text:
The Struggle of Being Disconnected
Many jokes have been made about how Pokémon Go accomplished in a day what Michelle Obama has been trying to do for years: get people on their feet and moving. It's working for my kids. My son likes to wander our small town after dark playing the game, and my daughter spent 6 hours one Sunday wandering her small town doing the same! But that's the extent of my knowledge of the game, so if you aren't familiar with it and want to learn more about the "pocket monsters" you'll need to google Pokémon Go.
With the variety and availability of various electronic devices, children – and adults – are spending too much time being sedentary: watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing video games. Decades ago, parents sent their children outside to entertain themselves, to roam neighborhoods and interact with other children doing the same. Comparing the two lifestyles, words like "play deficit" and "play deprivation" are being used often by people in the know.
Peter Gray, a psychologist and research professor at Boston College, says "Play deprivation is bad for children. Among other things, it promotes anxiety, depression, suicide, narcissism and loss of creativity."
It's important to realize that play deprivation or play deficit is detrimental for adults, too. Many of us are just as attuned to our electronic devices as our children are. We are addicted to technology, to the ability to be connected 24/7, and to the instant gratification we get from those connections. The struggle of being disconnected is real.
And yet, we need to disconnect to refill our inner wells. Writers especially need time to give our eyes a rest from the glare of screens, to give our fingers, hands, and wrists a break from repetitive motions that cause distress to our bodies. It's important for us to get up and move frequently to try and offset any number of health issues that can beset us. In addition, our minds need down-time to just wander, to discover new-to-us things, to enjoy the beauty of nature without the distractions and stresses of everyday life.
So what can we do?
Find something that allows you to disconnect, even if it's not a complete disconnect. Start out small if you have to – 10 minutes without your phone or electronics. Take a walk around the block and look – really look – at your surroundings. Listen to the sounds around you. You'll be surprised what you notice that you haven't paid attention to before.
Maybe the outdoors is not your thing. Maybe you sew, scrapbook, or just read. Those things aren't necessarily going to get you moving, but they can still give you a break from electronics. Focus on patterns, or pictures, or words. What draws you to one over another? As a writer, how might you incorporate your focus into your stories?
We all lead busy lives and sometimes struggle to balance everything in a way that works for us.
What can you do to reduce the play deficit in your life and rejuvenate your soul?
4 comments:
- Lynn said...
Great post, HiDee! I'm a nature person when it comes to refueling. I wrote an article a long time ago for a magazine about the importance of adult play. It's funny how hard it is to make that happen. Thanks for the reminder!
- July 26, 2016 at 1:43 PM
- Lynn said...
Great post, HiDee! I'm a nature person when it comes to refueling. I wrote an article a long time ago for a magazine about the importance of adult play. It's funny how hard it is to make that happen. Thanks for the reminder!
- July 26, 2016 at 1:43 PM
- Mark R Hunter said...
My wife plays Pokemom Go, and we've been learning thing we didn't know about the local are a: many of the stops have information that comes up about them, especially historic locations, signs, and landmarks.
- July 29, 2016 at 3:09 PM
- HiDee said...
Mark, that's cool to know. I'll have to ask my kids what they've learned. :) Thanks for stopping by!
- July 29, 2016 at 9:03 PM


text:
The type of donor used is found to influence greatly the optical nonlinearities of iodine charge-transfer (CT) complexes in solutions for several solvents. The magnitude and sign changes of nonlinear absorption of iodine CT complexes for different solvents as donors are observed, which implies the transition from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption. Compared with in toluene, iodine CT complexes with toluene and benzene demonstrate larger reverse saturable absorption. Meanwhile, flexible alteration of optical nonlinearities is easily obtained by adjusting the mixture ratio of different solvents, yielding a prospective means of constructing a nonlinear medium with a large nonlinear coefficient.
© 2004 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Tetsuya Gotoh, Toshiyuki Kondoh, Keiichi Egawa, and Ken-ichi Kubodera
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6(4) 703-706 (1989)
Peng Zhao, Matthew Reichert, Sepehr Benis, David J. Hagan, and Eric W. Van Stryland
Optica 5(5) 583-594 (2018)
Manuel R. Ferdinandus, Matthew Reichert, Trenton R. Ensley, Honghua Hu, Dmitry A. Fishman, Scott Webster, David J. Hagan, and Eric W. Van Stryland
Opt. Mater. Express 2(12) 1776-1790 (2012)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Christmas Eve
My Parents House
Luckily, Cami had so much Christmas on her mind,
she had not thought to mention
her sister.
Waiting still in China.
The holiday passed without our secret
being told,
but we were not alone.
It is in the unexplainable that sometimes
we find the most important truth.
The spirit of our missing Delilah
was with us on this day.
As I reached into the bag that would be my last present to open,
I found a beautiful and fragile ornament
wrapped in tissue.
I opened it and admired it only for a second,
before my mother exclaimed,
"What are you doing with that"?
"Why do you have that ornament"?
Quickly my brother caught on and pointed out
that I was holding a "New Baby" ornament.
He joked, "Well, do you have something you aren't telling us"?
"Is there a baby in your future"?
I was confused,
for a few reasons.
Because I actually collect this particular type of ornament,
as does my mother apparently.
And because
there is a new child in our future.
But the ornament was not for me.
It was from my mother's tree
and it had "accidentally" fallen off the tree
and into my gift bag.
And now I was across the room holding it in my hand.
She did not intend for it to be part of my gift.
God Winking?
A beautiful moment for us to remember
the coming of Delilah.
what are the chances?


text:
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Advancements in wind turbine technology have been growing rapidly. In the shadows of multi-megawatt wind turbines is another growing sector within this industry: residential wind. Improved airfoil designs for maximum efficiency at low wind speed, high efficiency direct drive permanent magnet alternators, improved governing methods and highly sophisticated controls and inverters now allow home owners to interface directly with utility companies or design off-grid systems. These systems are increasing energy independence, competing with current energy prices and reducing environmental impacts. Several new small wind turbines utilizing new and advancing technology have been introduced recently with promise of more to come.
Many small wind turbines and wind turbine manufacturers have suffered from extensive criticism over poorly made machines, over stated energy production, and over estimating longevity. Abundant Renewable Energy has adopted a design philosophy that puts efficiency, long life and high-energy production in low wind speeds as the first priority of our engineering and manufacturing efforts.
Recent significant developments in wind turbine systems less than 20 kW include the following:
Blades for small turbines have been made primarily of fiberglass by hand lay-up manufacturing or pultrusion. The industry is now pursuing alternative manufacturing techniques, including injection, compression, and reaction injection molding. These methods often provide shorter fabrication time, lower parts costs, and increased repeatability and uniformity, although the tooling costs are typically higher.
Manufacturers are using such techniques as injection molding and compression molding to produce more durable wind rotors. Although these techniques have reduced fabrication time, lowered parts costs, and increased repeatability, they have led to higher tooling costs. Another new technique—reaction injunction molding—has been prototyped but is not yet used in production.
These days, most rotor blades in the market are built from glassfiber reinforced plastic (GRP). Other materials that have been tried include wood and carbon filament reinforced plastic (CFRP).
With increased optimization in the manufacturing techniques, the capital cost of producing rotor blades have come down steadily over the past years. Replacing the hand lay up method, vaccum assisted resin infusion moulding (VARIM) has now become the most widely used technique in blade manufacturing, irrespective of the resin system in use.
VARIM is the commonly used method for rotor blade manufacturing because of the below given advantages:
In recent years, PREPREG – a next generation technique, has started gaining momentum among rotor blade manufacturing processes. However, the temperature and climatic conditions in countries like India have hindered the easy adoption of this advanced blade development process. A major obstacle to employ this process is presented by the higher temperatures that constitute the climatic conditions of the country.
