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CN0276 Software User Guide10/22/2018WIKI
Design Resources
Design & Integration Files
- Schematic
- Bill of Materials
- Gerber Files
- PADS Files
- Assembly Drawing
Evaluation Hardware
Part Numbers with "Z" indicate RoHS Compliance. Boards checked are needed to evaluate this circuit.
- EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ ($153.01) High Performance, 10-Bit to 16-Bit Resolver-to-Digital Converter
- EVAL-SDP-CB1Z ($116.52) Eval Control Board
Device Drivers
Software such as C code and/or FPGA code, used to communicate with component's digital interface.
Features & Benefits
- 10-bit to 16-bit resolver to digital converter
- High and low voltage drive options
- Maximum tracking rate of 3125 rps
Product Categories
Markets and Technologies
Parts Used
Documentation & Resources
MT-101: Decoupling Techniques2/14/2015954 kB
MT-031: Grounding Data Converters and Solving the Mystery of "AGND" and "DGND"3/20/2009144 kB
MT-030: Resolver-to-Digital Converters3/20/200957 kB
CN0276: High Performance, 10-Bit to 16-Bit Resolver-to-Digital Converter11/20/2013531 kB
Circuit Function & Benefits
The circuit shown in Figure 1 is a complete high performance resolver-to-digital (RDC) circuit that accurately measures angular position and velocity in automotive, avionics, and critical industrial applications where high reliability is required over a wide temperature range.
The circuit has an innovative resolver rotor driver circuit that has two modes of operation: high performance and low power. In the high performance state, the system operates on a single 12 V supply and can supply 6.4 V rms (18 V p-p) to the resolver. In the low power state, the system operates on a single 6 V supply and can supply 3.2 V rms (9.2 V p-p) to the resolver, with less than 100 mA of current consumption. Active filtering is provided in both the driver and receiver to minimize the effects of quantization noise.
The maximum tracking rate of the RDC is 3125 rps in the 10-bit mode (resolution = 21 arc min) and 156.25 rps in the 16-bit mode (resolution = 19.8 arc sec).
Circuit Description
The signal chain must be designed with care to consider not only amplitude and frequency, but also phase shift and stability. In addition, the resolver rotor winding impedance has both a resistive and an inductive component.
The AD2S1210 RDC excitation signal range is 2 kHz to 20 kHz and can be set in increments of 250 Hz. Most resolvers are specified at a fixed excitation frequency, typically around 10 kHz. Different resolvers have difference phase shifts that must also be considered in the signal chain design.
The excitation signal is applied to the resolver rotor winding which is a non-ideal inductor and has a typical resistive component of 50 Ω to 200 Ω and a reactive component of 0 Ω to 200 Ω. For example, the impedance of the Tamagawa TS2620N21E11 resolver used in the circuit of Figure 1 is 70 Ω + j100 Ω at 10 kHz.
Typical excitation voltages can be as high as 20 V p-p (7.1 V rms), so both maximum current and maximum power consumption of the resolver driver must be considered. The AD8397 was chosen for the circuit because of its wide supply range (24 V), high output current (310 mA peak into 32 Ω on ±12 V supplies), rail-to-rail output voltage, and low thermal resistance package (θJA = 47.2°C/W for the 8-pin SOIC EP package).
The excitation output signals from the AD2S1210 are generated from an internal DAC that produces a certain amount of quantization noise and distortion. For this reason, the dual AD8692 op amp is configured as a third-order active Butterworth filter in order to reduce the noise of the drive signals. Similarly, the SIN and COS receiver circuits use two quad AD8694 op amps as an active noise filter.
Signal Chain Design
These factors must be considered in the design of the signal chain:
- AD2S1210 excitation signal output range : 3.2 V min, 3.6 V typical, 4.0 V max
- AD8692 output voltage range: 0.29 V to 4.6 V with +5 V supply
- AD8397 output voltage range: 0.18 V to 5.87 V with +6 V supply.
- AD8397 output voltage range: 0.35 V to 11.7 V with +12 V supply
- Resolver(TS2620N21E11) transformation ratio: 0.5
- Resolver(TS2620N21E11) phase shift: 0°
- AD8694 output voltage range: 0.37 V to 4.6 V with +5 V supply
- AD2S1210 input differential p-p signal range (SIN, COS) is 2.3 V min, 3.15 V typ, 4.0 V max
- Resolver output SIN, COS loads should be equal.
- Resolver output loads should be at least 20 times the resolver output impedance
- Total signal chain phase shift range: n × 180° − 44° ≤ φ ≤ n × 180° + 44°, n is an integer
Resolver Excitation Filter and Driver Circuits
The AD2S1210 excitation signal filter and power amplifier circuit are shown in Figure 2. Careful attention must be paid to the gain and signal levels at each point in the chain so that the AD8397 output driver does not saturate for the maximum excitation (EXE) of 4.0 V p-p from the AD2S1210. Note that because the resolver is driven differentially there are two identical channels as shown in Figure 2 corresponding to the true and complementary EXE outputs, respectively.
The dc gain of the AD8692 filter circuit is −1. For the high performance mode (S1 closed), the gain of the AD8397 driver stage is set for 2.5 (2.49 using actual available resistor values) so that a 4.0 V p-p EXE input produces a 10 V p-p output when using a 12 V supply. This allows 1 V headroom from either rail at the output of the AD8397. For the low power mode (S1 open), the gain is set for 1.28 so that a 4.0 V p-p EXE input produces a 5.12 V p-p output when using a 6 V supply.
The ADG1612 has a typical on-resistance of less than 1 Ω and is ideal for the gain switch. However, because the off capacitance of the switch is typically 72 pF, it should not be connected directly to the input of the op amp. Note that in the circuit it connects R6 to ground, and when off, the capacitance has minimum effect on performance.
The AD8692 is configured as a multiple feedback (MFB) third order Butterworth lowpass filter. It should have a phase shift in range of 180° ± 15°. The design procedure is described in Chapter 8 of Linear Circuit Design Handbook. It is important to select the proper op amp for this filter, and as a general rule, the gain-bandwidth product of the op amp should be at least 20 times the –3dB cutoff frequency of the active filter. In this case, the cutoff frequency is 88 kHz, and the gain-bandwidth product of the AD8692 is 10 MHz, which is 113 times the cutoff frequency. Because the AD8692 is a CMOS op amp, the input bias current is low, and will not significantly affect the dc characteristics of the filter. The input capacitance is 7.5 pF which minimizes the effect on cutoff frequency for the capacitor values chosen in the filter design.
The −3dB cutoff frequency of the filter is 88 kHz, the phase shift is −13° at 10 kHz, and the dc gain is 1 at 10 kHz.
The AD8397 power amplifier can be configured with a gain of 1.28 (low gain mode) and 2.49 (high gain). Phase shift at 10 kHz in the low gain mode is −1.9°, and phase shift in the high gain mode is −5.2°.
The AD8692 third order low pass filter transfer function is shown in Figure 3.
The filter is very effective in reducing the noise on the excitation signals driving the resolver. Figure 4 shows the 10 kHz EXE signal measured directly at the output of the AD2S1210. Figure 5 shows the signal measured at C3 (input to AD8397) and the effectiveness of the filter in removing the noise.
Figures 6 and 7 show the output of the AD8397 measured at one input to the resolver for the low power mode (Figure 6) and the high performance mode (Figure 7). Note that these signals are measured on one side of the resolver input, and the actual differential signal applied to the resolver has twice the amplitude.
Resolver SIN/COS Receiver Circuit and Filter
Figure 8 shows the receiver circuit that includes a third order Butterworth filter and a programmable gain stage. When the driver circuit is in the high performance mode (VCC = 12 V), S1 is open, and the overall gain is 0.35. The input drive to the resolver is 18 V p-p (differential), and the SIN/COS outputs are 9 V p-p differential because the resolver transformation ratio is 0.5. The 9 V p-p differential is 4.5 V p-p single-ended, and when multiplied by the 0.35 gain factor, yields 1.58 V p-p (3.16 V p-p differential) which is the optimum input voltage for the SIN/COS inputs of the AD2S1210. Similarly, in the low power mode S1 is closed, and the overall gain is 0.7 which again provides an optimum input signal level for the SIN/COS inputs of the AD2S1210.
In addition to providing the gain adjustment, the receiver circuit also acts as a third order Butterworth filter with a cutoff frequency of 63 kHz and a phase shift of −18.6° at 10 kHz.
The frequency response of the filter in the low gain and high gain modes is shown in Figures 9 and 10, respectively.
The voltage at the SIN/COS inputs of the AD2S1210 is shown in Figure 11, and is 1.64 V p-p (3.28 V p-p differential).
Figure 12 shows that the total phase shift between the AD2S1210 EXC pin (CH1 yellow) to the SIN input pin (CH2 blue) is ap-proximately 40° which is below the maximum design value of 44°.
Automatic Mode Detection Circuit
The reset circuit shown in Figure 13 uses the ADM6328 micro-processor reset circuit to determine the gain in the driver and receiver based on the value of the VCC voltage. The threshold voltage is set so that if VCC is greater than 11.5 V, the circuit switches to the high performance mode. If VCC is less than 11.5 V, the circuit switches to the low power mode.
