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We just got back from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida. My son purchased an Interactive Wand which works via IR as far as I can tell. You would point this at what looks like an IR camera, do a specific gesture, and something would happen. I think it is IR based as you had to point the wand at a camera with a circle of red LEDs.
Anyway, I am trying to replicate this at home. Ideas? We still have the wand.
Hey @lujab2004!
This sounds like a cool idea to incorporate the wand with littleBits. If the wand is truly an IR transmitter, you could use the remote trigger http://littlebits.cc/bits/remote-trigger to incorporate the wand. You could also add the arduino and Cloud Module to add different functions of the wand!
@lujab2004 This looks like a really fun idea, and I assume you are working with wands as discussed here: http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-potter-interactive-wand-review-2014-8
Do you think the way you swish the wand causes the IR to emit codes similar to remote controls? If so, and you have an Arduino module, you might be interested in Ken Shirriff's IR remote library: http://www.righto.com/2009/08/multi-protocol-infrared-remote-library.html
Today I posted this video which used a household remote to interact with an Arduino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox14wHQ790Y
I found an article about wands proposed for Disney parks: http://goo.gl/UQ46zw
I'm not sure if this is the same technology as you have. It looks like it could be COMPLICATED... i.e. the artifacts and the wands might communicate back and forth with bluetooth and IR.
Hey @JackANDJude!!
What type of IR receiver are you using with the Arduino? Do you mind posting the code as well? I'm thinking of a similar project!
I tried using the light sensor with limited success; I had more success with this simple phototransistor circuit: http://littlebits.cc/projects/torn-pressure-sensor
I downloaded Ken Shirriff's library and followed these instructions on where to save the IR remote library: https://github.com/shirriff/Arduino-IRremote
Then after restarting the Arduino environment, the code "IRrecvDemo" can be found under File>Examples>IRremote>
I ran that and kept track of the HEX codes that corresponded with different buttons on various household remotes. Some remotes have multiple codes for each button, so I opted for a simpler remote that outputted less codes.
Then I modified Ken's IRrecvDemo like this:
//#include /* less than sign*/ IRremote.h>
int RECV_PIN = 11;
IRrecv irrecv(RECV_PIN);
decode_results results;
void setup(){ Serial.begin(9600); irrecv.enableIRIn(); // Start the receiver}
void loop() { if (irrecv.decode(&results)) { HEXCode = results.value; Serial.println(results.value, HEX);/**********HERE IS WHERE I ADDED A switch case switch (HEXCode) { case 0xFFFFFFFF: Serial.println("REPEAT CODE"); break; case 0x6D0BF044: Serial.println("MINUS"); break; case 0x4A49262: Serial.println("PLUS OR ATT"); break; case 0x129E14EB: Serial.println("LEFT ARROW"); break;************SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT I LATER REPLACED Serial.println with actions***/ irrecv.resume(); // Receive the next value } delay(100);}
I do not think the wand emits anything. I cannot find a way to replace any battery and there is no power switch. Could it simply be an IR reflector? Its definitely not Blutooth, NFC, or anything like that as one spell is activated 35 ft away or so, and you never sync with anything.
You can see an IR led on a camera (maybe not ipad or iphone). Maybe try waving it around and videotaping the tip.
@lujab2004 can you find a link that has details of the wand that you are using?
Hey @lujab2004!
Have you found further information concerning the Harry Potter Wand? This project idea sounds amazing!
Hi guys,I'm new to all of this, but just got a bunch of kits for my daughter, including the Arduino and Cloud kits. We're just about to leave the Universal Resorts tomorrow, and I had exactly the same idea, so I'd love to help you guys figure this out.
What @lujab2004 said is right about the wands. We got an interactive wand and a regular wand, and the only difference is a little glass "bulb" on the tip that must be an IR reflector. There are no active components on the wand - no batteries. When my daughter's wand's tip got scratched it stopped working well. They took the wand back to "fix" it (actually, just swapped it for a new one), and it works great now. If I do this project, I'll be putting a reflector on the end of mine.
Everyone at the park knows that at each spell spot, your wand needs to be visible to an only semi-hidden sensor (even the kids know to look for the sensor). The kids often try to point their wand straight at the sensor, but that's not necessary (and in some cases may hurt), so I'm guessing that the bulb tip is a rounded reflector.
The "sensor", I'm guessing, is both a projector of an IR beam and the reflection sensor. They probably have an IR camera sensor, and are doing some machine learning algorithm on the pattern traced by the wand (each spell has its own pattern). Each kid does the movements in a different size and at a different rate. In some cases, my daughter got a supposedly complex pattern to work just by pointing her wand (maybe the tip accidentally traced the pattern in micro movements?).
I'm still traveling, but if I get anywhere with this when I get back, I'll report back.
Interesting info, @timothy_high ! I think we need an accelerometer.
An accelerometer might be one way to do it (and if we combine this with the cloud component, would be a way to make a smart phone act as a wand!), but it's not how they do it with the official wands - remember that there's no battery, and therefore no active components. I'm pretty sure IR reflection + pattern recognition is the way to go, but I'm not sure if there's an easy implementation for that.
Hmmm. I assumed there was a battery, to which the user has no access. It's a completely different puzzle without a power source. To confirm there's no power on board, have you tried videotaping the tip with a camera that can see ir while you wave it around at home?
@timothy_high You might find some inspiration if you check out Johnny Chung's video and info on tracking sources of IR light: "Low-Cost Multi-point Interactive Whiteboards Using the Wiimote" http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/
The Wiimote is stationary (used for it's IR camera), and he only moves around an ir "light pen", which maybe could be substituted with an ir reflector.
The wiimote project looks fantastic! I'm going to see if I can get it to work. This would be a great project to try out my knowledge of Machine Learning to recognize the wand movements, assuming I get that far.
As for the wand itself, I did some experiments to try to figure out how it works. I got out my camera and verified with a TV remote that it can see IR light. Then I pointed it at the wand - nothing. However, I tried to use the wand as a reflector, and wasn't very impressed at all. It was worse than when I wrapped it with tinfoil.
I wonder about the design choice - a glassy reddish bulb on the tip. I noted that, although kids sometimes seemed to think it was necessary, you didn't actually have to point the wand right at the sensor. The glassy bulb approach would help with having a clean single point of reflection no matter what the angle... Also, scratched tips tended to make it harder to work, so maybe that's an indication that the reflection needs to be as clean a point as possible.
I also wondered about the sensor. If my camera can detect IR light, shouldn't the sensors show up like bright blobs in photos? And wouldn't that ruin everyone's pictures? I didn't remember seeing bright spots of light in any of my photos, so I had a look. It turns out you CAN see exactly 4 purple-ish points, in the same color as IR light on the digital camera, in the photos that show the sensor. But they are much fainter than I'd have expected for reflecting off a wand from a several feet away. Also, they have a visible light component - those 4 bulbs (or ones right next to them) are visibly red without the camera.
Next, I'll try out the wiimote with an IR projector to see how visible the wand will be.
Hi again,
So I just wasted an entire weekend trying to get the wiimote working with my Macbook, and finally gave up. SOOOOO much easier using Windows, with the projects @JackANDJude pointed out!
I got my hands on a night vision video camera (with an IR LED array), and tried it out on the Wiimote sensors. Direct light worked great, but reflecting off the interactive wand, I got NOTHING. Not even if I try to reflect off of tinfoil (using glass or a mirror to reflect works just fine).
This leaves me with a clear path to proceed: put a bright reflector on the tip of the wand. But also leaves me very confused! What are they using at the park? Some sort of RF signal? If so, then why the 4 IR LEDs that clearly appear in our photos? Are the wands an active component, and will they still work if we come back next year?
If anyone is up to chopping their wand in half for a look inside, let me know!
I think this site may have given away the secret, and it makes complete sense: RFID
I'm not sure RFID is the best way to detect fine-grained position information, but I actually did a project some 20 years ago that use radio signals to detect the x,y position of a wand-like device (it was a music project, and you could play on the air like you were hitting an invisible xylophone), so although the article says RFID, it could just be any type of radio signal.
Here's an article showing how to read an RFID tag via Android without additional devices: http://blog.fieldid.com/2013/11/scan-rfid-tag-android/ I don't have an NFC-capable device here, otherwise I'd check right now if the wands are emitting any signals. I'll see if I can get some help from friends at work and report back.
After testing with Android, I can (only) confirm that it's not using RFID in the NFC frequency range. This doesn't really mean much, actually. NFC uses high frequencies specifically so that they aren't readable from far away. As I said before, some of the sensors are working from several meters away, way out of NFC range.
It's very interesting to try and figure out how a closed product such as this works. It's also fun to invent our own designs that effectively do the same thing or whatever it is WE want. We already have a lot of bits available, and we can even make new modules to suit our design parameters. So let's hear it from everyone. What would you want from a wand? @timothy_high? @lujab2004? @MR_STEAM? This question is open to everyone else, too! What features would your dream wand have, and/or how would you make it if you had all the bits? I'm really curious!