Though PREPEG is the more advanced manufacturing technique but it poses the following challenges:
Akshay Urja Magazine
Siemens has an innovative process that makes blades in one piece, unlike the typical blade that is made in two shells and glued together. Siemens' IntegralBlade technology uses vacuum infusion to make glass/epoxy blades in a closed process. The molding system has a closed outer mold and an expanding, flexible inner bladder. Epoxy resin is injected under a vacuum and the blade is cured at high temperature in the mold. After curing, the blade is removed from the outer mold while the inner bladder is collapsed with a vacuum and pulled from the blade. The result is a seamless one-piece blade.
Active flow control (AFC) technology to improve the turbine's efficiency, reduces noise and vibrations, and enables high performance in smaller rotor dimensions
Smart Wind's proprietary technology is based on a specific use of active flow control (AFC) technology, which is used to improve the aerodynamic performance of aircraft wings. The company has deployed this technology in a VAWT, resulting in improved aerodynamic performance of the rotor blades.
Smart Wind's AFC technology enhances the turbine's efficiency, reduces noise and vibrations, and enables high performance in smaller rotor dimensions. The rotor draws wind from all directions, making it effective in unstable wind conditions and across a range of wind speeds. The simple design offers safety and low maintenance, and can be mounted on a lower pole – factors that are especially important for more populated settings. Smart Wind's increased efficiency – for greater electricity production – will translate into a relatively rapid ROI.
Magnetic suspension and self-pitch for vertical axis wind turbine
Maglev Engineering Research Center, Shandong University, China has committed to the magnetic bearing research and related product development. Recently, magnetic suspension technology has been applied to the vertical axis wind turbine, in which the entire rotor weight of a VAWT was suspended by magnetic bearing. The turbine friction was greatly reduced, and start-up wind speed decreased. The manufacturing cost and operational cost were also effectively reduced. This new magnetically suspended vertical-axis wind generator has irreplaceable advantages compared with other VAWTs in the market. Due to its low cost and suitability for high-power single devices, this new VAWT design will have broad commercial potential.
Vertical wind turbine Blade 3500 – Blade Wind Tech
The Blade uses maglev technology using magnetic levitation to suspend an object on top of another without any contact, by canceling the gravity with an electromagnetic force. This revolutionary technology allows the turbine to operate without any friction, which gives it many advantages. Thanks to this, the turbine is more efficient and more importantly, it has the speed to start the lowest in the world!
The Blade incorporates both technologies Darrieus and Savonius, which allows him to combine the advantages of both technologies (starting in light winds, high torque …). Indeed Savonius technology enables it to start with very light winds and have high torque at startup, when the technology allows the Darrieus wind to benefit from a larger catchment area and therefore yield more high.
|Blade 3500
|Maximum power
|Impeller diameter
|3,2 m
|Height of the turbine
|3,5 m
|230 kg
|Materials of pale
|Aluminum alloy
|Generator characteristics
|Permanent magnet generator
|Electromagnetic brake
|Boot speed
|1 m/s
|Speed min in charge
|2,5 m/s
|Rated speed
|11 m/s
|Speed stop
|15 m/s
|Survival gear
|60 m/s
|>20 years
Siemens IntegralBlades®
This uniquely designed wind turbine blade is made from fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin. The cutting edge design offers ideal support in terms of optimal aerodynamics. The IntegralBlade® is made with Siemens' patented technology and is created during a process that has multiple benefits over conventional blade manufacturing processes. Only one mould set is required in the manufacturing cycle. The blade, therefore, is just one integrated structure in which no joints need to be glued together, resulting in zero weak points in the structure that could be exposed to cracking, lightning or water ingress.
Pasted from <http://www.energydigital.com/green_technology/new-advances-wind-energy-technology>
A Design for Cheaper Wind Power
FloDesign Wind Turbine, a spin-off from the aerospace company FloDesign based in Wilbraham, MA, has developed a wind turbine that could generate electricity at half the cost of conventional turbines. The company recently raised $6 million in its first round of venture financing and has announced partnerships with wind-farm developers.
The company's design, which draws on technology developed for jet engines, circumvents a fundamental limit to conventional wind turbines. Typically, as wind approaches a turbine, almost half of the air is forced around the blades rather than through them, and the energy in that deflected wind is lost. At best, traditional wind turbines capture only 59.3 percent of the energy in wind, a value called the Betz limit.
FloDesign surrounds its wind-turbine blades with a shroud that directs air through the blades and speeds it up, which increases power production. The new design generates as much power as a conventional wind turbine with blades twice as big in diameter. The smaller blade size and other factors allow the new turbines to be packed closer together than conventional turbines, increasing the amount of power that can be generated per acre of land.
From the front, the wind turbine looks something like the air intake of a jet engine. As air approaches, it first encounters a set of fixed blades, called the stator, which redirect it onto a set of movable blades–the rotor. The air turns the rotor and emerges on the other side, moving more slowly now than the air flowing outside the turbine. The shroud is shaped so that it guides this relatively fast-moving outside air into the area just behind the rotors. The fast-moving air speeds up the slow-moving air, creating an area of low pressure behind the turbine blades that sucks more air through them.
Pasted from <http://www.technologyreview.in/energy/21737/>
Fangled tubercle technology
New wind turbine designs aim to address three major limitations in wind power – poor reliability when winds fail, noise and poor performance in unsteady or turbulent air. One such design is the new-fangled tubercle technology, which pushes the limits of airfoil-dependent blade design.
Tubercles are installed along the edges of airfoils to help the blades cut through the air while still absorbing energy from the wind.
Canadian wind turbine manufacturer WhalePower makes tubercle-enhanced blades similar to whale fins.
The tubercle technology tilts blades to a steeper angle to cut through air, akin to humpback whales shifting its fins at a specific angle to make a better lift in the water.
Steeper-angled winds are beneficial in low wind speeds and, with a stalled angle of 40 percent, are better in moving the air around.
Wind Energy Institute of Canada concluded that tubercles not only enhance wind turbines' operational stability and durability under varying wind speeds and turbulence, but also reduce noise and remove tip chatter through its quieter blades.
Tubercle-enhanced blades also increase annual energy production by 20 percent due to stall reduction as the air stays attached to the blade, the institute added. Whale Power said the new rotor blade design has attracted the interest of 10 large and small turbine manufacturers.
Co-axial, multi-rotor
Two or more rotors may be mounted to the same driveshaft, with their combined co-rotation together turning the same generator — fresh wind is brought to each rotor by sufficient spacing between rotors combined with an offset angle (alpha) from the wind direction. Wake vorticity is recovered as the top of a wake hits the bottom of the next rotor. Power has been multiplied several times using co-axial, multiple rotors in testing conducted by inventor and researcher Douglas Selsam, for the California Energy Commission in 2004. The first commercially available co-axial multi-rotor turbine is the patented dual-rotor American Twin Superturbine from Selsam Innovations in California, with 2 propellers separated by 12 feet. It is the most powerful 7-foot-diameter (2.1 m) turbine available, due to this extra rotor.
The Drivetrain (Gearbox, Generator, and Power Conversion)
Parasitic losses in generator windings, power electronics, gears and bearings, and other electrical devices are individually quite small. When summed over the entire system, however, these losses add up to significant numbers. Improvements that remove or reduce the fixed losses during low power generation are likely to have an important impact on raising the capacity factor and reducing cost. These improvements could include innovative power-electronic architectures and large-scale use of permanent-magnet generators. Direct-drive systems also meet this goal by eliminating gear losses. Modular (transportable) versions of these large generation systems that are easier to maintain will go a long way toward increasing the productivity of the low-wind portion of the power curve.
Currently, gearbox reliability is a major issue, and gearbox replacement is quite expensive. One solution is a direct-drive power train that entirely eliminates the gearbox. This approach, which was successfully adopted in the 1990s by Enercon-GmbH (Aurich, Germany), is being examined by other turbine manufacturers. A less radical alternative reduces the number of stages in the gearbox from three to two or even one, which enhances reliability by reducing the parts count. The fundamental gearbox topology can also be improved, as Clipper Windpower (Carpinteria, California) did with its highly innovative multiple-drive-path gearbox, which divides mechanical power among four generators (see Figure 2-12). The multiple-drive-path design radically decreases individual gearbox component loads, which reduces gearbox weight and size, eases erection and maintenance demands, and improves reliability by employing inherent redundancies.
