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Last month we reviewed some of the latest trends of the TMP Directional Marketing/comScore Annual Local Search Study. In a tongue-in-cheek manner, I pronounced "2010 Will be the Year of Mobile" and then quickly retracted the comment as humor.
However, with Google's recent announcement of acquiring mobile advertising provider AdMob, as well as a deeper read and analysis of the above study, my prediction that mobile "is still a few years out" may be wrong. Is this another boy-calling-wolf ruse? No. The year of mobile just may be closer than we think.
Clearly, smartphone adoption is driving mobile search adoption, so it stands to reason that as the population of smartphones increases so does the local/mobile marketplace.
Data Plans Drive Adoption
It's amazing how perspective can change over time. I loved this statement in a June 2005 CNET article:
"The president and co-CEO of Research In Motion, maker of BlackBerry devices, warned the industry Monday that allowing people unlimited wireless data use will have a devastating effect on wireless innovation."
Hmmm…I wonder what he thinks about the iPhone?
Today, data plans are one contributing factor to the fast growth of smartphones and the utilization of local search on the wireless device. In the early days, data plans were on a pay-as-you-go model so the user's usage patterns were diminished because of the high cost of conducting a search or mapping a location on their phone. Today's flat rate data plans act as an "all you can eat buffet" for users, opening the gates to higher utilization and the perfect breeding ground for additional innovation of mobile local search.
Is Now the Right Time for Mobile?
Now is the perfect time to trial emerging mobile options. Unlike the dot-com years of the Internet (1998-2001), advertisers aren't flocking to mobile advertising because it's cool and cutting edge, and as a result inventories are high and costs are relatively low.
The poor economy has forced advertisers to focus all their energies on proven vehicles with defined ROI. As a result, mobile advertising prices are at low price points. As demand grows and cuts into the inventory supply, we will no doubt never see a time again where the costs are this reasonable and the brand "risk" stakes so low.
Get the Basics Right
According to comScore's Mobile Metrics report, online directories and maps experienced the greatest growth in subscribers on a year-over-year basis.
Growth in Local Mobile Content by Genre
Source: comScore Mobile Metrics
This fact underscores the need to make sure that your business listings are correct and accurate on the sites that feed mobile apps or are accessed via browser on mobile devices.
In "Ranking in Local Listings," we reviewed how to establish your listing on Google Maps, which is heavily employed by mobile users. So open your phone/device and all your friends' phones/devices and check your listing. Remember that many of these listing databases are fed from the big local business data providers, so check and update your listing on InfoUSA, and Localeze (and others can be found here).
In terms of media, leverage your local search campaigns which have mobile extensions that you're already paying for. For example, ads on AT&T's YellowPages.com appear on the Web site, on AT&T Wireless featured phones, and are included in iPhone apps. Ask your agency to work with the media vendor to separate out the mobile responses.
This once again demonstrates the need for call tracking, which can help you understand a portion of the mobile traffic generated. Also, Google has opportunities to expand your AdWords into the mobile space, complete with tracking. And don't forget about the other mobile experiences — you may want to consider voice-based search or directory assistance because 23 percent of mobile users access directory assistance as part of their local search process.
Use of Directory Assistance Services
(among respondents who have used DA)
Source: TMPDM/comScore Local Search Usage Study 2009
As we continue to learn from our mobile campaigns and how consumers choose to respond, common sense dictates that a large portion of mobile consumers will access a directory or map from their phone or mobile device and simply show up on the doorstep to purchase.
Until we can harness the power of reading consumer's minds, linking online and mobile sales stimulus to offline action will remain a challenge. That being said, some emerging techniques are already helping to close this gap.
Mobile coupons, delivered via browser or app, are high on the list of effective ways to entice consumer interaction and also are a great means for measuring campaign effectiveness. Another leading technique for feature phones include SMS short codes. Finally, point-of-purchase surveys are still a mainstay for businesses to measure consumer media consumption when couponing isn't practical.
So will 2010 be the year of mobile? Yes. Smart marketers will begin to learn from trial campaigns as users flock to smartphones and other mobile devices that will become increasingly important in how consumers select local businesses and brands.
Get started, and measure your results.
Join us for SES Chicago on December 7-11, 2009. Now in its 11th year, the only major Search Marketing Conference and Expo in the Midwest will be packed with 70+ sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, video optimization and usability, while offering high-level strategy, keynotes, an exhibit floor, networking events and more.
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6 common international SEO fails and how to avoid them
If you already run an international website or have international expansion on your road map, there are several common SEO issues which can hold back your success. In this article we'll look at six international SEO mistakes that you could be making without realizing it.


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Looking at a Snowdrop
A Year at North Hill: Four Seasons in a Vermont Garden
Annuals and Biennials
The Genus Galanthus
My Garden (Book)
My Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants They Love
The Explorer's Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials
Small Books of Great Gardens: Alhambra: A Moorish Paradise Enchantment, each volume, 79
Much garden wisdom can be turned on its head. "The wise gardener," say Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd in AYear atNorth Hill,
faced with an undeveloped plot, will begin from the edges and work inward, planting shrubs and trees to create a frame for the garden and perhaps to separate it off from the visual distractions and the flurry of the world that lies beyond. He will see first to its structuring plants, the hedges, bays of shrubbery, and small trees planted along borders yet to be. He will cultivate ground covers and perennial plants…. He will lay down the paths of the garden…. He will contrive terraces and seating areas, usually near the house as transition to the garden…. All this is a lot of work, leaving little time (or money) for annuals, which do not assist in the steady development of the garden.
My italics. The wise gardener will have done himself a grave disservice if he exhausts his garden budget before investing in a few packets of seed. Indeed the wise gardener, were circumstances so to dictate, could dispense with all the preliminaries set out above, and make himself a garden entirely composed of annuals.
Imagine a plot of ground, rectangular and devoid of any permanent planting, dug roughly in the autumn and left to the beneficial action of the frost. Next spring it is dug again and the annual weeds are left to germinate before being hoed away. In May it is sown with the seed of annual flowers, and sown for the most part directly into the ground. By June we are beginning to see results. July and August are a riot, September sees a falling off, and in October the whole thing is cleared away, redug and left.
I saw such a regime in action last summer in the Botanical Garden in Edinburgh, and very exciting it was too—a long, broad border devoted entirely to directly sown plants which will germinate, bloom, and set seed, all in the course of one season, and which will then die if left to the frost. This is a surprisingly rare sight in Britain, although the planting regime would suit many people, including those who expect to move house before long, and those city dwellers who satisfy their need to garden by renting a small plot called an allotment. Indeed the regime is much like that of the typical vegetable allotment. Nothing is permanent. Nothing on an English allotment is normally allowed to be permanent (unlike the Schrebergärten in Germany, where summerhouses are built, and fruit trees planted, and one can do everything short of sleep over there in the summer months). A garden of annuals would seem perfect for such a space.
In my own garden last year we tried to re-create, in one bed no larger than six paces by two, a wheat field with its traditional wildflowers. The flowers did better than the wheat: we had a superb micro-meadow of annuals. As…
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subset: commoncrawl


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There are two types of kids these days. Those that scramble for the latest and greatest in the toy and games section, and those that peruse leisurely to find the perfect plaything. If your kiddo is stuck somewhere in between, speed up their decision-making process with a bauble they are sure to love. After all, you know your tyke best! Take a gander at these sales and deals for toys and games online, and avoid the annoyance of meandering in superstore toy aisles. While there is something great about spotting the perfect toy or game for your youngster in the store, there is something more relaxing about having the luxury of using an online coupon to save big and get their toy-time favorites. From LEGOs and Bionicles for pint-sized builders, to Barbies and dollhouses for little ladies who love the classics, you are sure to find something that strikes the fancy of your toy-loving tot.
Read more


