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|Method for data compression having an improved encoding algorithm which utilizes a token stacking technique
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|Process for compressing and expanding structurally associated multiple-data sequences, and arrangements for implementing the process
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This application is a division of Ser. No. 07/958,008, filed Oct. 8, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,943 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/840,869, filed Feb. 25, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,701 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/839,958, filed Feb. 21, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,779 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/759,226, filed Sep. 13, 1991 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,484.
a plurality of instruction means for instructing the data processing machine to perform operations, the plurality of instruction means including:
(a) first means for instructing said machine to specify as current, a particular location within the memory means;
(b) second means for instructing said machine to allocate space within the memory means for storing one or more historical data strings; and
(c) third means for instructing said machine to create within the memory means, a fast-path portion storing groups of one or more history pointers, where each group is dedicated to a respective one of a prespecified plurality of unique code sequences and the one or more history pointers of that group respectively point to and identify a corresponding one or more locations within the memory means that store one or more of the historical data strings, if any, which contain the respective one of the prespecified plurality of unique code sequences to which the corresponding group is dedicated and, in cases where more than one of the identified historical data strings has the same prespecified sequence of code, for arranging the history pointers of the corresponding group to indicate the positional order of the more than one identified historical data strings relative to the current location so that it can be quickly determined from said arrangement of the history pointers whether a first history location that stores a corresponding first of the identified historical data strings is address-wise closer to or further from the current location than is a second history location that stores a corresponding second of the identified historical data strings.
(a) storing a plurality of data strings within memory;
(b) identifying one or more of the data strings that start with a prespecified code sequence;
(c) in cases where more than one of the identified data strings has the same prespecified sequence of code, indicating the relative positional order of the more than one identified data strings within the memory;
wherein said steps of (b) identifying one or more of the data strings and (c) indicating the relative positional order, include:
(b.1) identifying a position within said memory as a current position; and
(c.1) creating a fast-path array in said memory where the fast-path array includes one or more lists each associated with a unique prespecified code sequence; where each list contains a head record pointing to an instance of its associated unique code sequence which is closest to the current position;
said method further comprising the steps of:
(d) supplying a current data string having at least first and second codes and using the first and second current data string codes to specify an index-pair code;
(e) converting the index-pair code into a head-record pointer that points to a corresponding head record within the fast-path array;
(f) using the corresponding head record to locate the instance of the associated unique code sequence which is closest to the current position; and
generating a vector representing an offset from the current location to the located instance of the associated unique code sequence.
(f.1) using the corresponding head record and/or subsequent records following the head record to locate within the memory one or more instances of the associated unique code sequence which first match the current string to a maximum extent and thereafter, if two or more such maximum-extent instances are located, to locate the that maximum-extent instance which is closest to the current position.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to computer-automated string matching. The invention relates more specifically to string matching applied in the context of a data compression method.
2a. Notice Regarding Copyright Claim to Disclosed Computer Program Listing
This application includes a listing of a computer program.
The assignee of the present application claims certain copyrights in said computer program listing. The assignee has no objection, however, to the reproduction by others of this listing if such reproduction is for the sole purpose of studying it to understand the invention. The assignee reserves all other copyrights in the program listing including the right to reproduce the computer program in machine-executable form.
2b. Cross Reference to Related Applications
The following U.S. patent application(s) is/are assigned to the assignee of the present application, is/are related to the present application and its/their disclosures is/are incorporated herein by reference:
(A) Ser. No. 07/759,226 filed Sep. 13, 1991, by Lloyd L. Chambers IV and entitled FAST DATA COMPRESSOR WITH DIRECT LOOKUP TABLE INDEXING INTO HISTORY BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,484; and
(B) Ser. No. 07/839,958 filed Feb. 21, 1992, by Lloyd L. Chambers IV and entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING LONGEST PRIOR TARGET STRING MATCHING CURRENT STRING IN BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779.
3. Description of the Related Art
It is sometimes advantageous to scan through a "history" buffer of a digital computer to find an "old data string" within the buffer which matches the starting and subsequent portions of a current data string to the longest extent possible.
The above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,958, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING LONGEST PRIOR TARGET STRING MATCHING CURRENT STRING IN BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779 is an example of one useful application of such string matching. A data compression system tries to replace each successive "current" data string (a set of adjacent bytes or bits) within an input buffer with a "compression vector" of shorter bit length.
The compression vector points back into a history buffer portion of an input buffer, to a matching old string (hereafter also termed "MOS"). The MOS is the same as the current string for a given number of bits or bytes. The compression vector indicates the length of match between the current string and the matching old string (MOS). During decompression, the history buffer is reconstructed from the compressed file, in a sequential, front-to-end boot-strap fashion, with each encountered "compression vector" being replaced by the indicated length of a prior string in the partially-reconstructed history buffer, the prior string being one that is pointed to by the vector.
Compression efficiency depends on the length of match between each current string and a prior string and on the length of the vector that replaces the current string. Ideally, the compression vector should be as small as possible and the match length should be as large as possible.
Theoretically speaking, a wide variety of algorithms could be employed to realize such an ideal condition. However, in practice, attention has to be paid to physical considerations such as limiting compression time, limiting decompression time, and avoiding excessive waste of system memory space during compression and/or decompression.
The system disclosed in the above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,958, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING LONGEST PRIOR TARGET STRING MATCHING CURRENT STRING IN BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779, searches a history buffer from a front end to back end, looking first for all possible matches to a current string and then for the longest match.
In so doing, the system first generates an array of sorted "index-pair" lists to help it find matching strings more quickly. Each index-pair list is associated with one of 216 possible two-byte combinations. There are thus, as many as 216 such lists created within the computer's memory. The first two bytes of the current string are combined to produce a reference "index-pair". Each matching two-byte combination within the history buffer is considered the start of an old string which matches the current string for at least two bytes. Examples of "index-pairs" include ASCII combinations such as "AB", "AN", "BU", etc.
Each sorted index-pair list includes one or more pointers that point to the locations of one or more matching index-pairs in the history buffer. Sorting of lists and entries within the array is done first according to index-pair value and next, within each list, according to the position of the index-pair within the history buffer, with the position of the matching index-pair furthest away from a "current" string position appearing first in its corresponding list. The system then uses the sorted index-pairs array as a fast path for locating every old string which starts with the same index-pair as the first two bytes of the current string (the string which is to be potentially replaced with a compression vector).
When the longest old string is found that matches a corresponding length of the current string, a compression vector is generated. The compression vector includes an n-bit-long offset-value field which indicates the difference between the start position of the current string and the start position of the matching old string (MOS). The compression vector further includes an m-bit-long length-value field which indicates the number of successively matching bytes in the old string.
Other fields may also be included within the compression vector, but of importance here, it is to be noted that the length of the compression vector is at minimum, n plus m bits (the length of the offset-value field plus the length of the length-value field). Compression efficiency suffers when the sum n+m remains relatively large over a large number of compression vectors.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for finding the longest and closest old string within a history buffer that matches a corresponding length of a current string.
When applied to history-buffer style compression algorithms, the invention helps to reduce the bit-length of generated compression vectors. The advantage of finding the closest matching string is that the bit-length, n, of the offset-value field (the group of bits that represent the difference between the start position of the current string and the start position of the matching old string) can then be minimized. This leads to smaller compression vectors, more compactly compressed output files, and faster decompression times.
An apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises: (a) memory means for storing data; and (b) a processing unit operatively coupled to the memory means; wherein the memory means stores history data composed of one or more data strings, fast-path data pointing to the location within the memory means of one or more data strings, if any, which contain a prespecified sequence of code and, in cases where more than one of the pointed-to data strings has the same prespecified sequence of code, the data in the memory means further indicates the order in which the more than one pointed-to data strings appear within the memory means relative to a specified current location.
A method in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of: (a) storing a plurality of data strings within memory; (b) identifying one or more of the data strings that contain a prespecified code sequence; and (c) in cases where more than one of the identified data strings has the same prespecified sequence of code, indicating the order in which the more than one identified data strings appear within the memory relative to a reference location.
The below detailed description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system 100 in accordance with the invention.
The basic principle behind history-buffer based compression and decompression can be quickly appreciated by considering the example given in below Table 1.
|Non-Compressed Data THE-- CAT-- SAT-- IN-- A-- SATIN-- HAT- - THAT-- A-- A-- MAN-- CANNOT-- WEAR. Symbolic Compressed Data ##STR1## Actual Compressed Data (Hexadecimal format) ##STR2##
In the symbolic compressed data of Table 1, literal and vector indicating headers are omitted, as are offset length-type indicators and special case length indicators. Literal data are shown as regular ASCII characters, while vectors are shown enclosed in square brackets. For example, the notation [-4,3] indicates a compression vector with an offset-value equal to four (meaning that the absolute address of the matching prior string is minus four added to the current location) and a length of three.