The use of rare-earth permanent magnets in generator rotors instead of wound rotors also has several advantages. High energy density eliminates much of the weight associated with copper windings, eliminates problems associated with insulation degradation and shorting, and reduces electrical losses. Rare-earth magnets cannot be subjected to elevated temperatures, however, without permanently degrading magnetic field strength, which imposes corresponding demands on generator cooling reliability. The availability of rare-earth permanent magnets is a potential concern because key raw materials are not available in significant quantities within the United States.
Power electronics have already achieved elevated performance and reliability levels, but opportunities for significant improvement remain. New silicon carbide (SiC) devices entering the market could allow operation at higher temperature and higher frequency, while improving reliability, lowering cost, or both. New circuit topologies could furnish better control of power quality, enable higher voltages to be used, and increase overall converter efficiency.
In addition to airfoil design advancement, alternators have also been advancing in their efficiency and capabilities. Neodymium magnets are now being used in most every modern alternator design for small scale wind turbines. These high strength rare earth alloy magnets consist of neodymium, iron and boron (Nd2Fe14B) plus other doping ingredients to increase coercivity and improve oxidation characteristics. These magnets are resistant to demagnetization, and have a much higher flux density than plastic, ceramic, or alnico magnets. This results in alternators with a higher flux density that can produce more power then an alternator of an equal size using Ferro or other magnets. Other improvements such as high quality laminate to reduce iron losses, tight air gap tolerances and low induction winding configurations to reduce cogging torque all add to increasing alternator efficiency.
Rare earth elements possess strange magnetic and conductive properties aren't found anywhere else in our cabinet of elements.
Pasted from <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/03/09/rare.earth.magnet.race/index.html>
Ferrite magnets have long been the staple in permanent-magnet generators for small wind turbines. Rare-earth permanent magnets are now taking over the market with Asian suppliers offering superior magnetic properties and a steady decline in price. This enables more compact and lighter weight generator designs. By eliminating copper from the generator rotor and using permanent magnets, which are becoming more economically feasible, it is possible to build smaller and lighter generators.
From all the generators that are used in wind turbines the PMSG's have the highest advantages because they are
stable and secure during normal operation, they have smaller overall dimensions than wound rotor synchronous generators (WRSGs) and they do not need an additional DC supply for the excitation (circuit).
Permanent-magnet generators have been used for wind turbines for many years. Many small wind turbine
manufacturers use direct-drive permanent-magnet generators. For wind turbine generators, the design philosophy must cover the following characteristics: low cost, light weight, low speed, high torque, and variable speed generation. The generator is easy to manufacture and the design can be scaled up for a larger size without major retooling.
Permanent magnet generators (PMGs) offer an attractive option for wind power extraction. They eliminate the need for a gearbox, increase energy extraction efficiency and are less noisy. PMGs can be controlled electronically making it possible to regulate the reactive flow into the grid as part of the generator control and maintain the power
factor close to 1.
Braun-windturbinen NdFeBo permanent magnets
Polar Wind-12 VAWT with proprietary Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Generator
Permanent Magnet (PM) technology which achieves more efficient wind power generation and is able to produce more power at lower wind speeds due to its coreless technology. The ability of Polaris generators to eliminate traditional cogging issues makes it the ideal candidate for wind turbine applications. This new technology eliminates the need for a gearbox to be used as part of the wind turbine drive train thereby minimizing down time and reducing maintenance costs over the life of the system.
In PM generators, a coil is wrapped around a specially designed disc at the centre axis. Magnetic discs then rotate on the sides of the coiled disc and generate electricity. This kind of power generating technology is therefore ideal for wind power generation because its initial operation torque (cut-in speed) is lower.
Pasted from <http://www.polarisamerica.com/turbines/technology/permanent-magnet.html>
Small turbines used induction generators in the early 1980s and later they are replaced with permanent magnet generators.
Now a few companies are reintroducing induction generators in their machines. By eliminating the inverter, these companies seek to reduce the cost of a wind turbine while improving reliability. According to several experts, inverters are the least reliable component in small wind systems.
|Start-up Wind Speed
|3.4 m/s (7.5 mph)
|Cut-in Wind Speed
|2.5 m/s (5 mph) – grid intertie; 4 m/s (9 mph) – battery charging
|Rated Wind Speed
|12 m/s (27 mph)
|Rated Power
|10 kW for grid intertie, 7.5 kW for battery-charging
|Cut-Out Wind Speed
|Furling Wind Speed
|15.6 m/s (35 mph)
|Max. Design Wind Speed
|60 m/s (134 mph)
|3 Blade Upwind
|Rotor Diameter
|7 m (23 ft.)
|Blade Pitch Control
|None, Fixed Pitch
|Overspeed Protection
|None, Direct Drive
|Permanent Magnet Alternator
According to several experts, inverters are the least reliable component in small wind systems. But some manufacturers are addressing this issue by adapting inverters from the photovoltaic (PV) market for use with wind turbines. By using an existing, proven product, they have lowered the cost of wind-specific inverters and been able to get them to the market more easily.
Small turbine designs that use induction generators are under development. This approach, common in the early 1980s, avoids the use of power electronics that increase cost and complexity, and reduce reliability.
Many small turbines use variable frequency alternators. Because the voltage and frequency of the electricity generated by these turbines varies with wind speed, the electricity they produce is incompatible with the utility grid. The power must be conditioned with an inverter before it can be interfaced with utility power. Inverters are complex, expensive and, oftentimes the most vunerable trouble prone component of a wind turbine installation.
Induction generators are very similar to the induction motors which are used almost exclusively on every piece of rotating electrical machinery being produced today. They are simple, robust, reliable, efficient and trouble free. Because induction generators contain no solid state components, they are not subject to voltage transient such as lightning, which can easily damage the sensitive electronic components of an inverter.
Induction generators are also inherently safe. In order to produce power, induction generators take their excitation (reactive power) from the utility grid. If grid power becomes unavailable, the generator will not product power. This eliminates the possibility that the turbine can backfeed power into the grid during a power outage and potentially injure someone working on the lines.
The traditional stall concept with the generator coupled to the grid.
Induction generator has several benefits to offer for the micro, mini power systems under consideration. These benefits relate to the generator design as follows:
i) Cost of Materials: Use of electromagnets rather than permanent magnets means lower cost of materials for the induction generator. Rare earth permanent magnets are substantially more expensive than the electrical steel used in electromagnets. They also must be contained using additional supporting rings.
ii) Cost of Labor: PM's require special machining operations and must be retained on the rotor structure by installation of the containment structure. Handling of permanent magnets that are pre-charged is generally difficult in production shops. These requirements increase the cost of labor for the PM generator.
iii) Generator Power Quality: The PM generator produces raw ac power with unregulated voltage. Depending upon the changes in load and speed, the voltage variation can be wide. This is all the more true for generators exceeding about 75 kW power rating.
iv)Fault Conditions: When an internal failure occurs in a PM generator, the failed winding will continue to draw energy until the generator is stopped. For high-speed generators, this may mean a long enough duration during which further damage to electrical and mechanical components would occur. It could also mean a safety hazard for the individuals working in the vicinity. The induction generator on the other hand is safely shut down by de-excitation within a few milliseconds, preventing the hazardous situations.
Small wind energy converters
(SWECs) for urban or rural applications range in size from
a few hundred watts to thousands of watts (usually with
a rated capacity of less than 100kW) and can be applied
economically for a variety of power demands. These systems
can be used in connection with an electricity transmission
and distribution system, or in stand-alone applications that
are not connected to the utility grid and are appropriate
for homes, farms, or even entire communities.
Controlling a wind turbine's power output and rotor speed can be one of the largest challenges for designers and manufacturers. Without proper controls wind turbines are not able to achieve their maximum efficiency and run the risk of over speeding in high winds and damaging the equipment.
