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Wednesday, 16 January 2013
DIY Knitting Needle Bag
I think I accidentally make more knitting accessories than I do actual knitting... But here's a sweet little bag I made to keep my under-used needles in!
1// You will need: A piece of fabric slightly longer than your longest knitting needles, ribbon, needle and thread or sewing machine.
2// After measuring out your fabric according to your needles - with your "wrong" side of the fabric facing up - turn over roughly a 2.5cm hem at the top.
3// Pin and sew along the line of the hem, leaving the sides open for your ribbon tie.
4// Thread the ribbon through the hem, and tuck in the raw edges of fabric at the ends with a couple of small stitches.
5// With the right side facing up, fold the fabric in half and pin, so your bag is effectively inside out. Sew along the side and bottom edges, leaving just the ribbon top open.
6// Turn the bag the right way out and use the ribbon as a drawstring top.
Maybe I'll start knitting more now that my needles are happy in their little carry case! Hope you enjoyed this easy-peasy DIY...
x Rachel
Labels: DIY
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Welcome to the home of the coolest Jethro Tull t shirts brought to you at cheap prices. Our listings are frequently updated so always be on the lookout for new additions. All color choices are available hence you'll always find your desired color regardless of your taste. Persons of all ages and sizes will also find a shirt that fits you perfectly as we have varying sizes.
Ensure that you take advantage of our amazingly cheap prices so you can buy a number of the band's tee shirts and get to appreciate this widely celebrated band. Their t shirt designs are known to have quality imprints that will last for ages so you can continually commemorate this celebrated band. They are a renowned British rock group that was formed back in December of 1967. They have managed to remain relevant over all these years considering how competitive the market has been with many industry players. The band is renowned for its use of the acoustic guitar, a nice blend of amazing vocals and a touch of flute playing which combines quite well with the music that the band makes. Ian Anderson is the band member who is assigned the task of making great tunes using the flute. He has been doing this since the band formed and it clearly has been his niche.
The band relies a lot on the guitar work of one Martin Bare who is the band's lead guitarist. In order to cement their foundation when they started out, the band had to incorporate various until they could get to one that was solely associated with them and one that their fans would also appreciate. The initially began by playing blues rock with an experimental flavor. This seemed to work out and they kept it up as they also incorporated elements of folk music, art rock, hard rock, jazz and classical music. This genius idea worked like a charm as they have managed to wow very many fans on an international scale. The band has managed to sell way over sixty million albums globally and this is quite a massive achievement. Their career has spanned for over four decades and they seem to be very active.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Magician's Nephew
Large version
It's of Digory riding Fledge, the newly-winged horse. A lot of people have been confused by the mane on the horse, but I put it thre for 4 reasons:
1. To help keep it warm in the cold, high air
2. To give the rider something to hold on to
3. To give it a visual tie back to Aslan, who gave the horse it's wings
4. To distinguish it from other pegasusi. It needed that little twist to make it my own, and to hopefully make it worth looking at
14 comments:
- mclean said...
Like I said in the forum, nice one man! If there's only one thing I would adjust, its the edge of that one cloud just below the horse's hind-legs where the edge is actually kinda hard. I think if it were as soft as the rest of the clouds, you'd be gold! Actually I still think you're gold here. Awesome!
- April 22, 2009 at 11:43 AM
- Joseph Wu said...
What cousins! I love it!
- April 22, 2009 at 12:16 PM
- sebastian meyer said...
Beautiful! Nice fusion of realistic and stylized elements.
- April 22, 2009 at 4:51 PM
- Azure-star said...
Ohhh, stunning. I think the mane suits it very well -- and I love the five point stars you threw in, rofl.
I'm glad he rides with his legs in *front* of the wings... I've always wondered what kind of chafing occurs when people put their legs behind xD
- April 22, 2009 at 9:39 PM
- GWhitehall said...
This is great, from the attention to light detail to the brush strokes, well done and alot of fun to see. Great blog you have here!
- April 23, 2009 at 3:20 PM
- Suzie said...
I found your blog in a google search for pictures of the evolution of man. Really love that one and this cover of Magician's Nephew as well! Adding you to my feed reader. ^^
(PS: Plural of 'pegasus' is 'pegasoi.' In Greek they spell it 'pegasos' for singular. I majored in ancient languages so the urge to explain classical grammar is wondrous within me!)
- May 6, 2009 at 9:26 PM
- -kube- said...
This looks amazing, great work!
- June 6, 2009 at 8:10 PM
- Eric Z said...
Man your stuff is amazing! I love it.
This pic in particular is great! Awesome lighting composition and colour!
- June 9, 2009 at 2:18 PM
- Wow Gold said...
Very Nice Blog.
- September 2, 2009 at 10:52 PM
- Narnianos said...
Hi there! Your artwork is GREAT! I'm from a website dedicated to The Chronicles of Narnia and found your blog through a google search. Just amazing.
Could you give me permission to turn your artwork into a wallpaper? I'd distribute the wallpaper for free in my website - I'm not wondering to gain any money with it at all.
- September 3, 2009 at 11:20 AM
- Tom Rhodes said...
Sure go ahead
- September 3, 2009 at 11:33 AM
- Narnianos said...
Oh, thank you very much!!!
When I post it, I'll will link it back to you :)
- September 3, 2009 at 6:37 PM
- Jerry said...
Excellent rendition to a fave scene of mine. Can't believe noones done this til now! Masterly executed!
- June 26, 2010 at 11:22 AM
- RichardG said...
Hi I love this image. I am from a youth theatre staging the magicians nephew in may and would love to use your image for our publicity. Could I have permission to use it? and coudl i get a high res copy of the full pic?
- March 13, 2011 at 12:41 PM


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|Find Course
Home » First Aid / Safety Certificates » Chainsaw » Chainsaw Safety
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Learn the basics of chainsaw operation, safety, and maintenance. This course covers the proper safety gear needed, safe work procedures, daily maintenance, minor troubleshooting and chain filing. Some 'hands on' chainsaw work will be done off site.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, vol. 4: Discipleship
by Bonhoeffer, Dietrich•
Fortress Press 2003
"Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today is for costly grace." And with that sharp warning to his own church, which was engaged in bitter conflict with the official nazified state church, Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his book Discipleship (formerly titled The Cost of Discipleship). Originally published in 1937, it soon became a classic exposition of what it means to follow Christ in a modern world beset by a dangerous and criminal government. At its center stands an interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount: what Jesus demanded of his followers—and how the life of discipleship is to be continued in all ages of the post-resurrection church.
"Every call of Jesus is a call to death," Bonhoeffer wrote. His own life ended in martyrdom on April 9, 1945. Freshly translated from the German critical edition, Discipleship provides a more accurate rendering of the text and extensive aids and commentary to clarify the meaning, context, and reception of this work and its attempt to resist the Nazi ideology then infecting German Christian churches.
In the Logos edition, this valuable volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you're looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Key Features
- Examines what Christ desired of Christians rather than what church leaders wanted for Christians, in the time of World War II
- Presents the most influential work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's career
- Challenges readers to be "Christlike" Christians
- Part One
- Costly Grace
- The Call to Discipleship
- Simple Obedience
- Discipleship and the Cross
- Discipleship and the Individual
- The Sermon on the Mount (An Interpretation)
- The Messengers (An Interpretation of Matthew 10)
- Part Two: The Church of Jesus Christ and Discipleship
- Preliminary Questions
- Baptism
- The Body of Christ
- The Visible Church-Community
- The Saints
- The Image of Christ
Product Details
- Title: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, vol. 4: Discipleship
- Author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Translators: Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss
- Publisher: Augsburg Fortress
- Publication Date: 2003
- Pages: 354
About Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) a German theologian, pastor, and ecumenist, was a professor in Berlin, an uncompromising teacher in the Confessing Church, and a consistent opponent of National Socialism. Executed by Hitler at the end of World War II, his influence continues today as one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century.


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No name is yours until you speak it; somebody returns your call and suddenly, the circuit of signs, gestures, gesticulations is established and you enter the territory of the right to narrate. You are part of a dialogue that may not, at first, be heard or heralded--you may be ignored--but your personhood cannot be denied. In another's country that is also your own, your person divides, and in following the forked path you encounter yourself in a double movement...once as stranger, and then as friend.
Del prefacio de la edición de Routledge Classics de The Location of Culture de Homi Bhabha.