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CEO Assistant
We are looking for a junior talent to join Resolution Games at its heart.
Resolution Games focuses passionately on visual computing. We create amazing social games that everyone can play. Being a small but fast growing studio we highly value creativity, power of initiative and professionalism, as well as a strong team spirit and personal responsibility.
This is a great opportunity to become an essential part of a growing & talented team, working in small projects and with high ambitions. There is also an opportunity to take part in a stock option program.
The role will mean working directly with the CEO & C-level, big responsibilities and international travels from time to time.
- Manage & track Purchase Orders & Invoicing
- Administrate company budget
- Attest incoming invoices & expenses
- Organize and manage legal documents
- Manage bank relations
- Handle investor reports
- Handle employees time reporting
- Manage salaries
- Administrate insurances & employee benefits
- Basic facilities communications & managing
- Humble team player
- Not afraid to roll his or her sleeves up
- Good communication skills
- Proactive organizer
So, come on and join us!
In your application, please provide a simple CV & brief cover letter.
Send your application today to firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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MACMILLAN VOLUNTEER AWARDS 2019Log in or Register to nominate now
Each year the Macmillan Volunteer Awards celebrate our amazing volunteers around the UK. These regional and national awards offer the chance to say a huge thank you for the time, care, expertise and commitment they so generously give.
This website is the place for you to submit your nomination. Whether it's for one of our Special Recognition Awards or for a Long Service Award, it's now easier than ever to nominate and get someone the recognition they deserve.
So, if you know a Macmillan volunteer – or team of volunteers – that deserves recognition for what they do, help us say thank you by nominating them for an award. Your nominations will also help us to showcase the enormous value Macmillan volunteers bring to people with cancer and inspire others to make their time matter for Macmillan.


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I've been feeling the pull back to (personal) blogging for quite some time now. However, even though I've been wanting to write, I haven't been sure of what to write about or what direction I'd like to take with this blog. So I've delayed and delayed and delayed… seven months have passed… and here I am.
The other day, I was scrolling Facebook and saw a post from a college friend, stating that she, too, had let time pass her by without updating her blog. Not as long as me, but still… I related. I am a pretty regular reader of this girl's blog (her name is Emily and her blog is Espresso and Endorphins), and I found that I was really excited to read what has been going on in her life. I'm not sure if my regular readership makes me a bit creepy, but since we've struggled with similar things in life, I've grown to really appreciate and value her posts.
ANYWAYS. I decided that it was time to write, even if I didn't have a clear direction for this blog, and even though my life feels more "up in the air" than ever before. Writing has always been therapeutic for me, and it's important that I continue to engage this creative side of my brain, no matter what I'm pursuing career-wise. So here I am!
Not to be a total copycat, but I was pretty inspired by Emily's "Life Lately" layout, so I'm going to segment up my life a little bit and talk about all of the different things that have been going on. And hopefully, magically, I will get a clear vision of where I want to take this blog after I'm done. Fingers crossed!
I started working for Air Express LLC in late April, where I serve as Marketing Manager. In this role, I do everything from website editing to SEO to appointment scheduling to general administrative work. My knowledge of marketing (as well as the HVAC industry) has grown tremendously since starting here, and I'm really grateful to have been given this opportunity to work full-time. Oh… and the owner of the business is my boyfriend, so it's an added perk to see him more frequently and help him grow professionally. We have some really exciting (non-AC-related) projects up our sleeve as well, so stay tuned for more info about that!
Because of the whole working-full-time thing, I haven't been able to teach yoga anymore, and my focus on school has drifted a bit. I miss teaching SO so much, but I know that yoga will always be there for me when I'm ready for it. As far as school goes, it's hard to say what I want, or where I see myself. I am seriously considering an MFA, in the hopes of becoming a writing professor. I know that I would love that life, and that teaching would bring me a lot of personal satisfaction. However, it's hard to focus on that goal when I'm so busy with work, friends, family, and my relationship. We'll see!
I used to talk in excess about mental health on this blog, and while I know that was right for me when I was going through harder times, it's been really nice to keep that part of my life to myself. I feel so healthy and strong right now, and I want to focus on maintaining that. I'm actually starting a new challenge where I devote two hours each day to "me time." This can include writing (of any kind), exercise, yoga, reading, or personal/beauty appointments. That's actually part of the reason I'm blogging again! The stars really do align sometimes.
I don't think I've mentioned this yet on my blog, but I've been dating my boyfriend, Adam, since January 1st (that was our first date!). It has been really interesting to see our relationship evolve, especially because neither of us have been vocal about it on social media. But it's been refreshing to just focus on each other and see where it goes without the added pressure of external validation. I can confidently say that we're in a great place right now, and that I feel more confident about our future than ever. He's the funniest, smartest, most attractive guy I know, and I feel super lucky to have him in my life.
I'm not gonna lie… this has been a huge struggle for me since starting my full-time job. A lot of people think that because I work for Adam, I must be able to make my own schedule and leave whenever I want. This is not the case at all. While I definitely have more flexibility than your average 9-5 worker, I think I actually work harder because I'm working for him. I care so much about his business, and I feel semi-responsible for its growth, so I am by no means sitting around the office living my best life and working when I feel like it.
That being said, it's been a challenge to make time for fitness, especially because it's not a part of my job description anymore. After I quit working at CAMP, I took a break from yoga, which was incredibly necessary for my mental health. I got really into CycleBar a couple months ago, and I've really enjoyed incorporating cardio back into my routine. I took my first Orangetheory class in New Tampa on Tuesday, and I LOVED it. I might write a post on it!
Overall, I've been trying to work out 3+ times a week, but that doesn't always happen. I got sick after my trip to Mexico (see below), so that sidelined me for a couple weeks. But now, in this new phase of "me-time," I'm going to try my best to do something physical every day. I miss the way my body used to feel when I was working out regularly, and I want more than anything to get back to that place.
I've been on two cool trips lately— I went to Asheville in July and Mexico in August. I went to Asheville with Morgan, who I lived with after Paul moved out. I completely fell in love with Asheville. It reminded me a lot of Nashville, but a little more hippie and less urban. I hope to go back again soon and try more of their amazing restaurants; I also want to go hiking there, because the surrounding mountains are absolutely beautiful!
Adam and I booked a trip to Mexico SUPER last minute in August… as in the day before we left. It was a bit hectic getting our lives together in less than 24 hours, but I'm so happy that we went. The hotel was cool, but it was our day together in Playa del Carmen that made our trip worthwhile. Adam had never been out of the country, so it was really special to explore a new place with him and escape from the all-inclusive hotel scene. However, I did come back from that trip with an eye infection, approximately 35 mosquito bites that I thought were bedbugs (legit was terrified for two days about this), and some sort of throat issue that lasted for over two weeks. So… I'll be taking a break from cross-country travel for a hot second.
I'm honestly embarrassed by how many movies and TV shows I've watched recently. So instead of listing off all of my Netflix/Hulu obsessions from the past seven months, I'll only tell y'all about the best of the best. I'll also refrain from elaborating on my passion for the Bachelor franchise and how I spent 2-3 hours every week this year watching The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Yikes.
1) The Bold Type (Freeform, watch on Hulu)
Watch if… you love Gossip Girl, Cosmo magazine, pretending like you live in NYC, and female friendship
2) The Resident (Fox, watch on Hulu)
Watch if… you miss the golden days of Grey's Anatomy
3) The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
Watch if… you want to be a fully functioning millennial (seriously don't know how I missed this show for so long— thanks to Stacy Washburn for getting me into it!)
4) Queer Eye (Netflix)
Watch if… you used to watch What Not To Wear or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
5) Sierra Burgess is a Loser (Netflix)
Watch if… you fell in love with Noah Centineo after To All The Boys I've Loved Before
6) Newness (Netflix)
Watch if… you're interested in "open relationships" or what dating is like in the age of Tinder/Bumble
7) A Simple Favor (in theaters now!)
Watch if… you're interested in a super-trendy cross between Gone Girl and Bridesmaids
Also let's take a moment to mourn the loss of Rise (a new show that got cancelled after a season) and The Path (my all-time favorite Hulu show that was cancelled).
I haven't been reading as much as I'd like to, but I have gotten through some really amazing books. And one that I legit had to stop reading because it was too triggering. Starting with my personal favorite: The Light We Lost. This book is super emotional, so if you've just gone through a big breakup, I'd wait a little bit before reading it. I still sobbed throughout the latter chapters of this book, especially after what I went through last year with my breakup. But it was such a beautiful book, and I highly recommend it. It reminds me a lot of The Versions of Us.
Then, I moved on to a really funny book by Sophie Kinsella called Surprise Me. I laughed out loud throughout the entire thing, which was really fun, especially after crying during The Light We Lost.
I read a couple of pretty meh books (including Emily Giffin's latest, which was hugely disappointing) before finding Tell Me Lies. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you're in a relationship and want to stay in said relationship. It's written really well, but the alternating perspectives (particularly the chapters written from the fuckboy's perspective) are really anxiety-inducing for women with boyfriends. I hope to God that men don't actually think like that. And if they do… I'd rather stay blissfully unaware, please and thank you.
Also read The Wife Between Us, which is a total mindf*ck and so so SO good. Read it if you haven't been able to find a solid replacement for Gone Girl. AKA please stop buying all those other books that are supposed to be "just like Gone Girl" except they suck and are poorly written.
TBH I would love to know what's next. All I know is that it's basically fall, which means it's almost Halloween, which means it's almost my favorite month. I might be going to Halloween Horror Nights this weekend, so I'm beyond pumped about that. Beyond that, I'm excited to keep devoting more time to my personal growth, this blog, and the people in my life whom I love. I promise my next post won't be in April 2019.


