals in the home network 10 receive equal access to the network interface units 32 and a user would be unaware of the physical sighting of them. The number of network interface units 32 that are required is determined by the number of streams required per home, e.g. the number of different program channels (i.e., video, audio, and other) required simultaneously, not by the number of terminal units in a home.
In certain preferred embodiments, cable or antenna television is retained unmodified with distribution by regular in-home coax (plain old television, or POTV). POTS (plain old telephone service) is also carried on the in-home digital network 10.
The digital signals are distributed throughout the home over an internal network 34. In certain preferred embodiments, the internal network 34 is essentially Ethernet of type 10base-T or 100base-T twisted pair but a special switch hub is employed to make the network scalable to any number of terminal units each able to receive high bit-rate video.
The home network 10 connects those computers, or products with embedded computers, that can support the networking bandwidth, protocols, routing, buffering and addressing. Other high bandwidth products that do not support this complex functionality must attach to such a host unit either directly or via a local peripheral network to achieve interoperability. Examples of computers or products with embedded computers located on the home network 10, functioning as end user devices, include: the network interface units's I/O computers performing external network to home network conversion and conditioning; computers, such as the set-top electronics (STE); PC's; workstations; high end printers; and special computers providing gateway/control functions. Other end user devices that can be coupled to the network 10 include video products: digital compressed (MPEG) and uncompressed video equipment; digital video camcorder products; digital video tape recording products and digital tv display products and analog tv display and recording products. Audio products that can be coupled to the network 10 include: digital compressed (MPEG) and uncompressed audio equipment; HIFI stereo; digital audio tape recording products. Other types of products that can connect to the network 10 are data products, such as printers and other peripherals. Still further products that can be controlled through the network 10 include home automation and appliances: central heating/AC, security controller, microwave oven and other kitchen equipment, lighting, sprinkler and other power control.
Certain embodiments of the home network 10 include one or more local peripheral networks 15 that provide local connection for future very high bit rate, motion-JPEG or I-frame-only-MPEG video devices, audio devices, printers and such peripherals. These devices need continuous local digital connection at a high bandwidth, where the data transfer is continuous from, for example, digital camera to digital VCR. Accommodating such devices directly on the internal network 34 would require greater network bandwidth over the entire network 34 than normally needed. Instead, the local peripheral network 15 is normally connected by gateway to the internal network 34 for interoperability. However, in certain other embodiments of the invention, the home network 10 is provided with hardware and software that accommodates the high speed devices so that a local peripheral network 15 is not necessary.
A home automation network 17 is provided for home automation. This home automation network 17 may run on the power line or other low bit rate network for controlling appliances, home security systems, lighting, etc. This spur originates from a control computer 20 located within the home.
An exemplary model of the installation of the home network 10 of the present invention within a house 36 is depicted in FIG. 2. The home network 10 is a long range backbone capable of up to 100 m cable runs, for example, from a switched hub 38 that forms part of the internal network 34. In the exemplary installation depicted in FIG. 2, the entrance unit 30 with its multiple network interface units 32 are located in a utility area of the house, along with the switched hub 38.
Twisted pair cable is run to each room of the house 36 and terminates at a wall socket. Cat-5 twisted pair (for 100 Mbits/s), for example, may be used when doing an installation, as the majority of the cost is labor. For temporary retro-installation, twisted pair cable is small enough that it may be customer fitted under a carpet edge. A user in the home will connect a computer product in a room by plugging the Ethernet port of the computer product to the Ethernet wall socket.
In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the hub 38 is depicted as a separate device, but in other embodiments the hub 38 is integrated into one or more of the network interface units 32. The hub 38 provides the connectivity to all areas of the house and the one or more network interface units 32. Upgrading, expanding both the aggregate bandwidth and connectivity of the internal network 34, is accomplished by additional plugging or changing to a larger hub. The hub will be discussed in more detail later.
The present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, separates the functionality of the network interface units 32 from the set-top electronics 40. Conventionally, a set-top box contains a network interface unit whose components are internally connected by a bus to the set-top electronics components. By contrast, however, the present invention provides a separation of the network interface units 32 and the set-top electronics 40, with the internal network 34 interposed therebetween. This arrangement permits multiple set-top electronics to be distributed throughout the home 36 less expensively, since the electronics of a network interface unit do not have to be duplicated for each set-top electronics. Additionally, having separate network interface units 32 coupled to different external networks and to a common internal network 34 frees the homeowner from being forced to receive all programing from a single source, such as the telephone or cable company. The separation also allows the homeowner to add, drop or change services simply by changing one of the network interface units 32, without the need for replacing all of the set-top electronics 40 throughout the home 36.
In certain embodiments, a "master" set-top box is provided with multiple network interface units. However, this embodiment is logically the same as described above, as the network interface units are connected in this embodiment to the internal network, and not by a bus to the set-top electronics.
FIG. 3 is a logical view of the home network 10 of the present invention. As apparent from the diagram, the multi-port switched hub 38 forms the center of the network connections. In certain embodiments, in which inter-packet jitter is adequately controlled, a traditional, commercially available packet switched hub is employed. In other preferred embodiments, such as that depicted in FIG. 3, the switched hub 38 is a combination of networked ports and ports that are direct (circuit) switched for the duration of a session. The direct connected ports (and systems) can be phase locked via the network (coded) clock. To provide this functionality, the switched hub 38 therefore comprises a relatively simple and inexpensive hub 42 and a direct circuit crossbar 44. The hub 42, in certain preferred embodiments, may be a commercially available device, such as Am79C981 manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices, of Sunnyvale, Calif. Details of the direct circuit crossbar 44 will be described later with respect to FIG. 7.
A star topology as defined by Ethernet 10/100base-T is used in conjunction with the switching hub 38. The switching hub 38 provides fan out to most rooms in the house 36. The maximum system bandwidth is a multiple of the wire bit rate ((bit rate.times.number of ports)/2), for example, 20 ports and 100 Mbits/s bit rate =1 Gb/s aggregate maximum bandwidth.
The switched hub 38 enables special treatment for the heavily asymmetric traffic, e.g., compressed digital video and internet data by directly routing these cases from transmitter to receiver. This traffic is thus separated from the internal network 34 and allows an overall aggregate bandwidth to be limited only by the expandability of the hub 38, although it will remain limited by the 10 Mbits/s per branch. Use of 100base-T technology instead of 10base-T technology will uprate the network if required.
The switching hub's direct synchronous (Manchester or block encoded) connections are used primarily for the transmission of MPEG video where a continuous, high bit rate, long duration connection is required. High bit rate video in compressed form can be as high as 8 Mbits/sec and is needed for live video and high action movies and sports. Low bit-rate video is 1.5 Mbits/sec. According to the present invention, MPEG digital video is retained throughout the network 10. Conversion to real video takes place only at the display device (e.g., television 12) or the set-top electronics 40.
Two separate direct circuits are depicted as examples in FIG. 3. For example, the network interface unit 32 that is coupled to an ISDN network is directly connected through the direct circuit crossbar 44 to the personal computer 20 of the local peripheral network 15. Another, separate direct circuit is provided by the direct circuit crossbar 44 between a different network interface unit 32 (coupled to hybrid fiber coax, for example) and the set-top electronics 40 coupled to the television 12. Those devices that are not directly connected through the direct circuit crossbar 44 remain attached to the hub 42 and are thus networked.
With respect to the switching hub architecture, where a direct point-to-point path is configured, all data traversing this path is provided directly to the end point terminal of the path, even data intended for one or more other terminals. Thus, in certain preferred embodiments, a rule is followed that data multiplexed with the high rate data (typically messaging) must be issued to networked terminals by the end point of the direct path returning such packets to the hub 38. For example, messages sent over the ISDN network that are not intended for a device on the local peripheral network 15 will be returned by the local peripheral network host 20 to the hub 38 for distribution. This rule saves the expense and complication of having a packet router type switched hub, with the demultiplexing distributed at the end point(s) rather than centrally, and works well for asymmetric data flow and local destination, i.e., not subject to layers of switches.
An advantage of directly switched paths is that potential delays in obtaining access to the network 34 (and possibly upsetting the delicate clock reference timing carried in the MPEG stream) are avoided altogether.
The hub 38, in certain preferred embodiments, is required to be "full-duplex aware" meaning that a directly routed path connects only a transmitter terminal "up" path only to a receive terminal "down" path. By contrast, the path down to the transmitter and path up to the receiver are not affected by the direct circuit and would normally be attached to the network, i.e., attached to all the remaining terminal paths connected together.
Specific routing occurs in response to user service requests. Messages are picked up by the hub control and any direct routing changes implemented. Devices not switched from the network connect and no routing is required.