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Plenty of wringing of hands by Oregon football fans this week and last and the one before that, ad nauseam, about what is shaping up to be a top five recruiting class for USC in 2013, and the loss of several top targets to the Trojans.
Yes, signing day is still six months away, and high-schoolers change their minds, and anything can happen. But at this point, the Trojans are pretty much assured of a top-flight class, perhaps the best in the country. Over the past month, 4-star safety Max Redfield, 5-star DT Eddie Vanderdoes, 4-star Nico Falah, and 5-star LB Michael Hutchings all have spurned Duck offers in favor of USC.
Oregon, meanwhile? The latest Scout.com ranking has the Ducks at a mediocre No. 26 nationally overall, albeit with only eight verbals so far. A better barometer is to look at average stars per recruit, which puts Oregon at No. 6 nationally (with an average of 3.63 stars per player). USC is No. 1, with an average of 4.31 stars for its 16 commits.
For the Ducks, this is serious stuff. USC is unquestionably Oregon's biggest challenger in the Pac-12. Since 2000, one or the other has either won or shared the conference title every season.
Winning happens when a team gets an edge over a foe anywhere they can.
Some thought the Trojans' recruiting would take a hit as a result of sanctions handed down two years ago in the Reggie Bush case. The verdict is still out, but so far USC appears to be weathering the penalties just fine.
Coach Lane Kiffin elected to accept the two-year bowl ban immediately in 2010 but put off scholarship reductions (a loss of 10 a year for three years) until now. Going forward, the numbers will be lower — the Trojans will have 18 scholarships to hand out to the 2013 class — but the star power remains extremely high.
Duck fans, though, shouldn't be too down. Oregon is poised to reel in another top No. 15 class. And as far as playing second fiddle to USC in recruiting, well, that's been the case virtually every year and it hasn't prevented the Ducks from capturing two of the last three, and three of the last five, meetings between the two schools.
Luring top talent is important, but so are coaching and player development. The same goes for the offensive and defensive systems programs utilize to gain an edge.
Indeed, below is a look at how recruiting in the recent past has gone between Oregon and USC, according to the Scout.com database (it begins with the 2001-02 season).
In parentheses, I added each season's score between the rivals.
2011-12 — Oregon: No. 15; USC: No. 20. (38-35 USC)
2010-11 — USC: No. 4; Oregon: No. 11. (53-32 Oregon)
2009-10 — USC: No. 5; Oregon: No. 13. (47-20 Oregon)
2008-09 — USC: No. 9; Oregon: No. 26. (44-10 USC)
2007-08 — USC: No. 9; Oregon: No. 23. (24-17 Oregon)
2006-07 — USC: No. 2; Oregon: No. 9. (35-10 USC)
2005-06 — USC: No. 1; Oregon: No. 52. (45-13 USC)
2004-05 — USC: No. 6; Oregon: No. 30. (DNP)
2003-04 — USC: No. 1; Oregon: No. 15. (DNP)
2002-03 — USC: No. 1; Oregon: No. 44. (44-33 USC)
2001-02 — USC: No. 12; Oregon: No. 31. (24-22 Oregon)
Recruiting advantage?
USC, by a long shot.
On-the-field advantage?
Pretty even (in fact, if you go back further, to 1998, Oregon holds a 7-5 edge).
And that's why they play the game between two goal posts and not in a living room or over a cell phone.
The pictures you see of the Ducks on FishDuck.com come from professional photographers that must be paid! Please donate through one click so we have pictures from all the games this fall to use through the year. All previous donations helped to pay our big Web Developing bills recently, and I do appreciate it.
Our staff and the photographers who have thousands of dollars invested into their equipment to provide the high quality pictures do sincerely thank you. Charles Fischer


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Viewing entries tagged with 'Gollancz'
Virtual DestinyQuest – the point and click adventure!
Well, it's happened. After many months of arduous labour by Gollancz's interactive team, the DestinyQuest eBook has finally come kicking and screaming into the world.
Fire and ice...
With The Legion of Shadow special edition now unleashed on the gaming public, it seems a perfect time to look ahead to the future of DestinyQuest®. This November will see the release of the second book in the DQ series, The Heart of Fire. Like all the books in the DQ series, it can be played as a stand-alone title, but to really get the most out of the story, the characters and the various 'in-game' references, it helps to read the books in sequence. And of course, there is the opportunity to use your hero from The Legion of Shadow in the new book, teaming up with your Heart of Fire hero to take on some truly epic foes.
The Legion marches...
Well, it's only 2 days to go until the launch of DestinyQuest: The Legion of Shadow, so to raise your geek excitement to unprecedented levels (well, I can try...), I thought I'd show you a sneak peek of the books! I've literally only just received them and, I'll admit, there was a little bit of trepidation mixed in with the excitement as I hastily tore away the packaging to reveal the books.
Decide your destiny - and win DQ goodies!
Calling all valiant champions (and nefarious villains!) – to celebrate the imminent launch of The Legion of Shadow, myself and Gollancz are offering the first in a number of exciting giveaway competitions. And there's loot – oh yes, epic loot my treasure-seeking friends. So read on, for your chance to grab some of these rare items to aid your future adventures.
Fan the flames
It's a worrying moment when you click on the 'send' button, aware that your email is speeding through the ether and carrying with it nearly nine months of hair-tearing, teeth-gnashing hard work. There is always that instant when you think 'should I have double-checked that ability… changed that sentence… oh that darned apostrophe on entry 15…'. Well, The Heart of Fire manuscript is sent - and as Doris Day once crooned, 'Que Sera, Sera...'


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USCA 2015: It's the Continuum
USCA 2015: It's the Continuum
For Ryan White agencies, the steps, stages or points (take your pick) of bringing clients fully into care under the HIV Care Continuum are facilitated by a set of tools, core elements or principles (take your pick). See the five elements in the Ryan White Moving Forward (to your right) but realize how much more these "petals" represent. Treatment protocols. Quality management standards. Data and reporting systems. Planning. Service delivery innovations.
This wrap-up version of our USCA 2015 Daily Feed skims the surface of a few HRSA USCA sessions held in the last two days that operationalize the incredible infrastructure put into place over the 25 Years of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
Service Delivery Innovations
Six projects with insights on ways to document and enhance the HIV continuum of care. How can you summarize that in a few sentences? Can't be done. Thus, we present the very briefest of insights from the HRSA session Moving Forward on the HIV Continuum of Care.
- Data exchange across state lines (patience, need, the right staff, and a secure portal are all necessary).
- Use of data to determine the current HIV care continuum and where to make improvements.
- Data sharing across prevention and care programs to monitor engagement along the continuum.
- Continuum of care data and resulting projects at the city and state levels to focus on improving outcomes.
- Patient navigator and data sharing activities in a former ASO site that achieved FQHC status.
PLWH and Planning, Quality Improvement
Involvement of people living with HIV (PLWH) has long been the backbone of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in terms of design and delivery of quality services that are responsive and appropriate.
The roundtable Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Planning and PLWH outlined the legislative and program guidances around consumer involvement and successful examples of such participation, like membership on planning bodies and involvement in consumer surveys and town hall forums. Another session, PLWH at Work in Planning & Quality Improvement, highlighted a recruitment video developed by the Boston Ryan White Planning Council. The video (see below) was suggested by a planning council member and was a technique not used previously.


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Rui Comments Off on utz6AOVF
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We're expanding our sewing section with exciting new vintage-style patterns and kits.
Watch the Bourton Basket on the new Channel 5 series Starting Up Starting Over. The series follows people looking for a new business and lifestyle change. For six months the camera crew followed us as we moved to Bourton-on-the-Water...continue reading
Now in stock at the Bourton Basket: The Croft - Shetland Tweed produced from 100% Shetland Island Wool, by West Yorkshire Spinners. Find the wool, pattern book and sample sweater at the Bourton Basket.continue reading
This cushion was created by Patricia Dyer using one of our Cotswold Peg Looms. "I have finished my cushion done on Trevor's loom. The colours look great on our sofa, as they pick up both the carpet and the curtains. I am...continue reading
This beautiful Bargello Quilt was created by Marie Russell. Marie attended our Bargello Quilt workshop in March, where she was taught this technique by Quilting expert and author Karin Hellaby. Not only did Marie complete this beautiful...continue reading
This amazing wall hanging was woven by Susan Griffiths, using one of a peg loom from the Bourton Basket.continue reading
Exquisite contains 80% of the finest Falkland Island Wool and 20% Mulberry Silk and comes with a free shawl pattern.continue reading
Trevor shows you our latest needlecraft, embroidery and cross stitch kits available at the Bourton Basket.continue reading
We've created fat quarter bundles of all your favourite Makower fabrics, including: London Forest Talk Papillion Haberdashery Crafty Cats Blue Sky Marina And more to follow.continue reading


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Alzheimer Disease/Research
Fetch Headings.ExtraData
Below are groups and resources (books, articles, websites, etc.) related to this topic. Click on an item's title to go its resource page with author, publisher, description/abstract and other details, a link to the full text if available, as well as links to related topics in the Subject Index. You can also browse the Title, Author, Subject, Chronological, Dewey, LoC, and Format indexes, or use the Search box.
Sources Experts & Spokespersons
The Cochrane Collaboration/The Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit and independent organization dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of health care readily available worldwide. It produces and dissemin...
Sources Library
Tales of Music and the Brain
Sacks, Oliver
Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he examines the power of music through the individaul experiences of patients, musi...


