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CoreXY Design
Axis orientation for those uncertain for a CoreXY
I purchased this from a user on E-Bay that lost interest… I was able to save some monies because of that. Essentially the printer came in a box of parts with bolts, steppers and 3D printed material. Directions for assembly can be found on the URL from Thingiverse.
No real secrets here to assembling the materials.. just read the manual.
I wasn't impressed with the Z Axis mount so I thought while I was building it that linear slides would be a better idea.. in fact they are a great idea but mounting them was a huge pain. The linear blocks mount from the top and the extrusion mount from the ends so they mount together butting up to each other. So I had to make a connecting piece from some aluminum on the CNC.
AutoCad drawing and MasterCam drawings..
Post installation after cutting the Z axis mount to length.
My first exposure to a 3D print failing, in this case the print in itself was inaccurate (up for debate) causing the fail but you can see it fails along the print line.
So mechanically the machine is now together and it's time for the electronics.. I chose the DuetWifi due to its popularity and for its gcode based setup and configuration not to mention its stepper drivers and great support. The box came with all the necessary connectors but I warn you that you have to crimp all the wires yourself as is to be expected.
All the stepper motors were wired, I use a dual Z setup and that means the 2 connectors on the far right of the board will be utilized, I also had to remove a jumper for that configuration. This is where I started to run into my first issues on the project, mostly because of the learning curve, because I had nothing but problems with the configuration and also mainly with the machine end stops. So, by default the Duet comes with the following file structure, which is fine by me. After reviewing the Duet home page I realized there was an update available. The update requires some file copying to the SD card, so I would recommend having a way to write directly to the card using another PC or laptop. I simply replaced the files that were required by the update and all went well.
By default this is what was on the card after saving the file:
; Axis and motor configuration
M569 P0 S1 ; Drive 0 goes forwards
M569 P1 S1 ; Drive 1 goes forwards
M569 P2 S1 ; Drive 2 goes forwards
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 goes forwards
M569 P4 S1 ; Drive 4 goes forwards
M574 X2 Y2 Z2 S1 ; set endstop configuration (all endstops at high end, active high)
;*** The homed height is deliberately set too high in the following – you will adjust it during calibration
M665 R105.6 L215.0 B85 H250 ; set delta radius, diagonal rod length, printable radius and homed height
M666 X0 Y0 Z0 ; put your endstop adjustments here, or let auto calibration find them
M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16:16 I1 ; Set 16x microstepping with interpolation
M92 X80 Y80 Z80 ; Set axis steps/mm
M906 X1000 Y1000 Z1000 E800 I60 ; Set motor currents (mA) and increase idle current to 60%
M201 X1000 Y1000 Z1000 E1000 ; Accelerations (mm/s^2)
M203 X20000 Y20000 Z20000 E3600 ; Maximum speeds (mm/min)
M566 X1200 Y1200 Z1200 E1200 ; Maximum instant speed changes mm/minute
My real problems started when I tried to set the motor information and the end stops. I utilized the RepRap configurator on the following URL and its really a pretty cool utility but you must know what you're doing, no guessing here.
ultimately I ended up with this in my config.g
; Drives
M569 P0 S0 ; Drive 0 goes backwards
M569 P1 S0 ; Drive 1 goes backwards
M569 P2 S1 ; Drive 2 goes forwards
M569 P3 S1 ; Drive 3 goes forwards
M350 X16 Y16 Z16 E16 I1 ; Configure microstepping with interpolation
M92 X100 Y100 Z1600 E100 ; Set steps per mm
M566 X900 Y900 Z12 E1200 ; Set maximum instantaneous speed changes (mm/min)
M203 X12000 Y12000 Z360 E2500 ; Set maximum speeds (mm/min)
M201 X500 Y500 Z200 E500 ; Set accelerations (mm/s^2)
M906 X800 Y800 Z800 E800 I30 ; Set motor currents (mA) and motor idle factor in per cent
; Endstops
M574 X1 Y2 Z1 S1 ; Set active low endstops
M558 P0 X0 Y0 Z0 H5 F120 T6000 ; Set Z probe type to switch, the axes for which it is used and the dive height + speeds
;G31 P600 X0 Y0 Z2.5 ; Set Z probe trigger value, offset and trigger height
;M557 X15:285 Y15:310 S20 ; Define mesh grid
Here's my advice, read the config.g file line by line, understand it and then make your changes. There is no fast way to do this…
So, I thought I was done with the configuration after using the configurator.. not! My first attempt to home the machine was a disaster… all the steppers are moving simultaneously when only a single axis should be moving, not large distances either. As it approached the end stops it continued to run right through them like they weren't there and then the axis belts started slipping, not good. I checked the end stop wiring, verified that I had all the "correct" lights on the Duet (red, blue, green) and so I ruled that out.
I checked that the switches triggered in the Duet control panel, they did.
videos of the dilemma..
After a bit of reading and posting on the forums I was able to determine the problem ultimately was with the switches themselves. The switches that I bought unknowingly are for a different printer design and are normally open (NO) switches, meaning that a signal is not sent until the switch is closed. For safety reasons it makes more sense to use a normally closed (NC) switch so that any interruption of the switch and the axis will stop movement.
So, since the switches were already installed, mounted on printed parts and wired I decided to use the existing switches and simply modify them. I cut the traces next C1 and both the LED and R1 and I simply use them as a 2 wire switches now.
I also made changes to each of the homing axes (homex.g/homey.g/homez.g/homeall.g) config files from what was generated by the configurator.
G91 ; relative positioning
G1 X-305 F2000 S1 ; move to limit
G1 X6 F2000 ; Offset to correct zero position.
G90 ; absolute positioning
G91 ; Relative positioning
G1 Y305 F2000 S1 ;Run into stop
G1 Y10 F100 S1 ;Run into slowly
G1 Y-3 F2000 ; Offset to correct high limit position.
G91 ; Relative positioning
G1 Z-350 S1 F300 ; Move Z down until the switch triggers
G1 Z-5 S1 F150 ; Move Z down until the switch triggers
G90 ; Back to absolute positioning
G92 Z2.5 ; Tell the firmware where we are
; homeall.g
; called to home all axes
; Relative positioning
G91 ; relative positioning
G1 X-305 F2000 S1 ; move to limit
G1 X6 F2000 ; Offset to correct zero position.
G90 ; absolute positioning
G92 X0 ; Tell the firmware where we are
G91 ; Relative positioning
G1 Y305 F2000 S1 ;Run into stop
G1 Y10 F100 S1 ;Run into slowly
G1 Y-3 F2000 ; Offset to correct high limit position.
G92 Y305 ; Tell the firmware where we are
G91 ; Relative positioning
G1 Z-350 S1 F300 ; Move Z down until the switch triggers
G1 Z-5 S1 F150 ; Move Z down until the switch triggers
G90 ; Back to absolute positioning
G92 Z2.5 ; Tell the firmware where we are
after those changes were made – a successful homing!!
Now onto the heated bed… the kit I bought came with a Lulzbot 24v heater along with an .250 aluminum plate. It is designed to stick directly to the bottom of the plate, peel and stick, nothing special here, This heater has the thermistor already built in but I may look at adding an additional external thermistor and some type of safety setup in the future.
After the bed was installed, I went ahead and started working on tuning the bed heater. Essentially your setting up the Duet control board to be able to control the bed temperature since heaters come in different designs and heat capabilities, this process matches them up.
The tuning process goes like this on the Duet.. Submit a M303 command on the Duet with the device number and the maximum temperature, then use the M303 command to see what those numbers were. You then take those numbers and modify your config.g file.
M303 H1 S240 ; auto tune heater 1, default PWM, 240C target or maximum temperature M303 ; report the auto-tune status or last result
Here is what mine looked like the first time I ran it using a 110c setting, I wasn't sure what to expect so I went conservative… the bed rating is for 120C.
In essence what this did was send the M303 command to tune heater 0 to 110C. So, it turned on the heater then immediately turned off, what!!! I tried it again and again with the same results… as I progressed through trying to diagnose the problem I realized that any attempt to turn on the heater promptly sent a grounding error.
So I verified the heater was reading correctly at about 1.2 – 1.4 ohms and not shorted.
