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The gloves were off, and the gauntlet thrown. On May 26, 2008, Jim Pierce of Amazing Audio sent me a major challenge via email.
Jim and his distributor, David Kalin, had recently visited Casa Bellecci-Serinus to attend the Bay Area Audiophile Society's (BAAS) first public demo of Reference Recordings' bit-for-bit, high-resolution HRx DVDs. Here, they saw that my system included the Nordost Thor power distribution center and conditioner. This prompted them to write:
After reading your excellent review in Secrets of HT and High Fidelity on the Nordost Thor, I realized that you truly appreciate what the excellent Nordost Thor LC can do for a well-designed audio system. We here at Amazing Audio are positive that our Electric Bamboo Line Purifier will be as much better than the Nordost Thor as the Thor is to your EP-15A. We have had the opportunity to compare our "EB" to the Nordost Thor, Exact Power, Electro Clear, By Bee [sic], Audio Magic, PS Audio and others in several high-end systems. It consistently out performed each of them. The reason it can do much more than any of these fine machines is because its circuit design is unique and revolutionary, going where no other manufacture has gone before.
We are asking you to please give it a listen and give us your evaluation. You are the first reviewer we have approached because we believe that you have the listening skills to hear the amazing power of the "EB" and have the uncanny ability to describe in words what this extraordinary component does in a great audio system. We also discovered that you are fearless as to what others think of you honest opinions on an audio product.
- 8 Grounded Outlets – 4 Digital – 4 Analog
- 100% Passive Design Hubble Isolated Ground Receptacles
- 110V – 120V Operation
- Output Limits: 1650 Watts
- Dimensions: 6″ H x 13″W x 7.5″D
- Weight: 18 Pounds
- MSRP: $2,995; Introductory Price: $2,195.00
- Amazing Audio
The challenge was tempting. Given that Amazing Audio is located in the South Bay, less than an hour from my home, it was easy for Jim and David to bring over a unit. Knowing that Bob Walters, the new, extremely dedicated coordinator of BAAS, had not only installed an Electric Bamboo in his own system, but had also used it in more than one BAAS demo, provided extra incentive. Besides, I like to test my ears.
I soon decided to engage in a three-way power treatment experiment. Having once used the PS Audio P600 Power Plant as my power source, I asked Paul McGowan of PS Audio to send me his Power Plant Premier for review. Paul sent two, one for each of my loaner VTL 450 monoblocks. I was thus equipped to compare the Electric Bamboo to two entirely different units, one a power regenerator which can only output a certain amount of current, the other the Nordost Thor. The manufacturers of the Thor and Electric Bamboo claim that neither unit limits current.
I have since devoted multiple extended listening sessions to the Electric Bamboo. One, which included Bob Walters and Ori Mizrahi-Shalom of BAAS, involved extended comparisons between all three units. The most recent, conducted in the presence of David Kalin, involved extended comparisons between the Thor and Electric Bamboo while switching back and forth between two radically different-sounding sets of cables. (I explain why below).
Technical Description and Design
The Electric Bamboo line purifier is an entirely passive, transformer-free device. Unless viewed from the outlet side, which many owners prefer to position face up, it has a distinctly utilitarian appearance. In fact, save for the barely noticeable engraving of "Electric Bamboo" on one side, it is pretty plain Jane.
Designed by Jim Pierce and David Kalin, along with a few friends who have chosen not to take credit, the Electric Bamboo is manufactured in the USA. David and Jim have previously designed two speakers, the Galante and Grand Forte, both of which are available from Amazing Audio.
The EB has eight Hubble star grounded receptacles, four of which are designed for digital, the other four for analog. Plugging an analog component into a digital outlet, or vice-versa, will not yield optimal results.
Other design elements of interest include: (1) All components are cryogenically treated; (2) Audiophile grade Sonicap capacitors are used; (3) There are no transformers or other current limiting devices; (4) Special damping materials are used; (5) It has a non-ferrite design; (6) It has custom designed high performance "noise interceptors" on all outlets; and (7) It uses an audio grade 15A ceramic fuse.
In an extended phone interview, David Kalin explained the genesis of the Electric Bamboo, and described its features:
We were noticing that no matter how many equipment and cable changes we made, music seemed to change from day to day, be it in imaging or sound staging. We expected our power supply wasn't being consistent. So we tried a few of the fancy name line conditioners that have reviews from major magazines, such as Nordost and Shunyata. Even though they corrected a lot of problems, the music still didn't have that wow factor you get at a nice live concert. We weren't getting goose bumps.
Because we had modified amps before, we started modifying some lesser quality line conditioners. After we made some significant improvements which brought us close to the Nordost and Shunyata, we decided to install better quality parts, fuses, fuse holders, and caps. We also used silver in key spots, and cryogenic treatment. To help dampen some of the electrical vibrations, we encased the unit in epoxy.
We spent two years tearing things apart, rebuilding, listening, and re-listening. Thousands of hours went into the development of this product. We kept coming up with new ideas, to the point where it began to drive us crazy. Finally, we ran out of ideas. I do have some new ideas how to build an even better product, but I need someone to do the investing, because it would cost about $5,000 just to buy the parts and build it.
We also tried different woods, and found bamboo the best for absorbing excessive energies that were vibrating around in there. When we've put it on brass cones and a slab of maple, and competed it against other line conditioners in showrooms around the Bay Area, it's been head and shoulders above the rest of them. I think it may be because too many of them use too much capacitance, or use big inductors that limit current flow and don't allow for a stable image when you get a vocalist singing ath high energy levels.
We eliminated the problems of other units with a truly revolutionary passive design. It shares a few things in common with the other designs, but it has technologies in it that no one else has tried. We're glad that covering it with epoxy works, because it also conceals our secret knowledge.
I'm going to explain how the unit works in laymen's terms, because no one on the planet seems to agree theoretically on the quantum physics level. On the sine wave that transmits AC, you've got ghost waves following it that result from other people's refrigerators and computers. Those little ghost waves are not 60-cycle. If they're not eliminated, they get into the power supplies of your components, and eventually put a blanket over the sound. When we've compared our unit to the Nordost, people have commented that it's like removing a blanket that has been placed over the sound.
When we chose our IEC we listened to a host of them, and found Furutech's gold over copper superior to their more expensive rhodium over copper. The Hubbell 688 outlets are brass with a very high copper content. The double-element, 15-amp, gold plated, ceramic body industrial and audiophile grade fuse we use is from Little, a manufacturer who builds appliances for heavy-duty industrial applications. Hence, it is non-current limiting.
The internal wiring is oxygen-free copper, different gauges throughout, 14- gauge in key spots, 12 in others. We also use high purity silver 12- and 14-gauge. All our metal parts except for caps are cryogenically treated in a proprietary manner that takes several days to do properly. The person we use to do it does a better job than others.
The digital outlets have different types of filters to eliminate noise on the high frequencies. We don't use any resistors or magnetic or ferrite materials, because they degrade the sound. Instead, we found another way to remove the ghost noise that sounds like a blanket thrown over the speakers. Our filters also help get rid of high frequency glare. You'll find sibilance highly reduced through our machine, with the highs intact in their full glory and harmonic decay. The noise that makes high frequencies irritating, noisy, spitty, or otherwise annoying to the ears is gone.
The problem is that the only way to measure high quality components such as the Electric Bamboo is with the human ear and brain. You can't put these power conditioners on scopes and measuring tools and say that one will sound better than the other. It's not possible. You can't measure a tube amp and say whether it will sound better than a solid-state amp, because so many people prefer the sound of a tube amp.
Half the people we sell the Electric Bamboo to like to run it with the sockets face up. Our final product will have a black anodized aluminum faceplate with silkscreen lettering on the socket side rather than the plastic faceplate you're showing in your photos. The rest of the unit will retain its bamboo siding.
Review Methodology
I am very aware of the effect that negative reviews can have on the success of a product. Thus, I devote substantial time and effort to giving equipment a fair shake. Before I even accept a product for review, I send the manufacturer a description of my reference system and room, complete with photos. If they feel confident that my set-up is a good match for their product, I invite them to either ship the unit to me or, if possible, bring the product to my home, observe and help with installation, and join me for an initial listen.
I also have developed strict guidelines for how to conduct a review. These guidelines in part result from a recent, very negative experience I had while attempting to review for Secrets a set of floor-standing speakers that had initially impressed me when I heard them at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF).
Despite repeated requests to the speaker manufacturer to personally deliver the speakers and set them up to his satisfaction, he chose to stay at home. I thus found unpacking and installation left up to me. When my initial audition left me profoundly dissatisfied – the quality of the treble was irritating, cheap, and decidedly unmusical –I moved the speakers around a lot in hopes that a radically different position would alter my assessment. While moving much farther toward the rear wall helped somewhat, I still found the sound unsatisfactory.
I then engaged in multiple, time-consuming calls and email exchanges with the manufacturer. After he told me that he had made some modifications to the speakers before sending them to me, I suggested that perhaps he had done something wrong. This he refused to accept. I then spent a lot of time urging him to visit and hear for himself.
After informing me that he had recently made another modification to the internal wire, he said he would come down to make the changes here. Then he changed his mind. Even though he thus was asking me to review a pair of speakers that by his own admission sounded different than those he was marketing, he insisted that nothing could possibly be wrong with the demo pair. After all, another reviewer has recently declared them a "perfect speaker."
It went on and on. I moved the speakers around some more, tried various tweaks, and continued attempts at dialogue. Numerous emails and phone calls consumed a huge amount of my time and energy. Finally, I threw in the towel and sent the speakers back without writing a review.
At that moment, I resolved to never again engage in such foolery. I simply cannot afford to bend over backwards for manufacturers who do not value the time and effort I devote to reviews. As a freelance critic who writes for 16 publications, volunteers a huge amount of time to public safety concerns in crime-ridden Oakland, CA, and is devoted to his spouse, time is at a premium. Ten hours expended on a review that goes nowhere means ten hours of unpaid labor that could have instead been devoted to a paying piece for Secrets, Stereophile, Carnegie Hall, Muso, Opera Now, Opera News, American Record Guide, or San Francisco Magazine (to name some of my outlets). The bottom line: I can't afford it.
Thus, I adhere to the same professional protocol followed by reviewers for major print publications. Once a broken-in unit has been delivered and properly installed, I only re-contact manufacturers in order to conduct interviews, clarify technical concerns, and supply progress updates. I do not let manufacturers and reps know how I feel about their products in advance of the review. Nor do I censor my commentary for the manufacturer's sake. I do not believe that readers are assisted by reviewers who soft pedal their concerns.
A Word to the Wise
The wise manufacturer who lives at a reasonable distance from a reviewer will make every effort to install their product themselves. In doing so, they can hear for themselves if the product is a good match for the reference system. In the case of a just-introduced product, they also have the opportunity to hear it in a very different reference system than their own, and make sure that it delivers as intended.
The most recent speaker manufacturer who brought his speakers here for their very first review was immediately dissatisfied with their sound. (We both were, but I intentionally withheld comment until after he voiced his concerns. At that point, there was no reason to hide my feelings, because we both were hearing the same thing). The manufacturer provided several possible explanations for the problem, and suggested he go back to the drawing board before I proceeded with the review. I of course acceded to his request.
He has since discovered where he erred in his design.
The Sound
As mentioned above, I auditioned the Electric Bamboo on several occasions, at one point with a different brand of interconnects. My sonic impressions, even taking into account variations caused by the switch of cabling, were virtually identical.
I also listened to top end extension. Thanks in part to Nordost Valhalla cabling and Bybee Golden Goddess Speaker Bullets, my highly upgraded Talon Khorus X Mk. IVs sound remarkably open, clear, and transparent on high. But with the Electric Bamboo, I felt the highs somewhat damped compared to the Thor. It was as though the triangle on the opening section of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances had a curtain drawn over it, dulling and minimizing its impact. It rang less in space, and seemed to die off faster.
Here's what I wrote after that first session:
First impressions can be deceiving, at least some of the time. There are also times when one hopes one's first impressions are wrong.
That, at least is what I hoped when the Electric Bamboo came my way. Writing this shortly after Dave and Jim brought the unit over and we hooked it up, I'm hoping that moving around all my Nordost power cables, disconnecting a reconnecting my Nordost digital cable, and moving around the speaker cables ruffled the feathers of my system. For whatever reasons, the sound of the first movement of Reference Recordings' fabled disc of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances (Eiji Oue cond.), with everything in the system connected to the Nordost Thor, was very different than the sound when everything was connected to the Electric Bamboo.
For starters, the triangle and cymbals had much less resonance. It almost sounded as though a damper had been put on them. They sounded thinner, softer, and less consequential; there was far less of a sense of them ringing and resounding in space. Equally striking was the diminution of natural breath sounds around the woodwinds (clarinets, oboe, and the like), which are somewhat exaggerated on the recording due to Keith Johnson's close mike.
While the sonic picture did seem, in one sense, cleaner and less uncluttered through the Electric Bamboo, I could not help feeling that the very resonance of the acoustic had been deadened. It was as though the Minnesota Symphony had moved to a considerably drier hall, in which overtones around strings and other instruments were harder to discern.
Dave told me to expect better bass control through the Electric Bamboo. In one sense, bass did seem tighter. What I could not tell, however, was whether it actually was tighter, or if instead, some of the bass resonance that my system has trouble controlling had been eliminated. In other words, was the bass really tighter, or was there just less bass to muddy up the picture?
When I changed recordings, there certainly was less booming of Ron Carter's double bass on the first track of Chesky Entre Nous CD with sensational Brazilian vocalist Rosa Passos. But on listening further, I realized that what had initially seemed like better bass control was actually due to truncated bass. The bass sounded more in control because I was hearing less of it.
I also felt that coloration throughout was somewhat homogenized. Sharp contrasts between sweetness and raspiness were minimized. Everything seemed brought together in an unmistakably warm, sweet, but minimally contrasted mix. This was not a sound I was accustomed to hearing, either at home or in the concert hall.
On the positive side, the soundstage certainly seemed wide and deep. I in fact sensed more three-dimensionality. But, again, was that only because a host of overtones and complex harmonics had been diminished, leaving more of the core? I begin to wonder what wire I'd find inside, and how it might compare to the Nordost Valhalla used in the Thor.
Finally, one of the great things about the Thor is that its star ground does a superb job of eliminating component interaction. Even though I've got my two digital components connected to the Electric Bamboo's two digital outputs, and my tube amps and analog set-up connected to the analog outputs, I'm hearing some buzzing through the right speaker which I did not hear before.
But today is Friday. Tomorrow is another day. I look forward to discovering if there's a difference after everything settles in. My experience will determine which unit, the Electric Bamboo or the Thor, remains in the reference system.
Listening Trio
My longest critical listening session was held with Bob and Ori in attendance. For several hours, we went back and forth between the Electric Bamboo, Thor, and PS Audio Power Plant Premieres. Because I've previously reviewed the Thor, and will soon review the Power Plant, I shall confine my comments to the Electric Bamboo, with occasional reference to the other units.
We chose three very different selections:
- From Blue Coast Collection – The E. S.E. Sessions, Track 2, "Slow Day," by Jane Selkye & Chris Kee. This is a demonstration-class hybrid SACD of acoustic music, recorded and engineered by Cookie Marenco.
- Mahler Symphony No. 2. 1st movement, opening 5+ minutes, Iván Fischer conducts the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Channel Classics hybrid SACD. One of my Records-To-Die-For (R2D4) in Stereophile.
- Lyle Lovett: "North Dakota" Track 4 on an MCA disc
With the Electric Bamboo, I felt the edge a bit blunted on Mahler. Strings and brass did not have as much as much bite or zing. The sound was also a bit warmer than I was accustomed to, the colors more homogenized, with less depth and air around instruments. The performance did not touch me as much as usual on an emotional level.
On "Slow Day," I heard less sibilance on the edge of the voice and guitar. (This is not in itself a bad thing if a system tends toward sibiliance). Where the Thor conveyed an extremely quiet background around Selkye's voice and guitar and Kee's acoustic bass, enabling vocal and instrumental color to stand out in all its glory, the Electric Bamboo lessened this effect. I also thought there was less control on the bass, with more indistinct pitches.
We then listened to these tracks on both the two PS Audio Power Plant Premiers here for review, then the Nordost Thor. Finally, we returned to the Electric Bamboo. I again noted how colors seemed more homogenized, especially on "Slow Day." Most disturbing, on an uncompressed hybrid SACD whose stereo CD layer was carefully engineered, when Selkye at one point sang loud "woo hoos" high in her range, the volume actually seemed to decrease.
Eliminating the Cable Effect
Toward the end of our comparison, it occurred to me that, since the wiring in the Nordost Thor is similar to that in my Nordost Valhalla interconnects and cables, it might be possible that the Thor sounds better when paired with Valhalla cabling rather than cables from other manufacturers. If this were indeed the case, the Thor would have an unfair advantage over the Electric Bamboo in my system.
I thus determined to listen to both the Electric Bamboo and Thor using cabling from another manufacturer. When I sent an email to David noting my desire to do this, he offered to bring over cables that he thought would blow Valhalla out of the water. To quote:
We've compared our friend's cables with those from Virtual Dynamics, the Analysis Plus Golden Reference, Genesis 1.1, and other cables such as Cardas Golden Reference, Tara Labs. 8. I'm sure they're better than Tara Labs the Zero. I'm sure they're much better because they're much better than the 0.8. All the cables are RCA, and the speaker cables only have banana plugs. These are great for the highest level audio system a person might own. They're made by Cryoset, and we'll be a dealer.
Now this is interesting, I thought to myself. Tara Labs the Zero interconnects, which David has not heard but I have, cost almost $15,000 meter. (For all I know, the price has gone up in the past year). In the extremely expensive reference system I heard them in, they sounded fantastic. Yet David is sure that his babies, which list for $300 on the Cryoset website, are better. Well, maybe they are. Only one way to find out…
The Final Test
A few weeks later, David brought over Cryoset interconnects and speaker cables. Because the Talons are not set up for banana plugs, I decided to make things simple and stick with the interconnects in order to possibly put the Electric Bamboo and Thor on a more even playing field.
For our first experiment, we listened to the Mahler using the Thor/Cryoset combo. I found the sounds on high rather excruciating. Instead of a refined sound that drew me in, I encountered one that made me want to run for cover. (I also noted less bass than the somewhat bass-shy Valhalla, but that didn't upset me the way the highs did). Within short order, I cried Uncle.
Quickly we switched to the Electric Bamboo/Cryoset combo. Ah, that was better. Highs were now tamed to listenable levels. Not that I particularly liked what I heard, or thought it "better" than the sound with the Thor. It was just that, with highs dulled and colors more homogenized, the entire gestalt became more acceptable. Certainly there was less detail than before. But what I did hear was certainly listenable and pleasing, at least on a surface level. It's just that I wasn't drawn to listen any longer than necessary to get a good sense of what was going on.
This leads me to postulate why some people like the Electric Bamboo as much as they do. If interconnects, source components, and/or speakers tend toward the bright and edgy, my hunch is that the Electric Bamboo may very well make a system sound "better" than power conditioners that do not filter the sound as much as the Electric Bamboo seems to do. But in a system whose components and interconnects are basically balanced and listenable from the get-go, the Electric Bamboo may very well have a negative effect.
I would also venture to guess that folks who have low-powered SET amps and/or speakers that tend to be strongest in the midrange rather than on high or low may be pleased by the warmth the Electric Bamboo can impart to the midrange. Similarly, those with Class D amplifiers that tend to blanche the sound may appreciate the homogenizing warmth the Electric Bamboo lends to the sound.
Finally, I note that my speakers not only have Bybee devices in them, but also use external Bybee Golden Goddess speaker bullets. The combination greatly lowers the noise floor, enabling me to hear details that other systems mask. The more I can hear to begin with, the more I notice what is altered or taken away.
JASON VICTOR SERINUS REFERENCE SYSTEM Digital Front End Theta Carmen II CD/DVD transport Theta Gen VIII Series 2 DAC/Preamp (Benchmark USB DAC-1 when Apple Titanium Powerbook is in use on the main system)
Amplification VTL 450W tube monoblock prototypes with KT-88 tubes Jadis DA-7 Luxe with GE 5751 Jan and Jan Philips 5814A tubes and cable from Pierre Gabriel
Loudspeakers Talon Khorus X speakers MK. III (with latest upgrade and Bybee Quantum Noise Purifiers) Bybee Golden Goddess Super Effect Speaker Bullets
Cabling Nordost Valhalla single-ended and balanced interconnects Nordost Valhalla balanced digital interconnects Nordost Valhalla bi-wired speaker cable Nordost Valhalla Power Cables Elrod EPS-2 Signature power cables
Power Nordost Thor Power Distribution System IsoClean or other audiophile grade fuses in most components Dedicated line for system
Analog Clearaudio Emotion turntable with Satisfy arm Soundsmith "The Voice" phono cartridge Benz MC-Gold phono cartridge Classe 6 phono preamp with better umbilical cord Symposium Platform under turntable
Accessories Finite Elemente Cerapuc supports Ganymede ball bearing supports Michael Green brass Audiopoints Audiophile grade fuses in all equipment. Acoustic Resonators Michael Green Deluxe Ultrarack, Basic Racks and Corner Tunes Shakti stones on transport, DAC, amps, etc. Four Shakti Hallographs Echo Buster and Corner Busters Bedini Quadra Beam and Dual Beam Ultraclarifiers Marigo Signature 3-D Mat v2; Ayre demagnetizing CD Various CD sprays
Main System Room Dimensions Living room is 24.5′ deep, 21.4′ wide in the listening area. It's big enough to accommodate 16 members of the Bay Area Audiophile Society, positioned in four rows of four seats each. The distance from the front door to the end of the dining room is 37′. Sound extends far to the left and right of the speakers thanks to an 8.33′ wide archway into the dining room opposite the right channel speaker. Ceilings are 9′ high with heavy wooden crossbeams, each 17" in height. Heavy curtains cover windows behind the sound system. Floors are hardwood and carpet in front of the system, and hardwood elsewhere. Walls in the living room are a combination of plaster and wood, with a large granite fireplace in the rear. The dining room is all plaster. There is RoomTune and Echo buster treatment in corners, and either an Echo Buster or heavy tapestry at the two side wall first order reflection points.