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Restaurante del Hotel España
recommendation by mixer
The restaurant Fonda España is part of the Hotel España. It is located on small street paralell to the Ramblas. It has the original 1904 modernist decoration, work of the prestigious modernist architect Domènech i Montaner.
The Hotel has two stars, so don´t expect too much from the food, but it is worth the visit just to enjoy the impressive decoration. They have a nice 16€ menu. It´s probably the cheapest way to enjoy modernism in Barcelona ! ;-)


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High-quality interactions with your children happen when you do that little bit more than simply caring for them. But it can be hard to find the time when you're juggling long work hours, time for yourself and time with your partner.
Here are some simple ways to make 'dad time' even more special:
The good news is that you don't need special training to make these interactions happen. Chances are you're already doing lots of good things. Not every minute with your children will be high quality, but knowing what great interactions look like will help you create more of them.
Rough-and-tumble play can be fun for children and grown-ups.
As well as giving children the chance to get some exercise, it lets them safely test their physical capabilities and limits. And when playing rough with their dads, children can learn how to manage emotions like anger and excitement, as well as the desire to win. This type of play also helps your child learn important social lessons, like what's 'fair' (no gouging!).
Here are some tips for getting the most out of rough-and-tumble play with your child:


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FOODBEAST has an easy recipe for transforming In-N-Out Burgers into egg rolls. Just chop up your burger, wrap it in an egg roll wrapper. Then seal it with egg wash and deep fry those glorious egg rolls. Then serve them with the In-N-Out spread as a dipping sauce.
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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Welcome to the Tangipahoa Parish Library System. We have an extensive collection of online databases.
Be the first NOLA.com user to add photos or videos of Parish Of Tangipahoa
Tangipahoa Parish can be found at E Avenue F 101. The following is offered: Libraries. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Kentwood there are 1 other Libraries. An overview can be found here.


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Today the Emergency Committee for Israel released the following statement on the Obama administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war:
President Obama and Secretary Kerry must do more than denounce Hamas's terrorist acts. Obama and Kerry must change course. They must stop pressuring Israel to stop fighting a just and necessary war. They must stop demanding Israeli concessions to Hamas. And they must start supporting an Israeli victory over terror that could free Gaza from Hamas and bring a real and lasting peace.
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Yidio BatistaSeattle Mariners
Infielder | Ht: | Wt:
|Mariners | Batista signed
Sat, 22 Jul 2006 21:51:36 -0700
The Seattle Mariners have announced the signing of undrafted free agent IF Yidio Batista, of Colombia, for the 2007 season, according to Corey Brock of Seattle.Mariners.MLB.com. Terms of the deal were not released.
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A recent Relias learning management system (LMS) upgrade enabled case-sensitive passwords. This measure elevates the overall security of your site and data stored in it.
Please confirm that you are using the appropriate capitalization for letters included in your password.
If your organization allows you to update your password yourself, you can choose to reset it.
*If they do not, please contact the site administrator at your organization for additional assistance.*


