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One of the unfortunate by-products of a number of surgical procedures is fluid waste. This mixture of irrigation solution, blood, and other body fluids can be quite infectious and incredibly messy. Uncontained, this fluid waste can expose the surgical staff to infection, as well as injury resulting from slip and fall accidents. It also compromises the sterility of the surgical arena.
Following are a selection of companies that are at the forefront of fluid waste control technology, and the innovative products they have designed to keep those in the surgical suite safe and dry.
The BASS Fluid Control System from BASS Medical, Inc. is a disposable mat that keeps the OR floor dry as it collects, contains, and eliminates the fluid produced during wet procedures. The fluid falls onto the BASS mat, is contained in the mat, and then is evacuated via suction tubing.
Colby Manufacturing, a leader in fluid control products for over ten years, offers a few different products to collect and contain fluid waste. The WaterBug® Quiet Floor Suction System connects to existing wall or portable suction units and removes unlimited amounts of irrigants, blood and other body fluids from the floor during arthroscopy, cystoscopy, hysteroscopy, and other very wet procedures. Constructed of durable plastic, the WaterBug comes with 12 feet of flexible, standard-size tubing that attaches from the side. This gives it a very low profile that reduces tip and trip hazards. One feature that differentiates the WaterBug from other floor suction devices is that fluid is captured from the top as well as from the bottom, maximizing fluid containment efficiency. In addition, the absorbent material eliminates noise and guarantees an efficient operation as it glides across the floor without ever sticking.
Colby's SurgiSafe® Absorbent Floor Pads help protect all operating room personnel from contact with potentially contaminated substances by quickly soaking up and retaining blood and body fluids, as well as caustic agents, betadine, and irrigants. Functioning through a wicking action, SurgiSafe Pads quickly absorb up to 25 times their own weight. They conform to uneven floor surfaces, remain flat without bunching, and help prevent slipping on wet floors; and because no hookup to additional apparatus is required, there is little to trip over. SurgiSafe Absorbent Pads come in a variety of sizes and textures to meet every fluid control need.
DeRoyal has a very extensive waste fluid management portfolio that includes an impressive variety of canisters, fluid containers, liner systems, and a fluid waste evacuation system. The DeRoyal Crystaline Rigid Canister system and ReliaFlex Liner system are equipped with the latest technology in filter design. The hydrophobic filter prevents any fluid backflow through the vacuum port. Further, once the filter is wet, it completely blocks suction flow to the canister preventing regurgitation from any port. The filter also traps aerosolized microorganisms and particulate matter, and provides filtration of Staphylococcus aureus at 99.5% efficiency. Both the canister and liner systems feature sealing lids or locking ports that help the OR staff avoid contact with the infectious materials.
To address medical waste disposal concerns, DeRoyal offers the Aqua-Box. The Aqua-Box is a canister and liner evacuation system that quickly empties and disposes of waste fluid generated during surgery directly into the healthcare facility's sanitary sewer system. The compact Aqua-Box works with any waste fluid containment system, and is designed to be mounted on any utility room or operating room wall, preventing waste fluid from ever having to leave the room. The Aqua-Box also offers the option to add sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) to the fluid waste as it automatically discards it into the sewer. This keeps the potentially hazardous fluid in a closed system the entire time.
The Suction line consists of the Black Hole, the Suction Mat, and the Black Hole FLASH. These products utilize AVEC Scientific's patented wicking action, which eliminates the slurping noise common to most suction devices and keeps the products from sucking themselves to the floor. These products are also designed to wick in only fluid and not solids. This helps to avoid clogged pipes, weakened suction power, and potential and costly damage to the suction unit's compressor. AVEC's latest offering, the Black Hole FLASH is highly automated and very inexpensive. When stepped on it still functions, and since the tubing is smaller in diameter, it uses half the suction power of all other fluid management products.
Designed to absorb all water-based liquid, the Super Absorbent Pad from Health Care Logistics retains materials and does not drip, due to a polymer that forms a gel when it soaks in liquid. Designed to replace suction devices that leave liquid behind and require lengthy cleanup, this pad is ideal for procedures such as endoscopy-based diagnostics and surgery, labor and delivery, and in urology and arthroscopy procedures. The pad, which measures 15 3/8 inches by 29 inches, holds up to 1 1/2 gallons and offers a simple, inexpensive way to collect and hold liquid hygienically and safely without drips.
Cardinal Health provides a total fluid management solution from collection to disposal. The core of their system is their line of suction canisters. Designed for safety, economy, and convenience, Cardinal's canister line includes the Guardian hard canister that provides an easy set up and a locking lid, the Flex Advantage® flexible liner system with a lightweight liner to minimize storage space and reduce disposal costs, the semi-rigid CRD canister that is lightweight and easily compacted, and a large volume hard canister (LVC) that provides a way to better collect waste in fluid-intensive procedures.
To complete their fluid management offerings, Cardinal's SAF-T Pump provides a closed disposal system to quickly and safely dispose of liquid waste into the sewer with no pouring required. When the valve on the SAF-T Pump is opened, water flows through the pump. This water flow creates suction that draws the contents of the suction canister through the dip and pump tube. The combined liquid stream then flows directly to the sanitary sewer, thus eliminating the risk of exposure to splashing waste or aerosol droplets that can form when canisters are emptied into open sinks. Since the system is powered entirely by tap water and does not require motorized or electrical components, it is extremely reliable and virtually maintenance-free.
Promethean Medical Technologies's Fluid Control Island® family of products are fluid capture devices designed for several surgical specialties that utilize endoscopic and resectoscopic instrumentation, requiring high fluid volumes for visualization, distention, and irrigation. The Island products proactively capture, contain, and continuously evacuate fluids to existing canisters or suction recovery systems for immediate measurement, without the need of a person to operate or maintain it. The Island products are all based around a low profile capture basin that evacuates on a constant basis. They all have an anti-splash surface material and, on the larger stand-on units, an anti-slip component is incorporated. Once a procedure is completed, the Island products are designed to fold onto themselves for disposal, thus reducing staff exposure to contaminated fluids.
Dornoch Medical Systems' Transposal product line is designed to safely serve the entire hospital from ER to OR. The Transposal utilizes reusable 1800 cc or 2800 cc canisters, which can eliminate as much as 25 percent of facility red bag waste. Optional 24- and 48-liter capacity High Fluid Carts simplify fluid collection during arthroscopy and cysto cases.
The Environ-mate™ DM6000 Series Suction-Drain™ Systems from MD Technologies offer low-cost, practical solutions to fluid waste management concerns. The compact, wall-mounted units collect fluid directly from the suction field and dispose of it directly into the sanitary sewer. The healthcare staff is isolated from exposure to suctioned fluids, and cost is minimized due to reduced requirements for disposable supplies. Three different Environ-mate units are available. The DM6000 is used in SPD/Utility Rooms and is offered with an optional footswitch. The DM6000-2 is intended for use in Endoscopy and has two independent suction inputs for EGD, ERCP, and Bronchoscopy procedures, or to offer a back-up suction source in single-field procedures such as colonoscopies. The compact DM6000-2A has an unlimited fluid capacity, and is ideal for use in the operating room during Arthroscopy, Urology, and Cystoscopy procedures. An optional fluid totalizer records fluid volume aspirated.
