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Explainer: Eight obstacles to a green energy future
The green energy future envisions a technological road that leads to an infinite supply of power, independence from potentially hostile nations and an atmosphere cleared of the excess heat-trapping gases that are blamed for warming the planet. The track to this future, however, is full of technological and policy hurdles. Click ahead to learn how eight of the biggest hurdles might be cleared.
Clean up the existing supply with a price on carbon
Statistics show that the vast majority of the energy used today, about 90 percent, comes from fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. When burned, these fuels emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that scientists believe is forcing the global climate to change. But these fuels are also cheap, energy-dense and abundant — reasons why they won't go away anytime soon, according to Jim Dooley, a senior research scientist with the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the University of Maryland.
One way to keep using these fuels, but cleanly, is to capture the carbon dioxide and store it in the ground. Critics say the technology is unproven and prohibitively expensive. Dooley disagrees. "This class of technologies exists, full stop. No caveats needed," he says. For example, Statoil's Sleipner natural gas facility off the coast of Norway, shown here, strips excess carbon dioxide from the recovered gas and injects it underground.
What's needed to clear the hurdle to widespread implementation of this type of technology is a public policy that puts a price on carbon emissions, says Dooley. "We as a species, by and large, have assigned a price of zero dollars to CO2 that is vented to the atmosphere. The class of technologies, carbon dioxide capture and storage, has no other use than large-scale greenhouse-gas mitigation."
Store wind and solar energy for later use
Widespread use of energy generated from the wind and sun would help humans shift away from reliance on fossil fuels, but the scale-up of wind and solar technologies is hobbled by the fact that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow when people want power the most.
One way to resolve this unreliability is to store solar- and wind-generated energy for use when it's needed. Advanced technologies such as giant sodium-sulfur batteries are currently being tested by a few electric utilities, but they will require years of research and development to prove their effectiveness and drive down costs, according to Bob Hawsey, an associate director at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. Other technologies are viable today — such as using electricity when it's cheap to pump pressurized air or water into holding tanks, and then releasing that stored energy to drive generators when prices are higher.
What's more, Hawsey says, time is on our side to make the necessary improvements to storage technologies. For example, the electricity grid can handle having up to 20 percent of its energy generated by renewable sources such as wind and solar, just by shuttling power around the grid more efficiently to where it's needed. Up to that point, power storage really isn't necessary. "Why that number is important is we are at less than 2 percent today," Hawsey says, "so we have a long way to go."
Limit impact of transmission lines
New transmission lines will be required to shuttle the existing energy around the electricity grid, as well as bring wind and solar energy generated in the prairies and deserts to urban centers where it is needed. Community groups often see the lines as a visual blight that they feel compelled to resist.
"There is no silver bullet" to the problem, says NREL's Hawsey, but the use of technology options such as high-voltage direct-current transmission lines (instead of alternating current) and low-sag conductors that can handle more heat, thus higher loads, will allow utilities to transmit more energy without expanding transmission corridors.
Drive down costs of electric cars
Next-generation electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, shown here, are beginning to roll onto showroom floors, but they'll set consumers back a relatively hefty $33,000 (at least that's the cost before tax breaks are applied). Dale Gardner, an associate director at NREL, says the high cost of electric vehicles can be summed up in a word: batteries.
"In general, we are talking 10 to 15 to 20 thousand dollars just for the battery pack, and that's as much as some whole vehicles, so we need to get that cost down," he says.
Driving down battery cost has proven an elusive goal, compelling engineers to rethink how the cars are designed. One idea is to use smaller batteries but put charging stations in more places, such as the parking garage at work. That would allow smaller batteries that require a range of only about 20 miles to meet the commuting needs for 75 percent of the workforce. "If the battery needs to be half the size, then back of the envelope [calculation] says it can be half the cost," Gardner says.
Build a portfolio of transportation options
If the cost of electric vehicles is driven down by the widespread use of smaller batteries that have a range suited to the needs of commuters, that will pose another challenge: Working parents hoping to haul the family across the river and through the woods to grandma's house on the weekend are going to need a new transportation option.
NREL's Gardner envisions that need being met by a second car in the garage, perhaps one powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that doesn't have recharge issues. One such concept vehicle, the Provoq from General Motors, is shown here. Production models from several manufacturers may hit showroom floors by 2015.
"When you go into your garage, if you are like most Americans, you are going to have two vehicles, but they are going to be two kinds of vehicles that you use for different purposes," Gardner says. "The bottom line is we have to start thinking in terms of a portfolio of different transportation options and really aim the technologies at what you are doing with the vehicle to get the efficiency out of the entire system."
Mine the earth for rare minerals
Many auto buffs and electric utilities aren't waiting for the green energy future. For them, it is already here. Toyota has sold 1.8 million Priuses, the popular gas-electric hybrid vehicle shown in this image, and wind energy continues its heroic rise, reaching an installed capacity of 159,213 megawatts in 2009, according to the World Wind Energy Association. To continue this growth, however, requires a ready supply of so-called rare earth elements such as neodymium, which is used to make the battery magnets at the heart of Prius batteries and large wind turbines.
About 97 percent of these elements are currently produced in China, according to David Menzie, an analyst with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Minerals Information Center in Reston, Va. China sent a wave of fear through the green and high-tech sectors when it warned that it might need to stop exporting the elements within five to 10 years in order to keep up with domestic demand.
Menzie says the fears are overblown: the Chinese hold only about 35 percent of the world's reserves of rare earths. To overcome the production roadblock, the reserves outside of China need to be mined and processed. Molycorp Minerals has a deposit of rare earths from its mine at Mountain Pass, Calif., and the company is seeking loan guarantees from the federal government to acquire the capital required to build out the processing infrastructure in the U.S.
Grow energy crops; save the food
Technology is progressing along a path that should make producing fuel from biomass such as wheat stalks, tree limbs and switchgrass (shown here) cost-competitive with gasoline by the year 2012, according to NREL's Gardner. A shift to this type of fuel, called cellulosic ethanol, would reduce the strains that corn-brewed ethanol has put on the global food and feed supply. However, scaling up the technology sufficiently to make a statistically significant dent in the nation's fuel needs would still require massive amounts of land, again raising concerns about competition with food.
"We need to find pathways that don't displace acres that are used for food, feed or fiber today," says Gardner. Promising approaches include increasing use of agricultural residues such as cornstalks, planting grasses such as the tall and dense miscanthus that can take root on lands unsuitable for food cultivation, and growing new varieties of trees that reach maturity in a single decade instead of three or four.
Bury hang-ups on nuclear waste
Nuclear energy is viewed by many experts as a key technology for a low-carbon future, but the industry has been dogged for decades by concerns about the ever-growing stockpiles of high-level nuclear waste. Some 60,000 tons of the stuff are currently in limbo at the plants where it was generated, awaiting transfer to permanent storage in a stable geological area. Yucca Mountain in Nevada, shown here, is no longer in the running, thanks to concern about the site's geology and strong political and public opposition.
"We literally have no designated location to put hazardous waste," says Eugene Rosa, a sociologist at Washington State University who has proposed proactively addressing public mistrust in the energy department as a way to overcome this roadblock.
According to Rosa, research shows that the Department of Energy is one of the most mistrusted institutions in the country. To improve that relationship will require greater transparency on behalf of the agency as well as public engagement in the site selection process. Though such actions are no guarantee of success, he says, sticking with the status quo "is pretty much predetermined to failure."
© 2013 msnbc.com. Reprints


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Bell's palsy is the common name for a condition in which paralysis strikes the seventh cranial nerve, which controls much of the face. Only one side of the face is affected. Symptoms usually come on suddenly and painlessly, and are first noticed as a droop in one corner of the mouth and an inability to smile properly. Other symptoms may include drooling, an inability to close the eye on the same side, tearing, impairment of taste, and occasionally pain. While anyone can develop Bell's palsy, it occurs most often in pregnant women and people who have diabetes, hypertension, or a respiratory infection.
Conventional treatment for Bell's palsy currently involves corticosteroid drugs (such as prednisone) and sometimes the anti-viral drug acyclovir. However, according to a review published in 2002, there is no reliable evidence that either treatment provides any benefit.1,2 A study published subsequent to the review did show a slight benefit with early, high-dose corticosteroid treatment.3
Useful supportive measures for Bell's palsy include patching the affected eye at night and using artificial tears. Surgery or electrical stimulation of the nerve are used rarely.
Note: Medical evaluation is essential because, in rare cases, Bell's palsy may be caused by an underlying condition that requires specific treatment, such as a tumor.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% oxygen at increased pressure. It is used both by conventional and alternative practitioners. A placebo-controlled study found hyperbaric oxygen more effective than prednisone.4 In this trial, a total of 79 people with Bell's palsy were randomly assigned to receive either hyperbaric oxygen (1 hour twice daily, 5 days a week, for 30 sessions or up to full recovery) or prednisone. Placebo pills were given along with hyperbaric therapy, and fake hyperbaric therapy was given along with prednisone. The results showed a significantly greater speed of recovery as well as a higher percentage of full recovery in the hyperbaric oxygen group compared to the prednisone group.
Many alternative practitioners recommend the use of injected vitamin B12 for Bell's palsy. However, the only scientific support for this approach comes from one study that was not double-blind.5 (For information on the importance of a double-blind design, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-blind Studies?)
Acupuncture has also been studied as a treatment for Bell's palsy. A Chinese study found that acupuncture plus moxibustion (a type of Traditional Chinese Medicine therapy) was more effective for Bell's palsy than drug treatment.6 But, researchers who did a systematic review that included 6 studies with 537 people were unable to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture for Bell's palsy due to poor study quality.7 In another review of 10 randomized trials of 975 patients, acupuncture alone or with drug therapy was associated with symptom improvement compared to drug therapy alone. For the same reasons as the previous review, it is not clear if acupuncture is an effective treatment.8
Biofeedback is also sometimes recommended for Bell's palsy, but there is inadequate supporting evidence.
1. Salinas RA, Alvarez G, Alvarez MI, et al. Corticosteroids for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(1):CD001942.
2. Sipe J, Dunn L. Aciclovir for Bell's palsy (idiopathic facial paralysis). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(4):CD001869.
3. Lagalla G, Logullo F, Di Bella P, et al. Influence of early high-dose steroid treatments on Bell's palsy evolution. Neurol Sci. 2002;23:107–112.
4. Racic G, Denoble PJ, Sprem N, et al. Hyperbaric oxygen as a therapy of Bell's palsy. Undersea Hyperb Med. 1997;24:35–38.
5. Jalaludin MA. Methylcobalamin treatment of Bell's palsy. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1995;17:539–544.
6. Li Y, Liang FR, Yu SG, et al. Efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating Bell's palsy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial in China. Chin Med J (Engl). 2004;117:1502-1506.
7. Chen N, Zhou M, et al. Acupuncture for Bell's palsy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(8):CD002914.
8. Kim JI, Lee MS, et al. Acupuncture for Bell's palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chin J Integr med. 2012;18(1):48-55.
Last reviewed December 2015 by EBSCO CAM Review Board Last Updated: 12/15/2015