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"Picking Fights" In The Face Of Obstructionism
Blog ››› ››› SIMON MALOY
President Obama is busily nominating replacements for the various Cabinet officers and Cabinet-level officials who aren't sticking around for his second term. The emerging consensus in the media is that in doing so, the president is "picking fights" with the Senate GOP minority that will have to vote for or against the nominees. Former Republican senator Chuck Hagel's nomination for Defense Secretary has been cast as an especially provocative move by the White House. It's a curious way to frame the story -- if indeed Obama can be said to be "picking fights" with Cabinet nominees, that's only because Senate Republicans have made clear they'll fight anyone Obama picks. And casting Obama as the disruptive force masks the Republican obstructionism underlying the confirmation fights.
Here's The Hill from January 7:
Obama nominates Hagel for Pentagon, picking fight with Senate Republicans
President Obama on Monday nominated former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to be the nation's next Defense secretary despite warnings of a tough confirmation fight from some Senate Republicans.
Here's the Washington Post, also from January 7:
President Obama picks a confirmation fight. Can he win it?
When President Obama formally nominates Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense later today, he can be certain of one thing: The former Nebraska Republican Senator will face a major fight to win confirmation.
And here's Politico from this morning:
Why President Obama is picking fights with Congress
Barack Obama is looking for a few good fights.
Obama, the same president who campaigned twice on breaking the cycle of conflict in Washington, sees the utility -- even the necessity -- of rattling Republican cages as he plunges into a succession of upcoming battles over the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, the debt ceiling, $1 trillion in automatic budget cuts, immigration reform and gun control.
So fights are a-comin'. But is Obama really picking them? Consider the specifically cited case of Chuck Hagel, who has suddenly become a controversial figure among the people he once called colleagues. It wasn't that long ago that Senate Republicans were tossing laurels at Hagel's feet as "one of the premier foreign policy voices" [Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 2007], someone who "understands the world better than almost anyone" [Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), 2008], and a would-be "great Secretary of State" [Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), 2006]. Now McCain is leading the opposition to Hagel's nomination, saying he has "serious concerns about positions Senator Hagel has taken on a range of critical national security issues in recent years." McCain's "biggest concern," he told CNN on January 8, is Hagel's "overall attitude about the United States, our role in the world, particularly in the Middle East."
It was also McCain who led the charge, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to derail the potential nomination of U.N. ambassador Susan Rice as Secretary of State, going so far as to say he would oppose any nominee to the position until the White House answered to his satisfaction questions about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. That exact same tactic is now being employed by Graham, who wants to delay Obama's nomination of deputy national security advisor John Brennan as CIA chief until more Benghazi questions are answered. Graham even acknowledges that his opposition to Brennan's nomination has nothing to do with Brennan himself: "My support for a delay in confirmation is not directed at Mr. Brennan, but is an unfortunate, yet necessary, action to get information from this administration."
When news broke today that the President plans to nominate current White House chief of staff Jack Lew to run the Treasury Department, Senate Republicans were quick to dig in their heels: "I just think there are economic policies in this administration that haven't been well received, and Jack Lew is in the middle of that," said Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NB), according to Politico. Jonathan Chait of New York magazine mockingly condensed Johanns' reaction: "Obama can't have a Treasury secretary who agrees with Obama's policy agenda!"
The Senate GOP has thus far opposed nearly every person nominated -- or even mentioned -- for a Cabinet-level position by Obama, and their reasons have been: a) the nominee agrees with the president; b) "serious concerns" that are belied by prior praise of the nominee; c) issues that they freely acknowledge have nothing to do with the nominee; or d) they're going to oppose everyone.
This is the environment in which Obama is "picking fights," per the political press. In practice, however, it's the Senate GOP that seems to be spoiling for a scrape.
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subset: commoncrawl


