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Suite mixes free and commercial applications to manage traffic and handle security
Monitoring Internet access on the city of Westminster, Colo.'s network was becoming expensive, as maintenance costs for its networking tools increased. So earlier this year, network administrators decided to look for an alternative.
When integrating many tools, one size does not fit all
"Our objective when we started was to find a solution that did everything we were doing, but at less expense," said David Puntenney, the city's information technology director. Additional functionality for blocking or controlling malicious and unwanted traffic was optional. Key requirements for any product were low-risk implementation and ease of administration. "It's easy to find a product that costs half as much, only to find it costs twice as much to administer," Puntenney said.
The city settled on Untangle's Open Source Network Gateway, which fulfilled not only the baseline Web filtering requirements but also includes a suite of add-ons that are saving the city more money.
Westminster uses an outside service for antivirus protection and to block spam. The service was stopping 90 percent of incoming spam, said network administrator John Neiberger, but the IT staff members still had to deal with the remaining 10 percent until they turned on the Untangle Gateway's spam blocker.
"In August, it quarantined 10,000 more messages that we didn't have to do manually," Neiberger said. He estimated that freed 33 hours of IT staff members' time, at a savings of about $1,000 to the city.
The sweet spot for the Untangle Gateway has been small to midsize businesses because the single-server platform helps to eliminate the cost and complexity of maintaining multiple network appliances, said company chief operating officer Dirk Morris.
"But we found that in the last quarter, the largest percentage of our sales have been coming from larger organizations," he said. "We've been seeing a lot of traction in cities," such as Westminster.
Westminster, a Denver suburb of 108,000, which makes it the state's seventh-largest city, began building its network in 1988 in a partnership deal that traded conduit space for fiber.
"Much of that build happened in the 1990s," Puntenney said. The city gave employees outside e-mail access in the mid-'90s, but Internet access was limited. "We didn't immediately open up Web access to everyone when we started," he said. It was restricted to those with a specific business need.
But by 2002, as the Web was becoming ubiquitous and access was given to all employees, technology was put in place to monitor and control that access. The tools worked, but cost was becoming an issue.
"One of the driving factors was a 34 percent increase in our maintenance costs between 2002 and 2007," Puntenney said. Costs took another jump at the start of 2009, and "we decided to take a look at what else was available."
They looked at FortiGate appliances from Fortinet, but they were expensive and did not fit well with Westminster's network architecture, Neiberger said. IT administrators downloaded a copy of Untangle for trial in June, and after straightening out a few kinks in the configuration, they began using it for Web filtering on their network.
The Untangle Gateway is an open-source platform that runs on a wide range of servers and supports a library of proprietary commercial and free open-source applications for network monitoring and protection. The idea of the multiapplication platform is to circumvent the expense and time of acquiring and managing separate tools, Morris said.
"It's a much cheaper approach than having all of the appliances, because it's all on one server," he said. "We write the software that is the platform and go to third-party applications that apply to our customers."
As simple as the idea is, execution was more complicated. "We found that running everything on one server is very hard," Morris said.
Servers have adequate computing power to handle multiple applications, but latency would be a problem if more than three applications ran simultaneously.
"We found that the latency went up quadratically based on the number of applications," Morris said. Increases in server power could not keep up with additional software because increasing the processing power deflected the latency curve only by a little bit.
Untangle developed a processing algorithm that solved at least part of the problem. Latency still is unavoidable, Morris said, but with the new algorithm, the increase now is linear. "If you double the processing power, that helps quite a bit" in allowing additional applications, he said. "Now Intel can keep ahead of Untangle."
Untangle uses open-source tools for its gateway when possible, and it has partnered with commercial providers when necessary. The quality of a product cannot be determined by whether it is open source or proprietary, Morris said. Some open-source technology is the best available, but "some of it is terrible."
Untangle does not claim that its tool suite is best of breed.
"Determining 'best' is tough," Morris said. "In some cases, it's not going to be the best application for everyone," because a number of variables, including overall feature set and price, come into play. "It's a judgment call on behalf of our customers."
The current library includes 13 free open-source applications that provide basic network monitoring, filtering and management and 11 commercial applications for more advanced networking needs.
