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Friday, July 9, 2010
Literary Devices Part 4: The O. Henry Ending
I was told recently that I had an O. Henry ending in my last WIP. It's actually for a subplot element that ends in a twist, rather than the main plot, but I didn't realize I'd pulled an O. Henry.
O. Henry was the pseudonym for writer William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). He wrote several stories that became famous for their clever twist endings. Here's a classic one, which has been redone in various ways over the years:
"The Gift of the Magi" is about a destitute couple who desperately want to buy each other Christmas gifts. Unbeknownst to Jim, Della sells her most valuable possession, her beautiful hair, in order to buy a platinum fob chain for Jim's watch; while unbeknownst to Della, Jim sells his own most valuable possession, his watch, to buy jeweled combs for Della's hair. (from Wikipedia)
O. Henry type of twist ending seems to work well in short stories, but I can't seem to think of ones in fiction.
Any books with twist endings of the O.Henry type that you like? Or do twist endings leave a bad taste in your mouth?
Posted by Lydia Kang at 6:30 AM
48 comments:
- Vicki Rocho said...
I love a twist ending if I didn't see it coming (it's not really a twist if we anticipate it, is it?).
- July 9, 2010 at 6:39 AM
- Matthew Rush said...
I love the surprise at the end of Harry Potter and I think it made for one of the most memorable (and tragic) characters in all of literature. It wasn't a major plot twist though so much as a character twist - still great.
Today's guest blogger is Guinevere Rowell!
- July 9, 2010 at 6:54 AM
- Matt "farmboy" Nord said...
Hi Lydia -
Thanks for checking out my blog. I figure it's always good to have a doctor in your corner, and one who has a blog about writing? All the better! I've been thinking about trying to write a YA zombie novella or novel, so I've been looking at people who are already YA writers. Thanks again for following the blog!
- Matt
- July 9, 2010 at 7:07 AM
- Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
Can't think of any in a book, but The Sixth Sense had one of those twist endings.
- July 9, 2010 at 7:23 AM
- Ocean Girl said...
The Urban Cowboy and Otin (of the blogsphere) have written amazing twists in their short stories. Can't think of anything else but really what can beat the Sixth Sense (as mentioned by Alex) twist.
- July 9, 2010 at 7:37 AM
- Palindrome said...
I can't think of any right now. I guess, Shuttered Island by Dennis LeHayne was a twist for some people but while an awesome book, I figured it out after the prologue.
I like twists and surprises, IF they are done well and you know, if I'm surprised. :)
- July 9, 2010 at 7:45 AM
- Clara said...
I love twisted endings and surprises but, it takes a looot of skill to pull them off. One highly twisted ending in my opinion comes from a horror story of Stephen King, who later became a movie called The Mist. Worth checking out, although its one of the most horrific endings I have ever seen in my life (psycologgically speaking).
Actually, Stephen always makes these types of twists, and I think this is one of the many reasons of why he is one of my favourite authors.
- July 9, 2010 at 8:05 AM
- Erinn said...
I like the O Henry twists because they make sense and they make you feel good inside.
I hate the twists that feel like that the author was just making it up at the end. "She was a man the whole time, whahahahahaha." If the twist has slight evidence through out the story then I think it's cool.
- July 9, 2010 at 8:07 AM
- Giles Hash said...
Cabbages and Kings is a novel with an O Henry twist... but he wrote it.
The latest Dresden Files book ended with a twist, and a cliffhanger.
- July 9, 2010 at 8:19 AM
- aspiring_x said...
usually i can see the twists coming, but i still love them! that's one of the fun things about reading- trying to pick up those little clues.
one i read and loved recently (not really the main plot... but sort of...) was The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. there was a big surprise at the end of that one.
It was interesting, because there were hints throughout the book, and i saw the hints- but i didn't want the surprise to be true so much that i was in denial of the hints... which is sort of the thought process the characters are going through also... i thought it was really, really brilliant how able she was to pull us along with her characters.
i thought it was an interesting tactic. write a twist that people won't see coming- because they don't want to. just. like. life... but you know with magic and stuff.
- July 9, 2010 at 8:22 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
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- July 9, 2010 at 8:42 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
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- July 9, 2010 at 8:42 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
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- July 9, 2010 at 8:42 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
I love twist endings, though right now I can't seem to think of one example. And O'Henry's short stories are my favourite.
P.S -Is blogger giving you all problems while posting comments from two days. I ended up posting the same comment thrice and when I deleted one, all three got deleted. Strange?!
- July 9, 2010 at 8:49 AM
- Mayowa said...
My first novel has one of these twists. I didn't know this was the formal name for the device though.
Thanks for the schooling,
- July 9, 2010 at 9:01 AM
- Erica Mitchell-Spickard said...
Both of my WiP's have twists. I think Wip 1 has a weaker twist, but it's still there. Now Wip 2 has a crazy crazy twist. It's so nuts I'm scared to write it and not do it justice. I had no idea this was the term for it though. I would say although I saw the movie version of Fight Club, the book would have a crazy twist...it's the only thing I've read/watched that totally caught me off guard.
I LOVE twists, but they have to be done right just like anything else.
- July 9, 2010 at 9:21 AM
- Joanne said...
I do enjoy a twist ending, particularly if it's not spelled out for the reader, but leaves you thinking about it long after you put the book down.
- July 9, 2010 at 9:26 AM
- DEZMOND said...
Ah, those clever twist endings require a great imagination and wisdom, Lydia, so it proves that you have a lot of talent if you managed to achieve such an ending in your novel!
Oh, and I have left you an answer over at HOLLYWOOD SPY on your lovely comment on my layout and avatar :))
- July 9, 2010 at 9:50 AM
Thanks for connecting with me at my insane 365 Days of Novel Writing adventure. It's so nice to meet you!
As far as twists, I do, but only if it works well for the story. That said, I don't like severe cliffhangers. There are some authors who do this and I've avoided reading their books until the entire series has been published.
Great topic!
- July 9, 2010 at 10:10 AM
- Carol Kilgore said...
I like good twists. I especially like twists in flash fiction. Like others have said, The Sixth Sense was great because everything was there in the movie but we didn't "see" it until the end.
- July 9, 2010 at 10:17 AM
- Amanda Makepeace said...
I remember reading "The Gift of the Magi" many years ago, but I've never heard of that twist ending being called an O. Henry. I'll be on the look out for one of those. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by and following my blog. I love meeting new creative types. :)
- July 9, 2010 at 10:20 AM
- Abby said...
It takes a lot of skill to do it right. I loved the way O. Henry did it, but I don't recall any instances where it was done in novels I've read... I like a little element of predictably in the sense that there are little clues, but nothing really apparent so that it's still surprising.
- July 9, 2010 at 11:18 AM
- Olivia Carter said...
I LOVE TWIST ENDINGS! I really do- the ones I can see coming, the ones I can't. I adore them.
A couple of my favorites have been mentioned but how about "Luke, I am your father?" in Star Wars. That was pretty UBER. Or the Stature of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes. And then there's the 1970's movie ending of "Soylent Green" EPIC!
Okay, I'll stop there but yes, twist ending are FABULOUS!
- July 9, 2010 at 11:25 AM
- Renae said...
As long as it takes me by surprise, I love twist endings. But of course for the life of me I can't think of any right now. I can honestly say I've never heard of them referred to as an O. Henry ending though.
- July 9, 2010 at 11:25 AM
- Ann said...
I love a clever twist ending. I can't think of any off the top of my head right now though. Congrats on the writing compliment!
- July 9, 2010 at 11:38 AM
- Tahereh said...
ooooh interesting! i love a good twist!
- July 9, 2010 at 12:35 PM
- Jolene said...
As long as the twist ending doesn't involve people waking from a dream... it makes me feel cheated. Like, all this emotional investment for a DREAM??
- July 9, 2010 at 12:55 PM
- storyqueen said...
If the twist works...it works!
Maybe "When You Reach Me" has a bit of a twist....
I think of that twilight zone where the aliens have a book called "how to serve man" and the people of earth are so excited that an alien race wants to be their servants...until they realize too late that it is a cookbook.
I do think when it works, it works.
- July 9, 2010 at 2:12 PM
- Jemi Fraser said...
Of course I can't think of any know - this will probably keep me up tonight! :)
Olivia hit on some of my faves - the Planet of the Apes scene blew me away.
- July 9, 2010 at 2:21 PM
- Melody said...
I love twists - but only when they've been carefully plotted out. (Meaning, you can go back through the book and find the clues that pointed to them.) Some twist endings make me feel like the author couldn't figure out what to do...and I don't like reading that.
- July 9, 2010 at 3:44 PM
- Holly Ruggiero, Southpaw said...
I like twists but I cannot think of a one since you asked.
- July 9, 2010 at 4:14 PM
- Krispy said...
Twist endings only bug me if they're REALLY obvious or if they aren't properly set up. The latter kind make me feel cheated - like the author just pulled that out of nowhere because there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I could've seen that coming. I guess it's all about balance (as many things are).
I think the Sixth Sense sort of ruined that kind of twist for me. I saw Shutter Island this weekend, which has a sort of similar twist, and I've seen the movie, The Others which is also similar. The Others was a pretty creepy movie, but the twist didn't have as much of a wow factor because I'd seen the Sixth Sense.
- July 9, 2010 at 4:40 PM
- Munk said...
Fight Club
- July 9, 2010 at 4:48 PM
Being a mystery fan, I love plot twists and twisty endings, if they're done well. It's a scary thing, because some plot twists, taken too far, can approach deus ex machina. :)
For me, an author who can make plot twists work is Megan Whalen Turner. But there are those who don't agree.
- July 9, 2010 at 5:57 PM
- Janna Qualman said...
They surprise me more in movies than in books. I'm not opposed to them though. Like anything, if pulled of well, readers will like it.
- July 9, 2010 at 7:14 PM
- Saumya said...
I love Gift of the Magi!! I've never seen an O.Henry twist in a novel, though.
I have an award for you at my blog! Hope your weekend is wonderful :)
- July 9, 2010 at 9:19 PM
- Heather said...
I've never heard it called that, but I do love an ending with a great twist! I recently read MISTWOOD, a YA fantasy by Leah Cypess that had a great O. Henry ending.
- July 10, 2010 at 10:13 AM
- Melissa Sarno said...
I can't recall a novel that has this kind of twist but now I'm going to keep my eye out. But I do remember several episodes of the Cosby show that had these twist endings! haha
- July 10, 2010 at 11:01 AM
- Francine said...
The saddest twist ever came in "Harry's Game" a novel by Gerald Seymour and adapted to a TV series: the hero literally dies in the last screen shot!
Oh god, I've never cried as much as I did reading the last few pages of the book, and cried even more watching the last few minutes of the TV drama.
BTW: cheerier note there's some fun cyber bling at my website for crazy novelists!
- July 10, 2010 at 12:17 PM
- Tricia J. O'Brien said...
I love O. Henry's Magi story--so memorable.
One of my other favorites twist stories was a Twilight Zone episode, "Time Enough to Last," adapted from a short story by Lynn Venable. It starred Burgess Meredith as a bookish man, picked on for his obsession with reading. One day he hides to read in a vault at the bank where he works. While there, the world is destroyed by something. When he emerges, he realizes no one is left to harass him, and he goes to the library. The twist comes when he drops his reading glasses and breaks them. There he is with all the time in the world and no way to see his precious words.
- July 10, 2010 at 1:01 PM
- Richard said...
We just finished a twist ending-themed contest on the Backspace forums which, I'm thrilled to say, I won! So, I'm now busy shopping my twisty 2800 words for magazine publication :)
- July 10, 2010 at 8:10 PM
- Terri Tiffany said...
Oh I know that story but didn't realize that's what they call stories like that--
- July 11, 2010 at 12:21 PM
- Terri Coop said...
I love a good twist at the end and have been given the O.Henry compliment on a few of my short stories.
I love another O.Henry tale where a vain woman borrows a diamond necklace so she can show off at a party. She loses the necklace. She manages to find a replacement, but it takes 10 years of menial labor to pay for it. No more parties, no more fancy friends. She meets the friend she borrowed the necklace from and the friend is appalled by her bent back and workerwoman hands. The woman confesses and the friend doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. The lost necklace was a fake, she'd never loan out real diamonds!
- July 11, 2010 at 3:44 PM
- Samantha Bennett said...
Hmmm... I'm a little wary of twist endings personally. Mostly because I'm not sure I could pull one off! But I can think of a few stories that work well with twists... Sixth Sense comes to mind. :)
- July 11, 2010 at 7:59 PM
- Nicole Murray said...
M. Night Shyamalan and King are good for twists at the end. I personally love a unforeseen twist that in hindsight the crumbs were left for the reader but we were distracted by the rest of the story. I have done this before and look to do more of these ends.
- July 11, 2010 at 10:58 PM
- September 20, 2010 at 9:43 AM
SHutter Island movie wise and now I really want to read the book : )
- October 15, 2010 at 12:35 PM
- Susan Kaye Quinn said...
I think twists have to be very carefully done, or else I feel cheated. I think that might be why they work better in short stories or movies - the time investment is less.
Great post!
- October 15, 2010 at 6:17 PM