So the heater is good. I also checked the Duet output and it was putting out 24v… After eliminating the bed heater I finally figured that the PS was failing. I was ready to order a new one but realized I had another new PS for another project but at a lower rating than what I needed, so I tried it out and low and behold it worked!! Definitely a PS supply problem but the one I got for the printer was brand new…???? I took another look at the failing PS and realized I failed to check that the power supply setting was correctly set for 110v. The power supply was set to 220v and not for 110v, ugh!! Curious why the steppers were working.. but it seems as soon as the heater started putting a load on the P.S. it checked out.
Ultimately I added the following to the config.g file
I needed to mount the Duet board and figure out what to do with the power supply since I couldn't leave everything sitting on the floor of the machine so I decided to mount the board on the side of the machine. I made a quick aluminum frame from some angle aluminum I had and mounted away.
a little more tidying..
I chose and E3D V6 for the hot end.. installation was pretty straight forward, the website at E3d has good instructions and I didn't have any problems assembling from them. The hot end tip is tightened at extrusion temperature and that process is simply to seat the hot end to the heat break to eliminate leakage.
Tuning the hot end is the same as tuning the hot bed just make sure you tune the correct heater (H0 or H1). Make sure you tune it with both the part fan and the hot end fan running
M307 H1 S250 is what I ran for my E3d V6 and the result was as follows
M307 H1 Heater 1 model: gain 324.6, time constant 134.8, dead time 3.7, in use: yes
Added to my config.g, the B0 parameter tells the system to use PID.
Setting up the steps on the Extruder was next. This was a little harder to configure as you need to correctly calculate the steps the extruder will be pushing/pulling the material. I followed Triffids Hunter's guide and in my case the calculation was as follows as:
e_steps_per_mm = (motor_steps_per_rev * driver_microstep) / (hob_effective_diameter * pi)
(200 * 16) / (7 * 3.14159)
145.51 = 3,200 / 21.99113
This is a good starting point. To test the extrusion you have to mark your filament so that you're able to measure the amount that is used as it is fed through the extruder. Its good to use a round number like 100mm or 150mm. I heated the hot end on my machine and used the intake side of the Bowden extruder to measure 100mm of filament and marked it with a marker
I then set the feed on the extruder to 1mm and then ran 100mm, then I measured the amount of material that was left or in some cases how much was fed in past the mark. I then adjusted the calculated steps and adjusted the number using the following formula.
new_e_steps = old_e_steps * (100 / distance_actually_moved)
rinse and repeat until the mark on the filament lines up with the intake side of the Bowden extruder. this will give you an estimated feed for the extruder there is a fine adjustment needed after I got things rolling.
Directly from Triffids guide:
E Steps Fine Tuning
Now, with everything very close to ideal values, we can finally dial E steps in that final little bit!
Find an object with flat tops on a number of levels, such as this cube stack test (scale this object by 250% after loading in Slic3r)
Slice at 95% rectilinear infill. Use the lowest layer height you're comfortable with – the lower the layer height used for this test, the finer your resulting E steps calibration will be. I use 0.2mm for first run, and if I'm feeling ambitious I'll repeat this process at 0.1mm.
Ignore the first 5-6 layers because they're too sensitive to the exact height of the first layer. If it's obviously over-filling or under-filling, alter E steps or Z=0 point and restart the print.
Observe infill. If you can't see tiny little gaps between the lines, reduce E steps by 0.5% every 2 layers until you can see tiny gaps.
Observe solid top layers. If you can see tiny gaps, increase E steps by 0.5% every 2 layers until there's no gaps in the top.
Send the new E steps to your printer with M92 Ennn without even pausing the print – you will see the result in a couple of layers when the change is this small.
Goto 5 until the infill has tiny gaps AND the solid top layers do not.
Now, your E steps value is extremely fine-tuned! Save this value in your firmware's configuration and flash to make permanent.
I needed a precise way to zero the Z axis and after some though I decided to purchase Piezo setup from Precision Piezo.
A current view of the machine progress.. the extruder needs to be setup and finalized and then I think I'm ready to attempt to print something… I think a calibration square.


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Video Learning Center - Healthcare Providers
Substance Use #1 Health Issue
As a healthcare provider, you are a trusted source for parents. You play a key role in helping to reduce a child's chances of developing a drug or alcohol problem. This video learning center is designed with you in mind and introduces simple, quick and effective ways to integrate substance use prevention into your practice.
Our Video Learning Center for healthcare providers is possible thanks to generous donations and a grant from:

subset: commoncrawl


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Patient Opinion
If you have experienced care and treatment from NHS Shetland recently, either as a patient or as a carer or friend, you can share your experience, good or bad, on Patient Opinion. They will then pass your comments to the Board so they can respond and make changes if necessary. This is a great way for NHS to find out if there things that could be improved and to hear people's suggestions.
Please visit the Patient Opinion website. On the Patient Opinion website anyone can:
- See what other patients are saying about the healthcare that each Board is providing
- Share their story so that others can learn from their experience
- See how health services have responded to comments from others
More details can also be seen on Voluntary Action Shetland's website at http://www.shetland-communities.org.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-06inew0cj.RefLocID-06i00w00u01n001.Lang-EN.htm


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Other Work
Wellington Waterfront – Waitangi Park Civil Works
Civil works for the complete reconfiguring of the prominent Waitangi Park. Work included demolition & salvage, asbestos removal, excavation for graving dock & park, preparation for concrete work & roading, asphalt paths, drainage, limechip paths, silt control in the sea, work within tidal timeframes, GPS survey for as-builts, & specialised drainage.
- 20 000 m3 cut to waste
- 3 000 m3 contaminated material cart to WCC landfill
- 10 000 m3 import fill
- 5 000 m3 base course
- Difficult excavation to skate bowl and around new concrete piles & beams
Roading Construction
- Nil
- Drainage for power, telecom, & lighting ducting
- Specialist drainage in wetlands area consisting of a drainage network laid to grade as part of the overall filtration system. It was multilayered pipework.
Innovative Work
- Silt control in the sea. RGS designed and built a floating boom to contain silt.
- Truck wash designed and built by RGS
Landscape Work
- Subgrading and shaping of Powhiri mounds
- Playing field subgrade prep
- Placed topsoil in treepits for Excell
- Placed sand in wetland areas prior to planting
- Asbestos roofing needing specialist removal
- Demolition of steel gantry's
- Demolition of old concrete and timber wharf
Memorial Park Interim Landscaping Project
Civil works for interim landscaping at Memorial Park. Objective was to improve the setting of the National War Museum and strengthen the heritage value of the area.
- Multitudes of underground services to contend with
- 1170 m3 of hard fill, 783m3 of lime chip, 204m3 of topsoil
- 70m of dish channels and various other concrete works
- 150m of storm water drainage
- Complicated and custom built bollard construction and installation
Innovative Work
- Bollards were installed with an offset of 10o, a digital protractor was used to install bollards at the correct angles.
- Bollards had to be installed over existing services so holes were made shallower and wider to accommodate services
- Welded on reinforcing connections so no bolt heads were visible
Landscape Work
- Management of asphalt paths
- Sub grading and shaping of embankment
- Top course finishing at the rear of the job
Planning and Control
- Work commenced on the 7th March 2011 with a timeframe of 6 weeks, this was shortened to 5 weeks so that work was completed before Anzac Day Services
- Work was completed with no rework required
- The project was close to a busy road with a heavy public presence and next door to a school. No Health and Safety issues were raised on this site.
Machinery Used
- Excavators – 20 tonne tracked, 14 tonne rubber tyre, 4 tonne tracked
- Belly grader with laser control
- 14 tonne and 4 tonne rollers
- Bobcat
- Truck and Trailer's
Spicer Forest Tree Harvesting
Road widening and improvements to the Spicer Forest Access Track for construction vehicles and equipment to access the Mill Creek Windfarm project.
- Formation and metalling road surfaces
- Formation of logging roads
- Sealing road
- 25x DEB structures built over the 2.4km length of road
- Construction of skid sites
- Tree felling by hand
- Extract trees and drag to skid sites for processing
- Mulching slash from trees
- Removal of stumps in access alignment
- Splitting of stumps and mulching
- Transport logs from site
- Tight timeframe to allow Mill Creek windfarm construction to start on time


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High-flex tires
Farm equipment is getting larger so farmers can cover more acres faster. But this means more weight on the vehicles, which leads to soil compaction. Soil compaction robs crop yields.