Westminster began using Untangle for Web filtering and later turned on the spam blocker that came with the package, which produced savings by providing an additional layer of defense. The city also is using antivirus, anti-phishing, protocol filters and intrusion prevention features that come with the basic suite of services.
Implementing wide-area network load balancing and failover tools could help the city boost the bandwidth of its Internet connection by supplementing 10 megabits/sec lines with a smaller cable connection.
"That provides us a great opportunity to increase bandwidth," Neiberger said. "That's going to be a huge benefit to the organization."
About the Author
William Jackson is a Maryland-based freelance writer.
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A Russian state-sponsored advanced persistent threat actor targeting state, local, territorial and tribal government networks exfiltrated data from at least two victims.
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BEIJING -- China's largest and most advanced semiconductor foundry - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC") - announced that SMIC, Wuhan Xinxin, Tsinghua University, Beijing University, Fudan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Microelectronics have collaborated to setup the "IC Advanced Technology Research Institute" to create the most advanced IC technology research and development institution in China.
As semiconductor technology continues to advance into the 20nm node, the difficulty of development and investment in the technology has substantially increased. By integrating the resources of the company and research institutions, the efficiency and pace of research and development will increase immensely. The IC Advanced Technology Research Institute will focus on forming a platform to integrate the domestic IC industry supply chain, equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, foundries, design firms and research institute. This is an industry, institute, research and application collaboration platform and can also act as a verification platform for domestic-made equipment and material research development.
Currently, the research institute will focus on the mainstream 20nm and below technologies for research and development which includes advanced logic technology, advanced non-volatile memory technology, verification of domestic equipment and materials, and related IP qualifications etc. It will also follow up with the industry's technology development and the actual needs of the customers, and will invite design, equipment, material companies, and upstream and downstream industries. They can join in as a member or in project collaboration. This institute will strengthen its international exchange and cooperation, to promote the establishment our IP infrastructure, to speed up the cultivation of patents and talent, in order to raise the core competitiveness of innovation in China's IC industry.
"The Institute will be formed to unite the strong players and combine their strengths with the initiative to explore and establish an open integrated circuit research and development platform. We will use this chance to integrate the strengths of corporations and research institutions to accelerate the development of advanced process technology, and address issues the industry faces, such as IP protection, and thus promote the rapid development of China's IC industry," said Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director of SMIC, at the signing ceremony.
"Working together is a move in the right direction. Government supports the effective collaboration among industry, academic and research. By working together, our research can focus on the market and application and it can also give rise to stronger R&D institutions and drive a deeper international cooperation in technological development. I hope today is a good beginning, and our technological development in IC will get faster and better," said Mr. Jian-Lin Cao, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Science and Technology.
For more info, visit http://www.smics.com

subset: commoncrawl


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| 8.6°C Belfast
The threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism has been downgraded from substantial to moderate, meaning an attack is possible but unlikely, the Home Secretary has said.
Theresa May said the threat level to Great Britain is being reduced, but the threat to Northern Ireland remains at severe, meaning an attack there is highly likely.
The threat from international terrorism also remains substantial, meaning an attack is a strong possibility, she added.
In a written statement to MPs, Mrs May said: "Today the Security Service reduced the threat level to Great Britain from Northern Ireland-related terrorism from substantial to moderate.
"This means that a terrorist attack is possible, but not likely.
"The threat level to the UK from international terrorism remains at substantial, which means that an attack is a strong possibility.
"The threat level to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism remains at severe, meaning that an attack is highly likely. Neither of these two levels has changed.
"Despite the change which has been made today, there remains a real and serious threat against the United Kingdom from terrorism and I would ask the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police.
"The decision to change this threat level is taken by the Security Service independently of ministers and is based on the very latest intelligence, considering factors such as capability, intent and timescale. Threat levels are kept under constant review."
The threat assessment was increased in September 2010 after Jonathan Evans, the director-general of MI5, warned that dissident Irish republicans could attempt a new wave of terrorist attacks on the British mainland.