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George Cameron Coggins
A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law, George Cameron Coggins joined the KU law faculty in 1970 after practice with the San Francisco law firm of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enerson. He was named the Frank Edwards Tyler Professor of Law in 1983 in recognition of his achievements in the areas of environmental law, wildlife law, national energy policy, and national public land and resources. He is a prolific scholar whose work is often cited by courts and others writing in his areas of expertise. Professor Coggins, with his co-author Charles Wilkinson, first developed a framework for the organization and study of the field of public natural resources law when they published their seminal casebook, Federal Public Land and Resources Law, in 1981. Often at the forefront of proposals to reform laws in this area, Coggins continues to generate attention and praise for his thoughtful and innovative analyses both as a conference speaker and through his numerous publications. He retired from full-time classroom teaching in 2010.
J.D., Michigan, 1966, Michigan, Associate Editor, Michigan Law Review; A.B., Central Michigan, 1963
Order of the Coif; Trustee, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, since 1976; National Academy of Sciences Rangeland Management Commission 1980-81, 1989-91; Delegate, U.S.-U.S.S.R. Environmental Law Exchange, 1983, 1988-90.
California 1967
Career History
Associate Attorney, McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enerson, 1966-70; Associate Professor, Kansas 1970-73; Professor, 1973-83; Frank Edwards Tyler Professor of Law since 1983; Visiting Professor: University of North Carolina, Spring 1981; Visiting Professor: Northwestern Law School, Lewis & Clark College, Summer 1980, Spring 1983, Summer 1986, Summer 1994; University of Vienna, Spring 1987 & 1995; University of Texas, Spring 1992
Selected Publications
- "Federal Public Land and Resources Law" (with Wilkinson)(5th ed. 2001 & supplements)
- "Public Natural Resources Law" (with Glicksman) (1990, 3 vols., semiannual supplements)
- "A Strategy to Prevent Groundwater Pollution" (with Glicksman) (1986)
- "Regulating Federal Natural Resources: A Summary Case Against Devolved Collaboration," 25 Ecology Law Quarterly 602 (1999)
- "Devolution in Federal Land Law: Abdication by Any Other Name," 3 Hastings N-NW Journal of Environmental Law & Policy 211 (1996)
- "Legal Problems and Powers Inherent in Ecosystem Management," 5 Natural Resources and Environmental Issues 36 (1995)
- "Overcoming the Unfortunate Legacies of Western Public Land Law," 29 Land and Water Law Review 381 (1004)
- "Eleven Reasons to Disregard this Commentary on the Brave New Era in Western Public Land Law," 65 Colorado Law Review 402 (1994)

subset: commoncrawl


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Check out the DMANBURGER'S best burger in New York, the quest has been long and still ongoing…but the FOOD Magazine's crew and writer Jo Piazza caught up with me to snag some inside scoop on my life, history, love for burgers and of course the best burger in New York……and the winner is ? Grab a copy of the latest FOOD Magazine ( with Rocco Dispirito on the cover, and featuring Emeril, Micheal Chiarello, Iron Chef Cat Cora and Alton Brown plus more…. on newstands NOW !!
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The International Student Office is based in Student Operations in the Academic Division. We provide specialist support to students who come to study at Cambridge from outside the UK, facilitate student mobility opportunities and administer some specific international funding awards. As well as an overview of our services, these pages provide detailed information on Erasmus+, application procedures for the funding awards we administer and guidance for staff on Tier 4 compliance and visiting student activity.
Prospective and current students from outside the UK should visit our International Students area of the website for guidance on admission, immigration, orientation and studying at Cambridge.