As long as each compression vector, e.g. [-4,3], consumes fewer bits than the non-compressed text (e.g. "AT-- ") that it replaces, the compressed file occupies less memory space than the original non-compressed file. The problem then becomes one of maximizing compression efficiency while complying with practical considerations such as limiting compression and decompression time and avoiding excessive waste of system memory space during compression and/or decompression.
It has been found, through experience, that searches through the history buffer often produce two or more matching old strings each having the same, longest length of match to a given current string. The system disclosed in the above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,958, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING LONGEST PRIOR TARGET STRING MATCHING CURRENT STRING IN BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779, tended to pick the longest matching old string that was furthest away in position from the current string. As a result, the bit-length, n, of the offset-value field in each compression vector (the group of bits in each compression vector that represent the difference between the start position of the current string and the start position of the matching old string) tended towards a maximum rather than a minimum.
The system disclosed in the above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,958, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779 also had another drawback. It tried to pre-sort all of 216 possible list combinations for index-pairs in the old text (in the history buffer) before it was known whether all of the 216 corresponding two-byte combinations would actually appear in the new text (the current and future strings which are to be compressed). This sometimes resulted in a waste of computational resources and time.
In accordance with the present invention, so-called "fast-path lists" are built up over time as each new string becomes the current string, and each list is sorted, ordered, or otherwise organized to indicate the ordering of each set of potentially-matching old strings relative to the location of a current string.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system 100 in accordance with the invention.
Computer system 100 includes a local or central processing unit (CPU) 110 operatively coupled to a high-speed memory unit 120 (e.g. a unit comprised of dynamic random access memory devices (DRAM's) and/or static random access memory devices (SRAM's)). CPU 110 responds to instructions stored within the memory unit 120 and/or modifies data within the memory unit 120 in accordance with instructions provided to the CPU 110. The instructions are conveyed to CPU 110 as electrical, optical or other signals.
System 100 further includes a bulk storage unit 130 (e.g., a magnetic disk bank) which is operatively coupled to the CPU 110 and/or memory unit 120 for transferring data between the slower bulk storage unit 130 and the faster memory unit 120 as needed.
System 100 also includes a communications link 140, operatively coupled to the CPU 110 and/or the fast-memory unit 120, for exchanging data between system 100 and other systems (not shown) over a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) or other communications media.
A program/data loading means 150 such as a floppy disk drive or a tape drive or a ROM cartridge reader is provided to load program instructions 155 and/or other data from a removably-insertable transfer media such as a magnetically-encoded floppy disk or an optically-encoded disk (e.g. CD-ROM) or a magnetic tape or a ROM (read-only memory) cartridge into system 100 for storage within one or both of the fast-memory unit 120 and the bulk-storage unit 130. Alternatively, the program instructions 155 and/or other data may be down-loaded into system 100 by way of the communications link 140. The program instructions 155 are used for controlling operations of the CPU 110.
A pre-loaded set of program instructions are represented as occupying a first region 155 of the memory space within fast-memory unit 120.
Another region 160 of the memory space within fast-memory unit 120 holds part or all of a source data file that is to be compressed to form a compressed output file that will be stored in yet another region of memory, referred to as the output buffer 190. After compression completes, the data in output buffer 190 is transferred out of memory unit 120 for storage in the bulk storage unit 130 and/or for storage in a removable media (e.g., floppy disk) within the program/data loading means 150 and/or for transmittal over a communications network by way of link 140.
Region 160 is referred to as an input data buffer 160. This input data buffer 160 is subdivided into four successive regions, respectively referred to as an out-of-range region 161, a history window 162, a current string 163 and a future-strings region 164.
Current string 163 comprises a plurality of two or more successive bytes which are to be replaced, if possible, by a compression vector 193 having a bit length shorter than current string 163. The compression vector 193 is stored in the output buffer 190 while the current string 163 remains as is within the input data buffer 160. In one embodiment, the current string 163 is limited to a maximum length of 20 bytes so that a length code field 199 within the compression vector 193 can be limited to 5 or less bits.
A current pointer, CUR 165, points to the first byte 163a of current string 163. The value CUR+1 references the second byte 163b of the current string 163. Current pointer 165 is defined in whole or in part by data stored in one or both of the memory unit 120 and internal registers (not shown) of CPU 110. FIG. 1 shows the current pointer 165 as data contained within the memory unit 120.
For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed here that the first byte 163a of current string 163 contains ASCII code representing the capital letter "A", the second byte 163b contains code representing "B", the third byte contains code representing "C", and so forth. It is to be understood that, in practice, any 8-bit-long code may be stored in each successive byte of current string 163.
In accordance with a data compression or other algorithm being performed, it is desirable to find all strings within history window 162 which begin with the same starting sequence, AB, as does current string 163. Data within the out-of-range region 161 is considered too far away from the current (CUR) position and is not searched.
A brute force approach would scan sequentially across successive bytes of history window 162, looking for pairs matching those held in memory locations CUR and CUR+1. This might be acceptable if only one current string 163 is to be compressed, but in cases where the procedure is to be repeated for the next string in future region 164, and then the next string, and so on, it is preferable to use a faster means for locating every AB matching pair within history window 162.
In accordance with the invention, the codes in the first and second bytes of current string 163 are combined to form a 16-bit long "index-pair" code 166 (e.g. "AB"). A data look-up table (DLT) 170 is provided for converting any given index-pair code 166 into a corresponding top-of-list pointer 176. There are 216 possible index-pair codes, and accordingly, the DLT 170 contains a corresponding number (216) of entries. These entries are symbolized in FIG. 1, using hexadecimal format, as: 0000-PTR, 0001-PTR, 0002-PTR, . . . , 00AA-PTR, 00AB-PTR, 00AC-PTR, . . . , FFFD-PTR, FFFE-PTR, FFFF-PTR.
Each DLT entry, 0000-PTR through FFFF-PTR, is generically denoted here as an "XY-PTR" and is understood to be accessed from the Data Look-up Table 170 by its corresponding index-pair code, "XY". (If DLT 170 were to be implemented as a hardware device, it would be a RAM or similar device receiving the index-pair code 166 as an input address and producing the XY-PTR as its output.) Each such DLT entry (XY-PTR), if not otherwise coded, points to a top-of-list position in another array, 180, which is organized to contain a corresponding number (e.g., as many as 216) of lists. If a particular list does not exist in array 180, the corresponding XY-PTR entry of DLT 170 is preferably coded to indicate that the corresponding list does not exist in array 180.
Two specific ones of the 216 DLT entries are referred to here as the AA-pointer 171 and the AB-pointer 172, and these are respectively referenced by the index-pair codes, "AA" and "AB". (For the purpose of explanation it makes no difference whether AA and AB are thought of here as representing successive ASCII codes each stored in a separate byte or successive hexadecimal codes such as 00AAH or 00ABH stored in respective first and second bytes. The latter format is used in FIG. 1 to indicate that there are 216 entries in DLT 170. The former format is used here so that the contents of byte 163a can be simply referenced as "A", the contents of byte 163b can be simply referenced as "B" and the combination can be simply referenced as "AB".)
Array 180 is referred to as the "fast-path array" (or FP-- array for short) because it is used to quickly point to each string within the history window 162 that starts with a given index-pair code 166 (e.g., AA or AB). As already mentioned, the fast-path array 180 can contain a number (e.g. 216) of lists equal to the corresponding number of head-of-list pointers in the DLT 170.
For the sake of illustrative brevity, FIG. 1 shows only two such lists, 181 and 182, and they are respectively referred to as the AA linked-list 181 and the AB linked-list 182. The AA-pointer 171 points to a head record 181.1 of the AA linked-list 181, while the AB-pointer 172 points to a head record 182.1 of the AB linked-list 182.
Referring to the AB linked-list 182 shown in FIG. 1, it is seen that it is composed of plural records, 181.1, 181.2, 181.3, etc. Each record 182.x (x represents an arbitrary integer here) includes a next-record pointer 182.xn and a fast-path pointer 182.xf. The next-record pointer 182.xn either points to a next record within list 182 or indicates the end of list with a code such as FFFFH in the case where there is no next record. The fast-path pointer 182.xf either points to an old data string within history window 162 that starts with the corresponding two-byte combination, "AB" or indicates that no such matching pair exists. It is understood that the other lists 181, etc. of fast-path array 180 are organized in similar fashion to that described for the AB linked-list 182.