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FOSS PATENTS: German court stays Samsung lawsuit against Apple over smiley input method patent
I just attended an announcement at the Mannheim Regional Court. Judge Andreas Voss ("Voß" in German) ordered a stay of a Samsung lawsuit against Apple over doubts concerning the validity of a patent covering a particular method for entering smileys on a mobile phone. A nullity (invalidation) action against that patent is pending at the […]
Posted in News | Tags: against, Apple, Court, German, input method, lawsuit, over, Patent, Samsung, smiley, stays | No Comments
The Wall Street Journal: Apple, Samsung Back in Court
Companies Battle Over $1.05 Billion Damages From Patent Trial's August Verdict
Posted in News | Tags: Apple, Court, hearing, Judge Koh, Samsung | No Comments
The Korea Herald: U.K. court to hear Samsung claim on Apple violation
Samsung Electronics will argue Apple Inc. smartphones use its protected technology without authorization in a London trial starting Thursday. Samsung claims Apple infringed patents key to how phones send and receive information on third-generation mobile networks. Apple argues the patents aren't valid and, regardless, Samsung must license the technology's use under fair terms if it's […]
Posted in News | Tags: Apple, claim, Court, hear, Samsung, U.K., violation | No Comments
Foss Patents: Court doesn't allow sweeping inclusion of Android 4.1 ('Jelly Bean') in Apple-Samsung lawsuit
A few weeks ago there was a lot of media coverage of a court hearing at which Apple and Samsung were discussing with Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal the proposed addition of newer products, such as the iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note 10.1, to their second California lawsuit (not the one that went to trial this summer). […]
Posted in News | Tags: 4.1, allow, Android, Apple, Court, inclusion, Jelly Bean, lawsuit, Samsung, sweeping | 1 Comment
Guardian: Apple's Samsung statement reprimanded by court of appeal
Judges say article on iPad ruling is 'non-compliant' and order tech giant to put up an amended version within 48 hours. The UK court of appeal has reprimanded Apple over the wording of the statement on its website acknowledging that Samsung did not infringe the iPad tablet's registered design, and ordered it to put an […]
Posted in News | Tags: appeal, Apple, Court, reprimanded, Samsung, statement | No Comments
Reuters: Dutch court says Samsung does not infringe Apple patent
A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that Samsung Electronics does not infringe an Apple patent by using certain multi-touch techniques on some Galaxy smartphones and tablet computers. "With these products Samsung does not infringe the claims that Apple has made," the court said in its ruling. From: http://in.reuters.com
Posted in News | Tags: Apple, Court, does not, Dutch, infringe, Patent, Samsung, says | No Comments
FOSS PATENTS: Japanese court rejects two of Samsung's patent infringement claims against Apple
There are countries in which it's very difficult to monitor lawsuits. The United States is unique with PACER and other tools. In other places, such as Germany, one has to physically attend court hearings and announcements. And there are jurisdictions in which rulings may surface only with considerable delay if the parties involved don't speak […]
Posted in News | Tags: against, Apple, claims, Court, infringement, Japanese, Patent, rejects, Samsung, two | No Comments
Bloomberg: Apple appeals Tokyo court's ruling for Samsung in lawsuit
Apple Inc. appealed a Tokyo ruling that said Samsung Electronics Co. didn't infringe on the iPhone maker's patent as the world's top two smartphone sellers continue their global legal dispute. Apple appealed an Aug. 31 ruling by Tokyo District Court that said Samsung didn't violate Apple's invention of technology for synchronizing music and video data […]
Posted in News | Tags: appeals, Apple, Court, lawsuit, ruling, Samsung, Tokyo | No Comments


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My apologies for the delay. I just realized that I have not turned my computer on in 4 days, and if you know me that is kind of crazy.
Last week I made this Chocolate Caramel Cream Pie out of the Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts cookbook that my lovely friend Danielle got for me. I went through the book and have put Post-it notes on a ton of pages that I want to make, to the point where the Post-it notes are almost pointless because they're every other page. This pie actually caused a lot of grief on multiple levels, but I think there was just something going on and the kitchen gods were not wanting me to have an easy time or something.
Day 1: First, I made the dough and wrapped it up and put it in the fridge. Then, I started looking through the recipe and realized that the pie needs 5 hours to refrigerate and I was starting at about 7:30 PM. As much as I would love to wait until midnight to eat pie, I also had to be up at 7AM the next day. So I put the pie on hold until the next day, and made something else (post to come later).
Day 2: I end up working all day at the aquarium and do not get home until around 5:30 pm. Too exhausted and in the same situation as yesterday with timing. Around 11:30 PM that evening the oven starts making beeping noises and has an error on the screen….oh no…. I just pressed the off button and went to sleep.
Day 3: The last day that I can use this dough, I have to make it. Go to look at the oven. Broken. Still has an error code flashing on it and it wont turn on. After I had already at this point given up all hopes in making this pie, my mother tells me that the microwave has a convection setting on it. Before you get all weirded out and delete my blog from your list, I was just as reluctant as you are. I made fun of her for a few hours "You want me to cook a PIE in the MICROWAVE! Are you crazy?" I know it is considered a convection oven, but it felt like I made the pie dough in the microwave which felt like a whole new level of wrong.
I have this whisk that my friend Torey gave to me a few years ago and it really is a very cute whisk BUT it is lopsided. I dont know who designed it, but I would love to write a letter to them letting them know how frustrating it is. You can't leave this whisk sitting in the bowl because things like the whisk flying out of the bowl, flinging chocolate all over the kitchen and leaving chocolate behind in slightly cracked open drawers. The worst thing about it, is that I forget that its lopsided every time. Every. Time. I really should just hide this thing somewhere, or hang it on my wall, but that just might frustrate me every time I look at it.
In the end, this pie was a 3 day effort but it was not the pie's fault really. Although 5 hours of chilling in the refrigerator is hard for anyone with a sweet tooth to wait for.
Tip: When making the caramel cream topping, be sure to watch your sugar as your caramelizing it. If you let it get too dark it will be too strong and overpower the whipped cream. You want a light amber color.
Chocolate-Caramel Cream Pie
Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts
For Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pulse flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add yolks and vanilla, and process until mixture just begins to hold together (no longer than 30 seconds)
- Shape dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days)
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll pate sucree to 1/8-inch thickness. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Trim edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under dough so edges are flush with rim, and crimp edges. Lightly prick bottom of dough with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line dough with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to look dry, 20 to 22 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment. Bake until crust is darker around edges and bottom looks dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Chocolate crust can be stored overnight.
For the filling:
- Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Heat milk and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts.
- Whisk 1 cup hot milk mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Whisk milk-sugar mixture into the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick, 4 to 5 minutes total (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).
- Whisk yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Pour in milk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking until completely incorporated. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it just begins to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Let custard cool in saucepan on a wire rack, whisking occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
- Pour custard into chocolate crust. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard. Refrigerate until custard filling is chilled and firm, at least 4 hours (or overnight).
- Prepare an ice-water bath. Heat sugar, water, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Cook, without stirring, until mixture is amber. (Do not let caramel burn.) Carefully pour in 1/2 cup cream in a slow, steady stream down the side of the saucepan, whisking constantly, until smooth (caramel will bubble).
- Remove from heat, and place saucepan in ice-water bath. Let caramel mixture cool, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.
- Whisk remaining 3/4 cup cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold caramel mixture into whipped cream, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.


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As a pleasant surprise, yesterday I got a notification by email which went like this:
You have a page on Gawker. It should be up by tomorrow and can be viewed at artists.gawker.com. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com if you're interested in exhibiting one of our rotating galleries on your site. [snip]
And behold, today my work was indeed live.
This means that my work will be showcased across all Gawker media, such as Jalopnik, Jezebel, Fleshbot, Defamer, Consumerist, etc, etc, etc


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Note: You can distribute an account budget to projects by clicking 'Apply Project Distribution' if you have several accounts that will receive the same distribution. 100% of the total account budget does not have to be distributed to projects.
- In Records, Budgets, open the scenario to update.
- Select View, Account View on the menu bar.
- Click Account located above the grid.
- In the grid, enter the project(s) to distribute the account budget.
- Select Adjust Account Total and Adjust Project Total for the changes to flow through to budget view and project view.


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Fulton County Personal Trainer School | Fulton County Personal Trainer Education
Why do some Fulton County, Pennsylvania personal trainers pay
hundreds of dollars too much for their certification?
It's because they did not learn about the NESTA personal trainer certification before it was too late. However, you are in luck. You get to save hundreds of dollars on your personal trainer certification and Fulton County educational programs. NESTA offers the fitness industry's only 4-year NCCA-accredited personal trainer certification. It's time for you to earn your personal trainer certification, save money, and get the latest strategies and techniques for earning more money as a highly respected and successful personal trainer in Fulton County, Pennsylvania.
The Personal Fitness Trainer Certification from The National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) is accredited by the NCCA. NESTA is dedicated to preparing and developing qualified fitness individuals to achieve a level of professional success that goes beyond the "average" personal trainer programs.