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Last week at Ubisoft, in addition to playing through a big honking naval battle in the full console version of Assassin's Creed III, I also had a chance to get my hands on its portable Vita counterpart, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation.
In the portable game, players take on the role of Aveline de Grandpré, a female assassin in 1700's New Orleans, and the first female protagonist of an Assassin's Creed game. I played the game for the first time, during which time I navigated a bayou and killed some dudes, and I also watched a hands-off (no touching!) portion in which Aveline donned a number of costumes and infiltrated a Spanish base.
This one had enough going on that it'll probably be easiest to just bullet-point it. So, let's start with the hands-off infiltration section.
No Touching! Hands Off!
- Aveline has access to a number of dressing rooms scattered about the city—in them, she can change between costumes that hinder her abilities but make it easier for her to blend in.
- The outfits I saw were the "Lady" outfit and the "Slave" outfit, which my demonstrator referred to as the "Servant" outfit, but which the game called "Slave." Not a huge deal, but I'm still getting a sense of how direct the game will be with the realities of slavery in the south.
- The third outfit I saw was Aveline's regular assassin's garb—whens he's wearing that, she's somewhat suspicious-looking by default, and templars will be alerted to her if she acts too conspicuously.
- First, my demonstrator donned the "Lady" outfit, a posh green getup that has Aveline looking like a proper southern lady, complete with bustle and parasol.
- When dressed as a lady, Aveline arouses much less suspicion, but she she should be spotted in a restricted area, she's in trouble—it's very difficult to fight and impossible to climb walls while wearing the restrictive dress, and her health is far lower than when she's in her tough regular gear.
- Aveline does arouse some other things—she's able to charm single enemies and have them follow her around, granting access to restricted areas. In order to break into the fort we were tasked with infiltrating, my demonstrator did just this, getting a lovestruck guard to help Aveline make her way inside (before knocking him out cold.)
- Aveline won't be defenseless when she's dressed as a lady—she'll still have her trusty hidden blade, and her parasol is, awesomely, a blowgun that shoots darts with a variety of deadly and non-deadly poison.
- While infiltrating the fort, she used one of those darts to make an enemy go berserk and attack the guy next to him, buying herself time to enter the fort. It's much the same as the poison darts from the past couple Creed games, but still fun to see in action.
- A quick stab and a looting later, and Aveline had secured whatever macguffin it was we were supposed to be getting. My demonstrator was sure to point out that dressed as a lady, exfiltrations are much more difficult, as Aveline can't just climb a wall and leap to safety.
- One cool thing I saw during the infiltration was that Aveline has the ability to intelligently lean into the wall and peek around corners—it's not exactly a cover mechanic, but it's something I've missed in past Creed games and it made it much easier to play the game like a true old-school stealth game.
- After being spotted, Lady Aveline escaped her attackers in the easiest way possible—she dropped a smoke bomb and bailed.
- Our time was running out, so it was time to try out the slave/servent garb. This dress is much looser and more casual than the lady outfit, and so Aveline can climb and is able to use her bullwhip, but her health is still lower than when she's in her normal garb, and so combat is best avoided.
- This time, Aveline infiltrated the fort by picking up a delivery and pretending to work there—it was a different route, but just as effective as charming the guard and heading in.
- Had he wanted to, my demonstrator could have incited a riot with the other servants, using that as a distraction to make an entrance.
- In general, I got the sense that the outfits will add a lot of variety to the gameplay in Liberation, but that they'll only be necessary for a few specific story quests, sort of like the lute-player outfit in Assassin's Creed: Revelations.
Hands-On Segment
- After the hands-off demonstration, I had a chance to try actually playing the game for the first time.
- Aveline was meeting a contact in the bayou, which will be one of the three main areas in the game—the other two are New Orleans and Mexico. The areas won't be seamlessly connected—players will spend time in one, the other, or the other.
- The very first thing I got to do in Assassin's Creed on the Vita was… row a canoe. Okay! Not that exciting, but I'll take it I guess?
- I rowed the canoe using the rear-touch pad on the vita. It, like many rear-touch things, was uncomfortable.
- (Go ahead. Make your jokes. Have your laughs.)