The MPEG clock recovery is performed at the network interface units 32, as described later. With the MPEG clock recovery at the network interface units 32, and the establishment of a direct circuit to the home network destination, jitter in the signal received at the destination (such as the television 12) is substantially eliminated. Direct circuit capability works well for the heavily asymmetric point to point traffic expected in the entertainment (video) home scenario.
For analog only services, e.g., transitional cable TV, this is not considered part of the digital network. For mixed digital/analog services such as hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and newer forms of mixed cable TV, this is considered a transitional state and dealt with as a temporary add-on to the all digital system of the present invention. The signal from the hybrid fiber coax is provided directly to a set-top electronics 40 or to a network interface unit 32/set-top electronics 40 combination. Two ports are required to connect to the home network 10, one for the network interface unit 32 and one for the set-top electronics 40. A bypass is provided in certain preferred embodiments to link the analog signals across to the audio/video circuits of the set-top electronics 40.
The home network 10 is controlled via hand held commander or computer keyboard to software running at the local terminals, such as the personal computers 20, or set-top electronics 40. Control software local to each home terminal manages source availability, source selection, path management by communication with the network interface units 32 and external gateways. The external network protocols are buffered in the network interface units 32 to provide a standard interface to the terminals on the home network 10. FIG. 8 depicts one an example of a user interface. In this embodiment, the home network 10 is transparent and the user is only aware of it indirectly from the number of connected services.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a single network interface unit 32 coupled by the internal network 34 to a single set-top electronics unit 40. The remaining portions of the home network 10, including the switching hub 38, are not shown in FIG. 4 for purposes of illustration and explanation.
The network interface unit 32 has one or more network interface modules 50 that interface the network interface unit 32 to a particular external network. In the example of FIG. 4, the network interface module 50 provides an interface to an external network that carries MPEG video data. The MPEG video data is provided to an internal network interface device 52 that prepares the data for transport over the internal network 34. In certain preferred embodiments, the internal network 34 is an Ethernet network, so that the internal network interface device 52 is an Ethernet interface device.
The architecture of the present invention assumes that for some networks a first stage demultiplexing at the network interface unit 32 is necessary to stay within a definable bandwidth limit (one stream) rather than an arbitrary bandwidth set by the construction of the incoming stream (multiple streams). Making the assumption that MPEG-2 video is being used, there is a demultiplexing from a multiple program transport stream into a single program transport, as defined in the MPEG-2 specification. This is performed by an MPEG transport chip 54, such as the 9110B chip commercially available from C-Cube. (A second stage demultiplexing to separate the video, audio and other data still occurs in the set-top electronics, while decoding is preferably only performed at the display terminal or computer.) With this approach, it is not necessary to send high bandwidth streams throughout the house and the terminals in the home 36 need see only a standardized single program interface. Compression is required for video generated in the home, e.g. security front door camera or video conference camera.
All the external network interfacing, decryption, access control, demultiplexing to a single program stream, etc., is performed by the network interface module 50. Thus, the network interface module 50 buffers the home network hardware and software from the peculiarities of the attached external network. Multiple different programs require multiple network interface crossbar connections whether from one or multiple providers. In certain embodiments, a dual module is provided with two connections to the crossbar, providing two programs received from the same external network.
The MPEG transport chip 54 performs the MPEG clock recovery and provides the recovered 27 MHz clock and the selected program to an internal network connection 56. The 27 MHz clock is received by an MPEG to network synthesizer 58 and converted to a 10 MHz clock, for example, when the internal network 34 is a 10base-T Ethernet network. The 10 MHz clock, as well as the selected program, are provided to a conventional transceiver 60 (such as an Ethernet transceiver) connected to the internal network 34. The synthesizer 58 acts to lock the Ethernet clock to the recovered MPEG clock. When the packet of data is transmitted from the network interface unit 32 to the set-top electronics 40, the set-top electronics 40 is locked to the recovered MPEG data at 27 MHz. At the set-top electronics 40, the 27 Mhz clock is regenerated from the Ethernet 10 MHz clock by another synthesizer.
The data is received in the set-top electronics 40 by a network interface device 62 that includes a network interface 64. The 10 MHz clock recovered by the network interface 64 from the data stream off the network 34 is gated through gate 66 to a network to MPEG synthesizer 68. Gating is needed so that the locking function is performed only when there is a packet of data present. The 10 MHz clock is converted to a 27 MHz clock provided to an MPEG decoder 70 and a video decoder/encoder 72. The selected program is provided by the network interface 64 to the MPEG decoder 70, which decodes the MPEG data and provides it to the video decoder/encoder 72. The data stream is converted by the video encoder 72 to a format (e.g., NTSC or SVideo) suitable for use by a display device, such as a television. The video decoder os for the case (HFC) where there may be an NTSC analog signal to digitize and merge with on-board graphics hardware.
The network 34 in FIG. 4 is depicted schematically, and it should be understood from the previous description that the video data may be placed on the network 34 through the hub 42, but that a direct circuit of the network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 through the direct circuit crossbar 44 of the network 34 is preferred to provide a jitter free transfer of video data.
FIG. 5 is a more detailed diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the network interface device 62 of the set-top electronics 40 depicted in FIG. 4. The network interface device 62 includes the network synthesizer 68 coupled to a program logic device operating as the gating device 66. The network synthesizer 68 may be implemented by a commercially available chip, such as the MC145151 manufactured by Motorola. The program logic device 66 may be implemented by a commercially available chip, such as the MC7958, also manufactured by Motorola. A voltage controlled crystal oscillator 80 operates at 27 MHz and provides its signal to the program logic device 62, which gates the 10 MHz signal to the synthesizer 68 when there is a received data packet. The synthesizer divides down the 10 MHz and 27 MHz frequencies to a common frequency which is fed into a phase detector of the synthesizer 68. The output of the phase detector of the synthesizer 68 is provided as a control signal to the voltage controlled crystal oscillator 80 to adjust the local frequency up or down to lock to the incoming Ethernet frequency.
The signal informing the program logic device 66 of the receipt of a data packet, and the 10 MHz clock, are provided by a serial interface adapter 82 serving as a receive enable. A commercially available product suitable for the serial interface adapter is Am7992B, manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices.
The data stream is received through a transformer/filter 84, such as one commercially available from Pulse Engineering, the PE68026. Collision information is also received through another transformer/filter 86, which can be the same type of transformer/filter as 84. The received data is provided to a first network transceiver 88, such as a twisted pair Ethernet transceiver plus (Am79C100). The output of the first network transceiver 88 (the received data) is made available to the receive enable 82 and a controller 90. The controller 90 may be a commercially available product, such as the single-chip Ethernet controller Am79C970 (manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices). The controller 90 is coupled to a bus 92, such as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, for providing the received data from the network 34 to the MPEG decoder 70 of the set-top electronics 40.
A second network transceiver 92 is coupled to the controller 90, and may be implemented by the same type of transceiver as 88. The second network transceiver 92 provides the transmit path for data from the controller 90 to the network 34 through the transformer/filter 84.
Collision information is routed through transformer/filter 86 and the second transceiver 92 to the controller 90.
FIG. 6 is a more detailed diagram of the internal network connection 56, which has an MPEG to network synthesizer 58 that synthesizes the 10 MHz clock from the 27 MHz MPEG clock recovered by the MPEG transport chip 54 (see FIG. 4). A crystal oscillator 96 is coupled to the synthesizer 58 to provide a 10 MHz signal. In certain embodiments, the crystal oscillator 96 is a 20 MHz oscillator, and the frequency generated by the synthesizer is 20 MHz, which is then simply divided to 10 MHz at the receiver (the set-top electronics 40). A commercially available synthesizer is the MC145145-2, manufactured by Motorola.
The 10 MHz clock is provided to a microprocessor interface 98, which serves as interface for a microprocessor 100. The microprocessor interface 98, with the microprocessor 100, form the transceiver 60 that connects to the internal network 34 through a transformer/filter 102. The microprocessor interface 98 may be, for example, a MC68160 chip manufactured by Motorola, and the microprocessor may be a MC68EN360, also manufactured by Motorola. The transformer/filter 102 may be the same type as transformer/filters 84, 86 of FIG. 5.
The separation of the network interface unit 32 from the set-top electronics 40 provides a number of advantages, as described earlier. The functions (responsibilities) of the conventional set-top boxes with integrated network interface units are divided in embodiments of the present invention. For example, in preferred embodiments, the network interface unit 32 is responsible for performing external network specific interfacing, tuning demodulation, and error correction. It provides external network specific video descrambling and encryption/decryption (credit card number, user password, etc.). The network interface unit 32 also provides an external network specific program guide. Additionally, it performs MPEG transport demultiplexing to a single stream and MPEG reference clock recovery. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the network interface unit provides home network Ethernet interfacing and MPEG/Ethernet clock locking. It also provides the software to support the external network and home network protocols for multiple streams and multiple users. The network interface unit also has the software to act as the gateway for the home network and control the buffering of data as necessary.