You can begin your personal training career right now! NESTA will provide you with a respected and accredited personal fitness training program that gives you the education, resources, and specific training techniques to become a well-paid and successful fitness professional.
This very moment, you can save even more money on your Fulton County, PA personal trainer education!
Big Cove Tannery Burnt Cabins Crystal Spring Fort Littleton Harrisonville Hustontown Mc Connellsburg Needmore Warfordsburg Waterfall Wells Tannery


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By George Barlow
What would you think if I said you are much stronger than realize? Muscle recruitment is an interesting concept. Essentially, the nervous system (specifically, motor nerves) sends signals to a muscle to cause the muscle to contract. The only thing a muscle does is contract; everything else is a function of the nervous system. In other words, contraction of muscle for strength, power and endurance come from the muscle itself, while the speed and control of the muscle is a function of the nervous system.
This is an incredible concept and good news for rehabilitation, since recruitment of muscles and activation of muscle groups is under voluntary control. This means the brain can send signals to muscle fibers telling them to contract. This also means there is unused muscle that can instantly be used to create more functional strength and ability. With some education, training, and practice, huge functional gains can be made in a short time; biomechanics can be altered very quickly and can improve functional ability effectively. Application of this concept will unlock rehabilitation potential and utilize all the strength that is available to the body.
Featured photo from Wikipedia Commons.


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There are several reasons why it's perceived to be hard to love black women, but that perception is based primarily on stereotypes and misunderstanding. Black women are as uniquely individual as any other demographic category of people and should be treated as such.
A lot of women may say that the biggest mistakes that men make when dating black women is in treating them as an object, instead of as a woman.
Jerry "The Smooth One" Kelly and Rollin' Dee McKeever will be discussing the issues of loving black women with the MEN!!!
Please join the men in this very interesting topic, from a man's point of view.
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Cook Islands resorts offer a quintessential South Pacific vacation experience: lots of golden sunshine, languid blue lagoons framed by palm-fringed beaches, and hotels and resorts with plenty of Polynesian ambienceincluding overwater bungalows. Our Cook Islands accommodation specials on the main island of Rarotonga and serene Aitutaki range from great value to upscale. With an Islands in the Sun resort package, choose from Cook Islands resorts that are perfect for family vacations or Cook Islands luxury accommodations ideal for a special occasion or honeymoon.
Contact our travel experts to build your dream vacation.


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Many of us wish that our lives would slow down a little. We wish we had time to get outside and enjoy some natural beauty. Good news. Bird watching offers an opportunity to do just this. It's one of those hobbies that allow you to explore the world, gives you a reason to stop and contemplate and to recognize what a joy it is to be in this beautiful world. These are just a few of the reasons people love bird watching. And there are many, many more. If you're new to the world of bird watching, you have just a few things to learn before you start on your journey. Here are a few more reasons why people love bird watching and why you should consider adding it to your growing list of hobbies.
Wildlife, Birds & Reptiles
Sometimes it's a spotted white tail fawn seen playing in the early dawn of June. Maybe it's the sight of strutting wild turkeys or black striped raccoons scampering across the grass. For many it will always be the soar of an eagle above the frozen river on a cold January day. Whatever the encounter, the many species of wildlife and birds that inhabit and migrate to Starved Rock arouse our curiosity and capture our hearts. The excitement of viewing these creatures in their natural setting never pales. Whether you are here for a casual Sunday afternoon with your family or a serious nature study, Starved Rock will provide a great experience.
Are you a birder? One of the most important bird migration routes in the Midwest includes the Starved Rock area. 80% of the waterfowl who follow the Mississippi Flyway stop to rest and refuel in the backwater sloughs of the Illinois River. Dozens of species of woodland warblers can be found in the more than 100 miles of continuous forests along the bluffs. Shorebirds from the north shore of the Arctic stop off here before continuing their annual flight to South America. Small county parks harbor nesting vireos. Great white pelicans feed at sites made possible by one the largest wetland restoration projects in American history. There is something here for all levels of birding!
Please respect the wildlife here in the Park. WE are in THEIR home. If you happen upon an injured or abandoned animal, please call Illinois State Police or your local park office for help. To learn more about wildlife, please visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website here.
Fins & More
Fish, Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, Snakes, Turtles, and more!
Bird Watching
Eagles, Bitterns, Herons, Owls, Turkey, Pheasant, Woodpeckers, and more!
Remarkable Mammals
Badgers, Beavers, Coyotes, Gophers, Raccoons, Fox, Otters, Deer, and more!


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Preview: Bengals (1-0) at Steelers (1-0)
Date: September 18, 2016 1:00 PM EDT
This contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals is an early AFC North matchup that pits the division favorites against one another.
While the game takes place in Week 2 of a young NFL season, this game is bound to play a factor in the playoff picture. Both teams enter Heinz Field at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday with a 1-0 record, though one team escaped with a win in Week 1 while the other looked dominant.
The Bengals come into this game off a one-point victory over the New York Jets last week. The victory was not the cleanest win in head coach Marvin Lewis' career but his squad showed toughness, resiliency and urgency.
Quarterback Andy Dalton, who hasn't won a playoff game in his career, played this highly contested event like he was in the postseason. Dalton threw for 366 yards and a touchdown, but where he showed his moxie was withstanding a ferocious Jets' pass rush.
Dalton was sacked seven times and was hit on numerous other dropbacks. This is clearly an area the Bengals need to shore up heading into Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are also the opponent that knocked Dalton out for the season last year with a broken thumb. The Bengals' playoff hopes rest in keeping their quarterback upright and in one piece this season.
The one bright spot Cincinnati can take out of watching the Steelers' tape versus the Washington Redskins is the lack of pass rush by Pittsburgh. The Steelers, in a 22-point win over the Redskins, had plenty of offense but the defense did not sack Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins at all.
"I thought we stopped the run early, but our pass rush has to be better, especially since we're entering AFC North play," Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward said. "If I'm going to be out there I have to play a lot better, simple as that. The pass rush (stunk). I have to get to the quarterback."
The key matchup in the game for the Bengals' offense and the Steelers' defense will be the pass blocking versus the pass rush.
The Bengals' offensive line, led by Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth, will need to take advantage of the aforementioned lack of the Steelers' pass rush after a long day at the office versus the Jets. The banged-up defensive line and outside linebackers of Pittsburgh can't afford to allow Dalton all day in the pocket to find the likes of wide receiver A.J. Green. The team that wins this matchup will hold a major key in the outcome of the game.
Cincinnati's offensive line not only struggled to protect Dalton but did not open up many lanes for running back Jeremy Hill. The Bengals' rushing attack was held to 57 yards last Sunday, although Hill did score on the ground. The Steelers, led by nose tackle Javon Hargrave and defensive end Stephon Tuitt, held the Redskins to similar rushing numbers (55 yards).
If Cincinnati's offensive line can win the battle in the pass blocking department, Dalton has shown the ability to pick apart defensive backfields. This does not bode well for a Steelers' pass defense that ranked 30th in the NFL in 2015.
While the Steelers did have two interceptions against the Redskins, both were by linebackers, and gave up large chunks of yardage to the wide receivers. If cornerbacks William Gay, Ross Cockrell and Sean Davis don't shore up their coverage responsibilities this week, all they may see is the back of the jerseys of wide receivers Green and Brandon LaFell.
LaFell, a free-agent pickup this offseason from the New England Patriots, has become a nice complement opposite Green.
"That's the thing we saw from Brandon, is he's got great body control. He's a very accomplished NFL receiver and you saw him catching the ball going across the field, you saw him catching the ball on the sideline today, and he caught a couple deep balls. It was big," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said.
The Steelers' offense looked like they have been playing for years together. While this might be the case with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown, the rest of the unit was missing four starters and had backups and spot players step in throughout the lineup. Starting running back Le'Veon Bell, fullback Roosevelt Nix, tight end Ladarius Green and receiver Markus Wheaton all missed the Redskins game.
Running back DeAngelo Williams, wide receivers Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates and tight end Jesse James all filled in admirably. These four weapons combined with Roethlisberger and Brown helped the Steelers gain 447 total yards and score 38 points. How these four answer the bell heading into tough AFC North play will dictate the outcome versus the Bengals this week.
The Steelers offensive line doesn't get a lot of accolades, but they opened seams for Williams to run through all game versus the Redskins.
Center Maurkice Pouncey, and guards David DeCastro and Ramon Foster, will need to continue to open holes in the middle of the field against the Bengals. Domata Peko and Geno Atkins are one of the best defensive tackle duos in the NFL. This makes this a matchup to watch. While both teams have shown the ability to pass the football with success, winning in the trenches in the run game could swing the outcome.