To tackle this problem, tire makers are developing new tire technologies to transfer the weight across a larger area. As a result, tires today are up to 7.5 ft. tall, 4 ft. wide and have more flexible sidewalls that can withstand heavier weights than standard radials. The bigger the footprint, the tighter the pressure applied to the ground. A good analogy of this concept is that a 100-lb. woman in high-heeled shoes exerts more weight per square inch than a 200-lb. man in work boots.
New tire technologies include increased flexion (IF), very high flexion (VF), and radial plus (R+). Tires with these technologies can be run at 20 to 40% lower air pressures than standard radial tires, which creates a longer footprint. – Jodie Wehrspann
Imagine pulling up on your mobile computer a map that shows where all your vehicles are operating and their fuel levels, how much product has been applied or how much crop harvested, and even if a piece of equipment is ready to break down.
This type of Big Brother look is now possible with telematic products that allow navigation, prescription application, location and other data to be transferred easily to and from farm machinery. These systems help farmers improve efficiencies on high-priced equipment.
Early this year, Trimble introduced Farm Works Dispatch, asset tracking software and the new DCM-300 modem. Together with Farm Works Dispatch, the modem provides access to real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections from its VRS Now network and enables wireless transfer of information.
Raven's new software development platform will allow software companies to integrate their software into the Slingshot suite of wireless products and services, which includes RTK correction, data transfer, remote support and high-speed Internet access. Several software providers have already signed up.
These introductions join new and updated telematics products by AGCO (AgCommand and AgCommand Advanced), and John Deere (JDLink Select and JDLink Ultimate). – David Hest
Soil and crop sensors
More farm equipment today is being outfitted with smart sensors that can read everything from plant health and water needs in the crop to nitrogen levels in the soil. The sensors then enable on-the-go application of inputs based on real-time field conditions.
The newest area of sensor use is in irrigation where the sensors measure water needs. Sensors help optimize water use and avoid yield loss, according to Viacheslav Adamchuk, ag engineer, McGill University.
New optical-sensing technologies for determining crop health include Trimble's GreenSeeker, Topcon's CropSpec, and Ag Leader's Opt-Rx. These intelligent systems measure light reflectance from the crop that translates into nitrogen levels. Electronic controllers connected to the sensors then signal application systems to apply the correct amount of nitrogen the crop needs.
Sensor technology also is available to measure soil features like soil electrical conductivity, ground elevation, organic matter content and even pH. For example, Veris Technologies, Geonics and Dualem all make different types of soil sensors.
Another type of sensing system is satellite or aerial imaging, called remote sensing. These satellites shoot images of key agricultural areas every three to four days to note differences in crop health. Growers can then apply nutrients based on a prescription from the satellite images.
Experts in this area expect an explosion in use of sensor technology in the next five years once costs come down and farmers realize a return on investment. – Jodie Wehrspann and Karen McMahon
Highly efficient ethanol production
"Ethanol biorefineries operate in a constant state of change," states the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). With technologies such as fractionation and biomass gasification, ethanol producers have greatly reduced the amount of fossil fuel energy needed to produce ethanol and distillers grains.
When ethanol was first produced in the 1970s, the production process was highly inefficient. More energy was used to produce ethanol than ethanol produced when used. This negative energy factor has changed drastically so that, today, it is now positive. According to POET's Erin Heupel, the ratio of energy produced by ethanol compared to energy needed to make ethanol is 2.3 to 1.
Many ethanol plants also have cut their use of fresh water. The plants use pretreated water from water treatment facilities or more efficient water technologies. The RFA reports that, since 2001, ethanol producers have reduced water requirements by 26%. Many plants use less than 3 gal. of water to produce 1 gal. of ethanol as well as distillers grains. POET is working to further reduce water consumption to 2.33 gal./1 gal. of ethanol produced. – Lynn Grooms
Mini-chromosome technology
Corn trait technology could be in for a revolution, and it's coming in a small package. Mini-chromosome technology promises to deliver multiple stacked traits in a single corn hybrid faster and more efficiently than today's stacking technologies. The technology, developed by Syngenta and Chromatin, constructs in the lab a new mini-chromosome that contains a given trait or traits.
Stacking could involve not just three, five or eight traits in a single corn hybrid, but dozens, if not hundreds, of specific traits. And because the corn plant's original chromosomes are not being altered, regulatory approval could be sped up by two years over current technology.
"As we start to look at the complex traits like drought tolerance and nitrogen-use efficiency, there are additional traits that must be added," says Roger Kemble, Syngenta Biotechnology. "This technology allows us to add these traits faster and more precisely than we can now."
While the technology is still in its early stages, field trials have already been conducted with corn hybrids developed with this technology. "And by the end of the decade, I see mini-chromosome technology as the primary trait transfer technology used in corn," Kemble says. – Mark Moore
BUS technology
Ten years ago, it wasn't uncommon to have up to five displays in a tractor cab with a stream of wires hanging out the back window connecting the tractor to the implements it controlled. Today, those monitors have morphed into one screen called a virtual terminal. The wires have combined to form one big cable called a binary unit system (BUS) that plugs into any brand of implement.
The enabling technology is called ISOBUS, a communication protocol based on the agricultural electronics standards ISO 11783 and Controller Area Network or CANBUS technology.
"CANBUS provides a medium for everything to connect together," explains David Kuhnel, engineer with Dickey-john. "ISOBUS provides the language and protocols for information to be exchanged on the BUS so that you have connectivity between tractor and implement."
Farm machinery makers agreed to implement this protocol in 2001.
"ISOBUS has been quite successful in achieving its initial goals," states Matt Darr, ag engineer, Iowa State University. "The virtual terminal is available from many manufacturers and has enhanced tractor and implement compatibility. For example, you can hook a Deere air cart to a Case IH tractor, or a TeeJet spray controller to a Deere tractor.
"For producers, this is a huge step forward," he continues. "You're not going to get charged an extra $5,000 for a display when it is likely that you have everything you already need." – Jodie Wehrspann
Expect to see more biological pest control and growth enhancements as farmers look for more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient crop inputs. Advanced technologies, such as high-throughput screening, are also helping companies to quickly multiply beneficial organisms, thus driving development of new biologicals.
Products like Bayer CropScience's biological nematicide Votivo, and the Harpin Alpha Beta protein for early plant growth in Monsanto's Acceleron, seed treatment are examples of biologicals being promoted by large crop protection companies. Advanced Biological Marketing is integrating its Induced Gene Expression Triggers (iGET) technology into several of its products (such as SabrEx, root inoculant for corn).
Biofungicides such as Becker Underwood's Vault HP, and AgraQuest's Ballad Plus, are used to protect soybeans. Becker Underwood introduced Polymer 1172-O, a water soluble seed polymer designed to bind biological performance enhancers and seed protectants onto seed in organic production systems.
Novozymes BioAg has focused on biofertility products but plans to expand into biopesticides. Moreover, Novozymes recently announced that it agreed to acquire EMD/Merck Crop BioScience, which has a long history of biofertility product development. – Lynn Grooms
Hyper precision
Precision agriculture technologies are becoming more robust and more precise, ushering in an era of hyper precision.
The widespread adoption of RTK navigation systems is driving the hyper precision era. This has occurred as the cost of RTK navigation systems continues to fall and radio- and/or cellular-based correction networks have come online practically everywhere in the Corn Belt.
With RTK navigation in hand, precise seeding and fertilizer applications have become a reality. Manufacturers are introducing controllers, drives and shutoff systems with ever-finer resolution and the ability to apply multiple products at variable rates.
Controlled traffic systems, such as strip till, also become a reality. The same goes for on-the-fly installation of drainage tile, and more.
"Accuracy is addictive," says Matt Darr, Iowa State University precision ag specialist. "It unlocks a lot of new potential — things that really add value back to the farm." – David Hest
Automated grain off-loading
Navigation systems that automatically guide grain carts alongside combines to improve on-the-go cart filling may be just around the corner. The same concept also could soon be in play with forage-harvesting systems.
"These systems will make it easier to fill a grain cart or wagon automatically," says John Fulton, a precision agriculture specialist at Auburn University. "I think a 10 to 15% improvement in harvest efficiency through improved off-loading is achievable. It may be even higher for some folks. Improved efficiency on that scale could have a tremendous impact financially."
Fulton says tethered systems probably will be driven by the controller and navigation system on the combine or forage harvester. The systems are likely to use GPS/GNSS navigation to align the cart and control its ground speed relative to the harvester. Integrated sonic and/or visual sensors would be used to monitor the cart or wagon to assure efficient filling.