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Tooling Article
Cushions Part of the Servo Revolution
This illustration depicts a servo-controlled hydraulic cushion with double-acting cylinders, linear transducers and pressure transducers. The unit can be stud-mounted to the bottom of a press bolster.
To complement servo presses, manufacturers have unveiled servo-controlled cushions. The cushions provide flexibility and controllability, allowing metalformers to dial-in and fluctuate pressure on downstrokes and upstrokes, thus aiding in precision forming and drawing while nearly eliminating the evils of reverse tonnage.
"Automotive manufacturers and press builders see servo technology as the next big innovation in the industry and have embraced it," says applications engineer Darrell Quander Jr., of Hyson, Brecksville, OH. "The flexibility and controllability in servo-controlled hydraulic cushions complement servo-press flexibility and controllability —the idea with servo presses is to fine-tune the process and servo-controlled cushions do the same. Stampers can dial force up or down to move the cushion prior to the die actually contacting it, decreasing press wear. And, built-in adjustable-force profiles add flexibility where, before, only one cushion pressure was available. Now we can change pressures on the fly as the servo press changes characteristics on the fly."
New hydraulic cushions employing servo control have already entered the field.
"One automotive OEM recently switched to servo presses to avoid having to tweak each press after a die change, spending weeks making it right and scrapping a lot of material in the process," says Michael Culbertson, Hyson senior project engineer. "Combining the presses with the new cushions allows even greater force control to ease job setup and increase production of quality parts. For example, during forming, the cushion can adjust pressure by a percentage point or two to eliminate crinkling and tearing while maintaining the same press force."
Servo-controlled hydraulic cushions offer this and other benefits in response to metalforming trends.
Assist in Blank-Size Reduction
A screenshot from a press-cushion control panel shows how operators and management can monitor and control cushion functions to best assist the press during part forming.
"Most servo presses can provide full tonnage on a downward stroke, but once the ram stops that force can be held but not changed," explains Culbertson. "However, a servo-controlled cushion can vary the force while the ram remains stationary."
That feature can enable forming without draw beads.
"If you can just hold the material and then vary the force with a cushion as you draw, you will save material as compared to using a draw bead, because there is less scrap to trim," says Steve Reilly, Hyson's manager of product engineering. "The result is a smaller blank size, and the varying-force feature of these new servo-controlled cushions requires less redraws, where the ram has to come back up and return to draw to a greater depth. Stampers attempting a deep draw would want to vary the holding force through the stroke to produce the long draw. With servo-controlled cushions, stampers can program the varying forces right into the cushion to accomplish that draw quickly and more accurately. Blankholding force can be reduced, held constant or increased through the draw. Whatever is needed, the stamper just programs it in."
Ideal for Advanced High-Strength Steel
This graph displays the force of a servo-controlled hydraulic press cushion as well as a position curve. Note how the cushion ramps up force at the bottom of the stroke to ease shock on the part, tooling and press.
"While air and even nitrogen no longer suffice with the pressures used for forming AHSS," he says, "servo-controlled hydraulic cushions provide much more force. That force, in traditional systems, has a drawback: reverse tonnage. However, this cushion technology delays that force and controls the return, eliminating the tonnage spike that ordinarily would filter back through the press.
"Also," continues Quander Jr., "forming AHSS sometimes requires dynamic adjustment of force and speed in the press. The level of controllability with servo-controlled hydraulic cushions allows the stamper to fine-tune part profiles, as well as save energy and reduce wasted work."
In essence, the cushion matches the speed of the press and dissipates the force to eliminate reverse tonnage, reining in that force to enable stamping of more precise parts.
Increased Productivity and Part Complexity
The advent of servo-controlled hydraulic cushions also provides for increased productivity and greater part complexity, according to the Hyson team.
Advantages of
Servo-Controlled Hydraulic Cushions• Adjustable/programmable force profile—Force can be controlled and programmed throughout the stroke.
• Pre-acceleration—This capability allows the cushion to start moving (pre-accelerating) in order to minimize impact load.
• Delay function—The system can delay at the bottom of the stroke to reduce reverse tonnage into the part and press.
• Standalone force—Variable forming force can be applied as the ram remains stationary.
"Stampers are trying to get the most usage out of their presses," says Quander Jr. "With the trends of increased part complexity and condensed dies/ stations, stampers need more controllability in their cushions. This new technology can be programmed to know each part and the tooling required, with the controllability to vary the force in real time."
The technology ultimately allows for increased production, as Reilly explains.
"Suppose a servo-controlled press operates in pendulum mode where the stroke height varies," Reilly says. "The servo-controlled hydraulic cushion can vary the return height of the system. For parts requiring a longer or shorter stroke height, the cushion is programmed to make that chzange. Rather than going through a full stroke with every hit, the cushion is programmed to return to a shorter stroke height. This allows for more parts per minute since wasted movement is eliminated."
Simplified Installation, Retrofit and Programmability
New technology often comes with a dreaded steep learning curve and apprehension about its incorporation. To address those issues, stampers will want to look for servo-controlled hydraulic cushions with their own interfaces and touchscreen controls, independent of press controls. This standalone design eliminates difficulties in tying in with press controls. The cushions can be run by remote LCD control panels that operate via local or plant WiFi.
"Stampers will be able to control the cushion with a keypad," Quander Jr. explains. "They can change heights, pre-accelerations and pressures. Another screen will display the force curves to allow users to see the movement of the system, cushion position and the force employed."
For retrofits, such systems can be installed by tapping holes into the press bed to allow bolts to hold a cushion. A linear transducer is added to provide feedback on ram movement. The hydraulic power unit slides in and connects to the control system and it is ready to go. MF
See also: HYSON Metal Forming Solutions
Related Enterprise Zones: Tool & Die
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Current gig guide updated 02/03/2013


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Federal budgets are tight and money is not likely to get any looser in the foreseeable future, so making sure you get value from a cybersecurity investment is critical, said U.S. Postal Service corporate information security officer Chuck McGann.
The Postal Service now is using the RedSeal network monitoring platform, originally intended to evaluate firewall rules, to improve situational awareness and operational security across its extended enterprise. Read more.
"I want my money's worth," said McGann, a self-described frugal Yankee.
Getting that requires a vendor willing to stand behind products and ensure that customers get the expertise needed to make a product work. "You have to hold the vendor accountable to making you successful quickly," he said. "If you don't make the vendor commit to value by the end of week one, you're selling yourself short."
When the USPS was in the market for a network monitoring and analysis tool, it considered licensing software from RedSeal networks. But McGann was cautious about spending money for a platform that he was unfamiliar with. He went to RedSeal with his concerns that there could be a long break-in period before results were seen. Their solution was to offer it as a service rather than a product. "Either it works, or you don't pay," he said.
It worked and McGann is happy with the investment and with RedSeal's willingness to stand behind its product. It is not just the quality of the product that matters in a successful implementation, but the customer's ability to use it properly. Experienced personnel are in short supply in many shops, and agencies might not have the in-house expertise to get the most out of their tools. Again, look to the vendor, McGann advised.
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Success in the first week with a new security tool might sound like a tall order, but McGann goes even further. "On day two I expect results," he said. That might be a high bar, but it is not an unreasonable one, he said. "If you don't set the bar high, no one will reach it."
About the Author
William Jackson is a Maryland-based freelance writer.
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Samantha Wills captures the New York sunset during the most magical time of day, in her latest collection, Portraits of Dusk. We simply adore the juxtaposition of glamour and toughness in her use of burnished silver and soft gold metals contrasting antique pale pink, coral, and peach stones.
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Photo: Courtesy of Samantha Wills


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(AllHipHop News) Kanye West may or may not be heading to jail after being videotaped and photographed assaulting a member of the paparazzi but what is known is that no matter what happens....Cher has his back.
Following Kanye's scuffle with an overzealous photographer at LAX airport, Cher took to her personal Twitter account to 1. voice her support for Kanye West and 2. spew some vitriol towards paparazzi at large (and 3. remind you she's Cher):
On the surface this seems like an odd union but Cher has a documented history of being anti-paparazzi. In a recent June interview, Cher said celebrities are "screwed" when it comes to maintaining privacy during the age of the paparazzi.
Check out archival footage of Cher letting a member of the paparazzi know how much of a "slimy, low-life as*hole" he is:


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How do you keep track of your camera's lens cap when you're shooting? Do you carefully put it back in your camera bag or just cram it into the nearest pocket? Flickr user RawSniper1 does neither thanks to a brilliant lens cap holder hack using nothing but a couple of Lego pieces.
A thin eight-stud piece permanently glued to the front of the lens cap easily attaches and detaches from a modified 16-stud piece tethered to the camera's strap. Given the exacting tolerances of Lego there's little risk of the cap accidentally falling off if bumped, and if you've got a bucket of bricks buried in a closet somewhere, the hack is pretty much already paid for. [Flickr via DIY Photography]
Picture: RawSniper1/Flickr


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|Luxury apartment at Trevi Fountain. Click to see this
beautiful vacation rental that accomodates
up to four people.
Rome's been called the "eternal city," perhaps because it's weathered more than its share of wars and politics. It's aged well and is one of the most impressive cities in the world. Even though Rome is a major international destination, you'll still be charmed by the local Italian hospitality. However, since Rome is one of the top cities in the world, it's also very expensive. But whether you stay two days or twenty, you're sure to find many things about Rome that you'll love. Just a few places to see in Rome: The Trevi Fountain, Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Square, the Colosseum and Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and much more.
|Relax on your secluded terrace at this vacation rental
located in the lively Trastevere District.
A Rome vacation rental is a great way to feel the heartbeat of this magnificent city. You can enjoy the bustle of the city, but also take time to stroll through the Gardens of the Villa Borghese or join in on a Wednesday morning audience with the Pope at the Vatican. Then, enjoy delightful ice cream at San Crispino and photograph the city's beautiful piazzas. If you're looking for something more hip, be sure to check out the bars and restaurants at Il Pigneto. And don't forget to have a slice of authentic pizza (definitely not the Americanized version) along with a glass of wine.
Amalfi Coast
|You'll have the sensation of overhanging the
beautiful blue sea on your private terrace. It
overlooks the entire Gulf of Serrento.
|This private terrace overlooks the Gulf of Salerno and
has a panoramic view.


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So the BCS championship game was another Alabama-dominated snoozer, one most of us expected from the beginning. Few of us, though, were smart enough to seek out alternative forms of entertainment last night.
Not THIS GUY.
Future coach Jon Gruden decided instead to check out last night's WWE show in Tampa, and was treated to none other than The Rock himself and a top-tier performance from Sheamus, the only fighting Irishman who bothered to show up for competition last night in Florida.