text:
Television advertising automated billing system
Advertising is marked with a code in a way which makes it difficult to fool the system. The advertising is marked with a code at the time the advertising is produced. Then, when the advertising is broadcast, the code on the advertising is analyzed. Different security measures can be used, including producing the code in the closed captioning so that many different people can see the code, or comparing codes in one part of the signal with a code in another part of the signal. Measures are taken to prevent the code from being used to detect commercials. According to another part of this system, a paradigm for a clearinghouse is disclosed in which the user signs up with the clearinghouse, obtains a line of credit, and the advertiser, the agency, and the ad producer also subscribe to the service. When the ad is actually aired, the payment can be automatically transferred.
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The present invention relates to a media advertising automatic billing system which automatically and securely maintains an exact tracking of advertisements which are played and produces billing information for those advertisements.
Commercial advertising ("commercials") create the revenues that sustain the content provider's operation. Commercials provide a host of special problems based on the nature of the media.
Specifically, media such as television and radio sell specific time slots for playing of the advertisement. The content provider, e.g., the television station, sells a time slot in which a commercial will be played.
This arrangement creates special considerations. The station is selling time. Once that time passes, the value of the service goes to zero. Similarly, after the commercial plays, there is no way of unplaying it. This compares with other sellers of commodities, who often have the option to repossess the chattel being sold.
Because of these considerations, most stations require that payment for booking be entirely in advance, except for the best, i.e. the most creditworthy accounts.
The most typical advertisement includes regular television commercials, typically thirty to sixty seconds in length, which are aired during breaks in commercial television programs. The so-called infomercial is also a television commercial advertising, but is typically much longer in length, e.g. between four minutes and one hour.
With the exception of certain public service-oriented advertising, all commercials are paid for by a sponsor. The billing is done on a per-piece basis, based on the time and likely audience for the commercial. This pricing is a multi variable determination. For example, a one-minute commercial aired during the Super Bowl is considerably more expensive than a one-minute commercial aired at 2:00 A.M. Therefore, it is extremely important that the time when the commercial airs is the same time as what was paid for. However, it is not always a routine matter for the station to determine this.
A nationwide television commercial is often received by the television station, e.g., via its satellite transponder hook-up. A "nationwide" television commercial is often included as part of the nationwide program. In this case, the central network provider provides both the television program and some of the commercials to be aired everywhere. However, other breaks within the commercial television program may be filled by "local" commercials, those that are aired only locally. These local commercials are typically produced locally, recorded and stored at the television station.
Nationwide programming time schedules for the affiliates are sent to local television affiliates from the network. This includes a schedule describing open times for local advertisement station identification and other time slots that the station can sell locally. Each half hour slot generally has two programming slots of 12 minutes duration with commercial slots in between. The national schedules also often leave half hour time slots open for infomercials or public access programming. Television guides often show these slots as "paid programming".
Depending on various circumstances, the local television station may have the option to override the national commercial. At times, the local station overrides the national commercial even when such an override is not authorized. This provides a significant problem of tracking which commercials have been shown and when.
The advertiser may pay in advance for a half hour to be aired at 7:30 P.M., but the commercial actually airs at 10:00 P.M. These times may have radically different prices. The price of a commercial aired at 9:02 P.M., which is after the show that aired in the 8:30 to 9 time slot can even be significantly different from the price of a commercial aired at 8:58 P.M., which is during that time slot. The advertisers are, therefore, extremely interested in knowing the precise time of airing. However, the varied nature of the advertising system, and especially the television system often makes it difficult to determine precisely when the commercial will be aired.
Typically, the advertising agency acts as an intermediary between the actual advertisers and the television station. The advertiser wants their advertisement to air at certain times on certain channels and in certain events. For example, a toy company might want their advertisement to air during the Sunday morning cartoons. Airing the advertisement during Sunday football would not reach the desired audience.
Special prices are often negotiated based on whether the advertisement is in prime time, off prime time, holidays, weekends, special events or the like.
At some time before the actual airing of the broadcast, the station produces an actual program schedule which show the programming segments it will play or receive, as well as all commercials, infomercials and station identifications. Each of the latter are stored on tape which are pulled from the video library by a station engineer. Commercials and infomercials are usually manually played by the station engineer who initiates the proper tape based on a schedule in a specified time slot. The engineer keeps manual records of what has actually been done and the billing of commercial time is carried out based on these records.
The actually-played commercials are often sampled by third party organizations who employ people to watch and keep track of television commercials which are played. These people, however, cannot watch every single television commercial, and therefore only act as a sampling mechanism to determine a percentage of correct reporting by the television station and advertising agency.
One other means of verification of commercial airing digitizes one or several frames of the commercial. Then the physical airing is taped and compared to the frames. This still requires a television to receive the broadcast and a physical comparisons of the frames. This method is inaccurate and again based on statistical sampling.
Recent studies have suggested that perhaps as many as fifty percent of the reported commercials are not played in their proper time. This is often because of the great demands that are placed on the station engineers. The station engineers are often simply too busy to keep accurate reports of the commercials in view of the many different demands that are placed on them. Moreover, since the scheduling process is largely fluid in nature, the reports made by these engineers are crucial. The billing and accounting is done based on these reports, and their accuracy is, as described above, difficult to ascertain.
In addition, moreover, the manual billing system described above requires a crucial part of the billing to be manually entered. This system has never been satisfactorily automated.
Added to this is the problem obtained from the nature of the system in which the commercial can't be taken back once it has been played. Hence, the stations have no effective means of repossession.
The inventors of the present invention recognized all of these problems and realized that a real-time automated system for tracking the actual commercials that were aired would effectively be a win-win situation: for not only the advertisers who would get an exact accounting of when their commercial was aired, but also the television stations who would know exactly when the commercial was aired and would secure an automated means for determining the real percentage of scheduling anomalies.
The current system of payments for commercials by the advertiser usually requires payment prior to the airing of the commercial. In addition, the TV station is often required to sign an affidavit confirming the actual airing if so required by the advertiser. An objective of the present system is to have a system that pays for the commercial on a "real-time" basis using an automated clearinghouse system. The objectives include:
i. The TV Station gets a means to receive payment for their services—which is why advance payment is the standard norm of payment terms;
ii. The advertising agency gets a means to receive payment for their services—a commission for the actual airing of time booked by the agency; and
iii. The advertiser (Sponsor) gets a means to insure airing of a commercial at the agreed-upon time and price.
Each entity wants accurate accounting of the commercial in addition to a more efficient, less cumbersome process of the payment transaction with reduced collection cost. This system describes a clearinghouse system to meet all of these objectives.
In view of the above, the inventors have provided a system which marks the commercials in a way that ensures secure and unambiguous identification of the subject matter. Each commercial is played by the television station including a secure identification. That identification is received, date and time confirmed, and verified. The information is sent to a billing computer.
The security is enhanced in this system. One embodiment uses a cryptographic system. Another uses a system which restricts access to the hardware.
A cryptographic system can be used to ensure that the information has not been tampered or faked. This provides the billing computer with a secure, computer-manipulable record indicating when the commercial was aired. The billing is done automatically by a computer program based on the data received from the actual airing of commercials.
The inventors also noticed a number of problems which could exist in such a system and have provided solutions to these problems also. One problem comes from the marking of commercials itself. Many have tried to analyze the content of commercials, so that such commercials could be automatically identified by an electronic circuit. Such an electronic circuit would then presumably either blank the commercials or turn off the video recording device so that the show could be watched in its entirety without commercials. Naturally, the advertisers are very hostile to the existence of such a system, since this would defeat the effect of their paid-for commercial time. A code on each commercial would be a sure way of detecting such a commercial. Therefore, the system preferably includes a way to avoid detection of the commercial. One way is by removal of the code prior to airing.
Another problem is the possibility of dishonest television stations or billers. A secure system requires that non authorized persons be prevented from tampering with the detection or improperly or falsely providing the detection. In view of the above, the inventors have devised embodiments which include special encryption techniques that are used which make it difficult for an unauthorized party to properly code the commercial in a way that would fool the billing computer.
Another system correlates content of the commercial with the billing system to avoid the possibility of simply copying a code from one commercial on to another.
Another system adds some measure which prevents using this system to detect whether program content is a commercial.
The present system, titled the "ADTAG" system, uses a clearinghouse concept. Once the billing information is collected via the tracking system, a settlement between the advertiser, the advertising agency, and the TV or radio station is made via electronic means such as a modem or the Internet. This settlement is an accounting of the transaction and payment for the transaction between the three entities- again via electronic means.
The ADTAG clearinghouse system includes a verification portion which verifies in real time that a commercial has actually been aired, along with verification of the time when the airing occurred. This information is used to authorize payment if all information matches or to initiate an error resolution procedure if the information does not match.