Because the ADM6328 consumes only 1 μA it can use the high impedance R1/R3 resistor divider output as its power supply without significant voltage drop.
The ADM6328 has an open drain output, and resistor R2 acts as a pull-up. This ensures that the output swing is independent of the VCC input. The ADM6328 power supply voltage is given by:
The circuit uses the ADM6328-22 that has a typical threshold voltage of 2.2 V, and a maximum of 2.25 V. The maximum VCC threshold voltage is 11.5 V, therefore:
Resistors R1 and R3 are chosen to be 1.6 kΩ and 390 Ω, respectively, giving a ratio of 4.102.
Resolver Driver Power Amplifier Power Dissipation
Because of the relatively low impedance of the resolver and the large VCC voltage, it is important to know the power dissipated in the AD8397 driver amplifier to make sure the maximum power dissipation specification is not exceeded. The maximum power that can be safely dissipated by the AD8397 is limited by the associated rise in junction temperature.
The maximum safe junction temperature for plastic encapsulated devices is determined by the glass transition temperature of the plastic, approximately 150°C. Temporarily exceeding this limit may cause a shift in parametric performance due to a change in the stresses exerted on the die by the package.
The junction temperature rise can be calculated from the ambient temperature (TA), the package thermal resistance (θJA), and the amplifier power dissipation (PAMP):
The circuit uses the AD8397ARDZ that is housed in an 8-pin SOIC package with exposed pad (EP), and θJA = 47.2°C/W.
The power dissipated in the amplifier, PAMP, is calculated by subtracting the power dissipated in the load, PLOAD, from the power supplied by the power supply PSUPPLY:
The power supplied by the power supplies is calculated by first calculating the average current from the supplies. Note that these calculations neglect the op amp quiescent current and consider only the current due to the excitation current. The equivalent circuit for these calculations is shown in Figure 14.
When using Tamagawa TS2620N21E11 resolver, the impedance is 70 Ω+j100 Ω at 10 kHz. In the high performance state (VCC = 12 V, A = 10 V), the AD8397 power dissipation is 390 mW using the derived equation.
The thermal resistance to ambient, θJA, is 47.2°C/W for the AD8397 (EP package), and therefore the junction temperature rise above ambient is 47.2°C/W × 0.39W = 18.4°.
Power Supplies
The entire circuit operates on either an external VCC of +6 V or +12 V, depending on the mode. The 5 V supply for the circuits is developed using a 5 V, 500 mA ADP7104-5 low dropout regulator (LDO). A 3.3 V ADP7104-3.3 is used to develop the 3.3 V supply. Details of the power circuits can be found in the complete schematic included in the CN0276 Design Support Package (www.analog.com/CN0276-DesignSupport).
PCB Design and Layout Considerations
Even at the lower frequencies associated with the RDC circuits, poor layout can lead to poor performance. For instance, although the resolver operates with a 10 kHz excitation signal, the AD2S1210 operates on an 8.192 MHz clock; therefore it must be treated as a high speed device with respect to layout, grounding, and decoupling. Tutorials MT-031 and MT-101 cover these topics in detail.
A design support package is available for the CN-0276, including complete schematic, PADs and Gerber layout files, and bill of materials. This is located at http://www.analog.com/CN0276-DesignSupport.
System Performance Results
A good method to measure the overall system noise in the circuit is to apply a fixed position to the resolver and generate a histogram of the output codes. This test should be performed with the hysteresis function disabled. The following Figures show the AD2S1210 output histogram of codes for the 10-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, and 16-bit angular accuracy modes. In each case, the full 16-bits of the RDC are used in generating the histogram, and the circuit is placed in the high performance mode with VCC = +12 V
The histograms show that the AD2S1210 with a low pass filter on the driver and receiver circuit can be achieve high angular resolution in all modes.
Common Variations
The CN-0276 circuit can used for various types of resolver. For the best performance, the designer should adjust the passive components appropriately. The basic principles in adapting the circuit to different resolvers are:
- Ensure that each amplifier output remains within the allowable voltage range.
- Ensure that none of the components are subjected to overvoltage. For example, I the resolver output voltage is too high for the ADG1611 switch, a resistor can be added in series with the input to the circuit shown in Figure 8.
- Ensure that the total signal chain phase shift remains within the range: n × 180° − 44° ≤ φ ≤ n × 180° + 44°, where n is an integer.
In some applications, a capacitor is added in parallel with the primary winding of the resolver, and the value chosen so that it resonates with the resolver inductance at the frequency of operation. This makes the load appear resistive. For example, the resolver used in the circuit has a reactance of 100 Ω at 10 kHz, corresponding to an inductor value of 1.6 mH. A 160 nF capacitor placed in parallel with the primary causes the load to be approximately 70 Ω, the real part of the impedance.
However, at higher frequencies that are still within the bandwidth of the op amp, the op amp may oscillate because of the capacitive load. The op amp must be carefully compensated in this application so that it maintains stability over its entire bandwidth.
Circuit Evaluation & Test
This circuit uses the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ circuit board and the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z SDP-B system demonstration platform controller board. The two boards have 120-pin mating connectors, allowing for the quick setup and evaluation of the performance of the circuit. The EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ contains the circuit to be evaluated, and the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z (SDP-B) is used with the CN-0276 Evaluation Software to exchange the data from the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ.
Equipment Needed
The following equipment is needed:
- A PC with a USB port and Windows® 7 or later
- The EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ circuit board
- The EVAL-SDP-CB1Z SDP-B controller board
- The CN-0276 Evaluation Software
- A 6 V/1 A bench supply
- A 12 V/1 A bench supply
- Tamagawa TS2620N21E11 Resolver
Getting Started
Load the evaluation software by placing the CN-0276 Evaluation Software into the CD drive of the PC. Using My Computer, locate the drive that contains the evaluation software. Further details regarding the software operation can be found in the CN0276 Software User Guide.
Functional Block Diagram
A functional block diagram of the test setup is shown in Figure 19.
Connect the 120-pin connector on the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ circuit board to the CON A connector on the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z controller board (SDP-B). Use nylon hardware to firmly secure the two boards, using the holes provided at the ends of the 120-pin connectors. With power to the supply off, connect a 6 V or 12 V power supply to the VCC and GND pins on the board. Connect the USB cable supplied with the SDP-B board to the USB port on the PC. Do not connect the USB cable to the Mini-USB connector on the SDP-B board at this time. Connect the resolver TS2620N21E11 to the J3 of EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ circuit board.
Apply power to the 6 V or 12 V supply connected to the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ. Launch the evaluation software and connect the USB cable from the PC to the mini-USB connector on the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z.
When USB communications are established, the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z can send, receive, and capture parallel data from the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ.
Figure 20 shows a screen shot of the software output display when using the circuit to measure position and velocity.
Figure 21 shows a photo of the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ evaluation board.
Information and details regarding test setup and calibration, and how to use the evaluation software for data capture can be found in the CN-0276 Software User Guide.
Connectivity for Prototype Development
The EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ evaluation board is designed to use the EVAL-SDP-CB1Z SDP-B board; however, any microprocessor can be used to interface to the SPI port of the AD2S1210 (the user should set SOE pin low to active SPI interface). In order for another controller to be used with the EVAL-CN0276-SDPZ evaluation board, software must be developed by a third party.
There are existing interposer boards that can be used to interface to the Altera and Xilinx field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The BeMicro SDK board from Altera can be used with the BeMicro SDK/SDP interposer using Nios Drivers. Any Xilinx evaluation board that features the FMC connector can be used with the FMC-SDP Interposer board.
Sample Products
Evaluation Boards
Pricing displayed is based on 1-piece.
Up to two boards can be purchased through Analog.com. To order more than two, please purchase through one of our listed distributors.
Pricing displayed is based on 1-piece. The USA list pricing shown is for budgetary use only, shown in United States dollars (FOB USA per unit), and is subject to change. International prices may vary due to local duties, taxes, fees and exchange rates.


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In the January edition, we learned from author and Bible teacher Jerry Bridges that prayer must be prayed in Jesus' name. In February, we learned that we must pray according to God's will. This month we look at what it means to pray in faith.
In the Book of Matthew, chapter 21 and verse 22, the Bible says: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive." Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God"—and that's what we're doing when we pray—"must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
Many people have struggled with this question: How can I pray in faith if I'm not absolutely certain that what I'm asking for is in accordance to the will of God? The reason we struggle is that our faith is misplaced. We think that we somehow have to work our faith up to the place where God will answer a particular prayer.
But that is not the case. The object of our faith is the person of God Himself; not our faith. When I do not have faith, I'm saying one of two things: either God cannot answer this prayer or God will not answer this prayer. If I say He cannot, I'm questioning His sovereignty and His power. If I say He will not, I'm questioning His goodness. To pray in faith means that I believe God can and I believe God will insofar as it's consistent with His glory, because God is good.
Sometimes we pray and we ask God for something, and immediately we start reasoning why God can't answer the prayer. Let me give you an illustration. Once I went to speak at a little church out in the country. My wife was with me, and on the way to the church, we got caught in a blinding sandstorm. You know what happens to windshields when you get caught in blinding sandstorms. We came out of that sandstorm with the windshield all pitted. Now, I could have gone to a repair shop and my comprehensive insurance plan would have paid for a new windshield—except for the $50 deductible.
