text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 9, 1989
|Filing date
|Apr 13, 1988
|Priority date
|Apr 13, 1988
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Herbert Niemi
|Original Assignee
|Modern Display Plastics
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (17), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (23), Classifications (11), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display vase for flowers or other display items, and particularly to a vase form which is easily attached and reattached to a perforated display board such as a pegboard.
2. Background of Invention
In many retail consumer establishments, it is common to display items from a perforated display board such as a pegboard. For example, Mendenhall U.S. Pat. No. Des. 282,152 shows an artificial flower vase with an hourglass shape and a circular cross section which may be secured to a pegboard with a U-shaped wire clamp. The wire clamp is separate from the flower vase, and enables the flower vase to be located in many positions on the pegboard, depending upon the location of the Perforations in the pegboard. Additionally, there are merchandise displays comprising vase forms attached to a display board to complete an array of open top containers for articles of merchandise. Such vase forms have heretofore been adhesively attached to the display board.
The present invention provides a merchandise display including a vase form designed specifically for a perforated display board such as a pegboard. The vase form preferably includes a molded plastic article with a curved side wall and closed bottom. The back and top are open, with the back closed by the display board to complete an open top vase for artificial flowers or other items of merchandise.
The bottom of the vase form includes integral hooks designed to engage perforations in the display board to support the bottom of the vase form on the display board. The vase form also includes integral fasteners which releasably attach the vase form to the display board. Specifically, the vase form has integral tabs extending laterally from each of its side walls, and an array of relatively resilient fingers extending from each of the tabs. Each array of resilient fingers is designed to be inserted into a respective perforation in the display board.
A relatively rigid camming pin is associated with each array of resilient fingers. The camming pin is disposed in an internal passage defined by the array of resilient fingers. When the camming pin moves in one direction in the internal passage, it cams the resilient fingers apart, and causes them to engage the sides of the perforation in the display board, thereby locking the vase form in place on the display board. When the camming pin is moved in the other direction in the internal passage, it allows the array of resilient fingers to return to positions which allow the vase form to be removed from the display board.
A typical pegboard-type display board is a generally planar board with rows and columns of perforations extending completely through the board (i.e., from the front to the back surface of the board). In attaching the vase form of this invention to the pegboard, the hooks are initially engaged with a pair of perforations in the pegboard, and generally locate and hold the vase form in position on the pegboard. The tabs and their arrays of resilient fingers are then located so that each array of resilient fingers is aligned with another perforation on the pegboard. A caming pin is then pushed into the internal passage in the array of fingers to spread the fingers and to lock the vase form to the pegboard. The camming pin is removed from the internal passage to enable the vase form to be removed from the pegboard.
FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of an improved display vase form constructed in accordance with the present invention and mounted on a conventional pegboard;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the pegboard and vase form of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the pegboard and vase form of FIG. 2 showing in phantom one step in the process of installing the vase form on the pegboard;
FIG. 4 is a view looking in the direction of arrows 4--4 of FIG. 3 illustrating a tab, resilient finger, and camming pin but with the display board for the vase form removed;
FIG. 5 is a view generally similar to FIG. 4 but showing an array of resilient fingers extending through a perforation in the display board and the camming pin pressed into an internal passage in the array of resilient fingers to secure the fastener to the display board.
FIG. 6 is a view in the direction of arrows 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a view looking in the direction of arrows 7--7 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 8 is a perspective illustration showing a vase form constructed in accordance with FIG. 1 mounted to a cylindrical display board; and
FIGS. 9-13 are views similar to FIGS. 1-5 but illustrating a modified type of vase form according to the principles of this invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a vase form 10 attached to a conventional pegboard or other perforated display board 11. The vase form 10 comprises a resilient, preferably molded plastic article with a curved side wall 12 and a bottom 13. Together the side wall 12 and bottom 13 define an open top 14 and an open back 15. When the vase form 10 is attached to the pegboard 11, the vase form combines with the front surface 11A of the pegboard to complete a vase for displaying articles of merchandise, such as artificial flowers, from the pegboard.
The side wall 12 of the vase form is generally U-shaped in horizontal cross section. The side wall 12 includes opposite side portions 16 and 17 and front portion 18 connecting them. The U-shaped side wall 12 is illustrated as having a circumferential extent of approximately 180°, although the circumferential extent or vase form depth may be varied depending upon the size of the flower or other article being displayed, as long as a generally open side 15 is defined thereby.
In side elevation (FIG. 3), the preferred embodiment of the vase form 10 has a forwardly tilted lip 19 and the side portions 16 and 17 flare gently away from each other toward the top of the vase form. However, the vase form can also have other shapes. For example, the side wall 12 could be semicylindrical. Further, it is contemplated that the back wall need not be entirely formed by the pegboard. For example, a vase form for artificial flowers could be provided with a partial back extending between the rearmost edges 20 and 21 of side portions 16 and 17, respectively.
One advantage to the open back 15 (FIG. 1) is that the vase form 10 may be mounted on curved display boards such as the cylindrical display board shown at 24 in FIG. 8. A vase form with a closed back running its full length would not be as easy to bend to accommodate the configuration of a curved support surface such as stand 24. However, these difficulties could be overcome through the use of a back which closes the vase form only in its narrow lower portions, before the side portions 16 and 17 begin to flare away from each other.
The vase form 10 is fastened to pegboard 11 by a combination of hooks 25, 26 and fasteners 27, 28. The hooks 25, 26 are preferably L-shaped (FIG. 2) and extend rearwardly and downwardly from the bottom 13 of the vase form. Each of the hooks 25 and 26 is located at the bottom part 13 of the vase form. Preferably, the hooks 25 and 26 are integrally molded with the plastic vase form. The two hooks 25 and 26 are positioned and proportioned to engage a pair of perforations in a conventional pegboard and to hold the rearmost edges 20 and 21 of the vase form 10 flush against the front surface 11A of the pegboard 11. Thus, the horizontal leg 25A, 26A of each of the hooks, 25, 26 extends rearwardly a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the pegboard 11.
To install the vase form 10 on the pegboard 11, the vase form is first positioned horizontally, as shown in phantom in FIG. 3, and the legs 25A, 26A of the hooks, 25, 26 are inserted through holes in the pegboard by moving the vase form in the direction of arrow 29. Thereafter, the vase form is pivoted (clockwise as shown in FIG. 3) in the direction of arrow 30 until the rearmost edges 20 and 21 abut the front wall 11A of the pegboard 11. The downward leg 25B, 26B of each hook is long enough to prevent the hook and vase form from being pulled away from the pegboard 11 after the vase form has been installed except by reversing the installation procedure.
The fasteners 27 and 28 extend laterally from the rearmost edges 20 and 21 of the side portions 16 and 17, respectively, approximately two-thirds of the distance up the height of the vase form from the bottom 13. The fasteners 27 and 28 are mirror images of each other, and consequently only the fastener 27 will be described in detail, it being understood that the fastener 28 is similar.
Fastener 27 includes a laterally projecting tab 31 which is preferably molded with the plastic vase form and extends from the side portion 16 adjacent the rearmost edge 20 of the side wall 12. The tab 31 includes an array of relatively resilient fingers 32 (see FIG. 4) which are preferably integrally molded with the tab and the vase form. The array of resilient fingers 32 extends rearwardly from the rearmost edge 20 of the side portion 16. The array of resilient fingers 32 is proportioned and positioned to align with and fit through a perforation in the pegboard 11 (FIGS. 1-3). Its exact location, as well as the location of the hooks 25 and 26, is determined by the location of the perforations on the pegboard.
The tab 31 and the array of resilient fingers 32 have an internal passage 34 which circumscribes a central axis 33. The profile of the portion of the internal passage 34 in the tab 31 is shown at 35 and is generally cylindrical in cross section. The profile of the internal passage 34 becomes frustoconical and tapers inwardly toward the distal end of the resilient fingers, as shown schematically at 36 in FIGS. 4 and 6. The outer surface of the resilient fingers 32 includes tapering surfaces 37 at its distal end to facilitate insertion of the array of resilient fingers 32 through a perforation in a pegboard 11.
The fastener 27 includes a relatively rigid camming pin 38 having a cylindrical shank 39 with an outside diameter approximately the same as, or just slightly greater than, the cylindrical portion 35 of the internal passage 34. This fit permits the camming pin 38 to be retained by friction when the pin penetrates only the cylindrical portion 35 of the internal passage 34. Once the hooks 25, 26 or the vase form 10 have been inserted through perforations in the pegboard and the base form is pivoted to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3, each array of the resilient fingers 32 is inserted into a respective perforation, and the associated pin 38 may be pressed axially until the pin 38 is fully inserted in the internal passage 34, and the head 40 of the pin abuts the tab 31 (FIG. 5). As seen in FIG. 5, the length of the shank 39 of the camming pin 38 and the length of the resilient fingers 32 both exceed the thickness of the pegboard 11. Thus, when the pin 38 is fully inserted in the internal passage 34, both the resilient fingers 32 and the shank 39 of the pin extend beyond the rear surface 11B of the Pegboard 11, and the distal end of the camming pin is accessible from the rear side of the pegboard.