The set-top electronics 40 essentially acts as an application computer with audio, video, graphic and analog television interface, in preferred embodiments. For example the set-top electronics provides the home network specific interfacing and data buffering as necessary. It provides Ethernet clock/MPEG clock locking in preferred embodiments. The set-top electronics 40 decodes MPEG video and audio to recover digital audio/video. It performs digital to analog conversion for audio and video, and supports commands from an infrared remote control. The set-top electronics 40 provides support for analog video input (NTSC). It interfaces printers, game ports, etc., and supports boot level operating system and is able to down load a full system from an external network. The set-top electronics 40 supports application programs and communications through the network interface units to a network provider and program video server.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting in more detail an exemplary embodiment of the hub 42 and direct circuit crossbar 44 arrangement of the present invention and its connection with a network interface unit 32 and set-top electronics 40. The direct circuit crossbar 44 and 42 selectively provide either a direct circuit between a particular network interface unit 32 and a set-top electronics 40, or a simple network connection through the hub 42 for these units. In FIG. 7, only portions of the network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 are depicted, for purposes of illustration and explanation.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the hub 42 is a relatively simple and inexpensive hub, since it does not include any sort of packet routing switch or store and forward switch. There is no intelligence that examines the traffic and dynamically switches the hub according to the transmit and receive addresses as in hubs that have packet routing switches.
Although only one network interface unit 32 and one set-top electronics 40 are shown directly connected in FIG. 7, any number of directly connected pairs may be connected by the direct circuit crossbar 44, depending on the size of the crossbar 44. The network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 are each shown with five pin positions or connections, each of the connections being a pair. This coincides with a conventional telephone plug, the telephone RJ45, which has ten pin positions.
The internal network 34 provides the connection between the network interface units 32, the set-top electronics 40 and the direct circuit crossbar 44. In preferred embodiments, the internal network 34 is 10 or 100base-T Ethernet.
The selection of a network connection or a direct circuit between the network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 is established by a number of switches 108, which are depicted in FIG. 7 with letter suffixes to distinguish them from each other in the following description. In the example of FIG. 7, the network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 are to be directly connected with one another, with the network interface unit 32 transmitting data to the set-top electronics 40. A microprocessor 110 serves as the controller for the direct circuit crossbar 44 and controls the positions of the switches 108 in response to user commands that require a direct circuit to perform. For example, a user may choose to watch a movie from a video on demand service and therefore makes this selection on a hand-held remote control. The microprocessor 110, in response to this selection, will then change the positions of the switches 108 to establish a direct circuit between the network interface unit 32 that is connected to the external network that carries the video on demand service, and the set-top electronics 40 that is coupled to the television receiver on which the user desires to view the movie.
In this case, switch 108a is moved to its illustrated position to connect the transmit lines of transceiver 88 of the network interface unit 32 to line 112 of the direct circuit crossbar 44. The transmit lines of transceiver 88 are no longer connected to the network at the Tx1 port of the hub 42. Similarly, the receive lines of the transceiver 92 of the set-top electronics 40 are connected through switch 108g to the same line 112 of the direct circuit crossbar 44. With this direct circuit now established, data entering the home through the network interface unit 32 is not broadcast over the network via the hub 42, but instead is provided directly to the set-top electronics 40 at the location where the data will be used.
Although the direct circuit established by the direct circuit crossbar 44 provides an excellent pathway for data from the network interface unit 32 to the set-top electronics 40, it may occur that not all of the data coming into the network interface unit 32 is meant for the set-top electronics 40. For example, it is possible that e-mail is received over this particular network interface unit 32, and the homeowner wants e-mail to be directed to a personal computer, and not to a television. However, there is no connection to the network 34 due to the direct circuit once a direct circuit is established.
To solve this problem, the set-top electronics 40 examines the addresses of the data packets it receives and performs a routing function for data that is not meant for this set-top electronics 40. The data is re-routed by the set-top electronics 40 onto the network 34 through the hub 42. This re-routing by the end point connection (the set-top electronics 40 in this example) avoids the need for the system to use an expensive and complicated router. The set-top electronics 40 has a microprocessor 120 and associated memory 122 to identify and route the data packets back to the network 34.
The direct circuit between the network interface unit 32 and the set-top electronics 40 provides a jitter-free connection for video data, but the re-routing of other data into the network 34 through the hub allows more than one type of data to be carried into the home by the network interface unit 32. Once the direct circuit between a network interface unit 32 and a set-top electronics unit 40 is established, collision detection is required by the set-top electronics 40 to allow it to transmit to the hub 42. The set-top electronics 40 needs to learn of collisions and re-transmit the data to the network 34 if such collisions occur. The network interface unit 32 can be set, in certain embodiments, to disable collisions because they cannot occur on the direct circuit. However, in certain embodiments, in both the network interface unit port and the set-top electronics port (to the network 34 through the crossbar 44), the same collision pair is included for convenience.
In certain preferred embodiments, one of the five pairs of wires is available to provide picture-in-picture capability for the system. For example, the network interface unit 32 may provide a second stream of data through another transceiver 88a over a second pair of transmit wires onto a separate crossbar connection line 114. The set-top electronics 40, which has another transceiver 88a also connected to line 114, receives this second stream of data through the direct circuit to provide a picture-in-picture on a television screen. Thus, both pictures may be provided without jitter by separate direct circuits.
In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the crossbar switches 108 are implemented by an analog MOS array of transistors, controlled in response to signals from the controller 110. This is exemplary only, however, as other embodiments employ switches of different design, as appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Although the description of the invention depicts the arrangement with certain logical distinctions of the functionality of various elements, these logical distinctions may be different in other embodiments. For example, the hub 42 is described as connected to the internal network. However, the hub 42 may also be logically considered as part of the internal network, or even forming the network, with the remaining wiring forming means for attaching end terminals to the hub 42. One of ordinary skill in the art, therefore, will appreciate that the logical distinctions depicted and described in the present specification are exemplary only.
The separation of the network interface unit and the set-top electronics according to the present invention provides a relatively inexpensive connection of a multitude of devices to each other within the home, and to the outside world.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
1. A direct circuit crossbar and hub arrangement of a network having end terminals coupled to the network, comprising:
- a direct circuit crossbar selectively coupled to the end terminals of the network and coupled to the network, the direct circuit crossbar establishing a direct circuit between two end terminals, and connecting the two end terminals as a pair to the network; and
- a passive hub of the network coupled to the end terminals of the network that are not selectively coupled to the direct circuit crossbar and also coupled via the direct circuit crossbar to the end terminals connected as a pair to the network.
2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the direct circuit crossbar has direct circuit lines and controllable switches for connecting the end terminals to the direct circuit lines.
3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the direct circuit crossbar has a processor responsive to command signals to control the switches to connect the end terminals to the direct circuit lines, wherein a direct circuit between two end terminals is established by connection of the end terminals to the same direct circuit line.
4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the end terminals have receive and transmit lines, and wherein a direct circuit established between two of the end terminals causes the transmit line of the first one of the end terminals to be connected to the same direct circuit line as the receive line of the second one of the end terminals, the receive line of the first one of the end terminals and the transmit line of the second one of the end terminals being connected to the hub.
5. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein the switches are analog MOS switches.
6. A method of connecting end terminals to a network, comprising:
- connecting receive and transmit ports of end terminals on a network to a passive hub;
- selectively directly connecting at least the transmit port of a first one of the end terminals to the receive port of a second one of the end terminals by a direct circuit crossbar to establish a direct circuit between the first and second end terminals and disconnecting the transmit port of the first one of the end terminals from the hub and the receive port of the second one of the end terminals from the hub.
Type: Grant
Filed: Nov 22, 1995
Date of Patent: Nov 26, 1996
Assignee: Samsung Electronics, Ltd. (Kyungki-do)
Inventor: Richard Humpleman (Fremont, CA)
Primary Examiner: Hassan Kizou
Application Number: 8/561,534
International Classification: H04L 1244; H04L 1250;