Of importance, the fast-path pointer 182.1f of head record 182.1 points to the start of a matching old string MOS1 (one that starts with the two-byte sequence "AB") located closest to the current pointer CUR, the fast-path pointer 182.2f of next record 182.2 points to the start of a matching old string MOS2 located next closest to the current pointer CUR, and so forth.
In other words, list 182 contains information identifying each old data string within history window 162 that starts with the "AB" sequence and it also contains information that indicates the relative distance or order of placement of each such old data string MOSx with respect to the current string 163. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 uses a linked list structure for indicating the relative distance between each such old data string MOSx and the current string 163. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other data structures may be employed to perform an equivalent function. The invention is not limited to the use of linked lists.
The advantage of linked lists, however, is that each list 181, 182, etc., can be built over time to only point at two-byte combinations that are known to exist within history window 162. Memory space and/or processor resources are not wasted on two-byte combinations that do not exist within history window 162.
At the start of operations, CPU 110 resets the current pointer 165 to point to the start 160a of input data buffer 160. Fast-path array 180 is empty. DLT 170 is filled with a series of 216 nill pointers, each indicating that there is no corresponding list yet constructed in the fast-path array 180. (It is to be understood that program instructions 155 direct the CPU 110 to initialize the memory unit 120 into such a state and that they further direct the CPU 110 to rearrange data within memory unit 120 in accordance with the following description.)
Input data buffer 160 does not yet contain an out-of-range data region 161 or a history window 162 at this time. An index-pair code 166 is formed from the first and second bytes in input data buffer 160. If the first two bytes are represented by the code pair, XY, the corresponding entry XY-PTR is read from the DLT 170 and the corresponding head record 18XY.1 (not shown) is found in the fast-path array 180 if such a head record exists. Regardless of whether a pre-existing head record exists or not, a new record is now created at or as the head position of the corresponding XY-associated list, 18XY (e.g., 181, 182, etc.). The new record now takes on the head-record name, 18XY.1 while the record that was previously the head record, if there was such a record, takes on the second place name, 18XY.2. The XY-PTR entry in the DLT 170 is adjusted to point to the new head record. The next-record pointer 18XY.1n of the new head record is set to point to what was previously the head record, if any, or otherwise to indicate there is no next record. (This is referred to as a linked-list INSERT in some list-processing systems.) The fast-path pointer 18XY.1f of the new head record is filled with a pointer pointing back to the "X" byte in the first position 160a of input data buffer 160. The just-described step of inserting a new head record into a list 18XY is referred to below as "posting".
The current pointer 165 is advanced to point to the next location in input data buffer 160. Say the next index-pair code 166 is "YZ", the first byte "Y" having served as the second byte of the previous pair, "XY". The above-described process repeats so as to post the starting location of the "YZ" pair code into the fast-path array 180.
The current pointer 165 is now advanced a third time, to point to the next location in input data buffer 160. Say the next index-pair code 166 is "Zx", the first byte "Z" having served as the second byte of the previous pair, "YZ", and the lower case "x" representing another byte. At this time, history window 162 will have come into existence, with the first-encountered byte-pair "XY" defining an old data string within window 162. A test is performed to see if the current string "Zx" has a match in the history window 162. Regardless of the outcome of the match-finding test, the post-to-FP-- array process repeats again so as to post the starting location of the "Zx" index-pair code into the fast-path array 180.
As the current pointer 165 advances again and again, every byte-pair in a newly encounter "current string" has its location posted to the fast-path array 180, thereby building the fast-pointers of array 180 on the fly, as they become useful for assisting in a subsequent match finding operation. This means that the fast-path array 180 does not have to consume more space out of system memory free-space than what is known to be of use in assisting with each successive match-finding operation.
By the time the post-to-FP-- array process reaches the state shown in FIG. 1, the out-of-range data region 161 will have come into existence. The current pointer 165 is now advanced so far away from the starting position 160a of input data buffer 160 that it is no longer worthwhile or possible to search for matching old strings in the address space between starting position 160a and the start 162a of the history window 162. A garbage collecting mechanism 186 can now be optionally invoked to search tail ends of lists within the fast-path array 180 for records with fast-path pointers 18XY.zf (z indicates here that it is a tail end record in list 18XY) pointing to the out-of-range data region 161. If free memory space is in short supply, the garbage collecting mechanism 186 can cut off such non-useful tail records, return them to the system memory free space and adjust the next-record pointer at the end of each clipped list to indicate there is no longer a next record.
In one particular embodiment, the history window 162 is assigned a maximum length of 4 Kilo-bytes (4 KB) so that no more than 12 bits will be required to specify an offset 169 between any given byte of history window 162 and the "current" position 163a pointed to by the current pointer 165. The XY-PTR entries of the DLT 170, on the other hand, are each 16 bits or longer so they can each point to a unique one of the 216 possible lists of fast-path array 180.
It will be assumed here that, for the state shown in FIG. 1, four strings each containing the starting sequence "AB" have already been found in the input data buffer 160 and their positions have been posted into fast-path array 180 according to the order in which they were encountered. Current string 163 is shown to start with the code sequence "ABCDExxxx", the x positions being ones containing unmatchable bytes. The four, already-posted, old strings with matching start sequences are represented as "ABxxx . . . ", "ABCxxx . . . ", "ABCDxxx . . . ", and "ABCDxxx . . . ". The matching portions of these strings are referenced respectively as MOS4, MOS3, MOS2 and MOS1. The last mentioned matching old string, MOS1, is closest to the current position 163a and has a match length equal to four. MOS2 is second closest to the current position and also has a match length equal to four. MOS3 is third closest to the current position and has a match length equal to three. MOS4 is furthest from the current position and has a match length equal to two. Matching old string MOS4 is in fact so far away from the start 163a of the current string that MOS4 falls into the out-of-range data region 161.
The following steps are performed by CPU 110 to create a compression vector 193 in output buffer 190, as a substitute for current string 163.
The two bytes respectively at CUR position 163a and CUR+1 position 163b are combined to form a 16-bit long index code 166. In the illustrated example, index code 166 points to entry 00AB-PTR 172 of the Data Look-up Table 170. The 00AB-PTR entry 172 points to the head record 182.1 of the AB linked list 182. The fast-path pointer 182.1f of the head record points to the starting position of matching old string MOS1.
A comparison is made between the third and subsequent bytes of current string 163 against the third and subsequent bytes of MOS1. (It is already known that the first and second bytes match.) In the illustrated example, it is discovered that the total match length between MOS1 and current string 163 is equal to four. This match length is recorded (within memory unit 120 or elsewhere) as the longest (best) match length thus far (BEST-- MLTF). The position 182.1f of MOS1 is recorded as the start of the longest (best) match found thus far (S-- BEST-- MTF).
Next-record pointer 182.1n is then used to access the next-record 182.2 in the AB linked list 182. Using fast-path pointer 182.2f as the reference to the first two bytes of MOS2, a comparison is carried out between the third and subsequent bytes of MOS2 against the third and subsequent bytes of current string 163. In the illustrated case, the total match length is again found to be four. If the new match length is not greater than the previously recorded largest-match-length thus-far (BEST-- MLTF), the previously recorded reference (S-- BEST-- MTF) to MOS1 is kept as representing the longest MOS found thus far. Otherwise, if the most recently tested MOS is found to be longer, the previously recorded reference to MOS1 is replaced by a reference to the start of the newly-discovered longer MOS.
Because MOS1 has the same match length as MOS2 in the illustrated case, the reference (S-- BEST-- MTF) to MOS1 as the longest (best) match found thus far is kept.
Put in other words, the search algorithm first tries to find the longest matching old string (MOS) as its major task, and in a case where two MOS's are found to have the same longest matching length, the search algorithm tries to select the MOS closest to the current position 163a as its minor task.
The matching old string MOS3 which is pointed to by next record 182.3 is subsequently investigated and found to have a total matching length less than that of the longest matching length recorded thus far (BEST-- MLTF). Pointer S-- BEST-- MTF is therefore left unchanged and it continues to point to MOS1 as the longest and closest matching old string found thus far.
Although not mentioned yet, when each of fast-path pointers 182.1f, 182.2f, 182.3f, etc., is fetched, a test is conducted to see if the fast-path pointer points to a location preceding the start 162a of history window 162. If the answer is yes, as it will be in the case when fast-path pointer 182.4f is investigated, the search-for-longest/closest MOS is terminated. The preceding next-record pointer 182.3n is preferably altered at this time to indicate that there is no further record in the AB linked list 182 and to thereby make record 182.3 the last record of list 182.