The movement of the shank 39 through the tapered portion 36 of the passage 34 causes the resilient fingers 32 to separate from the central axis 33, as shown schematically in FIG. 5. The resultant separation of the fingers 32 causes the outer surface(s) of the fingers 32 to tightly engage the perforation, and to flare outward beyond the rear wall 11B of the pegboard. This provides a gripping action that retains the fastener 27 and the vase form against the pegboard 11 until the pin 38 is moved in the opposite direction in the internal passage 34. When the pin 38 is moved far enough in the opposite direction, the memory of the fingers causes them to return to an orientation in which they can be removed from the perforation. The vase form 10 may then be pivoted away from the pegboard 11, and then removed from the pegboard by unhooking the hooks 25, 26.
As discussed above, when the vase form 10 is attached to the pegboard, the distal ends of the pin 38 and the fingers 32 extend beyond the rear surface llB of the pegboard. The distal end of the camming pin is accessible from the rear of the Pegboard, to enable its removal from the fastener to be initiated from the rear of the pegboard, if desired. Further, since the shank of the camming pin is cylindrical along its length, removal of the camming pin from the fastener does not require destruction of any part of the pin. Thus, the same camming pin can be repeatedly used to attach the vase form at different locations on the pegboard. Moreover, it should be apparent that the construction of the resilient fingers and the pin is designed to enable the pin to be completely detached from (i.e., separated from) the fastener, if desired. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the head 40 of the pin 38 may be flattened along one side to accommodate the proximity of the side portion 16 of the side wall 12.
It should be clear from the foregoing discussion that the fingers 32 are resiliently deflectable relative to the shank 39 of the camming pin 38. More specifically, the fingers 32 are relatively resiliently deflectable in the sense that when the camming pin 38 is inserted into the internal passage 34, it is rigid enough to cause the fingers to deflect in the manner discussed above. Thus, in this application, reference to "relatively resilient" fingers and to a "relatively rigid" camming pin is designed to define their relative flexibility and/or rigidity in relation to each other.
Moreover, the camming pin 38 is preferably a molded plastic article, which can be molded from the same type of plastic used to mold the vase form. Also, it should be clear that the foregoing construction of the resilient fingers and the plastic pin enables the same plastic camming pin to be used to attach and reattach the vase form to different locations on the perforated display board.
Although the vase form 10 has been described in connection with a conventional pegboard 11 with a uniform array of perforations, it is also contemplated that the vase form 10 could be mounted on a support surface such as a cylindrical perforated display board 24 (FIG. 8) having perforations drilled only in those locations necessary to mount the vase form 10. In this case, the spacing of the perforations would depend upon the location of the tabs and fingers rather than the other way around.
FIGS. 9-13 illustrate a modified vase form constructed according to the principles of the present invention. In FIGS. 9-13, the vase form 40 is similar to the vase form of FIGS. 1-5, and includes integral fasteners with tabs 43 and resilient fingers 42 which are also similar to the tabs and resilient fingers of FIGS. 1-5. The vase form also includes a pin 44 which is similar to the pin of FIGS. 1-5, and that pin is integrally connected with the fastener by a plastic tether 46. The plastic tether 46 is integral with and extends from the tab 43 of the fastener to the head 48 of the pin 44. Preferably, the vase form 40, the resilient fingers 42, the tabs 43, the pins 44 and the tethers 46 are all molded as a single plastic unit. Also, the pin 44 may include an integral spacer member 50 protruding from one side of the head 48.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 9-13, the tether 46 permanently couples the pin 44 with the vase form 40. Thus, the risk of the pin being lost or misplaced is eliminated. Also, the tether 46 enables the pin 44 to be removed from the resilient fingers 42 by pulling on the tether 46 rather than pushing the distal end of the pin 44 from the back side of the board. Such a feature is particularly useful when the back side of the board is relatively unaccessible.
The spacer member 50 protrudes from the side of the pin head 48 which faces the tab 43 associated with the pin. The spacer member 50 maintains the pin head 48 spaced from the tab 43 by at least a predetermined distance, even when the vase form is coupled to the display board. The space enables a person to conveniently grasp the pin head 48 in order to release the pin from the fastener.
Thus, the foregoing disclosure provides a new and useful vase form for attachment to a perforated display board. With the foregoing disclosure in mind, it is believed that various obvious modifications of the concepts of this disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Feb 25, 1916
|May 15, 1917
|John E Marsden
|Mar 21, 1933
|Aug 14, 1934
|Foser Charles J
|Floral device or garland
|Feb 26, 1957
|May 26, 1959
|William Riva
|Floral receptacle pane for windows and the like
|Mar 3, 1960
|May 14, 1963
|Mckiernan Kenneth G
|Pegboard sign
|Aug 27, 1968
|Jan 12, 1971
|Daly Bruce David
|Crypt flower vase and mounting therefor
|Feb 26, 1970
|Aug 10, 1971
|Gregoire Flowers Inc
|Central grading system for cut flowers
|Oct 26, 1970
|Sep 19, 1972
|Nat Volume Sales Corp
|Apparatus for applying exterminating and preservative compositions for wood
|Oct 16, 1975
|Oct 12, 1976
|Charles O. Larson Co.
|Tool holder for pegboard
|Apr 20, 1977
|Nov 7, 1978
|Roland Canova
|Cellular structure for the cultivation of plants
|Nov 13, 1979
|Dec 15, 1981
|Mackenzie James F
|Jar organizer and storage rack
|Jun 10, 1981
|Mar 1, 1983
|Phillips Plastic Corp.
|Two-piece plastic fastener
|Mar 26, 1981
|Apr 5, 1983
|Copco, Inc.
|Spice rack and bracket assembly
|Apr 10, 1980
|Apr 2, 1985
|Beckerer Frank S Jr
|Holder for containers
|Apr 6, 1983
|Feb 18, 1986
|Phillips Plastics Corporation
|Two-piece plastic fastener and apparatus for molding same
|Sep 17, 1984
|Jul 14, 1987
|Leff Thomas E
|Container rack
|Jan 7, 1986
|Aug 18, 1987
|Allsop, Inc.
|Container display method and apparatus
|Title not available
|Deutsche Goldsmiede Zeitung; 7/1964; p. 561.
|Deutsche Goldsmiede-Zeitung; 7/1964; p. 561.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jul 12, 1993
|Jan 9, 1996
|Ford Motor Company
|Vehicle hood support post member
|Mar 12, 1993
|Mar 16, 1999
|Hollingsworth; Don A.
|Fastener for holding objects to a perforated wall
|Oct 31, 1997
|Dec 14, 1999
|Seward; Eric
|Ladder tool holster
|Jun 17, 1999
|Sep 11, 2001
|Ernest Nichols, Jr.
|Removable flat back removable stick up vase and method
|Oct 5, 2000
|Aug 13, 2002
|Lear Corporation
|Dual stage fastener
|Jul 9, 2001
|Sep 30, 2003
|Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
|Fire shield for air ventilation holes of a computer chassis
|Aug 7, 2002
|Aug 30, 2005
|Illinois Tool Works, Inc.
|Mushrooming expandable anchor
|Sep 16, 2004
|Apr 22, 2008
|Raymond Routhier
|Asymmetric drive pin
|Mar 29, 2001
|Oct 7, 2008
|Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
|Communication system, communication apparatus, and communication method
|Aug 6, 2009
|Oct 30, 2012
|Emmert Second Limited Partnership
|Work bench support and attachment assembly
|Sep 15, 2009
|Apr 1, 2014
|Burton Kozak
|Peg board hook
|Mar 29, 2001
|Oct 4, 2001
|Takashi Yamamoto
|Communication system, communication apparatus, and communication method
|Aug 7, 2002
|Oct 9, 2003
|Illinois Tool Works Inc.
|Mushrooming expandable anchor
|Nov 18, 2003
|May 27, 2004
|Weder Donald E.
|Mountable and demountable wrapping material and method for use
|Sep 16, 2004
|Apr 14, 2005
|Raymond Routhier
|Asymmetric drive pin
|Feb 8, 2005
|Nov 10, 2005
|Jeffrey S. Brooks, Inc.
|Funnel-shaped holder with mount for attaching to surface
|Jul 13, 2005
|Jan 18, 2007
|Ottens Corey J
|Secure peg hook
|May 27, 2008
|Oct 23, 2008
|John Eley
|Storage and organization system for articles
|Sep 15, 2009
|Jun 30, 2011
|Burton Kozak
|Peg Board Hook
|Jun 5, 2012
|Dec 5, 2013
|Kappes Systeme Gmbh
|Apr 8, 2003
|Feb 4, 2004
|Robert Bosch Gmbh
|Fastening device
|Mar 11, 1994
|Nov 10, 1994
|Hollingsworth Don A
|Fastener for holding objects to a perforated wall
|Mar 11, 1994
|Jan 12, 1995
|Don A Hollingsworth
|Fastener for holding objects to a perforated wall
|U.S. Classification
|248/220.42, 411/508, 248/222.51, 248/27.8, 248/222.14
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 15, 1988
Owner name: MODERN DISPLAY PLASTICS, INC., 194 WEST GEORGIA, S
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:NIEMI, HERBERT;REEL/FRAME:004961/0412
Effective date: 19880531
Owner name: MODERN DISPLAY PLASTICS, INC., A CORP. OF OHIO, OH
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NIEMI, HERBERT;REEL/FRAME:004961/0412
Effective date: 19880531
|Aug 10, 1992
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Aug 20, 1996
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Aug 24, 2000
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
Ursuline Connection
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The UA dance team achieved much success during the weekend's Universal Dance Association Camp held at Maryville University! The team won the drill down title,earning the most points for participation in a competitive drill designed to develop focus and concentration. Cara Westcott '18 won the individual drill down competition, and Cara, Ashley Stephan '18 and Jessica Woodward '18 were recognized as All-American Dancers and earned an invitation to perform in London. The team also received recognition from their peers for outstanding spirit and support of others, and every team member earned a superior rating/blue ribbon for all three of their performances.