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|Elliott Sound Products
|Using Current Sources, Sinks & Mirrors In Audio
Rod Elliott
Last Updated 06 Jan 2012
Integral to most audio amplification systems, the current source and current sink are indispensable. For the purposes of this article, sources and sinks shall be treated as being the same thing - which they are, depending upon how one views the circuit. In essence, the functionality (and purpose) are identical - force the current through another device to be constant, as long as the voltage is within the boundaries of the power supply (less some voltage drop across the source / sink).
Current mirrors have the ability to greatly increase open loop gain and linearity, giving better closed loop performance. This short article looks at the various types, from the theoretical 'perfect' device, through various practical examples.
Throughout this article, I have neglected the Early effect, where the gain of a bipolar transistor is affected by the emitter-collector voltage. Although this is very real and does influence real circuits to a greater or lesser degree, it needlessly complicates the descriptions and explanations. As a result of the Early effect (which is named after James M. Early), a basic theoretical analysis not including it will predict better performance than will actually be achieved in practice. While this could be a real problem with precision or instrumentation applications, the effect on audio amplifier performance will generally be insignificant.
Some of the simulations used in the original version of this article were done with an older simulator that had rather basic (and not very accurate) models for transistors. This generally resulted in somewhat optimistic figures for maximum gain and distortion. These have been corrected, although the general concepts and descriptions remain pretty much unaffected.
A perfect current source can be constructed very simply, requiring only an infinite voltage and an infinite resistance. Unfortunately, this will also provide an infinite current (which will be infinitely constant), but is (infinitely?) excessive for an infinite number of applications.
Sorry, I was being facetious, but the principle is nonetheless sound. In reality, a sufficiently high voltage can produce a current through a varying resistance that is essentially constant, provided that the voltage swing on the resistance is a small fraction (<100th) of the supply voltage. This will provide an accuracy of 1% at 100:1 voltage ratio.
This is a method that was common years ago, and I still have (and use) a transistor tester that uses this method to provide a constant base current to the device under test. With a supply voltage of 250V feeding the base-emitter junction (0.65V typically) via switched resistances, the current is not affected to any significant degree by the variation in the base-emitter voltage under load.
The principle works well, but no-one wants to have to use such high voltages in equipment these days.
So why mention this method at all? Simply because the operation and characteristics of current sources are not well understood by most non-engineers (and quite a few engineers, too). Figure 1 shows a resistive current source that will maintain the set current of 1mA to an accuracy of within better than 1% over the range 0-10V.
Figure 1 - Simple Resistive Current Source
The first thing that we need to be aware of is that the impedance is very high, and a perfect current source (as described above) does indeed have an infinite impedance. Although this is impossible to achieve in practice, impedances of many, many Megohms are quite possible, and are used regularly in many different circuit types. The actual impedance is so high that PCB insulation resistance and transistor leakage current may become the determining factors.
Simulators do have close to 'perfect' current sources, which are useful for comparing a real circuit with the ideal version, and they are commonly used to simplifies complex circuits. Fortunately, real current sources are often close enough to being ideal in a real circuit that the difference is minimal.
If we look at a simple common emitter transistor amplifier (Figure 2), the output impedance is equal to the collector resistance, and the gain is equal to the collector resistance divided by re - the transistor's internal emitter resistance. This is equal to approximately ...
re = 26 / Ie (in mA)
Naturally, re varies with the current, according to the above formula. Please note that biasing components have been omitted for clarity, but in reality they must be used.
For all examples, a transistor with a current gain of 100 is used and the bias current will be set at exactly 100th of the expected collector current (using a simulated current source, naturally). In reality, a voltage divider is generally used to provide the necessary bias.
Figure 2 - Simple Common Emitter Transistor Amplifier
At low output levels, the gain should be 385, but as simulated is actually 333. This is well within the degree of accuracy we want to go to in this article, so practice correlates well with theory (one would hope so, or we would all be in trouble).
As the transistors output voltage increases, the available collector current (and hence emitter current) falls, so re increases (and vice versa). The higher the output voltage (relative to the supply voltage), the less emitter current flows, and the lower the gain becomes. As the transistor turns on (reducing the output voltage), the exact opposite occurs, and the gain rises. This effect is immediately evident in the output waveform, which is distorted. This is shown in the oscilloscope trace in Figure 2, and the distortion is clearly visible, with the tops of the waveform flattened out, and the bottoms 'stretched'. This is typical of any transistor amplifier operating without feedback, and is also true of valves and FETs.
One method of reducing this distortion is to introduce a resistance into the emitter circuit (local feedback) to reduce the gain and swamp the variations in re. This works, but we still have a relatively low output impedance, and distortion is still evident - although much reduced. This is shown in Figure 3, where a 100 Ohm emitter resistor has been added.
A commonly held belief is that local emitter feedback reduces the output impedance - this is simply not true - the output impedance of a common emitter amplifier is equal to the collector resistance, regardless of emitter degeneration. To reduce the output impedance, it is necessary to apply feedback around the entire circuit - from the output back to the input. The proof of this is outside the scope of this article, but it is nonetheless a fact.
Figure 3 - Common Emitter Stage With Local Feedback
With all this talk of distortion, I can almost hear all the thermionic valve (tube) enthusiasts cheering "I knew it - and here is the proof I have been looking for!"
Sadly, this is not the case. Valves do exactly the same thing, as do FETs of all types - the mechanism is different in each, but the result is the same. Gain varies with current in all known amplifying devices to a greater or lesser degree, so the principles outlined here are valid for any device. I am staying with transistors because they are the most commonly used of all the devices currently available.
In this case, the gain of the stage works out to be just over 76, and theory would predict a gain of 79, so again the correlation is very good. Remember that with an emitter current of 1.001 mA (collector current plus base current), the value of re is about 26, and this must be added to the external resistance Re.
Since we have determined that the load resistance affects gain, and that variations of collector current (and hence emitter current) affect linearity, if a current source were to be used instead of the 10k resistor, we should get vastly more gain, and the distortion should be negligible.
In reality, this is exactly what will happen, and Figure 4 shows a theoretical current source as the collector load. The current source is set to provide a current of 10 mA as before. No oscilloscope trace is shown, because the linearity is so good that no distortion is visible, and a trace of a sinewave gets tedious after a while.
Figure 4 - Use of Current Source as Load
Figure 4 shows the circuit, which (theoretically) has a gain of about 3150. Naturally, real life will reduce this. Figure 5 shows the same circuit with a bias servo (which means that the chosen bias to maintain the desired collector voltage is retained). This form of circuit can no longer be biased using a simple voltage or current source, because the circuit gain is so high that even the smallest variation in transistor hFE, or the tiniest variation in a resistor value will cause the output to 'go to ground' or sit at the supply voltage.
Consequently, an opamp has been added to apply bias, otherwise the circuit is almost impossible to stabilise. The use of a bias servo in this manner is not too common, but it is used in a number of applications. Care needs to be taken to ensure that a low frequency phase shift oscillator is not created if you want to experiment with this idea.
Figure 5 - Theoretical Current Source Load With Bias Servo
For a current source of this type, the current is equal to ..
I = (( V - 0.65 ) / R ) * hFE
Where I is the current, V is the supply voltage, 0.65 is the emitter-base voltage (typical), R is the base resistor and hFE is the forward current gain of the transistor.
Ultra-simple current sources (simply a transistor biased with a high value resistor) can work, but I'm not going to include one as they are not used in any sensible circuit. The current varies with voltage, temperature and depends on the transistor's gain. Now that the basic principles have been examined, we shall look at some real current sources (or sinks, depending on how you look at it).
The two most common current sources are shown in Figure 6 (A & B), and are reasonably stable with transistor gains and temperature. In audio work, absolute stability is not really necessary, since the feedback loop is used to ensure that bias voltages are maintained at the correct value. In some cases a DC servo circuit may be used (as shown in Figures 7a and 7b), but this is not really necessary in the majority of cases. The DC servo is shown here because that's what was simulated, and it also helps to build an overall understanding of circuit techniques.
Figure 6 shows the two main variations used for current sources. Both are very common, and there are small variations as well. For example, a zener, LED or precision reference diode may be used instead of the two diodes. This improves performance, but reduces the maximum voltage swing. Of the two, the dual transistor version is preferred by many (including me), as it has much better performance than the circuit using a diode reference.
Figure 6 (A & B) - The Two Main Current Source Circuits
In each case, the 330 ohm emitter resistor sets the current. Assuming that the diodes and transistors all have junction voltages of 0.65V, the theoretical current is ...
I = 0.65 / RE = 0.65 / 330 = 1.96mA
Where RE is the total emitter resistance - the internal re of the transistor plus the external resistance Re. The reference current (via R1 or R4) should be between 10 - 20 times the expected base current.
Both circuits have acceptable current stability as temperature changes, but both will change with temperature. The Vbe of a silicon transistor varies at about 2mV/°C, and this causes the current to vary accordingly.
|Transistor + 2 diodes
|Two transistor
|Current mA
|Current mA
The average impedance (excluding the lowest and highest currents) is 1,432k for the diode referenced source and 5,895k for the two transistor version. Quite clearly, the two transistor current source has much better linearity over a wider range, but this level of accuracy is not usually necessary - although it doesn't hurt either. The primary benefit is that the impedance is a great deal higher - it remains above 1Meg at all output loads, right up to the point where there is only 0.15V remaining across the transistor (Q2). The circuits shown below use both types of current source.
One may well ask the question: "How do you calculate the impedance of a current source?" The method is not immediately apparent, but it has nothing to do with the voltage across the transistor and the current through it. You may imagine that this would give you the answer, and while it does indeed give an answer, it's wrong. You need to measure the voltage across and current through the load, then change the load slightly and measure again. This gives the 'delta' ( Δ means change ), of the two values.
As an example: If the load is 10k and the current is 1mA, there must be 10V across the resistor, assuming the values are exact. If you change the resistance to 9k, you expect 9V, but it will be ever so slightly higher because the transistor has finite gain. Let's assume that the voltage across 10k is exactly 10V, and the voltage across 9k might measure 9.005 volts. We use this difference to calculate the dynamic output impedance of the current source ...
ΔV = V1 - V2 ( = 10 - 9.005 = 995mV ) ΔI = I1 - I2 ( = 1.0006mA - 1mA = 600nA ) Zout = ΔV / ΔI Zout = 995mV / 600nA = 1.66 Meg
The output impedance (Zout) of the current source is therefore 1.66 MΩ. The calculations are tedious, even using a simulator which gives results that are more accurate than most normal test instruments. As you should expect, the voltage across a lower resistance is ever so slightly higher than it should be, and vice versa. A perfect current source would show identical current through the load resistance, regardless of value. This calculation is only an example, and is not related to the figures shown in the above table. However, now you know how the values in the table were obtained.
The change in load resistance must be appropriate for the current source being measured, to ensure that the load voltage is well within the allowable range for the circuit being measured. Ideally, the voltage across the load will be roughly half the supply voltage for both parts of the test described.
Figure 7a - Two Diode Current Source
The voltage drop across the two diodes remains relatively constant (ignoring thermal effects). This means that the collector current of the current source is determined by the base-emitter voltage. 0.65V exists across R5, and this sets the collector current. The formula for setting up both current sources is shown below.
The gain of Q1 is relatively unaffected by the change in the configuration of the current source. In either of these cases, the inclusion of an emitter resistor in the gain transistor (Q1 in each drawing) reduces the gain, but the change is far less than would be the case with a resistive load. Remember that the output impedance of the current source is extremely high, so adding emitter resistance has far less effect than with a 'conventional' single transistor amplifier stage.
Figure 7b - Two Transistor Current Source
The two transistor current source is probably one of the most commonly used, and has good stability, especially if the two transistors are thermally bonded. This is not needed for most applications, since as mentioned previously, absolute current accuracy / stability is not (or should not) be a requirement for an audio amplifier.
This is a very simple circuit, but will give very good results wherever it is used. Current is calculated by (approximately) ...
I = 0.65 / Re
In this case, the internal emitter resistance (re) is not an issue, since the second transistor (Q3) allows only that exact amount of base current for the current source (Q2) to develop 0.65 Volt across the resistor. Should the current try to increase, Q3 simply turns on harder, and steals more of the base current. The current through Q3 should be at least 10 times as great as the expected base current of Q2 (the current source).
With all the circuits shown, output impedance is very high, and by my tests is about 8.2k. Inclusion of the emitter resistor (providing local feedback) has only a very small effect on the output impedance - it primarily reduces the gain.
It is not uncommon to see a single reference transistor (Q3 in Figure 7b) controlling two or more current sources (which may be supplying different currents). The reference should always control the current source transistor that has the most stable current. For example, if there were a current source for the input stage and the Class-A amplifier, the reference should always be taken from the source used for the input stage. This minimises any possible cross-coupling between the two current sources.
The final (and least understood) of all the current sources is the so-called 'bootstrap' amplifier. While not as good as an active current source, its performance is still very good, and in the example shown in Figure 8 manages to provide a gain of 8,860. This is at a current of only 1mA (some of the other circuits shown use 2mA), so the gain is reduced a little. However, this circuit is not in the same league as the gain of millions from the current source, but in real terms its performance is more than enough for the Class-A amplifier / driver stage of a power amplifier.
There are some advantages and disadvantages to this circuit, and it is dependent on the application whether it will be suitable. Where a true current source has the same (more or less) impedance at all frequencies right down to DC, the bootstrap circuit has a low frequency cut-off point determined by the resistance and capacitance used. This makes DC biasing easier (since the gain is quite low at DC), but since it reduces gain (and global feedback) at DC, there may be more DC offset at the amplifier's output as a result.
Distortion will also increase at very low frequencies, since the constant voltage across resistor R2 will not be maintained as phase shift (and LF rolloff) start to take their toll.
One of the benefits of the arrangement is that the voltage at the junction of R1 and R2 can exceed the supply voltage. This is especially useful if the circuit is driving MOSFETs, as it can provide the necessary extra voltage to drive the gates without an auxiliary supply. Unfortunately, this little trick only works with one polarity. The other benefit is simplicity - passive components that are operated well within their ratings have an indefinite life. It is extremely rare for a bootstrap capacitor to fail - I have even seen a circuit where the cap was installed with reverse polarity, and the amp was working fine. Where current sources can be damaged if an output device fails, the bootstrap circuit won't.