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Wollaston School
- Any item that has had any additional customisation that makes the item specific to an individual, club or organisation cannot be returned or exchanged unless faulty.
- Free P&P on all orders over £100.
- All orders can be self-collected from our head office free of charge.
- Turn around time for all orders is 10-14 working days. A member of our sales team will be in contact if there are any stock issues.
See our Terms & Conditions for more information

subset: commoncrawl


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Thought Leader Forum features Major League Baseball VP
On Friday, April 23, Webster, SD, native and Augustana graduate Laurel Prieb headlines the final segment of this spring's Augustana Thought Leader Forum. Prieb is in his fifth year as Vice-President of Western Operations for MLB.
Student Congregation Leadership Team in Place for 2010-11
The Chapel of Reconciliation Student Congregation leadership team has been named for 2010-2011. Each spring, students are invited to apply for positions that coordinate the work of the student congregation.
Kelly Sprecher Named Director of Communications and Media Relations
Augustana has announced Kelly Sprecher as the College's new director of communications and media relations. Sprecher replaces retiring Bruce Conley, director of news information since 1990.
Autism Conference: Lighting The Way set for June 10-11
Today, one in 88 individuals is diagnosed with autism and it occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups. The Lighting the Way conference includes 35 breakout sessions covering education, medical, and adolescent and adult topics.
Argus Leader Features Augustana Student Defying Disability
The brain damage that Chris Johnson experienced at birth 30 years ago did not limit the boundaries of his mind. As proof, he will roll across the stage May 22 at Augustana's commencement ceremony, a double major in French and English and a story of inspiration.
Augustana Ranked 9th in Learfield Sports Director's Cup Standings
Behind a strong performance during the winter sports season, Augustana vaulted into the top 10 of the NCAA Division II Learfield Sports Director's Cup standings, the NACDA announced today.
Augustana Public Relations Students Win Classics Award
Augustana's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) won the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America (MPRSA) Student Classics Award, within the category New Media/Technology.
Baseball Fever Hits the Augustana Campus
The start of the 2010 baseball season is intertwined with several baseball themed events during the month of April. Learn about baseball through math, music, and a Major League Baseball executive.
BIG Summer Plans for Augustana Sophomore
Jared Soundy, a graduate of Sioux Falls Christian High School, has accepted an invitation to participate in the BIG (bioinformatics) Summer Institute hosted by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Alumnus Receives NCI Laureate Award
Dr. Mark Johnson, '74 and current senior scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, recently received the NCI Laureate Award. The award is the highest honor given by the National Cheese Institute.


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March by Geraldine Brooks: 2/12/09
by Geraldine Brooks
Brooks' story explores the Civil War, marriage, and passionate idealism. Her main character, March, sparked a fair amount of controversy in our group. Is he a sanctimonious, narcissistic loser, or an admirable idealist with the courage to keep on trying even in the face of setbacks?
March strikes me as a (less successful) version of a class of men – including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King – whose ability as charismatic leaders comes with a corresponding lack of ability to behave as reliable husbands and fathers.
Several readers wondered how his wife tolerated him. The change to Marmee's voice toward the end was a great relief to them. March and Marmee's thorough misunderstandings at several profound moments in their marriage struck some as laughably familiar.
Overall, we were impressed by Brooks' research and her writing skills. JS was touched by her clear depiction of individual freed slaves, many of very high intelligence in spite of a lack of formal education, all struggling to determine what aspects of their freedom they could trust.
For TL the key point to the story comes on page 268 when former slave Grace Clement says,
"Go home, Mr. March. If you sincerely want to help us, go back to Concord and work with your own people… Be a father to your daughters. That, at least, you can do. They are the ones who need you."
|Geraldine Brooks
| From Wicked Local Watertown
|More about Brooks and "March":


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Say Hello to Sorghum
By Family Features
(Family Features) An ancient grain with roots that trace back as far as 8000 B.C., sorghum is seeing a resurgence as demand for non-GMO and gluten-free food grows.
Sorghum is an excellent substitute for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, and can be used to make both leavened and unleavened breads, various fermented and unfermented beverages and can be steamed, popped, flaked or consumed as a whole grain or syrup.
"Sorghum is light in color, has a pleasing texture and tastes similar to wheat, which makes it perfect for use in gluten-free baking," said gluten-free expert and cookbook author Carol Fenster.
Sorghum also provides iron, calcium, potassium, as well as polycosinol, which research has shown to lower serum cholesterol and may improve heart health.
Contrary to the perception that some grains lead to a spike in blood sugar, research has indicated that sorghum offers slow digestibility and a lower glycemic index. Foods with a lower glycemic index are believed to increase satiety, which means people feel fuller longer, aiding with weight management.
White, food grade sorghum can be milled directly into whole grain flour to produce foods such as cookies, cakes, breads, pizza dough, pastas, cereals and more. Whole grain sorghum is also a healthy addition to salads. Sorghum's natural attributes make it possible to enjoy deliciously healthful and gluten-free versions of some of America's favorite foods, thanks to these recipes.
For more recipes and tips for cooking with sorghum, visit www.HealthySorghum.com.
Pearled Sorghum Tangy Pear Salad
- 1/2 cup cooked Nu Life Market Pearled Sorghum Grain
- 8 cups prepared mixed baby greens
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 2 red Anjou pears, halved vertically and thinly sliced
- Favorite dressing or balsamic vinaigrette
- To cook sorghum, a ratio of one part sorghum to four parts water should be used. In appropriate size saucepan, add water and heat until boiling. Add sorghum and allow to simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 45 minutes or until desired tenderness.
- Once cooked, drain water from pan and rinse cooked grain. Allow cooked sorghum to cool completely before adding to salad, to avoid wilted lettuce.
- Toss together cooked sorghum, baby mixed greens, onion and dried cranberries in large bowl.
- To serve, place desired amount of tossed lettuce mixture onto salad plate, adorn with 5 pear slices and drizzle with desired amount of dressing.
Thin & Crispy Sorghum Pizza Crust
- 1 cup white whole grain sorghum flour
- 2/3 cup potato starch
- 4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2/3 cup rice milk
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder or granules
- Whisk dry ingredients together. Cut shortening into flour mix until crumbly. Add rice milk and mix until dough forms sticky ball. Knead on floured surface and continue to work dough, adding flour if necessary. Dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hand.
- Roll into ball and flatten onto ungreased pizza pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Gently roll edges over to form ridge.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 450°F. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for additional 10–15 minutes.
Mushroom and Garlic Pearled Sorghum
- 1/2 cup of Nu Life Market Pearled Sorghum Grain
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
- 3–4 asparagus shoots
- 1/4 cup thyme, chopped
- Bring sorghum and veggie stock to a boil and simmer for approximately 50 minutes.
- In small skillet, over medium heat saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add to cooked sorghum. Garnish with steamed asparagus shoots and fresh thyme. Serve.