subset: commoncrawl


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Laptop Battery
Option 2 Quickly find your brand by typing below
About the Laptop Battery category
Looking for a battery for your laptop? The first step is to choose your brand of laptop from the list above.
The factories that we use to produce our laptop batteries in Shenzhen were selected after extensive quality tests comparing many of the major factories across China. Our products are tested to Australian electrical safety standards and are marked with the Australian C-Tick electrical safety mark, as found on products at retail stores in Australia.
All of our laptop batteries come with a 400 Day (13 Month) 100% Money Back Guarantee.
400 Day Money Back Warranty
Contact us within 400 days of purchase to arrange a replacement or refund when things don't go as expected. We'll even cover the cost of return postage for you.
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Order two or more items to qualify for free delivery in the checkout. Offer available Australia wide on all products.
Australian Owned & Operated
We believe in supporting the Australian economy. As an Australian business we will provide a Tax Invoice including GST with every purchase.


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The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is preparing to meet in Paris on Wednesday, and anti-corruption groups have taken the opportunity to raise their concerns.
In particular, these organizations are concerned with the use of government-backed deals that allow companies accused of crimes to avoid prosecution in exchange for promising to reform and paying heavy fines. Anti-corruption groups suggest this creates a pay-to-play situation that, from a de facto sense, allows wealthy corporations to ignore the law so long as they can pay their way out of any trouble.
Transparency International, Corruption Watch, and a number of other groups interested in preventing corporate misfeasance have jointly sent a letter to the Secretary General of the OECD asking it to take a formal position on the issue.
The interest groups suggest that settlement may only be appropriate, if ever, for companies that self-report wrongdoing and that anybody involved with bribes must be named and prosecuted. They also argue that any such arrangements should require judicial oversight and that records regarding compliance should be available to the public at large.
In many developed nations, including the United States, prosecutors have increasingly allowed corporate settlements to relieve their own heavy dockets and resolve claims of corporate wrongdoing without prosecution. In many such cases, the company will promise to pay a large settlement and improve its compliance with the law in exchange for relief from prosecution. If the company complies, the case is dismissed.
The interest groups, however, believe this system is folly. While government officials believe this may be a way to allow companies to self-regulate, interest groups see too many ways in which this system allows for corruption. In fact, they fear that government officials may use these opportunities to line their own pockets or, at the very least, fund their pet projects using the money gathered from the corporate fines. This, in turn, creates a self-perpetuating system in which corporate malfeasance is either allowed or, in some cases, possibly even encouraged.
Governments believe these settlements need to remain, as they help alleviate the burden on the legal system and cut down on unnecessary legal costs. They suggest that if fears of corruption persist, the use of outside monitors may be the better way to handle these concerns. A number of governments, including that in the U.S., have even formalized these arrangements by legal precedent or enacted laws.
For its part, the OECD has indicated that it does not yet have a position on the use of settlements, but would take all of the various models into consideration.


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Learn More About Domestic Infant adoption International adoption Foster Adoption
Gladney believes every child deserves a loving, caring family. Learn how you can be the answer to someone's dream through adoption.
About Gladney
Gladney exists to give children loving, caring families here at home and around the world. That's the heart of our mission.
Gladney wants you to know: It takes a special kind of family to adopt a child. And this child is worth everything.
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Our Regional Offices
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6300 John Ryan Drive Fort Worth, Texas 76132-4122 817-922-6000
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600 S. Tyler Suite 2100 Amarillo, TX 79101 806-410-3100
Austin Adoption Office
901 W Braker Lane A-126 Austin, TX 78758 512-383-8496
Dallas Adoption Office
1920 McKinney Ave Dallas, TX 75201 214-887-1292
Florida Adoption Office
1210 Millennium Parkway Suite 1036 Brandon, FL 33511 813-685-9137
Houston Adoption Office
16903 Red Oak Dr. Suite 203 Houston, TX 77090 713-665-1212
Lubbock Adoption Office
4708 67th Street #126 Lubbock, TX 79414 806-300-8658
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410 W Ohio Street Midland, TX 79701 432-686-9040
New York Adoption Office
410 East 92nd Street 3rd Floor New York, NY 10128 347-443-5557
Oklahoma Adoption Office
Oklahoma, OK 405-848-8435
While Gladney has offices throughout the US, Domestic Orientation occurs at the Fort Worth Campus and is an invitation-only event. If you'd like more details on attending an Orientation, request a free Information Packet.Get Started on Your Adoption Journey


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What are Christians known for in our day? If you ask people on the street this question, you're likely to get answers that relate to particular moral or political concerns, but though they may be important, do these issues get to the heart of our faith?
In her book Creed or Chaos (1940), Dorothy Sayers observed that "it is worse than useless for Christians to talk about the importance of Christian morality, unless they are prepared to take their stand upon the fundamentals of Christian theology." On this program the hosts will discuss Sayer's profound observations as they begin a new series on the importance of recovering creeds and confessions in contemporary Christianity. Join us for this edition of the White Horse Inn.
Host Quote:
Term to Learn:
"This is the thing that troubles me about a lot of evangelical engagement in the public square. 'The really important thing for us to stand for that people should know us for is our position on…' — and then you go down the list of the public moral issues. The latest report that I saw from Pew said that evangelicals are the only group in America that went significantly up in the level of dislike in the American public. All other religious groups kind of either stayed the same or had a higher approval rating than they've had in the past. Only evangelicals went down in their approval rating. You don't get the sense that it's because CNN figured out that, wow, these people believe in the two natures of Christ united in one person. They're crazy. Rather, it's because there's something about the moral campaign that has just turned people off. You ask people what is an evangelical and the first thing you hear out there is not the articles of the Nicene Creed. This is what Dorothy Sayers means by it being worse than useless to talk about morality without the theology that undergirds it." – Michael Horton
"Creeds and Confessions"
A creed is a confession of faith; put into concise form, endowed with authority, and intended for general use in religious rites, a creed summarizes the essential beliefs of a particular religion. According to this definition, there are three Christian creeds: the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian. The Protestant confessions of the Reformation era were intended to restore to the church its true image and identity, which, it was widely agreed, had been obscured by the abuses of the later Middle Ages. The heart of the Reformation creeds is the rediscovery of the Gospel as, in Luther's memorable phrase, "the real treasure of the church." The church, Luther held, is the creation of the gospel; it is the word of God in Jesus Christ that makes the church the church.
Lutheran Confessions: The Book of Concord containing Luther's Large and Small Catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, Melanchthon's "Apology for the Augsburg Confession," Luther's Smalcald Articles, Melanchthon's "Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope," and the Formula of Concord.
Reformed Confessions: The Westminster Standards containing The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Smaller Catechism (primarily used in Presbyterian Churches). The Three Forms of Unity containing The Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of the Synod of Dort (primarily used in Reformed Churches).
Reformed Baptist Confession: The London Baptist Confession of 1689. (Adapted from The Encyclopedia of Religion s.v. "Creeds.")
(This podcast is by White Horse Inn. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)


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Shared Reading | Big Books & IWB
Model and Build Critical Skills Through Whole Class Instruction
The shared reading strategy enables students at any ability level to engage in the reading process by reading a text with the teacher. Teachers have opportunities to model and reinforce fluent reading and to demonstrate strategies for integrating meaning and problem-solving unfamiliar words in a whole group setting. During each subsequent reading, students take increased responsibility for reading the text themselves as their skills and confidence increase. Mondo offers a range of shared reading materials in a variety of formats: big books, IWB, CDs, charts, poems, songs and more.