Figure 8 - Bootstrap Current Source
Since it is so misunderstood, it is worth a few words of explanation. R1 and R2 supply a nominal current of 1 mA (resistors are 5k each). Under normal (i.e. quiescent) conditions, there will be 5 Volts across each resistor. As the output varies, the capacitor couples the output signal back to the centre tap of the two resistors, and if the emitter follower were a perfect buffer amplifier, this would exactly equal the input. As a result, the voltage across R2 is kept constant - if the voltage across a resistor is constant, then it follows that the current through the resistor must also be constant. The current through R1 varies considerably, but R2 maintains a constant current over the full output operating range.
Small differences in voltage (due to the loss through the emitter follower) or in phase (due to the capacitive reactance starting to become significant with decreasing frequency) both cause the bootstrap current source to reduce its effectiveness, so impedance and gain drop, and distortion increases. In a well designed circuit, these effects are minimal at all normal operating frequencies, but cannot be discounted.
Where the requirements are not too demanding, a junction FET (JFET) can be used as a current source. Although the performance of the JFET itself is quite good, there is a significant variation between FETs in the all-important gate-source voltage. This means that if a fixed resistor is used as shown in Figure 9, the actual current will vary depending on the FET characteristics. Depending on the circuit, this may or may not be a problem.
For circuits that have some kind of feedback to stabilise the DC operating conditions, current variations are relatively unimportant, but when a specific current is needed, R1 must be a trimpot or be selected to provide the current required. Most JFETs are limited to relatively low currents - typically no more than about 5mA, but that depends on the type of FET. A simulation using BF245A/B/C JFETs with R1 set at 560 ohms gave currents of 1.38, 2.03 and 4.46mA respectively, demonstrating that the part number suffix can be very significant indeed.
Some FETs can be used with no resistor at all. The current is then 100% dependent on that particular FET's characteristics, and can vary widely even with the same type of FET from the same manufacturing batch. Despite the apparent disadvantages, there are many uses for JFET current sources and they provide acceptable performance for many applications.
Figure 9 - Junction FET Current Source
The performance of the current source shown above is best described as 'respectable', rather than good or excellent. Provided there is at least 5V across the JFET the current is reasonably stable, but it falls rapidly if there isn't enough voltage across the FET itself. The voltage across R1 depends entirely on the FET itself, and may be anywhere from a couple of hundred millivolts to a volt or more.
One of the reasons you don't see JFET current sources/ sinks used very often is their extreme variability. Unless the design is either very tolerant or warrants a trimpot to allow the current to be set for a specific value, a JFET is generally unsuitable. Most are also fairly low voltage (30V is common), and are unsuited to high voltage circuits. While high voltage JFETs are available, they are significantly more expensive and harder to get than bipolar transistors which will give better performance anyway.
All current sources/sinks require a voltage reference. While most discrete circuits use a diode, transistor junction or a LED as a voltage reference, these all have (often significant) variations with temperature. Most of the time, this actually doesn't matter much - an audio amplifier is not a precision instrument, and the variations experienced will rarely cause any problems (I have never seen an issue with a current source in any audio application).
ICs, and especially those used for voltage regulators or other precision applications, generally use a band-gap reference (see Reference 1). While these can be made using discrete devices, their performance will never be very good. Because the transistors in an IC are all on the same substrate, and are generally well matched (and thermally coupled), the performance of IC references is far better than you will obtain from discrete circuits. Since absolute accuracy is never needed for audio applications, use of discrete band-gap voltage references is not recommended. If you do need that degree of accuracy, use a commercial IC voltage reference IC - it will be far better than one you build using separate transistors.
Now that we have looked at the various types of current source (there are many more, but the others will not be examined here), we can examine where they are best used, and why.
I have always been interested in audio amplification, and will therefore concentrate on this aspect of the use of current sources and mirrors. There are naturally countless other applications, but I will leave it to the reader's imagination to explore the additional uses. A few common uses include timers, power supplies (discrete), instrumentation amplifiers (which often operate within the audio range), and industrial process controllers, but this is a small subset of the uses. Almost every linear IC ever made uses current sources/ sinks extensively.
One of the most irksome loads for any amplifier is one that has inherent non-linearities, and the output stage of an audio amp definitely fits this description. Consider the worst case, where there is no forward bias applied to the output devices, which are operating in Class-B. The global feedback in an amplifier is generally considered to the be main saviour, by reducing the distortion components by using the input stage as an error amplifier.
This is actually only a small part of the story - a properly designed Class-A amplifier will have both high gain and high output impedance, both of which are useful in reducing the otherwise inevitable crossover distortion. Consider Figure 10a and 10b, showing the same output stage delivering the same peak output voltage to the same resistance.
The first is using a low impedance amplifier (an opamp) with unity gain as shown, but will normally be adjusted to give the required output, while the second uses a high impedance source having a impedance output, but still providing the same output voltage. The amplifier stage in Figure 10b (Q3) has considerable gain, but this is not important for the demonstration.
Figure 10a - Use Of A Voltage Source Driving an Unbiased Output Stage
The load for each amplifier is 100 Ohms, and it is clear from the first figure (10a) that crossover distortion is gross. Figure 10b shows how the high impedance drive to the output stage overcomes the crossover distortion - the output waveform is not shown, because there is virtually no distortion visible in the oscilloscope trace, so it looks just like a sinewave. This doesn't mean that it has no distortion though - it's just not visible in a trace.
Figure 10b - Use Of A Current Source Driving an Unbiased Output Stage
Remember that this is with no feedback whatsoever - the addition of feedback will reduce the distortion even more - as will some biasing on the output stage. Neither of these were included to show the effect more clearly. Note that the settings on the oscilloscope were not changed between these simulations, to ensure that the full effect was not obscured (or accentuated) for each example.
The inescapable conclusion is that the high impedance drive will greatly assist in overcoming non-linearities in the output stage, even those as nasty as a completely unbiased complementary pair as shown. Naturally other non-linearities are also negated (to some degree) by these techniques, which are pretty much universal in modern amplifier designs.
None of the above should be taken to mean that we no longer need negative feedback - the idea is to make the amplifier as linear as possible before feedback is added. This makes a good amp better - feedback will never make a bad amp good !
The next item is current mirrors, another little understood circuit. These are extremely useful in amplifier design, and in this section I will show where they can be used, and the benefits that can be obtained.
The basic current mirror is shown in Figure 10, and it can be seen that whatever current is injected into the left side is mirrored, and the right hand side is a constant current source (sink) reflecting the injected current. Should the input current at change, so will the output current, but it will remain constant, regardless of the actual voltage (provided it remains within the supply limits of course).
Figure 11 - A Basic Current Mirror
The problem with this circuit is that the current in the two halves is different - the mirrored current is too low, differing by 19 µA (it is actually 20 µA, but the simulation accuracy used was not great enough to show this). If we check, we will find that the emitter currents of both transistors are identical, so the 20 µA that 'disappeared' is the base current that must be supplied to each transistor (10 µA each).
Adding emitter resistors does absolutely nothing to alleviate this, but is useful if the transistors are not matched. Even then the resistors do not really do a lot of good, unless the voltage developed across them is significant (at least 100 mV, and preferably more) but it helps a little bit.
Figure 12a - Buffered Current Mirror
A better solution is to use a buffer as shown in Figure 12a. This removes the base current component of the error, and makes the current mirror matching a lot better. This simple addition has reduced the error dramatically, but it can be improved even more. While not generally needed for audio amplification, improved performance is essential for test and measurement, or other critical applications.
Figure 12b - Four Transistor Current Mirror
As you can see from the above, Figure 12b [1] is almost perfect - the current balance is extremely good. While this arrangement is used in analogue opamps and other circuits requiring high precision, there would be no advantage using it in a power amplifier. There simply is no need for such precision. It will not generally improve distortion, bandwidth or dynamics, but may give a marginal improvement in DC offset (which can be up to 100mV without causing any problems whatsoever in most power amps used for audio). All we need to do now is find a use for these circuits.
Note that I have shown current mirrors with extremely good matching, but this depends on the transistors being matched as well. With discrete circuits, matching to the required levels is somewhat tiresome, and unless you are building a precision circuit (which will typically use a transistor array to ensure matching and thermal coupling), it usually doesn't matter. The simple mirror shown in Figure 11 is perfectly fine for most applications.
Consider the differential pair (aka long tailed pair or LTP). Most of the time, we are losing half the gain of the circuit, since the output is taken from only one collector as shown in Figure 12. This configuration also suffers from linearity problems, unless the output is current only - as is the case when driving the base of a transistor (this is shown further below).
Figure 13 - The Long Tailed Pair As A Voltage Amplifier
The circuit as shown (without the essential biasing components, which were omitted for clarity) has a voltage gain of 285 (again using transistors with a hFE of 100), and is quite linear at low output voltages. The linearity will suffer badly as the level increases, and even with the +/-20 volt supplies used is not satisfactory (10% THD) as a voltage amp for outputs greater than 1.35 Volts RMS (this is at an input voltage of 5 mV).
Using a current source / sink in the 'tail' is very common in amplifier circuits, and this variant is shown below. It is commonly (but entirely mistakenly) assumed that this increases the gain (in the circuit shown, gain is reduced to 168), but the real purpose is to improve the common mode capability of the circuit. Common mode signals are those that are applied to both inputs in the same polarity, and are generally required to be rejected. Using a simple resistive tail severely limits the common mode voltage that can be accommodated before severe distortion occurs, and indeed the common mode rejection of the circuit is almost useless.
In the example above, the common mode rejection is well under 1dB but with a current sink tail the rejection is almost 65dB. In most amplifier circuits common mode signals (of the undesirable kind) are not an issue if the input stage is properly designed. Although a high common mode ability is usually considered necessary, this is not always the case. For a typical power amplifier, the common mode voltage cannot exceed the input voltage for full power. There are other good reasons to use a current source/sink though, one of which is to ensure that circuit stabilises at a low voltage, eliminating (or at least minimising) switch-on / off thump.
If a current mirror is used as the load, gain is increased by a very useful amount, and Figure 13 shows the arrangement used. The stage gain is now 850 and the use of a current sink as the tail has no effect (provided that the current is maintained at 4 mA). This circuit is shown in Figure 13, and although useful in certain applications, it is not suitable to drive the output stage of a power amplifier.
Figure 14 - Using A Current Mirror As The LTP Load
If we really wanted to get silly (and I have seen it done), we can put all the bits together in one place, and finish up with an input stage + Class-A driver, with a total open loop gain (i.e. without feedback) of 33,800 or 90dB (but still loaded with 100k). This will not increase dramatically when the output is buffered - the output impedance is actually reasonably low, at about 4k. The buffered current mirror does not help the gain, but reduces output offset. The complete circuit is shown in Figure 14, and is a useful example of the techniques discussed in this article. Open loop distortion is about 5% at 6V RMS output, but will fall dramatically when feedback is applied.
Figure 15 - Combination LTPs and Current Mirror
This circuit uses an input LTP that drives a secondary LTP as the Class-A amplification stage. The load for this second LTP is a current mirror, and this arrangement has excellent linearity. I suspect that it could be a cow to stabilise in a real amplifier circuit, and quite frankly, I do not see any reason to go this far. Many amplifiers have been designed using this arrangement, and it's very common with MOSFET output stages. Initial measurements on a MOSFET amp using this drive stage show that stability is not as good as I would like to see (there are traces of oscillation at some output levels), but overall stability seems to be acceptable. I expect that the wide bandwidth of the MOSFET output devices might make this arrangement a little more tractable than would be the case with bipolar transistors. I have not found it to be necessary though, and the P101 MOSFET amp does not use this input/driver stage combination.
At this stage, I suspect that I have either cleared up some degree of confusion, or created even more. There are so many choices, and so many reasons to use (or not use) any one of them. This article is meant only to describe and explain - you can see where my own preferences lie from the circuits published in the projects pages. I happen to be a strong supporter of the KIS principle (keep it simple), and in my own designs have not found it necessary to make the circuit any more complex than is needed to make it work and provide good distortion figures. Listening tests bear this out, and IMHO I do not believe that the difference between a highly complex amp and a simple one (provided that both are well designed) is audible under any listening conditions.
This being the case, I cannot think of any good reason to go for the complex solution, especially since it will almost certainly be much harder to stabilise (I happen to think that this is extremely important), and will use more parts. Granted that the additional cost is minimal in the greater scheme of things, but sound for sound, simple and reliable has to win out.
As a final point, with the LTP configuration and current mirrors, it is often beneficial to match the transistors, so they have gains that are approximately equal, and emitter-base voltages that are as closely matched as possible. It is also useful with both of these configurations and two transistor current sources to thermally bond the two transistors to prevent mismatch due to thermal effects.
Remember that the emitter-base voltage of a transistor falls at a rate of 2mV / °C, so even a small temperature difference will change the DC offset performance of a long tailed pair or current mirror quite dramatically. Thermally bonding the transistors minimises the offset, but does not affect any current variation caused by the change of temperature.
For more information on the design of amplifier stages, please refer to the Amplifier Design page.
Most of the circuits shown are reasonably generic, and although I obviously found them somewhere, it was a very long time ago. As a result, most of the material isn't referenced to anything in particular, as it can be found in many books, websites, existing circuits, etc.
|Copyright Notice. This article, including but not limited to all text and diagrams, is the intellectual property of Rod Elliott, and is Copyright (c) 1999-2006. Reproduction or re-publication by any means whatsoever, whether electronic, mechanical or electro- mechanical, is strictly prohibited under International Copyright laws. The author (Rod Elliott) grants the reader the right to use this information for personal use only, and further allows that one (1) copy may be made for reference. Commercial use is prohibited without express written authorisation from Rod Elliott.