- After piloting my canoe through a bit of the bayou, I met up with a contact who, I was informed, doesn't much care for Aveline. I couldn't hear everything that was being said, as there were a lot of blabbing games journalists in the background.
- After disembarking, Aveline was attacked by an alligator; clearly there will be wildlife to contend with in Liberation just like there will be in ACIII proper.
- With a quick quicktime-event, I hopped onto the gator's head and broke his neck. Woah, go ahead Aveline.
- After that, my contact set me after a
SpanishTemplar encampment nearby.
- Once on foot, I got a sense of how Liberation controls. It feels good, more or less like a regular Assassin's Creed game—I wasn't quite used to the single shoulder-button method of control, but I adjusted quickly.
- Making my way into the enemy encampment, I quickly back-stabbed one guard and was set upon by all the others.
- Combat in Liberation is quite different than combat in previous Creed games, most crucially in that you can't just hold down "block" and block all incoming attacks. You'd be surprised at how much more difficult that makes things—a big improvement for a series that, as I've mentioned before, could do with a difficulty increase.
- On the flip side of the new difficulty is the quicktime event instakills—if you have a certain amount of energy stored up (I think that's how it works, anyway), you can trigger a slow-mo sequence where you tap the numbers over enemies' heads and kill them instantly. It's not something you can spam all the time (I don't think), but it's useful and makes the game easier for those who want that. It is, of course, optional.
- After clearing out the guards (by the skin of my teeth, it must be said), I was left with one more enemy perched high atop a lookout post. I climbed up the mast of a ship that had been grounded in the camp, leapt from branch to branch and up to his lookout post, where I chopped him in the back of the knees with my sword before… woah, before ramming my sword into the back of his skull. Yow. And so ended the hands-on section, not with a bang, but with a skull-sword.
The best thing I can say about Liberation is that it really does feel like Assassin's Creed on a mobile gaming device. (That may sound like faint praise, but it's not—given how disappointing the first footage of Call of Duty on Vita was, it's mighty impressive that Ubisoft's Vita foray is as good-looking as it is.) Liberation is very much its own game, and one with a few tricks up its sleeve to differentiate it from its console big brother.
And hey, not many games let you dress up as a high-class lady and wipe dudes out with a weaponized parasol.
Alligator fight
Snapping teeth and waiting guards;
Bring your parasol!


text:
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Aruba Carnival
You have not lived until you have experienced the spirit of Carnival as it is celebrated in Aruba!
View Aruba's 2020 Carnival Schedule (66th Edition).
Important Notice: Aruba's 2021 Carnival has been cancelled.
Carnival means weeks of events that bring you colorfully decorated floats, contagiously throbbing music, luxuriously costumed groups of celebrants of all ages, King & Queen elections, electrifying jump ups and torch light parades that wind their way through the streets at night, the Jouvert morning: the Children's Parades and finally the Grand Parade.This has got to be the greatest party ever!
Where else can you find Antillean "tumba" music, the Calypso and steel bands of the English Caribbean, the salsa beat of Latin countries plus marching bands and a smattering of Dutch oom-pa-pa? The 2 month long celebration culminates with the all-day Grand Parade on Sunday, with everyone and everything all decked out.
Take a peek at the moments our VisitAruba Team was able to capture LIVE at the parades of Aruba Carnival 65!
Be sure to put on your shades, there will be an awful lot of glitter out there! Monday is an official holiday for everyone to recoup and recover! You can relax at the pool with daiquiris to replace all that precious liquid you lost jumping around.
But just when you think it is all over, there's the Farewell Parade and the burning of Momo, indicating the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent. Symbolically, Momo's ashes are used on Ash Wednesday.
All in all, we think this is the perfect time for people to come visit us in Aruba. But so does everybody else! So make your reservations well in advance to come celebrate carnival the way we do, right here in Aruba!
Grand Parade Oranjestad 2019
Grand Parade Oranjestad 2018


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Technical FAQ with Lennard Zinn: Cipo's bikes, truing rotors and freeing seized BBs
LZ fields questions on Mario's bikes, disc brake rotors, seized bottom brackets and power meter drag
Q. Lennard,
What are those Cipollini bikes I see in the Giro? Does Mario Cipollini own a bike company? Where are they made? Are they sold in the USA? I have never seen one here.