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A 33-year-old Doncaster man has been jailed for four and half years after pleading guilty to the rape of a 36-year-old woman.
Simon Robinson, from the Rossington area, pleaded guilty to rape at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday August 6.
Police received a report that a 36-year-old woman had been raped on Monday March 3, 2014. The assault, which happened in a house in Intake, had taken place overnight. Robinson was arrested and charged with rape within 48 hours of the rape being committed.
Detective Sergeant Robert Platts, who lead the investigation, said: "The sentence handed down to Robinson reflects the gravity of his crime and by pleading guilty the victim will not suffer the further ordeal of this case going to trial.
"I hope that the conclusion of proceedings has brought the victim some closure and will allow her to begin to move forward with her life.
"South Yorkshire Police remains committed to bringing sexual offenders before the courts and seeking justice for the victims of these despicable crimes."


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Biological Sciences
Research Highlights
August 2009
Cell Scavengers Look to Take Bite Out of Infectious Disease
PNNL researchers use global proteomics to study macrophage response against Salmonella enterica
Peptide abundances of all identified macrophage and S. Typhimurium (STM) proteins. A total of 1121 proteins are shown, which include 1006 macrophage and 115 STM proteins. Peptide abundances for all identified macrophage and STM proteins in the non-infection (NI) control and at different time points of infection are indicated by colors that range from black (peptide abundance = 0%) to red (peptide abundance ≥0.2%). Enlarge Image
Results: Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory applied a novel global proteomic approach to better understand the extent to which macrophages respond to infection by a form of Salmonella. Recognized as the first global proteomic analyses of time course responses of mouse macrophages to S. enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection, the study may lead to new strategies for diagnosing, treating, and vaccinating against infectious disease.
Macrophages, from the Greek for "eating cells," are white blood cells that act as cellular scavengers by ingesting dying and invading bacterial cells, but they recognize and refuse to eat their own kind. The macrophages swallow the bacterial cells and then release powerful anti-bacterials that prevent bacteria from further dividing and infecting host cells. S. Typhimurium, which can be transmitted by ingesting contaminated food or water, is a pathogen that grows in the gastrointestinal tract of many animal species.
By infecting susceptible mouse macrophages with S. Typhimurium and using global proteomics to analyze the proteins at various time points following infection, researchers identified 1,006 macrophage proteins. The peptide abundances of 244 macrophage proteins, or 24 percent of the total macrophages identified, changed significantly after infection. The functions of the Salmonella-affected macrophage proteins were diverse, including production of antibacterial nitric oxide, production of prostaglandin H2, and regulation of intracellular traffic. The diversity in functions demonstrated a global macrophage response to Salmonella infection.
The researchers used Western Blot analysis to confirm the proteomic results. The analysis also revealed that Salmonella infection increases mitochondrial abundance of the enzyme superoxide dismutase and decreases the abundance of the sorting nexin protein SNX6, most likely through the bacterial virulence factor SopB. Superoxide dismutase acts like a natural antioxidant, repairing cells and reducing the damage caused by superoxide. Sorting nexin proteins help cells move proteins to the correct location within the endomembrane system.
Why it matters: Macrophages are critical in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. They also play a role in HIV infection and can stimulate cancer cells. Researchers gain valuable information about the strengths and weaknesses of our immune system using mouse cell models such as used here. This study leads to a better understanding of macrophage responses to infection, provides insight into disease development, and suggests targets for therapeutic intervention.
Salmonella-infected macrophages are regularly used to show the molecular mechanisms essential for the interaction between macrophage and intracellular pathogens. Macrophages are important in controlling Salmonella-mediated systemic infection in susceptible mice. They also help control morbidity and mortality in unvaccinated infected mice, while helping eliminate S. Typhimurium in vaccinated mice.
Methods: Using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry proteomic approach, the researchers analyzed the time course responses of the cell lysate of mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages after infection with S. Typhimurium. They studied samples collected at four different time points following infection (0, 2, 4, and 24 hours.
What's Next: Future work will focus on understanding the roles of Salmonella-affected macrophage proteins that could lead to improved host-based therapeutics to intracellular pathogens.
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at PNNL and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (interagency agreements Y1-AI-4894-01 and Y1-AI-8401-01). Significant portions of this work were performed using EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research, located at PNNL. The research team includes Joshua Adkins, Saiful Chowdhury, Therese R.W. Clauss, Jason McDermott, Heather M. Mottaz-Brewer, Angela Norbeck, Liang Shi, Heather Smallwood, and Richard D. Smith of PNNL, and Fred Heffron and Hyunjin Yoon of Oregon Health Sciences University.
Reference: Shi L, SM Chowdhury, HS Smallwood, H Yoon, HM Mottaz-Brewer, AD Norbeck, JE McDermott, TRW Clauss, F Heffron, RD Smith, and JN Adkins. 2009. "Proteomic Investigation of the Time Responses of RAW 264.7 Macrophages to Infection with Salmonella enterica." Infection and Immunity 77(8):3227-3233