Each surgery presents its own difficulties and obstacles. In procedures that produce a high volume of fluid waste, the potential for infection and the ensuing mess are a major concern. Using the right combination of fluid control products throughout the procedure can mean the difference between a safe and successful surgery and a potential disaster. So, it is a comfort to know that there are so many options available.
Content Item Type:
One of the unfortunate by-products of a number of surgical procedures is fluid waste. This mixture of irrigation solution, blood, and other body fluids can be quite infectious and incredibly messy. Uncontained, this fluid waste can expose the surgical staff to infection, as well as injury resulting from slip and fall accidents.
Company Profile Reference:
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72 578


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Jill Scott seems to be at the top of the world right now with a baby boy at home and a new album at the top of the charts. A she recently opened up to US magazine about music and motherhood.
On how motherhood has influenced her music: "There's something about having a child. I don't know, maybe the 36 hours of labor? It just gave me a new appreciation for my self and my femininity. And my strength, you know, I think that's what it was. I walked into recording this record and wanted to be strong and free and even strong in my vulnerability. It's something about having a baby – I've been calling it lava in my spine. It's given me some fearlessness and I'm really enjoying how I feel. It's almost like my first record. I'm not worried about who's going to like it and who's not. I'm being all of me, and it feels stupendous. I don't want to leave this feeling."
On singing about her split: "There's definitely some stories about heartbreak and trying to move past that. When you're getting lost in the flesh and something I call being victimized, you just get lost in the whole sexual experience of it all. I talk about knowing one person is not necessarily for your benefit and its just a sexual relationship. I try to empower women. There's power in your curves, there's power in your mind, there's power in the whole being. My goal is to continue being a whole person. I'm more than my physical form and I'm enjoying my physical form but I'm more than that."
On giving up on her post-split celibacy vow: "Now the minimum is until the fifth date. The whole celibacy thing, you could throw that out the window. That's over. But I don't have physical intimacy until at least the fifth date. So I can get to know who I'm dealing with and they can get to know me. And with my schedule, five dates can take three or four months! It just gives me a chance to get to know the person. So we talk on the phone pretty much every day or maybe we Skype or have a date and we have fun. I'm getting to know someone so I know if they're crazy or not. I just don't want to waste my time. I'm just trying to look at the mistakes that I made. I got so caught up in the flesh and I'm not even allowing someone to get to know the best parts of me. I'm a single girl in the world, but if I don't have some standards then I can be making the same mistakes that I made in the past. I do want love. Genuine love. And sometimes sex can get in the way."
Photos by Fame
BabyRazzi on Twitter!

subset: commoncrawl


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Best Dressed in the Front Row at the Couture Shows: Vote Now!
The fall 2012 couture shows haven't wrapped up yet, but I can't resist showing you some of the fabulous outfits we've seen in the front rows so far. The A-listers are totally bringing their fashion A-game.
Jessica Alba wore a smokin' hot studded leather Versace dress to the fashion house's couture show. Big, old Hollywood waves and pointy pumps added to the femme fatale factor.
Jennifer Lawrence wore a cool printed fit-and-flare dress - a.k.a. the world's most flattering silhouette - to the Christian Dior show. Leg-lengthening beige pumps show she's really not messing around with this figure-flattery thing!
Marion Cotillard also wore a fabulous little Dior fit-and-flare dress to the show. Hers was a bit shorter (a great tip for petite ladies who feel like they get lost in A-lines) and paired with sky-high platforms.
Meanwhile, Olivia Palermo wore what looks like a skort (yes!) and a belted leather peplum top. Her accessories added to the ladylike vibe while her hair gave the outfit an "I'm 26 and I will do as I please" feel.
You guys know how I feel about Diane Kruger in Chanel's exaggerated A-line dress from the resort collection. On paper, with the menswear hat and flats, I'd be scared of this look but damn, she's making it work.
At Giorgio Armani, Zoe Saldana wore another girly, full-skirted dress. If you want to make a slightly daytime-feeling dress work for nighttime, try adding glamorous black accessories like Saldana here.
You didn't think I was going to leave out Kim Kardashian, did you? Kim wore a dramatic, slit up-to-there dress and see-through Louboutins to Stephane Rolland's show. Slicked-back hair is her new thing, too.
So ladies, which look is your favorite?__
Who was best dressed at the couture shows?__Tell me who you voted for and why in the comments!


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Vazquez catching on quickly for Red Sox
Rookie backstop showing maturity beyond his years since reaching Majors
By Quinn Roberts / MLB.com
It's been little more than a month since catcher Christian Vazquez put on a Red Sox uniform for the first time, but from his demeanor in the clubhouse and his presence on the field, you'd never know it.
Ask any coach or player about the 23-year-old since his arrival on July 9 and they'll tell you that Vazquez has made a near-seamless transition to the Majors.
"He doesn't act like he's young. He has a real maturity about himself," veteran catcher David Ross said. "He really carries himself well and has great leadership qualities. I don't look at age. I look at guys personalities in this environment, and he fits right in."
Vazquez has done his best to ask questions and absorb information, relying heavily on Ross and pitching coach Juan Nieves to help guide him in the right direction.
"He sees the game inside the game, which is very impressive," Nieves said. "It also comes from his savviness. He sees things that happen in the game that most people don't look at. Seeing him behind the dish is great. He receives the ball beautifully and is very energetic."
Manager John Farrell also sees the confidence Vazquez has in his receiving skills.
"He makes every pitch seemingly look like a strike," Farrell said. "I can tell you, there's a lot of comments from the dugout when you think there's a ball that is just off the edge or looks to be a strike. Because he presents it so well and his hands are so strong that seemingly his target never gives with a mid-90-mph fastball. It's been impressive, his receiving."
That type of trust and belief in his ability to call a game has allowed Vazquez to find success in not only breaking in the younger members of the Red Sox's starting rotation, but veterans like Clay Buchholz.
In last weekend's series against the Angels, in which Vazquez caught Allen Webster on Friday and Buchholz on Saturday, he showed the depths of his knowledge and skills.
Finding a comfort level with Webster after spending much of the year with him at Triple-A Pawtucket, Vazquez wasn't afraid to go away from the fastball and use the breaking ball in a fastball count. That type of thinking got high praise from his manager after the game, and it helped Webster earn his second win of the season.
"You can see his leadership skills when he goes to the mound to talk to pitchers," Nieves said. "I've seen some fire in him to push the guys. He's also able to be firm. That relationship will grow."
Vazquez was behind the dish for all 19 innings the next night, acting like a hockey goalie, blocking balls off his neck and mask.