The process wherein next-record pointer 182.3n is clipped is represented by scissors icon 185. Scissors icon 185 is suggestively drawn in FIG. 1 as being supported on a platform that moves with the start position 162a of history window 162. This is done to indicate that this list-terminating process operates in conjunction with the advancement of current pointer 165. Each time it is discovered that a linked list has tail records pointing behind the forward moving start 162a of history window 162, those tails records are trimmed away so that they will not waste time for next-performed searches. Garbage collecting mechanism 186 (represented by a garbage can icon) is optionally invoked at the same, or more preferably at a later time when a shortage of free memory space is detected, to recover memory space that was previously consumed by the clipped-off tail end (e.g. 182.4 and its next records) of the AB linked list 182.
The longest and closest matching old string, MOS1, is subsequently used to generate compression vector 193. The offset 169 between current position 163a and the start position defined by S-- BEST-- MTF (which points to MOS1 in the illustrated example) is the smallest offset that can be generated for all matching old strings within history window 162 that satisfy the condition of having the longest match length. The number of bits required for recording an corresponding offset code field 198 within vector 193 can be minimized as a consequence.
Many coding techniques can be used for advantageously representing offset 169 with an offset code field 198 having a relatively small number of bits. In one particular embodiment of the invention, compression vector 193 includes an offset-type indicating bit (not shown) which indicates the offset code field 198 to be either eight bits long or twelve bits long. If offset 169 can be specified in eight or less bits, the offset-type indicator is switched to indicate the shorter type of offset field 198 and the overlength of vector 193 is reduced by four bits as a consequence.
While this may not seem significant of itself, it is to be understood that output buffer 190 may include hundreds or thousands of such compression vectors (indicated by boxed V symbols) and a saving of just four bits for each compression vector can result in a saving of hundreds or thousands of bytes in the resulting compressed output file. It then takes less time to store the compressed output file to bulk storage 130 (e.g. a disk bank) and/or transmit it over communications link 140 and to thereafter retrieve the compressed file from bulk storage 133 or from communications link 140. As a result, overall compression-plus-store and retrieve-plus-decompression times are advantageously reduced.
After compression vector 193 is generated, the algorithm posts each of the two-byte combinations within the matched current string 163 plus the last byte ("D") of matched string 163 and the next byte ("E") to the fast-path array 180. In other words, it posts index pairs: AB, BC, CD, and DE to the fast-path array 180 thereby incorporating all index pairs of use for a next best-match operation into the FP-- array 180. This, in essence, advances the history window 162 to encompass string 163. Current pointer 165 then advances to point to the beginning of the new current string 164, which in FIG. 2 begins with the sequence "Exxx". The above described process of searching for the longest and closest match is then repeated for this new "current" string 164. It has been found that many to-be-compressed files have a large number of often-repeated code strings, that the repeated code strings tend to be placed closely together, and that match length between repeated code strings tends to be inversely proportional to the address interval separating the code strings. Accordingly, the above-described method provides very efficient compression when it encounters a to-be-compressed file with such characteristics. In comparing the system of above-cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,958, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCATING LONGEST PRIOR TARGET STRING MATCHING CURRENT STRING IN BUFFER, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,779, against a system in accordance with the present invention, it has been found that the present invention generally provides a two-to-one improvement in compression speed. Part of the reason is that the compression vectors tend to be more compact, compressed files are smaller as a result, and storage/retrieval times for the compressed files are significantly reduced.
The disclosed method and apparatus for finding the longest and closest matching data string is not limited in application to data compression. It can find use in other environments, such as text analysis for example. It may be desirable to analyze a body of text to determine characteristics such as repetition of a same word or phrase and distances between repetitions of the string. The system 100 of FIG. 1 can be used to perform this function.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible for the data processing scheme described above. A computer listing is provided below as one example of how the scheme may be implemented. The below computer listing is written primarily using the ANSI version of the C language with some modules written in the assembly language of the Motorola 68000™ microprocessor family. Some modules include compile-time switches that are used to take advantage of certain members of the 68000 family (e.g. Motorola 68020™, 68030™, or higher) when one of the higher-numbered processors is available within the system. The object code which is derived from compilation of the below source code is intended for use in Apple Macintosh™ computers and the like. The ThinkC™ compiler available from Symantec of California can be used to convert the below source code into executable object code.
In the below listing, the object "PairInfo" represents a linked list record such as one of the above-described records 182.1, 182.2, etc. The routine "PairsSortInitSizeCompression" allocates memory space for creating the fast-path array (PairsArray) and the data look-up table 170. The routine ClearDLT initializes the data look-up table 170. The routine MatchBestPair finds the matching old string with the best length and best offset in accordance with the invention. The routine PairsSortCompressBlock generates the compression vectors. Note that there is a maximum match length allowed for each compression vector. ##SPC1##
The above disclosure, including the computer program listing, is to be taken as illustrative of the invention, not as limiting its scope or spirit. Numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the above disclosure.
By way of example, instead of using DLT 170 to locate the head of each linked-list 181, 182, etc., a nonsorted table can be provided with the name e.g. AA, AB, AC, etc. of each linked list and the address of its head record. A binary or other search through the nonsorted table (not shown) would be used to convert an index-pair code 166 into a head-of-list pointer 176. The search could be carried with software or, if speed is important, with the aid of a hardware chip that is dedicated to carrying such a search in minimal time. This DLT-less approach would be useful in cases where system RAM does not have enough free space to support a large DLT (e.g. 64K or more entries).
By way of further example, instead of using linked-lists 181, 182, etc. to locate the start of each matching old string (MOS) and to determine the relative distances and/or order of the MOS's relative to the current position 163a, other data structures which provide the substantially the same function could be used. One possibility would be a set of files (e.g. circular buffer files) with expansion room being provided in each file for adding new records into the file. The new records are added to point to the start of each newly encountered string 163 as the current pointer 165 advances and the just encountered string 163 becomes a potentially-matching old string (MOS) for the next, subsequently processed string 164.
Given the above disclosure of general concepts and specific embodiments, the scope of protection sought is to be defined by the claims appended hereto.


text:
Submitting Requests for Donations, Grants & Sponsorships
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
As of 2018 landlords will be unable to rent out homes in England and Wales that have draughts in a bid to cut carbon emissions and energy bills. Around a million tenants will benefit from these new regulations, many of whom are currently paying £1000 more than the average annual utility bill of £1,265 due to their homes being poorly insulated.
These new regulations will mean that if homes' energy ratings are F or G to a minimum of E, landlords will be forced to upgrade and improve the energy efficiency by 1 April 2018. If they fail to carry out these measures then they will be unable to let out their properties. Currently, almost 10% of the 4.2million privately rented homes in England and Wales wouldn't pass this regulation.
Tenants living in homes that fall in the F and G energy rating brackets will be able to ask for energy improvements to be made to their homes from 1st April 2016, and if their requests are reasonable landlords will be legally bound to comply.
Energy and climate secretary Ed Davey said: "This is a very big measure. Effectively, we're saying, if you do not improve your property up to the minimum of EPC [Energy Performance Certificate] E rating by three years' time, you will not be able to let out that property. Which is quite a big stick, and it's about time too. It's really going to make a massive difference between now and the end of the decade. We're talking about the deepest fuel poverty, and we're going after it hard, because it's frankly unacceptable in this day and age."
Ed Davey also stated that he wished the regulations had been bought in sooner, as even though they started the proposal in 2010 there were wars between the coalitions which prolonged the process. "Not everyone in this government wants more regulation. But in energy efficiency, regulations play a crucial role," he added.
These new regulations could end up costing landlords a fortune especially if they own multiple properties which is an extra expense on top of costs such as landlord insurance, maintenance and letting agent fees. However Davey claims that there would be impact…
Acting CEO of the UK Green Building Council, John Alker, said: "This could be the single most significant piece of legislation to affect our existing building stock in a generation, affecting a huge swath of rented properties. Government deserves huge credit for sticking to its guns. Some will undoubtedly cry 'red tape', but good landlords and forward-thinking property companies have nothing to fear."
Welcoming the regulations, Richard Lambert, CEO of the National Landlords Association said: "The government has struck a delicate balance between making clear what is expected and ensuring that there is a realistic prospect of landlords being able to comply. Setting the standard at a sensible rather than aspirational level, allowing time to achieve it, and granting exemptions if the necessary improvements cannot be funded through the green deal or other government subsidies mean that these new regulations will not impose an unreasonable burden."
However, some people feel that the regulations do not go far enough. For example, energy campaigner at Friends of Earth, Sophie Neuburg, said: "With a government so deeply opposed to new regulation, the introduction of minimum standards is a step forward for tenants forced to live in heat-leaking homes. However, these regulations do not go nearly far enough and must be significantly strengthened in future to ensure struggling households are properly protected from poorly-insulated poor-quality housing."