— Phil
The Cipollini bicycles used by the Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli team in the Giro do use Mario Cipollini's name and image to market them. He has had a hand in their design, and he may share some ownership in the company with Federico Zecchetto of the Giordana and DMT brands. There is a dealer listed in Xalapa Veracruz, Mexico. As far as I know, that's the only MCipollini bicycle dealer in all of the Americas.
Zecchetto's son, Philipe, runs the company. It says "Made in Italy" on the link bar on the site, and the first photo that comes up says that they are monocoque frames developed by Italian engineers. I don't know where actual production happens, but the company would be relatively rare if it were not producing in Asia, despite the photos of Italian craftsmen. I did hear that the first time trial frames for the team did not meet UCI technical regulations, and the company cut new molds, at considerable extra expense. I can't verify the accuracy of that.
As you can see when you look at the design of the websites of MCipollini , Giordana, and DMT, the same hand seems to be behind all of them. Zecchetto, an important patron of both men's and women's cycling in Italy, owns DMT by himself and owns A.P.G. srl, the holding company behind Giordana, along with Giorgio Andretta, the founder of Giordana and owner of Gita Sporting Goods, Ltd., the U.S. distributor of Giordana, DMT, Pinarello, and Eddy Merckx. Zecchetto apparently owns MCipollini in some sort of partnership with Mario Cipollini himself.
I do not know why the logo seems to have changed recently from Cipollini to MCipollini, either. The bikes I saw at the Giro and on which the ISD-Neri team rode last year just say Cipollini on them, but the website seems to show only bikes with MCipollini written on them. Mario Cipollini consults with both the Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli men's pro team and the MCipollini-Giordana women's team of reigning Olympic champion Nicole Cook and reportedly designed the florescent yellow, white and black clothing and bikes of both teams.
When ISD decided to partner with Lampre for team sponsorship in 2011, MCipollini stepped up from being strictly the former ISD-Neri team's bike sponsor to a cash sponsor as well in order to keep Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti, reportedly a personal friend of Mario Cipollini, on the team. With the addition of Farnese Vini as a title sponsor to the team, I believe MCipollini has reverted to being only a technical sponsor. The team had the oldest rider in the Giro, Andrea Noe, until he did not finish stage 14 from Lienz, Austria to the summit of Monte Zoncolan.
— Lennard
Q. Lennard,
First let me say that while I do occasionally race my bike, I do not use a power meter, and am more than satisfied with my 105 build. However, I know several people who do use power meters, and I had a question about their effect on the bike as a whole. Beyond adding about $1,000 to the cost of the bike, do they sap power from the cranks?
They say that you can "change the result by measuring it." Moreover, I've found that the more stuff you add to the drivetrain of the bike, the more resistance you encounter — a chainguide on a mountain bike, or even a 3-speed internally geared hub can make a noticeable difference to the power you can transfer to the rear wheel.
The point is, does a power meter "soak up" some of the power you put into the pedals? Why or why not?
— Will
A. Will,
Well, power meters add weight to the bike, but otherwise they do not add drag to the system.
Power meters generally just measure the strain on a single component (with strain gauges) that is already under strain anyway (like the twist in a hub shell or bottom bracket spindle or the flex in a crank spider arm), and transmitting the information wirelessly does not add any drag to the system. If they were not battery powered and took energy from the motion of the bicycle, like the pumps that pressurize and heat the cabin in an airplane, then, yes, you'd have a legitimate concern.
— Lennard
Q. Lennard,
In the good old days of mountain biking, I could get my brakes adjusted the way I like them (really sensitive, so that if I touched the lever the pads touched the rim) by making sure my wheels were true. Easy enough, once I got the hang of truing.
I have used discs for six years and I cannot do that without sacrificing lever action if the rotors are not perfectly true.
I have used both: all steel and aluminum carrier/steel surface rotors and I am always vexed by the fact that there is no clearly prescribed or obvious, controlled way to true them.