All of these will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein
FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of the clearinghouse of the present invention;
FIG. 1B shows a basic block diagram of the overall system of the present invention;
FIG. 1C shows an alterative block diagram of a different embodiment;
FIG. 2 shows a tape tagger;
FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the teletext-text packet system;
FIG. 4 shows one possible encryption system for encoding;
FIGS. 5A and 5B show the schematic of the preferred system of the present invention;
FIG. 6 shows an encoder flow diagram;
FIG. 7 shows a television monitor system block diagram;
FIG. 8 shows a decoder flow diagram; and
FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the billing and verification done by the ADTAG system.
The present specification describes billing for an advertisement which is broadcast over a medium. The medium could be of any type. Television is described as the preferred embodiment of the medium.
Video sent over a channel is often transmitted using the teletext standard, which is a packet transmission method for transmitting video. The video is formed of a number of pixels arranged in lines. The lines are used to transmit the digital information.
Each line is transmitted from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. The cursor that writes the information thereafter needs to move from the right side of the screen back to the left side of the screen. The display is blanked during this time of retrace. This time is referred to as the vertical blanking interval or "VBI". Information can be stored in these times of retrace.
The NTSC video standard uses 525 lines with VBI lines in lines 6 through 21 and lines 258 through 273. Some of these lines are already in use for other functions. For example, VBI line 21 includes codes that are indicative of closed captions.
FIG. 3 shows the contents of the teletext packet. The control bytes 300 include header information that identifies the contents of the user data that includes the ADTAG packet. This allows the system to mark the data as proprietary to avoid confusion of other teletext receivers by using a unique code.
The user bytes are encoded in order to ensure reliable transmission. The present system uses one or more VBIs per full frame of video. The raw data frame without forward error control includes 28 bytes per packet (8 bits per byte, sixty packets per second=1340 bits per second) requiring a data transmission speed of 13.44 kbs.
A preferred forward error correction system includes the single error correcting double-error detecting Hamming code. Many other codes could be used.
This allows a true reliable data rate of 6.72 kilobits per second. Therefore, for example, in the space of time taking up a 30 second television slot, approximately 200,000 bits of reliable information can be delivered. Standard DES with 64, 128, or 256 bit keys could be used. Preferably, the system also uses some correlation technique that correlates the code with the commercial in a way that prevents simply copying the code from one commercial to another.
The clearinghouse system is illustrated in FIG. 1A. To use the system, an advertiser 180 usually first obtains a line of credit for advertising from a financial institution 182. This can be considered roughly analogous to a VISA card. The financial institution assigns an account number and credit limit. This account number will be used for charging later advertisements. The user then joins the ADTAG clearinghouse 186.
The ad agency 184 then books a commercial by obtaining the advertiser's account code along with other information about the advertisement. The booking information may include:
Agreed upon air date and time, duration of commercial
Advertiser account code
TV station account code
Tape name and production date
Ad agency account code
Agreed upon pricing and commission
This information is usually obtained by the ad agency. However, larger advertisers can have their own in-house booking departments that could sign on to ADTAG directly. ADTAG then takes this information and develops reports for each entity based on the service agreement signed with ADTAG. Reports will be for that entity only—i.e., ad agency #1 can only get information related to ad agency #1 and not for any other entity. Reports can be generated including:
Conflicts in scheduled time
Daily, weekly, monthly booking report for planning purposes
TV stations booked
Booking by advertiser.
The ad agency also joins the ADTAG clearinghouse system and agrees to abide by its program guidelines. The ad agency books a commercial or time slots with the ADTAG clearinghouse for its customer. The agency enters its account code, the customer accounts code, pricing for the commercial and the agency's commission code into the clearinghouse data base. At this point a reserve is entered onto the advertiser's credit line—similar to the way in which car rental firms and hotels put a reserve on a credit card when you rent a car or room. This reserve is removed by ADTAG when actual airing data is received or the air date time has expired.
ADTAG provides reports and information on a real time basis back to the ad agency, TV Station, and advertiser, based on the level of service selected by each entity.
When a commercial is played, ADTAG also decides if the commercial has been played at the precise same time as what was booked. If so, ADTAG "verifies" the playing, and "authorizes" payment from the bank. If not, the system initiates error resolution procedures.
An advertisement is made by digitally encoding certain information onto the tape which will be used to air the advertisement. Tape encoding will be provided by ADTAG or an ADTAG endorsed duplication house. The encoding is done on the master tape of the commercial production. In that way, any tape duplicated off the master tape will include all the proper coding. In addition, ADTAG uses some kind of verification of security. This can be an encrypted code on the tape, and/or requiring secure premises and secure handling of the tape. The tape is then sent back to the advertiser (sponsor) or to whomever the sponsor authorizes. This is the first part of the security system. This information preferably includes, for example:
the advertiser's ADTAG account code:
The name of the tape
Date the tape was produced
Last date the tape should be used
Certain copyright information
Any other information about the tape which may be useful.
The information is preferably digitally encoded in some way associated with the advertisement that is actually playing during the advertisement.
The ADTAG code is included on the tape by a secure encoder. This can be done as follows:
a) The preferred technique uses ADTAG in a secure premises. The master tape is sent to ADTAG who adds the code. The master tape is returned including the duplicating code, and sent to the duplication house and then on to the TV stations. This allows keeping the encoder only at secured premises. Powerful one-time-pad codes can be used in this case, e.g., where only the ADTAG computer knows the key.
A possible disadvantage is that this system requires one extra recording and this may reduce the quality of the master. An all-digital system can be used to minimize any such degradation.
b) ADTAG-produced encoder boxes that are sent to any person who wishes to put ADTAG codes on a master tape. The encoders use an encryption scheme. This alleviates the problem of requiring an extra recording. But this has a possible problem that the encoder boxes could be subverted if the code is broken.
The preferred technique uses the digital encoding of the information into the vertical blanking intervals in a secure manner using a key encryption system. This system that is used needs to be secure and able to detect attempts to tamper with the code.
c) An alternate technique encodes information as part of the closed captioning part of the commercial. This can be readable information, e.g., the first line of text of closed captioning can be used to identify the commercial.
The security in this case comes from the literally thousands of people who will see the captions.
The tape is sent to the television station which sets it up for play matched to the station production schedule.
The station also may include an ADTAG decoder receiving the actual broadcast information. The ADTAG decoder recognizes and/or strips the ADTAG code.
Three embodiments of the ADTAG decoder are described. All require an ADTAG decoder which will decode the ADTAG information and accumulate the billing data for downloading to ADTAG. The ADTAG decoders are preferably tamper proof boxes, which are, for example, potted in epoxy, and/or formed with an electronic jumper which automatically erases memory contents when the box is opened. Each have unique ID's (keys) stored in areas of nonexternally-readable ROM blown into the microprocessor.
The code can be used in three ways:
1) The ADTAG code is broadcast with the commercial. This has the possible disadvantage noted above that the commercial may be identifiable.
A major advantage of this system is that the ADTAG decoder does not reside at the TV station, but can reside at a remote (secure) ADTAG site 184 that is monitoring the broadcasts of the TV station. Only those advertisements which are actually broadcast, therefore, are detected.
Certain countermeasures described below could be used to avoid detection of the commercials.
If the code uses a part of the closed captioning, this is also unlikely to be usable as a means to detect codes, since the closed captioning occurs on many different types and areas of programs.
2) Alternatively, the ADTAG code is stripped off and detected. The VBI lines used are returned to black before the video is broadcast out.
Here, the ADTAG decoder resides at the TV station, and in series with the live feed. Hence this is a potential degrader of signal quality. It is also subject to "spoofing" by technicians at the station. Hence, one could feed a completely false video stream to the ADTAG box and a completely separate video stream to broadcast.
This could be alleviated by having the ADTAG box monitor the transmission of the TV station by, i.e., including a receiver and matching the claimed live feed to the received live feed. It is difficult, however, to make this system completely secure.
Advantage: nothing is broadcast in the VBI so commercial detection in this way becomes impossible.
3) Another embodiment uses the ADTAG box to add the code to ALL lines including programming, and all lines are broadcast with a code which only ADTAG can decode. Hence if the ADTAG box detects this is an ADTAG coded commercial, it allows the code to pass through after date/time modification. If it detects no ADTAG code it adds a random code to the line. The disadvantage is that the ADTAG box is in series with the live video feed as in b. above. There are two major advantages: 1) as in the above, the ADTAG monitor can be at a remote site and hence secure. 2) The commercial cannot be distinguished from regular programming.
Another possible problem is spoofing by a malicious TV station. That is simply copying the valid ADTAG codes and splicing them onto some other programming, or other commercial tape. They could not read the content of the tape—but copying is easy.