The problem was that in our state of affairs at that particular time, we just didn't have an extra $50 that we felt we could spare for a new windshield. And so I put this on my prayer list. "God, I need $50 for a new windshield." Now, when you pray a prayer similar to that, and I'm sure that all of you have had similar situations, what's the very first thing you start thinking of? You wonder: How can God answer this prayer? Where can God put His hand on $50? We start to think that God's in just about as dire a strait as we are because we can't think of any place where God could put His hand on $50.
And so, we don't have faith. We do not have faith because we do not see how God can answer. That means that our faith is not in the power of God; it's in our own creativity, our own imagination. So, the truth is that we pray and ask God for something, and if we can figure out how God can answer, then we have lots of faith. But if we can't think of any way in the world where God can get His hand on $50, then we don't have much faith. We're just sort of hoping that maybe God's got an idea that we haven't yet thought of.
It's very interesting how God supplied the $50 we needed for the windshield, but I won't go into that now. Suffice it to say that He did. And sure enough, if I had sat down and had spent one day drafting various scenarios of ways in which God might answer that prayer, I would never in all of my life have come up with the specific way in which He supplied that $50, but within days the money was in the bank and just waiting for me to get the time to take the car in to get the windshield replaced. The point is that our faith has to be in God, not in our own imagination.
When Mary went to Jesus at the wedding at Cana, and she told Him that the host was out of wine, they had a brief conversation, and then she turned to the servants and said: "Do whatever He asks you to do."
Mary had never seen Jesus turn water into wine. In fact, she had never seen Him work any miracle, because the Scriptures say this was His first miracle. But she knew that He was the Son of God and that He was omnipotent. He had all power.
We must believe that He exists, that He is God. That He is Almighty God. That He is not limited by anything that we can think of. And then we must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him and believe that He is good. ©2013 Jerry Bridges
Jerry Bridges has been a staff member with the Navigators for more than 50 years.
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version.
Look for Part 4 of this series in next month's Decision, as we consider how to pray with persistence.

subset: commoncrawl


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Education and Fun, All Rolled Into One!
A unique educational experience that gets students EXCITED about learning! Students will learn how the concepts of SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING and MATH can be found in everyday experiences, even FUN experiences like ROLLER SKATING!
Our professional STEM Educators teach visiting students about how STEM principles exist in just about every part of life. The lessons focus on hands on activities that are both educational and fun! Lessons are customized based on teachers needs to DIRECTLY RELATE back to classroom learning making this program completely unique! Following the completion of the 1 hour STEM Lesson, the students roller skate for physical fitness. While Roller Skating the concepts students learned are continually reinforced.
Our lessons are going to be designed not only to help students overcome their fear of learning STEM concepts but to show how STEM is both FUN & EXCITING!
Field trip costs will be $9.00 per student; includes STEM lesson, Skate Rental, and 2 hours of skate time. You can add on lunch options. Teachers are FREE.
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Copyright, United Skates of America Inc. 2014,2015


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Discussion: VentureBeat, lategaming and Blue Pilot Software
Alison Johnston / VentureBeat: Urbanspoon: An iPhone app that bests its website
Computer viruses make it to orbit — A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station (ISS). — Nasa has confirmed that laptops carried to the ISS in July were infected with a virus known as Gammima.AG. — The worm was first detected on earth in August 2007 and lurks …
Discussion: Christopher Null, ZDNet Government, Gizmodo, CrunchGear, Switched and MacDailyNews
Richard Koman / ZDNet Government: The Gammima Strain — Is the International Space Station just another bot in a botnet?
John Mahoney / Gizmodo: Computer Virus Finds Its Way Into Orbit Aboard ISS Systems
Nicholas Deleon / CrunchGear: Watch out, there's a computer virus (well, worm) …
Tim Stevens / Switched: Computer Virus Found on Space Station
Prince McLean / AppleInsider:
Repeat tests show iPhone 3G doesn't suffer from faulty hardware — After lab results demonstrated that the iPhone 3G's antenna actually functions normally, critics complained that the tests didn't represent their own experiences. So the tests were performed again on two phones …
Discussion: GottaBeMobile
Warner Crocker / GottaBeMobile: Is There A Myth Behind Bars?
Eva Wieselgren / GP/Göteborg:
More testing: Nothing wrong with iPhone's antennas
More testing: Nothing wrong with iPhone's antennas
Discussion: Infinite Loop and CNET News - Apple
Charles Jade / Infinite Loop: iPhone 3G antenna blameless in reception deaths
Erica Ogg / CNET News.com:
Dell's new low-cost PCs for emerging markets — As promised, Dell unveiled several new computers Wednesday made specifically for emerging PC markets like China and India. — There are four new models in all under the Vostro line—two laptops and two desktops.
Discussion: TechSpot
Jose Vilches / TechSpot: Dell unveils new PCs for emerging markets
John Ribeiro / LinuxWorld.com:
Dell puts Linux and Atom in Vostro PCs for emerging markets
Dell puts Linux and Atom in Vostro PCs for emerging markets
Discussion: LinuxInsider
Daniel Terdiman / CNET News:
AMC decides to allow fans' 'Mad Men' Twittering — After initially demanding that Twitter shut down the accounts of users who were posting unauthorized updates based on the 'Mad Men' characters, AMC was persuaded to let the accounts be re-activated. — It looks like wiser heads …
Discussion: SarahLacy.com
Michael Learmonth / Silicon Alley Insider:
Twitter, AMC, Wise Up, Restore "Mad Men" Accounts
Twitter, AMC, Wise Up, Restore "Mad Men" Accounts
Discussion: Feeds, AppScout and Media Bullseye
Jennifer Leggio / Feeds: Some brands should allow themselves to be 'jacked'
Brian Heater / AppScout: "Mad Men" Back on Twitter
Sarah Wurrey / Media Bullseye: AMC Quickly Realizes Its Error
Matt Asay / The Open Road:
PC manufacturers seek shelter from Vista's drizzle — If you needed any further testament to the colossal failure that is Microsoft Windows Vista, just read this Wall Street Journal article detailing PC manufacturers attempts to design around Vista's shortcomings, shortcomings that no amount of marketing are going to fix.
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
Peter Lattman / Wall Street Journal:
A Photobucket Bonanza, for Insiders — A Web-Site Bet Was Lucrative For Venture Firm, but Not Its Investors — When the photo-sharing Web site Photobucket.com was acquired last year for about $300 million, executives at New York-based venture-capital firm Insight Venture Partners made a small fortune.
Discussion: VentureBeat, A VC, CNET News.com, paidContent.org, Silicon Alley Insider, Zoli's Blog, PE Hub Blog, Valleywag and Startup Chatter
Matt Marshall / VentureBeat: Photobucket success provided great return to some, but did it jilt others?
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com: Did Photobucket's investors break the rules?
Zoli Erdos / Zoli's Blog: I Wanted to Invest in Photobucket, Too
Owen Thomas / Valleywag: Who has it out for Photobucket's investors?
Donna Bogatin / Startup Chatter: Yes, BEWARE Venture Capital VC Self-Dealing
Adrian Covert / Gizmodo:
Palm Treo Pro Review (Verdict: Best Palm Hardware Ever) — The Gadget: The Treo Pro is a 3G-equipped, Windows Mobile 6.1-running, touchscreen smartphone that's just a sliver bigger than the iPhone 3G. Completely redesigned, it's Palm's best looking phone in years. — The Price: $550 (Unlocked, no contract)
Discussion: eWeek
Katie Fehrenbacher / GigaOM:
How To Walk, Talk & Charge Your Mobile Phone — Everyday activities — commuting to work, walking the dog, grocery shopping — could one day help keep your cell phone charged, thanks to an emerging technology that converts regular motion into power. — Boise, Idaho-based startup M2E Power announced …
Discussion: eWeek, Xconomy, MAKE Magazine, Business Week, GottaBeMobile and The Inquisitr
Patti Schiendelman / MAKE Magazine: Kinetic charger — CleanTechnica points us to M2E's kinetically …
Katie Fehrenbacher / Business Week: Cell Phones Powered by Everyday Activity
Warner Crocker / GottaBeMobile: Charging Up Your Cell Phone with Movement
JR Raphael / The Inquisitr: Cell Phone Dead? Take a Jog to Recharge
Tom Steinert-Threlkeld / Between the Lines:
Who's Dumber: Bad Guys ... Or Good Guys? — In the old cowboy movies, the black hats were villains that created mayhem, until the white hats came along and ended their reigns of fear. Now, we have the spectacle of good guys seemingly educating the bad guys on how to exploit flaws or processes …
Discussion: InformationWeek, Threat Level, Electronista and The Blog Herald
Thomas Claburn / InformationWeek: The 'Poor Man's Traffic Intercept'
Kim Zetter / Threat Level: Revealed: The Internet's Biggest Security Hole
Dean Hachamovitch / MSDN Blogs:
Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Now Available — We're excited to release IE8 Beta 2 today for public download. You can find it at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. Please try it out! — You'll find versions for 32- and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008.