Advanced control enable small wind turbines to interface directly with the utility grid without the use of a battery bank. Several inverters are now available to directly interface with a machine's controller and synchronize with utility voltage and frequency with very little conversion losses.
Inverters used in the photovoltaics market are being adapted for use with wind turbines. Turbine-specific inverters are also appearing in both single- and three-phase configurations. Another new trend is obtaining certification of most inverters by Underwriters Laboratories and others for compliance with national interconnection standards.
Skystream 3.7 Grid Tie 2400W Wind Generator
Skystream 3.7 is a down-wind (wind hits the blades on the downwind side of the tower), direct drive (gearless), permanent magnet wind generator. Skystream 3.7 is the first all-inclusive personal wind generator with controls and an inverter built-in, which simplifies the installation process designed specifically for businesses and homes.
Since the inverter is integrated into the nacelle at the top of the tower a single set of wires can be directly connected to your ac electrical system. No battery bank is required.
|Skystream 3.7 Specifications
|Energy Potential
|Up to 400 kWh/month*
|Rated Capacity
|2.4 kW
|Energy Monitoring
|Skyview™ wireless communication & monitoring system
|205 lbs (93 kg)
|Rotor Diameter
|12 ft (3.72 m) Swept Area: 115.7 ft² (10.87 m²)
|Downwind rotor with stall-regulation control
|Direction of Rotation
|Clockwise looking upwind
|Blade Material
|Fiberglass reinforced composite
|Number of Blades
|Rated Speed
|50-325 rpm
|Tip Speed
|213 ft/sec. (66 m/s)
|Slotless permanent magnet brushless
|Yaw Control
|Grid Feeding
|Southwest Windpower inverter 120/240 VAC 50-60 Hz
|Braking System
|Electronic stall regulation with redundant relay switch control
|Cut-in Wind Speed (power production starts)
|8 mph (3.5 m/s)
|Rated Wind Speed
|29 mph (13 m/s)
|User Control
|Wireless 2-way interface remote system
|Survival Wind Speed
|140 mph (63 m/s)
Wind Turbines are designed to take the energy of the wind and convert it into useful electricity – the stronger the wind the better usually. If the wind is too strong then a turbine can spin so fast it destroys itself with turbine blades ripped off, the alternator damaged by excessive heat, and damage to the turbine tower.
Furling is one method of preventing a wind turbine from spinning too quickly simply by turning the blades away from the direction of the wind.
Furling inherently increases sound levels because the cross-wind operation creates a helicopter-type chopping noise. Aerodynamic models available today cannot accurately predict the rotor loads in the highly skewed and unsteady flows that occur during the furling process, complicating design and analysis. Alternative development approaches include soft-stall rotor-speed control, constant-speed operation, variable-pitch blades, hinged blades, mechanical brakes, and centrifugally actuated blade tips. These concepts offer safer, quieter turbines that respond more predictably to high winds, gusts, and sudden wind direction changes.
Alternatives to rotor furling—yawing and/or tiling out of the wind to protect against excessive rotor speeds in high winds—to control rotor speed. Among the alternatives are stall control, dynamic braking, mechanical braking, and pitch control—methods that have been demonstrated in utility-scale wind generators.
Active Controls
Active controls using independent blade pitch and generator torque can be used to reduce tower-top motion, power fluctuations, asymmetric rotor loads, and even individual blade loads. Actuators and controllers already exist that can achieve most of the promised load reductions to enable larger rotors and taller towers. In addition, some researchers have published control algorithms that could achieve the load reductions (Bossanyi 2003). Sensors capable of acting as the eyes and ears of the control system will need to have sufficient longevity to monitor a high-reliability, low-maintenance system. There is also concern that the increased control activity will accelerate wear on the pitch mechanism. Thus, the technical innovation that is essential to enabling some of the most dramatic improvements in performance is not a matter of exploring the unknown, but rather of doing the hard work of mitigating the innovation risk by demonstrating reliable application through prototype testing and demonstration.
Under normal conditions, the wind turbine rotor will control the rotation on its own. This is achieved by using torsion rubber that automatically adjusts the pitch of the blade.
At high wind speeds, the torsion rubber twists with the centrifugal force to adjust the blade pitch, that controls the rotation speed of the blades. This allows the wind turbine to continue to generate power without a cut – off. This also acts as safety feature when there is no load, controller issues, or electrical brake issues.
NIKKO Small Wind Turbine Specifications – NWG-10K
|Survival Wind Speed
|Startup Wind Speed
|Cut In Wind Speed
|Cut-Out Wind Speed *1
|Maximum Output (kW)
|Available (3 phase 200V)
|Generator Type
|Permanent Magnet
|Output Voltage
|3 phase 3 wire 200V
|Safety Protection
|Active ControlBlade Angle Adjustment
Mechanical Brake
|Rotor Diameter
|Turbine Weight
|Standard Rotor Height (from ground) *2
Other improvements made by manufacturers include slower rotor speeds to reduce sound levels.
In addition, manufacturers are designing the electronics in wind generators for safer and more reliable performance. Some models also feature wireless display units for consumer convenience.
Pasted from <http://www.accessenergycoop.com/Content/Going-Green/Protecting-Our-Environment/Wind-Energy-Information/Small-Wind-Basics.aspx>
Residential 1KW Small Wind Turbine for Eco Friendly residences and businesses
Pasted from <http://www.nikkowindpower.com/residential-compact-wind.html>
Rated Output: 1,000W @ 12 m/s (26.8 mph)
Maximum Output (kW): 1.5kW
Survival Wind Speed: 60 m/s
Startup Wind Speed: 1.5 m/s
Wind speed required to start rotation of rotor. The smaller this value is, the Cut-In wind speed becomes smaller
Cut In Wind Speed: 2.5 m/s
Minimum wind speed to generate power.
Power Output
@6 m/s: 140W
@7 m/s: 210W
@8 m/s: 350W
Projected Annual Output
Avg 3 m/s: 500kWh/yr
Avg 4 m/s: 1,000kWh/yr
Avg 5 m/s: 1,800kWh/yr
Independent Battery Hookup: Available
Emergency Power (during power outage): Available
On-Grid: Available
Generator Type: Permanent Magnet
Output Voltage: Single phase 3 wire 200V
Safety Protection: Self-Deflect Function, Blade Angle Adjustment, Electric Brake
Rotor Diameter: 2.0m
Turbine Weight: 70 kg
Standard Rotor Height (from ground) *2: –
Main Applications: Residential; Community environmental educational tools; Emergency Backup Power
Comments: Along with NWG-10K, the only horizontal shaft rotor type wind turbine with active control; Best in Class safety with 3 levels of safety protection
Advance Technologies
Technologies such as unique high-efficiency airfoils, neodymium-iron-boron "super-magnet" generators, pultruded FRP blades, graphite-filled injection molded plastic blades, special purpose power electronics, and tilt-up tower designs will throw twin benefits i.e. lowered costs and increased efficiency.
Wind energy is clean energy but not without its usual baggage. Their noise disturbs those who reside in the close proximity with a wind farm. Many a time wind turbines are forced to operate under partial load so that residents and wind farms can exist in peaceful co-existence. But operating under partial load means lower energy production. Even high winds go unutilized in residential areas. The sources of the noises are many. First is the motion of the rotor blades and another is the cogwheels. Cogwheels generate noise in the gearboxes. These are transported to the tower of the wind turbine, where they are emitted across a wide area — and what the residents hear is a humming noise. This noise comes out as if mosquitoes are buzzing constantly.
If an active damping system is employed at wind farms they make this noise somewhat ineffective by producing counter vibrations. To neutralize this humming operators have to install additional damping systems or even substitute the gearbox. And these things are certainly not cost effective. If we examine closely the efficiency of the existing passive damping systems, we will find its success is limited. They operate only at certain frequencies. And it is their greatest drawback because modern wind energy converters rotate and keep changing their rotational speed according to the wind velocity to generate maximum energy. But all this leads to variations in humming sounds too and this limits the usefulness of the modern damping system. Despite noise decreasing measures, humming noises permeate the surrounding areas.