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Enter Our Ultimate Summer Tech Giveaway!
That's right - we are giving away a Summer Tech Package that includes a high-tech Fuego Element grill, Monster Superstar Backfloat waterproof speaker, and a mobile charging bank from iFrogz! Head on over to our giveaway page in order to enter. Good luck!
Friday March 12, 2010 6:36 pm
SxSW 2010: Austin is now the Thunderdome
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Editorial
The rumor at SXSW is that attendance for Interactive badges is up by 40% from last year, which is pretty amazing when you consider that the 2009 attendance was 10,741. So the amount of people decending on Austin, TX to see the next Twitter or Foursquare make an appearance is around 15,000. It's crazy to think that Foursquare just debuted last year and now it is the most talked about product so far at this year's event (granted, things are just getting started.) Speaking of Foursquare, we'll be covering their SXSW news, as well as that of what we consider to be their main competitor, Gowalla, in the next few days.
It also looks like some of the big names we've seen in the past are back in 2010 to take part in the festivities. I saw that Pepsi, Microsoft and Aol were still building their booths this morning.
Braden Young is covering SxSW 2010 for Gear Live. You can follow him on Twitter at @bradeny. Hit him with a tweet if there are any events or sessions you'd like him to hit up and cover!
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Le Guide Culinaire, he?s inspired to assemble an unusual feast: a forty-five-course meal born entirely of Escoffier?s esoteric wild game recipes. Over the course of one unforgettable year, he steadily procures his ingredients?fishing for stingrays in Florida, hunting mountain goats in Alaska, flying to Michigan to obtain a fifteen-pound snapping... more...
How To Eat OutsideTransworld 2015; US$ 25.37
Nothing tastes better than a meal eaten outside. Genevieve Taylor's brilliant new book is packed with recipes, inspiration and practical advice for pain-free delicious cooking, eating and having fun in the big outdoors: Pack up a picnic BBQ feasts Wilderness Eats Bonfires Camp cook outs more...
The Campside Guide to Dutch Oven CookingSkyhorse Publishing 2015; US$ 14.99
The Dutch oven is the food lover?s answer to amazing camping food. The cast iron Dutch oven is a classic workhorse for any camp cook, perfect for whipping up one-pot meals for breakfast, dinner, desserts, and beyond. Shared here in this compact, ready-made guide are 66 recipes and accompanying color photos that provide a delicious springboard... more...
Totally Picnic CookbookPotter/TenSpeed/Harmony 2015; US$ 5.95
Are you ready to get out of the kitchen and into the great outdoors? Make some Citrus-Marinated Game Hens, a Couscous Salad with Roasted Peppers, and Ginger Peanut Butter Cookies for a day at the lake or Cool Watercress Soup, Mustard Chicken, and Berry Cheesecake Brownies for a summer afternoon at the park. With menus for snacks, sandwiches, salads,... more...


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|"Eli Collins (JIRA)" <j...@apache.org>
|[jira] [Updated] (HDFS-4058) DirectoryScanner may fail with IOOB if the directory scanning threads return out of volume order
|Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:15:03 GMT
[ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HDFS-4058?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:all-tabpanel ] Eli Collins updated HDFS-4058: ------------------------------ Attachment: hdfs-4058.txt Patch attached. > DirectoryScanner may fail with IOOB if the directory scanning threads return out of volume order > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Key: HDFS-4058 > URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HDFS-4058 > Project: Hadoop HDFS > Issue Type: Improvement > Components: data-node > Affects Versions: 2.0.0-alpha > Reporter: Eli Collins > Assignee: Eli Collins > Attachments: hdfs-4058.txt > > > The DirectoryScanner may fail with an IOOB if the directory scanning threads return out of volume order (ie volume scanner #3 returns before volume scanner #2). This is because it's using an ArrayList and ArrayList#add(index, element) throws IOOB if idx >= size, and size is only increased as elements are added, therefore adds have to be done in index order. Since we know the size when we create the ArrayList let's just use an array (perhaps an ArrayList was used originally because someone thought array creation called the default constructor?). -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. If you think it was sent incorrectly, please contact your JIRA administrators For more information on JIRA, see: http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
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Algeria EgyptLibyaSudan
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Potential HotspotsTerrorismTop Ten Conflicts
Admiral Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, has called for a fleet consisting of: @ 70 ocean-going surface combatants @ 12-15 ballistic missile nuclear submarines @ 50 nuclear-powered attack submarines @ 35 diesel submarines. To produce this fleet, Kuroyedov says the Navy will need 25% of the defense budget. It is currently getting about 12%.--Stephen V Cole
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Volume 67. The Alkaloids
1st Edition
Chemistry and Biology
- Print ISBN 9780123747853
- Electronic ISBN 9780080950853
Print book
Chemistry and Biology
Print book
This series is world-renowned as the leading compilation of current reviews of this vast field. Internationally acclaimed for more than 40 years, The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Biology, founded by the late Professor R.H.F. Manske, continues to provide outstanding coverage of this rapidly expanding field. Each volume provides, through its distinguished authors, up-to-date and detailed coverage of particular classes or sources of alkaloids.
* Comprehensive, up-to-date reviews
* Contributions from leading authors in their respective fields
* Broad coverage of the chemical and biological aspects of important natural products
Chemists, biochemists, and pharmacologists


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World Cup Records Fall as Germany Advances to Eighth Final
As Germany was advancing, World Cup records were falling.
The three-time champion's 7-1 defeat of host Brazil in a semifinal yesterday set marks for team and individual scoring. Here are some of them:
Brazilian Incompetence: ======================= * The defeat was Brazil's worst. * The team was the first to concede seven goals in a knockout match in a World Cup. * It was the first time Brazil conceded five goals in a World Cup match since 1938, when it beat Poland 6-5. * The loss is the host's biggest since a 6-0 defeat against Uruguay in the Copa America in 1920. * It was Brazil's first competitive defeat in a home match in 64 games, since a 3-1 loss to Peru in 1975.
German Brilliance: ================= * Germany became the first team to score seven times in a World Cup semifinal. * Germany surpassed Brazil for the most goals scored by a team, with 223, in tournament history. * With Germany's second goal, Miroslav Klose set the record for World Cup career goals with 16, surpassing retired Brazil forward Ronaldo. * Thomas Mueller is the third player, after Klose and Teofilo Cubillas, to score five or more goals in two different World Cups. * Germany will play in its record eighth World Cup final on July


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|"Alex Karasulu" <akaras...@apache.org>
|[ApacheDS] Integration test results
|Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:52:25 GMT
On a (1.86 Ghz) Intel Core2 Duo machine with a weak (SATA 7200 RPM) drive I got the following results for tests run from the root of the bigbang-with-dependencies branch. Meaning all the unit tests for shared run as well. For "mvn test" which runs 80% of the core integration tests with rollbacks: 1 Minute 40 Seconds For "mvn -Dintegration test" which runs 80% of the core tests with rollbacks and 20% of the core integration tests with a pristine server (cleanup,reinstall,reconfig,restart). 6 Minutes 28 Seconds Not too bad since we have not converted all the tests and nothing has yet been done for the server-unit tests. I think we can shrink this down to about 2 and a half minutes for all integration tests. Alex
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- Swimmer Ryan Lochte reveals one of his worst dates - US Weekly
- Get the latest on Dr. Dre's arrest - TMZ
- Despite rumors, Eddie Murphy's daughter is not pregnant - Gossip Cop
- The Vampire Diaries star Michael Trevino steps out for a good cause - Just Jared Jr
- Are Blac Chyna and Kylie Jenner on good terms? - Radar
- Blue Ivy is just as stylish as her mom Beyonce! - Lainey Gossip
- This Narcos star confirms he's not coming back for another season of the show - The Hollywood Reporter
20 May 2014 at 11:10 PM
Tom Cruise Jumped on Oprah's Couch Nearly Nine Years Ago!