Discussion: Reuters, eWEEK.com, All about Microsoft and Tech Tracks
Daisuke Wakabayashi / Reuters: Microsoft releases beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft: IE 8 Beta 2 ready for download
Benjamin J. Romano / Tech Tracks: Microsoft releases beta 2 of IE8; more from Firefox maker Mozilla
Agence France Presse:
Taiwan cracks major hacking ring, data on president stolen — TAIPEI (AFP) — Police in Taiwan have arrested six people suspected of stealing personal data from state firms, including information about the island's current and former presidents, officials said Wednesday.
Discussion: Zero Day
Dancho Danchev / Zero Day: Taiwan busts hacking ring, 50 million personal records compromised


text:
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[235 U.S. 432, 433] Messrs.
William Travers Jerome, Franklin Kennedy, and James A. Parsons for appellant.
[235 U.S. 432, 434] Messrs. P. C. Knox, William A. Stone, Merrill Shurtleff, and George F. Morris for appellee.
Mr. Justice Holmes delivered the opinion of the court:
This is an appeal from a final order discharging the appellee on habeas corpus. Thaw was held upon a warrant from the governor of New Hampshire for his extradition to New York, in pursuance of a demand of the governor of the latter state. He was alleged to be a fugitive from justice, and a copy of an indictment found by a New York grand jury accompanied the demand. The indictment alleged that Thaw had been committed to the Matteawan State Hospital for the insane under an order of court reciting that he had been acquitted at his trial upon a former indictment on the ground of insanity, and that his discharge was deemed dangerous to public safety. It then alleged that, being thus confined, he conspired with certain persons to procure his escape from the hospital, and did escape, to the obstruction of justice and of the due administration of the laws. By the New York Penal Law an agreement to commit any act for the perversion or obstruction of justice or of the due administration of the laws is a misdemeanor, if an overt act beside the agreement is done to effect the object. Penal Law, 580, 583.
In the wide range taken by the argument for the appellee it was suggested, among other things, that it was not a crime for a man confined in an insane asylum to walk out if he could, and that therefore a conspiracy to do it could not stand in any worse case. But that depends on the statute. It is perfectly possible and even may be rational to enact that a conspiracy to accomplish what an individual is free to do shall be a crime. An individual is free to refuse his custom to a shop, but a conspiracy to abstain from giving custom might and in some jurisdictions probably would be punished. If the acts conspired for tend to obstruct the due administration of the laws, the statute makes the conspiracy criminal whether the acts themselves are so or not. We do not regard it as open [235 U.S. 432, 439] to debate that the withdrawal, by connivance, of a man from an insane asylum, to which he had been committed as Thaw was, did tend to obstruct the due administration of the law. At least, the New York courts may so decide. Therefore the indictment charges a crime. If there is any remote defect in the earlier proceedings by which Thaw was committed, which we are far from intimating, this is not the time and place for that question to be tried.
If the conspiracy constituted a crime, there is no doubt that Thaw is a fugitive from justice. He was a party to the crime in New York, and afterwards left the state. It long has been established that, for purposes of extradition between the states, it does not matter what motive induced the departure. Roberts v. Reilly, 116 U.S. 80 , 29 L. ed. 544, 6 Sup. Ct. Rep. 291; Appleyard v. Massachusetts, 203 U.S. 222, 226 , 227 S., 51 L. ed. 161-163, 27 Sup. Ct. Rep. 122, 7 Ann. Cas. 1073. We perceive no ground whatever for the suggestion that in a case like this there should be a stricter rule.
The most serious argument on behalf of Thaw is that if he was insane when he contrived his escape, he could not be guilty of crime, while if he was not insane, he was entitled to be discharged; and that his confinement and other facts scattered through the record require us to assume that he was insane. But this is not Thaw's trial. In extradition proceedings, even when, as here, a humane opportunity is afforded to test them upon habeas corpus, the purpose of the writ is not to substitute the judgment of another tribunal upon the facts or the law of the matter to be tried. The Constitution says nothing about habeas corpus in this connection, but peremptorily requires that upon proper demand the person charged shall be delivered up to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. Art. 4, 2. Pettibone v. Nichols, 203 U.S. 192, 205 , 52 S. L. ed. 148, 153, 27 Sup. Ct. Rep. 111, 7 Ann. Cas. 1047. There is no discretion allowed, no inquiry into motives. Kentucky v. Dennison, 24 How. 66, 16 L. ed. 717; Pettibone v. Nichols, 203 U.S. 192, 203 , 51 S. L. ed. 148, 153, 27 Sup. Ct. Rep. 111, 7 Ann. Cas. 1047. The technical sufficiency of the indictment is not open. Munsey v. Clough, 196 U. S. [235 U.S. 432, 440] 364, 373, 49 L. ed. 515, 517, 25 Sup. Ct. Rep. 282. And even if it be true that the argument stated offers a nice question, it is a question as to the law of New York which the New York courts must decide. The statute that declares an act done by a lunatic not a crime adds that a person is not excused from criminal liability except upon proof that at the time 'he was laboring under such defect of reason as: 1, not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or 2, not to know that the act was wrong.' Penal Law, 1120. See 34. The inmates of lunatic asylums are largely governed, it has been remarked, by appeal to the same motives that govern other men, and it well might be that a man who was insame and dangerous, nevertheless in many directions understood the nature and quality of his acts as well, and was as open to be affected by the motives of the criminal law as anybody else. How far such considerations shall be taken into account it is for the New York courts to decide, as it is for a New York jury to determine whether, at the moment of the conspiracy, Thaw was insane in such sense as they may be instructed would make the fact a defense. Pierce v. Creecy, 210 U.S. 387, 405 , 52 S. L. ed. 1113, 1122, 28 Sup. Ct. Rep. 714; Charlton v. Kelly, 229 U.S. 447, 462 , 57 S. L. ed. 1274, 1281, 46 L.R.A. (N.S.) 397, 33 Sup. Ct. Rep. 945. When, as here, the identity of the person, the fact that he is a fugitive from justice, the demand in due form, the indictment by a grand jury for what it and the governor of New York allege to be a crime in that state, and the reasonable possibility that it may be such, all appear, the constitutionally required surrender is not to be interfered with by the summary process of habeas corpus upon speculations as to what ought to be the result of a trial in the place where the Constitution provides for its taking place. We regard it as too clear for lengthy discussion that Thaw should be delivered up at once.
Final order reversed.
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Citation: 235 U.S. 432
Docket No: No. 514
Argued: December 11, 1914
Decided: December 21, 1914
Court: United States Supreme Court
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Emotional Infrastructure
Since Gary Hamel and CK Prahalad put forth the idea of "core competencies" in a 1990 Harvard Business Review article, "The Core Competence of the Corporation," organizations have taken this insight as permission to outsource various parts of their business operations.
With "core competencies" organizations became machines with core functions that made the machine work, and non-core functions that kept the cogs greased and the tires inflated. Those later jobs could be accomplished by others: essential, but ancillary. Most importantly, they were competencies that didn't differentiate an organization in its market. When hiring a McKinsey consultant, few managers consider McKinsey's office design or their marketing when making the decision. McKinsey provides trusted management advice and builds renewable relationships (my words, not theirs). A manufacturing firm may be known for its quality plant design, knowledge of assembly techniques and high quality—probably not for a world-class expense management system.
I'm not going to argue with the basic concept of "core competencies." Hamel and Prahalad are probably right, in that organizations do have core competencies. Selecting for core competencies, however, produces side effects. By focusing on "core competencies" organizations erode their ability to create synergistic places to work. They also constrain their ability to adapt.
As organizations decompose their operations into strategic competencies, they simultaneously distance themselves from people who do the non-strategic work. As they create classes of work they create classes of workers. In the rush to reconfigure organizations, we have failed to account for the human binding mechanism of Emotional Infrastructure.
Here's the problem with the core competency model. As parts of the organization are lopped off, the workforce becomes more fragmented. People work for different organizations with different goals and objectives, different business cycles and different cultures. An outsourced receptionist, for instance, spends his or her entire day working with people from a company other than the one who writes their check. How should this person relate to those they work with? How should the "employees" relate to this "service worker?"
If they were all employees, status and position may play a relationship role, but that is something people navigate outside of work. At least as employees, people had a common bond: same badge, same payday, same review cycle.
In conversations with outsourcers, contract employees, HR managers, and employees within companies, I have found universal discomfort with the variety of work relationships. The organizations now feel more like collectives of cooperation. People must think before they connect.
They must ask themselves what conversations are permissible, constantly manage their behavior, and constantly consider if there are any legal obligations associated with the interaction that is about to take place. Although they may ask themselves these questions, few organizations help individual employees do so purposefully or offer guidance on how to answer those questions except in specific instances. Because these relationships are managed through a variety of functions within the organization, no single function owns responsibility for the curation and management of those relationships.
A vice president at a large facilities outsourcing firm shared his concerns. His company provides facilities management, security, and reception to large companies. His people spend 99% of their time within that company, but they aren't employees. He suggested that HR needed to start being in on the long-term management of outsourcing because people, on both sides of the equation, need someone to broker their relationships.
I'm not sure of all of the answers yet, but the questions are pretty clear. How did your organizations get so broken? Does emotional infrastructure matter? Who owns emotional infrastructure?