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set of techniques for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message
(Redirected from Visualise)
Visualization or visualisation is the process of forming a mental image of something, envisioning something that is not present or is not tangible as if it were. It also refers to any technique for creating graphical representations to communicate information.
- Visualization is simply the creation of a strong mental image of the thing desired, the perfecting it each day until it becomes almost as clear as an existing material thing.
- William Walker Atkinson (1912), -The Secret of Mental Magic. p. 174
- For a musician, visualization is the process of picturing in our minds eye what we hear in our mind's ear. Visualization is something we all do. In fact, putting a visual form before the mind's eye or forming a mental image is something that precedes most things that we do.
- Jerry Bergonzi (1992), Melodic structures. p. 31
- Within the atom occur phenomena concerning which visualization is futile, to which common sense, the guidance from our everyday experience, has no application, which yield to studies by equations that have no meaning except that they work.
- Vannevar Bush (1967) Science is Not Enough'
- If statistical graphics, although born just yesterday, extends its reach every day, it is because it replaces long tables of numbers and it allows one not only to embrace at glance the series of phenomena, but also to signal the correspondences or anomalies, to find the causes, to identify the laws.
- Émile Cheysson (c. 1877), as cited in: Michael Friendly and Matthew Sigal, "Some Prehistory of CARME: Visual Language and Visual Thinking," in: Blasius, Jorg, and Michael Greenacre, eds. Visualization and verbalization of data. CRC Press, 2014. p. 3
- Only damaged people want good things to happen to them through visualization. They want something for nothing.
- Douglas Coupland (2006) JPod.
- While the film Life of Christ was rolling past before my eyes I was mentally visualizing the gods, Shri Krishna, Shri Ramachandra their Gokul and Ayodhya.. I was gripped by a strange spell. I bought another ticket and saw the film again. This time I felt my imagination taking shape in the screen.Could this really happen? Could we the sons of India, ever be able to see Indian images on the screen. The whole night passed in this mental agony.
- Dadasaheb Phalke After watching the film The Life of Christ in 1910 quoted in *Ganti, Tejaswini (5 March 2013). Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema. Routledge. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-136-84929-9.
- Since geometry is the right foundation of all painting, I have decided to teach its rudiments and principles to all youngsters eager for art.
- Albrecht Dürer The Art of Measurement (1525).
- Our intellectual powers are rather geared to master static relations and that our powers to visualize processes evolving in time are relatively poorly developed. For that reason we should do (as wise programmers aware of our limitations) our utmost to shorten the conceptual gap between the static program and the dynamic process, to make the correspondence between the program (spread out in text space) and the process (spread out in time) as trivial as possible.
- Edsger W. Dijkstra (1968) "A Case against the GO TO Statement" cited in: Bill Curtis (1981) Tutorial, human factors in software development. p. 109.
- No man can visualize four dimensions, except mathematically … I think in four dimensions, but only abstractly. The human mind can picture these dimensions no more than it can envisage electricity. Nevertheless, they are no less real than electro-magnetism, the force which controls our universe, within, and by which we have our being.
- Albert Einstein (1929) Viereck interview
- When you visualized a man or woman carefully, you could always begin to feel pity — that was a quality God's image carried with it. When you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate. Hate was just a failure of imagination.
- Graham Greene (1940) The Power and the Glory.
- However the development proceeds in detail, the path so far traced by the quantum theory indicates that an understanding of those still unclarified features of atomic physics can only be acquired by foregoing visualization and objectification to an extent greater than that customary hitherto...
- Werner Heisenberg (1933) The Development of Quantum Mechanics.
- The nature of the pigments provides the basis for sensations of light and color; that is, brightness, hue and saturation. The geometrical demarcation of these qualities provide the physical basis for perception of areas and their shapes. Altogether, these factors constitute the vocabulary of the language of vision, and are acting as the optical forces of attraction.
- György Kepes (1944/1995) Language of vision. p. 16; as cited in: Yuri Engelhardt (2002) The Language of Graphics: A Framework for the Analysis of Syntax and Meaning in Maps, Charts and Diagram. p. 25.
- The medium of printed scientific text is first of all a visual one.
- Jay L. Lemke (1998) "Multiplying meaning: Visual and verbal semiotics in scientific text." In J. R. Martin & R. Veel (Eds.), Reading science: Critical and functional perspectives on discourses of science. London: Routledge. p. 95
- Understanding how maps work and why maps work (or do not work) as representations in their own right and as prompts to further representations, and what it means for a map to work, are critical issues as we embark on a visual information age.
- Alan MacEachren (2004) How maps work: representation, visualization, and design. Guilford Press. p. v.
- Writing turned a spotlight on the high, dim Sierras of speech; writing was the visualization of acoustic space. It lit up the dark.
- Marshall McLuhan (1969) Counterblast. p. 14.
- I attack both from the logic-side, scribbling outline after outline, and the long-walk relaxed-visualization-side, and while neither alone is enough, the combination synergizes. Which is just a fancy way of saying, "I think about it a lot, day and night."
- Lois McMaster Bujold (2008) "Publishing, Writing, and Authoring" in: The Vorkosigan Companion, p. 67
- And so for me it was like, okay things, there are formula available that if you do this, if you go through this procedure, it will change your consciousness in a very specific way. It's not like you just have any old hallucination, you'll have a visualisation of exactly what the ritual is set up to provide, so if you summon the Greek god Hermes you will see the Greek god Hermes. But I began to get different ideas about what these things really were and I was more interested in the effect rather than the explanation because I didn't believe in gods or devils or demons, but I knew that there was something - these were like mechanisms, these rituals that could trigger states of mind.
- One of the curious psychological facts, in connection with the various ways in which various minds function, is the fact that when in these days we seek to visualize, in some pictorial manner, our ultimate view of life, the images which are called up are geometrical or chemical rather than anthropomorphic. It is probable that even the most rational and logical among us as soon as he begins to philosophize at all is compelled by the necessity of things to form in the mind some vague pictorial representation answering to his conception of the universe.
Most minds see the universe of their mental conception as something quite different from the actual stellar universe upon which we all gaze. Even the most purely rational minds who find the universe in "pure thought" are driven against their rational will to visualize this "pure thought" and to give it body and form and shape and movement.
- John Cowper Powys (1920) The Complex Vision Chapter I.
- I think a picture is more like the real world when it is made out of the real world.
- Robert Rauschenberg, quoted in: Kenneth Coutts-Smith (1970) The dream of Icarus, p. 53.
- We are frequently faced with the necessity of looking for the picture required for the visualization of an object, not in the perception of this particular object, but in a different perceptual image. ...we can assert the discrepancy between the perceived picture and the objective state. This discrepancy... proves absolutely nothing against the fact that all visualizations are merely sense qualities of the perceptual space. ...If the parallelism is ...to be visualized, we must supplement our assertion by the description of certain qualities with which we are familiar from perceptual space.
- Hans Reichenbach (1928) The Philosophy of Space and Time.
- There is no pure visualization in the sense of a priori philosophies; every visualization is determined by previous sense perceptions, and any separation into perceptual space and space of visualization is not permissible, since the specifically visual elements of the imagination are derived from perceptual space. What led to the mistaken conception of pure visualization was rather an improper interpretation of the normative function... an essential element of all visual representations. Indeed, all arguments which have been introduced for the distinction of perceptual space and space of visualization are base on this normative component of the imagination.
- Hans Reichenbach (1928) The Philosophy of Space and Time
- For some queer and deplorable reason most human beings are more impressed by words than by figures, to the great disadvantage of mankind.
- Jan Tinbergen. "The necessity of quantitative social research." Sankhyā: The Indian Journal of Statistics, Series B (1973): 141-148.
- To name is to make visible.
- Margaret Wheatley, Deborah Frieze (2011) Walk Out Walk On: A Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now. p. 31.


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donniebaseball23 writes "Amazon's entry into the tablets market has gone probably even better than they expected. And now the Kindle Fire is quickly becoming a viable games platform. Developers have come out in force to lavish praise on the Fire for its price and ease of use. 'People are fired up about Fire because they know it's part of a service they already use and trust,' said Josh Tsui, president of Robomodo. 'It becomes effortless to buy and use because it does not make them break their usual buying patterns. It enhances it.' Added Igor Pusenjak, president of Lima Sky: 'In many ways, the best thing about Fire is that you barely feel it's an Android device. Amazon built its own closed-system OS on top of Android.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.