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Here is a darling quilt Annabel made for her little Bug:
Linking with AmyLouWho.
Oh how exciting to see my quilt on Quiltstory! Thank you both, Heather and Megan, for your kind words.
Oh, and coriander is what Australians call cilantro ;)
Gorgeous quilt! I love the hand quilting!
Yummm we definitely would have known cilantro...LOVE cilantro/coriander... Super cute quilt. Love the colors!
Love the squares. Love the duck and frog prints. Pretty,nice quilt.
Fun quilt!
oh this is wonderful! i really love the colors. and the apple idea is perfect ... do it! :)
love that fabric so much. thanks for sharing!
Terrific boy's quilt...love it on the bed!
Great quilt for the little one to grow up with.
I bet your little Bug loves to wrap up in this quilt! :o) Stopping by from Sew&Tell. Thanks for sharing. Happy Sewing! :o)
Love the quilt. Trish
Hi...Nice blog. Really very interesting....!!!
Dissertation binding


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Bookend '32s For Bob And Gina Adams
You've probably seen it before: wives riding shotgun to their other half while they cruise the fairgrounds in his hot rod. What you won't find in that situation is Bob and Gina Adams. The couple has their own '32 roadsters, and the two vehicles are about as different from each other as you can get.
Bob has been involved with hot rodding in one way or another for as long as he can remember. When he was a 14-year-old kid, he lived with his family in Royal Oak, Michigan, and would ride his bicycle over to the famed Woodward Avenue to watch the muscle cars cruise by. Though he graduated high school in 1967, Bob was already driving before he was legally allowed to do so. Watching the Big Three come by Woodward with factory race cars and prototypes are some of Bob's favorite memories of his youth. Gina grew up a little later than that, when Mustangs and Vettes were the hot cars to have, and she really identifies with that era.
Bob had already began collecting hot rods (he now owns a '27 track roadster, a custom '48 Chevy truck, a '64 Chevy Impala 409, a '34 Ford cabrio, a '39 Ford coupe, and more) before they met, but soon Gina really got into the whole hot rodding experience, including the social aspects.
They agreed it would be great if she had her own car to drive to the runs with their rodding friends, so they began to look around at what they could have built. Having been friends and customers of Ohio's Barry Lobeck for many years, the Adams contracted him to build a '32 Ford cabriolet using one of the Dearborn Deuce convertibles as a base.
Bob, on the other hand, was continuing on with his collection, which already contained a couple of roadsters, including a Flathead-powered ride that was outfitted with Du Vall windshield. One thought was to build another roadster that would be a distressed version of his expertly detailed Deuce. But fate intervened when, a few years ago at the Louisville Nats, he came across a primered, traditional-type 'glass roadster for sale that had been built in Kansas.
With a build style that already said "vintage," Bob decided to take the car even further in concept to the level of "long lost, barn-find hot rod." Over the next couple of years, Bob scoured the swap meets and garage sales looking for items that he could add to his roadster to make it look even older.
With both cars now complete, the Adams take their roadsters to events all over the Midwest, each behind the wheel of their own car, which enables them to have their cake and eat it, too!
The lineage of this roadster started in Leavenworth, but then went to Florida where rodder Gary Moore started the process to make the roadster look more traditional, and then finally to just outside Detroit, Michigan, where Bob Adams perfected the look. Some of the work was easy (a simple handmade pitman arm connects to a Schroeder steering box mounted under the dash), and some of it required a bit more attention (finding a dented, rusty panel and bringing it home to beat on it some more before sectioning it into the perfect 'glass door (that's right-the whole car is actually fiberglass).
There really isn't a smooth section of body within eyeshot, mostly because Bob added rust shavings to the paint he sprayed. Then, with a little bit of sand and mud caked on, you get a 60-year-old patina! The look fools most onlookers, with only some thinking it was a recent build. But hardly anyone will come up and say "Why did you do that to a fiberglass body?" Quite the opposite. There was one event where an older gentleman swore up and down he'd seen the car way back when, so Bob quizzed him to find out what he supposedly knew.
During the build, Adams would find parts and pieces at various swap meets to add to his ride, and he feels that time was some of the best spent "working" on his roadster. Bob became adept at distressing the parts and, as some might observe, may have gone overboard when going to the lengths he did. Using old cloth tape from his dad's garage and strategically leaving it on the car is one thing, but to drill out the 'glass body and dimple the hole with Bondo to make it look like bullet holes is just genius.
For a guy who has a nice collection of glossy, litter-free vehicles in his oversize garage, having so many people gather around such a ratty roadster sometimes baffles Bob. But they all see the same thing: either a diamond in the rough (and in need of saving) or, for those who actually know Bob, believe it to be the "before" version of one of his restorations (Oh, he'll fix that later!).
… and Hers
After deciding on the type of car Gina wanted, a trio of drawings was produced to help identify the look. The major styling cue of her roadster would be the same that carried the look of the Mustangs through multiple decades: the side scoop and spears. Barry Lobeck's shop in Ohio located some '66 replacement quarter-panels and then went about grafting them into the steel Dearborn Deuce sides. The scooped sides not only fit the quarters, but fade forward into the door, which made modifying some of the doors mechanicals imperative.
The rest of the build is what you'd come to expect from one of hot rodding's pioneers: a clean and precise assembly with a handful of subtle adjustments to make the car truly unique to its owner. In this particular case, a steel Brookville three-window Deuce dash was installed instead of the standard roadster's dash (which does not have the working glovebox door that the coupe's dash does) and recessing the taillights are just two of the items customized at Lobeck's.
When it came time to paint the car, green was the only shade Gina was interested in. Being her favorite color (things in the house carry the hue, as well as some of her clothing), Bob and Gina checked out what PPG had to offer and found a lime that had a fair amount of gold running through it. Contrasting dark green leather was found for the interior, which features a Wise Guys bench seat with fold-down armrest and purse-like door flaps that conceal more storage.
Not too interested in having some junkyard motor power the roadster, Ford Racing was contacted for one of their 302 crate engine that was tested at 360 horsepower, which was backed to a Tremec five-speed (that's right-three pedals for the lady). The valve covers were modified at Lobeck's to carry three mini-spears, a look carried over from the car's side scoops. A minor styling cue that helps keep the Mustang theme alive are the Cobra wheels from Wheel Vintiques, which were shod in BFGoodrich rubber in 15- and 17-inch diameters.
Having already driven the 200-plus miles to the Columbus nationals in 2007 (where it made its debut), Gina has had no problem rolling up a few thousand miles on the odometer, and Bob finds he has to ask her if he could borrow the car for local runs as she's highly protective of it. You can find both of the Adams on any given hot rod weekend enjoying the hobby, and it's easy to spot Gina: she's usually the one out in front.


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|Elaine Logwood (14 Nov 1937-10 Aug 2010)
In honor of a dear friend and "aunt"who I shared the passion for tracing our family roots and learning about the African American Experience. Your words of encouragement throughout the past twenty plus years were a blessing and inspiration to me as I grew from a boy to man. I want to say thank for lending me your ear as I shared my joy and frustration with life as well as my genealogical research which seem to be practically everyday. Although you used to tell me how proud you were of me, I was also proud of you and your quiet strength, courage, and wisdom.
As I sit here and type these words tears are rolling down my cheeks because you are no longer here but I take comfort in knowing that you are no longer in pain. I also know that my life and others has been enriched by your presence.
Rest In Peace Ms. Elaine M. Logwood


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Well Dayum!
I guess after being quiet and pleasant for so long, a girl should at least get one ratchet, uncensored 'go-the-phuck-off' moment in her lifetime.
This weekend, Cassie Ventura popped off on her instagram after realizing she was sick and tired of people's negative comments towards her relationship with Diddy. She wrote:
F-ck a blog & anyone that makes up bullsh-t – u ain't sh-t. I never even give a thought 2 unvalidated sh-t that gets posted, but I'm tired of it. Been committed for a long time to someone and I am so in LOVE w/HIM. Continue 2 call me names that u don't even know the definitions 2 & wait 4 this Fall. #Rockabyebaby! I'm getting mine. This is dedicated to u! http://tinyurl.com/9dw5dc5
When one of her followers responded:
Poor @cassiesuper thinking the blogs or anybody for that matter cares that much about her outside of the weirdo f-cking her old ass boss.
She responded:
Shut the fuuuuuck up. U just took 5 minutes to think about & write that. Sit down. Thank you. You are muted. #notinthemoodtoday.
Done now. Thank you for listening. Spa day before work this week. Yes, a b-tch has a job
Oop! Who pissed in her cheerios? Ya'll done phucked up now!