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Bearing Up in the Heat Knut Keeps Cool, Naturally
New infrared images reveal that Knut is staying cool in the heat -- much to the relief of fans who worried the little furball might be overheating. Meanwhile his keeper Thomas Dörflein has been nominated for a medal for his services to Germany.
Despite recent high temperatures in Berlin, celebrity polar bear cub Knut isn't suffering from the heat. Even with temperatures reaching tropical highs of up to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), Berlin Zoo researcher Rudolf Reinhard told SPIEGEL ONLINE that Knut doesn't need help cooling off.
"He can go for a swim any time he likes," Reinhard says. "He's always at liberty to do so."
His swimming pool isn't chilled, and his cage isn't air-conditioned, Reinhard says. But could the heat be unhealthy for Knut, whose natural habitat is the sea ice of the polar north?
"Absolutely not," says Reinhard. "It's pretty warm in Canada right now as well, so this isn't too abnormal."
While northern Canada's summer temperatures certainly don't reach recent Berlin highs, Knut seems to be coping well. Reinhard says that polar bears regulate their body heat like dogs, sweating through their nose and mouth.
And new infrared photos of Knut indicate that this is working just fine. Even in the stifling heat, his body surface is only 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit). Meanwhile his sweat gland areas around his nose, mouth, eyes and ears, are working hard to regulate his temperature -- those areas measure in at a sweltering 37.5 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
The infrared photographer, building physicist Thomas Zimmerman, was allowed to snap shots of the little bear because he's researching how baby animals regulate their body heat. Zimmerman told the tabloid Bild that Knut is "well insulated," and that the same polar bear insulation that retains heat in the winter works to insulate against it in the summer.
A Medal For Dörflein?
Meanwhile on Friday Bild -- ever attentive on the Knut beat -- reported that fans of Knut's keeper Thomas Dörflein have started an online petition for him to receive the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany -- the highest tribute German citizens can receive for services to the nation.
The fans are encouraging Federal President Horst Köhler to give Dörflein -- who has acquired quite a following of his own since becoming the bear's surrogate father -- the award. They have even contacted Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit -- a self-confessed Knut fan -- to add his endorsement. Wowereit's response was noncommittal, though -- his office said they preferred not to comment on who might get the medals.


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A trend I'm in love with is denim on denim. Well, denim is just one of my favorite fabrics in general because it's so versatile and comfortable. With this outfit, I combined three different shades of denim for a fun look that's bright, edgy, and polished all at the same time.
I started with my favorite black Levi's skinny jeans, then added a mint and gray striped tank from H&M. Now this would be a good outfit on it's own, but now that the temperature has dropped, it's time to cover up my noodle arms.
Putting a Hollister Co. button down in a light wash adds some contrast against the black, yet it also compliments the mint. The pièce de résistance is my Vans jacket which adds that final layer of cool to the entire outfit.
You can achieve a look just like this too if you have three completely different washes of denim. Don't pair washes that are only a micro-shade different from each other. I wouldn't recommend going past the rule of three either, because you don't want to look like Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake at the 2001 VMAs.
You can also play this trend up by adding denim in dark colors, like maroon, plum or forest green. Keep your accessories neutral or in the same color palette if you do this.
Dare to be different, don denim on denim (just not denim on denim on denim on denim).
joe gooding


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The UNDERCOVER x Nike REACT Element 87 Shares Some New Flavors
Which technical colorway are you eyeing?
Fans of Jun Takahashi have been waiting patiently for additional news regarding the collaboration between UNDERCOVER and Nike. Although a release date isn't confirmed yet, additional colorways have been shared. A total of five options have surfaced on the collaborative Nike REACT Element 87. Its technical construction sees a translucent upper shell that's complemented by exterior taping on the heel and exposed lace collar. Its speckled laces provide an off-road aesthetic to bridge the gap between UNDERCOVER's signature look and the performance goals of the silhouette.
Take a look at the selection of color options and let us know which one grabs your attention the most. The UNDERCOVER x Nike REACT Element 87 is rumored to drop towards the end of the year. You can also check out the model's debut back in March.
Join Our Discussions on Discord
The HYPEBEAST Discord Server is a community where conversations on cultural topics can be taken further.


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Team Singapore @ Beijing CSIOJ
On the 27th September 2017, Tara Khan, Tara Wee and Christie Nair with Team Coach Predrag Marjanovic went to Beijing to participate in the CSIO J. A total of 4 countries took part in the Junior Category, Russia, China, Indonesia and Singapore.
During the training sessions our riders faced some challenge; Tara Khan was not used to Lord M, a big stallion with big striding but found him very honest to jump. Tara Wee fell in love with her horse Quintino and Christie Nair had a hot feisty horse Ugolin.
Team Singapore performed well with their new horses, skillfully adapted to their horses under Predrag's watchful eye and succinct guidance. On 29th in the 100cm Junior Against the Clock, Christie finished 12th (4 faults), Tara Khan 17th (5 faults) and Tara Wee 18th 6 faults) out of a field of 20 riders.
For the Junior Nations Cup, Singapore finished 3rd with a total of 64 faults over 2 rounds. China took home first place with a total of 24 faults and Russia 2nd with a total of 36 faults.
A wonderful experience for riders and thumbs up to the organizers for top class, professionally run show!
For full results, please download them here


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July 21, 2016
While ultraviolet A emission of rays in sunlight can cause significant detriment to the skin, the majority of sunscreens in successi~ the market offer limited protection facing such damage. But this could make some ~ in.; researchers have identified a compound that they speak can shield against ultraviolet A-induced small room damage, skin aging, and skin cancer
Dr. Charareh Pourzand, of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Bath, United Kingdom, and colleagues utter they hope the compound can have existence added to sunscreens and other skin care products within 3-4 years.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation makes up around 95 percent of the UV ir~ that reaches the Earth's external part.
UVA radiation is less intense than ultraviolet B (UVB) ir~, which is the primary cause of sunburn. However, UVA penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB, and it is considered the dominant tanning ray.
UVA radiation – whether from light of day or tanning booths – penetrates cells in the dermis bed. of skin, damaging the collagen fibers, that contributes to wrinkles and liver spots. UVA rays moreover damage the skin's DNA, that can trigger mutations that lead to pelt cancer.
Dr. Pourzand and colleagues elucidate that UVA rays stimulate excess set ~ iron present in mitochondria, which are structures that afford energy for cells.
This free iron stimulation fuels the work of reactive oxygen species (ROS), that cause damage to cell components – including DNA and proteins – and uplift the risk of cell death, hide aging, and skin cancer.
"The role of iron-mediated hurt induced upon exposure of skin cells to UVA has been underestimated with a view to many years," notes Dr. Pourzand. "For effectual protection against UVA-induced iron injure of skin, strong chelators are needed, except until now these risked toxic effects caused by non-targeted iron starvation of cells."
'Mitoiron claw' prevented UVA-induced derm cell death
In the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the researchers depict the development of a compound that can prevent the free iron in mitochondria from reacting to UVA ir~.
Referred to as "mitoiron claw," the newly created mixture travels to mitochondria within cells, in which place it binds to the excess loose iron.
For their study, the researchers applied the agree to human skin fibroblast cells and exposed them to 140 minutes of uninterrupted, sea-level UVA radiation.
Unlike untreated skin cells, those treated with the mitoiron laniate compound were highly protected against enclosed space damage and death.
Based on their results, the researchers convinced the mitoiron claw compound can pr~ significant protection against UVA radiation.
What is again, they call for the compound to exist added to sunscreen and other skin care products – something they hope devise occur in the next 3-4 years.
"Our mitochondria-targeted compound […] can address an unmet need in the derm care and sunscreen fields. This mitoiron scratch is a highly effective compound, sacrifice unprecedented protection against UVA-induced mitochondrial harm." Dr. Charareh Pourzand
Normal 0 counterfeit false false EN-US JA X-NONE
As well to the degree that further investigating the mitoiron claw as far as concerns its protective effects against UVA-induced simplest organism damage, the team plans to assess whether the come to terms might be effective against diseases fueled ~ the agency of excess iron in mitochondria, such because Friedreich's ataxia.
If you ponder a lot more than you should, that is the same causative factor in high blood calamity.


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Today, I'm excited to share something that I've been working on for a long time: a guide to where you can purchase trash-free groceries and hygiene products throughout United States. Shopping from the bulk foods aisle of the grocery store and bringing your own containers to fill up on pantry staples is a key part of growing a more sustainable kitchen.
However, certain grocery stores don't sell bulk, package-free goods, while some stores with bulk sections don't allow you to bring your own containers from home. And, sometimes you visit a grocery only to find that they don't offer what you're looking for package-free. For me, finding waste-free sources for all of the groceries I needed was a process that took months of trial and error and adventures to different stores around town. My hope is that this guide helps you get right to what you need without too much searching around, and that it helps make your transition to zero waste easier. It can also be a helpful guide to reference when traveling, when you want to stock up on snacks or groceries on the road but aren't familiar with the local options.
You can look through the stores in your area, here. The guide lives in the sidebar, so it will be easily accessible anytime you need. And, have a favorite grocery you love that isn't on there? Email me and I'll add it to the list, with many thanks to you for helping grow this zero waste resource!