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Since it began, we have been the leader in the Borough of Queens and we've hit as high as tenth in the overall voting. I know that Pops has a bigger international following than most of the other sites so I'm asking for one last push as the competition ends at 11:59 p.m. on May 21...one week away!
Any grant money we receive is going directly to the beautiful garden at the Louis Armstrong House Museum. This is where Louis celebrated his last birthday on July 4, 1971 and it's where we continue to spread his message with concerts through the warm weather months. So if you love Louis Armstrong, taking a minute to vote could go a long way in helping preserve his legacy.
To spread the word, we've been doing some great things with some of New York's finest--and youngest!--Armstrong worshippers. And I've been doing my best Michael Steinman impersonation to document some of it. (Of course, being a novice, some of these videos were the first time I shot with an iPhone and I held it vertically making for an awfully narrow shot....but the sound comes through!) The minute the competition was announced at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we were ready with a "Flash Mob" of musicians ready to play and get attention on the steps of the Met. In these next videos, you'll see Bria Skonberg, Gordon Au, Mike Davis and Jason Prover, trumpet; Emily Asher, trombone; Jared Engel, banjo; Peter Ford, box bass; Elizabeth, washboard; Evan Crane, bass; Eddy Francisco, tap dancing; and more, including Armstrong House staff and Owen and Chris Skonberg waving signs and rallying the troops. Let's start with a little "Swing That Music":
If you prefer your videos a little wider, we had a professional videographer on hand to film, too, so here's an edited mash-up of "Bourbon Street Parade" and "Barbecue":
And I couldn't resist filming the dancers during the finale of "When You're Smiling":
The next day, Emily Asher's Garden Party swung the Garden into bad health with Emily, trombone, Mike Davis, trumpet, Will Anderson, clarinet, Nick Russo, guitar and Rob Adkins, bass. Here's their opener, "Marie":
Great stuff, right? I love obsessing about old Louis Armstrong records but it's nice to see Pops's music and message being carried out by this younger generation.
So thanks for watching and thanks for voting. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter,a s I've been sharing never-before-seen photos on there to drum up publicity. And as a closer, how about a little "What a Wonderful World," sung by the elementary school kids at New Grace School on the front steps of Louis's house. Ohhhhh yeah!


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IT is always with the best of intentions that I pack for a spa break.
Trainers and gym gear, for all those exercise classes waiting to be signed up for. Sun cream and joggers, for when we borrow a bike and cycle in the 50-acre grounds. Sturdy sandals for a stroll around the six lakes.
But it is with the highest level of relaxation, an extensive gin menu, and a relatively low level of guilt, that they all remained in my suitcase untouched when I packed to come home from my trip to Hoar Cross Hall.
My visit was just what I needed after a busy few weeks and I was desperately looking forward to switching off the phone, ditching the alerts from emails and social media, and ignoring the day-to-day stresses of life for 24 hours.
The drive to Staffordshire from my home in South Yorkshire was quick and without incident, and pulling up to the Grade II-listed stately home down a leafy driveway I could already feel my worries being left behind.
The Elizabethan-style hall, completed in 1871, was bigger than I imagined, with 96 rooms designed to complement their stately surroundings.
We were booked in for a package which included a three-course dinner, breakfast, lunch, a spa treatment and access to the spa area for the full length of our stay, so after a quick trip to our suite to dump the bags, we donned our swimwear and robes and went to check it out.
With just a couple of hours until we were booked in for dinner, we had a quick caffeine fix in the spa reception's comfy atrium area, before heading for the pool area.
Hoar Cross boasts two pools, a larger saltwater pool and a smaller hydrotherapy pool. Despite the packed car park when we arrived, the large spa area, with its countless different areas for relaxing and pampering, never seemed busy.
We started at the hydrotherapy pool, with its dimmed lighting, Mediterranean-style archways, and lion heads' bursting jets of water across the heated pool. A couple of lengths to show willing was followed by a long dip in the jacuzzi.
Next door was the new Nordic heat and ice suit. Inspired by Scandinavian spa rituals, alongside your typical sauna sits an aroma room, where wonderful fragrances fill the air, and steam relieves aching muscles. For those a little more daring than I, the ice temple has showers of differing temperatures and a bucket full of ice chips which will well and truly bring you back to your senses.
And with that, we headed back to our suite to prepare for dinner.
Not content with a simple number, each room is regally named. The Lady Constance suite, where we stayed, was large, with a separate sitting area. The rooms and suites are individually designed and feature antique furnishings.
While it is noted that there is currently a refurbishment programme in place, it seems it hadn't quite reached our room. It was pleasant and plush in places - the bed was very comfortable and seemed brand new, and the bathroom was lovely - but it was in need of sprucing up, with a large hole in the wall next to the television and a rip in one of the chairs. However, that, and the lack of any artwork on the walls, aside, it was a great size and very clean, and served us well.
Downstairs for dinner, and the elegance of Hall really hit us.
The oak-panelled Long Gallery, spanning more than 100-feet in length, was busy but relaxed, as we passed through on our way to the Ballroom for dinner.
Scanning the menu, which had a larger offer than I had expected, and included a signature dish created by the Executive Head Chef, I began to realise the exercise gear would definitely remain in my case the next day. All that food would require full r&r the next day.
It seemed rude not to go for the signature dishes, and so I started with sesame seed crusted tuna loin carpaccio, which was served with a creme fraiche and poached salmon mousse.
I had been warned by a lady in the jacuzzi not to expect a large portion, so I was surprised to see a lot more on my plate that I'd envisaged. The salmon mousse was light yet creamy, and the tuna carpaccio seasoned beautifully. And there was certainly more than enough.
While awaiting our main course we made the most of the wonderful view across the formal gardens, spotting rabbits paying on the manicured lawns.
The main event for me was Gressingham duck, served with fondant potato, rainbow carrots, green beans and kale. It was wonderful. Opposite me, my other half tucked into trio of pork, served with a very tasty black pudding mashed potato.
There was barely room for dessert, but it was too tempting to miss out on. My 'rhubarb and custard' - a buttermilk and vanilla pannacotta served with slivers of rhubarb, hit the spot.
That gin menu I mentioned helped everything go down nicely.
It was back to the Ballroom in the morning for a buffet breakfast, although a la carte options were available. Healthier choices such as fresh fruit and tasty yoghurts were served alongside an extensive English breakfast and an egg chef was on hand to make sure you were able to have whatever you liked.
Suitably set up for the day, we packed up and left our cases in the changing rooms before heading back to the spa for our inclusive treatments.
I had chosen the 55-minute Couture Touch - a treatment comprising of either a deep tissue or hot stones back massage, followed by an anti-ageing booster facial.
The hot stones were to die for, and so relaxing that I almost forgot what was still to come when she finished. The facial too was excellent, and I left a heady combination of cloud-like zen and fresh-as-a-daisy.
There was time to explore the second of Hoar Cross Hall's pools, the saltwater vitality pool, along with its aqua massage and detox areas, before lunch at Hugo's Restaurant.
Despite being busy with day guests, the service was quick and attentive. The buffet-style starter was light and varied, and my choice of salmon for the main course was tasty, though without the fine dining edge of last night's dinner.
There was no rush to leave after lunch, and we returned to the pool before making the most of one of the cosy relaxation zones before getting ready to leave.
Hoar Cross prides itself on "balancing the body and mind, restoring a sense of calm and promoting a general feeling of wellbeing", and we took that sense of calm right back with us.
A spa break with a sense of grandeur, I would return in a heartbeat. Though perhaps without packing the 'kidding-myself' exercise gear next time.
Hoar Cross Hall Spa Resort is located in the village of Hoar Cross, near Yoxall, Staffordshire, in the National Forest, just over an hours' drive from South Yorkshire.
It offers a range of spa days and overnight stays, with spa breaks starting at £149 pppn.
For more information and offers, visit www.hoarcross.co.uk or call 01283 575671.


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Glade® Limited Edition Spring Collection
Description: As spring arrives and temperatures rise, the world of scents around us also intensifies, making it the perfect time of year to revitalize your routine with fragrance. Inspired by the best feelings of the season, the Glade® Limited Edition Spring Collection helps you break free from your winter routine and revitalize your home for the upcoming spring season. The new collection features five new and refreshing fragrances which include: • Lift Off: A fresh floral fragrance with hints of white tea and magnolia that will revitalize you this spring and leave you feeling refreshed • Live Loud™: This bold, romantic floral fragrance with hints of rosehip and plumeria has a zest as energizing as spring • Splash Out™: A rejuvenating blend of blackberry notes • Let Loose™: An energizing and fruity mix of the scents of kiwi and wild peach • Dig It: A vibrant citrus and sunflower fragrance and a gentle reminder spring is time to come alive and do what you love Glade® Limited Edition Spring Collection fragrances are available in all the variations you love from Glade® including 4 oz. candle jars, premium room sprays, PlugIns® Scented Oil refills and Wax Melts. For more information, visit www.Glade.com or www.Facebook.com/Glade
Price: $1.00 to $5.00


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Editor's Note: Paul Bambei, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC), today (March 1) issued the following "Call to Action" for all ARVC members.
ARVC, in conjunction with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), is requesting its members to contact the Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, and their Congressional offices to urge they weigh in on the issue of seeking restoration of common sense interpretation of pool and spa entry requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The industry message to the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress is:
• Extend the March 15 Compliance deadline which will leave many operators in technical violation of Federal law and thus open to litigation and fines.
• DOJ needs to approve portable lifts that will allow operators to quickly provide access to pools for travelers with disabilities while safeguarding children and costly lift equipment.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an overly burdensome interpretation of the pool entry requirements, forcing many operators to scramble to meet the March 15 implementation deadline for pool lifts. DOJ noted that all pools and most spas will need an affixed lift to be made available any hours the pool is open to the public. Operators who have purchased a portable lift under an earlier understanding of the 2010 ADA Standards will need to replace these lifts or find a method of affixing them to the pool deck.
ARVC provided a recommended template letter for contacting Perez, which can be e-mailed to him at [email protected] This same template can be used to send a similar letter to members of Congress.