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From the Hey Hot Shot! website:
Alec Soth to Serve as 5th Guest Curator
"We couldn't be more excited to announce that Alec Soth, renowned photographer and founder of Little Brown Mushroom Books, will be serving as the guest curator for our 5th—and final—month of Hey, Hot Shot! 2010.
Alec Soth has emerged as one of the preeminent photographers of our time, working seamlessly across genres as fine artist, storyteller and documentarian. Soth's creative projects combine photography, video, sound and writing (and more!) into inspiring stories that emerge from his journeys on the meandering roads of America. In 2008, Soth was named a full-time member of Magnum Photos and this September, the first U.S. survey of Soth's work, From Here to There, will open at the Walker Art Center, not to be missed if you are anywhere near Minneapolis.
Two Towels, 2005, from Niagara by Alec Soth
To readers of this blog, he needs no introduction, especially as of late, with all of the interesting projects and upcoming exhibitions keeping his name at the top of our feeds and conversations. But before you race to upload your images, read on for details about the award and more about Alec's work.
Alec will be reviewing all work submitted between July 30th and August 20th (two days before the end of the overall competition entry period on August 22nd). The entrant of his choice will be featured on our blog and newsletter, and receive what he has dubbed the "Little Brown Mushroom Love Pack" which includes:
– An autographed edition of Bedknobs & Broomsticks by Trent Parke (from the SOLD OUT edition of 1,000)
– Lost Boy Mountain by Lester B. Morrison (edition of 1,000)
– The Last Days of W by Alec Soth (from the SOLD OUT edition of 10,000)
– and a screen-printed LBM t-shirt
"The Little Brown Mushroom Love-Pack"