"It can be hard for an operator to both drive and watch the entire loading process of the cart or wagon," Fulton says. "Remote video camera systems can definitely help out, but the operator must still drive and make decisions. With an automated system, the operator doesn't have to make all those judgments." As a result, it's more likely that cart or wagon capacity will be fully used and that slowdowns during off-loading will be minimized.
It's unclear when these integrated harvest navigation systems will be introduced, but Fulton says that research is well under way. "I would suspect most every large self-propelled forage-harvesting equipment and combine manufacturer is working on this type of automated solution," says Fulton, who has seen prototypes at European farm shows. – David Hest
Pervasive automation
Reid Hamre, AGCO, uses the phrase "pervasive automation" to explain all the new product features that reduce operator workload. Growers should expect these types of automation to largely take over operation of equipment in the future. The new automated features allow operators to do more jobs with less strain and more accuracy because human error is eliminated.
Some of the features, according to Hamre, include GPS steering, GPS headlands turning, conventional headlands programmable automation, automatic balers, automation of operator control of combines and forage harvesters, and automation of tractor operator functions like intelligent power management.
"ISOBUS-ready tractors, balers, combines and implements that plug-and-play with each other could be viewed as part of this," Hamre adds.
Barry Nelson with John Deere agrees: "As new technology continues to move forward in the ag industry, there will be more efforts to improve precision guidance systems, telematics, digital information for operators in combines and tractors, and an increase in overall digital management tools for large producers such as JDLink." – Jodie Wehrspann and Karen McMahon
Electric drive systems
Someday farmers will see tractors, sprayers and other farm vehicles generate electric power to run auxiliaries and attachments. This move will occur as farm vehicles become larger and more complex. It takes extra engine power to operate all these extra features.
Electrification should start appearing after Tier 4 engines are fully developed and introduced. Equipment manufacturers have invested large portions of research and development budgets to meet the stringent EPA emissions guidelines. That money will open up in a few years.
A few manufacturers already have completed work on electrification. AGCO displayed a concept electric drive package on a RoGator last year at a farm show. The 311-hp vehicle was equipped with a 650v electric generator that sent power to electric wheel motors.
AGCO reports the prototype RoGator produces 30% more power to the ground and a 20% savings in fuel with the electric generator and motors. Disadvantages include extra weight from the generator and motors along with cost of the components.
At a European farm show in 2007, John Deere showed a prototype tractor that produced electricity. The 7530 E-Premium featured a crankshaft-driven electric generator, which replaced the standard alternator. The generator was attached to the engine flywheel to produce 20 kW of electricity. A few of the features operated with electricity were air conditioning, engine cooling and air brakes. – Karen McMahon
Autonomous vehicles
"Guidance assistance and autosteer have had a major impact on the agricultural industry," states Ian Yule, Massey University, New Zealand. "Within 15 years, we have gone from a simple lightbar indicator to fully automated control of tractors and implements."
Autonomous or robotic vehicles could be the next big change in controlled steering technology. Gradually, ag equipment manufacturers are showing peeks at their work on robotic equipment.
For example, several years ago, John Deere released a photo of its robotic prototype tractor. This past summer, Deere demonstrated a robotic utility vehicle designed for the U.S. military. The robotic UV is equipped with Deere's off-the-shelf ag guidance components. It can be controlled remotely or operated autonomously through software that helps it detect obstacles and either move around them or go another way.
Recently, AGCO and Topcon announced they are working together on technology for autonomous vehicles. At Ag Connect Expo, the companies discussed their early research and displayed a device called LiDar that can be used with an autonomous farm vehicle. See video at Farm Industry News .
Other ag engineers at universities and manufacturers have worked for years on technology to operate equipment without a human operator. Although many problems (like cost) currently prevent this technology from reaching a farmer's field, breakthroughs in design are bound to happen. – Karen McMahon
Nitrogen utilization
The extreme price fluctuations of nitrogen fertilizer have not been lost on seed companies. They currently are developing corn hybrids with the ability to better use available nitrogen.
"With nitrogen costs at the level of seed costs for corn producers, nitrogen utilization will get the market's attention," says Bob Nielsen, professor of agronomy, Purdue University. "Much will depend on how the trait is expressed — producing the same amount of corn with less applied nitrogen or improved yield with the same amount of nitrogen."
Major seed companies including Monsanto are now conducting research on nitrogen utilization. "We are working to collect the data and develop the understanding of the mechanism of how we can increase corn yield at existing nitrogen levels or maintain corn yield with reduced nitrogen levels," says Steve Padgette, vice president of biotechnology, Monsanto. "Our team is working to identify products to take to the next level of our development pipeline and ultimately to regulatory testing." – Mark Moore
4G networks
Farmers frustrated by lack of access to higher-speed Internet services could find themselves in the Internet fast lane in the next couple of years, because of 4G (fourth generation) cellular communications networks.
Although a variety of technologies will be harnessed, the new 4G networks will be the most important in deploying high-speed Internet services in rural areas, according to a network communications analyst.
"Four G is the most promising technology for a ubiquitous high-speed Internet experience at a reasonable price point," says Ken Rehbehn, an analyst for the Boston-based Yankee Group, which tracks global connectivity trends. Typically, 4G systems provide download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to 1.5 Mbps, at most, for 3G systems.
The build-out of 4G networks by Verizon, AT & T, Sprint and others is just getting under way. The early 4G introductions have been in urban areas. But coverage will move out into rural areas as more aggressive cellular providers seek a seamless coverage umbrella coast to coast.
Although it took years for 3G networks to proliferate in rural areas, the growth of the 4G system will be faster, Rehbehn says. That's because many cellular providers for 4G services will use the 700-megahertz (MHz) radio spectrum, which was formerly used to broadcast analog television signals. It has roughly twice the reach of the radio spectrum used by earlier cellular communications networks. This reduces deployment costs and speeds the build-out.
Verizon will lead the way in developing rural coverge, Rehbehn predicts. "In order to get a comprehensive roaming footprint across the U.S., Verizon will move very quickly," he says. "It may take into 2012 to get every nook and cranny built out."
Fiber optic cable and higher-speed fixed wireless systems also will contribute to higher speed Internet access in some rural areas, Reh-behn says. Satellite-based Internet services are likely to be left behind.
"It's expensive to launch a satellite, so costs to provide extra bandwidth are high," Rehbehn says. "That is a major impediment." – David Hest
Herbicide-tolerance traits
Herbicide-tolerance trait technology will be a big player in corn and soybean production for many years, especially with the appearance of two new traits coming to the market soon. Dicamba- and 2,4-D-tolerant traits are in the final stages of development and will offer producers an alternative to Roundup Ready and Liberty Link.
How rapidly these new technologies will be adopted will depend on the spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds.
But the linchpin for these new products may not be in the technology, but the chemical formulations in development. Companies are working to develop new formulations that tackle spray drift and volatilization, both concerns with current dicamba and 2,4-D products. "We know these herbicides are more active at rates associated with drift than most other products; thus they pose a bigger risk to non-target crops and other plants on the landscape," says Bob Hartzler, extension weed management specialist at Iowa State University.
Assuming that both technologies gain approval at the same time, the battle to capture acres quickly may determine which products get a leg up.
"A majority of dealers will likely not want to deal with the logistics of handling both dicamba and 2,4-D products," Hartzler says. "That would mean separate sprayers, more products to handle, and more paperwork to ensure fields are properly tracked. The marketing battle on the ground will be interesting." – Mark Moore
Mobile computing
Portable computers and smartphones are destined to widely populate farm tractor cabs, pickups and offices in the future.
Apple's iPhone (which now is available through Verizon as well as AT & T) and smartphones using Google's Android operating system are becoming the cellular communicators of choice for many farmers. That's despite the reality that few of the tens of thousands of phone applications are specific to agriculture.
Sales of tablet computers, like Apple's iPad, are expected to grow dramatically. Sales will be fueled by a raft of new touch-screen tablets introduced in early 2011 that run a customized version of Google's Android operating system. In coming weeks and months, you can expect to see new Android tablets from Dell, Acer, Asus, LG, Motorola, MSI, Samsung, Sharp, ZTE and others.