About this photo set: Tom Cruise is all smiles while he heads to his car after dining at the hot new restaurant Chiltern Firehouse on Tuesday evening (May 20) in London, England. One… Read More Here
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Ratings based on 81 Verified Reviews
They paid and stayed. We double-checked.
4.5 Room cleanliness
4.4 Service & staff
4.3 Room comfort
4.4 Hotel condition
Expedia Verified ReviewsThey paid and stayed. We double-checked.
by A verified traveler from DK
Nice`n´easy ifht lufthavnenPosted Jul 23, 2016
Meget fin service omkring afgang til lufthavn tidligt om morgenen. Kaffe og frisk brød i foyeren kl 4.15 gjorde en stor forskel. Hjælpsomt personale. Stille, så man kunne få sin søvn.
by A verified traveler from New York City
PEOPLE WHO CARE! They save me!Posted Jul 11, 2016
Pros: Patricia and Alessandro, nice facilities
Cons: nothing
Location: Very quiet an beautiful area. Things close between 12 and 2pm. Nothing works after 7pm:)
I can not express enough how much Executive helped me out, and rose the plank for hospitality in general. Better service than in top destination. I chose Executive Hotel because was going to an event in Nigoline. Once I arrived a little after 2pm, Patricia at the front desk was very kind to re-open the kitchen for my lunch. Being a needy New Yorker, I kept ruining their peaceful routine, and bothering them for everything - Patricia has been ultra patient and graceful with me at all times. Battery ran out of juice in the safe, and Alessandro kindly changed the battery within 10 minutes. Then it got crazy for me. After insane driving day in Milan, I got on a road for Nigoline late-10pm-ish. Upon arrival, I parked in the dark. When leaving and thanking the hosts (3am), we discovered that two of my tires got cut (!! Welcome to Italy!!), so I was forced to get my car towed and spend a night at the palazzo. Next morning there were no taxi available because of the Cristo expo on Iseo lake, and Uber does not exist there!! PROBLEM: an hour away from check out, I was 45 min away from the hotel. So I called Exec, and Alessandro, on top of being very understand, allowed me to check out later, and put me in touch with a taxi driver Marco who could come in 2 hours and pick me up. At 1pm we arrived (2 hrs past C/OUT time), I had a train to catch to Venice, asked them to rush and they were super nice about it!!! PATRICIA AND ALESSANDRO - SUPER STARS! THEY SAVED MY TRIP! LOVE YOU!!!
by A verified traveler
Posted Mar 31, 2016 on Hotels
by Spiros from Thessaloniki, central Macedonia, Greece
Good breakfast, wifi and clean. Good choice.Posted Mar 25, 2016 on Hotels
Very quite and clean hotel. Good breakfast but far away from city/airport
by sabrina
Posted Feb 24, 2016 on Hotels
by A verified traveler
Ottimo hotel da aggiungere nell'agenda personale.Posted Jan 31, 2016 on Hotels
Ottimo hotel, pulito, ottimo per raggiungere l'aeroporto, buon parcheggio gratuito, ma occorre avere l'auto per potersi spostare agevolmente. Materasso rigido, la sola nota negativa.
by Anastasios from Thessaloniki, Greece
Nice hotel choice no hot food at all at breakfast.Posted Jan 20, 2016 on Hotels
I had a two nights stay. I have a good overall impression for the hotel. Great new mattress. What i did't like was that at breakfast there was no hot food at all apart from my coffee, in the middle of winter.
by Carlos
Posted Dec 28, 2015 on Hotels
by Rüdiger from Nürnberg
Gerne wieder dortPosted Dec 15, 2015 on Hotels
Passt. Das Hotel kann man immer wieder buchen. Sogar mein Hund war willkommen. Zimmer und Bad waren ok. Frühstück war gut und ausreichend. Nächstes Mal gerne wieder dort. Anmerkung: Das mit im Gebäude liegende Restaurant gehört in die gehobenere Klasse. Ich hatte nach 18 Stunden Fahrt einfach nur Hunger und konnte mit dem Schicki-Micki Essen nichts anfangen. Die Pizza dort ist ordentlicher Durchschnitt.
by A verified traveler from La spezia
Di ritorno da una vacanzaPosted Dec 14, 2015
Ci siamo fermati per una notte rientrando dopo un volo dall aeroporto di Bergamo. Ceck in veloce camera silenziosa e pulita Buona colazione inclusa in una bella sala luminosa e pulitissima. Personale assai gentile e prezzo convenienti simo. Anche il parcheggio è incluso. Bravi!


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Archive for the 'Proceedings' Category
An Approach to Writing
By CTR1(SW) H. Lucien Gauthier III
The good CDR's post helped to solidify in my mind some notions I've had for some time now. These notions concern why there is such fear and hesitation when it comes to writing as a Naval professional.
My hope here is to put forward a different perspective on writing professionally. I will start with the obvious, and work towards what may be less obvious. It is my hope that my thoughts here might make some headway towards changing the minds of readers, and in turn (and in some small part) the Navy's culture. Additionally, all I have to say assumes that we're all well versed in and practice good OPSEC.
There are issues, and what are to me warped perceptions regarding writing in both the institutional aspect Navy and on the part of individual Sailors. In my talks with others more well versed with the state of writing in other branches, it would seem the Navy has a better culture than most, but still it remains that there is much room for improvement.
Foremost is the impression of what it is to write. Many, who step up the first time confuse their trepidation with how their audience will perceive their writing. In this, it is assumed that their words will reverberate with great force, and be a bellwether for change.
In reality, no. It won't be. Even articles published in Proceedings are rarely of exceptional paradigm changing quality. This isn't the fault of anyone, or any single organization. It's the fault of everyone. The ~2 megabytes worth of data (including pictures. If none, then ~150kB) you just introduced into the World is the equivalent of the faintest star you can see in the night sky. Even if what you wrote is considered on par with the greats, your impact will fall well short of making you a household name.
Remember this: you're just part of the system. Your words will be absorbed, digested, and then repeated in a novel way that you may or may not agree with. What writing does is give others ideas that little belong to you once learned by them.
For COs, and senior personnel of all flavors, it's important to remember that as well. That junior person whose 1k – 5k words you might fear is far weaker than it might seem. Take a breath and put their words in a perspective larger than your immediate concerns.
It may seem obvious, but the nature of writing online demands this be mentioned often – don't call people names. This is worth mentioning since much of blogging and the resulting comments (especially the comments) turn into a bull session where finger pointing, name calling, and condemning of whomever the content of the blog involves. That's not writing, just as you're not a poet when you're drunk and blowing off steam at McGuires or Seville Quarter.
Don't mention names, mention ideas. I personally don't care whom thought of what. Everyone has good ideas, everyone has a unique perspective. More often than not, those who are listened to the most are only the ones who can write the best, with their ideas hovering around 3rd rate. A given idea is not better just because it came from someone with senior rank. Neither should an idea be valued more from someone with name recognition more so than it is from someone without. The person doesn't matter, the idea matters when it comes to discussing ideas. Of course if you're rebutting someone else's writing I get that a name must be mentioned. But, aside of ensuring continuity or getting a reader up to speed, don't talk about people, just talk about the idea. The whole point of this is to remove ego from ideas as much as possible.
A second order effect of this notion is that there is significant benefit to someone writing anonymously. Based on my own personal experience, I would even encourage many to start off that way. Reflect on why you are motivated to write, is it to build name recognition, or to better your Navy? Exactly, in talking about ideas and not calling anyone names the need to have a face and name to the words quickly begins to evaporate.
Don't value your life less than you do your career. A military full of people willing to give their life in the line of duty, but just as many who do not write for the sake of their career. This is so counter intuitive I don't think I need to elaborate.
Unless your staff refers to you as the 'old man/woman' or 'the boss' you're not making policy, and your words won't either. What's more is that your words do not reflect the official opinion of the Navy, you're some rank just like a bunch of other people. Actions speak louder than words, if you comport yourself in a professional manner with good military bearing, then your words are just that – words – feeble, devoid of action words that are only an attempt to contribute to the discourse and bettering your Navy. The Navy and your boss do not have much to fear from you.
But, there is a logical limit to such a claim. I wouldn't publicly write anything critical of a decision made by my direct chain of command, or a decision made by those I have to work for/with. Doing as such, and being publicly critical of colleagues, seniors, and shipmates is just bad form, rude, and yes probably insubordinate. But, giving a public opinion regarding a decision made echelons above can be (and should be written towards being) productive. Blogging: real time 360 degree evaluation of ideas.
We're nearly 10 years into military personnel saying things they shouldn't on social media and online. The first year I was in the Navy, my CO warned us at an all hand's to 'stop saying bad things about the command on Facebook.' Such a scenario isn't new, that happened nearly seven years ago. We know how to handle it, and we should all be used to this by now.
Never write to be thanked or praised. I'd rather have my Navy not care that you write than to have it formally recognize you for writing. Why? Because writing is not about the promotion of self. It is about selflessly working to improve your Navy and Country. Non sibi sed patriae, or don't pick up the pen.