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Hottest Liz Gillies GIFs Ever
This smoking hot 21-year-old is best known for her role as Jade West on the Nickelodeon show Victorious. She's also voices Daphne on the animated show Winx Club. We bet she gets plenty of winks thanks to her drop-dead-gorgeous looks and incredibly alluring curves. This actress, singer and dancer is not only talented, but also rocks a body to die for and cleavage that goes on for days.


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Scholarships for Film School
Fastweb is the most complete source of local, national and college-specific scholarships. With 1.3 million scholarships worth over $3 billion there's a scholarship that's right for you. Plus, research colleges, find a part-time job and get financial aid advice -- all for free.
- The 2010 Star Costumes Horror Scholarship
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Academy Film Scholars Program
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Student Academy Awards
- Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: College Television Awards
- Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation
- AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW)
- Ann Arbor Film Festival
- Austin Film Festival
- Creative Capital
- The Director's Cut
- From the Heart Productions: Roy W. Dean Film and Writing Grants
- Fund for Women Artists: Funding Resources/Funding Lists
- National Film and Television School (NFTS)
- NYFA Source
- Princess Grace Foundation
- Women in Film


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As an undergraduate student pursuing a career in business you can begin your journey in the Sellinger School of Business and Management learning the fundamentals of business with a unique Jesuit values centered approach. You will benefit from our faculty's high level of professional expertise, ensuring real world relevance and a blending of practice and theory. You'll learn how to view the world from new perspectives, discern situations more clearly and understand them more deeply. You'll graduate with more than a business administration degree - you will have a solid foundation in business as well as a solid ethical framework to guide you in your career. You'll graduate poised for leadership and prepared to make a difference.
Learn more
To view the courses offered by academic department or semester, or for more detailed descriptions for specific courses, view Loyola's course catalogue.


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SD Legislature Starts With Gov. Daugaard State Of The State Address
Gov. Dennis Daugaard will give the State of the State Address tomorrow, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. CST in the state House Chamber. The speech marks the official opening of the South Dakota Legislative Session.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting will broadcast the speech live on SDPB1 TV, SDPB Radio and SDPB.org. The State of the State Address will be archived on SDPB's website and will re-air on SDPB 1 at 10 p.m. CST on Tuesday night.
During Viewpoint University on Tuesday afternoon, we will discuss the speech and get your reaction.


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Sand Bag Locations In Acadiana
City Of Eunice:
Sandbags are available in Eunice today (Monday) until 3:00pm
Location: Eunice City Barn - 750 Bobcat Drive
For additional information please contact the Eunice Mayor's Office at 337-457-7389.
St. Landry Parish:
Sandbags are available for St. Landry Parish Residents today (Monday) until 6:00pm
Location: Yambilee Building, 1939 W. Landry St., Opelousas – Behind the Yambilee Building in the open hut. Limit 10 per household
Additional Information from St. Landry Parish:
St. Landry Parish road crews continue to travel the parish, assessing damage and addressing road problems caused by flooding.
St. Landry Parish residents should continue to contact the St. Landry Parish Government office with reports of flood damage at 337-948-3688.


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Hi !
I m interested in studying masters by research in computer networks or artificial intelligt in us. The thing is i have done three years bachelor degree in computing (network design and security) from australia n my GPA is not good. but i wanna get into fellowship thing with scholarship .is there any possibilites? which uni is good to apply ?
wanna get into us
Started by miss_limbu, Dec 29 2009 04:23 PM
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WWE has experienced a tumultuous week in business. The company announced a television deal was coming, only to see said television deal come in lower than what analysts expected, thus leading to a dramatic stock drop, and now a forthcoming investigation. Whew. This was enough for many commentators to sound the warning bell. With the WWE Network falling below subscription ...Read More »
Home » Tag Archives: Conference Call


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No, you need to look at the course description to see what courses can also be awarded the regulated qualification certificate
Where possible all our courses are mapped to the Ofqual QCF framework so the course content is usually the same but there will be additional assessment and/or work to complete which you can find on each course description.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is the framework for creating and accrediting qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Vocational qualifications on the Qualifications and Credit Framework are new, work-related qualifications. They are designed to allow you to learn in a way that suits you, and give you the skills that employers are looking for. There are already lots to choose from, in a wide range of subjects.
Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) s are accredited awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual. HABC offers a comprehensive range of qualifications transferable across many industries/sectors including the below and we are please to also offer these qualifications:
- Administration
- Business Management
- Child Development & Well-Being
- Customer Service
- First Aid
- Health & Safety
- Health & Social Care
- Hospitality and Catering
- Sales and Marketing
- Teaching and Lecturing
You can get funding for some regulated qualification courses. We have put course and funding references on our websites. We are not able to gain funding advice but if you need further course information please email us.
Yes, you can find it on the relevant site or www.protrainings.eu/courses


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Results for "Registered Agent"
What Our Partners Are Saying:
"Kelly is an extraordinary woman, leader, and humble servant with the expertise to listen, connect, plan, take action and execute with excellence...since 2005, she has consistently exceeded expectations for referrals and many commented on her personal character, positive attitude, and impact on them as well as our community!"
Al Paoli, Director, Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) for Kent County, Delaware
"Kelly is a detailed oriented person who knows her product. She has been a tremendous help to me in advising my clients through SCORE Delaware"
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value
Herb Konowitz, Vice Chair Downstate Delaware SCORE - Service Corps of Retired Executives Association


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Truth or Consequences, New Mexico – The Real Story Behind the Name
With a name like Truth or Consequences and an isolated location in the American West, you could be forgiven for thinking that this New Mexican town got its name from some bloody gunfight or a hard-nosed sheriff who wanted to urge potential visiting troublemakers to go elsewhere. The real story, though, is a bit stranger.
Hot Springs
When Spanish-speaking settlers first put roots down in this part of what is now the state of New Mexico, the area went by several different names, like "Little Cottonwoods" and "Mud Spring." Of course, these names came from the fact that there were a lot of cottonwood trees and some very nice hot springs around. Eventually, as English speakers took over the location, the name of the town was changed to "Hot Springs."
Named for a Game Show
In the 1940s and 1950s, 'Truth or Consequences' was a popular radio game show, then a television show, aired across the nation. Around the time of the program's 10th anniversary, the original host of the program, Ralph Edwards, made the unusual offer to broadcast the show from a town that officially changed its name to Truth or Consequences.
Hot Springs, New Mexico, responded to the offer and held a special election to see if the town's citizens would be amenable to a name change. The town's mayor and the Chamber of Commerce quickly set up the vote, and the motion passed. On March 31, 1950, Hot Springs, N.M., became Truth or Consequences, N.M. The very next day (April Fool's Day), Ralph Edwards and his support staff arrived in town and broadcast the 'Truth or Consequences' game show.
The Truth or Consequences Fiesta
Truth or Consequences, also known as 'T or C,' holds a festival every year, now called Ralph Edwards Day to commemorate the town's name change and the historic broadcast. Ralph Edwards used to show up every year, along with famous guests, to help promote the town during the fiesta. Even after his death in 2005, the annual springtime party still goes on.