How Our Organizations Got Broken
It wasn't just the Hamel and Prahalad article that precipitated the demise of emotional infrastructure. Rather than inventing something with "core competencies" Hamel and Prahalad extrapolated from past practice and generalized. As with many things in the industrial economy, their article became the blueprint for the production of "core competency" work, the results of which accelerated the fracturing of the holistic organization.
- Multi-national operations Long before Hamel and Prahalad starting writing, or even thinking about core competencies, organizations had already started to sever their tenuous emotional heart-strings by becoming non-local. Multi-national organizations cannot create a common culture, as much as they try. They become a reflection of local cultures manifested in micro-corporate cultures that never spin up to the cohesiveness any organization may profess to its customers or shareholders.
- Outsourcing Outsourcing occurs when organizations decide that a particular function would be better executed by a specialist in that function. Many companies, for instance, outsource their payroll to ADP. Those specialists often expand their own "core competencies" over time. ADP now provides services for human resources, benefits administration, tax, and compliance. Outsourcing is driven by factors that usually start with cost, but also include quality of service, retaining and recruiting skilled employees and adapting to technological or regulatory change. Regardless of the motivation, outsourcing removes people from one company and places them inside a company they did not choose to work for. Those left behind may experience a heightened sense of purpose, but they also feel emotionally and organizationally distanced from those they worked with more directly the day before.
- Off-Shoring During this election year, outsourcing is getting an even worse rap that normal. Unfortunately, the terminology is wrong. Outsourcing does not imply the loss of domestic jobs. It always means a movement of jobs from one employer to another, and it may mean, based on efficiencies, a reduction in the number of people required to perform a function, but it doesn't necessarily mean the job from Chicago ends up in Bangalore or Shanghai—they are just as likely to end up in Atlanta or Tupelo. Off-shoring focuses specifically on playing the global labor rate market for all its worth. Organizations want to find people with adequate skills in foreign countries who can do the same level of work at a much lower cost. This movement creates even greater tears in emotional infrastructure. Unlike outsourcing, where the relationships, albeit in a different form, continue, off-shoring often gives work to existing firms, employing a small number of managers or engineers to work with operations in foreign countries. For most employees, off-shore relationships may be relegated to e-mail, online communities, and in the best cases, telepresence.
- Contingent Staffing Contingent staff used to be called part-time or temporary workers. They are contingent on demand for labor. In the soft economy, contingent staff has become the go-to workforce because they don't require benefits, notice before letting them go, morale events or competitive compensation reviews. Contingent staffing also creates a path to employment. Contingent staff must consider their work an extended interview. Interviews create stress. Think about being in an interview for six months. Is that a healthy way to enter a relationship? It is a bit like living together before marriage, an approach that doesn't always resolve emotional issues between couples.
- OutTasking is the most recent entrant to the outsourcing model. With networks of talent, people can bid on information economy piece-work, be it writing a piece of code, creating a database or crafting a marketing brochure. In the case of a company like Innocentive, it may even be solving a hard problem. With out-tasking, work may be accomplished without ever meeting the other party. This may be efficient, but the model neither transfers knowledge nor builds lasting relationships.
- Layoffs, downsizing, rightsizing, reductions in force, etc. Regardless of the term used, being let go has the most dramatic impact on individuals, including those who stay. Out of the great recession the term "survivor guilt" went from a term originally associated with Holocaust survivors to those who kept a job while their cubicle mate received a pink slip. The generalization of this term clearly demonstrates the organizational dysfunction introduced by these actions.
- Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures Like divorces and second marriages with children, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures can be very disruptive. Groups of people who did not choose to work together must now work together. Company cultures slam into each other with ferocity. They create a steady stream of people coming and going. Core competencies that may have driven the acquisition based on strategic synergy remain while non-core competencies disappear like duplicated jobs in accounting and marketing. People may not even have time to connect, or may be afraid to, because a new acquaintance may not be around all that long.
Why Emotional Infrastructure Matters
Emotional infrastructure connects people to each other, creating a sense of camaraderie and shared meaning. Its demise, however, has other implications beyond feeling connected to co-workers.
Employee engagement As I reread the Accenture Institute for High-Performance Research Report on "What Executives Really Need to Know About Employee Engagement" the issues raised here echo loudly in that report.
In their second table, Accenture outlines 3 key beliefs that employees must hold to be engaged.
- I'm making a difference
- My company has my back
- We're in this together
All of which come into question when an organization forces a change in relationships by introducing a relationship model other than that of an employee. In my own personal experience with outsourcing, as I had discussions with team members who were being asked to change their job from the company they choose to work for to the new outsourcer, those three phrases came back time and again as broken promises: "I thought I was making a difference." "I thought the company had my back." "I guess we're not all in this together anymore."
As a note on the Accenture study, outsourcing was only mentioned in the description of Accenture's business. As with most reports like this, they simplify the world to meet the objectives of the study, which doesn't reflect the true nature of the business. The complex nature of today's work relationships also disappears in these surveys because the outsourcer is responsible for their employee engagement, even if their employees spend 95% of their time inside another company.
Knowledge Continuity When people miss loved ones, they talk of a "hole in their heart." When an organization loses people, it could be seen as having a "hole in its head" as well as its heart. Many times older employees with deep historical knowledge of the organization, people who are mentors and coaches (and also at the top of their salary bracket with little left in their career paths) find themselves forcibly retired, laid off or out-sourced. Emotional infrastructure comes into play here in two ways: first, organizations are making a clear statement about the value of long-term knowledge, which may raise questions about its ability to execute in the future. Second, they are making a statement about loyalty. For these very knowledgeable employees, the question goes something like, "if Bob wasn't safe, then who is?"
Narrow Opportunities I worked for a large aerospace company. The CIO I reported to had come up the ranks from the mailroom. That was not a myth, it really happened. It would be unlikely today to find a Pitney Bowes employee that could express interest enough, or demonstrate skills enough, in the "core business" of the company they worked within to be moved from sorting mail to an entry-level IT or business position. More likely, in the "core competency" model, the mailroom clerk would be promoted to mailroom supervisor, and eventually a logistics manager. In a holistic employment model, people seek synergies and have a wide variety of options for growth. A new employee may not know until he or she gets their first job and is exposed to different kinds of work that they really want to do. Outsourcing sets expectations early in a career and then reinforces those through the narrow competencies of the outsourced firm. It takes brave people to jump outside of domains. And those who want to, and don't, aren't as engaged.
Who Owns Emotional Infrastructure?
The short answer is nobody owns this problem. Most organizations don't even know it is a problem because they don't ask questions about the general work environment. They execute surveys focused on determining how people feel about the company, its strategy, its management, and the employee's direct management chain, but little if anything about business relationships. And that is how all of these alternative work relationships are viewed by the company, as business relationships. They aren't people issues, they are business relationships.
Facilities own physical infrastructure. IT owns information technology infrastructure. And HR, well, HR may well be outsourced themselves. Wait a minute, facilities and IT are also often out-sourced, so those infrastructure competencies are no longer "core" either.
Management may say that they own the emotional well-being of the employees, but as discussed in this post, caring for employees doesn't go far enough. Executives need to recognize the need for emotionally healthy environments inclusive of all people involved in the operations they have cobbled together to execute their strategies, not just those who share badges from the same outsourced security firm.
Mending Our Broken Hearts
Mending a broken heart isn't easy. Most individuals know when they have a broken heart, most organizations do not. Emotional infrastructure requires an investment just like physical or technological infrastructure. We have all experienced an immediate feeling of disdain when we visit a company or a restaurant that doesn't look maintained, where frayed carpets and leak-stained ceiling panels catch our attention. We have also all had encounters with employees that the Accenture report says are on "Cruise Control" or "Checked Out." And yes, that can happen to employees for reasons other than those outlined in this post, but to the customer encountering that employee, the reason doesn't matter. The emotional infrastructure of the organization can be as noticeably frayed as exposed electrical wire.
Here are seven recommendations for how to mitigate or repair the failing emotional infrastructure of your organization:
- Recognize the issue. Create more inclusive surveys that explore the relationships between employees and various partners.
- Actively engage new and existing partners in order to negotiate ways to help all members of the virtualized organization co-exist in an emotionally healthy, more cohesive environment.
- Develop and deliver an orientation class. All partners, contingent staff, out-sourced workers, etc. should attend a mandatory orientation that helps them understand the mission, vision, and strategy of the organization they work for. Those who work with large outsourcers should be required to take a reciprocal orientation class from the partner.
- Be transparent so that when change happens it doesn't take place so abruptly or without warning, executed so dispassionately. Amp up the connections so the entire organization can support those changing their status, and so that those remaining don't just feel like lucky survivors, but meaningful members of an organization that really did its best to create a good work environment, even if outside forces conspired against it.
- Foster a permission-based approach to emotional infrastructure, not an incentive-based one. People need to feel free to connect. The answer is not to create incentives for people to connect emotionally, but to nurture an environment of inclusion. Create some budget for self-organization. The company picnic may be a thing of the past, but if you permit people to enjoy themselves, they will find a way. (And it doesn't help that executives and sales organizations spend lavishly on their own celebrations while line employees often get second-class morale boosters.)
- Embrace social media. Social media isn't a fad. Various implementations maybe, but the idea of connecting people via technology is not going away. Rather than shy away from it, embrace it and let people self-organize around whatever platform you use. It may not be the answer for all people, but at the relatively low entry cost, it will be the answer for enough people to justify the investment.