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I have eagerly anticipated the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) Kimono for a Modern Age exhibition for over a year. I started out as a Japanese language and culture scholar, and while my research focuses since I entered the field of dress history have drifted westward, I still have a love for and fascination with Japan and Korea. I had also become very interested in the type of kimono this exhibition explores — meisen — through a paper of my own delivered at the CSA Western Region symposium in 2012, which I reiterated in a post for Worn Through.
As mentioned on Unframed, the LACMA blog, the kimono in many ways symbolizes Japan itself. However, people have a very distinct impression of what kimono should look like — a stereotype, if you will — which this exhibition challenges and challenges well.
Instead of small, delicate patterns we are accustomed to in kimono fabric, meisen kimono popular between the end of the Meiji period (1868 – 1912), through the Taisho (1912 – 1926), and up to the post-war period of the Showa period (1926 – 1989) had large, bold patterns in bright colors. In my previous post, I discussed the methods of creating the most distinctive feature of meisen: the ikat-imitation effect of stencil-dyeing the warp and weft threads before the fabric is woven. The other distinguishing feature is that much of the meisen designs can be seen as borrowing from art and artistic movements in the West at the same time that Japan was influencing these same Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, as well as modernizing their own traditions such as screen painting and calligraphy (examples below).
Now that we've gone over how meisen are unexpected, let's examine this particular exhibition, which features of 30 kimono spanning the period from approximately 1920 to 1960.
The exhibition is located in LACMA's pavilion of Japanese Art, and is brilliantly laid out to take full advantage of the unusual exhibition space, the permanent Japanese art collection, and the other exhibition in the pavilion, Zuan: Japanese Design Books. The pavilion's layout requires that visitors take an elevator to the top — where they can see both the permanent collection and Zuan off to the right — and then perambulate down various ramps to the display spaces on each floor to make their way to the basement and then up the elevator again to the ground floor. The space is designed to compliment Japanese art which traditionally was created with the intent of inspiring contemplation rather than intense emotion or awe. In many ways the pavilion also mimics an Indian stupa, which became the pagoda in the far east, encouraging walking in a circular or spiral pattern as a form of moving meditation. This enables the visitor to take in each of the ten or so displays of three kimono each, in a calm, contemplative manner similar to the way in which you are encouraged to appreciate the traditional arts in Japan.
It worked very, very well. The slow pace that the building's ramps encouraged and the pause at each landing allowed me to see subtle similarities of patterning I otherwise might not have noticed had the display been set up in the usual single-floor manner of fashion and dress exhibitions. The open-plan layout, with clear, perspex railings so you could see through to the next level below you, also leant a sense of anticipation to the exhibition as you could see glimpses of kimono to come, and compare the patterning to those you were currently appreciating.
What I appreciated most about this particular exhibition was the emphasis on re-interpretations of traditional Japanese art and kimono patterns in meisen, instead of the usual focus on cross-cultural references. For example, in the blue kimono above you could interpret the design as simply "polka dots" on a blue background, but thanks to the well-written tombstones that accompanied each kimono, it was revealed that multi-coloured dots had long been used in kimono as well as paintings to emphasize sun- or moon-dappled dew drops and had specific symbolism within Japanese art.
This is indeed how the exhibition starts, with three kimono featuring three very different uses of an enlarged, traditional arrow patterning. Each kimono is in a different color scheme, each reinterprets this symbol of samurai status in a new way, sometimes emphasizing it with palm fronds that were connected with sixteenth-century warlord, Oda Nobunaga, sometimes simply using the pattern in bold red, yellow, and gray colors. This also adds more layers to the meisen of both overt and subversive political messages.
For example, the "star-patterned" kimono at the beginning of the post also resembles the Japanese war flag of the rising sun with red rays. This kimono was made around 1940 and so while not as overt as some "propaganda" kimono of the same time period is a piece that might have been gotten away with post-war during the occupation. Another kimono from the 1950s or 1960s later on in the exhibition seems to depict a city scene at dawn, but while the sun isn't visible the red rays associated with the war flag are seen beyond the mountains. Was this a quiet protest against American occupation, or a decree of loyalty even in the midst of defeat?
I have often wondered if there were or weren't political elements to meisen kimono. The height of their popularity coming in midst of patriotic and nationalistic fervor in the lead of to the second World War, while taking much of their inspiration from Western art movements is full of contradictions. On the one hand, the military industrial complex (bakufu) was very keen on adopting Western ways as a way of defeating both the West and Japan's neighbors in battle. On the other hand, were the wearers of these kimono making political statements against war through their clothing? If so, is it not possible that those who had different political leanings might not do the same with their meisen?
I consider exhibitions that not only teach you something, but encourage you to re-evaluate perceptions of a particular art form and to ask questions to be the absolute best. Through the display, layout, grouping of various kimono, and informative tombstones, LACMA did just that.
They did not altogether ignore the Western influence, either. On many pieces, such as the third kimono featured in this review, they referenced not only the traditional art of screen paintings of landscapes, but the works of Impressionists and modern painters in the LACMA collection such as Matisse or Cezanne that might equally have influenced the design.
My only critique would be that all the kimono were displayed as you see in the images, none were mounted on mannequins. This however is a critique I have often of all kimono exhibitions, not LACMA in particular. I fully understand that this is the traditional method for displaying kimono in Japan, where they are admired as individual works of art in their own right; I also deeply admire LACMA's conservation department turning to Japanese tradition when they were looking for new methods to store their kimono collection. However, since my personal fascination is with how such pieces were worn and who they were worn by, I would have loved to see at least one kimono dressed on a mannequin. Though I understand there might be conservation issues with displaying kimono this way.
This however, did not in any way diminish the exhibition. The display, use of the pavilion — even the touch of displaying one of the design books in Zuan on the pages the showed kimono designs — were magnificent. All of which combined to challenge perceptions of not only kimono, but perceptions I had about meisen kimono.
Kimono for a Modern Age will be on display in the pavilion for Japanese art at LACMA until October 12, 2014.
As always, if you have any thoughts, contributions, or want to notify me of an exhibition or events in your area please feel free to leave them in the comments, or to email me.