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The Teaching of ReadingReading is the Magic Key; it takes you where you want to be!
At Winlaton West Lane, we believe that reading is the magic key; it takes you where you want to be!
Reading plays a vital role in the development and education of your child. Here at West Lane, we ensure that pupils have lots of opportunities to read in lots of different contexts. We continually strive to promote a love of reading to ensure that pupils are ready for the next stages in their learning.
If you would like to find out more about reading at West Lane, please contact our Literacy Leader, Mrs Bell. You may also find some of the downloadable documents below to be useful.
Reading Information Booklet for Parents and Carers
Strategies for Supporting Reading
In Early Years and Key Stage One we deliver a consistent approach to phonics using the Letters and Sounds programmes to deliver the new requirements of the national curriculum (2014). Every pupil in Early Years and Key Stage One learns to decode (sound out) words that they read and spell. Reading is linked into understanding what they have read and also links into short writing activities. Using small group work on a daily basis allows staff to pinpoint any individual who may need additional support in this area, and enables them to plan intervention activities if needed. Teachers will always keep you informed if your child is having additional support.
Home Reading Books
The purpose of home reading books is to encourage independence. These texts should complement your child's reading and allow them to read and comprehend texts easily. We have found that children who are confident with reading a specific text enjoy returning to that text and from doing this will build on skills like expression, self-correction and a higher level of comprehension. Each week your child will be given one or two books at the class teacher's discretion; from the Oxford Project X scheme. Each stage in the scheme consists of a set of core reading books and additional story books. Your child will be given a reading book from the higher stage when they have read most of the core books and when the class teacher feels your child is confident in the reading and comprehension of the stories in that stage.
Opportunities for reading
Pupils also read regularly in other areas of the curriculum and in other parts of the school day through:
- ERIC Q – Everyone Reading In Class Quietly! This daily independent reading time allows children to read for pleasure each day in school. Teachers use this time to listen to children read both on a one-to-one basis and in small groups, checking their fluency and decoding skills as well as discussing pupils' understanding of the language and meaning of the text. This allows staff to teach specific and targeted reading skills in a text that is sufficiently challenging.
- Reading Skills – This weekly session is used to develop fluency in reading alongside developing reading comprehension skills and building vocabulary.
- Reading Across the Curriculum – Pupils read a range of books and texts – both in print and online – that are linked to other areas of their learning to enhance their understanding and range of vocabulary linked to a range of History, Geography and Science topics. As each year group covers a range of exciting topics, we also encourage children to bring in any books that link with their current topic that they have found interesting and would like to share with their class.
- Story Time – Across the school, pupils enjoy story time, where teachers share both whole class texts and shorter extracts. By modelling how to read aloud, pupils hear the importance of expression and fluency, and are encouraged to apply it in their own reading, which helps to develop enthusiasm for independent reading.
- Reading Zone – There is a Reading Zone outside Mrs Tetley's office where children can choose to come and read for pleasure in a comfortable environment. This is available to children at break times and lunch times, as well as a choice of Golden Time activities. Our pupils can choose to bring their own books along with them to read in this environment, or choose from the selection of books on display.


text: Well, I finally got out to see some live music last night! It had been way too long! I went to the Bristled Boar in Middleton WI to see and dance to the Shake Daddys with my new friend, Lynn. Lynn loves live music and dancing and I love her for it! "Gotta Get It Worked On" is a Delbert McClinton song which is one of the Shake Daddys' favorites. I kinda dig it too.


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Taylor Swift Chips Her Tooth Onstage
Taylor Swift is a consummate professional, and there's no disputing it -- especially after she chipped her generous chompers onstage and kept right on with the show.
The incident went down in Pittsburgh, Penn. on the July 6 stop of her Red tour with Ed Sheeran.
Swift revealed to Rolling Stone, "Tonight I was particularly hung up on not chipping another tooth like last show in Pittsburgh, definitely. It had a tip on [the tooth] and it doesn't anymore."
Ouch! How'd that happen?
"I try to be really quick with the microphone, so I'm not standing there just waiting to sing with my mic right next to my face, so I really quickly pulled my mic up to sing and basically uppercut punched myself in the tooth," she admitted. "And then part of it fell onto the stage and I was like, 'Oh, I wonder how bad that was. I wonder which tooth that is and I wonder how bad that is,' and I was just trying not to chip another one tonight. I'm not doing anything about it. It's just gonna be a little bit jagged, I guess."
T-Swizzle, it sounds like you need a mouthguard -- or maybe some more practice with the occasionally awkward choreography!
Swift confessed that the chipped tooth may be a result of being a little bit distracted by her fans' signs in the arenas in which she performs. "Sometimes I get really caught up in reading the signs, and if I get too caught up I will start to read the signs when I'm singing, so I have to make sure I'm only reading signs in musical breaks," she said. "[The signs] are all pretty out there most of the time, which I like. There will be people who just make a giant, huge picture of my cat's face, so big that it's all I can see, and that usually gets my attention. My cat out there, giant photocopy of her, eight foot by eight foot."
To be fair, have you seen Meredith? She's so cute, we'd be distracted, too!


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Our History
The Rochester Historical Society, the brainchild of anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan, was established in 1860 only to languish as the Civil War loomed over Rochester and the nation. In 1887, Mrs. Caroline Perkins, philanthropist and wife of businessman Gilman H. Perkins, revived the Society and led it to local prominence. For decades the Society has collected and preserved what today amounts to over 200,000 objects and documents.
In 2000, the Rochester Historical Society began a new era with the hiring of its first professional staff. Today our staff of three, an active Board of Directors, and many dedicated volunteers continue the Society's mission to collect, preserve, and interpret our city and region's past, for the education and enjoyment of the entire community.
We are Rochester's Story Keeper.
Our Staff
|William Keeler
Librarian & Archivist
librarian {at} rochesterhistory(.)org
Our Board
|Carolyn Vacca, Ph.D.
|Alinda Drury
Vice President
|Mary Kay Adams
Secretary & Treasurer
|Patrick Malgieri
|Richard Calabrese Jr.
|Tom Latta
|John Trickey
Jonathan Hoose
|Aaron Metras
How can you help me to research my Rochester roots?
How can I find birth, marriage, and death records for city and county residents?
How can you help me to research the history of my Rochester home?
How can I determine if my property qualifies as a historic landmark?
What resources do you offer school children?
I don't live in the Rochester area. Can I hire RHS to do my research?
How can you help me to research my Rochester roots?
Call (585) 623-8285 for an appointment as we are closed and getting ready to move. This way we can gather as many materials as possible for you in advance of your visit.
The Rochester Historical Society has a wide variety of resources to help you research your Rochester roots. Unique to RHS is the Rochester Pioneer Registry, which consists of genealogical files of over 13,000 descendants of Rochester's first inhabitants. In addition, RHS houses all Rochester City Directories published from 1827 to 1986. City Directories are rich historical and genealogical resources that include:
- adult residents' occupations as well as their home and work addresses
- a business directory organized by industry type
- a full section of business advertisements
- listings of city officials, schools and colleges, houses of worship, charitable organizations, hospitals, private clubs, banks and insurance agencies, and other organizations providing for citizens' basic needs
- demographic information and population figures
- a street index
We also work closely with the Local History & Genealogy Division of Rundel Public Library. A grant from the Gleason Foundation has enabled the library to digitize and make available in PDF format Rochester City Directories from 1827 to 1930. You may find these links on the Local History & Genealogy page of the Monroe County Library System website.
How can I find birth, marriage, and death records for city and county residents?
We recommend that you visit the Monroe County GenWeb website, which offers detailed information on which vital records are available and where to find them.
How can you help me to research the history of my Rochester home?
We suggest that you begin by consulting the Landmark Society of Western New York's excellent online Historic Building Research Guide, which is tailored to our city and region. When you are ready to get started, we are happy to help you locate documents and sources available including surveyor's maps, neighborhood and town histories, and city and house directories. In addition, we own a substantial collection of photographs documenting the development of particular streets, from main thoroughfares to small side streets.
How can I determine if my property qualifies as a historic landmark?
Designation as a national, state, county, or city landmark requires an application on your part. To learn the distinctions among these several types of landmarks, how to apply for each, and the implications of each designated status, we recommend you read the Landmark Society of Western New York's comprehensive online article "Is My House a Landmark?"
What resources do you offer school children?
We are in the midst of developing programs and resources targeted to primary and secondary school students, their teachers, and homeschoolers. In the meantime, RHS welcomes inquiries from teachers regarding how we might help you to accomplish your curricular goals. For more information, please contact us at programs {at} rochesterhistory(.)org or at (585) 623-8285.
I don't live in the Rochester area. Can I hire RHS to do my research?
We are happy to assist you in any research concerning the history of our city and region. Research provided as a service by RHS is charged at the rate of $30/hr. This rate does not include photocopying, print reproduction, or other charges that must be incurred as part of your research. For more information, please contact William Keeler at librarian {at} rochesterhistory(.)org or at (585) 623-8285.


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These cookies are inspired by the ever so famous s'mores that we have had at campfires. Graham cracker on the bottom, place a piece of Hershey chocolate on it and then the fun part…melting your marshmallow on a stick over the fire. Add that to the graham cracker and chocolate and top it off with another graham cracker and there you have it. One yummy treat! How do you like your marshmallows cooked over a campfire? I like my slightly burnt. I remember when I was a kid, my dad liking them burnt…or maybe he was just being a nice dad by eating the ones we burnt and just said he likes the burnt ones?! :o) I'll have to ask him one of these days… When you take a bite of these cookies, you will think you are eating a s'mores…without the campfire, of course.
I made these several times in a few weeks, at the request of my son (AKA one of my taste testers). He wanted me to make sure it was not too much of a chocolate chip cookie and just enough to make it taste like a s'mores. He has become quite the food critic…which is a good thing. It helps me make my recipes be the best they can be! :o) I made them with more cookie batter, then a little less. The perfect amount was 2 tablespoons of dough on each graham cracker. I don't have a two tablespoon cookie scoop, so I just used my one scoop and combined the two cookie dough balls. I made them in to a ball and then flatten the ball a little to make more of a patty (kind of like making hamburgers). Then place the cookie patty onto the graham cracker (see photo below).
Let them bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. At the last two minutes of baking, place one small Hershey bar on top of each cookie and continue baking. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for five minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Let me know how you like them.
This cookie batter recipe is what I use for Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is just that. Our favorite. Give those a those a try too when you can because who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie? School will be starting soon…maybe make a batch while your kids are at school. I always like the idea of them walking into the house smelling the cookies baking and having a cookie and cold glass of milk after school, talking about the day. What a treat…for both our kids and us moms!
S'mores Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 box of graham crackers
- 1 package of Hershey bars
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add the sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix all ingredients together.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet and mix until completely combined.
- Add in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Once the dough has chilled, let the dough sit at room temperature while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees.
- Break graham crackers in half and place six at a time on the ungreased cookie sheet.
- Make cookie dough into two inch size balls, then press down slightly to form a patty. Place the cookie dough patty on top of each graham cracker.
- Bake 9-10 minutes. At the last two minutes of baking, gently place one small Hershey chocolate bar on top of each cookie.
- Let the cookies cool for five minutes on cookie sheet, then place on cooling rack to cool completely.