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So, I know that I said my next race would be the Pensacola Extravaganza Shinding (not really the official name, but I can't recall it right now), but I got bored so I went to another race - The Flora-Bama Make It To The Line 4-mile Run. This race was sponsored by the Flora-Bama Lounge and Package Store.
The race started at the Florida-Alabama line, and went 2 miles into Alabama and back to Florida. At the end of the race, which I truly believe is the only reason I still run, you were rewarded with two bud light drafts. Now, I will never say that bud light is quality beer or anything, but I have drank lower beers and these were free. Even though you can't beat free with a buck, I am sure I can come up with quite a few things that can beat free. Like sex. Sex beats free, but I digress.
I am proud to say that I ran a fantastic 3.5 mile race. The officials, however, seem to think it was a four mile race and would not give me a coffee cup for the 3.5 miles that I wonderfully ran.
After dying at the 3.5 mile marker and practically jogging to the finish line, I came in at 30:33, which resulted in a 6th place finish in my age group and a 48th place finish overall out of 250 runners,joggers,exercise enthusiasts,athletes and, well, me.
Next week, the Pensacola Extravaganza Shindig, which is just a 5K. If I run 3.5 miles there like I ran 3.5 miles today, I may get some hardware. My solo medal from the Reindeer Run is getting lonely.
Until then........Harry Kwannukamas to you all!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Posted by The Maharaja at 2:35 PM
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Community Capital
Community capital has been defined as the "banked good will that helps build trust between various groups within a community."1 Community capital is also frequently called "social capital." Social capital is also commonly referred to as "the networks, norms and trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit" (Putnam 2000, 19). It is an important component of a strong civil society. "Where social capital exists, people can come together to understand what needs to be done and work to accomplish needed tasks" (Van Til 2000, 5). Community capital is, then, a public good, a good that private markets alone can not provide. Therefore, it is in the third sector, made up of nonprofits and voluntary associations, where social capital is built.
Historic Roots
L.J. Hanifan made the first documented use of the term social capital in 1916. Hanifan, a reformer during the Progressive Era, defined social capital as "good will, fellowship, sympathy and social intercourse" (Putnam 2000, 19). Hanifan believed that social capital benefited the community as a whole as well as the individual who received "help, sympathy, and the fellowship of his neighbors" (Ibid.). Though the term was coined by Hanifan, it seemed destined to be lost to history.
However, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the term re-emerged. People in a variety of different professions found the term compelling. Social capital found its way into the writings of urbanist Jane Jacobs, economists Glen Lowery and Ekkehart Schlicht, social theorist Pierre Bourdieu, and renowned sociologist James Coleman. Yet, it was Robert Putnam, a political scientist and Harvard professor, who has done the most to focus modern-day attention on it.
Putnam´s highly successful book Bowling Alone ensured that the term social capital not only showed up in the lexicon of academics, but among people in international development, within foundations, and even at the White House when President Clinton incorporated concepts into his speeches.
1As defined in the curriculum of the Council of Michigan Foundations´ Learning to Give Project
In Making Democracy Work (1993), Robert Putnam and his colleagues studied Italy and compared the development of their regional governments. In the1970s, Italy had established twenty regional governments, virtually identical in form. Putnam found wide variations based on the social, economic, political and cultural contexts of the region. He discovered that some of the regional governments were "dismal failures... inefficient, lethargic and corrupt" (Putnam "The Prosperous Community" 1993). Yet other governments were highly successful, able to manage the public´s business efficiently and satisfy their constituents.
Regions with successful governments, Putnam found, were the ones with strong traditions of civic engagement. Putnam noted that it was the level of "voter turnout, newspaper readership, membership in choral societies and literacy circles, Lions clubs, and soccer clubs" were indicators of whether a region was successful" a place where democracy worked (Ibid.).
According to Putnam, "working together is easier in a community blessed with a substantial stock of social capital" (Ibid.). Putnam lists a number of reasons why this is so.
In the first place, networks of civic engagement foster sturdy norms of generalized reciprocity and encourage the emergence of social trust. Such networks facilitate coordination and communication, amplify reputations, and thus allow dilemmas of collective action to be resolved. When economic and political negotiation is embedded in dense networks of social interaction, incentives for opportunism are reduced. At the same time, networks of civic engagement embody past success at collaboration, which can serve as a cultural template for future collaboration. Finally, dense networks of interaction probably broaden the participants´ sense of self, developing the "I" into the "we," or (in the language of the rational-choice theorists) enhancing the participants "taste" for collective benefits. (Putnam 1995)
Ties to the Philanthropic Sector
The core question of Making Democracy Work "why do some regions of the world thrive and others lag behind" is a central concern of international development organizations like the World Bank as well. This shared concern has led many international development organizations and foundations in the United States, concerned about development and chronic social ills (like poverty), to take a close look at the concept of social capital. The World Bank notes there is increasing evidence that social capital is "critical for poverty alleviation and sustainable human and economic development" (The World Bank Group 2003).
Among foundations there has been an increased interest in finding ways to build social capital and support the development of civic leadership and engagement through "civil investment." An article written by Kathryn Merchant, president and chief executive officer of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, described the strategies she felt foundations could undertake to build social capital. They included grant making, supporting community foundations, creating strategic initiatives, serving as liaisons between diverse groups of people, and addressing public policy.
Recently, thirty-six community foundations around the United States participated in a nationwide survey of social capital. Four of these were Michigan community foundations, including the Fremont Area Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Community foundations were considered natural partners for the project because of their work bringing together different community groups to try to identify and solve local issues which, in turn, builds social capital.
Among nonprofit organizations interested in increasing the opportunities for citizen participation in civic life, a new community-building paradigm is being built which views people as "assets rather than problems, and results are measured by increases in capacity for collective action rather than program outcomes" (Merchant 1998).
Key Related Ideas
Civil Society Most often associated with the third sector, civil society is a term whose "meaning and implications remain difficult to grasp" (Van Til 2000, 14). Former Senator Bill Bradley described civil society as the "third leg" of a societal stool where government and the marketplace are seen as the other two legs. Policy analyst Don Eberly (2000) defines civil society as something beyond simply associational (not created only by participation) but it must include shared values and beliefs.
Civil society can probably best be understood by what it contains within it: "the most vital and intimate institutions that socialize infants into adults and transform private individuals into public-spirited citizens" (Ibid., 4). Civil society is "public in nature, though not governmental" and provides the public space "where people learn through practice such essential democratic habits as trust, collaboration, and compromise" (Ibid.).
Communitarianism "Exhibiting a link between the two concepts," Eberly reflects, "while civil society theorists focus more generally on the vast non-governmental sector consisting predominately of voluntary associations and such social institutions as the family and neighborhood, the communitarians are interested in the idea of the community" (2000, 16). The definition of community is similar to the definition of civil society, but linked more to its geography. Community members are tied together by ethnicity, religion, or simply by residency. Communitarians seek to encourage greater social cohesion and develop a greater balance between rights and responsibilities. Sociologist Amitai Etzioni has been the key proponent of communitarianism through his advocacy, numerous writings, and annual convening of scholars and practitioners from the three sectors.
Third Sector Also called the nonprofit sector or philanthropic sector, this is that vast network of persons and groups engaged in service, philanthropy and participation. In this sector, social capital is created.
Important People Related to the Topic
James Coleman A University of Chicago sociologist who wrote the seminal work Foundations of Social Theory. Coleman studied the reasons for the comparatively low dropout rates in area Catholic high schools versus area public schools. He hypothesized that the school´s success was based on the social structure of the school that included multi-stranded relationships between parents, school, students and the church.
Amitai Etzioni - A sociologist and founder of communitarianism. In 1993, Etzioni developed the Responsive Communitarian Platform which includes these three key components:
- A communitarian perspective recognizes both individual human dignity and the social dimension of human existence.
- A communitarian perspective recognizes that the preservation of individual liberty depends on the active maintenance of the institutions of civil society.
- A communitarian perspective recognizes that communities and polities, too, have obligations, including the duty to be responsive to their members and to foster participation and deliberation in social and political life.
(Van Til 2000, 8)
Francis Fukuyama The author of Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, Fukuyama examined the role that trust and collaboration play in enabling individuals to compete in a rapidly changing and interconnected global marketplace. According to Fukuyama, economic life is maintained by "moral bonds of social trust, an unspoken, unwritten bond between fellow citizens that facilitates transactions, empowers individual creativity, and justifies collective action" (Eberly 2000, 18).
Alexis de Tocqueville "Described as the forefather of civil society, Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political theorist who visited the United States to study the American prison system in the early 1800s. During his visit, Tocqueville became fascinated with America´s voluntary associations. In his book Democracy in America, published in 1835, he noted "nothing was more deserving of attention than these associations that dotted the United States´ unique civic landscape. They were indispensable to the functioning of American democracy" (Ibid., 7).
Important Related Nonprofit Organizations
The Saguaro Seminar of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, with the help of three dozen community foundations and a number of funders, conducted the largest survey of social capital in America.
The World Bank Group is an international development organization that provided more than $19.5 billion in loans to developing countries in 2002. Poverty Net, located on the World Bank´s Web site, contains an extensive library of online articles and abstracts on social capital.
Related Web Sites
Better Together Web site, at http://www.bettertogether.org, is the initiative of the Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement initiative (of Harvard´s Kennedy School of Government) to provide information on how to increase the social capital in communities. Since June 2000, visitors to the site have been able to read stories of how people are getting together to create social capital in communities; visitors can also add their own stories via the site. A final report of the Saguaro Seminar contains the initiative´s findings, with lessons from existing initiatives (topics include social capital related to youth, arts, religion, and politics and government); download at no charge from http://www.bettertogether.org/report.php3.
Civics Practices Network Web site, at http://www.cpn.org, offers information on related topics (such as community, the environment and religion) and a variety of tools (including a bibliography, definitions list, manuals and guides for civic work, samples of course syllabi on democracy). CPN is a collaborative and nonpartisan project that brings together a diverse array of organizations and perspectives within the civic renewal movement.
The Foundation Center Web site, at http://fdncenter.org, provides an online foundation directory and access to foundation grant information for individuals. The site also contains information on training programs and research related to philanthropy.
PovertyNet, located on the World Bank Group´s Web site, provides information on social capital, including its sources, a questionnaire that serves as a community´s measurement tool, related topics, and reading lists. Visit the social capital section of the site at http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/poverty/scapital/home.htm.
The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America initiative on the John F. Kennedy School of Government Web site, at https://www.hks.harvard.edu, provides information on its history, meetings, participants, and the findings of its work. The site contains links to a resource list of related topics and the continuation of the initiative´s work through Better Together (see previous description).
Cohen, Don and Laurence Prusak. In Good Company: How Social Capital Makes Organizations Work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2001. ISBN 0-87584-913-X.
Eberly, Don E. The Essential Civil Society Reader: The Classic Essays. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0-8476-9718-5.
Etzioni, Amitai, ed. New Communitarian Thinking: Persons, Virtues, Institutions and Communities. Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1995. ISBN 0-8139-1569-4.
Merchant, Kathryn. "Foundations Develop Social Capital." PovertyNet Library (1 January 1998). The World Bank Group. [cited 22 January 2003]. Available from http://poverty2.forumone.com/library/view/7141/.
Putnam, Robert D. "Bowling Alone: America´s Declining Social Capital: An Interview with Robert Putnam," Journal of Democracy 6 (January 1995):1. Project MUSE Web site. [cited 19 January 2003]. Available from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/
Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. ISBN 0-684-83283.
Putnam, Robert D. "The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life," The American Prospect 4 (21 March 1993): 13. [cited 19 January 2003]. Available from https://prospect.org/print/V4/13/putnam-r.html.
Putnam, Robert D., with Robert Leonardi and Rafaella Y. Nanetti. Making Democracy Work. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-691-03738-8.
Van Til, Jon. Growing Civil Society: From NonProfit Sector to Third Space. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-253-33715-1.
The World Bank Group. Social Capital for Development. [updated 27 March 2003; cited 14 April 2003]. Available from https://www.worldbank.org/poverty/scapital.This paper was developed by a student taking a Philanthropic Studies course taught at Case Western Reserve University. It is offered by Learning To Give and Case Western Reserve University.