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Pilot program gets Park students
and alumni tackling real media problems.
By Sharon Tregaskis
Last spring, ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer and David Muir '95, who hosts the show on weekends, issued two challenges to a classroom of Park School freshmen and sophomores. "What would it take," Sawyer asked, "to get you to watch old, conventional broadcasting at 6:30 p.m. for your news?" Muir focused on process: "How do we get an additional 500,000 more eyes — anywhere in the social universe — in your demographic?"
Before the students broke into small groups to come up with answers, they had a chance to pepper the pros with their own questions about how to prepare for careers in broadcast journalism and set themselves apart from the competition.
"Content is king," Sawyer told them. "The rest is just style, and you can learn that."
Muir, a one-time ICTV reporter, emphasized the value of a winning attitude, especially in the internship game. "Always be excited and do your work with a smile," he told the students. "Make sure they remember you for all the right reasons."
The free advice was part of a one-credit, pass-fail pilot program known as s'Park, intended to bring together alumni, professionals, and first-year students around issues facing the entire communications industry and to promote networking. In a scheme to optimize both time and a limited budget, hardly anyone hit the road. The 60 students who enrolled in the six-week course traveled only as far as Park Hall Auditorium, while the bulk of the 30 guest speakers — commercial, nonprofit, and independent media professionals in Canada, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States — joined the conversation from their offices via Skype's group-calling feature.
Andy Orgel '74, the Park School's assistant to the dean for industry relations who co-organized the course, worked with Park School dean Diane Gayeski and Nancy Cornwell, chair of the Department of Television-Radio, to launch the course in February as part of Gayeski's vision to incorporate more interactive experiences into the academic curriculum, teach students to solve real-world problems, and prepare them to compete in the marketplace after they graduate. Orgel said that conversations he has had with students over the last few years about media, entertainment, technology, and how rapidly the business is changing helped shape the idea for the course.
"As the fields of communications change, there are common issues that impact all professionals," says Gayeski, a class of '74 Park alumna who joined the IC faculty in 1979. "What used to be rigid disciplines are becoming more porous. I thought it would be interesting to design a one-credit course that could unite our students."
The effort also fit with Gayeski's desire to prompt students to think more strategically about electives, study abroad, and other academic opportunities in order to develop distinctive skill sets. "All of us agree that students should start planning earlier," she says.
Creative use of technology
Key to the s'Park classroom ethos was an embrace of technology. Cornwell required students to carry their laptops to class, encouraging them to surf the Web and post questions to the class Twitter feed. Freshman television-radio major Ben Ratner provided tech support, making sure the Skype feed worked and setting up a live Twitter display on the auditorium's split screen, which students used to ask questions of the speakers and comment on course content.
"Using technology, we could vastly expand the interaction between students and alumni," says Cornwell. "We spent a lot of time thinking about how to do that and about how to schedule a course to include people on the East and West Coasts."
Bill Froehlich '74, a one-time WICB-FM disc jockey who went on to produce the hit television show MacGyver and now works as a writer, director, producer, and actor with Ithaca Films, joined the class for a Skype conference from Los Angeles.
"It was nice to be able to not just talk with the students, but also see them," he says. "You pick up a lot more in discussions when you can see faces, body language, and the emotion behind the questions and in the answers to questions you may have asked."
In his conversation with the class, Froehlich encouraged students to deploy social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter in order to promote themselves and connect with others in the industry. "I've only recently started using Twitter," he told the class with a self-deprecating twinkle in his eye. "Every time I tweet, I feel like a twit." Nevertheless, he says, since he began marketing his new book, U R the Solution, he's benefited greatly from advice from younger colleagues.
Cornwell says she was impressed by the enthusiasm of the alumni participating in the program.
"I've always heard how extensive and committed the alumni base is at IC, but I never really got it until I taught this course," she says. "People were eager to come and talk to students. It just blew me away."
Teaching assistant Rebecca Webster, a senior journalism major, felt the same way: "It's awe-inspiring how willing the alumni were to help those of us who are just jumping into the field."
Cornwell points out how varied career paths can be for Park graduates and how valuable the face-to-face contact with working professionals is for helping students realize what they could do.
"Some of our students arrive with only a vague notion of what career they'd like to pursue and a vague notion of what possibilities are available," says the professor. "That's where alumni come in: we can show students interesting examples of how our alumni have taken the skills and knowledge they acquired at the Park School and done interesting, unexpected work. Having alumni like David Muir on camera and the kids talking to them in real time went far beyond what you would think of as video chat. It really had an impact."
For instance, when Ratner heard Billy Hall '84, the Atlanta-based vice president of the cable television channels TNT and TBS at Turner Entertainment Networks, describe the evolution of his career, it hit home.
"[Hall] went into an industry that didn't exist yet," says Ratner, who serves as webmaster for WICB and aspires to direct a live television show one day. "He had a hard time telling friends and family that he was starting a television network. What I heard from him really changed my outlook on the media industry. One of the big focuses of s'Park is that we have to be open to all opportunities, including those that don't exist yet. Billy is a prime example of how he had to take what came at him and take risks to get where he is today. I was very inspired."
After hearing Hall and several other guests highlight the importance for aspiring communications professionals to hone their business sense, Ratner decided to pick up an integrated marketing communications minor.
Michael Belmonte, a television-radio major from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, tweaked his academic program after listening to the guest speakers. "Every person we spoke to said they wished they'd taken more business classes." Belmonte also signed up for the integrated marketing communications minor.
Back to the future
In the last s'Park session on April 5, Cornwell, Orgel, and Gayeski suggested an alarming yet exciting possibility to the students: the work that the class of '13 will pursue after graduation may not even exist yet.
"We had them write about what careers might be gone by the time they graduate and speculate about what careers might exist in the future," explains Cornwell. "It's hard to envision what doesn't exist, but they were able to think about where careers might move."
The exercise prompted conversations about the growing international nature of most niches within the communications industry and the imperative for global awareness, which gave students new perspectives on the value of foreign languages, study abroad, and classes they take outside the Park School. To enhance future conversations about the field and give students an historic perspective on the challenges facing the industry, the school videotaped and is archiving all the sessions.
The class also gave students a new way to think about the school's informal motto: "Hands On from Day One."
"Now, 'hands on' is not just hands on the equipment, because most students have had their hands on a computer and even a video camera by the time they arrive on campus," says Gayeski. "It's getting them engaged in the big challenges, having them wrestle with what the professionals are grappling with from their first semester."
As the program's organizers had hoped, the class "sparked" an epiphany for at least one student: Daisy Arriaga-Lopez '13, a native of New York City who plans to write for magazines after graduation.
"Journalism isn't dying, it's just changing," she says. "Hearing that from Diane Sawyer and David Muir makes me want to keep going."


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The Persistence of Vision Raytracer (POV-Ray).
This is the legacy Bug Tracking System for the POV-Ray project. Bugs listed here are being migrated to our github issue tracker. Please refer to that for new reports or updates to existing ones on this system.
FS#41 - improve command-line parsing error messages
Opened by Christoph Lipka (clipka) - Thursday, 16 July 2009, 18:10 GMT
Last edited by William F Pokorny (wfpokorny) - Saturday, 10 December 2016, 14:50 GMT
POV-Ray 3.6, upon encountering problems when parsing command line and/or .ini file options, would quote the offending option in the error message.
POV-Ray 3.7 currently just reports that there is some problem with the command line, without providing any details. I suggest changing this, as the information may be helpful at times.
IIRC this feature was added some time ago, wasn't it?
Don't know what I was seeing back then; I just tried a few things and can't reproduce it now (which fits the code as I see it, and as it seems to have been for ages).
Why is this considered a feature request rather than a bug? It is the failure/disabling of a feature that existed in 3.6.
The problem still exists in version 3.7.0 final. It is also inherited by UberPOV.
- Field changed: Due in Version (3.70 release → Undecided)
- Field changed: Operating System (All → Linux)
Re-opened: While the Windows version does a nice job reporting command-line errors, the Linux version doesn't.
We should re-structure the code to have all versions share one and the same piece of code for command-line parsing (and related error-reporting).
- Field changed: Status (Investigating → Tracked on GitHub)
Now tracked on github as issue #173.