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Medicinal juicing, also known as a detox juice diet is a process that you allow your body to go through in order to cleanse your system, detoxify your body and brings several health benefits to you as well. There medicinal juicing or the detox juice diet is often performed over a specific time period. The most popular juice diets that have gained immense popularity with people in the past few recent years are the 3-day juice diet and the 10-juice diet. In this article, we are focusing on the 10-day juice diet.
What Exactly Are You Doing by Juicing Veggies and Fruits?
When you ask a doctor for the best health recommendation and the juicer reviews, the medical experts always advise you to keep your diet jam-packed with fresh vegetable and fruits. Why so? Vegetables and fruits are full with natural goodness and high nutritional value. On average, every person needs to consume 7 to 8 veggies or fruits in a day. By juicing, you are consuming more than the average ratio but the mode of consuming is liquid form.
Tips for 10-Day Juicing Diet
On a 10-days juicing diet, you are putting your body through a gruesome process of only living on liquid juices for 10 days straight. Whilst it might seem very difficult to survive on only juices for 10-days straight, it is actually much better for your body than living on solid foods as your digestive system gets relief from breaking down foods into smaller, digestible components. You can make your 10-days diet nevertheless very easy only if you follow fasting recipes or just start the following the below easy juicing tips.
Tip 1
You can utilize mixed fruit or vegetable juice by blending in a grinder to intake maximum nutrition in one go.
Tip 2
To feel fuller for longer, you can consume a full glass of juice every 2 to 3 hours.
Tip 3
Never dilute your juice with water. This decreases it nutritional value and makes it lighter which can make you feel hungry more often.
Tip 4
If you want to feel variety throughout your day, you can try consuming a single fruit or vegetable juice.
Tip 5
If only juicing diet is difficult for you, you can replace it with a substitute meal diet.
Benefits of Juicing Diet
Why should you go on a 10-days juice diet in the first place? Only because it offers a lot of benefits for your body.
- Helps in increased nutrient absorption
- Makes digestion easier and improves digestive system health
- Facilitates the process of weight loss
- Helpful to control increased levels of cholesterol
- Helpful to regulate blood sugar
- Makes the skin healthier, shinier and smoother


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Te Ara Tahuna Estuary shared path Te Ara Tahuna Estuary shared path
Te Ara Tahuna Pathway provides an excellent ride for people new to cycling, or riding with children on bikes or scooters.
It is easily accessed from Western Reserve, 40 minutes drive north from Auckland centre. It makes for a great day out and especially if combined with time at the beach or shops. The path features tributes to the estuary's past as a significant food gathering place for Maori.
- 7.6 km.
- About 40 minutes.
Orewa cycleway map
More about this route
The route offers a variety of environments, from the beach and estuary, to quiet residential and park areas, and through bush trails. It's a great ride for spotting birds and plants.
It is one of the most popular off-road paths in Auckland. On a busy day several hundred people use the path, so a bell is important when passing. It is easy to ride to from surrounding suburbs, or drive and park at Western Reserve.
- Car park at Western Reserve, Hibiscus Coast Highway.
- 7.5 km off road path.
- Easy to ride, mainly flat and mostly sealed.
- Lighting and signs along the route.
- A great circuit.
- Beside the water and through parks.
- Close to Orewa Beach for swimming.
- Maori carvings on the path illustrate the estuary's cultural and historical significance.
- Skate park.
- Toilets and drinking water.
- Links to schools & residential areas.
- Café at Western Reserve.
- Motor camp nearby.
Share the path
- Please be courteous towards other path users.
- Ring your bell before passing.
- Remember to smile, wave and have a good time.


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Brunswick Plantation & Golf Resort is proud to be an Energy Star partner in our new Lakes, Town Homes II at Smithfield, and NEW Commons II homes. While these homes will save you energy and money everyday, they also have the added benefits of durability and being more healthy home through better indoor air quality…the topic of today's post.
One of the keys of the Energy Star home design is a tight building envelope. This not only reduces heat loss and gain but also keeps unfiltered air from leaking in from the outdoors through walls, ceilings, and floors. Unfiltered air can be ridden with various particles and pollutants from the outdoor environment and from within the walls/ceilings of homes that can be problematic for people with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory issues. In addition, items that are brought into the home often off gas chemicals (think about that "newness" smell) and the automatic home ventilation system ensures that these gases are exhausted to the exterior properly. Things like carpet/rugs, paints, particle board, detergents, printer ink, and others can release chemicals. Studies show that people living in environments with better air quality miss work / school less and go to the doctor less often than their counterparts.
Since Energy Star healthy homes are so tight we actually incorporate a whole house ventilation system where fresh air is introduced and stale air is exhausted on a regular schedule throughout the day. It first passes through a high efficiency air filter and then is distributed evenly through the centralized system. This is not your average new home or older home design….this is advanced building science being put work.
This might seem counter intuitive to some…bringing in outside air that is cold or hot and or humid into the system. However, the Energy Star HVAC and healthy home design is a System of many components that when working together still reduce energy use and costs while simultaneously improving the indoor air environment. In fact we incorporate a supplemental dehumidifier that senses the humidity in the air and turns on as needed to maintain a preset humidity level to maintain comfort.
Energy Star also has strict guidelines on spot exhaust at locations like bathrooms and kitchens. This ensures that pollutants from cooking are exhausted to the exterior properly and quickly. The bath exhaust ensures moisture and the resulting microbial fungal growth associated with high moisture are minimized. To ensure optimal fan performance ducts are designed to be as short and straight as possible using smooth pipe. In addition Energy Star guidelines require low Sone (quiet operating) fans.
In addition to these systems, guidelines are set to ensure the building products used are free from excess moisture and or mold during construction. Water management guidelines also ensure that water is not able to penetrate the building envelope in the future and cause moisture and mold problems.
So the question is, which is the best feature of Energy Star? Saving money and energy and being green be default OR a more healthy home and indoor living environment? After all health and wellness is one of the most important factors in quality of life especially for people at or near retirement age.
What is most important to you? Post to comments…we'd love to hear from you.


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Lone Star State Tarpon Reports
Members Only Detailed Texas Tarpon Fishing Reports. "For those in the need-to-know crowd"
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Attitude of Gratitude Challenge Day 23
Posted by vixtalks on August 23, 2017
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: Advice, attitude, attitudeofgratitude, Awareness, Blog, challenge, Communication, Confidence, Education, Empowerment, Encouragement, freedom, grateful, Gratitude, Growth, Guidance, Healing, Independence, Inspiration, Life, Motivation, Motivational, past, Peace, Positive Energy, positivevibes, Positivity, Sanctuary, Self-Awareness, Self-Confidence, Strength, VixTalks. 2 Comments


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So I keep seeing all the hype over the iTv, the new device from Apple which will be for broadband video and connect to the TV. Expectations include a robust download driven broadcast platform and DVR-like features. I hope no one is quoting me for what the mac rumor mill is saying.
If true, or close to true, it will only be 14 or so years after the ill-fated MacTV- which was basically a Performa colored black and with a CATV in card. You could only watch TV or use the mac, not both at the same time, and it had still but not video capture. Remember those cartridge-loading CD-ROM drives? My dad got one for my grandparents, and I think they were happy with it, sort of until everyone realized it was just an underpowered marketing mistake.
I think Apple is in a much better position to execute on a TV-related venture at this point, but I guess you never know.


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Learn how to drive the simple way! 3D Driving Simulator - Master your vehicle is an invaluable learning tool that will help you test your driving skills in real examination conditions. Using the tool, future drivers can practice for their driving tests at their own pace, and overcome their fears to pass the test feeling calm and confident. You can also take a ride in the town by respecting, of course, the Highway Code! Features : - Full english city modeled in 3D with more than 9 miles drive ! - Over 20 missions of increasing difficulty for mastering all driving aspects. Pick up where you left off on any device (PC/Mac, iPhone or iPad) using the cloud save option (in the "profile" menu) Special maneuver camera - Progression monitoring : summary of errors (acceptable and non-acceptable) Problems and pitfalls to overcome: - Perfect your strengths and work on your weaknesses to progress! - Follow oral instructions while respecting the highway code - Intersections with visibility and without visibility - Traffic management - Controlling the vehicle and maneuvers - Y Intersections - Speed restrictions - Use of indicators - Coping with blind spots - Moving out onto fast lanes - Traffic lights - Signposts - Road signs (give way, stop, priority, speed limit, and other common signals).
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text: PivIT Global is looking for administrative leads to help be the backbone of all things PivIT. You are the person who is not rattled juggling 20 balls at once. You've got incredible attention to detail. This is a customer facing role that requires great customer service skills. You are comfortable on the phone and email with both employees and clients. Order management, interfacing with operations team, generating invoices, coordinating shipments and tracking, etc. You enjoy being part of a team with common goals. Fun work environment with great perks, benefits package, and more.