But why would the TV station want to do this? This could make it possible to take the ADTAG codes from a 3-minute COKE commercial and splice them onto a 3-minute PEPSI commercial. Thus ADTAG would allow COKE to pay the bill, and the TV station would also collect from PEPSI.
According to the present invention, counterfeit prevention techniques are used. A first technique links the actual picture content to the ADTAG code.
A technique of characterizing pictures in current programming can be used. For example, one method extracts a quantity such as the average picture brightness level over the last X frames and adds that to the ADTAG code.
For example, this system uses a capacitor or integrator to compute the average brightness level over a line. That analog value is converted to digital and added to the encrypted code.
A sigma-delta ADC could do this all in one operation. Simple pasting of the code onto a different video would then only work for a video with the same statistics as the original. The actual method does not need to be terribly robust. The A/D need only be at most 3 bits, maybe only 1 bit, e.g., a comparator which compares the average brightness to a threshold. But taken over ALL the lines there is a lot of information. The confidence factor can be changed by increasing the accuracy. Other characteristics could also or alternatively be samples, such as audio, or other more complicated aspects of the picture, including numbers of objects, histogram of colors in the image.
The close captioning embodiment uses identifying information in the existing close captioning lines. Thus, the ADTAG tape would have close caption information, plainly readable, e.g., this is a COKE commercial AD#23456 3 minutes . . . END of AD#23456, etc., etc. which would be broadcast out in the clear.
A disadvantage is that anyone can read the info and one can tell the commercial slots. But it has the big advantage that if many people are watching the close caption data, it becomes difficult to change it without detection. If millions of people see a Wally's painting advert on the picture, while COKE is on the close caption data, the phones will ring. Thus, third party verification is possible and spoofing becomes impractical.
Yet another technique uses existing cryptographic techniques to digitally sign the code.
In addition, the ADTAG decoder 141 verifies that the tape was actually broadcast as data is being collected and stripped. Verification of the broadcast is included in the stripped data sent to ADTAG database computer. An alternative to stripping the codes prior to broadcast is to leave the codes on with the broadcast and allow a third party verification of the broadcast with the codes.
When a commercial is aired with associated ADTAG information, the decoder 141 gathers the information from the tape using code stripper 146, and adds to that information a date and time stamp at 148, booking code, ADTAG account code security code and time length of the commercial. Therefore, this information stripped from the ADTAG decoder attached to the live broadcast feed line of the TV station includes:
ADTAG security code (i.e., ADTAG encoded on the master tape)
TV station code
Broadcast verification code
Tape name
Advertiser code
Tape production stale date
Date, time and length of airing This combined information is sent to the billing computer 162.
The added information is preferably stripped prior to actual broadcast of the live feed as shown in FIG. 1B. This is done to avoid the possibility, as described above, of providing an icon from which a commercial can be automatically detected. It is important, however, that the information be received while it is actually being transmitted, to ensure real time reception of the advertisement. The central system then matches the following information to its booking system, and provides automatic billing.
If a match is accurate, then the billing system batches the transaction. Later, the system initiates via either modem or Internet:
A banking transaction to remove the reserve from the credit line;
Another banking transmission to add the total amount due to the advertiser;
Another modem transaction to provide advertising agency's cut of this transaction.
An alternative scenario is where there is a problem with the actual airing or with the airing not matching the booking in the system.
All of this functional information will be described in further detail with reference to the remainder of the disclosure.
The basic block diagram of the overall system is shown in FIG. 1B. This block diagram shows the system of stripping the codes at the broadcasting station, shown here as a TV station, prior to transmission. The three major components of the system include production of the advertisement at 100, airing of the advertisement at 140, and billing of the advertisement at 160 using the ADTAG clearinghouse shown in FIG. 1A.
The advertisement is formed by advertising material 102. The advertising material is encoded with special ADTAG information from ADTAG encoder 104. The combined information is placed onto an advertising media 106 which is for example a video tape. The video tape is then used by the television station at 140 in order to transmit the information.
The transmitted information from TV station 140 is received by an ADTAG receiver 144 which strips the ADTAG code at 146. A real-time clock 148 is combined with the stripped codes to produce a composite stream 150 including both the codes and the real-time information. This information is transferred by a data transfer mechanism 152, for example a modem or some other TCP/IP mechanism.
The video information with the code stripped off is transmitted by transmitter 154 in the usual way.
The billing information is transferred to billing computer 162 at area 160. The billing computer compares the incoming data with information from its booking database 164. This information is then used for appropriate billing.
The FIG. 1B block diagram of the system shows the basic functionality of the system. A number of improvements and modifications are contemplated. Initially, the need for security is paramount in this system. Use of appropriate encryption is crucial for ensuring the security of the system. The encryption must be sufficiently robust to avoid falsification and detect tampering. All of the ADTAG components, including the ADTAG encoder 104, receiver and code stripper 146 and billing computer 162 preferably include encryption and decryption circuitry including the capability of determining any attempt at alteration of the code.
Although this system is described for use with television, it is equally applicable for use with any other communication system, including satellites, closed circuit television, Internet, royalty tracking, radio, or any other means. Also, while the preferred embodiment describes certain identifying information being placed in vertical blanking intervals of the video, and later removed, it should be understood that any form of data encoding which does not interfere with the viewer's watching of the actual commercial could alternately be used. A reverse stripping of the codes, where the codes are broadcasted and stripped by the radio listener and royalty trackers could also be used. Other schemes would include putting the information in the picture itself using steganographic methods. This is currently being done in still images by Digimarc™. These systems adjust portions of the image that cannot be seen with the naked eye, in a way that encodes the information.
A particularly preferred embodiment described includes information in the vertical blanking intervals along with the ADTAG codes of a number of different frames. These items of information need to agree and be correct in order to verify the information.
FIG. 1B shows the block diagram for embodiment B where the ADTAG is stripped off and detected before the video is broadcast. FIG. 1C shows an alternative block diagram for embodiment A where the ADTAG code is received a remote ADTAG site 120 which includes an ADTAG decoder stripping the codes and transferring them to the billing computer system 160.
Embodiment C also uses the same block diagram of FIG. 1C.
A diagram of the tape tag encoder system is shown in FIG. 2. The tape tag encoder forms the ADTAG encoder system 104 that is used to tag video material as it is placed on storage media, e.g. tape 106, prior to broadcasting. This system is used for example at production houses, which produce the advertiser's tapes that are sent to the broadcaster.
Controlling console 200 allows input of certain data to be recorded in the tag. This data includes, for example, information about the advertisement including but not limited to video information indicating the advertisement. The video 202 from video source 200 is tagged using a tape tagger element 204. The information, once tagged is recorded by a video tape recorder 206. The tape tagger 204 operates as described with reference to the schematic of FIGS. 5A and 5B to modify the teletext-encoded video.
As described above, the preferred mode operates to encode the required information into the vertical blanking interval of the video signal, e.g., the NTSC signal. Of course, it is also possible to encode the information into the video signal in other ways. The system that is described in the following explains how the information is encoded on the video signal.
The schematic of FIGS. 5A and 5B shows a schematic which carries out the decoding and encoding. The circuit is encased in potting epoxy for physical security. Also, keys can be held in secure areas of RAM that are not externally readable and are only readable in the microprocessor internals. The video signal is received on the video input port 500. The signal is modified by the elements of the circuit. The modified composite video signal is output through video output port 502. Almost any line can be selected, e.g., line 7.
The circuit in FIGS. 5A and 5B operates both as an encoder and a decoder, based on a software switch. The circuit operates as an encoder to replace a line of video in the vertical blanking interval of an NTSC video signal with a new signal that includes the desired encoded data. FIG. 5B shows the serial port 550 which is connected to a controlling computer. This controlling computer communicates information, including operating commands which are dated and encoded. Data that has been recovered can be sent to the computer, or sent over the modem line to a central billing computer.
Depending on the amount of data that is transmitted, much of the video signal may be simply passed by the circuit from the video input to the video output. The signal that is unchanged passes through video multiplexer 504 to buffer 506 and is finally output by 502. The portions of the video signal which are altered are treated differently.
The video signal is also sent to video-in node 552 in FIG. 5B. The video-in node 552 is coupled to a PIC microprocessor 554 which carries out the various functions of the circuit. This includes monitoring the timing information from an LM 1881 integrated sync separation chip 556. This circuit indicates occurrences of vertical sync, horizontal sync and burst in the NTSC video. The video processor 556 also indicates whether the video currently represents even or odd field of the NTSC frame for use in selecting which field is encoded.