Ag-specific mobile computers continue to be based on the Windows operating system. This allows them to run Windows-based software that dominates the agriculture market. Ag Leader, Farm Works and SST have recently introduced new Windows Mobile rugged handhelds with enhanced features, including more powerful processors, GPS, high-resolution cameras and built-in wireless and cellular communications capabilities. For even more computing horsepower, Farm Works also offers the Yuma ruggedized tablet computer, which runs the full Windows 7 operating system. – David Hest
RFID technology
Radio frequency identification, or RFID, has been widely used in livestock to identify animals. But global futurist Jack Uldrich says use of the tagging technology will expand to crops as the technology gets exponentially better, faster and cheaper.
"These are really small computer chips that will allow consumers to track individual products from cradle to grave," he says. The futurist added that consumers will want to know how farmers grow their corn and soybeans and what inputs they are using to determine whether they are environmental stewards. "Consumers are going to have access to all of this information," Aldrich says.
Iowa State's Matt Darr says the hay-baling market has entered this arena. "AGCO, Case IH, and New Holland already promote the use of RFID tag technology for their large square balers, both as a way to track bales and also as a way to understand their physical properties such as weight and moisture level." He says the same concept could be applied to grains once the infrastructure is established. – Jodie Wehrspann
SCR/EGR engines
Tractors and other farm vehicles are well on their way to becoming smokeless. Engine manufacturers have had to redesign the diesel engine to comply with the government's Interim Tier 4 (iT4) emissions regulations. The rules call for drastic cuts in particulate matter, also known as soot, and oxides of nitrogen or "smog," which can lead to acid rain.
As a result, manufacturers have invested substantial engineering time and money into engine design. Farmers are now seeing some impressive benefits from these Tier 4 engines, such as reduced maintenance intervals, better fuel efficiencies, and more efficient use of power, on top of pristine exhaust. The drawback is a higher cost — from 4 to 9% more than the price of Tier 3 engines. In addition, farmers will see the tractors and other diesel-powered vehicles change in design to allow for the additional components, such as a jumbo muffler and an extra tank for blue liquid.
One of two new engine technologies is used to meet the iT4 rules: Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) or Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). Both technologies will likely be needed to meet the near-zero emission levels called for in 2014, when Tier 4 Final goes into effect. – Jodie Wehrspann
Drought-resistance traits
The decades of work to develop drought-resistant plants are finally producing results. The first corn hybrids marketed for drought conditions are now being sold. These hybrids use natural gene selection and are targeted to the western Corn Belt where water is a key limiting factor. Companies promise yields will be more stable with these hybrids.
The next round of drought hybrids will include genetically modified traits and should appear in the middle of the decade. Scientists are using biotechnology to alter one of the many different factors involved in a plant's growth under water-restricted and high-heat conditions.
As research continues, scientists will find new keys to improving yields under drought. For example, researchers at Purdue University recently discovered a genetic mutation that allows a plant to better endure drought without losing biomass. This discovery may help reduce the amount of water required for growing plants. – Mark Moore, Karen McMahon
Controlled traffic
In some parts of the world, running vehicles on the same path in a field is standard practice. "In the U.S., it hasn't taken off yet but is part of a potential solution for reducing soil compaction and promoting more minimum-till practices," reports Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer.
The key to a successful controlled traffic program is synchronizing equipment so it all works on the same track. In addition, RTK and automatic steering technology have furthered the possibility of controlled traffic. "Now we have the technology to drive all equipment on the same track lines over and over without the skill of an operator," says Viacheslav Adamchuk, engineer at McGill University. "Fields are now in a digital format. – Jodie Wehrspann


text:
On the 28th of September, Dr Max Ganado addressed guests during the event organised for the first blockchain product to be launched by the private sector in Malta. The developers of Application LP01 are a Maltese Company called Ledger Projects Limited.
David Schranz, one of the directors of the company, introduced the software development company and its vision. He was followed by Hon Silvio Schembri, the Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, responsible for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation who noted the launch the week before of the first Government developed blockchain application in the field of education certification and welcomed this first launch by a private sector participant in this sector.
Dr Abdalla Kablan B.Sc IT (Systems Engineering), MSc (Financial Engineering and Knowledge Management), PhD (Computational Intelligence in Finance), who is also a lecturer at the University of Malta (Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy) then took the stage. Dr Kablan, the company's science and technology mentor, first provided a general overview to the technological progress being registered in the area. He then proceeded to introduce the application. LP01 refers specifically to agreements relating to land and buildings and notarial practices which will help reduce risk for all due to the features of the blockchain technology.
Dr Ganado then followed with comments on what the previous speakers said, starting with the remark "that things are moving so fast in this area I am actually feeling I'm growing older more slowly!" The focus of Dr Ganado's contribution was on three points: property, people and money, apart from expressing support for the strategic approach being pursued by the Government of Malta on this subject. All aspects are highly debated in blockchain discussions.
Property was once owned by whoever had possession and, although laws on ownership were developed to high levels of sophistication, it took centuries until public registry systems were introduced. The introduction of a public register of land was a ground breaking technology at the time, which had massive economic effects as it created legal certainty on titles and transactions. First we had registers based on people and, more recently, we developed registers based on land. Now we have the potential of blockchain which can provide integrated solutions including information on parties, documents, smart contracts for transactions and payments. Ledger Projects are the first to take up the challenge and to bring the positives of the blockchain to Malta's notaries and their clients.
People need trust to deal with each other but, in today's world, we have a problem with trust. In Sharia law, a contract was only valid if you could look into the eyes of the other contracting party! Blockchain assumes lack of trust between people, caters for transactions among persons who are not able to verify each other's identity and provides potential for transactions which are secure by focusing on the property and the value transfer. Trust in technology has been demonstrated around the world but most people still need to know with whom they are dealing and so identification remains a key challenge, apart from the risks of money laundering. We are hearing of a lot of developments in identifying methodologies which seek to solve this problem, after which blockchain and similar technology will be much more acceptable to people and governments.
Finally money now has a parallel which is proving to be a challenge to state dominance in the sector and states are reacting in two contradictory ways – some blocking and some studying possibilities. Regulation is coming, hopefully where it is needed.
These are exciting times and Dr Ganado congratulated the team at Ledger Projects and, on behalf of the audience, invited them to continue their exciting work in this area, whilst looking forward to new applications.


text:
Launched in December 2018, the Epic Games Store just wrapped up its first full year as a PC games website and launcher. To celebrate its first year in business, Epic promised it would give away a new free game every two weeks on its storefront, and about halfway through 2019, that turned into one or two free games every single week. While the program was meant to end in December, Epic announced on Tuesday it will continue its weekly free game program through 2020.
In case you're unfamiliar: Epic's free games are available to anyone with an Epic Store account (which is also free to create). After you add them to your library, they're yours to keep forever. Epic gives away one or two free games every week, with new games rotating in on Thursdays at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. The quantity depends on a game's rating–if a game rated M or PEGI-18 is included, Epic will offer a second game that's more accessible to younger users.
Epic has given away 73 games since the program began in late 2018. It's been an impressive group of giveaways so far, including Subnautica, What Remains of Edith Finch, The Witness, Alan Wake, Celeste, Superhot, and many more. Even if you've never bought a game from Epic, you could easily have dozens of free games in your library right now if you've been claiming the store's freebies over the past year. According to Epic, the games given away over the past year have totaled $1,455 in total value.
Sundered: Eldritch Edition, a chaotic Metroidvania, is the current free game on Epic. It's available to claim until Thursday, when it will be replaced by the next giveaway, platforming adventure Horace.
Best Deals This Week
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Author: Jenae Sitzes


text:
I used to hate so many things about my body. I know hate is a strong word, but that's really the best word for it. I had a whole list of flaws about myself that played on repeat in my mind, eating away at me, through each and every day. I was obsessed with controlling my weight, controlling every bite that went into my mouth, and trying to change the shape and size of my body.
Looking back now, I realize how self-centered and inwardly-focused anorexia made me. How much time, energy, and effort I wasted on something that didn't deserve that kind of attention.
Thankfully, God brought people into my life who cared about me and wanted to help me heal. Through a lot of counseling, prayer, and incredible support from my family and friends, God brought me out of this obsession and helped me develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. When I think about how much has changed in the past 4 years, it truly leaves me in awe of God's power and grace.
But today I was struck with something I don't think about often in terms of my recovery. Yes, I have much different habits these days. I have learned balance and moderation in the way I eat; I enjoy dessert and junk food when I want to, while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I exercise because I enjoy it, not to punish myself or compensate for something I ate the night before.