- Don't create the role of chief anything to bring awareness and focus to this issue. If I start reading about Chief Emotional Infrastructure Officers I will have failed. Rather than ratchet from unaware to overzealous, organizations should adopt practices that put worker relationships on the agenda for all business relationships that result in long-term co-existence of employees from multiple firms.
A vibrant firm, once capable of fulfilling its own destiny, can find its emotional infrastructure strained by piecemeal attacks on its synergies that result in severed relationships and lost knowledge. An organization is not just its best parts working toward a common goal; it requires all of its parts working toward a common goal. Hamel and Prahalad see businesses as factories of execution that can be honed in order to be more productive machines of commerce. In their opinion, the execution of the business could be better done through contract-mediated relationships where every party does what they do best. They work together to create value, but that work takes place in the world of "core competencies" at the abstract level. A world that seems pretty sterile.
But we have seen time and again that passion and dedication create value as much as seamless execution. And that those organizations that overspecialize, like creatures in nature, become less able to adapt. In 1990, Hamel and Prahalad looked at NEC's worldwide commercial and consumer electronics businesses as an example of a company that took core competencies seriously. In January of 2012, NEC announced plans to cut 10,000 workers and forecasted a $1.3 billion loss through March of 2012. Focus may not be as important as synergy. Was the demise just about recovering from floods in Thailand or a shift in mobile markets—could internal factors be at play as well, factors like emotional infrastructure that don't show up on financial reports on in analyst calls?
Emotional infrastructure is the binding element that keeps an organization together in times of challenge and facilitates celebration in times of plenty. Businesses may be factories of execution, but they need maintenance and attention that Hamel and Prahalad overlook. Businesses need emotional infrastructure in order to bring meaning to their employees, to their partners and to their customers. If firms want to do more than execute themselves into a corner, if they want to create innovative products, processes, and services, then they need to invest in fostering relationships that shore up their faltering emotional infrastructure. The next generation of businesses needs to go beyond being "excellent" or "great," to use the words of Tom Peters and Jim Collins—they also need to be places where respect, inclusion, trust and co-creation are recognized as critical elements of getting the job done.
[Image: Flickr user Gabriela Camerotti]
An earlier version of this article was originally posted at Fast Company.


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|Picture by Andrea Downing
|Picture by Andrea Downing
There is something ironic about the title (Dearest Darling) and a man loading a rifle. :) Secondly, that lovely sentence (and it is lovely) about the crescent moon and sun fighting for the sky, caused me to ponder this: the crescent moon is first seen right after sunset a day or two after the new moon. The sun has already surrendered the day. (it can also be observed right before sunrise in the east, just before the new moon). A few day later when the moon is more full, you might catch a glimpse of the sun and moon both up, but the sun will be setting and the moon waxing higher in the sky. Sorry, I spent lots of time looking at the sky--something that I really did when living out we when I lived out West under that big sky.ReplyDelete
I love looking at the sky, too, especially the moon and stars. :)Delete
Hi Sage, thanks so much for that comment. Let me just say that in the book it's explained that one of the ways Daniel makes money is by taking Easterners on hunting trips and, of course, hunting would be a main source of food. But yes, perhaps the gun isn't in keeping with Dearest Darling though I thought the cover captured his loneliness quite well. As for the moon/sun, you say the crescent moon is seen right after sunset; in my mind, that is exactly what I've said without having to say that the moon won the battle. But I'm sorry if you felt it inappropriate. Thanks againDelete
Thanks, I was concerned about making the comment on the sun/moon, and now realize I was wrong--I was seeing them both in the sky at the same time, now I understand. Thanks for clarifying it for me. And keep writing about the sky! I like it and the changes in the sky is a way to tell time within the story (which you do here).
As for the picture, it does capture the loneliness, but my cynical side could have seen it as the setting of a "horror" story with "dearest darling"being sarcasm.
Thanks for getting back on this, Sage. I appreciate your comment about the sky. As for the cover, it's also good to hear that reaction. I was very pleased with this cover, which doesn't always happen for authors. We have very little input, if any, on the design. And it's difficult to please everyone and gauge different reader's reactions. Thanks again for your comments.Delete
Great descriptive work. When I hiked the mountains in the Brooks Range it was June and midnight and I took pictures, the moon and the sun were both present.. The moon was full, and the light of the sun was still present. The most prized pictures I own!
Great job Andrea!
A genre I don't read much of. Great cover and certainly one which makes me want to read the book, I'm hoping our library will have a copy.ReplyDelete
You could talk to a librarian and request a copy of the book. She may order it for the library just for you. :)Delete
Hi Tracy, I'm glad the cover has enticed you. Unfortunately, Dearest Darling being only a novella of 100 pages, it is not available in print--it's digital only so I hope you have an eReader. I may, however, being giving away print copies later in the year as I, as author, can obtain them. Hope this helps.Delete
I really enjoy the pictures and how they relate to your book. Setting can be like a whole other character, especially when dealing with the wide open spaces like that.ReplyDelete
before I read that that was Andrea's fav line I was like "That line is AWESOME!" great feature, Chrys! :)ReplyDelete
I really like Andrea's style of writing. Very flowing, beautiful imagery.ReplyDelete
What a lovely, evocative scene! It made me immediately go to my Kindle to read it.It's there, waiting, waiting ;)ReplyDelete
Painting a picture with words. Sounds like a lovely setting with a great underlying conflict.ReplyDelete
That pretty well sums up what I tried to do. I only hope I accomplished it.Delete
It's a beautiful scene that helps us see the Wyoming that the characters see. It also gives me insight into Daniel's feelings. He's obviously attracted to Emily but is still torn about his feelings for Ethel. Lovely!ReplyDelete
Yes, you've got Daniel exactly. As for the photos capturing the Wyoming they see, I hoped they do but I don't think any photo can capture the solitude of the place, quite honestly. You really have to stand there.Delete
I read the book and loved it, so I really enjoyed the pictures that helped to inspire your writing of the book.ReplyDelete
Glad you enjoyed the book, Hebby--now you can envisage the scene better perhaps. Thanks for stopping by.Delete
You are the Queen of features, Chrys. I stand in awe of your blogging productivity.
Grats to Andrea. Sounds like an interesting read.
That's my favorite line, too Andrea. How beautifully written and the landscape described. Oh, so romantic. Thanks for this lovely share, Chrys!ReplyDelete
Congrats to Andrea. It sounds like a good read and those pictures are beautiful!ReplyDelete
Thanks, Sarah. The photos may be beautiful but not as beautiful as being there. I can't wait to get back.Delete
I'm only sorry the scene didn't last as long as my salad! What a perfectly lovely read, Andrea! Your flowing prose gives the reader a sense of being in the presence of something exceptional - way to hook 'em!
'Scene Spotlights', what a clever idea, Chrys!
Chris Hemsworth could stand in for any leading man at the moment. Did someone say "Next James Bond?"ReplyDelete
Chris Hemsworth could inspiring many characters/roles.Delete
Oh, no, really? Somehow I think not--Daniel Craig has made Bond too hardbitten to be turned into a pussycat like Hemsworth, surely. But thanks for the heads-up!Delete
Craig changed the Bond character forever. He turned the bond movies from spy to action.Delete
Isn't it a matter that the times changed as well, though? I mean, would women today really put up with the Sean Connery version? I think not! Good as he was...Delete
Great idea, Chrys. I loved the scene. I, too, loved the author's favourite line too. If the whole book's this good, it should be a winner to all those western fans out there! Also loved the way the author has used settings she knows; this will make it more authentic.ReplyDelete
Country music definitely fits that scene. Well done!ReplyDelete
Well, it was a tough choice of song, Stephanie. I'm a huge Country music fan but when push comes to decision…the brain is a mite slow to pull up just the right song.Delete
What a gorgeous cover! and such pretty pictures. Sounds like a wonderful read!ReplyDelete
Thanks Elizabeth. I think the photos are an excellent idea of Chrys' They certainly seem to attract people.Delete
Interesting to focus on one scene in this way.ReplyDelete
Spotlighting a scene and giving a little insight into the author's life is GENIUS. I really enjoyed it. More, please. :-)ReplyDelete
Everyone seems to have a thumbs up for Chrys' idea of a scene spotlight. I hope she'll invite me back with the next book; I do think it's a winning idea.Delete
I'm hoping to schedule more scene spotlights, Cherdo. I have another coming next month. :)
And Andrea, I would LOVE to have you back for your next book. Just send me an email when the time comes. :D
Thanks dear not only for discussing a certain scene but allowing us to know the author more. :)ReplyDelete
What a great double feature event with a wonderful scene, and an interview with Andrea! Many years ago, we went on a family ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and enjoyed our time in Teton Village. This is such a beautiful setting for a story! Best of luck, Andrea! Thanks Chrys!