The Navy needs your ideas to compete with all the other ideas. The Navy needs you to be well read, and versed on how ideas compete with each other (how it happens online is not too dissimilar in how it happens anywhere else).
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The U.S. Naval Institute announces with distinct pleasure that Admiral James G. Stavridis, U.S. Navy, accepted the appointment as the U.S. Naval Institute's Chair of the Board of Directors. Admiral Stavridis' appointment will take effect following his anticipated retirement from active duty in mid- summer 2013.
Admiral Stavridis anticipates departing his current duties this summer as combatant commander for all U.S. forces in Europe; as Commander, European Command; and as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, posts he has held since early summer 2009. In his role as Supreme Allied Commander, he has directed the NATO efforts in Afghanistan, commanded the NATO operations in Libya in 2011, led security in the Balkans, developed a successful counter- piracy campaign off the coast of East Africa, implemented an improved missile-defense posture for Europe and successfully expanded alliance partnerships throughout the world.
Tags: Stavridis
Writing for Proceedings: The Past is Prologue II
By LCDR Claude Berube, USNR
When I joined the Editorial Board of Proceedings two years ago, I conducted a brief survey of the magazines articles from 1875-1919. The primary purpose was to determine what ranks were more likely to write for and be published in Proceedings. The post and results can be found here.
One of the common concerns I've heard as Chairman of the Editorial Board is that Proceedings "only publishes articles by Admirals and Generals, especially the CNO." I admit that I didn't know how to answer until recently. Proceedings receives submissions from most ranks and civilians and while articles published by flag and general officers are sometimes cited by other media, I wanted to know so that I could give an informed answer to people who asked. Therefore I conducted a new brief survey of articles from Proceedings beginning with the February 2011 issue and concluding with the January 2013 issue. I tallied the articles based on the rank of the author. In the case of multiple authors, each author was included in the tabulation. Articles by regular columnists like Norman Polmar, Norman Friedman, Eric Wertheim, Tom Cutler, and Senior Chief Jim Murphy were not included in the tabulation.
To answer the question at hand, in a two-year period only 1.8 percent of published articles were the product of a service chief – including two by the Chief of Naval Operations, one by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and one by the Commandant of the Coast Guard. In fact Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants (with 2.8 percent) and Lieutenants junior grade and 1st Lieutenants (with 2.3 percent) published more than the service chiefs. Of published articles by military personnel, Navy Captains and Marine Colonels were the most prolific with 11.9 percent. Of all articles published in the past two years, the category "Other" (comprised primarily of OSD/DoN civilians) and "Faculty/Think Tanks" – those whose primary job is to think and write – dominated the pages of Proceedings with 16.5 percent and 16.1 percent respectively.
The Editorial Board reads every article provided to it by the Proceedings editorial staff. We evaluated each of those articles based primarily on how well the author has developed and supported a particular concept. We debate the merits of each article and not necessarily who submitted them, although we do look more closely at articles generated by enlisted and junior officers to see what the next generation offers.
Therefore, if you want to be part of the same forum for debate that led young officers like Lieutenant Ernest King to write, if you have a new idea or perspective, if you think you can make the case for that perspective, then I encourage you to write and submit to Proceedings. Your idea might challenge or support conventional wisdom. It might be something that no one has thought of – or has taken the time to pen. It might be an idea on how the sea services improve processes, support people, or modify platforms. Don't be satisfied with what "might be." Write. Engage. Be part of the debate. Start the debate.
"Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write."
More than a Battle Force? WWATMD?
By LCDR Benjamin "BJ" Armstrong
We hear a lot about the Battle Force when talking about US Navy force structure and the documents that guide how we deploy and employ our Fleets. As a reader of Mahan, the language brings me back to a phrase he repeatedly uses in his writing, "The Battle-fleet." See, in Mahan's day the U.S. Navy started out as a 5th rate power (or worse) and didn't even have a single fleet that could stand up to a foreign navy when massed together. Over the years he wrote, culminating about the time he passed away in the prelude to World War I, the USN slowly built its battle-fleet to be a peer of almost any navy on the seven seas. Over the next century the USN continued to build and develop itself into the superpower it is today, with several fleets positioned globally.
Much of what we hear about the Battle Force today harkens back to Mahan's writing on how to use the battle-fleet. The focus is decisive combat against the enemy's naval forces followed by or concurrent with the projection of power ashore. The focus is on the high-end and kinetic operations which should be the focus of the battle-fleet and, by analogy in today's language, the modern Battle Force.
But the comparison to today's Navy starts to come apart as you read about the types of ship's Mahan thought were appropriate for a navy. While most of us are taught about his belief in the battle-fleet, and its role in pursuing and winning decisive battles that would establish American command of the sea, we're rarely reminded that in his view a Navy didn't stop there. Yes, he believed the battle-fleet had to win the decisive battle but there are many other tasks of naval forces. In his essay "Considerations Governing the Disposition of Navies" he wrote that a properly constructed navy needed to be balanced and have three main parts. First was, yes, the battle-fleet. Second was independent cruisers. Third was small combatants and craft to operate in close to an enemy's shoreline. It wasn't all one battle-fleet, but a balanced naval force designed for more than just blue water battle.
Each of these different groups of naval vessels had a role to play in major combat operations, but also a matching role to play in peacetime operations. In war the battle-fleet remained offshore, far enough away from the enemy's coastline that it wouldn't fall victim to costal defenses (what today we call A2AD threats). There the battle-fleet awaited the enemy's fleet, maneuvering for positions of advantage for the coming decisive battle. The independent cruisers would range between the battle-fleet and the enemy's coast, looking to pick off scouts and small squadrons or ranging further afield to strike at the enemy's merchant shipping and impose an economic cost. Finally, the smaller littoral ships ranged in close, tested and engaged the enemy's coastal defenses, and scouted for the enemy's fleet to determine when or where it would sortie to engage in the decisive battle.
Today's Battle Force has platforms which fill all of those rolls in the vision of the 21st century naval conflict. In Mahan's day it was an all surface affair, with ships of varying sizes and armaments filling the roles. (He wrote that submarines and torpedo craft, which were experimental platforms for turn of the century navies, were likely to gain success and capability and become part of the mix, but it hadn't happened before his death). Today, many of the roles are still filled by surface combatants, but submarines and aircraft have taken over significant parts of the equation. They have assumed many, if not all, of the roles and missions traditionally taken by the independent cruisers and the small combatants in the littorals, and with much success in kinetic operations. The name Battle Force, rather than battle-fleet, is certainly accurate.
The problem with today's Battle Force is that by replacing the cruisers, scouts, and small combatants with submarines and aircraft it loses the capabilities those vessels brought to the peacetime missions. For centuries navies, unlike armies and more recently unlike air forces, have had dual responsibilities not just to fight and win the nation's wars at sea but to serve in peacetime to protect the nation's interests, deter challengers, and serve as a diplomatic arm of the military in building partnerships and friendships across the globe. From our nation's earliest days the dual uses of naval forces were on our leaders minds. Former Naval Academy and Naval War College professor Dr. Craig Symonds wrote in his book Navalists and Antinavalists:
All of President James Monroe's surviving papers on the navy or on naval policy reflect a concern that it efficiently perform two distinct services: first, that it be adequate to cope with the daily problems of a maritime nation – smuggling, piracy, and combating the slave trade; and, second, that it provide the United States with a comfortable degree of readiness in case war should be forced upon the nation.
What today we refer to as maritime security operations and partnership building isn't a new-fangled 21st century idea. In fact, it's a mission which goes back to the very founding of our service, shared with navies throughout history.
Today's Battle Force is a battle-fleet on steroids, one that has absorbed the rest of the naval force. It is surely powerful and brings us more than "a comfortable degree of readiness in case war should be forced upon the nation." For fighting and winning a major war it has no equal on the seven seas. However, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because major war may become more likely if there are no ships to conduct the first distinct service President Monroe enumerated.
While the Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower says all the right things, the Battle Force isn't built for that strategy. It is only built for one half of our navy's job. It has mobility and the flexibility to engage multiple targets, but more and more often it lacks true adaptability to do more than just put warheads on foreheads, or threaten it. As the Battle Force shores up its control of the Navy the ability to adapt to smaller contingencies, work in contested waters that are not yet in kinetic conflict, or engage non-state actors and build partnerships becomes harder and harder. Yet these are all the things needed to help avert war, and so actual war at sea becomes more likely, and the Battle Force continues to become stronger.
Naval thinkers from Mahan to Corbett to Zumwalt to Hughes have discussed the importance of having a balanced fleet. High/low mix, Streetfighter, or Influence Squadrons are just other ways to talk about a balanced fleet which is capable of the "regular" major combat operations and fleet engagements as well as the "irregular" maritime security operations and partnership/diplomatic development. Mahan wrote that his own thinking and writing provided a solid foundation to move on to the writing of Sir Julian Corbett, the British navalist who told us that "in no case can we exercise control by battleships alone." Today's networked Battle Force is impressive and powerful. As Mahan wrote, it is the starting point for a properly constructed naval force. But the question is…does a powerful battle-fleet alone provide the Navy we need to face the turbulent seas of the 21st century?