These are all huge changes for me and have given me so much more peace and joy in my life. But what struck me today is how I have actually come to LOVE my body and be THANKFUL for the way I was created. The things I used to hate and loathe about myself are things that I can now appreciate. I'm not saying I don't still struggle with my body image. (And I think any woman who denies ever having a rough day with body image might need to be a little more honest with herself.)
I still have those days when I don't feel very happy with the way I look. There are times when the constant bombardment from our culture to be skinny and to have a "perfect body" drags me down, and I have moments when I don't really like my curves or my legs. And there are definitely still days when I get sucked back into the comparison trap and find myself envying another woman's body.
But, instead of being the norm, those moments are now the exception. I no longer live in that vicious and endless dungeon of self-hatred. It doesn't consume my thoughts like it once did. I've learned so much contentment and gratefulness with the way that I am built, shaped, and formed. And it definitely didn't happen overnight.
But I remember one of the turning points: an evening in 2011, while I was living in India and thick in the throes of my anorexia. I had shut myself away in my room that night, crying and desperately wanting help but not knowing how to ask for it. I had finally begun to see what a sick disease had taken control of my mind, and I was having a brief moment of clarity as I realized how much I wanted out from these chains of addiction.
Isolated in a tiny village and away from any sort of support system, I didn't know how I could possibly begin to break free. But in that moment, God brought a verse to my mind, and I flipped my Bible open to Psalm 139:
"I praise You, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)
I realized that night that I couldn't possibly imagine PRAISING God for the way He had made me. Because, well, I hated the way He had made me. And that was the crux of the problem. That was the real issue behind my horrible body image. I didn't really believe God had done "wonderfully" when He designed and created my body. In essence, I thought He had messed up. If He had really loved me, He would have given me a different shape, smaller measurements, and more attractive features.
But as I read this verse over and over again, I actually began to DESIRE to feel that same gratitude and appreciation for my body. I knew I had a long way to go, and a huge part of me wondered if it was even possible to get there, but I had a tiny glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, God could heal me, and free me from the self-hate that had riddled my mind for far too long. I didn't have a lot of faith, but I had a little. And the beauty is that God can use even the littlest seed of faith to bring His grace and power into our lives.
I wrote that verse down that night in India. I wrote it on a blank 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper, with neon markers in all different colors. I took my time writing out each word of that verse, and then I taped the paper to the back of my door. Every morning when I woke up, I would read it out loud in my empty room, and ask God in a simple sentence to help me really believe and feel the words I was saying. I asked Him to heal me, help me, and change me from the inside out.
And it didn't happen overnight. It took time, just like any lasting, heart-change does. Shortly after that night in India, I moved back home to the States, and began my journey to recovery. That verse became one that I returned to time and again during the years that followed. And slowly, subtly, my heart and mind began to heal. God began to grow in me a heart of praise, and I started to believe the truths of this verse.
And then, a few weeks ago, it popped up in my life again, but for a much different reason. My husband and I were at the 20-week ultrasound for our little girl who is due in June. As the ultrasound tech ran the wand over my belly and the image of our little girl popped up on the screen, this familiar verse came to mind once again.
I felt tears forming in my eyes as we watched our little one kick and squirm on the screen, and the tech pointed out her strong little heart, lungs, and essential organs. We saw her tiny fingers and toes, and my heart ached with love for this precious girl we can't wait to meet. In that moment, I praised God for how wonderfully and beautifully He has created this little baby. And that verse that has meant so much in my past has come alive again as I anticipate the future with our little girl.
I pray she will always know that she is incredibly beautiful, and that it's got nothing to do with how she looks or what size she is. It's a crazy world for a little girl to grow up in, and I know we can't protect her from the pressures of the culture, and the focus it places on size and weight. But I hope she will always know that she is tremendously beautiful and beloved in our eyes, and even more importantly, in the eyes of God. Because she has been wonderfully created and designed by Him.
"You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:13-14)


text: Andy Croft's books of poetry include Nowhere Special, Gaps Between Hills (with Mark Robinson), Headland, Just as Blue, Great North, Comrade Laughter, Ghost Writer and Sticky. He has edited the anthologies Holme and Away, Speaking English, Red Sky at Night (with Adrian Mitchell), North by North East (with Cynthia Fuller), Not Just a Game (with Sue Dymoke) and Night Shift (with Jenny Swann and Michael Baron). He writes a regular poetry column in the Morning Star and runs Smokestack Books.


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SELFLOVE with SHARMILA
By Sharmila Bhowmick
SELFLOVE is the beginning of transformation. It is only when we learn to fill our own vessels that things start to turn in our lives SELFLOVE with SHARMILA is a podcast to help you keep in touch with your own self.
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Write Your Way Into Yourself 📝🎙
SELFLOVE with SHARMILA
By Sharmila Bhowmick
Apr 12
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Your Wishes Reveal You
The only way to fulfilment is through the fulfillment of our wishes. Our wishes are windows to our true selves. Fulfilling them, helps us align. Fulfilling our own wishes is Selflove.
August 9, 2020
Strike a friendship with yourself.
As you start out your day, strike a rapport with yourself first. See how it changes everything 😊
August 2, 2020
SELFLOVE on social media. How to prevent others from ruining your day. ❤🎧
We are practically living on the internet. But we must have a lot of SELFLOVE, create a BUFFER and use social media with purpose, so it neither overconsumes our time, nor sanity.
July 26, 2020
Episode 20
Welcome to episode twenty of selflove with Sharmila. It is a big celebratory episode – 20 weeks of selflove and I can say my own selflove practice has grown immensely thorough these weeks. If you are a listener of this audiocast – I would love to hear your feedback on the same and you are welcome to write to me at email@example.com It is one thing to indulge yourself once in a while – but it is another thing to be absolutely devoted to your own good. Basically, how to not lose interest in selflove. To mark this week, I have 20 tips for you from a galaxy of suggestions. First – Don't be too tough on yourself. Be compassionate with yourself and be thankful to yourself for all that you have put up with, ventured into, showed up for. Selflove is selfcompassion. Two – Don't limit yourself. Limiting your self starts with limiting your thoughts and narrow self-perception. Have the courage to expand your life. Three – Do not let others opinion of you, become your reality. People will often have an opinion about you from their own reality or state of thinking, Don't bother too much about that. Four - Make a daily selfcare routine and stick to it. The biggest challenge is to be able to first find a routine with all ingredients for your good and then sticking by it. It's a great idea to have green tea, but see you do so every day. Its lovely to use an aloevera face pack – to soothe your skin, but see that you do so often. Consistency is the buzzword for selfcare. Five – Eat health food – sounds like a cliché right? But this is easier said than done and we all know it. Six – Don't bother too much about what others are saying about you. Learn to focus on your own wellness. Seven – Do not try to please people. People pleasing is actually a sign of dependence and may divert you from your own goals. Eight – Do not become an approval seeker' Actually approval seekers are also people pleasers, But imagine always trying to please others in order to be approved of – will you not that way lose touch with yourself? Nine – Dress to be happy. Trying to fit is perhaps worst manifested in what we wear. Pick clothes that make you happy, every day. Ten - Be your own best friend. If you can't befriend yourself – how do you think you will be able to strike friendships? Eleven – Surround yourself with people who lift you up. People rub off on us. Surround yourself with people who make you happy. Twelve – Invest in yourself. A study course, a new book, a subscription to a great magazine – what ever may be your food for growth – invest in it. Thirteen – Stay invested in yourself. Don't give up too easily. Stay invested in yourself. Selflove is about standing by yourself all through the journey. Fourteen – Make big plans for yourself. Don't shrink you plans to make it convenient for everyone. Fifteen – Don't sell yourself short. An easy follow up of point fourteen – when you shrink yourself, you also short-sell yourself. Sixteen – be a continuous learner. There is no substitute for learning. Seventeen – Get health check ups. There can be no selflove without good health. Keep a check on your health and see whether you are doing your best to maintain it. Eighteen – Forgive the past. Don't get trapped in the bygones. Train yourself to live in the present. Nineteen – Protect your energy. Because not everyone around you will be a cheerleader for yourself love. So pick and choose interactions. Tip Twenty – keep listening to Selflove With Sharmila. That's all I have for this week – and I shall be back again with yet another episode of Selflove With Sharmila. Keep Listening.