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BIG DAY OF GIVING - May 4th, 2017
This year's Big Day of Giving will be held on Thursday, May 4th, 2017. This event is a 24-hour long, on-line fundraiser specifically benefiting the local nonprofits that serve the greater Sacramento region.
On this day, we are asking you to participate in this huge and historic event for our region, the Big Day of Giving, where, over a 24-hour period from midnight to midnight, Clean & Sober will join with 500 other nonprofits to raise $6 million, engage 25,000 donors, and make our region #1 as the most generous community in the country on this national day of giving!
To donate to our agency during this fundraising campaign, simply log-on to www.bigdayofgiving.org anytime on May 4th and designate Clean & Sober as the agency that you want your donation to go to, and then follow the online instructions to complete your donation. You can also help by spreading the word about this event. Tell your family, friends and colleagues, post on Facebook, and tweet about it.


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Committee Selects Championship Bracket
Championship Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division III Womens Soccer Committee announced the field of 60 teams for the 2005 NCAA Division III Womens Soccer Championship.
Thirty-seven conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2005 championship. Four teams were selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions, and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final nineteen berths were reserved for Pool C, which are institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams.
Four teams will receive first-round byes. Four two-team first-round matches will be played to determine the teams that advance to the second round to play the four teams that received a first-round bye. Twelve four-team sites will conduct first- and second-round play on the first weekend of the championship, November 11-12 or 12-13. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites November 18-19 or 19-20. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the semifinals November 25-26. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park in Greensboro, North Carolina will be the site of this years finals.
Conferences and Teams Receiving Automatic Qualification:
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference - Frostburg State
American Southwest Conference - Hardin-Simmons
Atlantic Womens Colleges Conference - Notre Dame (Maryland)
Capital Athletic Conference - Catholic
Centennial Conference - Johns Hopkins
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin - Wheaton (Illinois)
Commonwealth Conference - Messiah
Commonwealth Coast Conference - Endicott
Empire 8 - Ithaca
Freedom Conference - Wilkes
Great Northeast Athletic Conference - Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island)
Heartland College Athletic Conference - Mount St. Joseph
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Loras
Lake Michigan Conference - Lakeland
Liberty League - Union (New York)
Little East Conference - Eastern Connecticut State
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference - Worcester State
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association - Calvin
Midwest Conference - Grinnell
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Macalester
New England Small College Athletic Conference - Bates
New England Womens and Mens Athletic Conference - Springfield
New Jersey Athletic Conference - The College of New Jersey
North Atlantic Conference - Castleton State
North Coast Athletic Conference - Ohio Wesleyan
Northwest Conference - Puget Sound
Ohio Athletic Conference - Otterbein
Old Dominion Athletic Conference - Lynchburg
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference - Arcadia
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Webster
Skyline Conference - Stevens Institute of Technology
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Pomona-Pitzer
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference - DePauw
State University of New York Athletic Conference - Oneonta State
University Athletic Association - Rochester
USA South Athletic Conference - Christopher Newport
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association - Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Pool B Berths (4):
Maryville (Tennessee)
Westminster (Pennsylvania)
Pool C Berths (19):
Augustana (Illinois)
Illinois Wesleyan
Sewanee (University of the South)
Trinity (Texas)
Virginia Wesleyan
Washington and Lee
Western Connecticut State
Wheaton (Massachusetts)
William Smith
In last years finals, Wheaton (Illinois) defeated Puget Sound on penalty kicks 5-4, after playing to a 1-1 tie through two overtimes, to win the championship.
-- Courtesy NCAA.org


text: I'm using VBAlink to try to trade Pokemon, and play berry crush in LeafGreen/FireRed. It only works sometimes, whether it's through Hamachi or direct through our LAN (although Hamachi is better). We've never gotten Berry crush to work, and it's frustrating the hell out of us. Anyone have any tips on connecting, or how we can optimize our connections? Every time we connect to each other one of us freezes and the emulator runs at 3%.