"I can't say enough about Vazquez and the way he caught every inning," Buchholz said after Saturday's game. "He saved runs multiple times. He is a good catcher. He has a chance to be really, really good."
While the team has been thrilled with the progress Vazquez continues to make on a daily basis, it's not like the Red Sox didn't see it coming.
"If you want to be a good catcher, you have to take on that personality. I could tell he had that quality the first time I saw him catch in Spring Training," Ross said. "He didn't shy away from conversation, and [he] understood what he wanted to do. He talked to the pitchers and figured out how to get the most out of them. He knows pitchers personalities. He is mature beyond his years. It is a unique role, but I think he's done a phenomenal job."
From an offensive standpoint, Farrell felt like Vazquez turned a corner with Double-A Portland in 2012. During that stretch, he was able to cut down his strikeout totals and increase his walks.
Then with Portland in 2013, Vazquez hit .289 with five home runs and 48 RBIs and had more walks (47) than strikeouts (44).
"I think he gained an awful lot of confidence coming out of that year," Farrell said. "This is a guy who went from developing into his body from a physical standpoint to becoming stronger and with greater endurance, and that strength has allowed him to maintain that approach at the plate."
That success rolled over into this season with Triple-A Pawtucket and now with the Red Sox. Vazquez has reached base safely in 15 of his last 17 starts, with a hit in 11 of those contests. He also has 11 RBIs in 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
"When you look at his approach at the plate, he's not a pull hitter. In situations where there's runners in scoring position, a young hitter, opposing teams might look to attack him with breaking balls, but the fact is, the bat head doesn't travel in and out of the zone. He's got good plate coverage away," Farrell said. "And he's got some very good baseball instincts."
For now, Vazquez is enjoying the ride, hoping to prove he's ready to be the Red Sox's starting catcher next season.
"It is fun here. You have a lot of veteran guys, and Rossie has really helped me a lot," Vazquez said. "He has taught me so much about pitching and calling games. He has helped me a lot. I'm working hard and getting better every day."
Quinn Roberts is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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That image you're talking about, the second one, is not Sukhasiddhi, though it has been misidentified as such in several places. It's Khacho Karmo, one of the two Dakini practices contained in Shangpa's Five Golden Dharmas.gregkavarnos wrote:Images? The same. In another thread I posted a picture of Sukkhasiddhi. There are two main ways in which she is depicted in Tibetan iconography: in one she is sitting calmly, making a mudra with her left hand and holding a kapala (gasp!) bowl in her right hand. In the other she is depicted "revealing the secret lotus". Now, I chose the first image. The second image was normally secret and only revealed after an explanation of the symbology was given. To avoid misinterpretation.
Sometimes things that are secret get "misidentified" in public sources. A good example, eh?


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Pedro returns to Fenway for first pitch
Red Sox turn to former ace as 2010 season gets under way
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com
It was a scene that could repeat itself many times this summer.
Martinez, one of the most successful Red Sox pitchers of all time, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park on Sunday in front of an appreciative and adoring partisan crowd. Dressed in his old No. 45 Red Sox jersey and a pair of gray dress pants, Martinez returned to the site of some of his greatest triumphs.
"He's a legend here," said Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron, who played with Martinez in 2005 with the Mets. "He was with that squad that was able to overcome so much. Pedro's one of the best, man. One of the best."
Also present Sunday were rapper Dr. Dre, who took batting practice with the Red Sox, and basketball star LeBron James, whose Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the hometown Celtics earlier in the day. Prior to Keri Hilson's rendition of the national anthem, there was a flyover of two F-16 Fighting Falcon jets from the Vermont Air National Guard. And 5-year-old Joshua Sacco of Spring Hill, Tenn., delivered an original Red Sox version of the pregame speech that has made him an Internet sensation.
But the star of Boston's Opening Night festivities was Martinez, who last pitched Game 6 of the World Series for the Phillies in New York. Currently a free agent, the 38-year-old Martinez is best known for his years with the Red Sox from 1998-2004. Compiling a 117-37 record with a 2.52 ERA over that span, Martinez won two American League Cy Young Awards and led the Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years.
His .687 career winning percentage ranks second in Major League history behind Whitey Ford, and he is one of only 15 players to strike out at least 3,000 batters. Martinez's 1999 season, in which he finished 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts, is widely considered one of the greatest of all time.
"You just know you're in good company -- [he's] a very intelligent, real smart guy," Cameron said. "To have someone like that come out and throw the first pitch, that's kind of cool."
Martinez, in a ceremony that the Red Sox did not announce prior to the game, saluted the crowd and received a standing ovation as he walked from the Green Monster to the mound. Chants of "PED-RO! PED-RO!" rocked Fenway Park as he warmed up his right arm, went into his windup and delivered a pitch to his longtime catcher, Jason Varitek.
After the pitch, Martinez jogged over to Johnny Pesky, shaking Pesky's hand and spending several moments speaking with the Red Sox legend.
In a similar sentimental gesture last month, the Red Sox signed former All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to a one-day contract, allowing him to retire with the team.
Unlike Garciaparra, however, Martinez may not be done with baseball. Last season, he did not sign with the Phillies until July, making just nine regular-season starts and posting a 5-1 record. He pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers in the National League Division Series, before losing Games 2 and 6 of the World Series to the Yankees.
Later that month, Martinez's agent, Fernando Cuza, said that his client "absolutely" wanted to pitch again in 2010. Martinez did not speak to the media following his Fenway Park appearance, but it is certainly possible that he may sign with a big league team in the coming months.
Until then, Sunday night's snapshot of the future Hall of Famer will have to do.
"It's good for the game," Cameron said. "It's good to have a guy like that come out and take part in this whole thing."
Anthony DiComo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: I'm quibblequill. I read non-stop and am a competent writer. I'm my own beta. I have qualities that could place me in any of the houses, but I am a proud Gryffindor. XD or am I =0 Currently working on numerous stories; so far my best is a Lily/Regulus fic, so I'll try to have that one up soon. XD And I'm working on a..... I guess you could call it angsty, fic, about Regulus.


text: Lyttelton is the port for Christchurch, to which it is linked by rail lines and roads piercing the Port Hills through tunnels, which also give it access to the Canterbury Plains. With a low-water depth of 32 feet (10 m), the harbour can accommodate large ships bringing in petroleum products, fertilizers, iron, and steel and taking out wool, dairy products, wheat, frozen meats, and timber. Space is very limited within the town, with most level areas devoted to wharfage, storage, rail yards, offices, and bulk-oil terminals. There is some industry, including ship repair and construction yards, engineering works, and clothing factories. There are residential areas on the surrounding hills. The harbour town was near the epicentre of a strong earthquake (magnitude 6.3) earthquake that struck the Christchurch area on Feb. 22, 2011. Lyttelton sustained widespread damage to buildings, wharves, and other infrastructure. Pop. (2006) 3,075.