Are disc brake rotors "truable"? In other words, can I true away that slight wobble that makes my disk brakes rub the pads only once every revolution? If so, what is the best way to do that?
— Manuel in Guatemala
A. Manuel,
Of course rotors are truable! With a Morningstar ROC Tech and Drumstix!
— Lennard
Q. Lennard,
I am at the end of my rope here and hoping you may take the time to consider and reply to my e-mail. I have a titanium frame I dearly love. I recently went to replace the BB. It is a Shimano BB6500. The drive side will not release and unscrew.
I have used the proper tools, long levers, etc., but have succeeded in only snapping some heads off of ratchets. The BB has been in for approximately 10 years. I now know that is not a good idea. I took it to a bike shop and they could not budge it either. I very much want to keep the frame and I am hoping you may be able to give me some ideas. I was told the ti can fuse to the BB? Is there anything I can try at this point?
— Tom
A. Tom,
Well, you could use an impact wrench on that BB tool. It's a standard socket, but it is air powered and puts an impact into each attempt to turn it, which can loosen the thing up.
I'm not sure why it's seized. The threads could have galled, and aluminum and titanium threaded together can certainly gall. Galling is common with threads made of stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, and other alloys which self-generate a protective oxide surface film. As tightening pressure builds between thread surfaces, protective oxides crack or scrape off, and the contacting areas shear or lock together. They stick together more as this clogging-shearing-locking action continues. Galling can lead to seizing — the actual freezing together of the threads. Continued tightening can snap the bolt off or tear off its threads.
The other thing that could have happened is that the Ti shell could have stretched around the cup if it was threaded undersized. If properly lubricated, it would have stretched over the cup, rather than galling the threads on initial installation, and then shrunk down so tightly that unscrewing would gall the threads, locking the parts together. Hope that didn't happen.
Your last resort is to grind some slots through that cup with a Dremel tool, collapse it in on itself, and then pull it out.
— Lennard


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PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Rory McIlroy got off to his worst start in two months Thursday with a 3-over 74 in The Barclays.
Coming off three straight victories — two of them major championships — McIlroy took a double bogey on his third hole and never got on track at Ridgewood Country Club as the FedEx Cup playoff began.
He didn't make a birdie until his 14th hole, and McIlroy ended with a 30-foot birdie on his last hole.
Hunter Mahan, the only player to have competed in all 29 playoff events, joined Charles Howell III and Cameron Tringale for the lead at 5-under 66 among the early starters.
It was the first time since the Irish Open that McIlroy failed to break par in the opening round.


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A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established in 1960 to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. The Foundation develops, supervises, and finances its own educational activities to foster thought and encourage discourse on enduring intellectual issues pertaining to liberty.
This is done through the implementation of different programs:
These programs focus on the place individual liberty has in an intellectual heritage evident from ancient times and continuing through our own times. The programs are intended to enrich understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of a society of free and responsible individuals and to contribute to its preservation.
Liberty Fund also sponsors the following websites:
As a tax-exempt, private operating foundation, Liberty Fund's purposes are educational. It does not, therefore, engage in political action of any kind. It fulfills its mission by conducting programs, not by awarding grants to outside organizations or individuals.
Last modified February 25, 2020


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This professionally remanufactured Epson magenta (T078320) inkjet cartridge is an original Epson T0783/T078320 ink-jet cartridge which has been through one cycle of service and has been remanufactured using both OEM and non-OEM parts. This Epson magenta T078320 ink cartridge has been thoroughly cleaned along with the printhead nozzles. Then the Epson T078320 was filled with the same ink formula, the internal back pressure was insured and then it was inspected for any possible shell leakage, tested the operation of all electrical circuitry and finally run through an actual print test. The ink monitoring chip on this remanufactured Epson T078320 is the original chip which has been reset to provide accurate ink monitoring. If the T0783 magenta inkjet cartridge passes our rigid standards, it has been remanufactured for your Epson printer! We offer a 100% Quality Satisfaction Guarantee on our remanufactured T078320 ink cartridge.