July 19, 2020
Sit down with your emotions ❤🎧
Selflove if for givers, empaths, compulsive compromises. Some even disregard their own emotions and allow others to shrink them. Here's a remedy - sit down with your emotions. Listen, closely, carefully to yourself.
July 12, 2020
Recalibrate your inner compass.
People all over the world are finding new ways to look at work, life and way of living. It is time to recalibrate your life through a carefully set inner compass.
July 5, 2020
Does guilt come in the way of your Selflove?
Guilt is perhaps the most useless emotion one can feel when one wants to walk the path of selflove. If not checked, guilt can push you towards self neglect because the a sense of guilt springs from unworthiness.
June 28, 2020
Self-knowledge Starts With Self Immersion.
Selflove is nit about self-obsession. It is about self-knowledge.
June 21, 2020
Self-discovery starts with vulnerability.
Learning to be candid to our needs, wants, lacks and shortfalls is how we discover ourselves, pay attention to what we need to change and grow and ultimately transform. Listen to yourself closely.
June 14, 2020
How to practice Loving Kindness Meditation.
Loving Kindness Meditation is a very easy technique through which we can connect with our higher selves and show ourselves self love. Try it.
June 7, 2020
Living a FULL life needs alignment.
To be able to lead a full life, one needs to be immersed in their passions. Half-hearted choices can never help you thrice. Let's all find our true homes in love and in life. ♥🎧
May 31, 2020
Do you over function?
Do you over-function? Highlights . A perfect balance in any partnership is easier said than achieved . Most partnerships turn resentful when one is an over functioner . An over functioner steps above the brief – takes on more than is needed and healthy and in the long term, burns out and renders the under functioner – useless . Check if you volunteer to do things for others which they can do themselves, easily . Strike a balance in your work and personal partnerships with CLEAR defined roles and expectations . Over functioning for another person leads to mutual resentment . Function as much as needed, not more, not less in a healthy partnership. . Mutual respect and clarity of purpose and expectations are key to thriving partnership.
May 24, 2020
Do You Love Cooking For Yourself? 🥘🎧
Can You Easily Cook For Yourself? . Homemade food is the best kind of food there is, then why do we throng food courts? . We all have an individual relationship with food . How we eat and what we eat and how much we eat are all linked to how conscious we are about our body needs and health . Overeating, starving, emotional eating, skipping meals, binge eating or drinking just reflect our emotional response to food . Being able to cook for yourself is a great sign of selfcare and selflove . As we work on ourselves and become more and more mindful about our needs, our eating pattern changes . As we shift towards healthy, soul food – meals become a feat and we transform our health inside out
May 17, 2020
You Can Mother Yourself
You Can Mother Yourself . Motherhood comes with a whole set of expectations – can you meet them all? Of course not. . How to walk the golden mean of being the perfect mother? Don't even go there. . Complete acceptance and nurture – a mother is naturally wired to offer these. . A human mother can never be the epitome of motherhood – each of us have flaws; lets accept that and move on . Separate your human mother from your idea of motherhood . If you have mother-wound and think your mother was not enough for you in nurture, care, attention, find out which areas of life area affected by this feeling . Tend to these areas of your life with self-parenting. Self-mothering techniques – nurture yourself . Find a proxy mom for areas of your life where you think need support for growth - mostly a mentor or a coach. . Acknowledge the mother inside you and see what are you nurturing and growing . Mothers are human and also carry wounds and flaws – accept your mom and she accepts you, unconditionally.
May 10, 2020
Who Determines Your Worth?
Who Determines Your Worth? When a crisis hits, as it has now – the first thing that gets affected is 'value' – What is your value – at work – what is your value, in relationships – to people you spend time with. But this sort of value is about what utility you are bringing to the other person's life – are you a support to their aspirations and wellbeing? Are your fuelling their dreams or even escape? Self-worth at work At workplace – it is about what you are contributing or what is being extracted from you – what is your cost-effectiveness, so, it basically just boils down to some bare bone facts. People face all of this from time to time in their lives – but it is perhaps now a glaring global truth – the big question of what is your value. You can coach yourself to calibrate your true value. So what Is my value? Is it about how useful I am to you to cater to your needs? About how much I fuel your aspiration or your expectations? Do I make you laugh, feel good or aid your success? Yes if this is a professional setting with defined expectations for which you are paid. Self-worth and relationships But in personal space, what is your value? In the personal space, your value is determined by familiarity, shared values – compassion, love, safety and goodwill. What is your personal growth journey. What do you score in the selflove department? So, your selflove score determines your self-worth score . It Is Time To Measure Your True Worth . No one can make your feel redundant without your permission . Others value you depending on their needs and wants – that has nothing to do with who you are . Your value to a person and organisation can change when it is based on transaction and the needs have either been met or not . As long as we remain committed to ourselves, we remain invested in ourselves . Remember, no externality – a circumstance, a person can make me valueless or redundant . Learn to value yourself for your true qualities – resilience, cheerfulness, joy, commitment, purpose, honesty, transparency, courage. . What are your qualities which you are proud of? . The only one who determines your worth is YOU. For more selflove inspiration – go to www.sharmilabhowmick.com
May 3, 2020
Creativity is no longer an option. Very soon, it will be the way of life! http://sharmilabhowmick.com/podcast #creativity #NewNormal #podcast
April 25, 2020
Smell Your Way In ♥
Welcome to Episode Seven of Selflove with sharmila – my weekly podcast is as much about waking myself to selflove as it is for you. As I explore ways and ideas to keep tapping on inherent knowledge and help integrate them in our daily lives and keep the focus right where it belongs – to our personal wellness and wellbeing. This week, the podcast is about something I'm passionate about – aroma, perfume, good smell, incense. Your sense of smell is the most powerful way of guiding you to inner wellbeing. We perceive our world through the five senses – touch, vision, taste, smell and hearing ability. We will explore this week what good smell does to us when we can use it to get to feel more grounded in our physical experience. Those of us who have been raised in traditional Indian homes, know that twice a day we burn incense in the house. Good incense is part of our daily lives – some special ones used for clearing the energy of our houses, frankincense, loban, camphor and so on. Sandlewood, rose, jasmine are common household aroma, which is easily a part of the culture. Aroma oils are not so new, but alternate additions to this existing culture of adding good smell to our living environment daily. People have used aroma for treatment for years. Each of us use it in some form of the other – not all of us use it consciously each day, but they still are very much part of our habits. When I give reiki treatment to anyone in person, I use aroma oils to make the healing experience powerful. Humans have used aromatherapy since ancient cultures – resins, balms, oils we have known their value for years – while they are strongly used for religious purposes – they have strong psychological benefits as they help to shift mood by bringing in a sense of calm, joy or even induce sleep.
April 19, 2020
Write Your Way Into Yourself 📝🎙
Welcome to episode six of selflove with sharmila. This is a happy week and the podcast has already completed one hundred plays. It was an interesting week too how I got to accomplish so much over emails, videoconferences, phone calls and Instagram lives. In fact just yesterday, I participated in an online literature festival where I spoke on writing as therapy. There's a purpose to all kinds of writing – we write to inform, to communicate, to record and to express – but there's a very important part that writing serves which is as a way to connect with our own selves – with our emotions and feelings, hurts and unresolved questions. Free flowing writing, without censure is a great way to help release a lot of pent up worries and reactions and emotions. Free flowing writing if you have inner work to do, can be done every night for as long as you want. Just write three pages of whatever is it that you want to release and ideally, never get back to these pages – just forget them and move on. I usually advise people to tear up these pages so you never have to revisit them. So eventually, over a period of time, such writing lets you release a lot of unaddressed issues that you may have not wanted to confront. Writing out your thoughts and difficult emotions is a very easy way to process them. Regular writing and processing of emotions helps you internalize messages and brings for clarity. It is also the most private way of dealing with your life experience. Some tips while doing this writing therapy is that you should give yourself the freedom to write as you want, freely and easily. Particularly because this writing has no audience but yourself, it will be helpful if you can be candid about it. Once you start doing it, you will soon realise the effect it has on your emotional wellbeing. Here on, we can also work on some specific issues through writing therapy. Dealing with anger is one of them. You could sit down and write down all the people who make you absolutely angry from time to time and them write a note to each of them expressing your anger and why they make you feel that way. If you have some people who may have hurt you in past, you can individually write messages to them by expressing your hurt. But acknowledging the fact how they have hurt you and in a way conveying it – you are freeing yourself up a certain space in your mind. You can do the same exercise to look forward in life. You can write letters to your younger self or to your older self and connect perfectly with your own life story. The more you connect with yourself, the more you will start thriving in every aspect of your life and get back in touch with yourself, 100 percent. That is the value of writing as therapy and I hope this inspires you to start your own free flowing personal writing work, so you can help yourself and maximise your life. That's all for today, and I shall be back next week with a fresh episode of SelfloveWithSharmila. Stay tuned.