Meanwhile, the Association for the Conservation of Energy published an analysis stating that this winter there will be around 80% fewer energy efficiency measures being installed compared to the winter of 2011/2012. The Green Deal was introduced after the government scrapped previous energy efficiency support schemes in order to help home-owners make energy-saving improvements, however these figures show it may not be doing enough.
The CEO of the Federation of Master Builders, the vice-president of NUS and many other organisations asked party leaders to make a "commitment" in their election manifestos to spend more time and money on improving energy efficiency. They said: "High energy bills are causing suffering for millions of families across Britain, especially those on low incomes. Britain has some of the least energy-efficient homes in Europe."


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Investment Philosophy
The Japan Focus Equity Strategy is a high conviction Japanese equity strategy with no market capitalisation bias. It is built on the firm belief that stock selection should be carried out within the framework of long-term structural trends. Superior performance can be achieved by investing in companies that benefit from these structural trends, and have strong growth potential and/or a policy that supports shareholder returns.
Focus on long-term structural trends
A key feature of the strategy is its focus on long-term structural trends. The strategy starts by identifying lasting, secular trends of at least 3 to 5 years, and seeks companies that may benefit from these trends. By maintaining this longer term view, the strategy attempts to capture investment opportunities that near-sighted investors fail to see. The portfolio is diversified across these identified trends. Many of the portfolio stocks are expected to benefit from more than one long-term structural trend.
Established investment team with robust research platform
Nikko Asset Management benefits from the abundance of local expertise. Lead Portfolio Manager Yuki Watanabe, with over 19 years of experience in investment management, is based in Japan and fully understands the idiosyncratic risks of individual companies and sectors within Japan. The investment team places an emphasis on direct contact with company management. Nikko Asset Management's long-established reputation as one of the largest asset managers in Japan helps facilitate the dialogue with these companies.
The portfolio manager is supported by Nikko Asset Management's robust equity research platform. The centralised research effort, consisting of 14 experienced analysts, has strength across all sectors, company sizes and styles. In addition, the team is supported by a strategist with over 30 years of industry experience. The portfolio manager has formal and informal modes of communication with other portfolio managers within the Japanese Equity Fund Management Department. He can also draw on the insights of portfolio managers and analysts within the Nikko Asset Management network, located in offices around the globe.
Key Characteristics
Analysis of Structural Trends
The starting point of idea generation is the analysis of long-term, structural trends. The portfolio manager formulates a view that these trends will last at least 3 to 5 years and seeks to identify companies that benefit from them.
The Portfolio Manager develops these ideas based upon interactions with the other Portfolio Managers across the Nikko Asset Management group, proprietary research produced by Nikko Asset Management's Equity Research Group and also external research including broker input, as well as direct interaction with company management.
Some examples of identified structural trends are listed below:
- Shift in demand to higher value-add products
- Rising purchasing power in emerging countries
- Change in demographics
- Change in consumption patterns
- Growth in infrastructure demand
- Improving corporate governance in Japan
Stock Analysis: Stock Evaluation Criteria
Companies that are expected to benefit from the identified structural trends undergo further fundamental evaluation. A company must possess at least one of the two following criteria to be considered for investment in the portfolio:
1. Potential for growth
- Operating profits reaching a new high over the next 3 to 5 years
- Growth steadily outperforming the market over the next 3 to 5 years
- Earnings growth accelerating over the next 12 months
2. Potential to enhance shareholder returns
- Management policies supportive of shareholder return enhancement
Investment Process


text:
- Simplex, Levenberg-Marquardt and Chebyshev curve fitting methods
- User-defined and pre-defined fitting functions
- Parametric and non-parametric statistics
- Simple and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis
- Dose-response analysis with automatic Schild plot generation
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- Correlograms
- Analysis of stochastic processes (Q matrix solutions)
- Intuitive, easy to navigate menus and options panels
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- Nested function fitting
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- 'Unlimited' number of data sheets with individual customizable plot parameters
- Copy and paste data or read from text files
- Multiple 'Project' format promotes excellent data management
- Fully functional flow document editor with printable headers and footers
- Drag and drop functionality throughout
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- …and much more
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Windows NT
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500 MB hard disk
1024 x 768 display
Windows XP Pro, Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
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1 GB hard disk
1920 x 1200 display
Currently, Analyst ® is user-configurable for
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More languages will be added in the future.
The help document is currently available only in English.
We are committed to working closely with the scientific and student community. Our development team has decades of experience in research and development and understands the value of criticism, comments and suggestions. We welcome such contributions and we know that there is always room for improvement.
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If you have a need for a particular feature or analysis, please go to our drop box. We will do our best to accommodate you.
Our exponential and Boltzmann function fitting employ the lightning-fast, non-iterative Chebyshev transform algorithm licensed to us by its developer, Dr. George C. Malachowski.
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and then only with your authorization.


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Avbvrn is a producer, composer and DJ born in California and based in Frankfurt. On Self/Similarity he turns his editing tools on himself: five prototype tracks were written as source material and then sampled and processed into five new tracks.
The EP's compositional self-reflexivity exudes solipsistic sonics rich with oddly stretched textures and highly sculpted artefacts. It will be released by DECISIONS on March 10th.


text:
Starting or returning to school after the summer break can be exciting, or it can be intimidating and create anxiety for many children. Author, illustrator and former teacher Lea McKnoulty presents her beautiful book, Making Mindful Magic, and shares joyful practices and activities to help young children embrace mindfulness and develop a sense of inner calm in this important transitional phase, and for life-long learning. Suitable for children up to 10 years of age. $15 per child. Accompanying adults welcome.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: 11 December'Restoring Balance' Mini Retreat
Later Event: 4 FebruaryNutrition & Yoga for Healthy Digestion


text:
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Refunds will be issued in the event that a domain becomes unavailable in the course of the purchase. A refund may also be considered in extreme situations where the domain has not yet been transferred or pushed to the buyer's account at the registrar of record. However all sales are final.
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text:
Woh Lamhe Woh Baatien
Koi Na Jaane
Thi Kaisi Raatein,Ho Barsatein
Woh Woh Bheegi Bheegi Yaadien
Woh Lamhe Woh Baatien
Koi Na Jaane
Thi Kaisi Raatein,Ho Barsatein
Woh Woh Bheegi Bheegi Yaadien
Na Main Jaanu Na Tu Jaane
Kaisa Hai Yeh Mausam Koi Na Jaane
Kahi Se Yeh Fiza Aayi,
Ghamo Ki Dhup Sangh Laayi,
Khafa Ho Gaye Hum,
Juda Ho Gaye Hum
Woh Lamhe Woh Baatien
Koi Na Jaane
Thi Kaisi Raatein,Ho Barsatein
Woh Woh Bheegi Bheegi Yaadien
Sagar Ki Gehrayi Se
Gehra Hai Apna Pyaar,
Seharao Ki In Hawao Mein
Kaise Aayegi Bahar
Kaha Se Yeh Hawa Aayi
Ghataye Khali Kyu Chaayi,
Khafa Ho Gaye Hum,
Juda Ho Gaye Hum
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Woh Lamhe
3 comments:
- Evolution said...
hey bro!
wassup??? (apart from the sky!!) i agree, the song's quite good... and the remix is better, what with Emraan braying his heart out, only to make it sound like true music...
what the hell!!! I am not making any sense, and i am tired and sleepy and pissed off... and fucking crazy with myself...
U take care...
Love, laughter n keep the faith...
- Alysha said...
Hi everyone,
what's up?? oh i really like that song. it really touches ze heart. this song shows my character....i love zat kind of song...i really appreciate it.........Yeps i dnt like hardrock musik....i only like soft n soft musik....
Even i'm a muslim girl, i love to watch indian movie n listen to indian songs...even if my father doesnt let me i do it when he is not around.
i like indian style......
i wish to visite INDIA N DUBAI one day.....it's my dream n i want it to becomes true....
my best actor, ze best one is Shah Rukh Khan...n i do like John Abraham toooo.he's so handsome.. i saw him at ze airport, he was shootin wiz Rimi Sen, etc.....
take care
- analguha said...
hey u have done a gr8 work no doubt in it .....but still u must know its not the original one .. just a stolen song from the song "wo lamhey" by jal ... indians were in an illusion abt the song ...but hey some illusions such deep they last forever


text:
The Trump Effect: Small Business and Regulation with Becky Wagner
Trump administration policies may affect a potential repeal of Dodd-Frank. Find out what that could mean for small businesses, and learn about anti-money-laundering and "Know Your Customer" requirements, as well as some ambiguity surrounding a large cash-based industry.