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24 July 2011
Objections to PL/SQL warnings quiz in Q2 2011 playoff (4483)
Players had the following objections:
"I hope I never see another question like this again! I can't imagine how anyone could have gotten this one correct without actually typing in and running it. I would have preferred if the question was in the form "which of the following warnings would be shown", and the answers would include these and perhaps other unrelated warning messages."
"I think that this quiz was somehat unfair towards players that are using 11gR1. As by my test performed with 11gR1 (184.108.40.206.0.), there are only 4 warnings generated, namely: PLW-7203, PLW-5004, PLW-6009 and PLW-5005. The additional two ones, specific for 11gR2 are even not mentioned in the PL/SQL Documentation of 11gR2, nor in other sources, like your book PL/SQL Programming 5-th Ed, so those who are NOT using this version were unable to know about it. By the way, there is no consistent source that offers a complete list of all these warnings, for any version. So, I think that for the sake of fairness, this quiz should be rescored and considered as correct any answer that fits the previous releases, 11gR1 and 10gR2. I did not check 10gR2, it may be the same as 11gR1."
I can see why this quiz would have been a source of frustration and perhaps irritation, but I don't see why I should rescore.
The Oracle documentation of every version offers an Error Messages book, which contains (so far as I know) a comprehensive list of warnings. This quiz specified 11.2 as the minimum version.
So to answer the question correctly, you needed to (a) read the code and identify fairly obvious problems with it; (b) be generally conversant with the way compile-time warnings work; and (c) either be aware of the new warnings added in 11.1 and 11.2 or scan the documentation for verification of your analysis.
11 comments:
- Anonymous24 July, 2011 15:39
Hello Steven,ReplyDelete
I am pretty sure that the main source of information that developers are using for these warnings is (still) the PL/SQL documentation set
+ at most the Advanced Development guide,
which,even if you HAVE READ the 11gR2 guide,
PRIOR to having ever touched it "with hands on",
you COULD NOT find any word exactly about those warnings that were specifically added to this version ...
I can hardly believe that somebody "is learning by heart" the complete warning list from the Errors reference book ...
Each PL/SQL documentation only offers a description of the feature and some examples of the more or less wider used warnings,
including your PL/SQL Programming book,
and NOT an exhaustive list of ALL the warnings.
To be completely sincere, I can even find no good enough reason to add a warning like the AUTHID one ...
Regardless of the PLSQL_WARNINGS feature,
if one was supposed just "to observe the code and object about what looks to him as incorrect",
I don't think that any PL/SQL programmer in the world could have been entitled to object on the fact that AUTHID was not specified, just out of
a "best practices" point of view ...
So, without DEFINITELY KNOWING that this warning was added in 11gR2, no PL/SQL knowledge or "common sense" would have "directed you" towards it ...
In fact, if the number of those warnings will be continuously increasing, there will be less and less chances that people will start using them effectively ...
well, but that's another issue ...
You are right in that the assumption of the quiz was 11gR2, but, exactly because
1. most of the players are probably NOT using yet that version
2. the knowledge of the feature itself is not prejudiced in any way by (only) being familiar with it in one of the previous versions
I think that the quiz could have been asked "on the same level of difficulty" for 11gR1 or even 10gR2, to give everybody at least a theoretically equal chance to solve it correctly.
This is why I think it is fair to consider as
correct ANY answer that completely matches
ANY of the versions, of course, if that was the single one chosen by a player.
Thanks a lot & Best Regards,
Iudith Mentzel
I would expect that PL/SQL developers interested in developing their skills would have looked at 11gR2. Especially contractors/consultants or those who don't know where they will be working next.ReplyDelete
For those playing with 11gR2, the warnings that crop up on 95% of objects do get burned into your head quickly.
Particular warnings can be enabled/disabled on an individual basis (at session or package level).
First I would like to say that in the playoff "we" the players will almost for certain not read that section and that the version (if distinct from the "default one" should, in the future, be in the question text.
As for the subject at hand: normally a insterested developer would read the "what's new in PL/SQL" section on the new versions documentations and in that section there is not a mention to the fact of more warning messages (maybe I'm mistaken).
If a somewhat similar question was already asked in the "daily quiz" I'm sure that "we" would be alert to that fact, even if the warning messages (are at least for me) not not usefull than the warnings I get in SQL Navigator (the same as Toad). As Iudith said some warnings are "strange" to the normal user and can be "too much info".
That said: congratulations to all participants and, if you (the reader) are not playing "PL/SQL Challenge" give it a try and I bet that you will learn something new each month.
Gary: "Particular warnings can be enabled/disabled on an individual basis (at session or package level)."ReplyDelete
We know that (thanks for the link), but maybe the default warning list should be a clean one and the developer would turn on the more "advanced" ones if needed (like the PLW-05018 and PLW-06008).
BTW, I think some others should be compiler errors and not just warnings like PLW-05008, PLW-05009, PLW-05010, PLW-05013,PLW-05014, specially because they are due to bad direct compilation instructions!
PLW-05018: ...ReplyDelete
> This is one of those "nuisance" warnings
It certainly is and one of the reasons, why many warnings are disabled in my environment.
PLW-06009: ... OTHERS handler does not end in RAISE ...
If you follow best practices and encapsulate logging and errorhandling (including a raise) in a custom package you get this for every OTHERS.
PLW-05005: subprogram ... returns without value
For each function with an Exception handling where you don't write a RETURN statement, simply because you want to raise an error. Or is it a best practice to write a RETURN after a RAISE just to suppress the warning ;-)
PLW-07203: parameter ... may benefit from use of the NOCOPY compiler hint
All of them together will hide any useful warning because only the first n of them are displayed and the really interesting ones are not visible.
The warnings are a good idea, but they still can be improved.
As Filipes said, everyone should read the "What's new" section, but who will read the error book, to find out whether there is a new message? I for my share don't have the time to compare each document to the corresponding document of the previous version just to find the differences.
And concerning the challenge question:
(a) read the code and identify fairly obvious problems with it;
I don't think a missing AUTHID is fairly obvious
(b) be generally conversant with the way compile-time warnings work;
generally yes
and (c) ... scan the documentation for verification of your analysis.
Can you show me someone who is able to do so in the limited time the challenge allows?
I worked some times as a teacher for math and physics, but this is a kind of question I would never use, simply because it does not account for subsequent errors(?), meaning if you have one error the whole answer is wrong, even if in this case you knew 5 out of 6 possibilities. And you might even get the correct number though you choose the wrong warnings.
Maybe the qustion could have different combinations of warnings and you had to find out the correct ones.
- Anonymous25 July, 2011 13:17
Hello All,ReplyDelete
If we already arrived to the documentation,
then please note that even the Error reference
for 11gR2 does have many errors ...
For example, the description of PLW-05000 is the same as PLW-05003, and PLW-06006 is the same as PLW-06007 ...
There are also some descriptions that look simply incorrect, like PLW-05009, whose description says that "... pragma INLINE cannot appear immediately prior to a declaration", which is definitely not the case.
And, even if yes, syntax errors should have been treated as errors and cause the compilation to fail, and NOT as warnings.
I think that Oracle went this time a little bit too far ... and the best example is the AUTHID warning.
As long as AUTHID is the default and it is strongly recommended to be used in almost all cases, except for very special ones, and by almost all PL/SQL books, I really don't see why one would suppose that a warning is necessary if NOT having specified it explicitely ...
Anyway, I think that the error reference IS NOT THE PLACE from where new features are supposed to be learned ... rather the opposite is true ...
you learn things from the main documentation and from other books, where these warnings that made the difference between 11gR1 and 11gR2 DO NOT APPEAR mentioned at all, not to speak about examples ...
All what Gary said is knowledge that I dare say ALL the playoff players do posses ...
We all know that we can turn each warning individually into an error, and maybe this is the best usage that one can do with these warnings at all ...
A good PL/SQL developer will probably never make
sich mistakes in his code that a warning would be able to detect.
The error reference guide itself recommends turning some of the warnings off if they become too annoying ... at least a strange way
"to advertise a product" in the very same place
where it is supposed to be first heared about ...
If it already comes to knowing a version ahead of the time when you will maybe use it,
then I think that 11gR2 has many more new features and much more essential ones to offer than knowing by heart all the warnings, especially those that Oracle itself will hardly find a good explanation for having introduced them at all ...
So, I don't think that such a narrow issue of a few warnings more or less in one version or another should become such a central point in scoring a playoff quiz, in deciding between "white" and "black", between the "good" and the "bad" guys ...
Thanks & Best Regards,
Marcus, I agree that the lack of AUTHID is not an "obvious problem".ReplyDelete
So it is clear to me that a number of players are unhappy with this type of question, but I still see no reason to change the scoring and ranking.
- Anonymous25 July, 2011 18:48
Hello All,ReplyDelete
Marcus put it very correctly, as only a teacher is able to, CHAPEAU !
Not only that AUTHID is NOT an obvious problem,
it is NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL and should NEVER
have been "afforded the honor" of a warning ...
As Marcus said, it is just misleading and annoying, driving serious developers away from this feature, and ... as we see, causing playoff problems also ...
If warnings KNOWLEDGE was supposed by this quiz,
then please all remember that the PLW-06018
"overall" one was also only introduced in 11gR2,
so, if one goes by the obviously wrong division by zero, it comes out that this was not so obvious prior to 11gR2 ... so did things become "obvious" only in this last version ?
Maybe it is ok to ask quizzes which suppose 11gR2, but if the feature involved IS NOT SPECIFIC to that version and might change upside-down the answer of THE SAME QUIZ in a previous version, then objections are completely justified, in my opinion.
In this case, maybe several choices like:
n1 for 10gR2
n2 for 11gR1
n3 for 11gR2
( that is, each choice for a different version )
could have been better, giving everyone
"a chance to be there" .
One way or another, this quiz will specifically leave a very bad taste to many players, even if not all of them will recognize it publicly ...
Thanks & Best Regards,
Iudith Mentzel
Well, I am sorry about it leaving a bad taste, but I still don't see anything wrong with the quiz per se.ReplyDelete
It might irritate you, but you could answer it by looking at the code and looking at the list of warnings of figuring out which would be flagged by the compiler.
It's not like you had to install 11.2; but you do need to be "current" on the warnings Oracle has implemented.
"(...) but you could answer it by looking at the code and looking at the list of warnings of figuring out which would be flagged by the compiler."ReplyDelete
If it was a daily quiz I think that we could agree on that (we could use 10,20 minutes there with that question) but being in playoff with a time constraint I think that it was not very fair.
But I accept the "judge" opinion.
- Anonymous26 July, 2011 08:22
Hello All,ReplyDelete
Of course we will all accept the judge opinion,
but the purpose of this blog was however to discuss the issue, in the hope to lower similar occurrences in the future ...
Yes, looking at the code and applying your knowledge about warnings and, as Felipe said, maybe less using the documentation in the limited time frame of a playoff and for a different version that one is currently using, might have been a good enough scenario if there were SEPARATE CHOICES OFFERED FOR EACH WARNING, and not an overall count choice only, which is either good or bad, without having much importance whether you were wrong by 1, by 2 or at all.
With an overall summary choice, it does not matter too much whether a wrong choice (in terms of 11gR2 only !) was chosen by a simple guess or by knowledge of the feature.
Thanks a lot & Best Regards,
Iudith Mentzel