April 12, 2020
Overworking From Home?
Welcome to the fifth episode of selflove with sharmila. It has been a very interesting journey so far while recording this podcast. While talking about selflove, selftrust and the value of self compassion, there have been a hundred different things that started coming to my notice about my own life which I started attending to – over working for instance. Over the last few weeks the entire world has gone one a work from home mode. And surprisingly, contrary to what people thought initially that work from home is going to be all about easy schedules with no commute time and we would breeze through our days, the opposite happened. Are you working too much?
April 5, 2020
People Detox Time! Folks :)
Welcome to the fourth episode of selflove with Sharmila. This week, we discuss our need for human connection - with our peers, colleagues, family and friends. But the necessity to choose our social interactions wisely. As humans we crave connection. But over the last few weeks that our social lives have been disrupted by disease, we have all gone into corrective modes. Social distancing is a great educator. It is also a period of getting in touch with ourselves and truly forging a bond with our own self and learning to spend time in enrichment and growth. Selflove is about protecting our energy from externalities. Selflove is about not letting our own judgment come in our own way. Most of us are busy and hyperactive and do not have time left for our own refection. We often give too much of ourselves to our work, our family and friends. When our personal resources fall thin, we are left looking for entertainment or community to help build us up. We get addicted to people, we need to talk all the time. We need to keep busy all the time to prevent ourselves from getting intimate with our own thoughts. We even ignore stress building from inside. But isolation, personal time and social distancing are a great way to cleanse your social calendar. Mindless group activity – joining up communities just to belong or out of fear of missing out – motional erosion. Choosing company which is aligned with your wellbeing and growth. Also choosing to be around people who uplift. With excessive access to technology, we are connected to 100s of people at all time. Messages, calls are being bombarded. So how do we create healthy connections? Lets think quality over quantity. What about having a handful of friends who you share a nurturing space with? Like making time to meet them or doing things together instead of just sending whatsapp messages and likes? What about creating hobby based communities where people cometogether and learn?
March 29, 2020
Time To Transform
EPISODE THREE Welcome to episode three of Selflove with Sharmila. This is a tough week for a lot of us – restricted from the world, confined to working from home and social distancing from friends and peers. Times like this, when we are forced to cocoon are often times for intense transformation. To transform any situation, one needs inner work. And this is perhaps the best time that you could put some of that in place and practice serious selflove. Now where do we start Possibly from the phone on which you are listening to this podcast. If you are being bombarded with information, it could be a good idea to set some boundaries around it. Excessive sharing of information can often lead to anxiety and really not have any real impact on your wellbeing. Protect your time and energy. Remember, no one cal force you to take a call or respond to panic without your consent. How about trying to protect your sense of space at this time as well – emotional and physical? Our minds need sanitizing like our hands. Clean out negativity, Clean out your social media feed of the same. Clean out some habits and some mindsets which may no longer be serving you. Here are a few things that we need to practice ourselves over the coming week and may be for as long as we want to. What am I communicating? Am I reacting from fear? If I am sending out fear, is my fear paralysing me from taking action? Without community and working by ourselves from home could get lonely too. So instead of fear- based thoughts, can I do something to enrich myself at this time? How can I get out of the boredom of just being at home and continue to be in a healthy state of mind. Once you find yourself in that happy space, here are some ideas to create an enriching personal time and ask yourself. 1. What about the books I wanted to read or the movies I wanted to watch – isn't now the perfect time! 2. Can I use this time for intense selfcare? 3. While physical mobility is restricted, isn't this a good time to do some stretches at home? 4. Because we are mostly restricted indoors and almost everyone else is, why not make phone calls to friends. Seeking connection is a basic human need – but we have video calls and meeting apps and more to help us. Let's try and meet some friends online! 5. Get creative – instead of just reacting to information on social media, why not get creative at this time and make use of the time in a healthy manner? If we look at it closely, this period of time could be an opportunity for immense personal growth – being in your own space and being able to focus on your environment would automatically help your set your house in order – your emotional home, and your physical home. Use this time wisely! If you have questions, you are free to connect with me on my Instagram – where I post on the handle - @ShormiWrites. You could also connect with me on my facebook page Selflove with Sharmila. Until the next episode, keep loving yourself, be safe and I shall be back next Sunday with the next episode of Selflove With Sharmila
March 22, 2020
SELFLOVE is SELFTRUST
Welcome to the second episode of SELFLOVE with SHARMILA. In this episode we explore the value of creating self trust so that we develop a healthy self-esteem. Trust is a muscle, built over time. We can build it each day through a simple exercise. Here's how.
March 15, 2020
EPISODE ONE Welcome to the very first episode of SELFLOVE with SHARMILA. Today we try and understand the difference between being loved and loving our own self. Being loved by a parent, a partner, a friend of course, serves to nurture and validate. But the vessel needs to be filled continuously. What if, we could fill this vessel by our own self. What if we could understand where exactly we are vulnerable and which part of us needs healing and care? We would then slowly begin to build our own reserve of self-worth and slowly build a pillar of strength from our own true self. The journey to our own self is one of patience and persistence but not impossible. Selflove springs from a space of self-knowledge. Self-knowledge builds with self-acceptance and waking up to our reality and facing it as is, with courage. For a moment, close your eyes and make an audit of our health. Are we living your best health condition? What about our love life – is it how we want it to be? What about our work – does it fulfil us? Let's begin a self-audit!
March 8, 2020
March 7, 2020
March 7, 2020


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So much for bitcoin prices at $100,000.
Bitcoin prices continued their disastrous run over the weekend, breaking below the psychologically important $8,000 level on Saturday evening. The crypto's price has shed about 25% so far in March. It's now down roughly 60% from the all-time high of more than $19,000 hit in Dec. 2017.
At this point, negative headlines on bitcoin such as the likelihood of regulation will probably keep the crypto's price under wraps near-term.
This week, analysts at Fundstrat outlined how bitcoin could possibly fall below $6,000. The call was notable in that Fundstrat has been one of the biggest hype machines on Wall Street when it comes to bitcoin. Fundstrat's founder Tom Lee entered 2018 calling for bitcoin prices to reach $25,000 by year end. By 2022, Lee was looking for bitcoin prices at $125,000.
"It has been a challenging few weeks for bitcoin as the combination of negative headlines coupled with weak prices have added to further worsening of investor sentiment," said Fundstrat. "And when sentiment is this weak, the market is increasingly 'fire, ready, aim' -- meaning, any headline today is likely to trigger selling."
Not a Bitcoin Fan? Here's Some Insight Into Ripple
Ripple prices haven't fared too well either of late. The crypto's market cap has plunged about 47% to $23 billion during the last month, according to coinmarketcap.com. But unlike bitcoin, ripple has made more tangible progress entering the real world as a payments platform. That is a key consideration as investors mull over which crypto to buy on weakness, if so inclined.
TheStreet talked recently with ripple co-founder Danny Aranda. Watch below.


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Product Description
ETC Sensor3 SP3-6100B 6x100A Portable Pack w/ Stage pin connectors
Model #SP3-6100B
12 Module Portable Pack - 6 x 100A Portable Pack with Pin connectors
Sensor3 Portable Packs provide powerful digital dimming for smallscale portable applications setup for basic applications out of the box.
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OPTIONS • Cam-Lok Pass Thru • Castered Cart
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THERMAL • High efficiency cooling system with airflow sensor • Easily cleaned electrostatic air filter • Low-noise fan for quiet operation • Ambient temperature: 0-40°C / 32-104°F
ELECTRICAL • Easily switches from single–phase 120/240 VAC to threephase 120/208 VAC operation • Cam-Lok® power input connectors • Cam-Lok pass thru connectors available • Max pass thru bus rating for: - SP3-6: 100A - SP3-12: 200A • Line feed voltage range is 91-139 VAC • Power frequencies from 47-53; 57-63Hz • Choice of Stage pin, Edison or Twist-Lock® or 19-pin Multi-pin output connectors
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