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Social Media For Travel, Part II: Customize Your Experience
Using social media for travel planning is making it easier than ever to plan the perfect vacation.
With these simple tips, and a little planning ahead, you can find the perfect flight, accommodation and activities to keep you talking about 'that one time in Paris' for the rest of your life.
Missed part one of our social media for travel series? read it here.
Booking the Right Flight
Start by using a travel aggregator website (like Expedia) to search your desired flight route. This will give you an idea of which airlines offer what you are looking for.
Next, make a new tab on your dashboard specifically for your vacation and create a list of airlines that fly your desired route, as well as some internet travel websites. This allows you to compare promotions, deals and giveaways. You should also create a list of travel experts and bloggers to discover some valuable tips.
Whether you are on a shoestring or a comfortable budget, keep in mind the type of vacation you're after.
Create a search stream to monitor the airlines and travel website you are considering using. This will give you insight into other customer experiences, as well as the company's quality of customer service. Follow the same process for booking bus trips and high speed rails.
#TravelTip: If you see a great promotion on social media from a travel website, do a little digging, find out what airline the offer is with and check their native website. You could benefit from cutting out the middleman.
Stress-Free Accommodation
Booking accommodation during your vacation always involves a bit of uncertainty, especially when there is a language barrier. With so many review sites and different rating systems it's hard to be sure you are getting what you want.
Luckily, social media has dissolved the impersonal nature of booking your stay. Here is a few social accommodation platforms to consider:
Why squeeze into a rundown hotel room when you could stay in a quaint apartment with Eiffel Tower views, for the same price?
Airbnb connects people all over the world who are looking to have a unique and authentic travelling experience. Use the 'Neighbourhood' feature to discover in depth guides to a city's cultural landscape — allowing you to pick the perfect match to your tastes.
If you're travelling on a tight budget or looking for a real adventure, consider Couchsurfing. The popular networking organization includes a community in over 100 000 cities.
Not your cup of tea? Couchsurfing is at its very heart a social networking site, and a great place to connect with locals and ask questions.
Customize Your Experience
Travelling to a new city often includes an endless list of 'things to do' and 'places to see' — most of which are impossible to accomplish on a restricted timeline. Not to mention those certain cultural experiences you don't want to miss, like espresso and a croissant in that cute Paris cafe.
How do you narrow down what you really want to do, and discover authentic experiences along the way?
Google+ Local
G+ Local is a great tool to search for things to do while on vacation. Simply search by city and see a comprehensive list of possibilities organized by price range, customer ratings and GPS location.
Narrow down your choices further by using G+ Local's in depth reviews for restaurants, hotels and activities. Choose between reviews from friends, local residents or top critics.
G+ Local allows you to find the best places, at the right price, to make sure you maximize your vacation time. Ready to book your reservation or tickets? Online booking information, up-to-date opening times and contact information is all at the click of a button.
Recommended App: Tripit
As soon as you start booking the details of your trip, you'll notice a wave of confirmation emails, check in information and other details you'll need to keep organized.
Don't risk having to scramble last minute to find emails or remember login information. Tripit aggregates all your information as you book, keeping it in one master itinerary that's accessible on your mobile device.
- Flight, rental cars, rail + bus itineraries
- Accommodation, events + restaurant confirmations
- Weather + local maps
- Syncs to your calendar for easy sharing
Stay tuned for Part three, as we explore how to manage your vacation with limited wifi access.
Social Media For Travel, Part I: Visualize Your Destination
How do you use social media to help plan your vacations? Comment below.


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The debate is on. The polls are out. It is now time for all the candidates and potential Presidential candidates for 2012 to tell us clearly where they stand on the repeal of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell).
Mike Huckabee was against the repeal in 2007, but did use the hedge word "now" in the quote below (I doubt if he has changed on the issue, however):
I believe this policy works, and I don't think now is the time to change it, because our military commanders tell us it serves it's purpose in preventing the disturbances that occur when it is not adhered to. No member of our armed forces is allowed to behave or display personal characteristics in a way that complicates or interferes with unit function and unity. If our commanders say that this policy improves overall force performance by minimizing disturbances at the unit level then we should not change it, especially not in the middle of a war.
Sarah Palin also thinks we should not repeal DADT "right now" and doesn't think it should even be talked about. But it is being discussed and her voice is needed.
Mitt Romney during the 2007 campaign season said
"Don't ask, don't tell' has worked well. We're in the middle of a conflict. Now is not the time for a change in that regard, and I don't have a policy posture as to allowing gays in the military to serve there openly"
UPDATED: However, this was a change from his earlier position stated here (contrary to his campaign's claim that the only change he ever had was on a abortion):
He said that "don't ask, don't tell" was the first in a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays' and lesbians' being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation's military."
(HT: Ansel12 on Free Republic)
Tim Pawlenty has also taken a "not yet" approach:
It would be unwise for Congress to address this long-standing policy without the benefit of full hearings and the completion of the impact study being conducted by military leaders. I urge you to take no legislative action until the Department of Defense has completed its review and public hearings have been held to thoroughly discuss the findings.
The positions of Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour, are unclear at this time.
Rick Santorum is likely against the repeal, if any of the anti-DADT blogs are to be believed.
But this is a time for leadership, not a wait and see attitude. Lead, don't follow. Don't ask what the polls are saying, just tell us where you stand. All of you!
David Shedlock
His wife also ows a business selling antique and collectible postcards on eBay since 1999. David was an activist with Operation Rescue in the early 1990s. He is a member of Trinity Presbyterian Reformed Church in Johnston, Iowa.
David suffered a stroke in 2012, but has begun to recover after almost four years of complications.To God be the Glory, I believe he is continuing a work in me, that he began when I was a child (Philippians 1:6)
Latest posts by David Shedlock (see all)
- Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump: To Vote or Not to Vote - July 27, 2016
- Reagan and the Black Panthers - June 20, 2016
- Why Do We Trust Them? - June 13, 2016


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Credit & Counterparty Risks
Olam carries out an in-depth assessment of the counterparty wherein the counterparty is assigned a rating grade. This is done through a scoring process which takes into account the credit worthiness and financial background, country of origin, their payment and contract performance record with us, and publicly available ratings if available.
We monitor the credit quality of our counterparties continuously and review their ratings annually. We control credit risk by setting counterparty-wise credit limits (value and tenor) based on counterparty assessment and the ratings.
As a policy, no single counterparty accounts for more than 5% of Group sales. We control our counterparty risk (performance risk on forward contracts) by setting counterparty-wise limits (value and tenor) for forward contracts. The counterparty limits take into account the rating of the counterparty, the contract tenor, nature of the market, and price volatility. For weaker counterparties, the tenor is kept short and advance margin deposits are taken to mitigate the counterparty risk.


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Dream on! And by all means, do it together.
01 July 2014
Dream On
Didn't find this until after this year's Boston Marathon, and after last weekend's MS-150 and watching Phil Keoghan's "The Ride" six times in the last month, this Aerosmith tribute moves me. Deeply.
Dream on! And by all means, do it together.
Dream on! And by all means, do it together.
2 comments :
Dusty words lying under carpets,
seldom heard, well must you keep your secrets
locked inside, hidden deep from view?
You can talk to me... (Stevie Nicks)
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Here we show some different technological designs. Most of the models presented here are tests to validate some concepts. If some concepts give you some ideas, send them to the project and be part of the team !
Windmill vibration machine:
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