A team of researchers from Schirmer GmbH, ESM Energie – and Schwingungstechnik Mitsch GmbH and the Dr. Ziegler engineering office, IWU are developing an active damping system for wind turbines. The project is financed by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.
This active damping system is obviously an improvement over its predecessors. It senses the change in frequency and neutralizes the noise without affecting the speed of the wind generator. Piezo actuators are the key constituents of this system. These units transform the electric currents into mechanical motion and create "negative vibrations." These anti-noises offset the vibrations from wind turbines. How do these piezo actuators fine-tune to the changing noise frequencies? Here the research team has devised some sensors that constantly calculate the vibrations coming out from the gearbox. These measurements of frequencies are transferred to the actuator control system. The researchers have already developed a working model of the active vibration dampers, and their next step will be to perform field trials
Southwest Windpower Skystream Wireless Remote Display
The Skystream Remote Display allows you to monitor the performance of up to five Skystream wind generators at once. While the Skystream will operate without the remote display, this indoor device allows you to turn the generator on and off.
The display can also be connected to a PC via the optional USB Converter to download data. It works off of either battery battery or can be connected to regular AC power. The wireless unit operates at 916 MHz and can be located up to 1000 feet (300 meters) from the tower.
The display unit, antenna and AC adaptor are all included.
GE WindVAR electronics
GE has developed a way to monitor voltage in real time. The WindVAR electronics system delivers reactive power to the grid rapidly and only when it is necessary, which regulates system voltage and stabilizes weak grids. Now that this solution can supply reactive power to the grid, weak rural or remote locations can take advantage of new wind power applications. Wind power projects that are equipped with the WindVAR system, will actually bolster grids that tend to be weak. Additionally, the device has the capacity to offer emergency backup support.
According to GE, "The turbine's power electronics also reduce the inrush current to about 75 percent of full load current during the wind turbine start-up and provide ride-thru capability."
Other types of VAR equipment can be expensive and difficult to use, minimizing its efficiencies and making it a less viable solution. WindVAR offers a more advanced solution that supplies reactive power when and where it's needed. Currently, over 2,000 WindVAR systems are operating on wind turbines worldwide.
Second Wind's TRITON® Sonic Wind Profiler
The TRITON® Sonic Wind Profiler is the wind industry's market-leading remote sensing system which sits on the ground, and can measure wind speed and direction up to 200 meters, or 600 feet in the air.
The device is used throughout all phases of the wind project lifecycle. We can use it in the early phases to determine windy locations that you might want to explore further for wind farms. Because it's mobile, unlike a tower, you can put it up for say a month and if the wind at one location doesn't seem promising, you can easily move it to another location.
Additionally, once a location is selected, the TRITON can remain in the field for extended periods of time for more intensive studies. "It has a very low power requirement, so it operates autonomously, and we have a satellite data retrieval system, to present the data on the internet. It can be in the remote locations that wind farms often are sited in," says Giordano.
Once the wind farm is installed, it can verify which turbines are operating as needed. Giordano says, "You can move it from turbine to turbine to provide an upwind, wind speed source, which is the best way to figure out whether or not the turbines are producing as expected."
This product has been on the market for three years. Currently, 200 units are out in the fields with over a million hours of accumulated data.
The device has been deployed to four continents, including: Australia, Africa, Europe and North America. Giordano says, "The customers altogether are very pleased. They really like the versatility of the product; and its ruggedness—how it has stood up to cold winters and hot summers—in all different locations." The units can be either solar powered or fuel-cell based, depending on location. Teams at Second Wind monitor and manage the data collection for customers as well. "This keeps reliability high and customers happy," says Giordano.
Siemens IntegralBlades®
This uniquely designed wind turbine blade is made from fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin. The cutting edge design offers ideal support in terms of optimal aerodynamics. The IntegralBlade® is made with Siemens' patented technology and is created during a process that has multiple benefits over conventional blade manufacturing processes. Only one mould set is required in the manufacturing cycle. The blade, therefore, is just one integrated structure in which no joints need to be glued together, resulting in zero weak points in the structure that could be exposed to cracking, lightning or water ingress.
The Bahrain World Trade Center incorporates the first towers in the world to generate part of their own electricity using wind turbines. It harnesses wind power to produce about 35% of its requirements. Three wind turbines, measuring 29 meters in diameter, are supported by a 30 meter bridge spanning between two towers, were installed at a cost of 1 million Bahraini Dinars.
Southwest Windpower's Air Breeze Turbine integrated with light pole
|AIR Breeze
|Southwest Windpower
|Energy Potential
|38 kWh/month at 13.4 mph (6.0 m/s)
|Swept Area
|11.5 ft2 (1.07 m2)
|Rotor Diameter
|46 in (1.17 m)
|13 lb (5.9 kg)
|Shipping Dimensions
|27 x 12.5 x 9 in (686 x 318 x 229 mm) 17 lb (7.7 kg)
|Startup Wind Speed
|7 mph (2.2 m/s)
|12, 24 and 48 VDC
|Turbine Controller
|Microprocessor-based smart internal regulator
|Cast aluminum with corrosion resistant paint
|(3) Injection-molded composite
|Permanent magnet brushless
|Overspeed Protection
|Electronic torque control
|Survival Wind Speed
|110 mph (49.2 m/s)
|1.5 in schedule 40 pipe 1.9 in (48 mm) outer diameter
Ground based, wind energy extraction systems have reached their maximum capability. The
limitations of current designs are: wind instability, high cost of installations, and small power output of
a single unit. The wind energy industry needs of revolutionary ideas to increase the capabilities of wind
installations. This article suggests a revolutionary innovation which produces a dramatic increase in
power per unit and is independent of prevailing weather and at a lower cost per unit of energy
extracted. The main innovation consists of large free-flying air rotors positioned at high altitude for
power and air stream stability, and an energy cable transmission system between the air rotor and a
ground based electric generator. The air rotor system flies at high altitude up to 14 km. A stability and
control is provided and systems enable the changing of altitude.
This article includes six examples having a high unit power output (up to 100 MW). The proposed
examples provide the following main advantages: 1. Large power production capacity per unit – up to
5,000-10,000 times more than conventional ground-based rotor designs; 2. The rotor operates at high
altitude of 1-14 km, where the wind flow is strong and steady; 3. Installation cost per unit energy is
low. 4. The installation is environmentally friendly (no propeller noise).
Gearboxes The step-up gearbox used on large turbines today is expected to be replaced in many
future machines. Most small turbine designed for battery charging use a variable
speed, permanent magnet, variable frequency generator connected to a rectifier. As
high power solid state electronics are improved, larger and larger machines are likely
to use AC-DC-AC cyclo converters. This is the case on turbines being developed by
Northern Power Systems (100 kW), the ABB (3 MW), and in some commercial
machines. This trend will increase the use of magnetic materials in future turbines.
Large epicyclical gear boxes used in large ships, may continue to be the drive system
for some large turbines.
Towers Low cost materials are especially important in towers, since towers can represent as much as 65% of the weight of the turbine. Prestressed concrete is a material that is starting to be used in greater amounts in European turbines, especially in off-shore or near-shore applications. Concrete in towers has the potential to lower cost, but may involve nearly as much steel in the reinforcing bars as a conventional steel tower.
The prime mover in wind energy system is the wind turbine. One prevailing trend in wind turbine technology throughout the past couple of decades has been growth in the size of the rotor to realize the advantages of scale and the generally higher winds available at greater heights. Geometrically, consistent up
scaling of blade length shows that the surface stresses at the blade surface, vibratory loads, and loading noise due to aerodynamical and gravitational loads grow in proportion to the length of the blade However, an alternative mean of overcoming the limitation of the efficiency of the single-rotor system without increasing the size of the rotor and consequently the stress on blades could be the through the adoption of a dual-rotor (contra-rotating) blade system. In addition, the acceptance of wind turbines by the public depends strongly on achieving low noise levels in operation, which largely depends on the level of stress on the blades.