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Committee Membership Information
Study Title:
Responding to Oil Spills in Arctic Marine Environments
Primary Board:
Study Director:
Dr. Martha R. Grabowski
- (Chair)
Le Moyne College
Martha Grabowski (Chair) is McDevitt Chair in Information Systems and Professor, Chair of the Business Administration Department at Le Moyne College and Research Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is also a licensed former merchant officer and retired Lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Much of Dr. Grabowski?s work centers on developing understandings of how large-scale systems of people, organizations and technology behave, particularly those that are complex and geographically distributed. Her research projects focus on the impact of technology in safety-critical systems, risk analysis, and risk mitigation in large-scale systems, and the role of human and organizational error in high consequence settings. Currently, she is studying how social media can mobilize large masses of people in harm?s way in very short time periods during extreme warning events, and modeling high reliability virtual organizations for post-disaster clean up, for global supply chains, and for financial cybersecurity systems. Dr. Grabowski is a recent past chair of the Marine Board and has served on numerous NRC committees, including chairing the NRC committee on Naval Engineering in the 21st Century and vice-chairing the Committee on Review of the Tsunami Warning and Forecast System and Overview of the Nation's Tsunami Preparedness. Dr. Grabowski earned a B.S. from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA, an M.S. in Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Management and Information Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr. Mark Reed
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry
Mark Reed is an expert in marine environmental modeling and impact assessments at SINTEF. He has a scientific focus in numerical model development for decision support applications, including coupled physical, biological and chemical processes in the marine environment, with particular focus on fates and effects of pollutants (including oil, petroleum products, and chemicals) in the marine environment. He has also worked in quantitative environmental impact and natural resource damage assessment, and has tracked animal migrations, biological transport, and fishery dynamics using numerical modeling. Dr. Reed used his modeling expertise to help with the Deepwater Horizon Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and has also worked on field programs for oil spill response in ice and cold water. SINTEF is the largest independent, non-profit research organization in Scandinavia, and has significant expertise in marine environmental technology, including fate and effects of spilled oil in cold regions. Dr. Reed received a B.A. Philosophy from Antioch College in 1969, an M.S. in Civil and Urban Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, and a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1980.
Mr. David F. Dickins
DF Dickins and Associates, LLC
David F. Dickins has 40 years of project management experience focusing on environmental issues associated with offshore oil exploration and development, and marine transportation in Arctic waters. His company, DF Dickins Associates, founded in 1978, provides engineering research services for government and industry clients in the United States, Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, and Europe. Mr. Dickins has an established worldwide reputation, and is regarded within the scientific and engineering community as an expert on Arctic sea ice and marine environments, oil spills in ice, remote sensing, shipping route evaluations, and environmental impacts. He has worked on issues related to cold water oil spill response and recovery for over 20 years, including the management of large-scale experimental spills in ice. Mr. Dickins received a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver in 1971 and is a Professional Engineer.
Mr. Richard K. Glenn
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
Richard K. Glenn is the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation's Executive Vice President of Lands and Natural Resources and a member of their Board of Directors. The Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is an Alaska Native-owned regional corporation representing more than eight thousand Inupiat Eskimos of Alaska?s North Slope. The shareholders of ASRC own surface and subsurface title to nearly five million acres of Alaskan North Slope lands with oil, gas, coal and mineral resources. Mr. Glenn has special expertise in resource development in an Arctic setting, and is well-versed in on and offshore Arctic geologic and sea-ice processes. From 1995 to 2001, he headed the North Slope Borough Department of Energy Management, where he supervised the energy programs for all of the North Slope Borough villages. He has twice been appointed by the President to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and he is also the founder of the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium, a not-for-profit organization that encourages research and educational activities in the North Slope and facilitates the two-way transfer of information between scientists and the local communities. Mr. Glenn has also experience in his extended family's subsistence whaling crew, having served as its co-captain for almost twenty years. Mr. Glenn received a B.S. in Geology from San Jose State University in 1985 and an M.S. in Geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1991 and is a licensed professional geologist.
VADM Brian Salerno
Vice Admiral Brian Salerno is recently retired from the U.S. Coast Guard, where his last position was as the Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship. He currently serves as the U.S. Liaison Officer for BIMCO, an international shipping association comprising a membership of a broad range of stakeholders with interests in the shipping industry. He held prior positions as the Assistant Commandant for Policy and Planning and as the Director of Inspections and Compliance at Coast Guard Headquarters. VADM Salerno was responsible for developing and promulgating national marine safety, security and environmental protection doctrine, policy, and regulations, as well as ensuring policy alignment throughout the Coast Guard and among federal and international partners. In addition, he oversaw important work with federal advisory committees, industry/stakeholder partnerships, and international delegations on marine safety, security, and environmental protection. He received a Master?s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2000, and also has a Master?s degree in Management from the Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Kenneth Lee
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Kenneth Lee is the Executive Director of the Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research (COOGER), part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. At COOGER he is responsible for the identification of priority research needs and the coordination and implementation of collaborative national and international research programs with government and academia to provide scientific knowledge and advice pertaining to the potential environmental impacts associated with the development of Canada?s offshore oil and gas and the ocean renewable energy sector. Dr. Lee?s research and project management activities include chemical and microbiological studies on the biotransformation and biodegradation of contaminants; development of novel approaches to assess the impact of organic pollutants by the development and validation of toxicity assays based on advances in genomics, microbial ecology and biochemical analysis; coordination of multidisciplinary studies including the application of numerical models to predict the risk of industrial activities and contaminants on ecosystem help; and studies to link organic and inorganic contaminants, marine noise, and alterations in hydrodynamic processes to effects on biota, including commercial fisheries species. Dr. Lee is one of the world?s leading experts on the effects of dispersants and other spill response technologies. He is currently serving on the NRC Committee on the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Mississippi Canyon-252 Oil Spill on Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico. He received a B.Sc. in Biology from Dalhousie University in 1975 and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Botany/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto in 1977 and 1982, respectively.
Dr. Thomas S. Coolbaugh
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
Thomas S. Coolbaugh is a Distinguished Scientific Associate in the Oil Spill Response Technology Group at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Fairfax, Virginia. As the leader of the Oil Spill Response Technology group, he provides technical guidance and training on the full suite of oil spill response strategies in support of global operations. In this position, his focus includes dispersants, in-situ burn, and remote sensing. He has held a number of positions at ExxonMobil and is an inventor/co-inventor on 42 United States patents along with numerous international patents covering a variety of compositions of matter and processes, including synthetic elastomers, dispersants, lubricants, and other specialty additives. Dr. Coolbaugh is also a member of the API Joint Industry Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Task Force. He is the author of various publications covering a range of subject matter including oil spill response technology. Dr. Coolbaugh received his B.A. in Chemistry from Amherst College and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. He has also received an M.S. in the Management of Technology from Polytechnic University (Now Polytechnic Institute of NYU).
Dr. Mary-Louise Timmermans
Yale University
Mary-Louise Timmermans is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology & Geophysics at Yale University. Her principal research focus is investigating the dynamics and variability of the Arctic Ocean to better understand how the ocean impacts Arctic sea ice and climate. Her approach is to apply fundamental theoretical models to geophysical observations, including measurements from an ice-based network of drifting automated ocean-profiling instruments, and hydrographic measurements from icebreaker surveys. Her research includes investigations of ocean mixing, eddies, waves, double-diffusive heat transport, and freshwater and heat content in the upper Arctic Ocean. She received a B.S. in Physics at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, in 1994 and a Ph.D. in Fluid Mechanics from Cambridge University in 2000.
Dr. James M. Tiedje
Michigan State University
James M. Tiedje is the University Distinguished Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, and is Director of the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University. His research focuses on ecology, physiology, and genetics/genomics underlying important microbial processes in nature. Some of his relevant interests for this study include biodegradation of environmental pollutants and bioremediation, and microbial life in permafrost. His group has discovered several microbes that live by halorespiration on chlorinated solvents and is using genomics to better understand ecological functions, endemism and niche adaptation. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Applied and Environmental Microbiology and Editor of Microbial and Molecular Biology Reviews. He has over 450 refereed papers, including seven in Science and Nature. He shared the 1992 Finley Prize of UNESCO for research contributions in microbiology of international significance, is Fellow of the AAAS (The American Association for the Advancement of Science), the American Academy Microbiology, and the Soil of Science Society of America, and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He was President of the American Society for Microbiology in 2004-2005. He received his B.S. degree from Iowa State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University.
Dr. Brenda Norcross
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Brenda L. Norcross is a Professor of Fisheries Oceanography in the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Her research centers on fishes and their habitats, including human-induced effects on the environment. Since 2004, Norcross?s research has focused on fishes in the Arctic: the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Dr. Norcross headed the herring component of the multi-investigator Sound Ecosystem Assessment project, which investigated the environment of Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. That research resulted in a synthetic knowledge of the juvenile life stage of herring. She has studied flatfishes in Alaskan waters and has modeled nursery habitats. Dr. Norcross was a member of two NRC committees, Committee on Improving the Collection and Use of Fisheries Data and the Committee to Review the Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Monitoring Program. Dr. Norcross earned her Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College of William and Mary in 1983.
Dr. Robert Suydam
North Slope Borough
Robert Suydam is a wildlife biologist whose research interests have focused on monitoring population trends and documenting natural history traits of bowhead whales, beluga whales, eiders, geese, caribou, and other Arctic species. He has held a position within the North Slope Borough?s Department of Wildlife Management since 1990, and as part of this job conducts studies on wildlife species that are important for subsistence on the North Slope of Alaska. He is also responsible for reviewing documents related to oil and gas exploration, development, and production for projects on shore and offshore, with a focus on reviewing and evaluating impacts to bowhead whales and other marine mammals from industrial activities, particularly industrial sounds, in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off northern Alaska. He has written more than 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has authored numerous scientific reports. Dr. Suydam received a B.S. in Environmental Biology from California State University-Fresno in 1986, an M.S. in Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Aquatic and Fishery sciences from the University of Washington in 2009.
Mr. William L. Majors
Alaska Clean Seas
William L. Majors has spent the last 10 years as the Planning & Development Manager for Alaska Clean Seas, a not-for-profit oil spill response cooperative located on the North Slope of Alaska. Their membership includes oil and pipeline companies that engage in or intend to undertake oil and gas exploration, development, production or pipeline transport activities on the North Slope. Mr. Majors coordinates oil spill response research and development projects, training, and safety, including working with member companies on contingency plan development, oil spill response readiness, and oil spill response training and exercises and cooperating with regulatory and resource agencies on oil spill response readiness. Mr. Majors also spent almost 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, including ten years? experience in marine safety and pollution response. He has over 25 years of oil spill response and management experience.
Dr. Peter Wadhams
University of Cambridge
Peter Wadhams is Professor of Ocean Physics at Cambridge University. He is an oceanographer and glaciologist involved in polar oceanographic and sea ice research and concerned with climate change processes in polar regions. He leads the Polar Ocean Physics group, studying the effects of global warming on sea ice, icebergs, and the polar oceans. This involves work in the Arctic and Antarctic from nuclear submarines, autonomous underwater vehicles, icebreakers, aircraft and drifting ice camps. He has led over 40 polar field expeditions. Dr. Wadhams began his career in ocean science as a research assistant for a year aboard the Canadian research ship ?Hudson? on the ?Hudson-70? expedition (1969-70) which accomplished the first circumnavigation of the Americas. Later, he was Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge (1987-92) before moving to his present position. He has been awarded the Polar Medal by the Queen of England and the Italgas Prize for Environmental Sciences. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, and a Member of the Finnish Academy. Dr. Wadhams received his Ph.D. from the Scott Polar Research Institute in 1974.
Dr. Mark D. Myers
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Mark D. Myers is the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a position he has held since January 2011. Dr. Myers previously worked as the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act coordinator for the State of Alaska, and was the director of the U.S. Geological Survey from 2006-2009. His career as a geologist and policymaker spans more than three decades, and includes work as a geologist for ARCO Alaska and the State of Alaska. He is an internationally recognized leader in energy and science policy and has wide-ranging industry, state and federal government experience. From 2001 to 2005, he served as director of the state Division of Oil and Gas. Prior to his geology career, Dr. Myers served in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve as a pilot and intelligence officer. As Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Myers oversees administration of UAF?s $123-million-per-year research enterprise and supervises the university?s research institutes. Dr. Myers received his B.S. and M.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977 and 1981, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1994.