Learn more about the Trump Effect on small businesses with:
Mike Trabold | Stephen Dombroski | Mike Savage | Rob Reed | Tammy Tyler
Gene Marks: Hey there, I'm Gene Marks. I write every day for the Washington Post. I also write for a bunch of other places online, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine. I run a 10-person company outside of Philadelphia called the Marks Group. We are a financial management and technology consulting firm. We've been around since 1994. And I'm feeling older as I say that. But yes, we've been around for that long. Becky Wagner is here with me today. Becky, not Rebecca, correct?
Becky Wagner: Becky's fine, yes. Becky is fine.
GM: And Becky, you are – and I've been practicing this – Senior Financial Compliance Analyst.
BW: That's correct.
GM: Awesome. At Paychex.
BW: At Paychex, yes.
GM: And you've been at Paychex for –
BW: 19 years this month.
GM: 19 years. What do you guys get on your 20th anniversary? Do you get a big pay hike?
BW: I get five weeks' vacation.
GM: Five weeks' vacation?
BW: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
GM: You were telling me earlier, you were in the banking industry.
BW: I was for about 15 years.
GM: What were you doing there?
BW: I was working on the operations side of the bank. So I was where Paychex sends money. I was on the receiving side of that at banks, and making sure that direct deposits were posted. I started in banking when they first had debit cards, and ATM cards, and things like that. That was all brand new when I was in banking.
GM: Right, it's crazy.
BW: It was that sort of thing.
GM: Yeah, and you were smart enough to get out of banking.
BW: Yes.
GM: That's one of the many good decisions that hopefully you have made. It's an industry that when you were in it there were a ton of changeovers, mergers, acquisitions.
BW: Yes. And two of the banks I worked at were, I guess, victims of that as well.
GM: I always thought around that era – what was that in the '80s or something?
BW: Yes, it was.
GM: I always think the companies that made the most money in that era were the ones that made signs.
BW: Yeah, because they had to change.
GM: Every single time. That's good. So here you are at Paychex. And you are on the financial side, so financial compliance. So when we talk about financial compliance, we are talking about banking. We are talking about regulatory issues that affect your clients and the financial, from financial institutions, financial services. So first of all, I've asked this before. So I need to make this connection with you as well. Paychex is an HR company, right? I mean, I am a customer of Paychex. I use payroll services. Paychex does HR compliance work, but then also HR advisory work. They provide technologies and all that. What does that have to do with banking? What's your role there?
BW: Well, all the products that we have – we're a little unique in our group. Because we're not associated with just one product. All the products we have result in some sort of money movement, whether it's to pay a payroll, or pay taxes, or just collect from our clients for a service that they're getting from us. And so we have to make sure that we're not introducing risk into the banking system for any of those type transactions.
GM: What do you mean risk into the banking system?
BW: We act as an intermediary between our clients and the banks. And the banks don't necessarily know our clients. So it's up to us to really know our clients, the businesses they're in, make sure that they can pay us, make sure that the transactions that we're sending out are not fraudulent. There's a lot of fraud that goes on these days. We have an entire risk department that watches for that, looks for mail fraud or email fraud. That happens to our clients sometimes. So we've built a whole risk protocol around that. When I first started at Paychex, that wasn't there 19 years ago. And now, that's a huge part of our whole processing is to make sure we have all those risk mitigation efforts in place so that we're not introducing risk into the payment system and losing the services of our banks that we need so much.
GM: Got it.
BW: So we have a risk team that we work with closely on the banking side to make sure that they have the right programs in place. Because our banks ask us, what are you doing. Do you vet your clients? And so we go through a whole process and do look at – to make sure the business is legitimate, make sure our sales reps have actually seen the business. And if they haven't gone in there, then we do enhanced due diligence to make sure that we can still determine that business is legitimate.
GM: Got it. Enhanced due diligence, that sounds kind of scary. What does that mean?
BW: It just means checking a few more sources, if for whatever reason. I mean, everything is done virtually now. And our sales reps don't always see the business. And it's been so difficult for companies to get banking services. They sometimes will want to perpetuate fraud through a company like ours that has access to a bank that maybe they don't have access to.
GM: I mean, so that's on the onboarding side, and credit checking, and all of that. Do you have any involvement in my life afterwards? Am I dealing with your group at all as an existing Paychex customer?
BW: On the back end, we're making sure that we're up to date on what's going on in payments. So we're very much following what's going on with pay cards and any type of service like that to make sure that we can offer what our clients want, in terms of how they're paying their employees. So we pay a lot of attention to – I mean, some of our clients still issue checks to their employees. We issue a lot of checks. But there's a lot of rules in all the states about not having charges when you go in to cash your check or whatever. So we follow all those rules to try to make sure that, if we issue a check off our account, that it can be cashed and that your employee's not having trouble cashing it. And the same with the pay card rules, making sure that the program we offer is not having too many fees. We cross over with the employment law group on wage payment in making sure that, if a client says, "Well, I want to offer everybody pay cards, I don't want to pay them any other way, that they understand that they really need to talk to their legal counsel about whether they can do that in their state.
GM: Great. And it's state-related rather. I mean, there's no real federal oversight about it. It's more state-related. So why would I want to offer pay cards to my employees? How would that benefit? Why would employers choose to do that?
BW: If they don't have an account. And so you can't do a direct deposit. It's much better than getting a check and having to go to a bank. That takes time away from work. If they go out on their lunch hour or whatever, they could lose the check, all of that. And then, you don't have to reconcile the checks.
GM: If I issue a pay card to my employee, the employee doesn't have a bank account, right? But so isn't that Paychex bank account, in a way? I mean, right? I mean, the debit card is drawing off of some account somewhere, right?
BW: Yeah. So it's with the processor. We used to offer our own card. And it was off of our account. Now, we outsource that to a third party. So they take care of all the back end of that. But it is accounts at their banks.
GM: Got it. And you need to make sure that this is all in compliance with whatever state laws that there are.
BW: We have a good program with fee-free transactions and all of that, so that employees can get their money without paying fees.
GM: Right, without paying additional fees. And you had mentioned earlier, which is an interesting topic, that a lot of employees are still getting actual paychecks and depositing them in the bank, which I try to tell a lot – again, it's a big country between New York and San Francisco, right? You think that people are getting direct deposits online, which, frankly, they should be. But there are many, many, many, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of small business that are not that way. I mean, clearly you've seen that trend change over the years.
BW: Yeah. But we do see still a lot of checks. There are some employers that the only time they see their employee is when they come in to pick up their check. So they want to hand them a check. So I think we'll see a trend of the checks going down. But we still issue a large number of checks all the time.
GM: That really is fascinating. So Dodd-Frank, there's a lot of talk about scaling it back, right? I don't think repealing it, but most likely, scaling it back. What are you hearing about that? How does that impact your customers?
BW: So we are hearing that it will probably just be scaled back. We're hearing that it is going to be after whatever they do with health care, whatever they do with tax reform.
GM: It's just got to wait in line.
BW: It's just got to wait in line. And I've read that the Trump administration doesn't want that to overshadow what's going on with the other two. But he also wants to help out smaller financial institutions that have suffered from this rule.
GM: How did they suffer?
BW: The regulations are just so costly and difficult to comply with. And they don't have the staffs. We've seen fines against institutions that don't have all the right compliance.
GM: And they have to maintain a certain level, like $150 billion. They have to maintain all these tests, if they're over $50 billion in assets, I think is what it was.
BW: And there are some, even larger banks, that haven't passed those tests. So we've read that, obviously, there could be more money for lending, that it would have an impact on the economy, if there could be more lending done by loosening up these regulations. Community banks would probably benefit, independent banks. But then, you hear on the other side, from Janet Yellen, that the banks are lending. And I think you wrote an article a year or so ago saying there was other sources of funding that small businesses were using.
GM: It was a brilliant piece, wasn't it?
BW: Yeah, it was wonderful.
GM: It just made you think and discuss.
BW: So it's hard to know how much lending is not going on, I guess, is what I'm saying. It's probably the truth is somewhere in between. But I think it would help if there was more funds.
GM: It does seem like there is plenty of capital available. It does seem that there is expensive capital available. So that might be a lot of the online lenders have been proliferating and doing very well the past few years. But some of their interest rates are quite high. So maybe this will allow community or independent banks to be that much more competitive.
BW: And actually, so that leads to the CFPB and the lending.
GM: So that's a Consumer Financial –
BW: Protection Bureau. And they have put a suggestion for a rule out there that would curtail some of that high interest lending. But with changes to the Dodd-Frank Act that might come, that may never see the light of day.