The contra-rotating system is a very old concept that was initially proposed more than 100 years ago. A friend of Betz who is sometimes described as the "father of modern wind energy collection theory", Hans Honneff, wrote a book on the use of contra-rotation, using two rotors one behind the other, driving the two
halves of an electrical generator, therefore creating a true wind turbine [2]. Currently, the contra concept is used on airplanes, boats, and submarines to increase efficiency while eliminating the asymmetrical torque faced by conventional rotors.
A dual-rotor system can be described as a system consisting of two rotors separated by an appropriate distance (Fig. 1). One of the rotors is rotating in counter-clockwise direction and the other in clockwise direction on the same axis. This system is aerodynamically more efficient than the conventional single-rotor
system. The relative size as well as the appropriate distance between the two rotors should be identified for best performance. Drawbacks of the dual-rotor system come from mechanical complexity based in the fact that, in order to reverse direction of rotation of one rotor, a gearbox is required. This may increase weight or maintenance and spare parts cost for the system.
The maximum power that can be extracted from a dual-rotor system increases up to 64% of the available energy. It continues to reach 66.7% for an infinite number of rotors. A contra-rotating wind turbine equipped with two 500 kW turbines performed quite well at high wind speeds. The turbine can produce 43.5 % more annual energy than a single rotor turbine of same type. The performance of the system can be improved if it is operated for low wind speeds at the tip-speed-ratio where a maximum Cp is obtained.
Combining several or all of these advancements in wind turbine technology can result in quieter, longer lasting and more efficient turbines. Implementing these technology advancements is not without it's price. As blade and alternator sizes increase so does weight. This leads to more expensive manufacturing costs, more robust tower requirements and higher shipping expenses. Sophisticated controllers and inverters also come with a slightly higher price tag than their predecessors. The end effect results in a more expensive machine. I guess it is true what they say: you get what you pay for.
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I went to a meeting in Manila last Sunday and took the LRT. At the Doroteo Jose station, the huge tarpaulin of GMA — "Ramdam na ramdan ang kaunlaran" — has two fangs drawn on her mouth. Am sure Anthony Golez will not be happy about this. In the show of Ted Failon and Korina Sanchez, he claimed that GMA is the only President who did a lifestyle check on her Cabinet. Hellow!? Liar, liar pants on fire! Even Ferdinand Marcos was already doing that in the 1980s. Kawawa naman ang gobyernong ito. GMA did everything that Marcos did — and never succeeded. No guts, no glory, no originality. — Danton
On reports that inflation hit 11.4 percent in June, the highest in 14 years, Malacañang said the price surge was expected and the government is looking at measures to soften its impact.
Is looking at measures? What kind of statement was that? Do they mean to tell us they were twiddling their thumbs all the while when the signs have long pointing at the approaching perfect storm of surging fuel and food prices?
The Palace said among the measures are a stepped-up program to expand production to answer the food problem and energy conservation, tapping of alternative energy sources and intensified search for oil in response to runaway global crude prices.
Let's look at these proposed measures to ease the impact of spiraling fuel cost. Conservation of energy will come by itself and not through government effort. With gas at P60 a liter, there will be fewer private vehicles on the road. Public utility vehicles will have to rationalize their operations, plying their routes only when assured of full capacity (no more empty buses careening on EDSA during off-rush hours). Households and business will also be forced to cut costs as a matter of survival.
The Palace should not promise the people pie in the sky in the form of biofuels, solar and wind powered generating plants which will take years to put in place and at a probably higher cost than hydrocarbon-based energy sources.
Food production, on the other hand, is indeed quickly responsive to expansion of areas under irrigation, introduction of high-yielding seeds and liberal use of fertilizers and insecticides. Rice has a cycle of three months from planting to harvest. So bigger investment in farms now will yield dividends in a relatively short time.
Is the government putting extra-ordinary efforts to boost food output? The way we are hearing it from Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, rice production is no longer a problem. The last summer harvest was bigger than last year's. The main October harvest is expected to post another record-breaking yield. But didn't we hear the same thing sometime in March just before prices of rice shot up from P24 to P34 a kilo?
The public needs convincing. Instead of admitting the country faces a crisis, the first step toward crafting a workable response, the Arroyo, however, continues to live in the never never land where "ramdam na ramdam ang kaunlaran."
We need a 180-degree turn on how we will surmount the crisis. Let's forget about grandiose blueprints on how to pole vault to First World status in 2020. Let us first ensure that our people can fill their stomachs. We succeed in licking hunger, pulling ourselves by the bootstraps to the status of a developed country will follow as a matter of course.


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Drawn as a result of an oral request of the General Board on 12 June 1915 to become familiar with the qualities of much smaller cruisers than the studied scout cruiser at that moment. The design is never realized.
Normal displacement of 4.000 tons and as dimensions 450'0" (waterline) x 42'0"(waterline) x 13'0". Block coefficient 57- and longitudinal coefficient 634. Displacement of 4.000 tons: 1.614 tons hull complete and fittings, protection 288 tons, steam engineering 1.025 tons, reserve feed 2/3 supply 273 tons, battery 71 tons, ammunition and 2.3 ordnance stores 100 tons, equipment and 2/3 equipment stores 100 tons, out fit and 2/3 stores 140 tons and oil fuel 2.3 full supply 389 tons. The turbine machinery and 3 boiler rooms allowed with 20.500 ehp a speed of 30 knots. With a speed of 20 knots was the range 2.500 nautical miles. The armament consisted of 2-6" quick firing guns, 6-3" quick firing guns, 2-3" anti aircraft guns and 2-21" torpedo tubes on deck.. The armour consisted of a main side belt with a extreme width o 10'0", a depth below the waterline of 5'0" and a thickness of 3". The conning tower proper was protected by 3" and the top by 5" thick armour.
Naval History and Heritage Command Spring Styles Book 1911-1925 drawing S 584-080.


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May 17, 1883 (The Commonwealth, a newspaper of Scotland Neck, NC, 3d page)
In Memoriam
Ringwood, N.C.,
May 8th, 1883.
Died at his residence in Halifax, near Ringwood, N.C., on the 4th inst., Peter Presly Smith, after a long and protracted sickness of that terrible disease to the human family, consumption. The deceased was born in the county of Halifax, N.C., on March 3, 1828, and was therefore in his 46th year.
He was a kind husband, a devoted father, and a good neighbor. He leaves a sorrowing widow and ten children to mourn their irreparable loss; but they mourn not as those without hope. He professed faith in Christ a year or so ago, and ever since has given fruits of his Christian virtues and of a life consecrated to his Maker.
All that medical skill and the unremitting nursing and attention of kind friends could do was freely offered and bestowed on him. Yet the grim monster claimed him for its victim, and his wearied spirit has been released from the trammels of the flesh, and is now, we trust and have reason to believe, basking in the realms of heavenly light, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no pain nor death.
A happy home has been invaded and its paternal head taken; a devoted wife has been made to feel the deepest pangs of sorrow in the loss of an affectionate husband, and ten interesting children left fatherless to buffet the waves and meet the cares, responsibilities, and trials of a cold and heartless world.
Honor, integrity, sobriety, and virtue adorned the life of the deceased; and although he has passed on the other side of the river, and will never more mingle in human affairs, yet his memory will be fondly cherished not only by his family, but also by a large circle of relatives and acquaintances.
We learn that the deceased was a Mason, and this is a sure guarantee that his widow and orphans will never suffer.
Adieu, friend and neighbor; peace to thy mortal remains, and may we who survive thee be admonished by thy early removal to put our houses in order so that when called on like thee, may be ready to meet the Summons of death.


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I have been searching for some time for a new job. Over a year.