Guest Post by CDR Sean Heritage: Embrace the Cyber Geek
By Fouled Anchor
Much has been written of late about "Creating Cyber Warriors" within the Navy's Officer Corps. In fact, three prominent and well-respected members of the Navy's Information Dominance Corps published a very well articulated article by that very title in the October 2012 edition of Proceedings. It is evident that the days of feeling compelled to advocate for such expertise within our wardroom are behind us. We have gotten passed the WHY and are in the throes of debating the WHAT and HOW. In essence, we know WHY we need cyber expertise and we know WHAT cyber expertise we need. What we don't seem to have agreement on is WHO should deliver such expertise and HOW do we get there.
As a proud member of both the Cryptologic Community and the Information Dominance Corps, I feel confident stating the responsibility for cultivating such expertise lies squarely on our own shoulders. The Information Dominance Corps, and more specifically the Cryptologic and Information Professional Communities, have a shared responsibility to "Deliver Geeks to the Fleet." That's right, I said "Geeks" and not "Cyber Warriors." We don't need, and despite the language many are using, the Navy doesn't truly want "Cyber Warriors." We need and want "Cyber Geeks." Rather than lobby for Unrestricted Line status, which seems to be the center of gravity for some, we should focus entirely on delivering operational expertise regardless of our officer community designation.
For far too long, many people in the Restricted Line Communities have looked at the Unrestricted Line Communities as the cool kids in school. Some consider them the "in-crowd" and want to sit at their lunch table. Some think wearing another community's warfare device validates us as naval officers and is the path to acceptance, opportunity, and truly fitting in. We feel an obligation to speak their language, understand the inner workings of their culture, and act more and more like them. Some have grown so weary of being different or considered weird that many would say we've lost our identity. Though establishment of the Information Dominance Corps has revitalized our identity, created a unity of effort amongst us in the information mission areas, and further established information as a legitimate warfare area, many continue to advocate that we are lesser because of our Restricted Line status. We seem to think we want and need to be Unrestricted Line Officers ourselves. Why? Sure, we would like to have direct accessions so that we can deliberately grow and select the specialized expertise necessary to deliver cyber effects to the Fleet. Yes, we would like a seat at the power table monopolized by Unrestricted Line Officers. And yes, we would appreciate the opportunity to have more of our own enjoy the levels of influence VADM Mike Rogers currently does as Commander, Fleet Cyber Command and Commander, U.S. TENTH Fleet.
But there is another path; a path that celebrates, strengthens, and capitalizes on our uniqueness.
In the private sector, companies are continually racing to the middle so they can appeal to the masses. It's a race to the bottom that comes from a focus on cutting costs as a means of gaining market share. There are, however, some obvious exceptions, my favorite of which is Apple. Steve Jobs was not overly interested in addressing customers' perceived desires. Instead, he anticipated the needs of the marketplace, showed the world what was possible before anyone else even dreamt it, and grew a demand signal that did not previously exist. He was not interested in appealing to the masses and he surely wasn't focused on the acceptance of others in his industry. He was focused on creating unique value (i.e. meaningful entrepreneurship over hollow innovation), putting "a dent in the universe," and delivering a product about which he was personally proud. We know how this approach evolved. The market moved toward Apple; the music, movie, phone, and computing industries were forever changed; and the technological bar was raised with each product delivered under his leadership. Rather than lobby for a seat at the table where other leaders were sitting, he sat alone and watched others pick up their trays to sit with him. Even those who chose not to sit with him were looking over at his table with envy, doing their best to incrementally build on the revolutionary advances only he was able to realize.
Rather than seek legitimacy by advocating to be part of Team Unrestricted Line, we ought to focus on delivering so much value that we are considered a vital part of each and every team because of our uniqueness. I am reminded of a book by Seth Godin titled "We Are All Weird." In it he refers to "masses" as the undifferentiated, "normal" as the defining characteristics of the masses, and "weird" as those who have chosen not to blindly conform to the way things have always been done. For the sake of argument, let's consider the Unrestricted Line Officers as the masses, those considering themselves "warfighters" as the normal, and the Information Dominance Corps as the weird. I say the last with a sense of hope. I hope that we care enough to maintain our weirdness and that we don't give in to the peer pressure that could drive us to lobby for a seat at what others perceive to be "The Cool Table." By choosing to be weird and committing more than ever to embrace our geekiness, the table perceived to be cool will be the one at which the four Information Dominance Communities currently sit. It won't happen by accident, but it will happen, provided we want it to happen. Not because we want to be perceived as "cool," but because we are so good at what we do, and we deliver so much unique value to the Navy and Nation, that no warfighting team is considered complete without its own personal "Cyber Geek."
I sincerely respect the opinions voiced in the article to which I referred earlier in this post. However, I think we are better than we give ourselves credit for. Let's not conform, let's create. Let's not generalize, let's specialize. Let's not be normal, let's be weird. Let's choose to be Geeks.
CDR Sean Heritage is an Information Warfare Officer who is currently transitioning from Command of NIOC Pensacola to Staff Officer at U.S. Cyber Command. He regularly posts to his leadership-focused blog, Connecting the Dots.
Tags: Cyber, Cyber Defense, Information Dominance, Information Warfare
Fostering Innovation in the United States Navy
By RDML James Foggo
Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation… Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Innovation is back! There is an undeniable renewal of interest and forward momentum in innovative thought in the United States Navy today. Why is this? What is driving the renewed attention to innovation?
Several factors influence innovation in both a positive and a negative way. Stephen Rosen discusses many of these factors in his book, "Winning the Next War: Innovation in the Modern Military." Rosen talks about "technology push," which occurs when new and disruptive technologies are discovered and sometimes reluctantly incorporated into our warfighting platforms. Though not immediately embraced, over time these technologies can – and often do – revolutionize how we fight. The triumph of steam over sail in the United States Navy is a good example, but one that was hard fought to incorporate or inculcate into the minds of naval officers of that era. Likewise, Rosen's "demand pull" (or mission pull) stimulates innovation when there is a critical warfighting need and no platform or technology currently available to meet that need. Brave men fought the first and second Battle of the Atlantic in diesel submarines that were cold, cramped, noisy and vulnerable. The need to remain submerged and undetected for long periods of time created a mission pull for nuclear propulsion which contributed to our modern day fleet of highly capable nuclear powered submarines.
While we would have eventually figured out how to put an atomic pile inside a submarine, I think it is fair to say it would not have happened as fast without the contribution of a "maverick" like Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. He drove this process relentlessly and against much opposition, eventually putting to sea the modern SSN. Rickover was unconventional in his methods but he got results. Nowadays, mavericks must learn to work within an even more complex rule set and hierarchy which can stifle innovation. Today's acquisition process is rather burdensome and although we make the best weapon systems in the world, we must be more responsive in pacing or better yet, exceeding adversary threat capabilities. This of course puts incredible pressure on traditional timelines in research, development and acquisition. Our ongoing efforts to introduce agility and speed into this process must continue if we are to remain a dominant power.
Beyond traditional red-tape, another factor driving – or inhibiting – innovation is money. With competing priorities in the President's budget, some savings have been realized through reductions in defense spending. Budget reductions and periods of fiscal austerity invariably serve to stimulate critical thought and innovative ways of warfighting. Admiral Jim Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), often quotes a well-known figure in the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Jackie Fisher who said at the beginning of the twentieth century, "Now that the money has run out we must start to think!" SACEUR's reference is poignant, as Fisher is primarily celebrated as an innovator, strategist and developer of the Royal Navy of the First World War era. When appointed First Sea Lord in 1904, he recapitalized older vessels still in active service but no longer useful and set about constructing modern replacements. Fisher is rightly credited with creating a battle fleet well prepared to fight Germany at sea during World War I.
By any account, our Navy budget is not insignificant, but we must continue to adapt to potential changes. Following Fisher's suggestion to "think" may provide the catalyst to innovating our way past many of the challenges we face today. This may seem too obvious, for how else does one find an answer, except to think. But how frequently do any of us commit to the type of thinking required to fully understand issues and then devise possible solutions? Rear Admiral Terry Kraft, Commander of the Naval Warfare Development Center (NWDC) recently published The Innovators Guide which dedicates a full four pages to creative thought and generation of ideas. Thinking may not be as simple as it sounds, but we must commit to it in order to find the right solutions.
Recognizing these constraints, the CNO has challenged us to facilitate innovation across the Navy, and several organizations have taken great strides towards this end. The NWDC is a key stakeholder, and its mission is to "link tomorrow's ideas to today's warfighter through the rapid generation and development of innovative solutions to operational challenges." This is done by operating at the speed of the Fleet and maintaining a focus on non-material solutions for the future. In this way, the NWDC serves as a "think tank" for how we fight tomorrow's battles.