GM: Right. So the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, right? I got your title right. I know the acronyms. I mean, that was again established as part of Dodd-Frank. And there's been accusations that it's somewhat of a partisan thing, that they were going overboard in some of the regulations that they're putting on the industry. So I think it's part of that scale back. They're considering diluting it, making it more of a bipartisan commission.
BW: And probably doing that through maybe budget reconciliation, things like that, and just taking their funding away, rather than just getting rid of it. I mean, I think that the Director, Cordray, is probably going to be there through his term of 2018. I don't know that they'll get rid of him. But we saw, when they first started out, they were just going against the mortgage banking and all the problems that consumers had there. Now, they've gone into payroll cards and other things. And they've also gone into not only looking at banks but looking at non-bank financial institutions, and even third parties that might be processing transactions, and saying they should know exactly what their customers are doing, and not be trying to collect on loans where the interest rates are too high. So they've been putting a lot of pressure on not just banks. I think that's where people are starting to say they're really overstepping their bounds with some of this. They want some kind of a push back on that.
GM: it's interesting. So where do you see this going, as far as banking? Do you think it's going to be more of a deregulatory era coming up?
BW: For some of the lending, maybe. But the whole part that we talked about, us having to know our customers and stuff, that's coming down from regulators in the banks to make sure that there's not problems with money laundering and things like that. And we don't see that those will be lightened up.
GM: So when you leave here joyously, and actually go back to work, and do something productive with today, what sort of issues are you dealing with right now that your customers are facing? I mean, other than the ones that we've talked about, or maybe they are the ones that we've talked about. I mean, what's on your to-do list?
BW: We're trying to be forward-looking. Because there's a lot going on in the financial industry through the Federal Reserve. They have a whole task force, that I'm actually on, that is looking at faster payments. So we're looking at that and being involved with what that ecosystem will look like. We look at things like virtual currency. Our clients sometimes ask if we can pay in Bitcoin.
GM: In Bitcoin, really? People ask to be paid in Bitcoin? Wow, OK. I would immediately report them to the police. But that's just me.
BW: So in addition to trying to pay attention to what's going on today and making sure that we're compliant with everything our banks tell us, we're trying to be forward-looking. We're involved with same day ACH. That's happening right now. So payments after all these years are starting to speed up and wanting to be involved, but making sure it's not risky – it could be very risky, the faster it goes, but trying to stay on top of all that, so we're not just surprised when it happens or whatever.
GM: I got it. Some advice for your customers, what could they be doing to mitigate risk?
BW: Well, I think they have to make sure that they're paying attention to system security. They do use our systems. But they are responsible for making sure their system is secure and that the wrong people aren't gaining access to their systems.
GM: So it's password protected is what the system is. You want to make sure the right people have access to it.
BW: Right, have access. There's email phishing or whatever that they're aware of that. We try to actually be a safety net and catch a lot of that in our – we have a really good risk team that does that. But ultimately, it's the client's responsibility to make sure that they've got a secure system on their site, so that they're not being hacked.
GM: You have to be super careful.
BW: You have to be careful. And we have a lot of small businesses. And they probably don't have the money to build this whole security framework. But it's really important. Because then, you see a small church. All of a sudden, they've lost $20,000. Where did it go? Well, there was phishing. And we received an email. We thought it was legitimate. It was not legitimate.
GM: Right. Should businesses have a separate payroll account set up with their bank that's separate from their checking account? Is that something that you recommend from a mitigating risk standpoint? Or does that not make a difference? Whenever I go to clients, there's always the payroll account, and then their general operating account. Why do they have two separate accounts?
BW: We don't suggest that. I mean, I think they like that. A lot of clients don't like us going into their bank accounts. And so whatever they can do, so if they can send us a wire, we have them send wires. But there's a lot of them that just don't want us accessing their accounts. So that may be why they just have a separate checking account, just for payroll.
GM: Got it, got it. Becky, that was great. Thank you very much for your time. It was a great conversation.
BW: Really nice meeting you, thank you. Thanks.


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Siddharth Nigam became a household name with his portrayal of Emperor Ashok in "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat." As the mythological show readies itself for a leap, the teen actor is preparing to be in "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9."
"Siddharth's stint will soon be over in Ashoka with the leap taking place. Since he already has a great fan following, the makers wanted to cash in on it, and thus signed the young boy for 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9'," Tellychakkar quoted a source as saying. His mom Vibha, confirmed the news to the entertainment portal.
Mastering dance routines shouldn't be a challenge for Siddharth, considering he is a trained gymnast. Also, he's not new to the stage. Siddharth, along with Season 8 winner Faisal Khan, performed to some of Shahid Kapoor's best numbers. Although, it wasn't the best act of the episode, they walked away with praise for attempting daredevil flips.
Siddharth's dedication was such that he juggled practice sessions with his grueling shoot schedules. They rehearsed for their act for three straight days in Karjat, where Siddharth was filming for his TV show.
Interestingly, Sonali Raut and "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein" actress Ruhanika Dhawan may join him on the dance reality show. "There has been a verbal agreement. We are discussing monies now," Sonali told the Times of India.
In other news, the eighth instalment of "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" saw some really great artistes transform into dancers. Mohit Malik and Sanaya Irani are two such examples. Judged by Shahid, Malaika Arora Khan, Karan Johar, Ganesh Hegde and Lauren Gottlieb, the show was bit of a dampener but Manish Paul, with his antics, tried to do some damage control.


text: Connect with Us July 27 – Today's Featured Bikes Leathers On Share on Facebook Pin from: Darrell Marcev Jr.: "Another angle of my 1998 Fatboy!!" from: Michael Delaney: "40 years, I've ridden I just bought my 1st Harley '05 Road King Why did I wait so long!" from: Darrell Marcev Jr.: "My 1998 Fatboy!!" from: Jimmy King: "My 99 Roadstar 1600J King" Here's How To Order The 'Friends' Starbucks Secret Menu Drink: Click "Next Page" below! Next Page Share on Facebook Pin Ad, Bottom of Post Recommended Cruisers Ready To Hit The Road! Here's How To Order The 'Friends' Starbucks Secret Menu Drink Badass Bagless Beauties – Say That Three Times Fast! August 25 – Today's Featured Bikes


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Provisional Theatre (Prague)
The Prague Provisional Theatre (Czech: Prozatímní divadlo, Czech pronunciation: [ˈprozaciːmɲiː ˈɟɪvadlo]) was erected in 1862 as a temporary home for Czech drama and opera until a permanent National Theatre could be built. It opened on 18 November 1862 and functioned for 20 years, during which time over 5,000 performances were presented. Between 1866 and 1876 the theatre staged the premieres of four of Bedřich Smetana's operas, including The Bartered Bride. The Provisional Theatre building was eventually incorporated into the structure of the National Theatre, which opened its doors on 11 June 1881.