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Monday, December 24, 2007
Posted by Loot at 12:56 PM 5 comments
Friday, December 14, 2007
Well. I see two angels screwing in the stratosphere.
A constelation of black holes.
A biological process beyond the conception of man.
A Jewish ventriloquist act locked in the trunk of a red chevrolet...
What about you, Batman?
What do you see?
Joker em "Arkham Asylum"
Posted by Loot at 2:57 PM 0 comments
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Posted by Loot at 7:57 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Há uns bons anos atrás durante o casting para Joker no filme de Tim Burton.
Infelizmente perdi o papel para o Jack Nicholson mas ele tinha uma cunha e acho que denunciaram o pequeno problema que eu tinha com drogas na altura, safados.
Posted by Loot at 11:53 PM 0 comments
Monday, December 10, 2007
Graham: A liar is the second lowest form of human being.
Ann: What's the first?
Graham: Lawyers.
James Spader em "Sex, Lies and Videotape"
Alan Shore: Let me tell you two things about myself. I too am a lawyer, I can be painfully vindictive, and I do not play fair.
Lester Tremont: That's three things.
Alan Shore: See? Not playing fair already. And I'm just getting started.
James Spader em "Boston Legal"
Posted by Loot at 8:35 PM 0 comments
Sunday, December 9, 2007
"Na melhor das hipóteses, só podemos ter na vida uma grande experiência, e o segredo da vida é repetir essa experiência o máximo de vezes possível.
─ Mesmo quando a experiência nos magoou, Harry? ─ perguntou a duquesa, após um momento de silêncio.
─ Especialmente quando nos magoou ─ respondeu Lord Henry."
em "O Retrato de Dorian Gray"
Posted by Loot at 2:53 AM 4 comments
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Posted by Loot at 12:51 AM 1 comments
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Posted by Loot at 10:54 PM 0 comments
Monday, December 3, 2007
Posted by Loot at 11:28 PM 2 comments


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UTICA, N.Y. — Those long winter nights just got a bit more bearable with the announcement of Saranac's winter brews.
Newbies — Rudy's Spiced Christmas Ale, Decoction Concoction Lager, and Moonshadow Black IPA — join returning favorites — 4059' Porter, Belgian Pale Ale, and 2013 United States Open Beer Championship gold medal winner Pale Ale — to make up the 12 Beers of Winter. In addition to being available in 12 Beers of Winter, Rudy's Spiced Christmas Ale will be available in 6-packs, 12-packs and draught. Season's Best and Caramel Porter will also be available, separately in 6-packs and draught.
But Saranac fans are excited about more than their winter seasonals. Consumers will also have 125 chances to win prizes and more with the "WinNer Wonderland" promotion, a play on the popular phrase "Winter Wonderland."
"WinNers" will find sweet surprises in their 12 Beers of Winter package, including custom Saranac jackets, $125 gift cards, and other 125th anniversary commemorative swag.
"We've been focused on rewarding our consumers as we celebrate our 125th anniversary this year," said company President Fred Matt. "We literally can't stop giving things away. This promotion is another way we're thanking our consumers for helping us make it to 125 years. All they have to do is look inside their winter 12-packs."
Consumers will also have a chance to win by entering at Saranac.com when 12 Beers of Winter 12-packs hit the shelves.
Celebrate with us. Use #Saranac125 and connect with F.X. Matt Brewing Company and Saranac on Facebook (facebook.com/Saranac), Twitter (@SaranacBrewery), and Instagram (@SaranacBrewery).
About F.X. Matt Brewing Company
F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, N.Y., was founded in 1888. Today, under the leadership of the third and fourth generations of the Matt family, the brewery is celebrating 125 years of brewing. Through a commitment to innovation and brewing excellence, the company has earned a reputation as one of the country's most respected brewers of craft beers, including the Saranac line. In each bottle of Saranac, you'll find exceptional quality, distinctive ingredients and a refreshing twist on tradition — the signature of the F.X. Matt Brewing Company.