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|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|27 Apr 2010
|Filing date
|25 Oct 2007
|Priority date
|21 Feb 1997
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|David Barrington Everett, Stuart James Miller, Anthony David Peacham, Ian Stephen Simmons, Timothy Philip Richards, John Charles Viner
|Original Assignee
|Multos Limited
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (197), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (5), Classifications (50), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/729,509, filed on Mar. 29, 2007; patent application Ser. No. 11/729,509 is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/655,497, filed on Jan. 19, 2007; patent application Ser. No. 11/655,497 is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/932,013, filed on Aug. 17, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,339; patent application Ser. No. 09/932,013 is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/076,551, filed on May 12, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,832, entitled "Secure Multiple Application Card System and Process"; patent application Ser. No. 09/076,551 claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/046,514 filed on May 15, 1997, entitled "Design for a Multi Application Smart Card", and further claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/046,543 filed on May 15, 1997; and patent application Ser. No. 09/076,551 is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/023,057, filed on Feb. 12, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,372, entitled "Secure Multi-Application IC Card System Having Selective Loading and Deleting Capability"; and this instant application also claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application 60/046,514 filed on May 15, 1997, entitled "Design for a Multi Application Smart Card"; U.S. provisional patent application 60/046,543 filed on May 15, 1997, entitled "Virtual Machine for a Multi Application Smart Card"; and Great Britain patent application 9703591.9 filed on Feb. 21, 1997 and entitled "Multiple Application Computer System." All eight of these prior patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference into the present patent application in their entireties.
This invention pertains to the field of distribution of computer software applications, and, in particular, for providing secure transmission of the software applications and secure loading of the software applications onto tamper resistant modules.
The invention relates to a computer system in which a population of computers has access to multiple software applications. The computers may be personal computers (PC's) or, for example, integrated circuit cards ("IC cards"), also known as "smart cards". The applications may be programs available from a variety of sources, including computer tape or disc, and, in particular, remote computers with which a serial link, typically by telephone, is established.
In the PC environment, it is customary to distribute applications on floppy discs or CD ROMS and to retain them on a local hard disc for operation. In many ways, this is inconvenient, demanding high capacity local storage media and presenting difficulties with updates. In the field of smart cards, the problem of local application storage is much more acute, because storage capacity in the integrated circuit is relatively very limited. A solution in both cases is to make available applications held remotely and download them via a remote link. Internet and intranet systems are ideal vehicles for this, and it is possible to run PC's from Internet application modules (or "applets" as they are called) for immediate running and then to discard the applets. The applets require no local long-term storage capacity. An example of such a system is JAVA.
Several difficulties are associated with downloaded applications. One is hardware compatibility. Different computers have different microprocessors and different operating systems. It has been customary to re-write applications to cater to different computers, but this is cost-effective only for large, widely used, and static applications. It is not practicable for applets. A second problem is control of the applets. Without control, it would be possible for applets to make direct hardware calls to take control of local storage or communication devices. This could be mischievous at best and severely damaging or criminal at worst.
JAVA meets these two difficulties by ensuring that the applets are written in a common high-level interpreted language and that a local interpreter processes the applet instructions. Thus, all applets are written in the same language, and the interpreter constitutes both a hardware buffer and a control buffer. Similarly, and for the same reasons, proposals have been made for on-board interpreters in smart cards to run downloaded high-level language applications.
The wide availability of multiple applications to a population of computers raises another problem. For various reasons, it may be desirable to restrict the availability of certain applications to certain computers. For example, some applications may make demands which the hardware of a particular computer cannot meet. These represent technical limitations present in spite of the interpreter arrangement. Furthermore, there may be commercial or moral restraints to be placed on the accessibility of certain applications to certain computers. The present invention seeks to provide a solution to this problem.
IC cards are becoming increasingly used for many different purposes in the world today. An IC card typically is the size of a conventional credit card which contains a computer chip including a microprocessor, read-only-memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), an Input/Output (I/O) mechanism, and other circuitry to support the microprocessor in its operations. An IC card may contain a single application or may contain multiple independent applications in its memory. MULTOS™ is a multiple application operating system which runs on IC cards, among other platforms, and allows multiple applications to be executed on the IC card itself. This allows a card user to run many programs stored in the IC card (for example, credit/debit, electronic money/purse, and/or loyalty applications), irrespective of the type of terminal (i.e., ATM, telephone, and/or POS) in which the IC card is inserted for use.
A conventional single application IC card, such as a telephone card or an electronic cash card, is loaded with a single application at its personalization stage when it is manufactured and before it is given to a card user. That application, however, cannot be modified or changed after the IC card is issued, even if the modification is desired by the IC card user or issuer. Moreover, if a card user wanted a variety of application functions to be performed by IC cards issued to him or her, such as both an electronic purse and a credit/debit function, the card user would be required to carry multiple physical cards on his or her person, which would be quite cumbersome and inconvenient. If an application developer or card user desired two different applications to interact or exchange data with each other, such as a purse application interacting with a frequent flyer loyalty application, the card user would be forced to swap multiple cards in and out of the card-receiving terminal, making the transaction difficult, lengthy, and inconvenient.
Therefore, it is beneficial to store multiple applications on the same IC card. For example, a card user may have both a purse application and a credit/debit application on the same IC card, so that the user could select which type of payment (by electronic cash or credit card) to use to make a purchase. Multiple applications could be provided to an IC card if sufficient memory exists and an operating system capable of supporting multiple applications is present on the IC card. Although multiple applications could be preselected and placed in the memory of the IC card during its production stage, it would also be beneficial to have the ability to load and delete applications for the IC card post-production as needed.
The increased flexibility and power of storing multiple applications on a single IC card create new challenges to be overcome concerning the integrity and security of the information (including application code and associated data) exchanged between the individual IC card and the application provider, as well as within the entire system when loading and deleting applications. It would be beneficial to have the capability in the IC card system to exchange data among IC cards, IC card issuers, system operators and application providers securely and to load and delete applications securely at any time from a local terminal or remotely over a telephone line, Internet, or intranet connection or other data conduit. Because these data transmission lines are not typically secure lines, a number of security and entity authentication techniques must be implemented to make sure that applications being sent over the transmission lines are not tampered with and are loaded onto the intended IC cards only.
As mentioned, it is important—particularly where there is a continuing wide availability of new applications to the cardholder—that the system has the capability of adding applications onto the IC card subsequent to issuance. This is necessary to protect the longevity of the IC cards; otherwise, once an application becomes outdated, the IC card would be useless. It would be beneficial to allow the addition of applications from a remote location as well as from a direct connection to an application provider's terminal. For example, it would be beneficial for a card user to be able to plug his or her IC card into a home computer and download an application over the Internet. This type of remote loading of applications raises a number of security risks when transmitting the application code and related data over an unsecured communications line such as the Internet. Several issues need to be addressed in a system which provides such a capability.