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Manufacturing Apps 126 Apps found. category: Manufacturing × version: 11.0 ×
Auto generate Lot no in Manufacturing when we have Produce Manufacturing Order lot no generate based on production Date/Today Date.
Auto Generate Lot Number in Manufacturing
Update produced quantity for each Workorder whenever the production is paused
Update Produced Quantity(MRP)
This plugin helps to show process costing on Manufacturing Order based on BOM
Manufacturing Process Costing
This module develop to full fill requirements of Machine Repair Services Provider or Industry.
Machine Repair Management (All Types of Machines)
Quality Inspections on Manufacturing orders and Workorders, Quality Alert & barcode sticker report
Quality Control MRP
This module helps to reverse the Done Manufacturing Order, allow to cancel Manufacturing Order and set to draft.
Manufacturing Order Cancel/Reverse
Cancel manufacturings Order app is helpful plugin to cancel processed manufacturing order. Cancellation of manufacturing order includes operations like cancel Invoice, Cancel Delivery Order, Cancel paid Invoice, Unreconcile Payment, Cancel processed delivery order/ cancel processed picking.
Cancel Manufacturing Order
This module helps to automatically generate serial and lot number from the Manufacturing Order
Auto Generate serial/lot number from Manufacturing
Module help to show Cost Price inculded BOM which calculate from cost of All componant of Bill of Material.
Update Product Cost from BOM
Quality Inspection Report in Excel at every production stage.
Manufacturing Inspection Report
This Module Allow us to Split Manufacturing Order Based on Number of Split.Split Mo in Equal Part


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At The Ski House, we have been delivering the best since 1956. We specialize in selling and maintaining winter sports equipment and accessories. We offer a full range of products manufactured by the top companies in the industry like Burton, K2, Nordica, Oakley, Patagonia, The North Face and more.
You will find the best service, products, and attitude with unbeatable prices to help you enjoy winter fun. No matter what your skill level or interest, from modest to extreme, we can help you prepare. We will provide you with the equipment, ski wear and everything else you need for an excellent snow sport experience. Choose from our cross-country skis, skis, snowboards, snowshoes and accessories. Enjoy!


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Cvent's Event Management solution will replace RegOnline® at the end of 2019
The countdown has begun. RegOnline will be retired in
Over two years ago, Cvent acquired RegOnline® (through its merger with Lanyon Solutions, Inc.), positioning Cvent to deliver world-class event management technology and customer support. Since then, we have been diligently building the best of RegOnline® into our Cvent event management platform.
We know RegOnline® is a beloved product, but we're excited about what lies ahead. We've worked to incorporate these two strong solutions into one comprehensive event management product – to support events both large and small.
For questions about your RegOnline® account call your rep or 571-444-8447 (if based outside of US, click here for best number, then press 2 for sales, 1 for event management), or email us. For RegOnline product support or customer service call 800-473-6748, option 3.


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Elizabeth Lynch, M.D.
Welcome to the Sleep Institute of New England! Sleep is necessary for your mental and physical well-being. During your sleep, your systems rejuvenate, your cells regenerate, and your energy levels are restored. Sleep problems can affect all aspects of your life: cardiovascular health, daytime functioning, work performance, mood, weight and sexual performance.
"I am board certified in Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine eligible. After spending several years as a Pulmonologist, Sleep Specialty physician and Medical Director of a hospital based sleep center, I established this independent sleep center so that I could provide the continuity of care necessary for effective treatment of sleep problems at a fraction of the cost associated with larger hospital based sleep centers."
"I also recognize the relationship between allergies and sleep. Poorly treated allergy symptoms affect quality and quantity of sleep. I am proud to announce Allergy Services at the Sleep Institute of New England. The new Allergy Center provides full consultation visits, pulmonary function testing, allergy skin testing, immunotherapy (allergy shots), treatment plans and follow up care for ages 10 years and older."
"Welcome to the Sleep Institute of New England. I look forward to helping you get a good night's sleep."


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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many new heart devices, such as valves and stents, are approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) without good studies showing that they offer any benefits beyond existing treatments, according to a new study.
"This really leaves open the question of, 'are you better off with this new device or whatever conventional therapy is already?'" said Dr. Rita Redberg, one of the authors of the study and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Given that devices often require surgery, "from a patient point of view, you're taking a lot more risk with a device, so the harms are potentially much greater," added Redberg, whose team published the work in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "So it's really very important to know that the device is an improvement over what you could have had."
High-risk heart devices, which include implanted defibrillators, mechanical pumps and tubes called stents, go through an approval process called "premarket approval," which includes a more stringent review of the evidence than for less risky devices.
However, the requirements for the approval of devices in general are less strict than for drugs.
The FDA requires two studies comparing the drug to a "control" - typically, the current standard of care or a fake pill called a placebo - before it will approve a drug.
For first-of-a-kind devices, FDA does require controlled trials, FDA spokeswoman Michelle Bolek told Reuters Health by email. However, the agency does not have such demands for devices that aren't first-of-a-kind, and approval can be given without direct comparisons to controls, depending on the use of the device and the extent of experience doctors have had with it.
The FDA said there are good reasons why comparing new devices to other treatments or older generations of a product might not be feasible or ethical.
"And, requiring them could significantly and unnecessarily delay patient access to critical new technology," Bolek added.
Recent studies have found that sometimes patients are given newer and more expensive products without a clear indication that they're better off for it (see Reuters report of February 28, 2012 and Reuters Health report of July 9, 2012).
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which funds research on comparing the effectiveness of different approaches to medical care.
To see how often heart devices are compared to existing therapies as part of the approval process, Redberg and her colleagues collected information from the FDA on all high-risk device approvals from 2000 to 2011.
They found that 40 percent of approved devices had been in studies comparing them to other treatments.
The comparison treatment could be an older generation of the same implant, a medication or a surgical procedure.
The rest of the approved devices relied on either the results from other studies in which controls were used, but the new device was not compared head-to-head with other treatments; from expectations of how well the device should work; or from research with no comparisons.
"We were surprised and disappointed," said Redberg, who is also editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine and a member of the FDA's Drug Administration Circulatory System Devices Panel. "We had already seen (in a previous study) there wasn't as many randomized controlled trials as one would hope for devices, but we didn't appreciate it until we looked at the data."
Some devices were less likely to have been compared to a conventional therapy than others.
Ventricular assist devices, for instance, used in severe cases of heart failure, were approved without any comparison to another therapy, but this could be justified, said Dr. David Brown, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York, who was not involved in the study.
"People are near death when they need the device, and it may not be ethical or practical to design a trial that compares it to something else," he said.
"However, if you look at most of the devices in the other categories, they're not anywhere near being performed in people who don't have other options," Brown told Reuters Health.
For instance, there are alternatives to new cardiac stents, pacemakers and defibrillators, such as drugs or other versions of the same devices, he pointed out.
Yet only about four out of 10 approvals for these types of devices included studies that compared them to existing treatments.
The FDA's Bolek said the information Redberg's group used to evaluate the studies conducted to get a device approved "does not reflect all of the data reviewed by the FDA in a (premarket approval) submission."
Bolek said FDA weighs the quality of studies and their results, tests performed outside of the clinic and data monitoring committees.
Congress, Bolek said, has authorized the FDA to take the "least burdensome provision" to approve devices, to ensure that patients are not denied early access to new medical technology.
Dr. Ron Waksman, the associate director of the division of cardiology at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said the study does not differentiate between new products and slight improvements on already-approved devices.
"You don't need to...for every change and iteration, do a clinical randomized trial" said Waksman, who was not part of the study but has been a consultant to medical device companies.
Still, Dr. William Boden at the Albany VA Stratton Medical Center said the different requirements for drug and device approvals is "egregious."
"I think (the study) really elucidates the fact that there is just an unfortunate double standard, where there is a lack of transparency and a critical need for more comparative effectiveness evaluation before these devices come to market," said Boden, who did not participate in the current research but whose research has been funded by pharmaceutical companies.
Brown said consumers should express their concerns about a lack of comparative effectiveness studies to their representatives in Congress.
SOURCE: bit.ly/Uge4Fb Journal of the American Medical Association, online November 5, 2012.