Before the early 1860s almost all cultural institutions in Prague, including theatre and opera, were in Austrian hands. Bohemia was a province of the Habsburg Empire, and under that regime's absolutist rule most aspects of Czech culture and national life had been discouraged or suppressed.[1] Absolutism was formally abolished by a decree of the Emperor Franz Josef on 20 October 1860, which led to a Czech cultural revival.[2] The Bohemian Diet (parliament) had acquired a site in Prague on the banks of the Vltava, and in 1861 announced a public subscription, which raised a sum of 106,000 gulden.[2] This covered the costs of building a small 800-seat theatre,[3] which would act as a home for production of Czech drama and opera while longer-term plans for a permanent National Theatre could be implemented.[4] The Provisional Theatre opened on 18 November 1862, with a performance of Vítězslav Hálek's tragic drama King Vukašín.[5] Since there was at the time no Czech opera deemed suitable, the first opera performed at the theatre, on 20 November 1862, was Cherubini's Les deux journées.[5] For the first year or so of its life, the Provisional Theatre alternated opera with straight plays on a daily basis, but from the start of 1864 opera performances were given daily.[5]
The first principal conductor (or musical director) of the Provisional Theatre, appointed in the autumn of 1862, was Jan Nepomuk Maýr – to the disappointment of Smetana, who had hoped for the position himself.[5] Maýr held the position until September 1866; his tenure was marked by a professional rivalry with Smetana, who criticised the theatre's conservatism and failure to fulfil its mission to promote Czech opera.[6] Maýr retaliated by refusing to conduct Smetana's The Brandenburgers in Bohemia.[7] A change in the theatre's management in 1866 led to Maýr's removal and replacement by Smetana, who held the post for eight years.[8][9] Maýr's bias in favour of Italian opera was replaced by Smetana's more balanced repertoire, which mixed Italian, German and French pieces with such Slavonic and Czech works as he could find.[10] Apart from his own compositions (The Bartered Bride, The Brandenburgers in Bohemia and Dalibor, Smetana introduced works by the Czech composers Lepold Eugen Měchura and Josef Rozkošný,[10] but was nevertheless attacked by some parts of the music establishment for giving insufficient encouragement to native talent. Efforts to remove him from his post, and to reinstate Maýr, were unsuccessful.[11]
Smetana was responsible for the establishment of an independent school attached to the theatre. He became the school's director and professor of theory.[12] However, in 1874 Smetana became afflicted with deafness, which forced him to yield his duties as principal conductor to his assistant Adolf Čech, and to resign his post later that year.[13] Maýr was reappointed to the conductorship;[14] he had no interest in the school, which subsequently closed.[12] The Provisional Theatre continued as the main venue for Czech opera, several of Antonín Dvořák's works being premiered there.[15] In 1881 the theatre was incorporated into the Czech National Theatre building,[16] which opened on 11 June.[17] Shortly thereafter the new building was badly damaged by fire and remained closed for two years.[18] During this period the Provisional Theatre continued to operate, using other theatre premises. During its lifetime the Provisional theatre mounted more than 5,000 performances.[9]
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ Steen, p. 697
- ^ a b Large, pp. 114–15
- ^ Steen, p. 698
- ^ Clapham, pp. 32–33
- ^ a b c d Large, pp. 124–25
- ^ Large, p. 136
- ^ Large, p. 144
- ^ Large, p. 167
- ^ a b Ottlová, Marta. "Smetana, Bedřich". Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy. Retrieved 12 May 2009. (subscription required)
- ^ a b Large, pp. 207–08
- ^ Large, pp. 233–38
- ^ a b Large, pp. 206–07
- ^ Clapham, pp. 41–42
- ^ Large, p. 246
- ^ "The historical development of Czech theatre". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ "The National Theatre". Narodni divaldo. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ Large, p. 221
- ^ Steen, p. 702
- Clapham, John (1972). Smetana (Master Musicians series). London: J.M. Dent. ISBN 0-460-03133-3.
- Large, Brian (1970). Smetana. London: Duckworth. ISBN 0-7156-0512-7.
- "The National Theatre". Narodni divaldo. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- Ottlová, Marta. "Smetana, Bedřich". Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy. Retrieved 12 May 2009. (subscription required)
- Steen, Michael (2003). The Lives and Times of the Great Composers. London: Icon Books. ISBN 978-1-84046-679-9.
- "The historical development of Czech theatre". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2009.


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MTV are welcoming back the riotous Newcastle lot for season eight and we think you're going to be glued to your screens in horror.
Daily Star Online caught up with original cast member Charlotte Crosby and pulling Power Ranger Scott Timlin to find out all of the juicy gossip ahead of the first episode.
The bed-wetting babe revealed: "You can expect all the usual drama that you love. There's also a load of relationships that you just can't get your head around.
"I found myself asking 'why is she with him?' and then 'why is he with her?'"
Scotty also chirped up, we were quite alarmed when he casually said: "There's a lot of incestuous relationships in the season this year."
But thankfully he later added: "Like people in the house, there's even a threesome."
When we asked if the housemates got up to anything so outrageous that they thought the channel would have to cut it out Ms Crosby didn't disappoint.
She replied: "You can expect nudity, you can expect bumholes and more crazy antics. It's quite a scary one.
When we tried to get Char to spill the beans, all she said was: "That was me and Holly, there was glitter and bumholes.
So we'd advise you to tuck into your supper long before the programme airs.
With two additions to the cast, the gender numbers have evened out a bit.
Using newbies Aaron and Kyle as wingmen, Scott confessed the boys had been on something of a "pulling rampage".
He said: "Last series I got a bit caught up with Marnie. So this time I wanted to be chilled out.
"We host a lot of singles nights throughout the series, we hook up loads of Geordies up with each other and we hooked up with them too!"
When asked if the new lads weakened his womanising ways, Scott laughed: "No chance. They both make a good impact on the house, they don't cause arguments."
Tune into MTV on July 22, you have been warned.


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text:
Travel Insurance for Pregnant Women
Pregnant women can enjoy traveling as everyone else. Many women decide to take trips closer to the date of their new arrival as they know that taking care of their baby will become their number one priority, leaving less time for leisurely travel than before. Traveling while pregnant may pose some risks to the expectant mother, which should be taken into consideration.
Medical complications during pregnancy are a possibility. While most instances are less severe, the need for urgent care can become a reality and a great necessity for some women. In order to best prepare for such a potential medical need during a trip, you should be sure that the right type of care will be available to you if so needed. This will prevent unwanted health risks, ensuring both the protection of your baby's health as well as your own and providing you with the peace of mind to enjoy your trip knowing that you will be taken care of. Although pregnancy and child birth are generally excluded in most travel insurance plans, pregnant women who are traveling can be assured of receiving medical care from complications from pregnancy through purchasing travel insurance.
Travel insurance includes health insurance coverage that will protect you when you are away from home on a trip. This type of insurance coverage will allow you to obtain sufficient health care no matter where you are in the world and is recognized by most hospitals and health care providers. This extra level of protection is a welcome security blanket for expectant mothers as they can feel more comfortable knowing that if anything does go wrong, they and their baby will be well cared for. Some of these policies have provisions for what is known as "medical evacuation," which means that you will be taken to the nearest facility that will provide the type of care specified by your travel insurance plan. This is extremely helpful as some countries do not offer the same base standard of care as is available in the U.S., such as those pertaining to hygiene, re-using needles, etc.
Women who are pregnant and are looking for travel insurance should keep in mind a few key points. First, most companies providing this type of coverage may not provide a policy to a woman who is in her 28th week of pregnancy. This is because the possibility of complications becomes more likely in later stages of pregnancy. You can obtain the most comprehensive and least expensive travel insurance plan when in the earliest stages of your pregnancy. In addition, if there are any known existing complications, these complications will be excluded from the travel insurance coverage. Finally, going into labor while traveling is excluded from coverage, so it is best to check with your doctor and insurance provider to secure these details before you take your trip.
Travel insurance for women who are pregnant can provide a great way for women to obtain a great level of health care should the need for it arises.
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Special Reports
Parents of missing boy in court on theft charge
EL DORADO — Doug and Valerie Herrman made their first appearance in court today to hear the felony theft charge against them alleging fraudulent receipt of an adoption subsidy for their son Adam for years after he disappeared.
The Herrmans now face a Sept. 23 preliminary hearing on the theft charge.
They each have received a court-appointed attorney after filing affidavits saying their assets and income are limited.
The theft charges and court appearance are the latest developments in the Adam Herrman mystery. He disappeared from his Towanda mobile home, at age 11, in 1999. But authorities didn't learn of his disappearance until late 2008.
Butler County Attorney Jan Satterfield has said the Herrmans are suspects in his disappearance and presumed death.
The theft charges, filed earlier this month, are related to the alleged fraudulent receipt of $52,800 in government assistance for Adam's care.
The couple continued to submit subsidy forms saying the boy lived in their home and continued to claim him as a dependent on income tax returns and in court documents for six years after his disappearance, the charges state.
Trevor Riddle, an attorney who had represented Doug Herrman before Herrman received an appointed attorney, said after the charges were filed that the accusation is a "technical financial charge" and that the Herrmans will "vigorously seek dismissal" of the charges.
The Herrmans, in their 50s and living in Grove, Okla., have been released after each posted a $50,000 bond on the theft charges.
The Herrmans adopted Adam when he was about 2. He would be 23 now.
In an interview with The Eagle early last year, Valerie Herrman said that in early May 1999, when Adam was 11, he ran away from their mobile home and didn't return after she spanked him with a belt. She said she didn't report him missing because she feared it would cause her and her husband to lose custody of Adam and their other children.
Relatives said that Valerie Herrman told them that Adam, who was being home-schooled, had been returned to state custody.
His disappearance came to light in late 2008 after an adoptive sister said she tried to find him partly because she was concerned about the way he had been treated growing up.
After she expressed concerns about him to authorities, Butler County investigators began digging in the mobile home park, searching for human remains. Using search dogs, they also probed in woods along the Whitewater River.
No trace of him has been found.


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text:
Seek Strength
The Ninth Day of the Omer - strength within strength.
Pursuing strength, hardness, justice, often requires discipline - it is important to push ourselves.
With all our fuzzy language about kindness and love, we still know that at the core of our work we must pursue it with determination and rigor.
We must find that core of discipline, the spark of motivation that helps us push through to our next level, whatever and wherever that might be.
Strength can be a value - rigor can be a priority - finding the sources to persist requires us to dig deep.
Be determined. Persevere.