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Sorting Saturday is an ongoing series by Michelle Goodrum at Turning of Generations.
As one of my genealogy goals for this year, I determined to work through my genealogy files one family per month. As I go through each file, I make sure that sources are entered and data is compete. I review census form for any additional information to be extracted, and then if the source is an online image, I get rid of the paperwork. I can always download it again if I need it. I scan original documents or photos into my computer. Those I save, but now they are also preserved by being part of my backup system.
Sorting through my Ferguson file this way leads to the added benefit of finding new information. New trails to explore. This month I have found 2 Revolutionary soldiers in my husbands tree and I'm on the trail of Civil War soldier ancestors. I have also found Land Records for land purchased in 1850 in southern Illinois.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sorting Saturday - Cleaning Out My Files
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text: Chad Kouri always dreamed of being a designer, and he took the first major step towards making that dream a reality with a freelance gig at the age of sixteen. Ten years later, he has become what some refer to as a cultural engineer. A founding member of the Chicago-based art and design incubator, The Post Family, previous Art Director of Proximity Magazine and recognition as one of Chicago's Newcity Breakout Artists of 2010 are only a few of his numerous accomplishments. Kouri has been involved with more than thirty different projects over the last two years, and shows no signs of slowing down. For many, there is still a huge chasm between the worlds of design and fine arts, but this distinction is of no interest to Chad Kouri. Un-phased, he continues to breakdown the walls attempting to separate the two industries. A recent collaboration with artists Stephen Eichhorn and Cody Hudson at the Patty and Rusty Rueff Gallery marks his first foray into exhibiting at an institutional level, but with an upcoming solo show at the Rochester Museum of Fine Art slated for the winter of 2012 it will obviously not be his last. Kouri describes his practice as having, "equal interests in conceptual art, consumer culture, typography, design, jazz and the gray areas between these fields, my body of work is more a collection of various ongoing projects, thoughts and experiments tied together by a strong sense of composition, concise documentation and an overall vibe of optimism than a seamless display of a style or genre." I am excited to watch this process evolve, and I wish him good luck for the future – but somehow I don't think he'll need it.


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Around Town: Oscar fever hits the Academy, American Cinematheque
With the Academy Awards on Sunday evening, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the American Cinematheque are presenting seminars and symposiums leading up to the big event.
Patton Oswalt, who provided the voice of Remy in the Oscar-winning "Ratatouille" from 2007, is the host of the 2011 animated feature film nominees program at the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Thursday evening. The nominees, schedule permitting, will be on hand to discuss their creative process and show clips from their films.
Saturday morning's offering is the ever popular seminar featuring the foreign-language film nominees hosted by Mark Johnson, an Oscar-winning producer and the foreign-language film award committee chair. The event is sold out, but there will be a standby line. Later that afternoon is the sold-out program with the makeup nominees, hosted by Makeup Artists and Hairstylists branch governor Leonard Engelman. http://www.oscars.org
On Saturday morning, the Cinematheque's Egyptian presents a free "Invisible Art, Visible Arts Oscar-nominated Editors Seminar." The event is first come, first served. The Oscar-nominated art directors seminar follows in the afternoon. The nominees are all expected to attend both of these, schedule permitting.
The American Cinematheque's "Once Upon a Time: The Films of Sergio Leone" features his last and most underrated spaghetti western, 1971's "Duck, You Sucker," Thursday evening at the Egyptian Theatre. Also known as "A Fistful of Dynamite," the film finds peasant Rod Steiger and Irishman James Coburn embroiled in the Mexican Revolution. Poorly received when released 41 years ago, the film has gained in respect and popularity over the decades.
Henry Fonda plays one of his most ruthless characters in Leone's 1968 masterpiece, "Once Upon a Time in the West," which features an opening sequence that has influenced countless directors over the years, including Quentin Tarantino. Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, Woody Strode and Charles Bronson also star.
Saturday's offering at the Egyptian is Martin Scorsese's landmark 1976 thriller, "Taxi Driver," starring Robert DeNiro, as a loner Vietnam vet, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd and Albert Brooks. "Taxi Driver," penned by Paul Schrader, was nominated for a feature film Oscar but Scorsese surprisingly failed to earn a nomination.
The Cinematheque's "Castles in the Sky: Miyazaki, Takahata and the Masters of Studio Ghibli' concludes Wednesday at the Egyptian with Hayao Miyazaki's 1986 anime delight, "Castle in the Sky."
The Cinematheque's Aero Theatre kicks off the weekend Thursday evening with Woody Allen's dark and often funny 1989 film, "Crimes and Misdemeanors," then the Coen brothers' first film, the 1984 film noir, "Blood Simple." Friday evening the Cinematheque looks at the filmmakers of tomorrow with the 5th annual Screen Student Film Festival, which features the best short films made by Southern California teenagers. The Aero celebrates the 110th anniversary of Georges Melies' landmark "A Trip to the Moon" — the restored color version — Saturday evening. "Moon" is followed by the new documentary "The Extraordinary Voyage," directed by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange. It's about the immense, painstaking restoration work on the Melies' classic.
And on Wednesday, director Jim Hemphill and actress Lea Thompson discuss their film, "The Trouble With Truth," which also stars John Shea. http://www.americancinematheque.com
The New Beverly Cinema features two films from the eclectic Wes Anderson on Thursday evening: 2004's "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou" and 2007's "The Darjeeling Limited." Friday's and Saturday's offerings are Alfred Hitchcock's terrific 1940 thriller, "Foreign Correspondent," which earned a best film Oscar nomination, and the rarely seen 1943 "Journey Into Fear," with Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten and Dolores del Rio. Friday's midnight movie offering is 2010's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"; Saturday's is 1985's "Silver Bullet." The Monday-to-Wednesday programming includes two documentaries: 2011's "The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975" and 2010's "!Women Art Revolution."
UCLA Film & Television Archive's "Nina Menkes: Cinema as Sorcery" series continues Friday evening at the Billy Wilder Theater with two shorts: 1986's "Magdalena Virage" and 1981's "A Soft Warrior." Menkes is scheduled to appear in person. The archive's "Kino-Eye: The Revolutionary Cinema of Dziga Vertov" also continues Saturday at the Wilder with the West Coast premiere of the new restoration of Vertov's 1929 film, "Man With a Movie Camera." Jan-Christopher Horak, director of the archive, will be on hand to discuss the film. Monday evening's entry in UCLA's lengthy Spencer Tracy retrospective is the 1939 Technicolor adventure "Northwest Passage," directed by King Vidor and also starring Robert Young.
And UCLA's Wednesday evening programming at the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles features two from the Master Showman, William Castle: 1964's "Strait-Jacket" with Joan Crawford and 1961's "Homicidal." http://www.cinema.ucla.edu
The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre presents the kitty circus: "The Acro-Cats," which Cinefamily states are well treated and well-loved felines, and a screening of the 1965 Disney classic "That Darn Cat" with Hayley Mills on Monday evening, followed Wednesday by Harry Smith's 1957 animated "Heaven and Earth Magic." http://www.cinefamily.org
Bob Hope and Bing Crosby star in the 1946 musical comedy "The Road to Utopia," showing Tuesday afternoon at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Leo S. Bing Theater. http://www.lacma.org
"Movie Review: 'Puss in Boots'"
"'Rango': On the trail of animation's outlaw future?"
—Susan King
Photo: "Puss in Boots" is nominated for an Academy Award for best animated film. Credit: DreamWorks Animation.