Remanufactured using both OEM and non-OEM parts.
|Ink Cartridge
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|12-18 Months
*Average cartridge page yield in accordance with ISO IEC 24711


text:
Walton Arts Center moves forward with renovations plans
85 percent of voters approve vote to fund renovations
The Walton Arts Center moved forward with plans to renovate on Wednesday knowing organizers would have help from Fayetteville taxpayers.
However, organizers still need more money before the renovations can be realized.
On Tuesday night, voters approved a bill that will issue $6.9 million in bonds to provide the center with a face-lift and increase the seating capacity. However, that amount is not even half of what the undertaking is expected to cost.
Beth Bobbitt, who handles public relations for the theater venue, said big donors tend to give big money when a project has public support.
The vote to fund renovations was approved by 85 percent of voters.
"This was critical in incentivizing others to step up and give," Bobbitt said.
If organizers obtain that money, Bobbit said much of the heavy construction to the lobby and the two main theaters will occur during the summer.
"The goal is to have everything done by 2016, so it's aggressive, but doable," she said.
Besides the lack of seating and theater space, Bobbit said the building cannot be used in other ways, such as weddings or other events that could help bring in extra revenue.
The Walton Arts Center wasn't the only beneficiary of Tuesday's vote. $3.5 million will also go to the development of Regional Park in Fayetteville. That cash will go to the development of three baseball fields.
Regional Park will be built west of Interstate 540 on Cato Springs Road. The park will cost $28 million, and will feature six soccer fields and a large pavilion.


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Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos might be on her way to free agency, but UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey isn't too worried about it.
"I think she's just making a lot of noise, trying to get a lot of attention because she's fading into being irrelevant," Rousey (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) said during a media call in support of UFC 157, which she headlines opposite Liz Carmouche (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on Feb. 23 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The ex-Strikeforce champ reportedly has asked for a release from UFC parent Zuffa, which held the rights to her services, according to her manager, UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz. An announcement on Santos' future is expected for Friday afternoon.
Rousey believes Santos (10-1) is merely trying to drum up more press.
"She hasn't had a recorded win in around, what, two years or something like that," Rousey said of Santos. "She needs to have people going on TV and making a big fuss so people would even remember her name."
Still, Santos' release would be bad news for a highly anticipated fight with Rousey. The two have built a heated rivalry over several months of trash talk.
After the two were falsely linked to a fight at the Feb. 23 event, Santos confirmed negotiations were ongoing to bring her into the UFC. She stated that she could drop to 135 pounds to fight Rousey, but needed time to cut weight.
UFC President Dana White later said he would hire nutrition consultant Mike Dolce to help the process. Ortiz, though, continued to express doubt whether the fighter could shed the weight.
In an interview with AXS TV's "Inside MMA," Ortiz made up his mind, stating 135 pounds is "impossible" for Santos. He suggested a 140-pound catchweight fight with Rousey.
Ortiz also said Santos wanted a four-fight deal with the UFC that would conclude with a fight against Rousey, but the UFC wanted to "stick her over in Invicta FC," referring to the all-women MMA promotion.
"To be honest, I have a lot of options ahead of me," said Rousey. "I have a lot of girls that I can fight, and she doesn't really have any other options besides me.
"So they could run around, make a bunch of noise and be a big 'Cryborg' as much as she wants, but at some point, she's going to have to come around and take the only fight that's available for her, and in the meantime, I'm going to take the 20 options that are available to me."
Rousey added that she hasn't checked Santos' status with the UFC, stating Carmouche is "100 percent of my attention right now."
However, Rousey does have an interest in one upcoming UFC women's bout, which pits ex-champ Miesha Tate against Cat Zingano.
"I think it's a very interesting matchup," she said. "I've had my eye on Cat for a while; she's one of the only other undefeated 135ers at the moment. I'm very interested in that fight. I would be down to fight either of them. I'm going to be there myself at the fight, and I would love to take on the winner."
Rousey, however, hasn't made a fight pick. Of course, she already has a win over Tate, whom she armbarred this past March to take the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title. She was later named the inaugural UFC champ.
"I think it would be nice to have Cat win and have another girl that's well-known with the girls' ranks, but if Miesha wins, I wouldn't be against fighting her again at all," Rousey said.