One issue is to make sure that the IC card receiving the application is the intended IC card and not another IC card. A second issue is determining how the IC card can authenticate that the application came from the proper application provider and not an unknown third party. A third issue concerns preventing third parties from reading the application and making an unauthorized copy. If a portion of the application is encrypted to address the latter issue, the intended IC card needs to have access to the correct key to decrypt the application. In a system with many IC cards and additionally many application providers, a secure key transfer technique is required so that the intended IC card can use the correct key for the application which is received. These concerns are raised by both remote application loading as well as by local terminal application loading.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a key transfer and authentication technique, and specifically to provide a secure IC card system that allows for the secure transfer of smart card applications which may be loaded onto IC cards.
A further security issue is that an entity which transmits an application or data to an IC card requires that only the intended IC card should receive the transmitted data. Third parties should not be able to intercept and view the data. Additionally, a transmitting entity will require verification that the IC card which has requested information is actually part of the overall IC card system and not simply posing as being part of the system. These concerns are also raised by both remote application loading as well as by local terminal application loading.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide secure transfer techniques, and, specifically, to provide a secure IC card system that allows for the secure transfer of data, including smart card applications which may be loaded onto IC cards.
According to the invention, a computer system comprises a population of computers; tamper-resistant modules each associated respectively with one of said computers; a plurality of computer applications; provider means for holding the computer applications; and means for coupling the provider means to the computers for downloading the computer applications to the computers.
The computers may be personal computers (PC's) or any other types of computers, in which case the tamper-resistant modules may be smart cards read by readers coupled to the computers or, for example, dongles, PC cards, or PCMCIA cards coupled to the computers. Furthermore, although the following description of the preferred embodiments revolves around a discussion of IC cards (or "smart cards"), the presently claimed methods and apparati are applicable to all tamper resistant modules generally, and not just to such cards. Thus, the term "tamper resistant module" can be used in lieu of the term "IC card" or "smart card" throughout this written description. The term "tamper resistant module" includes, but is not limited to, one or more IC cards, smart cards, dongles, PC cards, and/or PCMCIA cards. The IC cards, smart cards, dongles, PC cards, and/or PCMCIA cards may be coupled to one or more computers.
Methods, apparati, and computer-readable media for securely transporting a software application onto a tamper resistant module (TRM) (103) by using an individualized TRM key set. A method embodiment of the present invention comprises storing a key pair unique to the TRM (103) in a memory located on the TRM (103), where the key pair comprises a TRM public key (150) and a TRM private key (190); retrieving the TRM public key from the TRM; encrypting a portion of the software application using the TRM public key (150); transmitting the encrypted software application to the TRM (103); and recovering and decrypting the encrypted software application using the TRM private key (190). As used throughout this patent application, including the claims, "portion" can mean anything from a de minimus portion to 100% of the software application. Furthermore, "portion" can mean more than one portion.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:
Throughout the Figures, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components, or portions of the illustrated embodiments. Moreover, while the subject invention will now be described in detail with reference to the Figures, it is done so in connection with the illustrative embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit of the subject invention as defined by the appended claims.
It is beneficial to have the capability to load applications onto IC cards containing multiple application operating systems at any time during the lifetime of the IC card or other tamper resistant module. This flexibility allows a user of an IC card to periodically add new applications to the IC card, and also allows older applications to be updated with newer versions of the application when they are released. For example, a card user may start with an IC card that contains a purse, or electronic cash application (e.g., MONDEX™), being stored on his IC card. Some time after the user has the IC card, he or she may load an additional application, such as a credit/debit application, onto the IC card. Some time after loading the credit/debit application onto the IC card, a new version of the credit/debit application may become available, and the card user should be able to erase the old application on his IC card and replace it with the new version of the credit/debit application, which may contain additional features. Additionally, an IC card needs to receive data regarding personal information, such as new credit card account numbers or updated information.
The flexibility of loading applications and transmitting data at different times during the IC card's life cycle creates security issues with the process of loading applications onto the IC card. In a multiple application operating system environment, it is beneficial to be able to load applications and data both at terminals, such as a bank ATM machine, as well as over remote communication links, such as telephone lines, cable lines, the Internet, satellite, or other communications means. When loading applications and data onto an IC card, the application provider and the card issuer (which could be the same entity) need to provide security regarding the applications to be loaded. First, the application provider must make sure the application is sent only to the correct card user who is intended to receive the application. One solution to this problem is addressed in a related patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,372, entitled "Secure Multi-Application IC Card System Having Selective Loading and Deleting Capability" by Everett et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Two additional security concerns also need to be addressed when loading an application from a remote source, or even from a local terminal, onto an IC card. First, the source of the application must be authenticated as the proper originator so that applications which may contain viruses or simply take up the limited storage memory in an IC card are not allowed to be loaded onto the IC card. Second, the application and associated data may contain private or trade secret information which needs to be encrypted, so entities other than the IC card cannot view the contents of the encrypted application code and data. A portion of the application code and data may be secret while other portions are not. These concerns of authentication and protecting the contents of some or all of the application and associated data being loaded onto an IC card are addressed herein.
A number of encryption/decryption techniques are described herein. There are two basic types of encryption, symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption. Symmetric encryption uses a private key as part of a mathematical formula which encrypts data by transforming the data using the formula and key. After the data is encrypted, another party can decrypt the encrypted data using the same private key with a related decryption algorithm. Thus, the same key is used for encryption and decryption, so the technique is symmetric. A conventional example of a symmetric algorithm is the Data Encryption Standard (DES).
Asymmetric encryption techniques use two different keys of a pair for encrypting and decrypting information. The two keys are normally referred to as a private (or secret) key, and a public key. When data is encrypted with one key of the pair, the other key is used to decrypt the data. If a sender of data signs the data (or a digest of the data) with his private key, forming what is called a digital signature, anyone with the public key can verify the authenticity of the message. When person A wants to authenticate a message to person B, person A signs the document with his private key. When person B receives the message, he uses person A's public key to verify the authenticity of the message. If the message is verified with the public key, person B knows that the document was signed with the private key of person A. Thus, the origin of the message has been authenticated.
The asymmetric key set can also be used to confidentially protect the contents of a message. If person A wants to send an encrypted message to person B that no one else can read, person A encrypts the data or message with person B's public key and sends it to person B. Now only the holder of person B's private key can decrypt the data. When a combination of keys is used, a person can both authenticate and encrypt the message. The asymmetric pair of keys has some powerful applications with respect to IC card security, and is more robust than symmetric encryption. However, asymmetric encryption is relatively more processor costly (processor cost is associated with computation time) compared with symmetric encryption. An example of asymmetric encryption method is RSA™.
A hybrid of symmetric encryption which makes the encryption method more powerful is to encrypt data using two symmetric keys. This technique, called triple DES, encodes data with symmetric key 1, decodes the data using symmetric key 2 (which in effect further encodes the data), and then further encodes the data using key 1 again. Once the data has arrived at its destination, key 1 is used to decode the data, key 2 is used to encode the data, and key 1 is used to decode the data. These extra steps of encoding and decoding make the technique more powerful and more difficult to properly decipher without both keys.