text:
|July, 2009
|Honma et al.
|July, 2009
|Morgan et al.
|Method for displaying a reference relating to protective rights which protect a product
|February, 2007
|Metadata Content Delivery System for Wireless Networks
|May, 2008
|Hovnanian et al.
|August, 2008
|March, 2008
|Lee et al.
|Add-on for a communicating terminal comprising imaging means and assembly comprising the add-on and the communicating terminal
|December, 2009
|Fault Tolerant User Interface for Wireless Device
|January, 2008
|Provisioning a wireless link for a wireless scanner
|May, 2007
|Mobile terminal having an additional keypad
|February, 2007
|May, 2009
This application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 09/659,074 filed Sep. 11, 2000, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/153,424 filed Sep. 10, 1999, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The present invention generally relates to communication systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a mobile communication system which allows mobile vehicles to communicate with neighboring vehicles and roadside communication networks.
Various communication systems have been used by automobile drivers to communicate with other vehicles while the vehicle is in motion. While many advances have been made in vehicle to vehicle communication, numerous disadvantages still remain in using conventional communication systems.
Conventional mobile communication systems include cellular telephones and CB or two-way radio. When using a cell phone as a means of mobile communication, there is no practical way of discovering whether a neighboring vehicle operator possesses a cell phone. Additionally, there is no process for determining the phone number of the targeted cell phone. Accordingly, the cell phone as a communication medium is severely limited.
CB radio is a widely broadcast public medium where mobile users may talk to other mobile or stationary users in their vicinity. However, since there is no ability to prevent others from listening, there is no privacy between mobile communicators.
Automobile accidents are one of the greatest causes of serious injury and fatalities in society. Accordingly, the development of improved control and warning systems to minimize personal and financial losses resulting from automobile accidents is of utmost importance. The limitations of present forms of communication are even more severe when considering the extent to which a communication link can improve both the driving experience and the safety statistics of modern vehicles.
The present invention provides a communication link among vehicles which eliminates these pitfalls. The system comprises a broadband RF transceiver with antenna, a position determining means, such as a GPS receiver, an audio-visual interface, an electromechanical interface and a microprocessor with associated memory. These components are incorporated into a mobile unit located within each vehicle.
The GPS receiver receives signals from GPS satellites and calculates the position of the vehicle. The microprocessor carries out overall control of the system. The memory includes identification information that is unique to each vehicle. In response to input from the GPS receiver, information received by the transceiver and instructions input by the vehicle operator via the audio-visual interface, the microprocessor determines the necessary subsequent actions.
The transmission from a vehicle may include information describing the status of the vehicle for use by the receiving vehicle. For example, the transmission may provide information regarding the speed, direction and position of the transmitting vehicle. This information is received and processed by the receiving vehicle to provide a visual or audible display of the position, direction and speed of the transmitting vehicle.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system for transmitting information between a mobile unit within a vehicle traveling on a road and a fixed communication network installed on a roadside. The fixed communication network includes a base station having a transceiver for communicating with the vehicle by transmitting and receiving a plurality of communication packets. This communication can include payment instructions, security instructions and/or access codes which can be transmitted with or without intervention by the vehicle operator.
FIG. 1 shows a vehicle communication system embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicletalk mobile unit in accordance with the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating the contents of a communication packet transmitted by the vehicletalk mobile unit.
FIG. 3B illustrates the header of the communication packet.
FIG. 3C illustrates the information fields of the header's transmission administration.
FIG. 3D illustrates the information fields of the header's sender portion.
FIG. 3E illustrates the information fields of the header's receiver portion.
FIG. 3F illustrates the sub fields contained in the identification number field.
FIG. 4A illustrates the memory of a typical vehicletalk mobile unit.
FIG. 4B is a diagram of a vehicle communication log.
FIG. 4C is a diagram of a vehicle user log.
FIG. 4D is a diagram of a vehicle contact log.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the procedure utilized by the microprocessor upon receipt of a communication packet.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the procedure for processing communication packets.
The preferred embodiment will be described with reference to the drawing figures where identical numerals represent similar elements throughout.
A vehicle communication system embodying the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle communication system 10 generally comprises one or more base stations 14, each of which is in wireless communication with a plurality of vehicletalk remote units 16. Although the remote units 16 may be fixed or mobile, they will be referred to hereinafter for simplicity as vehicletalk mobile units 16. Each mobile unit 16 can communicate with another mobile unit 16, the closest base station 14 or the base station 14 which provides the strongest communication signal. The base stations 14 communicate with a base station controller 20, which coordinates communications among base stations 14 and vehicletalk mobile units 16. The communication system 10 may be connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 22, wherein the base station controller 20 also coordinates communications between the base stations 14 and the PSTN 22. Preferably, each base station 14 communicates with the base station controller 20 over a wireless link, although a land line may also be provided. A land line is particularly applicable when a base station 14 is in close proximity to the base station controller 20. The fixed vehicletalk remote units 16 may also communicate with a base station 14 over a land line.
The base station controller 20 performs several functions. Primarily, the base station controller 20 provides all of the operations, administrative and maintenance (OA&M) signaling associated with establishing and maintaining all of the wireless communications between the mobile units 16, the base stations 14 and the base station controller 20. The base station controller 20 can provide the routing of all communications between mobile units 16, and between the mobile units 16 and the PSTN 22. The base station controller 20 also provides an interface between the mobile units 16 and the PSTN 22. This interface includes multiplexing and demultiplexing of the communication signals that enter and leave the system 10 via the base station controller 20. Although the vehicle communication system 10 is shown employing antennas to transmit RF signals, one skilled in the art should recognize that communications may be accomplished via microwave or satellite uplinks. Additionally, the functions of the base station controller 20 may be combined with a base station 14 to form a Amaster base station@.
A preferred embodiment of the vehicletalk mobile unit 16 is shown in FIG. 2. Each mobile unit includes an RF transceiver 32 with an antenna 33 capable of transmitting and receiving a plurality of RF signals, a GPS receiver 35, a microprocessor 40 with associated memory 41, an interface to the vehicle's electromechanical systems 44 and an audio-visual interface 46.
The RF transceiver 32 transmits and receives RF signals at a plurality of RF frequencies to one or more vehicles which include a vehicletalk mobile unit 16. Received signals are downloaded to baseband and forwarded to the microprocessor 40 for further processing. Transmitted signals are forwarded from the microprocessor 40 to the RF transceiver 32 for upconversion and transmission over one of the plurality of RF frequencies. The vehicle communication system 10 also provides for the option of transmitting a communication over currently licensed radio station channels, for example 105.9 FM. This can permit a vehicletalk operator to broadcast to non-vehicletalk operators. It also can provide a "scanning channel", such that non-vehicletalk operators can listen to broadcast vehicletalk communications.
The GPS receiver 35 is configured to receive signals from GPS satellites and compute the position of the mobile unit 16. There are many commercially available GPS receivers 35 that can perform such a function. GPS readings which are provided to the microprocessor 40 permit the microprocessor 40 to accurately calculate the speed, direction and acceleration or deceleration rate of the vehicle.
The microprocessor 40 provides central control of the vehicletalk mobile unit 16. As will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, the microprocessor 40 also performs packet handling including packet assembling for outgoing communication packets 50 and packet disassembling for incoming communication packets 50 received from the RF transceiver 32. Communication packets 50 received by the microprocessor 40 are stored in memory 41. The memory 41 is also used to store identification information that is unique to each vehicle and/or vehicle operator. For example, license and registration for each vehicle can be read if positioned with a bar code or magnetic strip in a specific location of the vehicle. Optionally, the system my have a card reader where the operator must place their card prior to the vehicle starting. This card can be a license with a magnetic strip or can be a smartcard that may identify the driver and the vehicle. This unique information regarding the vehicle may also include the position of the vehicle, speed of the vehicle and rate of acceleration or deceleration as calculated by data obtained from the GPS receiver 35.
The audio-visual interface (AVI) 46 preferably comprises a microphone, speakers and graphic display along with alphanumeric and directional keypads. However, those of skill in the art should realize that the AVI 46 may encompass other input devices which are known, such as a voice activated input unit, an IR remote control, a full keyboard or any other type of electronic or manual data input means. Additionally, the output portion of the AVI 46 may comprise any type of output means such as a stereo system or a heads-up display.
The electromechanical interface 44 provides an electrical coupling to the electromechanical systems of the vehicle over which the vehicletalk mobile unit 16 has control. These systems may include the radio, lights, horn, windows, locks, steering, breaking and any other electro-mechanical systems of the vehicle.
Communications between vehicletalk mobile units 16 using the vehicle communication system 10 are accomplished through a stream of transmitted communication packets 50. As shown in FIG. 3A, each communication packet 50 comprises a header 51 and a payload 53. The header 51 comprises a plurality of predefined information fields which provide information regarding the particular communication, the sender which originated the communication and the receiver to which the communication is destined. It should be recognized that a voice or data communication may be segmented or "packetized" and transmitted using a plurality of packets 50. The present invention is not restricted to transmitting a communication having a predefined length. Accordingly, the payload 53 may comprise only a portion of the communication that is sent between mobile units 16, and a single communication may be sent using a plurality of packets 50. Communications may comprise data transmissions, such as uploads from, or downloads to, the mobile unit 16; or may comprise voice communications.
Referring to FIG. 3B, the header 51 comprises a plurality of information fields which can be generally categorized by three different functional groups: 1) transmission administrative information 55; 2) sender information 56; and 3) receiver information 57. These fields will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.
Referring to FIG. 3C, the information fields associated with the transmission administration 55 are shown. These fields provide information that defines the particular communication being transmitted. Although the number of fields may be more or less, and the type of fields described in this specification may change depending on the particular communication and the requirements of the system 10, in one embodiment of the present invention the fields associated with transmission administration 55 comprise the following fields: 1) security 61; 2) priority 62; 3) in system/out of system 63; 4) broadcast/point-to-point 64; 5) communication identifier (data/voice) 65; 6) communication type (information/control) 66; and 7) communication length (standalone or continuation) 67.
Since the vehicle communication system 10 in accordance with the present invention permits control of a vehicle and overall control of the communication system 10 by law enforcement authorities via a "security instruction", the system 10 has a plurality of security levels to ensure that unauthorized individuals will not use the system 10 for subversive purposes. Optionally, driver may override law enforcement. System may ask for permission for law enforcement to control vehicle. The security field 61 is defined as follows:
0—access to all functions of the vehicle communication system 10 including the physical control of the vehicle and all of the information stored within the memory 41.
1—access only to the physical control of the vehicle.
2—access only to the information stored within the memory 41.
3—access for transmitting and receiving communications.
4—access only to receiving communications.
The security field 61 may also include a security code, which permits authentication of the entity sending the security instruction. As aforementioned, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that additional fields may be added or defined as desired to increase the functionality of the system 10 or the security layers. Additionally, it should be recognized that although the system 10 is capable of a broad range of functionality, there are legal implications to implementing all of the functionality. For example, a court order would most likely be necessary before permitting law enforcement officials access to information in, or control of, the mobile unit 16.
The priority field 62 is an indicator of the urgency of the transmitted communication. The priority field 62 can be a numeric priority from one to ten; with urgent communications having the highest priority of one (e.g., communications from law enforcement officials) and non-urgent communications having the lowest priority of ten, (e.g. advertisements).
The in system/out of system field 63 indicates whether the communication is destined for, or originated from, another vehicletalk mobile unit 16 or an entity located outside of the vehicle communication system 10. Communications with entities outside the vehicle communication system 10 can be routed between the vehicletalk mobile unit 16 and the outside entity over the PSTN 22.
The broadcast/point-to-point field 64 identifies whether the message is intended for broadcast to all vehicletalk mobile units 16 or whether it is intended to be routed to a particular mobile unit 16. As will be explained in detail hereinafter, the receiver field 57 will specify the particular address, or multiple addresses, of the mobile units 16 to which the communication will be transmitted.
The communication identifier field 65 identifies whether the communication is a voice or data transmission since each transmission may be encoded and processed differently by the receiving microprocessor 40.
The communication type field 66 identifies whether the communication comprises information for output to the user via the AVI 46, or whether the information is a control instruction that will permit electromechanical control of the vehicle.
The communication length field 67 indicates whether the entire communication is included within the current packet 50, or whether the packet 50 is part of a multi-packet communication.
Referring to FIG. 3D, the fields associated with the sender portion 56 of the header 51 include identification number 71, position 72, speed 73, acceleration or deceleration 74, direction 75, origination 76 and destination 77, and may include many more optional fields 78 as specified by the vehicle operator.
The identification number 71 provides a unique identification for the sending vehicletalk mobile unit 16. The identification number may be the vehicle license number with two additional letters representing the state where the license plate was issued such as PA for Pennsylvania. Depending upon system administration, the identification number 71 may further relate to one or more individual operators of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3F, the identification number field 71 may comprise a plurality of subfields including vehicle code 81, number of authorized vehicle operators 82, a vehicle operator identification number 83a, b . . . n for each operator. This feature is particularly useful if the vehicle is part of a commercial fleet of vehicles with multiple drivers. Upon turning on the vehicle, the vehicle operator inputs their identification number 71. This number 71 is compared to the list of authorized operators previously stored in memory 41. If the input operator identification number 71 matches favorably with one of the authorized operators previously stored in memory 41, operation of the vehicle is permitted; if not, operation is denied. Optionally, license plate, registration, insurance information and drivers license information can be additional fields for FIG. 3F.
Use of a vehicle operator identification number 71, such as a drivers license, also permits different operators to use the vehicle while retaining their distinct identity and storing information particular to that vehicle operator, (similar to a screen name for internet use such as the America Online (AOL) system).
Referring back to FIG. 3D, the next four fields associated with the sender portion of the header 51 include position 72, speed 73, acceleration or deceleration 74 and direction 75, which are automatically created from the information obtained from the sender's GPS receiver 35.
The origination field 76 includes the location of the vehicle when the vehicle was turned on. The destination field 77 includes the destination of the vehicle. This, of course, requires that the destination be input into the mobile unit 16, such as when a destination is input into a navigation system. It should be understood that the vehicletalk operator may override certain fields to ensure that this information is not obtained by other vehicletalk operators. For example, the origination 76 and destination fields 77, which may include personal information that the vehicletalk operator does not desire other vehicletalk operators to have access to, may include null data such that the senders destination and origination will be listed as "not available" to the receiver. The vehicle operator configures their mobile unit 16 as desired to specify which fields should be transmitted with null data.
Referring to FIG. 3E, the fields associated with the receiver portion 56 of the header 51 are shown in greater detail. As discussed with reference to FIG. 3C, the broadcast or point-to-point field 64 indicates whether the communication is destined for one, multiple or all operators. If the communication is to be broadcast to all vehicletalk operators, the number of addressees field 79 is designated as zero, indicating that all operators will receive the communication. For point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communications, (whereby a plurality of operators may be included within a conversation or communication), the number of addressees field 79 includes the number of operators which will be receiving the communication. For example, if a point-to-point communication is desired, the number of addressees field 79 will include the number one (1) and address field number one 80a will be the only field which includes an address. If a point-to-multipoint communication is desired between, for example four additional vehicletalk operators, the number of addressees field 79 will include the number four (4) and address fields one through four 80a-d will include the addresses of the four receivers to be sent the communication.
Once all of the aforementioned fields have been populated with the information, the microprocessor 40 builds each communication packet 50 and forwards the packet 50 to the transceiver 32 for transmission. The packets 50 are preferably transmitted to the base station 14, and then forwarded to the base station controller 20. The base station controller 20 routes all of the communication packets 50 to the specified addresses, either to one or more vehicletalk operators, one or more outside entities, or both. This routing function is the same as an internet router, whereby the destination address or addresses are read by the router and the communication packet 50 is forwarded to those addresses. If the communication packet 50 is to be forwarded to multiple addresses or broadcast to all addresses, the base station controller 20 provides such a routing function.
The base station controller 20 may also confirm to sender whether or not a signal has been received by the recipient. In an alternative embodiment, each communication may require a confirmation packet be sent from the recipient to the sender to provide the confirmation. Using such an embodiment, the sending vehicletalk operator will know whether or not the communication packet 50 has reached its destination.
Although the present invention has been explained with reference to a plurality of base stations 14 and a base station controller 20, the system 10 can also use technology similar to Bluetooth wireless technology. Using technology such as Bluetooth allows mobile units and base stations to communicate through other mobile units and base units (i.e. repeaters). This permits a wireless interconnect between mobile devices, and between mobile devices and their peripherals. The mobile devices can form a secure piconet and communicate among the connected devices. Accordingly, using this technology, vehicletalk mobile units 16 can talk directly to other vehicletalk mobile units 16 without the intervention of the base stations 14 and the base station controller 20. It is intended that the present invention be used with any type of wireless communication standard including Bluetooth, MPEG2, MP3 or other wireless or data transmission standard. The particular standard used in transmitting the data is not critical since there are many types of wireless technologies and standards that can be used to transfer information between vehicletalk mobile units 16. It should be recognized that any of the communications could be encrypted by currently known technologies so that only certain authorized vehicletalk vehicles can communicate with each other. For example, if two vehicletalk users were communicating with one another and either requested a private conversation the system can immediately encrypt their communication.