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From MeritBadgeDotOrg
|Radio merit badge
|BSA Advancement ID:
|Requirements revision:
|Latest pamphlet revision:
Merit badge requirements
- 1. Explain what radio is. Include in your explanation: the differences between broadcast radio and hobby radio, and the differences between broadcasting and two-way communicating. Also discuss broadcast radio and amateur radio call signs and using phonetics.
- 2. Sketch a diagram showing how radio waves travel locally and around the world. How do the broadcast radio stations, WWV and WWVH, help determine what you will hear when you listen to a radio?
- 3. Do the following:
- a. Draw a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum covering 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1000 megahertz (MHz).
- b. Label the LF, MF, VHF, UHF, and microwave portions of the spectrum on your diagram.
- c. Locate on your chart at least eight radio services such as AM and FM commercial broadcast, CB, television, amateur radio (at least four ham radio bands), and police.
- d. Discuss why some radio stations are called DX and others are called local. Explain who the FCC and ITU are.
- 4. Explain how radio waves carry information. Include in your explanation: transceiver, transmitter, amplifier, and antenna.
- 5. Learn the safety precautions for working with radio gear, particularly DC and RF grounding.
- 6. Do the following:
- a. Explain the differences between a block diagram and a schematic diagram.
- b. Draw a block diagram that includes a transceiver, amplifier, microphone, antenna, and feedline.
- c. Explain the differences between an open circuit, a closed circuit, and a short circuit.
- d. Draw eight schematic symbols. Explain what three of the represented parts do. Find three electrical components to match to three of these symbols.
- 7. Do ONE of the following: (a OR b OR c )
- a. Amateur radio
- 1. Describe some of the activities that amateur radio operators can do on the air, once they have earned an amateur radio license.
- 2. Carry on a 10 minute real or simulated radio contact using voice or Morse Code; use proper call signs, Q signals, and abbreviations. (Licensed ham radio operators may substitute five QSL cards as evidence of contacts with amateur radio operators from at least three different call districts.) Properly log the real or simulated ham radio contact and record the signal report.
- 3. Explain at least five Q signals or amateur radio terms you hear while listening.
- 4. Explain some of the Technician Class license requirements and privileges. Explain who gives amateur radio exams.
- 5. Explain how you would make an emergency call on voice or Morse code. Tell why the FCC has an amateur radio service.
- 6. Explain handheld transceivers versus home "base" stations. Explain about mobile amateur radios and amateur radio repeaters.
- b. Broadcast radio
- 1. Prepare a program schedule for radio station "KBSA" of exactly one-half hour, including music, news, commercials, and proper station identification. Record your program on audio tape using proper techniques.
- 2. Listen to and properly log 15 broadcast stations; determine for five of these their transmitting power and general areas served.
- 3. Explain at least eight terms used in commercial broadcasting, such as segue, cut, and fade.
- 4. Discuss the educational and licensing requirements and career opportunities in broadcast radio.
- c. Short-wave listening
- 1. Listen across several short-wave bands for two 4-hour periods, one in the early morning and the other in the early evening. Log the stations properly and locate them geographically on a globe.
- 2. For several major foreign stations (BBC in Great Britain or HCJB in Ecuador , for example), list several frequency bands used by each.
- 3. Compare your morning and evening logs, noting the frequencies on which your major foreign stations were loudest during each session. Explain the differences in signal strength from one period to the next.
- 4. Discuss the purpose of and careers in short-wave communications.
- a. Amateur radio
- 8. Visit a radio installation approved in advance by your counselor (ham radio station, broadcast station, or public service communications center, for example). Discuss what types of equipment you saw in use, how it was used, what types of license are required to operate and maintain the equipment, and the purpose of the station.
Source: 2007 Boy Scout Requirements (33215)
You may want to consider working on the Radio and Electronics merit badges together, as there is some overlap.
If you wish to take a step past the merit badge and dig deeper into radio, the amateur radio Technician license is a natural next step. See the "External links" section for the ARRL entry on getting a license.
Help with these requirements
In general, amateur radio operators are a good source of information and are excited to share their hobby with others. You may want to consider contacting the ARRL (see "External links" section) to find a nearby amateur radio club.
Radio in general, broadcast and amateur: Radio waves travel farther and faster than sound waves, so if you want to talk to someone far away, using a radio is better than yelling. Broadcast means one way, their radio only transmits, your radio only receives, you can hear what they say but can't answer back (for example, a station that plays music). Two way means that both people have both transmitters and receivers, so you can carry on a normal conversation (for example, amateur radio or CB). See the "External links" section for Wikipedia entries on Radio (in General), Amateur radio, Broadcasting, Broadcasting (commercial), and Broadcasting (public).
Call signs: radio stations use call signs to identify themselves because radio waves can travel far and wide and there is no easy way to tell where the station is transmitting from. It is possible to listen from several different places using special directional antennas and use trigonometry to calculate where a radio station is transmitting from, but it is much easier to simply wait until they say their call sign and then look up the call sign. See the "External links" section for the Wikipedia entry on call signs for a broad overview, the FCC entry on call signs for the official rules for amateur radio, and the Miscellaneous entry on call signs for a map of the amateur radio call sign areas in the US.
Phonetic alphabet: The phonetic alphabet is used to prevent confusion between letters like "b" and "d" that sound similar enough to be easily mixed up. When talking over a noisy, static-filled radio (or cellular telephone) link it is even more easy to get letters mixed up, so one "code word" is substituted for each letter. For example, if Alice is introducing herself to Bob she may say "My name is Alice, I spell alpha lima india charley echo." See the "External links" section for a list of the "code words" in the international phonetic alphabet.
How radio waves travel: Some frequency waves travel only in a straight line (line of sight), which doesn't travel around the curve of the earth and are therefore short range. Some frequency waves hug the ground and can go around the earth's curve, but these tend to die out quickly and are therefore mostly short range (unless you have a monster transmitter like the navy uses to talk to submarines, but very few folks have a transmitter that powerful). Some frequency waves bounce off the sky and then bounce off the ground and then bounce off the sky and continue to bounce again and again and again, which means they can go a very long ways, sometimes going all the way around the world. The details of how radio waves travel can be complicated, see the "External links" section for information on radio propagation if you want the entire, long story.
WWV and WWVH: WWV and WWVH can be used as beacons (the radio equivalent of lighthouses) because they are in well known geographical locations and transmit on well known frequencies and because they broadcast constantly. If you can hear them you will probably be able to hear stations that are close to them (close meaning both close in geographic location and close in frequency). WWV is in Boulder, Colorado. WWVH is in Hawaii. Both transmit on several frequencies. They transmit the official time of the US Government, meaning they are an excellent place to set your watch to.
3.a., 3.b., & 3.c.
See the "External links" section for the ARRL band plans and amateur frequency allocations, the NTIA frequency allocation chart, and the Wikipedia entry on radio spectrum.
See the "External links" section for the Wikipedia entry on DX, the FCC, and the ITU.
An electronic circuit called an "oscillator" generates a radio frequency signal (oscillate means to wiggle back and forth). This RF signal is mixed with the information the sending operator is trying to send (this is called "modulating" the signal). For example, when sending Morse Code, the radio operator's key simply turns the signal on and off. Hold down the key and the signal is sent on through. Let the key up and the signal is shut off and is not sent on through. To send a dot, the operator presses the key down for a short time, meaning a brief signal is sent. To send a dash, the operator presses the key a little longer, meaning a longer signal is sent. The operator looks up the sequence of dots and dashes for the letter of the alphabet they want to send. Oscillators produce weak signals. These weak signals are strengthened by sending them through an electronic circuit called an "amplifier" (amplify means to make larger). Often the oscillator, modulator, and amplifier are put inside the same box, which we call a "transmitter." The signal is sent to an antenna, which takes in the electrical signal (which needs wires to travel through) and sends it out as an electromagnetic (radio) signal that does not need wires to travel (thus the word "wireless"). The signal has now been transmitted and is waiting for someone to receive it. The signal runs into another antenna, which converts the electromagnetic (radio) signal into an electrical signal. Often by this time the signal is very weak again, so it is sent through another amplifier to strengthen it. This signal is unmixed to separate out the information put in by the operator who sent the message (this is called "demodulating"). This demodulated signal is sent on to the operator receiving the message. In the case of Morse Code, the demodulated signal is simply sent to a speaker --- the operator either hears something or they don't. Hearing means the sending operator had the key pressed down. Not hearing means the sending operator did not have the key pressed down. Hearing a short pulse is a dot. Hearing a longer pulse is a dash. Look up the pattern of dots and dashes to get the letter of the alphabet the sending operator was trying to send. (Voice, television, fax, and computer information are sent the same way, the only difference being that the modulator and demodulator circuits are a bit more complicated than the simple "on/off" switch of Morse Code.) The box holding the receiving side amplifier and demodulator is called a "receiver". Sometimes the transmitter and receiver are put in the same box, which we call a "transceiver" (TRANSmitter + reCEIVER).
6.a. See the "External links" section for the Wikipedia entries on block diagrams and circuit diagrams.
6.c. Short circuit means two points in the circuit that you don't want connected are connected (for example, if you solder a wire to the wrong place, if you drop a screwdriver across the terminals of a battery, or if a tree branch falls on a power line). Open circuit means that two places in the circuit that you want connected are not connected (for example if a wire breaks or if you forget to hook up the load). Closed circuit means that the connections are all where you want them to be, meaning the current has a path to flow where you want it to flow and do what you want it to do.
6.d See the "External links" section for the Wikipedia entry on electronic symbols and electrical components.
- A battery is like a water tower --- it holds electricity (water) and provides the voltage (water pressure) to make the electricity move. (Electricity in motion is called electric current).
- Wires are like pipes --- they give the electric current (water) a path to flow in.
- Switches are like faucets --- they turn the flow off and on.
- Resistors are like rust in pipes --- they restrict the flow of current.
- Capacitors are like the kitchen sink --- they store and release current (water).
- Diodes are one-way valves --- current can flow one way but not the other.
- Photodiodes (also known as Light Emitting Diodes, or LEDs) are diodes that give off light when current flows through them. Think of them as very small light bulbs.
- Fuses are automatic safety shutoff valves that protect against dangerously high current by blowing (creating an open circuit) when too much current flows. The open circuit prevents any more current from flowing, effectively turning the circuit off.
- Transistors and tubes are like water pumps --- the amplify (make stronger) the voltage and/or current.
- Transformers are another kind of water pump --- the step up the voltage (water pressure). If the transformer is connected backwards it steps down the voltage.
7.a. You may want to consider contacting a local amateur radio club (see the ARRL web site in the"External links" section) about joining them for Field Day, Jamboree On The Air (JOTA), or any of the many contests that happen throughout the year. These events are often well attended in the amateur radio community and are a good chance to make some "QSO" contacts. On Field Day, many clubs operate a GOTA (Get On the Air) station that is dedicated to helping people with no radio experience get on the air and make contacts (GOTA station contacts get the club extra points, so the club will be happy to see you).
- On air activities:
- Contact and log:
- Q signals
- Technician class license and exam:
- Emergency calls (why amateur radio?):
- Base station vs mobile vs portable vs repeater:
7.c. See "External links" section for the Wikipedia entries on Short-wave Listening and International Broadcasting.
External links
Dedicated Radio Merit Badge Websites
- Online Radio Merit Badge site for Boy Scouts
- Resources for Radio Merit Badge Counselors
- Troop 435's Radio Badge Merit Course
ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League)
- Club search
- US Amateur Frequency Allocations
- Amateur band plan
- Field Day (fourth full Weekend each June)
- JOTA (Jamboree On The Air, third weekend of each October)
- Contest calendar
- How to get an amateur radio license (above and beyond the merit badge)
- Radio propogation
FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
ITU (International Telecommunication Union)
- Radio (in General)
- Amateur radio
- Broadcasting
- Broadcasting (commercial)
- Broadcasting (public)
- Call Signs
- FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
- ITU (International Telecommunication Union)
- DX (distance) communications
- Radio spectrum (LF, MF, VHF, UHF, microwave)
- Block Diagram
- Circuit digrams
- Electronic symbols
- Electrical components
- WWV station
- WWVH station
- Short-wave Listening
- International Broadcasting (Short-wave Listening)


text:
Seatallan wrote:Oh that's very sad Rats....
Out of interest, what's the situation these days with smoking in France? Is it more widespread than in the UK these days?
Seatallan wrote:
Another Wildie arrives at the Great Coffee Shop in the sky. Hope there's plenty of cake.
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