The transmitting entity 10 is coupled to interface device 105 (e.g., a terminal that communicates with an IC card). Data conduit 107 can be a telephone line, an intranet, the Internet, a satellite link, or any other type of communications link. In this example, the transmitting entity 10, which is remotely located from IC card 103, desires to send data in a secure manner to the IC card 103. However, because the data link is an "open" link (i.e. not a private link) and subject to third parties possibly intercepting or replacing data being transmitted, security measures are needed to guarantee that only the intended IC card receives the transmitted data. The certificate Authority (CA) 109 can also be used to authenticate that the IC card 103 has been validated as part of the IC card system.
The public key certificate 170 is generated by signing the public key 150 with the private key of the CA 109. This allows a person with the public key of the CA 109 to verify that the CA 109 digitally signed the IC card's public key 150 in order to certify the IC card's individual key set. The public key certificate can be generated by the CA 109 at the time the IC card private/public key set is generated or at a subsequent time.
When a data transfer is initiated by the transmitting entity 10, the IC card 103 is contacted through the interface device 105, and the IC card 103 sends its public key 150 and its public key certificate 170 to the transmitting entity 10. The transmitting entity 10 then verifies the public key certificate 170 with the public key 130 of the CA 109 (public key 130 is publicly available from the CA 109 and may be stored in the transmitting entity 10), thus determining whether the CA 109 digitally signed the public key 170 and verifying that the IC card 103 is a valid IC card.
The transmitting entity 10 then encrypts the data to be transmitted with the IC card's public key 170. The transmitting entity 10 then transmits the encrypted data 110 to the interface device 105 and to the IC card 103. The IC card 103 decrypts the encrypted data with its corresponding private (also called secret) key 190. The data can then be processed by the IC card 103. Only the IC card 103 has a copy of its private key 109, so only the intended IC card 103 can access the encrypted data 110. This ensures that third parties cannot access the encrypted data 110, and correspondingly that only the intended IC card 103 is able to read and process the data.
Data conduit 107 can be a telephone line, an intranet, the Internet, a satellite link, or any other type of communications link. The application provider 101, which is remotely located from the IC card 103, desires to send and load an application to the IC card 103. However, because the data link 107 is an open link and subject to third parties possibly intercepting or replacing applications being transmitted, security measures which authenticate the application itself, the application provider 101 and the IC card 103 must be used to ensure the integrity of the system. The certificate authority (CA) 109 may also be used to help authenticate that some data being transferred is part of an identified system.
AUs 205 is the application code and data AU 203 digitally signed with the private key of the application provider 101. The public key of the application provider 101 is sent as part of the ALC 113, and is used to authenticate the application provider 101 as the originator of the application. ALC 113, is made up of IC card identification information and the application provider's public key and is signed by the private key of the certification authority 109. All these elements will be described in more detail below.
Key transformation unit (KTU) 207 contains information relating to the encryption of the AU 203 (the code and data of the application), which allows the IC card 103 to decrypt the encrypted portions so that the application and data can be accessed by the IC card 103 while still being protected during transmission between the application provider 101 and the IC card 103. KTU 207 is encrypted with the public key of the IC card 103 for which the application is intended, so as to ensure that only the intended IC card 103 can decrypt the application code and data using the KTU 207 information. This element will be described in connection with
For example, in the MULTOS system, the program can be written in MEL™ (MULTOS Executable Language). Most applications have associated data which must be loaded onto the IC card 103. For instance, data which identifies the IC card user such as a person's name or account number may be loaded in a secure manner with the credit/debit application. An application provider 101 may provide electronic cash, represented by data, as a promotion when installing an electronic purse application. Some or all of this data is desired to be kept secret from third parties. Additionally, the application code itself may be considered proprietary and portions may be desired to be kept secret from others. The use of key transformation unit 207 allows an application provider 101 to designate and encrypt selected portions of its application as confidential and protect it from third parties.
Application unit (AU) portion 305 indicates the program code which is to be transferred from the application provider 101 to the IC card 103. AU portion 307 indicates the associated data which is to be transferred as part of the application to be loaded onto the IC card 103. In this example, three discrete areas of the application unit are shown to be encrypted using either single DES or triple DES. Any number of variations regarding the portions encrypted and the type of encryption can be employed using the techniques described herein.
In this example, encrypted location 309 shows the first portion of the AU 203, which has been encrypted using a triple DES technique. The encryption process, as described above, involves using a symmetric key and the conventionally known DES-based algorithm to transform the data. The data can later be recovered by applying a key to the known DES-based decryption algorithm. Encrypted location 311 shows a second portion of the application unit 203, which has been encrypted using triple DES. Encrypted location 313 shows a third portion, which is encrypted using single DES. Single DES requires less computation to decrypt and takes up less space as part of the key transformation unit (KTU) 207 as described below. If the AU 203 were intercepted by a third party while it was being transmitted from the application provider 101 to the IC card 103, the encrypted portions could not be read unless the third party had the correct keys and decryption algorithm. That information, therefore, is protected in the KTU 207.
The KTU 207 is used to allow an intended IC card 103 (an IC card for which the application and associated data are intended) to decrypt the encrypted portions of the AU 203 by describing which portions of the AU 203 are encrypted, which encryption algorithm was used, and the key or keys to be used to decipher the text. This information is highly confidential between the application provider 101 and the intended IC card 103, and therefore is protected in a manner unique to the intended IC card 103. In order to encrypt the KTU 207 which is part of the overall application load unit 111 being transmitted, an individual key set for the particular intended IC card 103 is used. The key set and its generation will now be described.
In accordance with the present invention, one of the security operations performed at the certificate authority (CA) 109 is to generate an individualized key set for each IC card which is stored on the IC card. The key set is used for off-card verification (i.e., to verify that the IC card is an authentic IC card) and for secure data transportation. The key generation method is shown generally in
Step 401 stores an IC card specific transport private key for the individual IC card in the memory of the IC card. This private key is generated by the CA 109 from a standard asymmetric encryption technique such as RSA™ and loaded onto the IC card 103 via an IC card acceptance device. Once stored on the IC card, the CA 109 deletes from its own memory any data relating to the private key. Thus, only the IC card itself knows its private key. The data element containing the private key information in the IC card is called "mkd_sk" which stands for MULTOS key data secret key.
Step 403 stores a card specific transport public key for the individual IC card 103 in the memory of the IC card 103. This public key is preferably generated by the CA 109 from the asymmetric encryption technique used to produce the private key in step 401. As with the private key, once the public key is stored on the IC card 103, the CA 109 (or other key provider) deletes from its systems the public key data, so that the only copy of the public key is kept in the IC card 103. The data element containing the IC card's public key information is called "mkd_pk" which stands for MULTOS key data public key.