Processor 554 monitors the sync pulses in order to locate the desired portion of the video blanking interval. Each sync pulse represents the start of a new video frame. Therefore, a vertical sync event is taken as a reset for the line count. Each horizontal sync pulse indicates the start of another line of video. The program uses these pulses to count lines until reaching the desired line. This desired line, for example line 7, is the portion of the frame in which this circuit will encode the user data. This portion is called the VBI window. Almost any line can be selected, e.g., line 7. Some lines are used for sending broadcast level information, and the V-chip uses certain lines. We need to avoid these lines. In fact the ADTAG encoder could look for "the first unused line" and simply use that. It would also change which lines it uses.
The circuit operates according to the flowchart of FIG. 6 to encode information on the video signal. First, processor 554 generates a SampleBlank signal which causes a blank level sampling circuit (blank) to sample the blank level. Processor 554 also sets the program VBI signal to block the original video signal from passing through video multiplexer U8 during this time. During the time that the program/VBI signal is active, the replacement signal passes through video multiplexer U8.
User data is encoded at step 606 in the flow diagram by generating a representation of the user data on the VBI data line. The preferred mode described herein encodes a digital "0" as the equivalent of a white dot in the video signal and encodes a 0 as a black dot. It is also possible to encode the information in analog form by changing the color levels for example. Processor 554 interfaces to the serial port via serial port driver 560 using a slave microprocessor 562 to carry out appropriate formatting of information including control commands and user data. Serial port driver adjust the signal level from the PIC level used by the PIC microprocessor to a RS 232 communication level. The slave processor 562 can be for example a PCI processor which generates the sequences required to drive the display and interface to the ports.
The SampleBlank signal described above is fed to at least two circuits. SampleBlank is fed to transistor 510 along with the associated circuit 512 including an operational amplifier. When SampleBlank is asserted, the transistor 510 conducts causing capacitor 514 to charge and discharge in equilibrium with the input video signal. When SampleBlank is later deasserted, C2 sees high impedances on the output of transistor and the input of operational amplifier 512.
Blank reference signal is formed by op amp 512 which buffers this signal to a DC voltage to generate the blank reference signal 514 which operates as a reference for the blank. The blank reference signal is combined with the VBI insert signal which has been elsewhere produced and is buffered by op amp circuit 516 and 518. The combined signal at node 520 is further buffered by circuits 522 and 524. These circuits are well known softening circuits which decrease the slopes of the voltage swings in order to avoid false color information.
SampleBlank also feeds transistor 530 and its circuit. The SampleBlank turns on transistor 530 causing it to conduct and thereby bringing the clamped video signal 532 to its low potential. When SampleBlank is deasserted, transistor 530 is commanded to its high impedance state allowing the clamped video signal 532 to track the relative voltage swings of the video signal. For example, therefore, when the clamped video signal is near 0 volts, the output video signal is black representing a zero bit in the user data. At some threshold above zero volts, say two volts, the video signal is encoded as white, representing a digital "1" in the user data.
Circuit 534 forms a threshold detection circuit which compares the input signal 532 with a variable threshold which can be adjusted by potentiometer 536. The output of the potentiometer forms the VBI detect 538 which is used by processor 554.
The above has described the encoding operation. Much of this operation is common for the decoding.
The receiver 144 and code stripper 146 are located at the video transmitting site, to allow the ADTAG information to be stripped off prior to transmission. Data transfer 152 is also affected by the circuit of FIGS. 5A/5B. In view of the similarities of operation, the same circuit of FIGS. 5A/5B is used to decode the information. This allows certain economies and saves on the cost of hardware. The circuit operates as either a decoder or an encoder based on a selection by a switch, a software switch, or an automatic detection of ADTAG information, for example.
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the operation. The information is received by video receiver 154. Monitor 700 includes the structure which strips codes and transfers data. The data is recorded by recorder 702 and also sent by modem 152 to the billing computer 162. The controlling console 704 enables certain systems to be appropriately controlled.
As described above, the same system is used, but in this case controlled according to the flow diagram of FIG. 8.
The flow diagram begins at step 800 by determining the beginning of a video frame. Using a similar operation to that discussed above with respect to the encoding, the indication of vertical sync that is produced by processor 554 on its line 7 is used to indicate the beginning of the video frame at step 800. After that, video lines are counted at step 802 by counting each sync pulse. When the desired line is reached, this indicates the beginning of the VBI window. This line is then selected as a dummy at step 804 in order to remove the data from that signal. As described above, white dots are reconstructed as zeros and black dots are reconstructed as ones. This reconstruction is synchronized with a clock at step 806 in order to remove the data. The data is read at step 808 followed by switching back to the incoming video at step 810 to pass the rest of the frame unaltered.
The data thereby stripped off at step 812 is sent via secured communications e.g. by encrypted modem information to the billing computer 162. The ADTAG database computer takes the information received in Chart 2 ("Stripped Information") and matches it to the information entered in Chart 1 ("Booking Information"). If items 1-4 of the booking information match, then items 5-6 are approved and set up for payment. Items 1-4 are time, date, duration, TV station, Advertiser and tape information. Items 5 and 6 are price and ad agency. Payment is then processed by ADTAG by electronic transfer between the banks of the TV station, Ad agency and Advertiser.
The most common errors that occurred are:
Commercial didn't air for the correct length of time (i.e. last 5 seconds were cut off).
Commercial didn't air on the proper date and time.
Stale tape was used.
These errors and additional errors that arise will be processed in a manner pre-established with all parties involved. Payment will be delayed until error is resolved according to these procedures. Some errors may fall in parameters that all entities have approved as acceptable and payment will not be delayed.
For instance a 4 second cut-off may be acceptable and will be paid perhaps accordingly discounted. A 15-second cut-off is not acceptable and will be charged back to the TV station. All error processing will be listed out in contracts signed by all members of the ADTAG clearinghouse.
In addition, errors where no airings occurred, but the booking remains in the ADTAG system will also be resolved on a basis to be established prior to entry to the ADTAG clearinghouse system. Therefore if a booking remains after the air date has passed the advertiser still has a reserve on its credit line that needs to be resolved and reversed.
An important part of the ADTAG system is the use of security to avoid the possibility of fraud. Without security, the system could be fraudulently manipulated.
As shown above, the teletext system provides a basic physical layer protocol for the data transmission. The transport and link layers must be specified in order to encode the data to ensure reliability and privacy. The system uses layering of error detection and correction mechanisms. For example the frames of data are encoded to guard against bad data at the receiver. The data can also be encrypted in block cipher mode using a periodically changing session key and public keying encryption algorithm. The details are shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of operation which corresponds to the verification and authorization described above. Step 900 corresponds to the detecting of identification information within the commercial. As described above, this can correspond to obtaining information in a number of different ways, from a number of different places including but not limited to the vertical blanking interval and the closed captioning locations. Step 902 corresponds to a verification. This verification step can be carried out by operating in a secure premises. In those embodiments that do use a secure premises, the premises itself corresponds to the verification. Verification may include detecting the security of the encryption, correlating the commercial content, or comparing encryption in the vertical blanking with encryption in the closed captioning, for example. If verification is positive, a time and day stamp is added at step 904. This corresponds to a real time indication of when the commercial was actually broadcast.
Step 906 begins the determination of whether the commercial was broadcast when it was supposed to be. First, the commercial identification is compared against the database.
At step 908, an indication of whether the identification matches the time and day when a schedule is determined. If so, the bank is authorized to pay the fee for the commercial, since everything was properly done as scheduled.
If not, an error resolution system is determined at step 912. For each client, a separate error resolution system may be in place, or alternatively there could be a number of different error resolution systems which are applicable to different clients. The simplest error resolution system is that the commercial simply did not play. A more difficult scenario is when the commercial did play, but played at the wrong time. A system can, for example, say that when the time differed by a certain amount, that the bill would be reduced by 50%. Other rules which are beyond the scope of this patent application could also be used.
At step 914, the system determines that error resolution is not available, and kicks out the system for manual resolution at that point.
Other modifications are within the disclosed embodiment. For example, other media including radio, cable, and others are contemplated.
1. A method of automated billing of advertising, comprising:
- marking an advertisement with a code, said code indicating some aspect of the advertisement associated with billing;
- transmitting said advertisement over a channel;
- sensing said code on the advertisement;
- verifying security of said code;
- obtaining billing information from the sensed code, wherein said sensing and said verifying are carried out prior to said transmitting; and
- removing said code prior to said transmitting.
2. A method of automated billing of advertising, comprising:
- marking an advertisement with a code, said code indicating some aspect of the advertisement associated with billing;
- transmitting said advertisement over a channel;
- sensing said code on the advertisement;
- verifying security of said code; and
- obtaining billing information from the sensed code, wherein
3. A method of automated billing of advertising, comprising:
- forming an advertisement, including marking the advertisement with a code at a time of forming, said code indicating some aspect of the advertisement associated with billing;
- transmitting said advertisement over a channel;
- sensing said code on the advertisement;
- verifying security of said code;
- obtaining billing information from the sensed code; and
- wherein said marking comprises placing said code in a closed captioning portion.