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Filey - Nature, Parks & Gardens
The town's many small gardens are one of its glories, with the peaceful Glen Gardens, with its open-air boating lake and play park, a perfect place for family picnics.
Search for parks and gardens in Filey
Memorial Gardens - Filey
Murray Street, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9DA (0 miles, 0 km)
Playdale Farm Park
Carr Lane, Cayton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 3AT (4 miles, 6 km)
This attraction is a must for everyone come rain or shine. Our attractions include an animal barns and feeding area, outdoor and indoor play areas, paddocks, undercover picnic area, cafe, and gift shop.
Glen Gardens, Filey
Glen Gardens, West Avenue, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9JL (0 miles, 0 km)
Glen Gardens were built around the 1830's and were part of the private estate of Ravine Hall. Although the hall no longer exists, a café stands in its place making it nice place to visit in the summer.
Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park
Scarborough Road, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9PG (1 miles, 2 km)
With 5 acres to explore you can feed our friendly animals, have fun on the play park, learn wildlife facts or relax in beautiful gardens whilst watching exotic birds. Whatever your age come and discover this Award-Winning Park
Crescent Gardens, Filey
The Crescent, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9HZ (0 miles, 0 km)
Filey prides itself on award winning Parks and Gardens. Stroll through the Crescent Gardens as you take in the stunning views across the bay, while listening to the summer brass band concerts in the newly built bandstand.
Filey Dams Nature Reserve
Wharfedale, FILEY, North Yorkshire, YO14 0DG (1 miles, 1 km)
The last remaining freshwater marsh of any size in the area, Filey Dams is a magnet for migratory birds but is also a haven for plants, small mammals and amphibians.
Filey Country Park
Country Park, Church Cliff Drive, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9ET (0 miles, 1 km)
Filey Country Park is an excellent spot for flying kites, dog walking and bird watching. It has some of the most fabulous views of the coast in the area.


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- Did you mean
- people stephen verhoff
Search results
Farm Science Review: robots, experiments, tour a hatchery, and more!
interesting to people. They want to see it. They want to see how it works," said Mary Beth Albright, a 4-H ...
Faces of Ohio 4-H
experience and when working on a project, find people who know more than you do and learn from them." * The ...
Supply chain, U.S. trade policy, COVID-19 to be discussed during Farm Science Review
people, and align with a rapidly changing field. Have a strong business IQ. Have performance metrics, and ...
What You Should Know Before Butchering on The Farm
encourage people to take home processing seriously—to think it through," Garcia said. "If it's something you ... charge, because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a normal year, more than 100,000 people attend the event ...
Visit the (virtual) Farm Science Review!
interesting to people. They want to see it. They want to see how it works," said Mary Beth Albright, a 4-H ...
Partner of the Year Awards-Glen Helen Association and Brukner Nature Center recognized
on the internet. The Partner of the Year Award celebrates organizations and people that work to ...
Farm animals and COVID-19: Should you be worried?
With the rapid spread of the new coronavirus believed to have started in bats, some people might ... spread of the new coronavirus believed to have started in bats, some people might be genuinely concerned ... Kenney, whose research focuses on viruses that spread from animals to people, is pursuing grants with ...
Trailblazer Adventure a Big Success
Adventure of the Little Miami Watershed Network was a great success! As more and more people are using the ... had a great time learning about the Little Miami River and what makes it special. People saw herons, ...
Invite 4-H into Your Classroom or Organization Virtually
believe in the power of young people. We see that every child has valuable strengths and real influence to ...
Two Minutes with Tony: A Peaceful Fire
I hope they continue to drive forward my vision of helping good people do great things. I hope that my ...


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SLX has always been Shimano's workhorse group: seriously solid performance, reasonable weight and all-mountain toughness. Well, this M675 version gets some trickle down features from XTR that are bound to make trail riders rejoice. This Shadow Plus derailleur retains the tucked-in Shadow profile that makes you less likely to tag it on trailside obstacles. And the Plus part is a one-way clutch that dramatically stiffens up the cage so chain slap, dropped chains, and all the associated noise are basically a thing of the past. It all adds onto SLX's legendary workhorse status.
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Splash Car Wash Gives to Center for Hope, Darien CT
Every year, Splash Car Wash teams with local organizations to help bring relief
to those in our own communities who need it the most. While we respect the
work of national organizations, we feel that we can help effect real change by
giving to those close to home.
As Splash Car Wash continues to celebrate it's 30th anniversary year we can't
help but reflect that our charitable attitudes started with donations to the local
Greenwich ARC. We were so blown away by the positive response that we
made such donations a company policy every since. In every new town we
opened in we would look for a great local organization to partner with.
Every Holiday season when you purchase a Splash Gift Card from our Darien,
CT location you are helping Splash Car Wash prepare a gift for Darien's own
Center for HOPE . From every gift car purchase a percentage is set aside as
a donation. We are proud to announce that all combined we have just given a
total of $4,135to the very worthy cause.
For more than 25 years, the Center for HOPE has been one of the area's
most respected and trusted resources for bereavement and critical illness
support. The Center for HOPE is a program of Family Centers, and provides
comprehensive services for adults and children living with an illness, grieving
a loss or coping with a trauma. All counseling, support and education services
are facilitated by specially-trained professionals in an atmosphere of hope and
For more in center for hope visit www.centerforhope.org/
For more on Splash Car Wash visit http://www.splashcarwashes.com


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Italy's coast guard suspended the search for people on the Costa Concordia today after the ship slipped farther into the Mediterranean. On Friday, the cruise ship, carrying 4,200 passengers, struck rocks just off the coast of Tuscany. The ship quickly began listing to its side, and soon found itself halfway submerged. In the initial confusion, many passengers jumped into the water, while others boarded lifeboats or waited for rescuers to arrive. So far, 23 people are missing and eleven have been confirmed dead.
Now, the focus has shifted to draining the ship of fuel and minimizing the potential for more environmental damage to the region. But that process will most likely take weeks, experts say, so the Concordia won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
In the meantime officials are trying to decide how to deal with Capt. Francesco Schettino, who steered the vessel too close to the shore, then reportedly abandoned ship during the evacuation.
—Rose Eveleth


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Legal Claim Dependency
|1. Anything, such as but not limited to an Item, Entity, Component or Element, that is a requirement for achieving a certain state in planning for, building, delivering, operating, and/or supporting one or more Legal Claim related Items or Entities.
Read More
|1) The Semantic Root Noun for this term is: Legal Claim
2) Semantically Related Terms: The "Legal Claims Management Glossary"
3) The Legal Claims Management Home Page covers much more about other related terms and concepts associated with this term or phrase.


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Message from Pathos - NY in Vibrant Diversity #music
Next Seattle forum put on by cascadia
Also got my jack Donovan book signed
i need to move to cascadia
Im in college currently tho
Clones are better than storm troopers
The late clone troopers were best
I like this song
@D'Marcus Liebowitz is it good
is aight
holy shit, that's funny as fuck. can someone get me in touch with the person that made that? I want to use it on my show for break music
The intellectual one
@Caerulus_Rex I messaged him on YouTube a question in the comments and he answered me try him there.
> Slavs are unterme--
@Pathos - NY 👌🏻👍🏻👏🏼
GAS! GAS! GAS! I'm gonna gas all these kikes! TOOOONIIIIIGHT THEY DIE!
I've got a song for y'all
Four Million Jews waiting for death
Oh hang and burn but — quiet, Jews!
Don't be bothersome; save your breath —
The world is busy with other news.
Four million murders are quite a smear
Even our State Department views
The slaughter with much disfavor here
But then - it's busy with other news.
You'll hang like a forest of broken trees
You'll burn in a thousand Nazi stews
And tell your G-d to forgive us please
For we were busy with other news.
Tell Him we hadn't quite the time
To stop the killing of all the Jews;
Tell Him we looked askance at the crime —
But we were busy with other news.
Oh World be patient — it will take
Some time before the murder crews
Are done. By Christmas you can make
Your Peace on Earth without the Jews.
By Ben Hecht
The New York Times, Tuesday September 14, 1943
Can I mike cuck for a sceond to check if this headset has a mike?
Ok looks like this headset had a mike in it all the time!
lol... when poeple say 'you are a little racist' to me I reply 'I am a fanatical National Socialist'
New (and last) album's out.