Step 405 stores a card specific transport public key certificate for the individual IC card 103 in the memory of the IC card 103. The data element containing the IC card's public key certificate information is called "mkd_pk_c", which stands for MULTOS key data public key certificate. This public key certificate is preferably generated by signing the transport public key mkd_pk with the private key of the CA 109, indicated as follows:
which means the individual IC card's public key certificate is formed by applying the CA's private key to the individual IC card's public key. The process is carried out at the CA 109. The public key certificate is retained by the CA 109 so that it can regenerate the public key as needed.
A terminal can read the public key certificate from an IC card to verify that the CA 109 had signed and therefore approved the individual IC card 103. This is accomplished by verifying the public key certificate with the public component of the CA key set used to sign the mkd_pk. The decrypted public key certificate can then be compared with the public key to verify that the key certificate was certified (signed) by the CA.
KTU ciphertext 503 corresponds to KTU plaintext (not encrypted) encrypted with the public key mkd_pk of the intended IC card 103 as shown in box 507. The KTU plaintext is further described in
Step 903 decrypts ALC 209 with the public key of CA 109. Each IC card 103 preferably stores in its memory a copy of the CA public key, because it is used in many transactions. Alternatively, the IC card 103 could obtain the public key from a known storage location. When the CA public key successfully verifies the ALC 209, IC card 103 has verified that CA 109 has signed ALC 209 with its private key and, thus, that ALC 209 is proper. When IC card 103 cannot verify ALC 209 successfully, ALC 209 was not signed by CA 109 and the certificate is not proper. The application loading process then ends.
Step 905 then checks the identity of IC card 103 against the identification information sent in ALC 209 to make sure the IC card is intended to receive the application. This permissions checking is described in the related patent identified above. When there is no match of identification data, the application loading process ends. When the identification data does match, the process continues.
Step 907 uses the application provider's public key 801, which was recovered from the verified ALC 209, to verify application unit signature (AUs.) 205. When the application load unit (ALU) 111 was generated by the application provider 101, the application unit 203 was signed with the application provider's private key to authenticate that the application was provided by the correct application provider 101. The application provider 101 then provides its public key to IC card 103 through the ALC 209. The IC card 103 then verifies the AUs 205. When the ALU 111 is successfully verified, it is accepted as having been generated by the application provider 101. Because the application provider's public key is part of ALC 209 which is signed by the certificate authority (CA) 109, CA 109 can make sure that the proper public key has been provided to IC card 103. This unique key interaction between the application provider 101, CA 109 and the intended IC card 103 ensures that no counterfeit or unapproved applications or data are loaded onto an IC card which is part of the secure system.
Step 911 then processes a key transformation unit (KTU) authentication check, which further verifies that only the intended IC card 103 has received the application. The KTU authentication check makes sure that, when a third party does somehow intercept ALU 111, the third party cannot read the enciphered portions of the application unit (AU) 203 and cannot retrieve the keys to decrypt AU 203. This step is further explained in
Step 1003 then decrypts KTU ciphertext 503 using the IC card's private key (mkd_sk). The KTU plaintext was previously encrypted using the intended IC card's public key (mkd_pk). This means that only the holder of the intended IC card's private key could decrypt the encrypted message. The application provider 101 obtains the intended IC card's public key either from the IC card 103 itself (See
Step 1005 identifies an encrypted area of the application unit (AU) 203. In the example of the KTU plaintext described in connection with
Step 1007 then retrieves the key from KTU plaintext and decrypts the identified portion with the identified decryption technique. This allows IC card 103 to have the decrypted portion of AU 203, which it will store in its EEPROM once all the encrypted portions have been decrypted.
Step 1009 checks whether there are any other additional encrypted areas. In the example described in
Step 1011 then loads the decrypted application unit 203 into the memory of IC card 103. The application load unit (ALU) has passed all of the authentication and decryption checks and the application can now properly reside on IC card 103 and be executed and used by the IC card user. While the different checks have been presented in a particular order in
Control logic 1111 provides sufficient sequencing and switching to handle read-write access to the IC card's memory through the input/output ports 1113. Central processing unit (CPU) 1101 with its control logic 1111 can perform calculations, access memory locations, modify memory contents, and manage input/output ports. Some IC cards have a coprocessor for handling complex computations such as performing cryptographic operations. Input/output ports 1113 are used under the control of CPU 1101 and control logic 1111, for communications between the IC card and a card interface device. Timer 1109 (which generates or provides a clock pulse) drives the control logic 1111 and CPU 1101 through a sequence of steps that accomplish memory access, memory reading or writing, processing, and data communication. A timer may be used to provide application features such as call duration. Security circuitry 1115 includes fusible links that connect the input/output lines to internal circuitry as required for testing during manufacture, but which are destroyed ("blown") upon completion of testing to prevent later access. After the ALU has been authenticated and verified, the data from application unit 203 is stored in EEPROM 1105. The IC card private key is stored in a secure memory location. The IC card public key and public key certificate is preferably stored in EEPROM 1105. The authentication process as described herein is performed by CPU 1101.
The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems and methods which, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within the spirit and scope of the invention.
For example, while loading an application is discussed herein, the same secure loading processes can apply to transmitting other types of data such as data blocks, database files, word processing documents, or any other type of data need to be transmitted in a secure manner.
Furthermore, although the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments revolves around a discussion of IC cards (or "smart cards"), the presently claimed methods and apparati are applicable to all tamper resistant modules generally, and not just to such cards. Thus, the term "tamper resistant module" can be used in lieu of the term "IC card" or "smart card" throughout this written description. The term "tamper resistant module" includes, but is not limited to, one or more IC cards, smart cards, dongles, PC cards, and/or PCMCIA cards. The IC cards, smart cards, dongles, PC cards, and/or PCMCIA cards may be coupled to one or more computers. Moreover, the term "personal computer/tamper resistant module combination" can be substituted for "IC card" or "smart card" throughout this written description, and the term "PC" as used herein can mean any type of computer.
Similarly, it will be appreciated that references to "software" modules include modules that can be implemented in any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Such modules can be embodied in one or more computer-readable media, such as one or more hard disks, floppy disks, CD's, DVD's, etc.
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|U.S. Classification
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|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|3 Jan 2008
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text:
Short Final
On some air bases, the military uses one side of the field and civilian aircraft use the other side, with the tower in the middle serving both. One day, at one of these fields, a call from an aircraft called in asking, "Hey, Tower, what time is it?"
The tower answered, "Who is calling?"
The aircraft answered, "What difference does it make?"
The tower responded with, "It makes a lot of difference. If you are a civilian aircraft, it's three o'clock; if you're an Army aircraft, it's 1500 hours; if you're a Navy aircraft, it's 3 bells; if you're an Air Force aircraft, the big hand is on 12 and the little hand is on 3; and if you're a Marine aircraft, it's Thursday afternoon and 120 minutes 'til Happy Hour."
John Yates
via e-mail
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text:
Hello OttiMane wrote:hi weasel,
whats your problem?
I know from paragliders that the Jet Flap works pretty well there. Tests were done not only by students but also magazines....they work without any doubt...
cannot judge about the fins, but it seems you can...