I took a PRN (as needed) position with the Cleveland Clinic in September. I enjoy it. It provides money that is slowly bringing my debt down, ad well as allowing me to do other things. like this past week's trip to the waterpark. I know some people think that those trips are frivolous or wasteful, like a trip to the amusement park, but I think there is a great benefit to them, especially if you have kids.
(I love introducing my kids to the biggest, baddest rollercoasters I rode as a kid. And the great ones my dad rode as a kid. And the idea that some day, they will introduce THEIR kids to all of these and more. (There's a new one going in at Six Flags north of Chicago that looks crazy awesome.) I think that's a rite of childhood that kids to which have almost a right.)
Sadly, my current full time position continues to deteriorate in a number of ways, as does my marriage.
I have been researching new positions and have come to the conclusion that I have to leave north east Ohio. I spoke with my wife, briefly, and she seems receptive to the idea of never leaving the area, ever, ever, ever.
So, an impasse.
Or not.
I am on the verge of applying for a position as a civilian employee with the Air Force. I know, the Navy is way cooler, but they're not looking right now. This position is one of about 40 or 50 available nationwide. I could end up almost anywhere. Though I would like to move south, where the weather is warmer, there are a few interesting possibilities elsewhere.
While Biloxi and Gulfport seem like good choices, I would love the opportunity to take a spot in Idaho or Utah. I know: Snow and cold. But: Mountains and fresh air. I think the trade off would be fair. I would actually take the one at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, just to be daring. The most important thing is to be some place fairly conservative for when the Troubles begin.
And they will begin.
I'm scared and alone, and it seems I likely to be even more alone, very soon. I worry my kids will think I'm abandoning them. My wife...well I don't really care much WHAT she thinks these days, as it's become obvious she cares very little for what I think.
A discussion I had at church a week ago leads me to believe that this is a decision that God will support me in, if I feel it necessary. I think it is, but I still feel like a failure. Of course, that's nothing new, so what the heck.


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Today Adrienne asked me what the pictures of children at the entrance to Walmart are for. I almost started crying in the middle of the store when I tried to explain it to them.
I have told them so many times that they always need to stay close to me so they don't get lost. We have told them that there are bad people in the world who steal children and I never want my children to be stolen; that that is why they MUST listen to us and obey us. We always want them to be safe.
I see that cork board every time I walk through those doors. I wasn't really prepared for Adrienne to notice it today. It kind of broke my heart that, more than just telling them in a vague way that there are bad people in the world, they saw the faces of those innocents who have been the victims of the bad people.
I wonder how many people heard me telling my kids about that board today, how many of them realized that I was struggling not to cry, and how many of them have had these kinds of talks with their kids.
Evil people suck.


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I made my first kuspuk last weekend! It's a style I hadn't seen before; I'd planned to make one with a ruffled skirt, but when I saw it the shop, I had to have this one. It's more like a winter parka than a kuspuk, which is why I chose this pattern. It's one that Jeanne devised herself, so I can't use it to make kuspuks to sell-but I wouldn't anyway. Production sewing just isn't my thing.
Kuspuks are a lightweight overshirt that a lot of the Native women, well, everyone really, wears. They can be as fancy or as plain as you like and there are all kinds of styles. The main ingredients are a simple pullover with long sleeves, a pocket, and a hood; after that, it's fair game. Some of them are just barely waist-length, some have a pleated skirt, some have a ruffled skirt, you can trim them with rickrack or embroidered braid or bias tape or no trim at all. Mary made hers with puffy sleeves and a fairly snug cuff, but you can use elastic in the cuff too. The skirted kuspuks can come almost to your knees or be much shorter; all the styling is up to the maker. Each village has their own basic style, but with variations. Since I'm not a villager, I don't feel constrained-I can do whatever I want.
Well, I should start at the beginning! I saw the class advertised at Raven Quilts a couple of weeks ago, and my friend Mary said we should take the class together. Sounded like fun to me! So we paid for our class and made plans to head to the shop together. I gathered up some fabric; some horse fabric I'd intended to use for a quilt many years ago. Oh well, nothing like repurposing!
Jeanne Acton taught the class. She is an excellent seamstress and incredibly energetic. She was doing about three things at once the whole time. Teaching the class of five, helping Kate with running the long arm quilter (a quilting machine) and advising the girl running the shop. I learned a lot about cutting and sewing more efficiently. We all made our own patterns, although I didn't make mine until after I was finished; I used Jeanne's pattern.
Both Mary and I were thrilled to finish our kuspuks, or qaspeqs is the way its spelled in Bethel. Mary was particularly pleased, as she doesn't think she's a very experienced seamstress. You could have fooled me! She did a great job on her kuspuk! I love the way she trimmed it.
I have another pattern that I was going to use, but Jeanne's pattern is so simple, I'll probably use it again. There's only two main pieces, the sleeves and the pocket. Really fast to put together! And I can use it to make a winter parka too. There's a quilter's weekend retreat next weekend… maybe I should make another kuspuk… I really like the first one I made; it's super comfortable!


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UIIC Recruitment 2015- Apply Online for 684 Assistant Posts, Jobs in Insurance Sector.
UIIC Recruitment 2015- Apply Online for 684 Assistant Posts
United India Insurance Company Limited (Wholly owned by Govt. of India) under
Department of Financial Services, Ministry Of Finance (India) is a public sector General
Insurance Company of India and one of the top General Insurers in Asia. With the net worth
of ₹ 5407 crores and profit of ₹ 528 crores, the company has collected gross premium of ₹
9709 crores as of in the financial year 2013-14. The company has more than seven decades of experience in Non-life Insurance business and was formed to its present form by the merger of 22 companies, consequent to the nationalization of General Insurance companies in India.
UIIC Recruitment 2014- Apply Online for 684 Assistant Posts: The United India InsuranceCompany has issued a notification inviting applications for 684 Assistant posts. The eligible candidates may apply online from 18/11/2014 to 2/12/2014. All the information like seats for different castes and other application details like age limit, education etc., are given below
UIIC Vacancy Details:
Total No.of Posts: 684
Name of the Post: Assistant
Name of the Category:
1. SC: 95 Posts
2. ST: 61 Posts
3. OBC: 164 Posts
4. General: 364 Posts
Age Limit: Candidates age should be 18 – 28 years as on 30-06-2014 i.e., candidates born not earlier than 01-07-1986 & not later than 30-06-1996 (both days inclusive). Age relaxation will be applicable as per rules.
Educational Qualification: Candidates should possess Graduation from a recognized University or Pass in HSC/ equivalent (12th pass) examination with 60% marks and knowledge of Regional Language.
Selection Process: Selection will be made on the basis of online examination, Interview and Computer Proficiency Test.
Application Fee: Candidates should pay Rs.75/- for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates, Rs.450/- for
other candidates through online by using Debit Cards (RuPay/ Visa/ Master Card/ Maestro),
Credit Cards, Internet Banking, IMPS, Cash Cards/ Mobile Wallets.
How to Apply: Eligible candidates may apply online through the website www.uiic.co.in
from 18-11-2014 to 02-12-2014.
Instructions to Apply Online:
1. Before applying Online candidates have to scan their photograph and signature.
2. Candidates should have valid email id.
3. Login to the website- www.uiic.co.in
4. Click on the "Recruitment" —> Click on the "Assistant Recruitment".
5. Read the notifications & instructions carefully before applying online.
6. Click on the "Click here for New Registration".
7. Fill the details carefully and click on the submit button.
8. A Provisional Registration Number and Password will be displayed on the screen.
9. If candidates unable to complete the application form in one go, he / she can save the
10. Candidates can verify the form by choosing "SAVE AND NEXT" tab.
11. Validate your details and Save your application by clicking the 'Validate your details' and
'Save & Next' button.
12. Now candidates can upload the scanned copies of photograph and signature.
13. Click on the Preview Tab to preview and verify the entire application form before FINAL
14. Now click on the "Payment" Tab & proceed for payment by using credit cards/ debit
cards/ net banking.