So why NWDC? I would offer that there are many lessons we must learn from history, and one of my favorites is examined by Barry Posen in The Sources of Military Doctrine, in his study of the German doctrine. He notes that Germany "won the battle of France and lost the Battle of Britain. She won the battle for which she had prepared and lost the one for which she had not. Her military doctrine had long envisioned major land campaigns on the European continent. Operations beyond its shores had been given little thought." The doctrine worked well, until the context of the battle changed to exceed its design. In operating at the "speed of the Fleet", the NWDC is positioned to look forward and adapt to the changing battlefield and its dynamic conditions.
I recently read RADM Kraft's NWDC post entitled "Naval Innovation Reboot", which provides thought-provoking messages about the rapid pace of communications facilitated by social networks where ideas are transformed into reality at a very high rate. He argues that the Navy has yet to capitalize on the benefits of these advancements, and suggests that we better empower our Sailors – already more than comfortable with this technology – to use it to our advantage. To more directly engage these junior leaders, last summer, the NWDC hosted a "Junior Leader Innovation Symposium." The symposium was designed to educate these leaders on the importance of innovation, empower them to contribute new ideas, facilitate connected discussion and start to harvest their ideas. In keeping with their broad-based approach, NWDC also brings together leadership from industry, military and academia to ensure an awareness and openness to innovative solutions and ideas. In other words, Kraft knows that the water's edge for innovation is NOT at the water's edge.
One of the most recent efforts from NWDC examines the establishment of a Rapid Innovation Cell. In broad terms, the cell is envisioned as a mechanism to transform disruptive ideas into solutions and as an alternative path to fielding solutions.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is another highly-valuable player in this endeavor. As the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology (S&T) provider, ONR leads the cutting edge of S&T solutions to address Navy and Marine Corps needs. This effort is developed within and among three directorates, one of which is committed to innovation. ONR's Directorate of Innovation "cultivates innovative science and technology approaches that support the Department of the Navy and facilitate rapid and agile responses to our changing national security environment."
Armed with state-of-the-art test facilities and a team of world-class scientists and engineers from a variety of fields, they are well-equipped to advance innovative solutions for the most challenging issues. ONR supports a number of programs aimed to streamline the fielding of technology to the Fleet and Forces. When urgent needs are identified through the Urgent Operational Needs Statement (UONS), Joint UONS (JUONS) and Joint Emergent Operational Needs (JEONs) programs, ONR experts are called upon to ensure available technologies are leveraged in solutions for the fleet. As a complementary process ONR also manages CNO's Speed to Fleet program, which aims to provide quick-reaction mature and new technologies to deliver working prototypes to warfighters in high-risk or high-threat areas within 12-24 months.
Also within ONR's quick-reaction S&T portfolio, the Tech Solutions program is a transformational business process created by the Chief of Naval Research to provide Sailors and Marines with a web-based tool for bringing warfighter needs to the Naval Research Enterprise for rapid response and delivery. The program accepts recommendations and suggestions, via an on-line submission form, from Navy and Marine Corps personnel working at the ground level on ways to improve mission effectiveness through the application of technology. It is solely focused on delivering needed technology to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, within 12-18 months, and moving the sea services toward more effective and efficient use of personnel. The program has a proven track record too, resulting in technology to the fleet including a Catapult Capacity Selector Valve Calculator (CSV) – a hand-held Flight Deck Ops Assistant which eliminates a laborious process of referencing paper manuals to determine catapult settings.
With NWDC and ONR working as partners, the Navy has an infrastructure which is well-postured to support innovation. Just a thought before I move on… One of our S&T scientists recently e-mailed me a link to the U.S. Coast Guard Innovation Program. It's a five-page document which formally establishes the Coast Guard Innovation Program. There may be a risk of institutionalizing innovation, but we might also benefit from having a written plan which supports innovative thought. The Coast Guard has an Innovation Council not unlike the current effort undertaken by NWDC. It also recognizes innovation in the ranks with an annual award and incentive program and sponsors an annual USCG Innovation Expo in partnership with industry. Perhaps we should follow suit?
Innovation has been described as having several forms. These range from technological to strategic, and I'll give a more detailed outline of my thoughts on some of these later, but we suggest we must also contemplate the nature of innovation we aim to achieve.
In a recent Proceedings article entitled Payloads over Platforms, the CNO calls for the "decoupling of payload development from platform development (to) take advantage of a set of emerging trends in precision weapons, stealth, ship and aircraft construction, economics, and warfare." By tracing a timeline of successful payload shifts across the service of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), his article illustrates some innovative success the Navy has enjoyed, but these successes were a result of coincidence, and perhaps a dose of good luck, rather than initial design. And, even if the blueprints were drawn up to facilitate payload changes, this approach to design is not pervasive enough to support the CNO's goals. NWDC and ONR have both adopted or structured approaches to facilitate significant changes like this. If we can successfully tap the ideas of our junior leaders on the deck plates, I believe we are well-suited to develop solutions to propel us in the direction the CNO is pointing.
We face difficult challenges, and innovation provides us one path to solving many of them. I encourage all of our Sailors to discuss ideas and contribute thoughts to this blog or any others I have referenced. We need solutions, and we must be open in our search for them. Is the Navy, as an institution best optimized to innovate? How can we do better? I yield to the "wisdom of the crowd" on this matter, and I am confident that many of you have outstanding ideas that we haven't yet heard. Get 'em out there!
By LCDR Benjamin "BJ" Armstrong
"There is, at all events, no perplexity exceeding that with which men of former times haven't dealt successfully."
– CAPT Alfred Thayer Mahan
Back in 2003 Dr. Andrew Krepinevich, Barry Watts and Bob Work (now the Under Secretary of the Navy) coined the term "A2AD," for the growing Anti-Access, Area Denial threat posed by the proliferation of long range missiles systems, precision munitions, and satellite technology that will make operations in the littorals more challenging for 21st century naval forces. They were right when they wrote that ignoring the threat "appears to be a huge gamble and one that neither prudence nor history could recommend with much confidence." The challenge of A2AD spreads from the shores of the Arabian Gulf to the South China Sea and beyond with players like Iran, China, and North Korea continuing to develop and spread the capabilities and technologies like the C-802 anti-ship missile and FAC's like the Chinese Houbei that has come to symbolize part of the threat.
While it is cast as a threat based on rapidly modernizing, high technology weapons the A2AD threat is actually nothing new in the annals of naval history. Despite the description of certain technologies, like the Chinese DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, as "game changing" and "revolutionary" there are still basic principles of naval strategy and tactics that apply to these weapons. At the turn of the last century the United States and the naval powers of the world faced a similar challenge. Modern technology was advancing weapons systems and making it harder for naval forces to get close to the enemy's shores. The eminent naval strategist and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan (ATM) wrote on the subject, and offered some thoughts that may be worth considering as the world once again faces A2AD challenges.
In 1911 ATM published the lectures he originally gave at the United States Naval War College in the decade leading up to the start of the 20th century as the book Naval Strategy: Compared and Contrasted with the Principles and Practice of Military Operations on Land. In it he discussed the A2AD threat which developed after he gave his original lectures. "It seems appropriate here to mention, if only incidentally, certain changes in the weapons with which war is waged," he wrote, continuing "the progress of the submarine, the immensely increased range of the automobile torpedo, and the invention of wireless telegraphy," were significant changes to the technology of naval warfare. According to ATM the introduction of these new weapons would have an important impact on the development of naval tactics, however, "these consequences will not change the principles of strategy," which apply to naval warfare.
In his essay "Considerations Governing the Disposition of Navies," published in May of 1902, ATM also discussed torpedo boats and "the added range of coast guns, which keeps scouts at a much greater distance than formerly, and the impossibility now of detecting intentions which once might be inferred from the conditions of masts and sails." However, ATM's continued discussion reminds us that the technologies which make A2AD a challenge are not exclusive of one side in the fight. He says that "on the other hand the sphere of effectiveness has been immensely increased for the scout by the power to move at will, and latterly by the wireless telegraph." Today there are differences of distances, stand-off ranges, and communications and ISR, but these are the same issues faced over a century ago.
ATM made some suggestions on the tactical and operational level to approach the A2AD threats of his day. He suggested that by taking advantage of high speed and large numbers, "it should be possible to sweep the surroundings of any port so thoroughly as to make the chance of undetected escape very small, while the transmission of the essential facts – the enemy's force and the direction taken – is even more certain than detection." Today ATM might call for numerous and inexpensive unmanned systems to work the near shore and scout deep inside the enemy's coastal WEZ.