It's wonderful. :) I don't care for typical Westerns, but I like Western Romances.ReplyDelete
Chrys, I just wanted to say a thank you once more for having me as your pilot episode ;-) I think it's been a wonderful success. We're expecting a major blizzard here in the NE but I'll try to be available for any stragglers who come in to comment if I have power. Thanks again!ReplyDelete
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By Frosty Wooldridge
July 5, 2010
As a lifeboat for the world's poor, the USA overloaded 30 years ago. Let's deal with America's most troubling problem by presenting our citizens with options. A recent CNN poll showed 87 percent of Americans want illegal immigration stopped.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform features, "SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF TRUE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM." www.fairus.org
FAIR spokesperson Dan Stein said, "It is critical to distinguish the reform that the public seeks from the deceptive package of measures that the immigration lobby is peddling. We feel it is time to speak out on true reform."
Overwhelming and irrefutable facts show illegal and massive unrestricted immigration harm our country. We face gridlocked and air polluted cities, environmental degradation, crime, health care problems and education nightmares. Massive immigration creates costs too high for American working families.
While pro-open borders people strut their indignation and emotional charges, political winds change in all sectors of America. We must deal with this immigration quandary in favor of American citizens and all immigrants who play by the rule of law. We cannot allow America to become the doormat for illegality from an endless line of exploding out of the Third World. FAIR promotes seven immutable principles:
First Principle: Cut the Numbers
"Any level of illegal immigration is unacceptable, and current legal immigrant admissions of one million person annually are entirely too many," FAIR stated. "Any measure that increases either illegal or legal immigration violates this principle. Immigration is a discretionary public policy. Its primary purpose, since our founding, is to advance the interests and security of the nation."
How much more simple can that fact be? We must ensure the viability of our nation. By doing that, irresponsible nations like Mexico and others around the world will be forced to deal with their citizens and create solutions.
Second Principle: No Amnesty or Mass Guest-Worker Program
"The 1987 amnesty was a failure; rather than reducing illegal immigration, it led to an increase," FAIR stated. "Any new amnesty measure will further weaken respect for our immigration laws. Therefore, all amnesty measures must be defeated."
We must enforce our immigration laws in the first place. Otherwise, illegals coming from around the world laugh at us as they use and abuse us. Illegal guest workers are not a benefit to our nation which has been proven over and over with their consequences experienced in every sector of our society. We stand for law or we sink into lawlessness.
Additionally, illegals are no longer picking fruit or doing farm labor. They displace and depress wages for America's Middle Class in construction, painting, dry wall, landscape, fast food, janitorial, roofing, trucking and more.
Third Principle: Protect Wages and Standards of Living
"Immigration policy should not be permitted to undermine opportunities for America's poor and vulnerable citizens to improve their working conditions and wages," FAIR stated. "The need for guest workers must be determined by objective indicators that a shortage of workers exists, i.e., extreme wages inflation in a particular sector of the labor market."
"The current systems accepts self-serving employers who seek lower labor costs as protections of American workers," FAIR stated. "True reform requires an objective test of labor shortage demonstrations by rising wages to attract American workers."
Who among us wants to see our working poor--as typified in New Orleans where 37 percent of our citizens live below the poverty level--further degraded by allowing illegal aliens to work here against our laws and our citizens? At what point do we take care of our own before taking care of Mexico's responsibilities?
Fourth Principle: Major Upgrade in Interior Enforcement, Led by Strong Employer Penalties
"Employers who knowingly employ unauthorized workers are the magnet that attracts illegal entry into the U.S.," FAIR stated. ""These employers are complicit in the illegal alien cartel activity of smuggling, trafficking, harboring, employing and must be punished. We must reform the current system by enforcing employer sanctions and fully punishing employers who break the laws of this country. These punishments will be fines, jailing for repeat offenders, and loss of corporate charters."
FAIR expects a level playing field for American workers. They demand illegal alien employers be handcuffed, prosecuted and suffer 'hard time'.
"The Basic Pilot Employment Verification program must be made mandatory and at no extra cost to employers," FAIR stated. "Effective enforcement on the border and the interior of the country requires that staffing, equipment, detention facilities, and removal capabilities be adequate to fully meet current needs."
Fifth Principle: Stop Special Interest Asylum Abuse
"Reforming the refugee and asylum system means returning to the original purpose and definition of the program: "any person who?is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection that country because of persecution or a well founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion...America must honor its responsibilities to protect people who are fleeing political persecution as defined by U.S. and international law."
At the same time, treating aliens illegally residing in the country the same as foreigners on legal visas for purposes of the Temporary Protected Status designation is illogical and a form of amnesty that must be ended.
Sixth Principle: Immigration Time Out
"We must restore moderation to legal immigration," FAIR stated. "Beginning with the Jordan Commission in 1995, we need to restrict to the minimum consistent with stabilizing the U.S. population."
To continue a massive influx of three million illegal and one million legal immigrants annually is a recipe for population disaster. A sustainable number, from this journalist's investigations points to a maximum of 100,000 immigrants a year, only if that creates a stable population. Anything more is sure to create an unsustainable population in the long run.
Seventh Principle: Equal Under the Law
"There should be no favoritism toward or discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, creed or nationality," FAIR stated. "All admission of immigrants should come within a single, stable ceiling which is periodically reviewed on the basis of a reasoned, explicit goal of achieving population stability. We should abolish preferences such as the Cuban Adjustment Act."
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The facts show that the U.S. has limits of oil, natural gas, water and farmland to grow food for our citizens. The key phrase is: 'Carrying Capacity'. We either work for and attain a sustainable society or suffer the consequences of Bangladesh, India and China's current misery with untenable and unsustainable populations.
For further information on this plan: www.fairus.org and www.numbersusa.com
Listen to Frosty Wooldridge on Wednesdays as he interviews top national leaders on his radio show "Connecting the Dots" at www.themicroeffect.com at 6:00 PM Mountain Time. Adjust tuning in to your time zone.
� 2010 Frosty Wooldridge - All Rights Reserved


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In the article 8 Is Enough: Living With Microsoft's Developer Preview, I wrote about my daily use of the Windows 8 Developer Preview and how I configured the Windows 8 Start Screen to more accurately reflect the way I use the PC. This type of customization is common with Windows users today, of course, but the ways in which we can configure things to our liking is changing yet again in Windows 8.
Consider how you might customize Windows with previous versions. Previous to Windows XP, many users would place common-needed shortcuts right on the Windows desktop, and thanks to the hidden but useful Quick Launch toolbar, power users could place such icons right on the taskbar, for even quicker access. (Even more users, I bet, had desktops full of icons and had little idea how they filled up like that.)
Desktop-based shortcuts are fine, but they're often covered up by the application and Explorer windows we use day in and day out. So in Windows XP, the Quick Launch toolbar was automatically enabled so that even beginners could take advantage of this app launching functionality even if the desktop was covered. And the Start Menu was redesigned for the first time since Windows 95 to include the notion of "pinned" shortcuts for the web browser and email application, providing preference treatment to these then-important apps.
In Windows Vista, you could arbitrarily pin application shortcuts to the top of the Start Menu, and if pinned web browser and email shortcuts weren't your thing, you could more easily remove them.
And then in Windows 7, Microsoft totally rejiggered everything and made the taskbar a full-fledged application launcher, melding shortcuts for favorite and running apps together, much like the Mac OS X Dock. This release set the stage for the removal of the Start Menu in Windows 8, though in Windows 7, you can still pin shortcuts to both the Start Menu and the taskbar, your choice.
And then we get to Windows 8, the biggest change of all. Here, the Start Menu is replaced with a new full-screen Start screen which works much like the Windows 7 taskbar but in a more graphical way, with live, dynamic tiles replacing the static icons of the past. The Windows 8 Start screen, today, is still a bit mysterious and still somewhat unfamiliar. But as I noted in that previous article, it can and should be customized to work the way you do. And since my early move to use Windows 8 full-time, even at this early stage, I've come across a few more tips for making this screen more customized.
Making groups
First, I need to correct an error: In 8 Is Enough: Living With Microsoft's Developer Preview, I wrote that you "can't create or modify the [Start screen] tile groups, not yet, since this feature isn't available in the Developer Preview." That's not true, actually. In my defense, I had just started using the Start screen regularly, and was working off of the knowledge that a special Start screen zooming mode, which allows you to easily modify, move, name, rename groups was not working in the Developer Preview. And it's not. But you can, in fact, still make new tile groups even in the Developer Preview.
Here's how.
From the Start screen, you must first select any tile. With a keyboard and mouse-based PC, you do this by clicking and holding. With a touch-based screen, the action is similar but non-discoverable: You tap, hold and then drag slightly down; you'll know you've got it right when a small checkmark appears just above the top right of the selected tile.
Then, simply drag the selected tile to an area between two exists tile groups. (Or off to either side.) This will create a new tile group, with that single tile. Then you can add other tiles to this new group.
A little to the left...
Pinning items to the Start screen
In 8 Is Enough: Living With Microsoft's Developer Preview, I also noted that I had, for the first time, customized the Start screen to include only those tiles I would actually use regularly. This mimics, I think, the way we work today in Windows 7 and other Windows versions, where we customize the taskbar and/or Start Menu in similar ways.
Deleting tiles is easy enough: You just right-click and then chose Unpin. (Or tap, hold, and drag down slightly with multi-touch.) And then you can use the basic drag and drop skills noted above to create the groups you want, and away you go.
Except for one thing. What if you want to add an application tile to the Start screen? Or what happens when you inadvertently delete the Start screen tile for an application you actually want to use regularly? How do you get it back?