As should be understood by those of skill in the art, if the address of the receiver is outside of the system 10 and must be routed via the PSTN 22, the base station controller 20 formats the communication packet 50 in a format that may be handled by the PSTN 22. Although the present invention has been explained using a general packet 50 "structure" as illustrated by FIGS. 3A-3F, this structure is intended to serve as an example of the information to be transmitted by the system 10 in each communication. It is not the intention herein to specify a new communication standard since the present invention may be utilized with any current or future wireless communication standard. For example, the packets 50 transmitted over the vehicle communication system 10 may use the internet protocol (IP) format such that they may be transmitted seamlessly to any communication system which uses the IP format. The discussion of the particular format and/or conversion to another format for forwarding over the PSTN 22 is outside the scope of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the memory 41 is used to store information which populates the aforementioned fields. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 4C, the memory 41 is also used to store other detailed information which may be helpful to the vehicletalk operator, other vehicletalk operators, the base station controller 20 or law enforcement agencies. The information stored in memory 41 may originate from a received communication, or maybe input into the mobile unit via the AVI 46. For example, information that is specific to a particular operator, such as those fields illustrated in FIG. 4C, may be input by the vehicletalk operator via the AVI 46.
Referring to FIG. 4A, one of the uses of the memory 41 is to automatically store a current vehicle activity log 90 and previous entered logs. The vehicle activity log 90 comprises a plurality of fields including the time 90a, date 90b, position 90c, speed 90d, acceleration/deceleration 90e and direction 90f of the vehicle. This log 90 is updated on a periodic basis as determined by the vehicletalk operator. For example, private individuals may desire the log 90 to be updated every 15 minutes whereas commercial businesses may require the log 90 to be updated every 15 seconds or even less. It should be realized that the vehicle activity log 90, if updated on the order of fractions of a second, would be extremely useful during accident reconstruction.
Referring to FIG. 4B, a vehicle communication log 92 is shown. The communication log 92 includes the following fields: the time of the communication 92a; the date of the communication 92b; an indication of whether the communication was incoming or outgoing 92c, the address(es) of the communicating entity 92d; the priority of the communication 92e; an indication of whether the communication is broadcast or point-to-point 92f; an indication of whether the communicating entity is within the vehicletalk system or outside the system 92g; the security level of the communicating entity 92h; an indication of whether the communication is data or voice 92i; an indication of whether the communication is information or control 92j; and the actual contents of the communication 92k. The vehicle communication log 92 continually tracks each ongoing communication and stores the contents of the communication in the contents field 92k and all of the related information in the remaining fields 92a-j.
Referring to FIG. 4C, a vehicletalk operator may input via the AVI 46 a plurality of fields related to the specific user and/or vehicle in a user log 105. One example of a user log 105 is shown in FIG. 4C which includes the following fields: registration number 105a; insurance company 105b; insurance policy number 105c; vehicle make 105d; vehicle model 105e; vehicle color 105f, other identifying information 105g; vehicle model year 105h; EZpass number 105i; garage parking account number 105j; garage door access code 105k; driving record 105l; and credit card information 105m. There is no limit to the number of fields which may be stored in the user log 105, and all fields can be defined by the vehicle operator. Since many of these fields include sensitive information, the vehicle operator may decide not to send any information from the user log 105 and the microprocessor 40, when constructing the data packets, will place null data in those fields.
The procedure utilized by the microprocessor 40 upon receipt of a communication packet 50 is shown in FIG. 5. The microprocessor 40 first determines whether the incoming packet 50 is addressed to the specific vehicletalk mobile unit 16. Accordingly, at step 502, the microprocessor determines whether the incoming packet is a broadcast, and at step 504, the microprocessor determines whether the specific address matches the vehicletalk mobile unit address. If either of these determinations is affirmative, the new packet is stored (step 506). The microprocessor then determines if there are other communication packets pending for processing (step 508). If no other packets are pending, the new packet is processed (step 510). If applicable, any packets in the queue are reprioritized in accordance with the priority of each packet (step 512) which, in the case where no other packets are pending, would not be necessary. The microprocessor then goes on to reviewing the next packet step (514).
If it has been determined in step 508 that other packets are pending, the priority of all of the pending packets are reviewed (step 516) and a determination is made (step 518) whether the pending packets have a lower priority than the new packet. If the new packet has a higher priority then the pending packets, the microprocessor halts processing of the pending packet currently being processed (step 520), re-stores the pending packet into memory (step 522) and proceeds with processing the new packet (step 510).
If, however, the pending packets do not have a lower priority than the new packet, the microprocessor stores the new packet in a queue with all other pending packets (step 524) and continues to process the pending packet (step 526). In this manner, the microprocessor 40 is able to process higher priority packets first, and delay processing of lower priority packets to a more appropriate time when the microprocessor has the proper resources.
Optionally, even if the microprocessor determines in steps 502 and 504 that the communication is not addressed to the particular vehicletalk mobile unit 16, either as point-to-point communication or as part of a broadcast communication, the microprocessor may still undertake minimal processing of such packets. This is performed in step 530 whereby a contact log is created.
As shown in FIG. 4D, the contact log 110 may comprise a minimum number of fields such as the time 110a, date 110b, address 110c, color 110d, make 110e, and model 110f of the vehicle related to the incoming communication packet 50. The number and type of fields is determined by the vehicletalk operator. The payload of the packet may not be stored. The contact log 110 is used by the microprocessor 40 to search for "matches" with other vehicletalk operators. Upon request by the vehicletalk operator, the microprocessor 40 searches the contact log 110 for any addresses (i.e., sending addresses) that have multiple entries in the log 110. Once the microprocessor 40 searches the contact log 110 and outputs the addresses which show up on the contact log 110 greater than a certain frequency threshold as set by the vehicletalk operator, the operator can determine whether those addresses should be placed in a "commuter" log; which is a list of vehicletalk operators as identified by their addresses.
This information is provided to the vehicle operator via the AVI 46. This permits the operator to identify, (either graphically as located on a real-time map or via a list), other vehicletalk operators which may be in the vicinity during a certain portion of the day. For example, during a commute to work if other vehicletalk operators are typically within the vicinity of the present vehicletalk operator during a certain time of day, a "partner log" may be created by each vehicletalk operator to permit vehicletalk operators to identify, contact and establish a rapport with other vehicletalk operators.
Since the communication packet headers 51 include very detailed information about other vehicletalk mobile units 16, the system 10 can provide extreme flexibility in contacting other vehicletalk operators in the vicinity. For example, if a vehicletalk operator observes a vehicle that they would like to establish a private conversation with, the operator may command the mobile unit 16 to "talk" to blue car. If more than one vehicletalk mobile unit 16 is in a blue car in the vicinity, the microprocessor 40 can filter the commuter log to vehicles having the color blue. If more than one blue car was in the vicinity, the microprocessor 40 presents the make and model of each blue car and requests further instructions.
Since all of the detailed information is available in the packet header 51, the system 10 can provide the speed, direction and location of the other vehicle in relation to the present vehicle. This information is also important in order to evaluate whether another vehicletalk mobile unit 16 will be available for a conversation having a duration of a minimum length. For example, if a vehicletalk operator notes that one of the vehicle operators on his partner log is currently traveling in the vicinity, and the vehicletalk operator would like to establish communications with the other vehicletalk operator, the system 10 can calculate the duration of a potential conversation based upon the speed and direction of both vehicles and their ultimate destinations, if available. The system 10 can combine that information and advise both vehicletalk operators by an audible alarm or a voice message that there is a certain amount of time left in the conversation. The microprocessor 40 can also filter out any vehicletalk mobile units 16 that will not be in the range long enough to establish a reasonable conversation.
At step 540, the microprocessor 40 reviews all incoming communication packets 50 to determine if a particular communication packet 50 originates from an address that is on the vehicle operator's partner log. As the communication packets 50 are reviewed at step 540, the vehicletalk operator is notified and can decide whether or not they want to establish a communication with the particular vehicle operator having the address that has compared favorably with the partner log. It should be noted that vehicle operators can block out transmissions being received from particular individuals or cancel conversations at anytime. Further, vehicle talk operators can require information such as drivers license, license plate and registration to be provided before they allow any other transmissions to be received.
Referring to FIG. 6, the procedure for processing communication packets 50 by the microprocessor 40 is shown. The microprocessor first parses the packets into separate fields (step 602) and stores all of the fields that do not require additional processing (step 604). The microprocessor then determines whether a packet includes a data communication by viewing the communication identifier field (step 606). If the microprocessor determines that the packet is not carrying a data communication, then it is a voice communication and the microprocessor processes the communication as such (step 608).
If the packet includes a data communication, the microprocessor must make a determination whether the data communication is a control communication (step 610). If it is not a control communication, the data communication is an information communication and it is processed as such (step 612). Examples of packets which include information communications include audio, visual and text files that are downloaded over the internet, facsimile transmissions, and transmissions from peripheral devices such as laptop computers, handheld palm devices and the like.
If it has been determined that the packet includes a control communication, the communication is processed as such (step 614). The microprocessor compares the control instruction to the security level required (step 616). This includes reviewing the security field, including the optional security access code. If the security access code is proper (i.e. authorized), the security level is reviewed and the microprocessor makes a determination of whether the security level is sufficient (step 618). If so, the microprocessor performs the control instruction (step 620). If not, the microprocessor generates a transmission to the sender of the control instruction that they are not authorized to control the particular mobile unit(step 622). The microprocessor 40 also notifies the particular vehicletalk operator that a control attempt was made and was unsuccessful. This will alert the vehicletalk operator that someone may be utilizing the system for subversive purposes. Optionally, the system may require the vehicle talk operator to authorize their vehicle to accept a control instruction, prior to undertaking any control instructions. Once the processing of the packet is performed, the microprocessor goes to the next packet (step 624).
With respect to the step of performing a control instruction (step 620), this may include instructions for the microprocessor to exert electromechanical control over certain aspects of the vehicle's operation, or may simply include a request for the microprocessor to upload data to the recipient. For example, if the control instruction is a request for the microprocessor to upload information, the microprocessor may upload one or a plurality of the fields shown in FIG. 4C.
In a first example relating to a request for information, if the vehicle is entering a toll booth which utilizes the EZpass system, the control instruction from the transmitting toll booth may request that the EZpass number be transmitted. The microprocessor 40 will transmit the number in the EZpass number field shown in FIG. 4C in response thereto.
In a second example relating to a request for information, a request for information may occur in a parking garage, gas station or any other establishment which requires payment from the vehicle operator, such as a drive-in fast-food restaurant. In this example, the vehicle operator will drive up to an ordering kiosk and order the desired food. After the food has been ordered, the driver pulls up to the window whereby the proper food order is presented to the driver. Meanwhile, the restaurant's communication system sends a communication requesting the credit card information for billing purposes. The information shown in the credit card information field 105m of FIG. 4C can then be presented to the communication system of the restaurant for payment. Optionally, the vehicle talk operator may require that they must first approve of any information being released. Moreover, the communication log for both the fast-food restaurant and the vehicle may store the communication noting the charge amount. For the vehicle it can be a "virtual receipt".
With respect to an instruction which exerts electromechanical control over the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromechanical interface 44 will interface with those systems of the vehicle over which the vehicletalk mobile unit 16 has control. These systems may include the radio, lights, horn, steering, breaking and any other electromechanical systems of the vehicle. For example, if a vehicletalk operator is listening to their favorite radio station and a point-to-point or broadcast communication is received by the mobile unit 16, the microprocessor 40 through the electromechanical interface 44 will stop the radio, or turn down the volume of the radio, so that a vehicletalk conversation can commence.
It should be understood that due to the amount of information set forth in the header 51 of each communication packet 50, the system 10 provides extreme flexibility in processing and filtering communications. For example, the microprocessor 40 can be programmed to accept only communication from certain makes and models of vehicles. As such, the system 10 set up as part of a Mercedes can be programmed by the manufacturer to be able to talk to only other Mercedes operators.
The present invention has the ability to greatly increase safety to drivers and can be a valuable resource for emergency services personnel and a law enforcement personnel. For example, emergency vehicles can automatically send signals to warn motorists that an emergency vehicle is approaching. This may supplement the emergency light and siren which are standard on emergency vehicles. Since the packets 50 are prioritized, a communication sent from an emergency vehicle in transit may have the highest priority and can override all other signals having a lower priority. At the scene of an accident, the signal output from an emergency vehicle may, at a slightly lower priority, transmit instructions for avoiding the accident scene and may provide detour instructions.
With respect to motor vehicle code enforcement, law enforcement agencies can automatically review the status of a driver, vehicle registration and insurance and may provide warnings for expired or soon to be expired license, registrations or insurance policies.
If an authorized operator has gained access to the vehicle and has not input the proper operator identification number, the microprocessor 40 can transmit an emergency instruction to alert law enforcement agencies that the vehicle has been stolen. The signal sent from the vehicle can automatically include the vehicle's position, speed, acceleration or deceleration rate and direction. Law enforcement officials may send an instruction in response to limit the vehicle speed to no greater than 30 miles per hour until the unauthorized operator of the vehicle is apprehended. It should be noted that various fixed units may be strategically placed along highways, major intersections, toll booths and bridges to monitor traffic and to relay messages back to law enforcement agencies.
Another law enforcement use can be to limit speeding of vehicles by notifying law enforcement agencies when a vehicle has exceeded a certain speed limit, e.g., 20% over the speed limit. A law enforcement official, in response, may send an instruction for the vehicle to slow down or risk a traffic citation. This can eliminate the need for "speed traps" and high speed police chases.
For public safety applications, specifically located fixed units can warn drivers as the vehicle approaches a traffic light at an intersection that the vehicle must slow down or stop because it will not "make" the green light. The traffic light can make this determination based upon the speed and direction of the mobile unit and the cycle of the traffic light. Other selectively placed fixed units can warn drivers that an intersection or roadway is dangerous for various reasons, such as an accident, a sharp end or heavy traffic. The signals output by these locations can be periodically updated as weather and traffic conditions change. In the same manner, vehicles may be warned that a particular vehicle is driving in an erratic manner or that law enforcement officials are currently involved in a pursuit of the vehicle. The warnings to drivers are output through the AVI 46 and may comprise an audible warning, or may comprise a status light such as red, yellow and green being located on the graphical operator interface of the AVI 46. In extreme circumstances, selectively placed fixed units may automatically overtake control of a vehicle, for example, during extremely icy conditions to slow the vehicle prior to the danger zone.
It should be noted that although the mobile units 16 were described hereinbefore as being located in a vehicle or in a fixed location, they can be incorporated as part of a cellular phone or palm unit that is portable.
The present invention is particularly adaptable for interfacing with the internet and providing a wealth of information for all vehicletalk operators. In one internet-related embodiment such as vehicletalk.com, the website permits storage of information and system administration through the internet. A system administrator operating at the website or the base station controller 20 monitors and track all vehicletalk mobile units 16. Through the system administrator, the fixed locations are provided with weather and traffic updates or advertisements which are specifically geared to the immediate vicinity of the vehicletalk fixed unit. In this manner, advertisers advertise both on the vehicletalk.com website and advertise their companies and products as vehicles approach or pass certain properties, stores or business locations. This also permits stores to provide information to vehicles arriving or leaving the place of business, such as directions for parking or thanking them for their patronage.
The system administrator also provides centralized housekeeping functions in order to track all different types of information that are typically a nuisance to vehicle operators, such as the date their registration and insurance policy expire. The system administrator also tracks general vehicle maintenance information and traffic violation records. The tracking of vehicle maintenance can be particularly useful when a recall notification is issued from a manufacturer or even when regularly scheduled maintenance is required.
In a second internet-related embodiment, the system 10 is used to aid law enforcement official and insurance companies to determine when a traffic accident has occurred and to collect all of the detailed information regarding the traffic accident. This function is centralized in a website such as vehicleaccident.com. When an accident occurs, a signal is automatically sent to all vehicles involved (or in the vicinity) to transmit all pertinent information to vehicleaccident.com. This can include time, speed, direction, acceleration and deceleration, duration of trip and other pertinent information such as the vehicle maintenance records, traffic citation records insurance and registration information. The system 10 permits all of this information to be stored in a centralized location at vehicle accident.com for later review by law enforcement officials. The system 10 also stores law enforcement officials reports regarding the accident.
The insurance industry should benefit by having vehicletalk operators agree in advance to accept a fact finding by an officer utilizing all of the information from the vehicletalk mobile units 16. This avoids costly litigation and subrogation. A vehicletalk operator accepting these terms may be permitted special insurance discounts for agreeing to such.
In another embodiment, the system can provide mobile units that does not include a GPS unit. It can be similar to portable phone(s) operating on the same frequency(s). If a user tunes their radio to a particular station, they can receive a transmission through their car stereo system The mobile unit, in this instance, can have the microphone inside of it so a user can speak "hands free". This embodiment allows the mobile unit to beep (or voice activate) if another user comes within range advising both mobile units that they have someone they can talk to. The mobile unit detects another mobile unit by actually receiving the signal of the other mobile unit. Accordingly, positioning of either mobile unit is not required.
Although the invention has been described in part by making detailed reference to the preferred embodiment, such detail is intended to be instructive rather than restrictive. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many variations may be made in the structure and mode of operation without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the teachings herein.