4. A method of automated billing of advertising, comprising:
- forming an advertisement, including marking the advertisement with a code, said code indicating some aspect of the advertisement associated with billing;
- transmitting said advertisement over a channel;
- sensing said code on the advertisement;
- verifying security of said code;
- obtaining billing information from the sensed code; and
- taking an action which prevents the advertisement from being automatically detected as an advertisement.
5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said taking comprises removing said code prior to said transmitting.
6. An automated advertisement billing system, comprising:
- an advertisement production area, including a coder, which provides a code on an advertisement, said code not being seen as part of a picture forming program content, said code including information about the advertisement; and
- a television station, physically separate from said advertisement production area, and including a code detection system, receiving said advertisement including said code, and determining a time when said advertisement is transmitted and providing an indication of the advertisement and the time;
- a comparing device, comparing said indication with prestored information indicating a desired indication and time, and producing an authorization signal if said indication and time match said indication and time in said prestored information; and
- first means for preventing use of said code to identify whether the part of the picture being played includes commercial or non-commercial content.
7. A system as in claim 6, wherein said first means comprises a code stripper which removes said code and couples a removed code to said code detection system, said code stripper removing said code prior to transmission of the commercial.
8. A system as in claim 6, wherein said first means comprises means for adding a code to each frame.
9. An automated advertisement billing system, comprising:
- an advertisement production area, including a coder, which provides a code on an advertisement, said code not being seen as part of a picture forming program content, said code including information about the advertisement; and
- a television station, physically separate from said advertisement production area, and including a code detection system, receiving said advertisement including said code, and determining a time when said advertisement is transmitted and providing an indication of the advertisement and the time;
- a comparing device, comparing said indication with prestored information indicating a desired indication and time, and producing an authorization signal if said indication and time match said indication and time in said prestored information; and second means for maintaining security of said code;
- wherein said second means comprises third means for adding a correction indication to the code which relates to some content of the advertisement.
10. An automated advertisement billing system, comprising;
- an advertisement production area, including a coder, which provides a code on an advertisement, said code not being seen as part of a picture forming program content, said code including information about the advertisement; and
- a television station, physically separate from said advertisement production area, and including a code detection system, receiving said advertisement including said code, and determining a time when said advertisement is transmitted and providing an indication of the advertisement and the time;
- a comparing device, comparing said indication with prestored information indicating a desired indication and time, and producing an authorization signal if said indication and time match said indication and time in said prestored information;
- second means for maintaining security of said code;
- wherein said second means comprises third means for adding a correction indication to the code which relates to some content of the advertisement; and
- wherein said third means includes a closed captioning device and said correlation indication comprises a relationship between said code and content of closed captioning.
11. A method of automatically billing for a commodity which is produced during a time slot and is time slot sensitive, comprising:
- producing said commodity to be shown during said time slot;
- producing a first code which is associated with said commodity, said code indicating identity of said commodity;
- determining some aspect of content of said commodity, and producing a second code indicative of said aspect;
- associating said first code and said second code with said commodity;
- receiving said content in a way which indicates that said commodity was actually produced at a time of receiving, and obtaining said first and second codes therefrom; and,
- determining from said first and second codes received by said receiving whether the content matches the second code and validating the first code only if so.
12. A method as in claim 11, further comprising billing for said commodity only when said first code is validated.
13. A method as in claim 12, further comprising taking an action that prevents said codes being can be used to automatically detect said commodity.
14. A method of automatically billing for advertising, comprising:
- marking an advertisement with a code during production of said advertisement, said code indicating some aspect of the advertisement that is associated with billing;
- processing said advertisement in a way which prevents a user from detecting codes on only advertisements and not on other program content, in order to prevent the user from automatically detecting presence of an advertisement; and
- obtaining billing information from said code on said advertisement when said advertisement is actually transmitted.
15. A method as in claim 14, wherein said processing comprises stripping said code prior to transmission.
16. A method as in claim 14, wherein said processing comprises marking all frames of all programs with a code.
17. A method as in claim 14, further comprising determining if a code represents advertising information or does not represent advertising information, and billing for the advertising if the code represents said information.
18. A method as in claim 14, wherein said preventing comprises placing readable information in a closed captioning portion.
19. A method as in claim 14, further comprising verifying a security of the code.
20. A method as in claim 14, wherein said prevention comprises encoding said code on frames of said program using a steganographic technique.
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Other references
- "Television VBI Data Communications Systems", Closed Captioning & Datacasting, EEG Enterprises, Inc., no date (1996-1997).
- Search Report from the Patent Office in Great Britain, Mar. 21, 2000.
Patent History
Type: Grant
Filed: Nov 26, 1997
Date of Patent: Jan 9, 2001
Assignee: California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
Inventors: Rodney M. Goodman (Altadena, CA), Karen Emerson (Long Beach, CA), Jeffrey Dickson (Pasadena, CA)
Primary Examiner: Eric W. Stamber
Assistant Examiner: Susanna Meinecke-D{acute over (i)}az
Attorney, Agent or Law Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C.
Application Number: 08/979,838
International Classification: G06F/1760; H04N/700; H04B/1700; H04H/900;


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Cipro (Ciprofloxacin)
Cipro is the generic brand name of ciprofloxacin. Cipro belongs to the family of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Cipro is a prescription drug used to treat or prevent infections caused by different species of bacteria which includes enterococcus, staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, anthrax and pseudomonas. Cipro is used for the treatment of skin infections, urinary tract infections, bone and joint infection, gonorrhea, typhoid fever, diarrhea caused by bacteria, pneumonia, prostatitis, and sinusitis.
Cipro Dosage
Dosages of Cipro depends on the type of infection. Cipro is available in regular and extended-release tablets, and also in a liquid form. Regular tablets are available in 250, 500 and 750mg. People suffering from uncomplicated gonorrhea infection should take a single dose of 250mg. Those suffering from uncomplicated urinary tract infection should take 250mg every 6 hours for three days. For bacterial diarrhea, take 500mg every 12 hours for five to seven days; for acute sinusitis, take 500mg every 12hours for 10days; for severe pneumonia, take 750mg every 12hours for 7 to 14 days; for mild bone or joint infection, use 500mg every 12hours for four to six weeks. Tablets should be swallowed whole, not crushed, split or chewed.
Cipro Side Effects
Common side effects of Cipro are nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and rash; inform your doctor of these side effects. Cipro also has some not too common side effect which includes headache, stomach ache, body aches, heartburn, sensitive skin and loss of appetite. Withdraw Cipro and call your doctor immediately once you experience these side effects; seizure, unusual thoughts, dizziness, suicidal thoughts, chest pain, bloody diarrhea, skin rash, difficult breathing or swallowing, loss of consciousness, sudden bruising or bleeding, swelling of the face, yellowing of the skin, weakness and pain near a joint.
Cipro might increase the danger of swelling and tearing of tendons. The probability of a tendon damage is greater if you combine Cipro with a steroid medication or if you are older than 60. Hallucinations, tremor, seizures, confusion, depression and dizziness are some of the symptoms of changes in brain activity caused by Cipro medication- although this affects people who have a history of seizure.
Cipro will likely cause a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis if you have an allergic reaction to Cipro. This reaction is life threatening and it includes throat swelling and difficulty in breathing. It is important to know that once you start Cipro medication, you have to finish the medication. Do not stop Cipro medication abruptly; like other antibiotics your infection will likely come back if you don't finish the course of the medication. Patients suffering from depression, asthma, heart condition, tendon injury, liver and kidney disease should take Cipro medication with caution.
It is important that you inform your doctor about the medications you are on, and this includes OTC antacids- antacids which contain magnesium, calcium, aluminum or zinc can interfere with Cipro. Do not take blood thinners, anti-seizure medications, medications that contain caffeine, water pills, arthritis drug methotrexate, Zanaflex, immunosuppressant cyclosporine and ibuprofen in combination with Cipro. Cipro should be used only against bacteria infections; using Cipro against virus infections increases the chances of bacterial infections resistance to Cipro.
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CyberWise is an educational program for primary and high schools aimed at combating cyberbullying. Using the insights and research of the Victorian Department of Education's "Bully Stoppers" initiative, CyberWise has been created to help students, teachers and parents alike to "Speak Up Against Cyberbullying".
Based on the core pedagogies developed by NIRODAH over years of research and program development in similar areas, and in particular another Bully Stoppers-based project, our Respect Ambassador Program
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NIRODAH's core philosophies of empathy and the need to acknowledge trauma as a key basis for the perpetuation of bullying behaviours remain though, making CyberWise a unique blend of insights into the fundamental causes and ultimate remedies to cyberbullying
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