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Thursday 24 September 2020
IFRIC Update is the newsletter of the IFRS Interpretations Committee and is published as a convenience to the IASB�s constituents.
All conclusions reported are tentative and may be changed or modified at future Interpretations Committee meetings.
Decisions become final only after the Interpretations Committee has taken a formal vote on an Interpretation or Draft Interpretation, which is confirmed by the IASB.
Files available for download:
© IFRS Foundation.


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Johnny Ahten Anticipates 2011 Racing Season
Santa Clarita, Ca. -- The off season has proven to be short for many NHRA Drag Racing Teams. Johnny Ahten, pilot of the Ahten Family Top Alcohol Dragster team is thrilled that the off season is rapidly coming to an end.
After finishing out the 2011 season placing 3rd within the 2010 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Pacific Division 7 points series, Ahten's team is hoping to better that this year and they know with the competition, they have their work cut out for them.
"We were having some issues with our fuel system" noted Ahten, "that was causing us severe part carnage. We've consulted several crew chiefs, including Don Jackson. We changed some things around and are now armed with a new combination along with parts and we have high hopes moving into the new year.
"Right now, we have 8 to 10 races schedule for the 2011 Season. We will decide as the opportunity arises if we will compete more through out the year".
Second generation racer Ahten credits much of the team's success to the countless amount of hours that his father, Al Ahten spends servicing the dragster at their shop. This enables the rest of the team to earn their livings and focus on racing when they need to most.
Ahten Family Racing would like to give special recognition to their marketing partners that have helped them continue live their drag racing dream: CleanBoost Performance Oil, Island Renovations, FireIce and Hedman Hedders.


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Two billion people around the world lack access to formal financial services. Unable to save, borrow or invest money or protect themselves from financial risk, they are denied the fundamentals of economic empowerment. Accenture Development Partnerships is working with the international development community and the financial services industry to change this. The focus: to make a positive impact on people's financial well-being by scaling financial inclusion opportunities in developing economies.
Cross-sector partnerships are at the heart of financial inclusion. Development organizations see the power of connecting their on-the-ground knowledge to private sector skills. Banks want to expand into new markets while making a positive social impact. And digital technologies enable new business models and affordable, breakthrough access. When these interests and issues converge, true transformation happens.
Social impact and commercial growth reinforce each other. And financial inclusion depends on how they come together. Because every player offers unique strengths. By harnessing these mutually-beneficial strengths—from financial players, telecommunications providers, NGOs and government institutions—financial inclusion can become a reality.
Managing Director
Accenture Development Partnerships
A lively discussion at the World Economic Forum between Dr. Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General and CEO of CARE International; Stephen van Coller, CEO Corporate and Investment Banking, Barclays Africa; and Louise James, Managing Director, Accenture Development Partnerships centered on opportunities in emerging economies to grow profitable and inclusive financial services. These opportunities are within reach. But financial institutions are not adapting their business models fast enough to tap into the $380 billion unbanked market. Enablers like digital technologies, which eliminate cost and access barriers, and cross-sector partnerships can help banks break through.
Business and NGO leaders participated in the discussion and overwhelmingly agree that financial inclusion does not have one sector solution. But for cross-sector partnerships to succeed, all players must work differently. Banks must move beyond the "feel good factor" and connect financial inclusion to the long-term business strategy. Governments must rethink regulation that makes it hard and costly for banks to develop programs. NGOs must become co-creators—acting like business partners, not solely grant recipients. Such changes are essential because financial inclusion is the starting point to address all developing world challenges—from gender inequality to healthcare.
Hear the presenters' insights.
Listen to the audience discussion.


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chwy (Highway Chase - Deco Cassette system) should be played with MAME 0.189 or newer only
previous versions didn't implement the headlight effect masking, meaning you could see all enemies, even in tunnels. This gives a player playing on a version before 0.189 a distinct advantage over a player using a version where the game is properly emulated.
chwy - special rules needed
Discussion about MARP's regulation play
Moderator: BBH
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
- Phil Lamat
- Regulation Coordinator
- Posts: 2042
- Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2002 9:19 am
Re: chwy - special rules needed
Special rules edited, pre-189 scores zeroed
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1


text:
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There are many kinds of programs with various periods such as one-week program to few months. If you're going for a short-term study abroad, you can learn languages from local life and be able to get opportunities to communicate with foreign languages with no fear as improving your language skills however, if you aren't trying to communicate as much as possible with local people, language skill may not improve as much as you're expecting.
Many Korean students who study abroad, trying to cruise with only Korean people and speaking Korean only, and end up as no improvement on language skills. To master one language takes at least 1 year so it can be too difficult to make yourself to speak a fluent language from short-term study.
This program is good for students who want to learn the basic of language, or focused on studying speaking. Especially, since Korean students are strong with grammar, most of students are aiming on speaking improvement from this program.
The advantage of this program is it takes less time to prepare to go study abroad as some countries don't require visa to study within 3 months.
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text:
The Collin County, Texas, District Attorney's Office says a man is headed to prison for 60 years for kidnapping and beating a woman before carving his name into her leg.
Prosecutors said Joseph Julian Guerra, 28, brutally assaulted a woman working for him as a prostitute after she said someone robbed her of money he felt was owed to him.
According to the district attorney's office, police were called to Guerra's neighborhood in Allen on July 5, 2012, after the woman escaped his custody and sought help from a neighbor.
When police arrived they found the woman on a curb, naked from the waist down and bleeding from the face and legs after having been beaten and restrained with duct tape, the district attorney said.
After learning of the robbery, the district attorney said Guerra bound and attacked the woman for several hours.
"To teach the woman a lesson, Guerra bound her hands and feet with duct tape and wrapped the tape around her head multiple times and across her mouth. He then punched, kicked, and kneed her in the body and face. Guerra followed this by grabbing a skillet and striking the woman multiple times in the head, knocking out one of her front teeth," the district attorney's office said in a news release Friday. "Guerra also cut off the woman's pants and threatened to use his knife to rape her. Instead, he took the knife and slashed her legs finally carving his nickname, 'ACE,' into the sides of both of her thighs."
According to the district attorney, Guerra told the woman he carved his name into her so that she would "always remember him."
Eventually, Guerra fell asleep and the woman was able to escape his home. The woman ran to a neighbor who, frightened by her bloody appearance, refused to let her into their home but did call 911.
After finding the woman, police entered Guerra's home and found him sleeping soundly next to his 1-year-old daughter, the district attorney's office said.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Cynthia Walker and Brandon Wonnacott and they were assisted by District Attorney Investigator Dale Dowdy. The case was investigated by Allen Police Detective Tim Wasden. State District Judge Scott Becker presided over the case.
Man Gets 60 Years for Kidnapping Woman, Carving Into Her Leg
The Collin County, Texas, District Attorney's Office says a man is headed to prison for 60 years for kidnapping and beating a woman before carving his name into her leg.


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I am trying to convert an XML file using XSLT to a PDF. But i am getting errors in the transformation.
they are
[INFO] building formatting object tree
[INFO] setting up fonts
[ERROR] Unsupported element encountered: html (Namespace: default). Source context: unavailable
[ERROR] Expected XSL-FO (root, page-sequence, etc.), SVG (svg, rect, etc.) or elements from another supported language.
javax.xml.transform.TransformerException: java.lang.NullPointerException
and i am using the code
try {
//Setup XSLT
TransformerFactory factory = TransformerFactory.newInstance();
Transformer transformer = factory.newTransformer(new StreamSource(xslt));
//Setup input for XSLT transformation
Source src = new StreamSource(xml);
//Resulting SAX events (the generated FO) must be piped through to FOP
Result res = new SAXResult(driver.getContentHandler());
//Start XSLT transformation and FOP processing
transformer.transform(src, res);
i skipped the definition part.
So please somebody tell me what might be the problem.


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Hi all,
I cant figure out how to "search" what a sting contains. So say I am using the Scanner command to find user impute. I want to see if what the user typed contains the word "no" or the word "yes"? how would I go about doing that?? I cant find anything in the Java docs... (probibly not looking in the right place lol). All I really need is a command like .contains("yes") or something like that... (if that's it I will kill my self...)(contains doesn't work...) lol
Thank you all!!