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A year after his wife's disappearance, a Dutch crime writer named Richard Klinkhamer wrote a suspicious book about seven ways to kill your spouse. He became famous and spent the next decade hinting in print and on TV that he had murdered her. Finally, it turned out that he really had.
In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands. (The husband's lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.)
Your statistical chance of being murdered is one in twenty thousand.
In 1386, a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child.


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Just saw this via Respect Music: there's a comedy show and open mic night at the Looking Glass Lounge today, including a contest for best joke, which wins a $25 bar tab. Pretty cool! Here's the flyer:
Monday, December 14, 2009
Jokes at the Looking Glass tonight
Posted by Andrew W at 4:23 PM
Labels: events
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I too had a nde and was revived when I was a child of ten from drowning. I was in Barbados on the beach with my family. A wave pulled me out into the ocean and the current pulled me under. I saw colors that looked like gel and they were colors I never saw before a Kaleidoscope of colors like a galaxy. I saw my mom crying over me on the beach and my dad who was yelling at me to pull through when I was being resuscitated.
I commanded myself to touch my body but felt nothing although I felt the motion of my hands moving there was nothing there. It was so strange feeling my head turning and my body moving. I went into a light that had shadows of people talking, then I passed the light. My mind was still working and I felt I was being absorbed by the Universe into a mist and felt a message that God was the Universe.
My mom believed me, my dad said i was hallucinating. My dad did not believe me until I told him I saw a dog by him,when I described the dog, it was my dad's when he was a kid.


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MEDIA RELEASE: Malcolm Turnbull must not hide from scrutiny
Malcolm Turnbull today conceded he will try to avoid the scrutiny of Parliament when MPs return to Canberra in two weeks' time.
When asked if the House of Representatives will sit for the week commencing Monday, 18 April, Mr Turnbull said:
"The lower house will sit for a portion of that time, for at least the first part of the week beginning Monday, April 18."
If around 150 MPs are flying to Canberra for Parliament it should be a normal parliamentary sitting week with Question Time every day beginning Monday.
Anything less is a pure indulgence on the part of the Prime Minister and would be treating taxpayers as mugs.
If Parliament is being recalled then members should put in a full week of work in Canberra and Malcolm Turnbull should face the scrutiny of Question Time.
Anything less than a full parliamentary sitting week with Question Time would be an insult to Australian taxpayers.
Since Parliament last sat, Malcolm Turnbull announced his plans for double taxation.
Since Parliament last sat, Malcolm Turnbull reaffirmed the Liberals' commitment to massive cuts to hospitals.
Since Parliament last sat, Malcolm Turnbull reaffirmed the Liberals' commitment to massive cuts to schools.
Since Parliament last sat, two of Malcolm Turnbull's Ministers have been further implicated in the Free Enterprise Foundation donation scandal.
We cannot have a situation where Mr Turnbull is recalling the entire Parliament for a political stunt but avoiding scrutiny of his actions.


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We are giving away a pair of tickets to the Portland Spirit New Year's Eve Cruise on Monday, December 31, 2012. To win, comment on this post why you'd like to attend. Winner will be drawn and emailed Monday, December 24.
FREE STUFF: We give out 100s of $$$ in free tickets every week including to many of the top events in Portland. Join our email list if you like free stuff
From our sponsors at Portland Spirit:
New Year's Eve Cruise
Monday, December 31, 2012
10 p.m. – 1 a.m. | $100 | 21+
Purchase Tickets at www.portlandspirit.com/nye.php
Celebrate in style this New Year's Eve and ring in the New Year with a Willamette River cruise aboard the Portland Spirit. Dance the year away with live music from Portland's own Rendezvous featuring Linda Lee Michelet. This three hour cruise includes a light hors d'oeuvres menu, a champagne toast for celebration, a souvenir boarding photo, your own private table and service gratuity. Let us help you celebrate in style this year.
With versatility and showmanship, Rendezvous' musical range and abundant talent will entertain any audience. They feature swing hits, classic rock of the 70's through the 90's, R&B, Soul and Disco favorites and Country music classics. Tickets are $100 per person and include light hors d'oeuvres, champagne toast, boarding photo, live music, gratuity and your own private table.


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Trash or treasure? Discarded US computers often get a second life
More computers discarded by consumers in the United States are getting a second life in developing countries than previously believed, according to a new study -- the most comprehensive ever done on the topic -- reported in ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. The findings may ease growing concerns about environmental pollution with toxic metals that can result from dismantling and recycling computer components in developing countries.
In the study Ramzy Kahhat and Eric Williams focused on the situation in Peru, where Kahhat was born. They used a Peruvian government database that tracks importation of new and used computers and computing equipment. The researchers found that at least 85 percent of computers imported into Peru are reused, rather than going directly into recycling.
The finding challenges the widespread belief that the trade in e-waste was mainly about dumping unusable junk or recycling components is inaccurate, at least for Peru. The U.S. is the source of up to 76 percent of used computers imported to Peru from 2003-2007, the researchers indicated. They note uncertainty on whether the same holds true for other, much larger countries like China and India.
More information: "Product or Waste? Importation and End-of-Life Processing of Computers in Peru", Environmental Science & Technology.
Source: American Chemical Society (news : web)


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Beware of Ponzi schemes and cycling programs
People make money and people lose money with cycling programs. People also make or lose money with network marketing and any other kind of legitimate business under the sun! While Ponzi schemes are illegal, some people make money with them, too, while many more lose money. I also joined one of these schemes a while back and got burned. Lost some hard earned money, therefore beware folks!
In this article, I would like to give the reader some information about Ponzi schemes and about "Cycling" programs.
Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme, named after Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of New England residents. In the year 1920, Ponzi offered 50% profits every 45 days. He collected $9.8 million dollars from more than 10 000 people and paid out $7.8 million in just 8 months.
This was a kind of swindle, also called a "bubble" and has existed for hundreds of years. In reality, it is not an "investment" as people are led to believe. Money is simply being transferred from new investors to earlier investors. It is a fraud in which the "investors" are promised extremely high returns over a very short period of time. This short payment time and high rate of return soon attracts large numbers of people. Initial "investors" make a lot of money, but their profits are not a result of the success of a business. Their profits actually come from the contributions of those people who later join, thinking they are participating in a legal business investment.
Ponzi schemes typically claim that their moneymaking abilities are because of their elaborate, inventive investments or business process. Because of word-of-mouth advertising about this great "opportunity," new depositors are quick to jump on board. Usually a Ponzi scheme will not last very long. It eventually collapses since it was based on something that either never existed, or was grossly overvalued. A major attraction of a Ponzi scheme is that it appears to be a high paying investment opportunity. As a passive type of program, a person does not need to work in order to generate great profits. The impression that people are given is that they need only to put their money into it and wait for the money to come rolling in! Unfortunately, only a few "early birds" actually make money, which they actually receive by fraud, while everyone else loses most of or maybe their entire investment!
Most people who are looking for ways to make money, truly just want to find something that is legitimate and is within their ability to do. A conventional business generally requires a large investment and long working hours. Network marketing, even though it is also a business that takes investment of time and money before a great deal of success is realized, has the advantages of being able to work part time and takes far less investment than does a conventional business. Unfortunately, with network marketing or MLM (multi level marketing), there is a lot of hype. Often people are made to believe that they should be making lots of money in a short time. Since that usually doesn't happen with MLM, as in any other legitimate business, people may begin looking for something that has less involvement and is more "passive" in nature. Running a successful MLM can be quite a task and is not really 100% passive because you have to put in the hours of work and effort to get the desired results!
So along comes an offer of a promise to make money in a short period of time. All you have to do is invest your money…and wait. There may or may not be some sort of product involved. A product of some sort at least keeps the program within "legal" limits. The so-called product may be leads that have been used over & over again, or some other internet thing that a person would not normally spend their hard-earned money for. The promoters can be very skilled at making a person think that they are getting into a type of investment that really pays off. Indeed, a person, provided they are in "early" enough, does get paid. Investors are led to believe that the "investment" is what is paying off, when in reality, it may be they are being paid from new people investing their money, or even may be getting part of their own money back. These high-yield investment programs (HYIP's) are actually much like the "cycling" programs only they are not called that. Most of those programs last no longer than about 6 months or so, and then collapse.
Then there are the programs that tell you that you will get paid when you cycle, or it is your turn. At first it takes only a few days to "cycle" and your money may double. The longer the program lasts, the longer it takes for a person to cycle. Eventually the cycle program collapses and the promoter starts another one. Most likely the same people that got in early on one program will be the ones who get in early on the next program, and so on. A few people make real money, while the majority of folks are left holding the bag!
The promoter of this kind of program, I believe, is running an illegal Ponzi scheme! Even the people who get in early and make money are actually making money at the expense of those who invested later on, and may be in legal trouble, in some countries.
From the little bit of experience I have had with both the HYIP's and the cycling programs, even though at the time I believed each was probably legitimate, a close analysis now tells me different. In general, I would advise anyone to stay far, far away from HYIP's and from cycling programs. Rather invest your money in something more stable.
However, I believe there may be some exceptions to the above information: there are at least a couple companies which have been around for several years that offer cycling plans to their members to help them in advertising or obtaining leads for their business. It should be noted, though, that the members purchase product from these companies each month. Their compensation plan is not based on when they "cycle." If you're really interested in getting involved in any type of "money making" scheme, please do your homework and do thorough research. That's the great thing about the internet, you can check for reviews, read other people's comments and recommendations etc before investing in anything. If it's a scam people will be complaining online!
Think about it folks, face up to it, if you are going to build an income in a legitimate business, you will need to be prepared to work, invest some money, and allow time before you realize the income of your dreams! It seldom happens overnight.