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This is the second in a series of posts in which I'm transcribing a document that belonged to my father titled "History of the 81st Field Hospital." It details the hospital's preparations in the U.S. before deployment and operations in Germany during WWII. This field hospital eventually reached German concentration camp survivors.
[Page 2]
Registry No WD 84
Organization enroute to the European Theater of Operations on the first of the year 1945. It was a rough lengthy voyage with subs trailing the convoy a good part of the trip. On the 7th of January we entered the English Channel, arrived at Southampton and received orders to proceed to the French port of Le Havre. Other units aboard ship were ordered to disembark at Le Havre, but port authorities had no orders for our unit this date. We headed back across the Channel to England and lay at anchor outside Southampton. Rumors persisted that a sub pack was operating near port waters. Upon sealed orders, the ship lifted anchor and continued the voyage back to the Atlantic mouth of the Channel and around the western coast of England. On the 11th of January the ship put in temporarily at Wilford Haven, Wales, due to increased submarine menace. We attempted to leave harbor during the night, but were forced back by U-boats. Sub activity and heavy depth charges were heard during the night. At noon the following day, with strong corvette and destroyer escort, the Vollendam made a run for it, travelling at full speed through the Irish Sea, entering the Firth of Clyde, and docked at Gourock, Scotland, on the 13th of January.
The next day the unit arrived at its new station, Oulton Park Camp, Cheshire, England, and began operations under administrative jurisdiction of Headquarters, XV Army. Medical personnel and technicians were assigned on detached service to the 68th, 109th, 129th and 137th General Hospitals. From the period of 6 February to 4 March, the assigned personnel remained on detached service. Good Conduct Medals were awarded qualified enlisted personnel under GO #1, 81st Field Hospital, dated 3 February 1945.
In these hospitals, the men received their first beneficial training. Here they had contact with actual battle casualties and actually worked at their jobs as they have to under own operations.
On the 15th of March, vehicles loaned to the unit, tractors, trailers, 6×6's and vans, were loaded and departed for the continent. During the next few days, TE equipment was loaded and on 21 March the 81st Field Hospital departed Oulton Park Camp, Cheshire, England, for a staging area in Southern England. Personnel travelled eight hours by train, arriving at Salisbury, England, then moving by truck to Staging Area C-5.
A convoy of borrowed vehicles, with equipment, departed 23 March for transportation on LCT across the Channel. The remainder of the personnel moved to port the following day and boarded the Sobieski, a Polish steamer, which transported the unit across the Channel to Le Havre.
By rail, via Paris, the unit travelled to Luneville, France, near the German border. Arriving in the middle of the night, we were billeted with the 51st Station Hospital.
In Germany
Departing Luneville by truck the next morning (27 March), the unit headed for Mannheim, Germany. We arrived within seven kilometers of Mannheim before we learned that orders had been misinterpreted and we were to proceed to Marsheim rather than Mannheim. Mannheim at this time remained in German hands. At 0400, just before dawn, we found the 27th Evac Hospital and billeted in their area.
We selected a bivouac site about 1-mile north of 127th Evac Hospital, which was also in that area. Our equipment convoy, which had divided at C-5, arrived in tact. Each of the three platoons set up completely, including individual messes.