15. On successful completion of the transaction, an e-Receipt will be generated.
16. Now candidates can take the printout copies of e-Receipt and online Application Form
for future use.
Important Dates:
Starting Date to Apply Online: 18-11-2014.
Last Date to Apply Online: 02-12-2014.
Dates for Payment of Application Fee: 18-11-2014 to 02-12-2014.
Last date for printing of Applications: 17-12-2014.
Dates of Online Exam: 1st week of January, 2015.
Download of Call letter for Online Examination: 10 days before the date of Examination.
For more details like pay scale, qualification & other information please click on the link
given below.
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- News
- Producers
- Environmental Steward Nominations
- Fact Sheets
- IPPA Ads
- Master Pork Producer Nominations
- Quality Assurance Programs
- Rules and Regulations
- Resources and Information
- Seminars and Conferences
- Veterinary Feed Directive
- Helpful Links
- All About Pork
- Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest
- Best Food Facts – Ask the Experts
- Cooking/Nutrition
- Culinary Competitions
- IPPA Product Catalog
- Pork Quick Facts
- Pork Suppliers
- Pulled Pork Madness
- Resources For Educators
- We Dare You to Conquer the Iowa Tenderloin Trail
- The We Care® Responsible Pork Initiative
- Pork Recipe Videos
- Youth
- Pork Cash
- 2018 T-loin Contest
The We Care Responsible Pork Initiative
Every day, the efforts of pig farmers and all those associated with pork production on Iowa farms and those across America demonstrate care and concern for how pork is produced. The adoption of a statement of ethical principles calls attention to farmers' responsibilities to uphold the highest standards and maintain the public's trust.
Iowa Pork Tenderloin Trail
There's a new trail in Iowa and the Iowa Pork Producers Association invites you to get on it! It's the Iowa Tenderloin Trail and it has 14 of the state's best breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. Get your passport and get started down the trail. We'll give you a great looking t-shirt as an additional reward!
About Us
The Iowa Pork Producers Association: Promoting, educating and providing a leading voice for a sustainable, socially responsible and globally competitive pork industry.
Looking for a Recipe?
Beer-Grilled Chops
This simple chop recipe is perfect for the grill. It calls for boneless pork chops, but substitute any type of pork chops you have on hand. Serve with Blue Cheese Macaroni Salad and grilled vegetable kabobs.


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Better Homes and Garden Furniture
Bedroom Design Ideas
We know that the master bedroom should be a serene space where one can retreat we tapped the creative minds of three local interior designers for 14 (get it?) fresh ideas that could easily be implemented in a boring-room-desperation pinch. In addition to adding physical layers to the room, here are some affordable bedroom decorating ideas to reflect the season. There is something quite
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Featuring 10 random happenings from the past week
1. The girls and I went to the aquatic center in Clackamas last week. We were all exhausted by the end of the trip, but it was worth the drive and expense. I found a favorite pink slide (open on top because I'm very claustrophobic and the closed ones made me feel like a turd being flushed to its doom). Surprisingly few adults chose to use the wave pool or water slides. Instead most sat in chairs near the end of the pool and watched. Sacrificing dignity for fun was a worthy trade.
2. The yard bloomed in spite of willful neglect.
A lone zucchini plant blossomed amid the thistles.
New lavender plants yielded their first sweet smelling harvest.
Random flowers (mostly from our yard, but the butterfly bushes hang over our neighbor's fence into our yard).
3. I started knitting an afghan.
4. I've been immortalized by having a Lego figure made in my image. This was created at the Lego Store in the Washington Square Mall, where you can assemble your very own characters. Knitting needles weren't offered as accessories, but the large coffee cup works. A3 delights in building Lego prisons and locking me inside.
5. We fed mosquitos. All attempts to enjoy family outings were thwarted by pesky, blood-sucking insects the size of squirrels.
overlook of the Ridgefield Bird Sanctuary
5. We stumbled across a little tea house that I'm excited to try out. The hours of operation are limited and the tea service is a bit too long to keep my girls occupied, so making a planned reservation with a grown up is in order. Anyone care to join me for a cuppa?
6. I spun. This is 3.5 ounces of The Enchanted Knoll's " Black Magic Woman" that was a gift from Jessica last year during Sock Summit. It's black Merino Wool blended with sari silk pieces and assorted colors of sparklies. The singles are about a sport weight and I'm not sure how they will be finished. I'd like to ply it to add strength, but I'm not sure with what, or how many plies, etc.
7. Visitors came! On Saturday our friends, Marta and Dale stopped by. On Sunday my Mom and Dad drove all the way out for the afternoon too. We love company! No pictures were taken because everyone was too busy visiting.
8. I turned 43, but if anyone asks my age I'm claiming to be 53. That way strangers will think I look younger.
9. Over 30 people have sent emails to Red Rose Tea regarding their decision to discontinue adding figurines in the boxes of tea. Thank you! Anyone contacting them before Midnight tonight will be entered into the contest to win yarn (or a hat).
10. My cell phone died. This wouldn't be that big of a deal except that we eliminated our home phone last year so now nobody can reach us. Maybe that's a good thing because we've heard no bad news! My DH has an unused phone I can transfer service to. Hopefully the memory card from my old phone can be revived, there were some numbers and messages on it we need/ want.
That's about it for my "Tuesday" list. The old memory isn't up to snuff, so something important was probably left out. Hopefully nobody will take omissions personally, they're truly accidental. Cheers!


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- Cobra offers the best in gaming at the best price
- Sleek micro switch for incredible clicking speed
- Durability is increased with UV cured coating
- Counterweighted for balance and playing "feel"
- Incredible (variable) 3 Levels of DPI selection
List Price:
Special Offer: check this out!
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Product Description
Not only comfortable in use, Cobra goes further than the competition to offer additional value. With unquestioned ergonomic control and balance, the gaming community has welcomed the E-BLUE brand for everything they've done well and continue to explore. 4 Levels of DPI selection from a mouse that breaks the $20 price barrier, the Cobra is in a class of its own. An intelligent design features each primary button in the ideal location for the best. Everything is intuitive and the combination of the micro switch and special (extended) design of the clicking surface, you'll get the job done more swiftly than you have ever been able to before!
For multi-purpose applications, including graphic design, animation or audio production, as well as standard web browsing, the Forward and Backward keys are totally useful. The designers of the Cobra from E-BLUE created a new surface coating material, which resists UV damage far better than mice than are not equipped. A specialized USB (another thing brought to us by engineers behind this mouse) allows for a secure connection, ensuring data transmission is never interrupted.
Last but not least, especially when it comes to gaming mouse acceleration, the Optical Sensor featured in the Cobra is achieves a maximum of 16 G thanks to the AVAGO 5050 high gaming chipset. Cobra offers the best in ultra-high sensitivity, the result of which is precision tracking. Going the extra steps to bring you the best accuracy and performance, the Cobra mouse has built-in counterweights. The physical "feel" of the mouse is built for gamers who seek the ultimate control.
Cobra offers the scaly skin (UV protection) and toughest, most-agile performance. There are no other comparable products available with such keen balance between price, features and aesthetic appeal!
Authentic unit come with English manual and driver.
E-3lue Cobra Type-M EMS131BK igh Precision Gaming Mouse with Side ... Not only comfortable in use, Cobra goes further than the competition to offer additional value. With unquestioned ergonomic control and balance, the gaming community ... Best PC Gaming Mouse 2013 Review - Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo There are so many gizmos and gadgets out there to make game playing even better and if you haven't purchased a good gaming mouse yet, then you should definitely ... Amazon.com: Anker 8000 DPI High Precision Programmable Laser ... About Anker Anker offers diverse consumer tech solutions such as batteries, adapters, networking devices, and more. We are passionate about excellence, and with ... Cobra Pro Gaming Sensor E-3LUE - YouTube Please rate the video for more reviews ... Sign in with your Google Account (YouTube, Google+, Gmail, Orkut, Picasa, or Chrome) to add GameCentralTactics ...