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I always love playing games. Be it offline or online, be it on old console and hopefully on the coolest game gadget of this generation. Crossing my fingers.
I'll be blogging about my actual experience on some MMORPG games i'm playing right now. So, basically, most of my post here regarding MMORPG will be a personal experience and opinion. Right now i'm several online games and spending huge amount of time just to level up my characters.
So, at this point … Welcome to my humble little MMORPG Blog site.


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The best strategy for Chicago Restaurant Week 2017 (January 27–February 9) is to check out some of Chicago's best (and priciest) restaurants at a fraction of the cost of a normal 3- or 4-course meal. With hundreds of participants (many new!) in 2017 and with the inclusion of brunch for the first time ever, this year's Chicago Restaurant Week is sure to be one for the books. Here are the best Chicago Restaurant Week 2017 deals to sink your teeth into.
French Restaurants
As a category, French restaurants tend to be some of the most expensive dining—in any city. Therefore you should be excited to know that many of Chicago's best French restaurants are participating in Chicago Restaurant Week 2017, including:
Bistro Voltaire 226 W. Chicago Avenue
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Bistronomic 840 N. Wabash Avenue
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Bistrot Zinc 1131 N. State Street
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Chez Moi 2100 N. Halsted Street
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Cochon Volant 100 W. Monroe Street
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Bistro Bordeaux 618 Church Street, Evanston
Restaurant Week Menu // RESERVE A TABLE
Many of these restaurants actually do offer similar specials during the annual French Restaurant Week in July each year. That said, the deals don't tend to be as good as this one!
Bar Siena and Siena Tavern
Both Bar Siena and Siena Tavern (in the same restaurant group) are offering brunch, lunch, and dinner as part of Chicago Restaurant Week 2017.
With soups that start at $11 on Siena Tavern's normal menu, it's easy to see how you'll save a lot of money with their $44 3-course dinner menu. As an added bonus, at either location you can see what the hype is all about regarding their bombolini (Italian filled donuts).
Bar Siena: Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
Siena Tavern: Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
Bar Siena
832 W. Randolph Street
(312) 492-7775
Siena Tavern
51 W. Kinzie Street
(312) 595-1322
de Quay
If you haven't been to de Quay before, you'll notice that they operate with a pretty limited menu—at least as far as food is concerned. However, this Dutch/Indonesian restaurant has an extensive wine menu to ensure the perfect menu pairings. Their Chicago Restaurant Week menu doesn't match anything on their current menu, which means you have the opportunity to try something you might not be able to get the rest of the year.
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
de Quay
2470 N. Lincoln Avenue
(872) 206-8820
The beloved Chicago-based restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You is always well represented during Chicago Restaurant Week. Their newest concept, Ema, is just begging to be one of your reservations—see for yourself what the hype is all about.
If you bought just the lowest-priced menu items on the dinner portion of their Chicago Restaurant Week menu, it would cost $47.75. What's so great about their offerings are that you actually get different 5 courses of food to choose from!
For bonus points, sign up for Lettuce Entertain You's
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
74 W. Illinois Street
(312) 527-5586
Fig & Olive
There are a number of excellent Chicago Restaurant Week choices in the Gold Coast. This Chicago neighborhood has a lot of excellent dining options, but usually they're attached to a high price tag. Take advantage of the temporary price break and give Fig & Olive a try.
If you bought just the lowest-priced menu items on the dinner portion of their Chicago Restaurant Week menu, it would cost $51. Make sure to note that some of the additional appetizers and entree options cost more, but are still a significant savings from normal menu pricing!
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
Fig & Olive
104 E. Oak Street
(312) 445-0060
Imperial Lamian
Feed your inner foodie (both literally and figuratively) by adding this hip new upscale Chinese restaurant. People in Chicago are obsessed with their ramen-like la mian noodles, and Chicago Restaurant Week is the perfect time to give them a try.
In this case, the best deal will be lunch, with four courses for $22. Their signature la mian noodles aren't included as a part of this menu (though they are with dinner), so order some on the side to split for an extra $12.
If you're looking to knock out another new hotspot, you should also check out Joy District.
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
Imperial Lamian
6 W. Hubbard Street
(312) 595-9440
Kinzie Chophouse
OK, OK. Kinzie Chophouse is already an amazing deal and you could come in at any time and save big bucks compared to many of the other steakhouses in Chicago. Regardless, it deserves a place on this list.
On their own, the non-chicken entree options for the Chicago Restaurant Week menu would set you back $30–40. Add in a salad, soup, and dessert, and it's easy to see how good this deal really is.On the flip side, if you've tried Kinzie Chophouse and want to try something new—you're in luck. There are a number of indulgent steakhouses with Chicago Restaurant Week deals!
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
Kinzie Chophouse
400 N. Wells Street
This fancy Pugliese (Italian) spot is tucked away, almost hidden in the West Loop. Though the restaurant can draw big spenders (if they're ordering more than pizza), you can get a taste of the entire menu range at a fraction of the cost during Chicago Restaurant Week.
If you bought just the lowest priced menu items on the dinner portion of their Chicago Restaurant Week menu, it would cost $51 without considering your choice of any dessert (dessert pricing not listed). What a steal!
Regular Menu | Restaurant Week Menu
1235 W. Lake Street
(312) 850-9870
With hundreds of participating restaurants, it's hard to go wrong with your Chicago Restaurant Week choices. Visit EatItUpChicago.com for the complete list and all the menus. Which fine dining establishments will you be checking out?


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Languages vary in power. Like Paul Graham, let's take a language of intermediate power and call it Blub. Now someone who only speaks Blub can look at less powerful languages and see that they're less powerful. But if they look at more powerful languages, they won't think of them as more powerful - such language are going to look simply weird, as it is often very hard to see the power without actually being fluent in them. Even if you are shown a few examples where some language beats your favourite Blub, you're more likely to think something along the lines of "who would actually need such feature" or "well, it's just some syntactic sugar", not "omg, I've been coding Blub all my life, I have been so damn wrong". I'm not going to criticize such thinking, in many cases weird is just weird, not really more powerful. Oh by the way, while Paul Graham noticed this paradox, he is also its victim - thinking that his favourite language (Common Lisp) is the most powerful language ever, so when it doesn't have some feature (object-oriented programming), then by definition such feature is "just weird", and not really powerful. Of course we all know better ;-) Now when you really get those features of a more powerful language, you can sometimes program better even in Blub. Why am I talking about that ? Because we can move one step forward and consider Ruby our new Blub. It is pretty much the most powerful general purpose language right now, but it still doesn't taze a few nice features natively :-) Fortunately we can try to understand and emulate them. Multiple dispatch - Think about addition. Addition can easily be a method (like in Ruby or Smalltalk). You send one object a message (+, other_object). So far so good. Now how about adding Complex class ? Complex's method + must know how to add Complex numbers and normal Float numbers. But how can we tell Float what to do about Complex arguments ? Float#+ is already taken and doesn't have a clue about Complex numbers. We need to do some ugly hacks like redefining +. Or some more complex example - pattern matching. Regexp matches String. We want to implement pattern Parser that matches String. And make Regexp match IOStream. It's ugly without multiple dispatch. Of course Ruby is not a Blub and we can easily make defgeneric ;-)
Now Ruby uses a trick with coerce for handling +, but if you ever need your own generics, here they are :-)
Higher-order functions - everyone knows how to use first-order functions (those that operate only on normal non-functional objects). Most people know how to use second-order functions (those that operate on first-order functions) like map or each. But is it useful to go any higher ? It turns out that it is.
Imagine a container. It contains second-order methods like each, each_with_index, each_pair, each_by_depth_first_search, and two dozens other each_whatever. It also contains other second-order functions like map, filter, all?, any?, sort_by etc. Ever wanted map_with_index ? How about all_pairs? ? I sure did. In Ruby 1.9 you can use Enumerator::Enumerable for that !
def defgeneric(name, class0, *classes, &block)
old_method = begin class0.instance_method(name) rescue nil end
class0.send(:define_method, name) {|*args|
if classes.zip(args).all?{|c,a| a.is_a? c}
block.call(self, *args)
elsif old_method
method_missing(name, *args)
defgeneric(:+, Complex, Object) {|a,b|
a + Complex.new(b)
defgeneric(:+, Complex, Complex) {|a,b|
Complex.new(a.re + b.re, a.im + b.im)
defgeneric(:+, Float, Complex) {|a,b|
Complex.new(a) + b
Now if you look at this example long enough, you can see that it's an extremely elegant use of third-order functions :-)
Pattern matching - languages like Objective Caml do a lot of pattern matching. Pattern matching is basically a thing that verifies that given value matches given pattern and at the same time it deconstructs the value into pieces according to that pattern. For example this function is Objective Caml matches its argument to one of two patterns - either [] pattern (empty list) or hd::tl pattern (a non-empty list - bind hd to head of the list, and tl to its tail).
["a", "b", "c"].enum_with_index.map{|a,i| "#{i}: #{a}"} # ["0: a", "1: b", "2: c"]
Or take a look at Perl/Ruby's regular expressions - they deconstruct string into $1, $2 etc. Now it's the second feature - deconstruction - that gives pattern matching all its power. So why do most programming languages lack such feature ? My guess is that it's really difficult to make patterns that deconstruct your object extensible - and verification alone isn't really all that useful. Oh yeah, and we sometimes want to build such patterns at run-time. In Objective Caml we cannot do that - we need some way to tell the language whether hd means "match contents of hd" or "match anything and put into hd". Now what if we were able to say ?:
let rec sum = function
| [] -> 0
| hd::tl -> hd + (sum tl)
Useful ? Somewhat. How about this one ?
def sum(x)
case x
when []
when [_{hd}, *_{tl}]
hd + sum(tl)
Now as far as I can tell nobody actually implemented that, but I get a feeling that using Binding.of_caller, Parse::Tree and something like defgeneric it should be possible.
Macros - well, you can do that too :-)
if xml_node =~ xmlp(_{name}, {:color=>_{c}}, /Hello, (\S+)/)
print "A #{c}-colored #{name} greets #{$1} !"