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The tour requires a sound card and the Shockwave
plug-in. It should start automatically below. If you don't
have the Shockwave plug-in or have a slower internet connection you
can download the tour here.
Just save the .exe file and double click it to launch the tour. Let
us know if you have any trouble with the tour. Array Designer designs


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Thank you so much for this article. I teach first grade and I have observed that phoneme deletion and substitution are always challenging to some students. It could be they missed some basic skills like listening in the previous years.
The Development of Phonological Skills
Basic listening skills and "word awareness" are critical precursors to phonological awareness. Learn the milestones for acquiring phonological skills.
Phonological skill develops in a predictable progression. This concept is important, as it provides the basis for sequencing teaching tasks from easy to more difficult. Table 1 outlines the relative difficulty of phonological awareness tasks. Table 2 is a more specific synthesis of several research reviews and summaries (Adams et al., 1998; Gillon, 2004; Goswami, 2000; Paulson, 2004; Rath, 2001) that ties specific ages to the typical accomplishment of those phonological awareness tasks.
Prerequisite to phonological awareness is basic listening skill; the acquisition of a several-thousand word vocabulary; the ability to imitate and produce basic sentence structures; and the use of language to express needs, react to others, comment on experience, and understand what others intend.
Table 1. Phonological skills, from most basic to advanced
Phonological Skill
|Word awareness
Tracking the words in sentences.
Note: This semantic language skill is much less directly predictive of reading than the skills that follow and less important to teach directly (Gillon, 2004). It is not so much a phonological skill as a semantic (meaning-based) language skill.
|Responsiveness to rhyme and alliteration during word play
Enjoying and reciting learned rhyming words or alliterative phrases in familiar storybooks or nursery rhymes.
|Syllable awareness
Counting, tapping, blending, or segmenting a word into syllables.
|Onset and rime manipulation
The ability to produce a rhyming word depends on understanding that rhyming words have the same rime. Recognizing a rhyme is much easier than producing a rhyme.
|Phoneme awareness
Identify and match the initial sounds in words, then the final and middle sounds (e.g., "Which picture begins with /m/?"; "Find another picture that ends in /r/").
Segment and produce the initial sound, then the final and middle sounds (e.g., "What sound does zoo start with?"; "Say the last sound in milk"; "Say the vowel sound in rope").
Blend sounds into words (e.g., "Listen: /f/ /ē/ /t/. Say it fast").
Segment the phonemes in two- or three-sound words, moving to four- and five- sound words as the student becomes proficient (e.g., "The word is eyes. Stretch and say the sounds: /ī/ /z/").
Manipulate phonemes by removing, adding, or substituting sounds (e.g., "Say smoke without the /m/").
Table 2. Ages at which 80-90 percent of typical students have achieved a phonological skill
Skill Domain
Sample Tasks
|Rote imitation and enjoyment of rhyme and alliteration
|pool, drool, tool
"Seven silly snakes sang songs seriously."
|Rhyme recognition, odd word out
|"Which two words rhyme:
stair, steel, chair?"
|Recognition of phonemic changes in words
|"Hickory Dickory Clock. That's not right!"
|Clapping, counting syllables
|truck (1 syllable)
airplane (2 syllables)
boat (1 syllable)
automobile (4 syllables)
|Distinguishing and remembering separate phonemes in a series
|Show sequences of single phonemes with colored blocks: /s/ /s/ /f/; /z/ /sh/ /z/.
|Blending onset and rime
|"What word?"
|Producing a rhyme
|"Tell me a word that rhymes with car." (star)
|Matching initial sounds; isolating an initial sound
|"Say the first sound in ride (/r/); sock (/s/); love (/l/)."
|Compound word deletion
|"Say cowboy. Say it again, but don't say cow."
|Syllable deletion
|"Say parsnip. Say it again, but don't say par."
|Blending of two and three phonemes
|/z/ /ū/ (zoo)
/sh/ /ǒ/ /p/ (shop)
/h/ /ou/ /s/ (house)
|Phoneme segmentation of words that have simple syllables with two or three phonemes (no blends)
|"Say the word as you move a chip for each sound."
|Phoneme segmentation of words that have up to three or four phonemes (include blends)
|"Say the word slowly while you tap the sounds."
|Phoneme substitution to build new words that have simple syllables (no blends)
|"Change the /j/ in cage to /n/.
Change the /ā/ in cane to /ō/."
|Sound deletion (initial and final positions)
|"Say meat. Say it again, without the /m/."
"Say safe. Say it again, without the /f/."
|Sound deletion (initial position, include blends)
|"Say prank. Say it again, without the /p/."
|Sound deletion (medial and final blend positions)
|"Say snail. Say it again, without the /n/."
"Say fork. Say it again, without the /k/."
Paulson (2004) confirmed the hierarchy of phonological skill acquisition in 5-year-olds entering kindergarten. Only 7 percent of 5-year-olds who had not yet had kindergarten could segment phonemes in spoken words. The production of rhymes was more difficult for 5-year-olds than commonly assumed, as only 61 percent could give a rhyming word for a stimulus. Only 29 percent could blend single phonemes into whole words. Although some young students will pick up these skills with relative ease during the kindergarten year — especially if the curriculum includes explicit activities — other students must be taught these metalinguistic skills directly and systematically.
Moats, L, & Tolman, C (2009). Excerpted from Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS): The Speech Sounds of English: Phonetics, Phonology, and Phoneme Awareness (Module 2). Boston: Sopris West.
For more information on Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) visit Voyager Sopris.
This is a great resource that will help me develop my students language, comprehension and communication skills.
Thanks! Helped a lot :-)
So helpful in my study for Praxis 2 Teaching Reading I could not find this information in any of my study guides.
I'm a teacher and refer to this site regularly for ideas to implement with my kiddos!
enormously helpful
I teach first grade. It is amazing how young students develop as they learn to blend phonemes and to count sounds and syllables.
Thank you for this website. I thought my son 6 yr old was dyslexic. Now I have hope that he just needs to be tutored.
Please know that I am grateful for this newsletter. There's information contained therein that will help me to study for the Praxis Exam and your entire site is a compliment to my Literacy Across the Grades Course


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Ashkenazy conducts Ivan the Terrible (with film)
Thursday 1 May 2014, 7.30pmRoyal Festival Hall, London
Philharmonia Box Office : 020 7921 3907
Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor
Lilli Paasikivi mezzo soprano
Nathan Berg bass baritone
Philharmonia Voices
New London Chamber Choir
Nonsuch Singers
Prokofiev Scythian Suite
Prokofiev Ivan the Terrible arr. Goberman (with film)
Based on the life of Tsar Ivan IV of Russia, Prokofiev's music to Eisenstein's epic film Ivan the Terrible is among his finest achievements. The first part was accorded the dubious honour of a Stalin Prize, but when the Russian leader saw Part Two he was so overwhelmed by the appalling atrocities committed by Ivan in the name of political reform that he forbade its public screening.
This performance combines John Goberman's arrangement of Prokofiev's score with selected extracts from Eistenstein's 1944 movie.
Regrettably, there is no late entry point in the first half of this concert. Latecomers will only be admitted after the interval.
This concert is part of the Philharmonia at the Movies series


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First introduced in London in 1996, the Cuaba brand was the first new Cuban cigar brand to be introduced into commercial production since 1968. Historically, "Cuaba" is the Taino Indian word for the special Cuban bush used to light the "Cohíba" or "Tobacco" on the Island. Generally associated with a taste that is similar to Romeo Y Julieta, full of various flavors but never tasting too much of one flavor in particular, Cuaba cigars are on average mild and balanced.
All 4 of the Cuaba vitolas are in the figurado (perfecto) shape: the Exclusivos, the Generosos, the Tradicionales and the Divinos. This shape was popular until the beginning of the 20th century. Habanos S.A. decided to revive the British tradition of smoking figurados; hence the fitting unveiling of the brand in London, England. Habanos, S.A. has since reintroduced other historic brands and shapes.