If you look around in the Windows desktop, there's no obvious way. You can right-click shortcuts there, but all you'll see are options for pinning (or unpinning) that item to the Start menu or taskbar. (Both methods still work in Windows 8.) So how do you pin an item to the Start screen?
It turns out it's not all that hard, and in retrospect, it should be obvious that this has to happen from somewhere in the Metro-based Start screen itself. And it does. All you have to do is search for the application you want and then you can pin it from there.
Here's how.
Let's say you want to pin Microsoft Word to the Start screen. To do so, navigate to the Start screen and just start typing: word. (Remember, Start screen search launches automatically when you begin typing while the Start screen is displayed. However, you can also launch search by selecting Search from the Charms menu on a touch-based system.)
As you type, the search screen appears and whittles down the results list. And an entry for Microsoft Word will be available in the search results. Right-click this entry (or, with touch, tap, hold, and slightly drag down) and you'll see two items appear in the command bar at the bottom of the screen. Click (or tap) Pin to pin this item to the Start screen.
This works surprisingly well for most applications. But it doesn't work for everything. You can't pin individual control panels or items like Device Manager to the Start screen; right-clicking them from the search results simply launches them. Many MMC-based interfaces, like the Security Policy Editor (secpol.msc) can't be pinned. And some legacy applications, like the Explorer-based version of Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe), which I mentioned yesterday in 8 Is Enough: Sometimes It's the Little Things, also can't be pinned. I'm not sure why.
Thanks to Chris Moore for the tip about Start screen app pinning.


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Haifa Museum Brings Outsider Artists Inside the World of Israeli Art
When she was seeking out works for what would be the first exhibition of outsider and naive art in Israel, Ruti Direktor, chief curator at the Haifa Museum of Art, received a negative reply from the Collection de l'Art Brut (Collection of Raw Art), in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The administrators of the collection (which was initiated by French artist Jean Dubuffet, who also coined the term "Art Brut") refused to lend artworks to the Haifa Museum, stating that works from the collection would be lent only on the condition that they are exhibited alone and never with naive or folk art.
Direktor, however, was intent on showing local naive and folk artists, as well as established international outsiders, so she proceeded with her initial intention, but the scenario was typical of what could be seen as a purist approach occasionally adopted by those involved in the field of outsider art. For Direktor, who has long been an admirer of that type of art, the distinctions between it and naive and folk art are not quite so distinct.
The resulting exhibition, made up of works on loan from the American Folk Art Museum as well as from private collections, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv's Engel Gallery, presents an exotic mix of 27 international and Israeli outsider, naive and folk artists. The haunted and unsettling works of classic outsiders such as Henry Darger and Morton Bartlett are placed in stark contrast to the more decorative and simpler folkloric forms of Shalom Moskovitz, better known as Shalom of Safed, and Moshe Elnatan, to name but two.
Outsider art first began to attract attention in the early part of the 20th century. Studies carried out by European doctors on patients, who felt compelled to create art, were published in lavishly illustrated books. These studies influenced such artists as Paul Klee, Max Ernst and even Picasso. But Dubuffet, more than any other artist, actively sought out such art and was primarily responsible for bringing it into the public spotlight, eventually amassing a collection that numbers in the thousands and is now permanently housed in the aforementioned museum in Lausanne.
For the most part, these artists were self-taught and worked outside what would be considered art-world norms, having no contact with museums or galleries, and paying little heed to the traditions or techniques of the Western art-historical canon. Many of them were known to have suffered from mental disorders and inhabited society's peripheral regions, living off-the-grid lives, often creating their work in secret, with a quiet, and at times obsessive, determination.
From the outset, the works executed by these artists have been intertwined with their strange life stories, their disturbed inner worlds reflected in the often compulsive stylizations and strange visions of their creations.
For the purposes of the exhibition, Direktor wanted to show connections among outsider, folk and naive art. These are seen particularly with regard to technique — for example, a general disregard for traditional rules of perspective. One of the most striking features seen in the works of several of the outsiders is that of horror vacui, a Latin phrase translated roughly as "fear of empty space," often resulting in no part of the paper or canvas left bare or without a mark. This tendency is seen in the works of Adolf Wolfli, Aloise Corbaz and Carlo Zinelli as well as in the miniatures of Edmund Monsiel.
Several of the artists whose work is exhibited here were diagnosed schizophrenics and were known to have experienced hallucinations and visions. The concentrated array of figures, faces and designs, seen particularly in the works of Wolfli and Monsiel, are rendered with a seemingly obsessive attention to detail.
The paintings of Minnie Evans and Henry Darger feature wonderfully vibrant colors. Of all the artists exhibited, it is Darger whose works are likely to attract the most attention. Having been confined to what was referred to as an "institution for feeble-minded children" for the greater part of his youth, Darger lived as a virtual recluse for the remainder of his life. Through an illustrated and voluminous manuscript stretching more than 15,000 pages and several hundred paintings, Darger created one of the strangest and most convoluted oeuvres in art history.
In the large-scale paintings presented, Darger's apocalyptic tale plays itself out against a backdrop of Civil War battlefields and pastoral landscapes. The lead characters, a group of seven named The Vivian Girls, lead hordes of young girls in an ongoing struggle against an evil regime. Darger's storylike scenarios are fascinating and beautifully colored; the whole effect is a kind of dark fairy tale.
For all the strangeness and singularly personal visions seen in the outsider works, none is quite as eerie or disturbing as the 15 photographic works on show by Bartlett. He is considered an outsider photographer, although this description does not quite accurately describe the elaborate process involved in his work. A graphic designer by profession, he devoted his spare time to fashioning a series of made-to-scale, remarkably lifelike dolls, which he then photographed, the end product being a kind of theatrically staged scenario.
His only subjects, young boys and girls alternatively naked or clothed in cutesy attire and arranged in a variety of childlike poses, gave voice to hearsay, never confirmed, about his sexual preferences. These rumors were in no little way helped by Bartlett's own statement about his creations: "My hobby is sculpting in plaster. Its purpose is that of all proper hobbies — to let out urges that do not find expression in other channels," he wrote in 1957. The photographs and the figures make the viewer uncomfortable, yet have a strangely compelling power. It is as if we have stumbled onto a peep show, or a carnival sideshow, meant only for its creator's eyes.
The best works of the outsiders, for all their originality and vitality, reveal off-kilter and, at times, insular mind-states. The inclusion of the local naive and folk artists and the more idyllic scenes rendered in their work have a charm and lightness not present in the more intense visualizations of the outsiders. The world of folk and naive art, referred to as the peaceable kingdom by the art critic Harold Rosenberg, is a more innocent and decorative place.
The story of Shalom Moscovitz, also known as Shalom of Safed, the best known of the local artists on view, has become part of Israeli art world folklore. Moscovitz was an artisan who worked as a scribe, a stonecutter and a billboard painter, to name only a few of the trades to which he applied himself. His vividly colorful paintings incorporated biblical scenes and the local landscape, often placing them in horizontal rows atop one another in a manner similar to Egyptian hieroglyphic formations.
The painter Yosl Bergner, who at the time also lived in Safed, discovered Moscovitz. As the story goes, while visiting Tel Aviv, Bergner chanced upon some wooden toys that had been carved by Moscovitz. Inquiring as to their maker, he was told it was a religious man living in his very town. After his return, Bergner met with Moscovitz, brought him paints and paper and encouraged him to take up painting. The two men remained in contact until Moscovitz's death, in 1980.
The colorful scenes in Moscovitz's paintings give way to more muted hues in the paintings of Shimshon Lemberger and Natan Heber. Both were born in Poland and immigrated to Palestine in the 1930s. Bittersweet memories of the Old Country are evoked in scenes of family life, such as Lemberger's "Baking Shmurah Matza." This is not, however, the shtetl of the bustling marketplace or joyfully dancing Hasidim, but a more somber place where blank faces seem to peer out at us from town squares or while engaged in their daily tasks.
Naive and outsider traditions find a meeting point of sorts in the work of Nissim Kahalon, presented in a series of photographs and documentary video footage. Admittedly far less grandiose, Kahalon's self-constructed habitat is nevertheless akin to extraordinary structures such as Ferdinand Cheval's Le Palais Ideal in Hauterives, France, and Nek Chand Saini's Rock Garden of Chandigarh, India.
Using local sandstone, found materials and a process of trial and error, Kahalon has built and decorated his home and many variously shaped structures, tunnels and sculptures in and around the area between cliff and beach at Seidne Ali, in Herzliya. Kahalon has worked for the best part of 40 years constructing a unique artistic and ecological environment for himself and his family.
The sheer originality in Kahalon's endeavor and indeed in most of the artworks in the exhibition is what continually attracts us to outsider and folk art. Their works, which more often than not went undiscovered or acknowledged during their lives, can now be seen in major art museums throughout the world, prompting some art critics and academics to call for these works to be integrated into the collections of the modern art pantheon.
Can the best of Darger, Wolfli and Bartlett, not to mention others, and the best that folk art has to offer, stand beside the work of such artists as Picasso, Ernst and Klee? Certainly, on the evidence of this exhibition, the works more than hold their own.
Graham Lawson is a freelance writer based in Tel Aviv. He writes articles connected to the Israeli art scene.