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"The addition of this new and exciting science to the surgical armamentarium is an important step and is a virtual certainty"
The quote above is not in response to the recent ground-breaking live VR surgery performed by Shafi Ahmed. In fact I wrote these lines in the British Journal of Surgery 22 years ago in an article for my mentor, the pioneering surgeon Ara Darzi. It was 1994 and I was in my last year of medical school. Perhaps I should have been focussing on my impending final exams, but the potential for virtual reality in education, training and teleconferencing were intoxicating. Re-reading the article, I cringe at my gushing enthusiasm - "it may be five or even 10 years before computers are capable of producing convincing images...". I glossed over the fact that the Silicon Graphics computers required to run the system cost $60,000 or more and the upper end of performance was 15 frames per second.
To many, the current excitement about VR may seem equally overblown, but as I've previously grazed my knees falling off the Hype Cycle, I know that this time it's different...
A recent Forbes article by Tom Goodwin argues that VR needs to be classified in order to understand the content and experiences. Tom's "6 dimensions of virtual reality" are categorised as:-
- 360 photos
- 360 video emulation (watching a 2D screen in a 3D virtual environment)
- 360 video
- Directional movement
- Interactivity (input devices)
- Haptic feedback
Whilst l think that this framework is useful, it does have major issues. In particular, it mixes VR outputs (screen performance) with VR inputs (head tracking, limb tracking). Also, it omits one of the most important features for immersion and presence, namely 3D audio.
I propose a classification of input devices that view VR platforms from the perspective of the level of interactivity and chronological introduction. Viewed in this way, the missing link that stops VR from becoming truly immersive become clear.
First generation VR input
A first generation input device can be considered the motion sensor linked to the screen and display driver which translates the head position to the scene. This enables basic interaction by creating a pointer (reticle) on the screen.
Second generation VR input
VR systems literally and metaphorically made a step forward when the software was able to interact with the user's limbs. A variety of pointing devices were introduced in the 1990s, notably gloves and treadmills which enable the wearer to move around and include a representation of their hands in the virtual scene. Even without tactile feedback, the introduction of wireless and camera-based limb tracking considerably improved interactivity.
Third generation VR input
Until recently, wearable eye-tracking has been a niche and comparatively expensive technology, mostly confined to academic uses and market researchers. However, the potential for foveated rendering has increased interest with the promise of a marked reduction in the computational demands of high resolution, low latency image display. The other benefit of adding eye-tracking to VR is that it enables more realistic interactions between the user and virtual characters. Speech recognition, a technology that has also benefited from the smartphone revolution can add to eye-tracking by enabling categorical commands such as looking at a door and saying 'open'. Integrated eye-tracking HMDs from Fove and others will be available in late 2016.
Fourth Generation VR Input
Facial expressions are the important missing element from VR interactions. HMDs with depth cameras attached have been used to visualise the lower face, but whether this method proves popular in future is yet to be seen. Three potential reasons why this approach may be problematic relate to i) the way humans interact, ii) ergonomic concerns and iii) computational and battery life considerations. One of the things that eye tracking research has told us, is that during face to face interactions we infer a lot of information from the eye region. Surprise, anger, disgust and a genuine (Duchenne) smile all require visibility of the brow area and the skin typically covered by the HMD. Hao Li for Oculus research has incorporated stretch sensors in the foam interface of the HMD to derive information from behind the headset, and it will be interesting to see how this performs when the final version is released.
FaceTeq is a platform technology that uses novel sensor modalities to detect the minute electrical changes that occur when facial muscles contract. With each facial expression a characteristic wave of electrical activity washes over the skin and this can be detected non-invasively and without the need for cameras. Our light-weight, low-cost open platform will herald the 4th generation of VR. Researchers, developers and market researchers will undoubtedly be the initial adopters. However the real advance will be the ability to enable face-to-face social experiences.
There are so many areas where facial expressions in VR could improve communication and interactivity. We will be opening our platform and are excited to see what ideas developers come up with. At Emteq, we're passionate about fostering the 4th generation of VR and are looking forward to partnering with headset manufacturers and content creators. Follow us to learn more about the possibilities and to stay up to date with developments.


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Scooter Guide
The two-wheeled bike like item used for light weight training.
Connecting Line
The lines are connected to the headstock with a specially made piece of line with a loop in each end.
To the headstock line is connected a bungee, followed by standard one or two dog rig lines can then be connected to the bungee.
The Last Piece
And finally the dog in harness is hooked up, and you are ready to go.
You will also need suitable clothing for yourself, waterproofs, comfortable footwear, etc. In this photo Ewan shows us what NOT to wear, while (a young) Christopher (the style guru) shows us sensible rally clothing!
The bigger picture
The first model of scooter I used was the Cruiser from scootmania.com. I found this model adequate for the trails I run on, but if you are looking for additional ground clearance, suspension forks and even a disc brake, then go for the Downhill model.
I now use the Cross Country from Kickbike as pictured, and highly recommend it.
As the interest in scooters increased, we saw in the 2003/2004 season, a one-dog scooter class introduced. We use a Kickbike from Kickbike UK, if you find us at an event you will be able to compare this to other scooters and try it out if you wish, at your own risk. We also have available their top of the range X-C (Cross Country) model, which is complete with suspension forks and disc brake, as pictured.


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- Index funds are passively managed funds meaning, the fund manager has no role in the selection of stocks and its performance.
- Index funds have low expense ratio than other equity funds. This is because of the limited role of manager and less transaction cost.
- Index funds are diversified in nature. As the index represent companies of different sectors, index funds also replicate the same composition.
- The main factor in index funds is Tracking error. Tracking error is variations in return against the index they track. It happens due to inflow/outflow of funds, corporate actions, change in index constituents. Lower tracking error implies better management of the fund.
Best Index Funds in India
- UTI Nifty Index Fund
- Franklin India Index Fund -NSE Nifty Plan
- SBI Nifty Index Fund
- ICICI Pru Nifty Index Fund
- IDBI Nifty Index Fund
- HDFC Index Fund- Nifty Plan
- Reliance Index Fund – Nifty Plan
- HDFC Index Fund – Sensex plan
UTI Nifty Index Fund
UTI nifty funds invest in securities of companies comprising of the Nifty 50 in the same weight age as they have in Nifty 50. The fund strives to minimise performance difference with Nifty 50 by keeping the tracking error to the minimum. The fund has been launched in March 2000, has well captured the rise of Nifty from 1400 level to now of 9200. The fund has given a annualised return 10.92% since inception.
The fund's objective is to invest in companies whose securities are included in the Nifty and subject to tracking errors, endeavouring to attain results commensurate with Nifty 50 Index under NSE Nifty Plan, and to provide returns that, before expenses, closely correspond to the total return of common stocks as represented by the S&P BSE Sensex under S&P BSE Sensex Plan.
The investment in the fund is a moderately high risk. The fund return since inception is 12.65% and the expense ratio is relatively high than other funds at 1.06%.
The fund invests in all the stocks comprising Nifty 50 Index in the same proportion as their weight age in the index. The fund launched in Feb 2002 has given a return of 14.51% since inception. The fund has been able to keep the fund's tracking error low. It is moderately high-risk fund.
The scheme aims to closely track the performance of Nifty 50 Index by investing in almost all the stocks and in approximately the same weight age that they represent in the index. The fund is suitable for long-term wealth creation by replicating the S&P CNX Nifty index. The fund has been launched in Feb 2002 and has given 15.51% of return since then.
The fund's objective is to invest in the stocks comprising the Nifty 50 Index in the same weights as these stocks represented in the index with the intent to replicate the performance of the Total Returns Index of S&P CNX Nifty. The fund is relatively new, launched in June 2015. The fund's tracking error is marginally high and has underperformed the index. The alpha of the fund is negative 0.50 which implies the underperformance of fund. Since inception, the fund's return is 8.92%.
The scheme aims to generate returns that are commensurate with the performance of Nifty 50, subject to tracking errors. The fund offers only Growth option for investment in the fund. The annualized return of the fund since inception (July 2002) is impressive at 15.36%.
The objective of the scheme is to replicate the composition of the NIFTY, with a view to generate returns that are commensurate with the performance of the NIFTY, subject to tracking errors. The fund is consistent with a return since inception and has given 19.95%, 10.96%, 12.38% of return over 1yr, 3yr and 5yr respectively.
The objective of the scheme is to generate returns that are commensurate with the performance of S&P BSE Sensex, subject to tracking errors. The fund has AUM of Rs. 105 crore and was launched in July 2002, has given a annualized return of 15.14% since inception.
List of funds is arrived after comparing different funds from the same category. Only those funds are selected which have less tracking error and has performed consistently.
Investing in index funds are ideally best for the long term period of more than 5 years. We can compare from the table itself, the returns of funds since inception which are more than 10 years have successfully given double digit return to investors and is par to returns of many actively managed equity funds. Its low cost, easy to track fund design is the unique feature of this fund. Due to less awareness among the public regarding Index Funds, the asset size remains small in most of the fund.
Charts: ValueResearch
-This blog post should not be constituted as an advice and investors are requested to do their own due diligence before investing into any of the above-mentioned funds. You can also try out Bodhik to get the funds best suited to your profile
** – All the numbers are as of writing of this post i.e 11th April 2017.