No problem whatsoever, why, do you have one?
"you know from paragliders..." ...Awesome, quantify that dude!
What you mean to say is Skywalk the parent company of Flysurfer utilises its patented JF technology on its product in an attempt to gain ....
Here is a reference for you... http://www.skywalk.info/development-2/j ... s/?lang=en
Here is the rub....if this idea is so revolutionary it would have taken over the market by pure demonstration of its abilities. This could be shown in all competition results and the demand for them by all manufacturers. Bear in mind this gimmik has been around a while on the Skywalks .and is just plaigerised from a practical application where it is of critical intrinsic use. A patent is a joke.
These results are not there. Now see what I wrote earlier about these gimmiks being neither detrimental or advantageous to performance. Relate that to the centre fin and note that the folk that are most likely to get the maximum performance of the board are most likely those that remove all the fins and block the holes. The upwind relevance is particularly aimed at those whose desire for better upwind ability are most likely to be a beginner/first board. This is great for building a loyal customer base. That is not to say the board is bad (as mentioned) but attributing magical factors etc as mentioned is tiresome and disregards a customer base that can appreciate it for what it already is. Next step past there is to claim "superiority" over other products based on models and not practical application. ie..where exactly are the superior "jet flap" enabled foils in the world rankings and why is there still any LEI`s flying. I am not saying it is a bad product.
Go on, take a good look at Skywalks Jet flap page and then a FS and then the board page
Gimmik to entice and if some prefer its "feel" all the better. The claims and psuedoscience however.
Take a look at your own examples in your posts. They are found wanting. Take another look at what I have said in the first 2 posts. It still holds. Bear in mind Gunnar is a representative of this BS and prolific. Of course he is as he has a vested interest and a young ego to stroke which results as per usual in chest beating. That is not to say he is any different to 95% of all other young men.
Your reference to "magazines have done tests" LOL !!! I bet they weren`t vested were they. Go on and justify that with conviction. If you can I suggest you buy the board for the centre fin with lots of tests n reserch n $hit that show it iz da bomb . Gimmee a break, this is shooting fish in a barrel.
If I choose to call BS on an international forum, can and choose to....I will.
If you wish you can see the humour in it all.
Heh heh, did you notice the last 2 offerings from FS??
After having vested so much in them it will take a while to fade them out and keep face.
Naxt time you see the JF`s quantify the length of overall span they take up. Then look at the lovely graphic of the air flowing over them. Pause for a while to let it sink in and then realise the name and little advertising graphic took longer to come up with and are crap too!. Equate that to the real thing the next time you fly and try not to laugh!
keep asking questions...you might learn something..
Do not mistake this for a debate.


text:
Hello everyone,
I have recently seen that a cheap GT 620 will not hold much longer for any type of gaming. Even if i'm used to very low FPS (for example 7-15 in Farcry 3, 15-20 in saints row 3), I would like to be able to enjoy better graphics. I have recently seen the new GTX 650TI boost and I was extremely surprised since the price point is fairly low. But one problem remains, I only have 460 watts in my machine and have no intention of buying a new PSU now. (more because of the extra cost)
So here is my question, will I be able to run the card in my computer without having frequent BSODs because of overheating?
Here's what currently is in my machine:
i7-3770 (not overclocked, I don't think you can anyway)
GT 620 ( that would be removed)
A ssd (this one http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226318 I also have the original HDD in)
Here's the model if you need more info: Hp Pavilion HPE H8-1213c http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&tmp_geoLoc=true&docname=c03363679#N634
Finally, If it does work, what company should I go with? Zotac seems to have the lowest price point, but is there anything wrong etc.
And if it does not work, should I wait to see what AMD wil do to counter this, or should I save up more and get a whole new PSU and an other card like the GTX 670 or an equivalent on AMD's side.
Do note that i'm not interested in anything below the GTX 650ti boost, the increase in performance would be a bit too low for the money.
Thank You
EDIT: I did search online to see if the card would work on my system, I found it should work with 450w, but I don't want to spend 200$ to realise I need to spend another 100$ to use the card.
Aaaand I don't understand anything past the processor and graphics card point in wattage calculators
EDIT2: Fixed my mistake where I wrote 550 instead of 650


text:
-- Robert Preidt
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Deep brain stimulation might help improve the driving ability of people with Parkinson's disease, a new German study suggests.
A deep brain stimulator is an implanted device that sends electrical impulses to the brain. With patients who have epilepsy, the stimulator is believed to lower the risk of seizures, the researchers said.
A driving simulator tested the abilities of 23 Parkinson's patients with a deep brain stimulator, 21 patients without the device and a control group of 21 people without Parkinson's. The patients with brain stimulators were tested three times: once with the device on, once with the device off and once with the stimulator off after they took the Parkinson's drug levodopa.
The Parkinson's patients without stimulators performed worse in every driving category except one. The patients with stimulators did not perform significantly worse than people in the control group in any category, and even did better in the category of slight driving errors.
Patients with stimulators averaged 3.8 slight driving errors, compared to 11.4 errors for patients without stimulators and 7.5 errors for healthy controls, according to the study, which was published online in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal Neurology.
Parkinson's patients with stimulators made 11 driving errors when their stimulator was on, 13 errors when it was off and they took levodopa, and 14 errors when their stimulator was off and they did not take the medication.
"Until now, we weren't sure how deep brain stimulation would affect driving," study author Dr. Carsten Buhmann, of University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, in Germany, said in a journal news release.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about Parkinson's disease.
EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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text:
CIWM/WAMITAB Certification Testing
The Continuing Competence test forms part of the CIWM/WAMITAB Operator Competence scheme which was approved by Governments on December 2008 and applies to England and Wales only. It is designed to meet the requirement of keeping a person's waste management competence up to date.
The test has two components both of which must be taken together, the two components are:
- Generic Knowledge Test (GKT) ('generic') comprising questions on Legislation, Health and Safety and Environmental Protection; and
- Activity-Specific Test (AST) (or 'option') which comprises questions on the specific competence or competencies which need to be maintained.
The test encompasses 18 multiple-questions for the GKT and a further 8 multiple-questions for each AST depending on how many are chosen. The 'test time' allowed will be 30 minutes for the generic section and 10 minutes for each option.
For further information visit www.wamitab.org.uk
Test registration and scheduling information
The test is computer based and delivered through a suite of 'independent test centres' operated by Pearson VUE. Use the buttons on the right-hand side of this web site to locate a test centre; schedule; re-schedule or cancel a test.
Deciding which Option(s) to take
Before taking the test the candidate must already have decided what option(s) to take as the test menu will ask him/her to select these during the test. Further information on selecting the option(s) can be found on WAMITAB's website.


text:
Friday, November 9, 2012
Governor-elect Jay Inslee puts his arm around Unjin Lee, outreach director for his campaign, who is overcome with emotion that the race is finally resolved. Inslee met with his staffers at his headquarters on Rainier Avenue in Seattle.
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