Despite the fact many strategy and history students are taught ATM only cared about big guns and battleships, in his concept of the modern fleet which would face the early 20th century A2AD threat ATM wrote "the vessels nearest in are individually so small that the loss of one by torpedo is militarily immaterial; moreover, the chances will by no means all be with the torpedo boat." After calling for small combatants which can take the fight in close in search of the torpedo boats, while assuming some individual risk, ATM suggested that a group of cruisers sail further out from the enemy's A2AD threat range. The cruisers are able to sprint to the support of the smaller ships if needed but also able to discover other enemy concentrations, or fall back to support the main battle fleet. ATM pointed out that the main battle fleet has great freedom to maneuver. He said the main force of the fleet can be hundreds of miles away, connected to the scouts, small combatants, and cruisers by wireless and "in a different position every night, [it] is as safe from torpedo attack as ingenuity can place it." The point is as valid today as it was at the dawn of the last century. The ocean is a large expanse and in order for the enemy to attack, he has to be able to find you. Even satellite surveillance and broad area ISR can only cover a portion of the maritime domain.
ATM believed there was nothing about the early 20th century A2AD threat that fundamentally changed the way naval strategy was developed, or how naval wars were led. There would be changes to tactics, and the requisite adjustments to operational planning that those changes required. He also made the point that a properly balanced Navy, with small combatants, cruisers, and the main battle fleet was required for success in any naval conflict. However, at its heart countering A2AD is more about applying the intellectual rigor to overcome the time, distance, speed differences than it is about fundamental changes to naval strategy; as ATM wrote "war is a business of positions." In the end, naval commanders must also remember it takes two to have a fight, and the idea is to ensure the enemy is dealing with as many, or more challenges, than you are. You threaten him too and as ATM wrote, "These probabilities, known to the enemy, affect his actions just as one's own risks move one's self."
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a change of office ceremony for the Navy Chief of Information (CHINFO) in the "Sail Loft" of the Washington Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, D.C. It was a gala event, that paid tribute to the incredible work ethic, energy and achievements of RDML Denny Moynihan during his four and a half-years on the job. RDML Moynihan was relieved by RDML John Kirby, another super-charged officer who is highly regarded in the Navy and the Navy Public Affairs community for his support of Admiral Mike Mullen as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and most recently, as the military spokesman for Secretary Leon Panetta in OSD Public Affairs.
By nature of his position as CHINFO, which supports the Office of the Secretary of the Navy and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, RDML Kirby will have a direct impact on the Navy and Navy programs and people every day. He has myriad responsibilities that he will want to prioritize, but in many cases, the 24 hour news cycle will modulate and modify his priorities as current events involving U.S. Naval Forces unfold around the globe. As CHINFO, he will be one of the most important architects of the Navy's Strategic Communications strategy.
Accordingly, he may want to examine our current "brand." In enterprise terms, Strategic Communicators employ the marketing strategy of "branding" to focus on the objectives achievable with the goods and services that the company can offer its clientele. For example, the American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of a "brand" is a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers."
Sounds very business-like doesn't it? But, let's agree that the Navy has achieved some incredible efficiencies by adapting industry best practices to streamline support to the warfighter-Lean Six Sigma for example. So it follows that we might embrace "branding" as a method of unifying our strategic message to a target audience.
Since I joined the Service, we've adopted many different brands, even before the term and the enterprise approach became popular. Do you recall:
"It's Not Just a Job… It's an Adventure!"
"Let the Journey Begin!"
"Navy, Accelerate Your Life!"
And our current brand. "Navy. A Global Force for Good!"
Defining the target audience is part of the discovery process in adopting a brand. Those in the Human Resources aspect of what we do tell me that the target audience is the quality young men and women that we recruit annually to join our Service. We want the best and brightest from the pool of eligible young Americans. With an all-volunteer force, opportunities to learn new skills and be assured of job security, although necessary, are not enough – you need an appealing tagline! Human Resource specialists tell me that our current brand sells well with the Millennial Generation. Those joining our ranks today want job skills and a career, but they also want to make a difference-to be a part of a global team that has a raison d'etre- i.e. to make the world a better place. Recruiting, however, is normally tied to the economy and right now, our recruiting and retention statistics are pretty good. That could all change in a heartbeat with a major change in our economy, so it makes sense to keep a regular drumbeat on the theme of recruiting. Our brand is intended to attract and retain the very best, our challenge is to identify the Navy as a choice worth considering in the minds of those choosing and the minds of those providing advice and counsel.
I wonder however, if new recruits are the only audience? Shouldn't our brand also appeal to the American taxpayers and their direct representatives on Capitol Hill? To the teachers, counselors, parents and coaches—those figures America's youth look to when trying to figure out their personal way ahead? The point is that the "brand" has to appeal to a broad audience, with different levels of experience and different perspectives. The challenge is to reach and appeal to this wide audience with a clear and concise message of who we are.
In the marketplace, brands appeal to consumers and stifle the competition. Consumers of our brand are the American people, who want a safe and secure environment with conflicts resolved far from our shores. Our competition in the market of national security could be a peer competitor, a downright enemy of the state, or worst case – apathy and the belief that national security is someone else's job. So, how will our brand keep us moving forward and deter our adversaries? This is an important question, if in fact you subscribe to the theory that our brand has multiple target audiences. Could we or should we change our brand to send a different message or a message to a different audience. I don't have a good answer to these questions, so I thought we might benefit from the wisdom of the crowd–hence the reason for this blogging effort?
The CNO has given us three simple tenets and only six words on which to base our day-to-day fulfillment of our duties: Warfighting First! Operate Forward! Be Ready! Does our brand convey these three tenets? Do we need more than one brand for more than one audience? Do we need a brand at all?
I always liked the poster of the Aircraft Carrier that you see in many Navy Facilities-"90,000 tons of diplomacy." A picture is often worth a thousand words, but that picture combined with that caption conveys many things about our Navy and our great country. It champions our industrial base and the United States' ability to construct and operate not one but eleven nuclear powered aircraft carriers. It illustrates our ability to operate from our sovereign territory—the flight deck of the carrier—anytime and anyplace where our national interests may be threatened or where a helping hand may be needed. It epitomizes our ability to take the fight to the enemy far away from our shores. Finally, it sends the message that when diplomacy or deterrence fails, standby! American resolve and wherewithal will be there, ready to act if called upon. Perhaps we should adopt a brand that does all that?
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Those of you who may have read the addresses which Admiral Knight delivered to various classes that were received and graduated during his term as president of the college, must have been struck not only by his complete grasp of the subject of the higher education of officers, and by his profound philosophical reflections, but also by his remarkable eloquence and by his peculiar and, for a naval officer, unusual ability in expressing his thoughts in clear, forcible and elegant phrase.
I know of no officer who is his equal in this respect, and this necessarily places his successor at a disadvantage. I shall therefore make no attempt to charm your ears by polished periods or demand your attention to abstract reflection, but shall confine my remarks principally to a plain recital of certain experiences in peace and in war, designed to illustrate by concrete examples some of the practical advantages of the application of War College principles and methods in general service. Whether or not these experiences will interest you will depend upon the value you may place upon them.
But in the first place let me state that it is with sincere regret that I have to apologize to the members of the graduating class, and also to the members of the staff, because of my many unavoidable absences from the college and the time-consuming occupations which have prevented my enjoying the more intimate association with them which I earnestly desired, and fully anticipated when I resumed my duties as president one year ago.
But, though I have not been able to take as active a part in the work of the college as I desired, and as I hope to take hereafter. I beg to assure the class that my interest in their studies has been none the less earnest, and that I thoroughly appreciate the spirit with which they have entered into their work and the assistance they have thereby rendered the college in its primary mission, which is the development of principles, and training in the application of these principles to practical situations.
The class now about to be graduated is not only the largest but, in some respects, the most distinguished that has ever taken the course at the college, certainly so in respect of the average rank and experience of its members; and they therefore have it the more in their power to promote the welfare of this institution, and consequently the welfare of the navy as a whole, by the influence which it will be their privilege and their duty to exert when they return to general service.
This service will include many of the navy's most important activities. Some of these will be in positions of command involving various degrees of responsibility for the success of the organizations and the personnel committed to your charge. It has been the object of the college not only to develop and define the principles of naval warfare, but to indicate the methods by which these principles may be applied with the maximum success. I have considered you, and would have you consider yourselves, hardheaded practical men who have been engaged for a year, not in purely academic speculations upon the theory of warfare, but in working out the best methods of increasing the fighting value of the navy as a whole. I am sure that you understand and believe that the teachings of the college are eminently practical, and that the service would be greatly benefited if all of our officers could take the course. As this is manifestly impracticable, it follows that if the whole commissioned personnel of the navy is ever to acquire a working knowledge of the principles and practice of naval warfare, it must be through the effort and influence of the college graduates exerted upon the personnel under their command.
It would, of course, be desirable if more or less systematic instruction and training could be given whenever circumstances permit, as is the case with the considerable personnel now immobilized in the Philadelphia navy yard. These conditions are, however, temporary and wholly exceptional, and it is recognized that such a War College extension would not be practicable in the active fleet to anything like the same degree.
Russian Naval Base in Cuba?
By UltimaRatioReg
Russia has been increasing the reach of its navy in recent years, sending warships further afield as part of an effort to restore pride project power in a world dominated by the U.S. military.
That throws a wrench in our Maritime Strategy, it would seem. Or does it? What should our reaction be, militarily? And what, diplomatically? Should there be any?