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Freeze warning issued for 4 central Fla. counties
Temperatures to fall into upper 20s
A freeze warning is in effect for four central Florida counties.
Marion, Sumter, Lake and Flagler counties are under the warning until 9 a.m. Saturday.
Lows will fall into the upper 20s for inland locations by the predawn hours.
Durations of sub-freezing temperatures could be up to six hours.
Lows in the 30s are possible along the St. Johns River and coastal locations.
Temperature sensitive plants should be covered or brought indoors. Pets should also be brought indoors.
A wind chill advisory is in effect until 9 a.m Saturday for all of central Florida.
Northwest winds will combine with chilly temperatures to produce wind chills in the mid 20s to low 30s through Saturday morning.
Stay tuned to WESH 2 News for exactly how cold it will get across the area.


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This application gives the user the ability to track notes on their computer just like Post-It notes. The application is freeware, which means you can download and use it, at no cost! One neat thing you can do with it is that it can synchronize with an FTP server so the notes on one computer is the same as the notes on your other computers or laptop.
If you have notes all over your desk, or want to save information all in one place without losing them, you'll find this program very easy to use with many useful features. Simply just install this program and it appears on your task-tray. Whenever you want to create a fast note, just double-click on the post-it note icon on your task tray. It's that easy.
iQ-Notes has won awards!
Click here to see a video about iQ-Notes!
Note - This product has reached it end-of-life. It is no longer supported. You are welcome to download and use it (free of charge) but there is no support for it and there will be no future changes/fixes/enhancements.
Features at a glance!
Totally Free without any compromise:
iQ-Notes contains no ad-ware, spy-ware or any type of ware. Optional synchronization of your notes are stored on your ownFTP server, so they are completely secured by you only, and there is no need to purchase email accounts or install plug-ins.
Language Translation:
iQ-Notes comes in multi-langauges and is configurable for other langauges. If you want to help create the translation table for Polish or German, please email me.
If you have any questions, suggestions or want to report a bug, just email me. Please make sure you are running the latest version before reporting any issues.
Click here to download iQ-Notes Version 6.00 -
April 8, 2013
See "Change Log" at top of screen for details of changes.


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After President Obama arrived in Israel, his first stop on Wednesday was to inspect an installation of Iron Dome, the antimissile system hailed as a resounding success in the Gaza conflict in November. The photo op, celebrating a technological wonder built with the help of American dollars, came with considerable symbolism as Mr. Obama sought to showcase support for Israel after years of tensions over Jewish settlements and how to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Unstated amid the good will, though, was an intensifying debate over whether Iron Dome's feats of warhead destruction were more illusory than real.
Israeli officials initially claimed success rates of up to 90 percent. Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, hailed the antimissile system as the first to succeed in combat. Congress recently called the system "very effective" and pledged an additional $680 million for deployments through 2015.
But a growing chorus of weapons experts in the United States and in Israel say their studies — based largely on analyses of hits and misses captured on video — suggest that Iron Dome destroyed no more than 40 percent of incoming warheads and perhaps far fewer. Many rockets, they argue, were simply crippled or deflected — failures that often let intact or dying rockets fall on populated areas.
"They're smart people," Richard M. Lloyd, a weapons expert who has written a critique of Iron Dome for engineers and weapons designers, said of the system's makers in an interview. "But the problems go on and on."
Behind that skepticism lie the messy realities of combat, as well as a half-century of global antimissile failures. "No military system is 90 percent effective," said Philip E. Coyle III, who once ran the Pentagon's weapons-testing program and recently left a White House security post.
For Iron Dome, the performance issue is important, in part, because defense bears strongly on offense. Israel's decision on whether to bomb Iran's nuclear sites — as it has repeatedly threatened to do — could hinge on its estimate of the retaliatory costs, including damage inflicted by rockets fired from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
Iron Dome is the newest and smallest of Israel's antimissile systems. Its interceptors — just 6 inches wide and 10 feet long — rely on miniature sensors and computerized brains to zero in on its specialty, short-range rockets. Israel's larger interceptors — the Patriot and Arrow systems — can fly longer distances to go after bigger threats. All have employed explosive warheads to shatter enemy targets, and all have faced doubts about their performance and military value.
Critics say explosions in the sky are hailed as evidence of success when the blasts in most cases simply represent interceptor warheads blowing up.
In an interview, a senior Israeli official denied that explanation, insisting that Iron Dome excelled. Last week, as news of the skeptical analyses spread in Israel, the Defense Ministry issued a statement deploring "baseless claims" that relied on "amateur YouTube videos." It called the security establishment "more than content with the system's impressive results."
The United States contributed an initial $275 million, and deployments began two years ago. Amid rising anxiety over Iran, the Israeli public saw Iron Dome's early successes against intermittent fire from Gaza as "a proof that the country could endure" retaliatory strikes, according to Uzi Rubin, founder of Israel's antimissile program.
The big test came over eight days in November, when Gaza militants fired some 1,500 rockets. As sirens wailed and Israelis ran for cover, the interceptors shot up in waves, exploding in fire and thunder.
Iron Dome commanders fire only when radar systems and computer projections of rocket trajectories show threats to populated areas. Israeli officials say Iron Dome missed 58 incoming rockets while destroying 421. They now put Iron Dome's overall success rate at 84 percent rather than the 90 percent figure.
By all accounts, the interceptor's warhead fires when its sensors indicate an enemy rocket nearby — an encounter zone said to be up to several feet wide. The ensuing blast emits speeding metal fragments that in theory penetrate the rocket's warhead and prompt it to explode.
The system's maker, an Israeli company called Rafael, says in a promotional video that the interceptor is designed "to ensure destruction" of the enemy warhead.
That is precisely the claim critics have challenged.
After the Gaza cease-fire last year, Mr. Lloyd began scrutinizing hundreds of online videos of Iron Dome in action. He was looking for unambiguous signs of success: pairs of fireballs (at night) or smoke clouds (during the day) that formed as speeding fragments blew up a warhead. He found very few, he said.
His method of video analysis won scientific backing long ago. During the 1991 Persian Gulf war, the American military boasted that Patriot interceptors, built in the United States, had succeeded 96 percent of the time. But M.I.T. scientists analyzed broadcast videos and found only misses. Slowly, the Army retreated.
Mr. Lloyd also has the credentials for a critique, having written two books on antimissile warhead design during two decades at Raytheon, a top antimissile contractor. He now works for Tesla Laboratories, a defense contractor that has no projects competing with Iron Dome.
Mr. Lloyd says his doubts about Iron Dome deepened as he saw images of interceptors racing helter-skelter in the sky and found photographs of fallen rockets and even intact warheads.
From such evidence, as well as from rocket and warhead basics, Mr. Lloyd estimates that the system succeeded 30 percent to 40 percent of the time in detonating enemy warheads. For the remaining targets, he judges that the interceptor was either badly aligned or too far away, at best leaving the rockets wounded or thrown off course.
Mr. Lloyd and other critics acknowledge that, in some cases, deflections may indeed lessen damage on the ground, though they lack specific information.
In Israel, Mr. Lloyd won support from Reuven Pedatzur, a military analyst and former fighter pilot long skeptical of his country's antimissile claims. Dr. Pedatzur found an Israeli police report saying that 109 rockets launched from Gaza — roughly twice the military's figure — hit urban areas.
He also found evidence of wide destruction. A Finance Ministry report registered 3,165 claims of property damage, including to cars and buildings in cities like Ashdod and Beersheba, both protected by Iron Dome battalions.
Theodore A. Postol, a physicist at M.I.T. who helped reveal the Patriot antimissile failures of 1991, analyzed the new videos and found that Iron Dome repeatedly failed to hit its targets head-on. He concluded that the many dives, loops and curls of the interceptors resulted in diverse angles of attack that made it nearly impossible to destroy enemy warheads.
"It's very hard to see how it could be more than 5 or 10 percent," Dr. Postol said.
Mordechai Shefer, an Israeli rocket scientist formerly with Rafael, Iron Dome's maker, studied nearly two dozen videos and, in a paper last month, concluded that the kill rate was zero.
American supporters of Iron Dome see the declarations of Israeli officials as credible, in part because the weapon's targets are relatively slow, small and unsophisticated. "They have no guidance system," noted Riki Ellison, chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a private group in Alexandria, Va. "They're not as accurate as missiles, so Israel doesn't have to hit them all."
The senior Israeli official who defended Iron Dome said he understood the skepticism because the world's first antimissile war — which erupted over Israel in 1991 during the gulf war — did produce exaggerated claims of success. But he rejected the idea that Iron Dome was missing or deflecting most of its targets. The images of online videos, he suggested, lacked the sharpness to reliably see kills within the glowing fireballs.
Enemy warheads, the official stressed, were "destroyed — not engaged — destroyed." But as the interview unfolded, he offered examples of partial rocket destruction that seemed to contradict the portrayals of total annihilation. Falling debris, he conceded, could sometimes destroy a car or damage a house. But he dismissed reports of wide damage on the ground as rumors.
The Obama administration has cited the videos as testimonials to the system's importance. "Everybody gets it," Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. recently told the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, prompting thousands to break into applause. "Everybody saw."