For more on UFC 157, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Ronda Rousey)


text:
There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this comedian.
Pardis Parker
Pardis Parker is an award-winning director, writer, actor, and comedian.
His films and music videos, including The Dance, Afghan, and Two Men, Two Cows, Two Guns, have screened at over 150 film festivals worldwide and have received over 80 awards and distinctions from the likes of NBC/Universal, Just for Laughs, CBC, the Boston Comedy Festival, and the National Screen Institute of Canada. In print, Afghan has been lauded by Gawker as a "beautiful short film," while The Dance has been described by Glamour Magazine as "a sweet little movie that will make you smile without saying a word," by Jezebel as "an adorable short film that will make your heart sing," and by GQ Spain's movie blog as, simply, "the best."
He has received multiple Best Actor nominations for his work in The Dance and Afghan, and has appeared on television and in films on both sides of the border, including Combat Hospital on ABC, Little Mosque on the Prairie on CBC, Single White Spenny and Moderation Town on Showcase, Really Me on The Family Channel, and indie drama Snow.
A six-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee and a finalist for Canada's Next Top Comic, he currently resides in Los Angeles, where he's a regular performer at the Hollywood Improv, Hollywood Laugh Factory, and World Famous Comedy Store.
A regular blogger, you can read words that he types at www.pardisparker.com.
Pardis Parker's Upcoming Shows
Pardis Parker is Known For
|Combat Hospital
|Little Mosque on the Prairie
|Single White Spenny
|Guest Star
|Moderation Town
|Series Regular
|Really Me
|Family Channel
|Guest Star


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Recipe from Ashley Bounds of Diboll, Texas.
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 4-6 hours
rump roast
1 pkg fajita seasoning
1 med onion cut into circles
1 bag carrots
6-8 med potatoes, cut
2 cans of cream of mushroom
1. Put roast in large roasting pan, pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rub fajita seasoning on roast, add cream of mushroom and stir in a little bit of water. Add in carrots, potatos and onions add in water till it covers vegetables.
3. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours. Then enjoy.
Servings: 6-8
Comments: This is a recipe everyone will enjoy.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.


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Difference between revisions of "EBC Embedded Beagle Class Topics"
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== Embedded Linux - Development Topics ==
== Embedded Linux - Development Topics ==
The following exercises start the transition to Linux based approaches. They introduce Linux-based tools, but we're working with the kernel yet.
The following exercises start the transition to Linux based approaches. They introduce Linux-based tools, but we're working with the kernel yet.
; [[ECE497_Lab03_Git | git - Revision Control]]
; [[ECE497_Lab03_Git | git - Revision Control]]
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; [[EBC_Exercise_07a_make | make]]
; [[EBC_Exercise_07a_make | make]]
: As your programs become more complex they will spread over multiple files. make is a utility that tells which files depend on which and how to compile them all together into an executable. This exercise walks you through how to create a Makefile.
: As your programs become more complex they will spread over multiple files. makeis a utility that tells which files depend on which and how to compile them all together into an executable. This exercise walks you through how to create a Makefile.
; [[EBC_Exercise_07b_make_with_variables | make with variables]]
; [[EBC_Exercise_07b_make_with_variables | make with variables]]
Revision as of 12:02, 25 August 2011
When I first started planning for this course I was told "The hardest things about designing such a course is deciding what to leave out". That is very true. There is a huge range of topics that could be covered. They seem to fall in three broad categories:
- Traditional embedded topics such as reading switches and flashing LEDs (general purpose I/O), UARTS, I2C, SPI, and A to D's.
- Embedded Linux topics such as tools for code development and what happens when the kernel boots up, how to write device drivers, etc.
- Advanced applications. This includes open source projects such as processing streaming media with GStreamer and computer vision with OpenCV
Here's what I have so far. Everything before the Kernel topics are run completely on the BeagleBoard. No need to set up a host computer.
Traditional Embedded Topics
Here is how to do some of traditional gpio on a Beagle. These materials assume you already know how to teach the topic on another embedded processor and want to know how it works on the Beagle.
- Setting up the Beagle's SD card
- The first exercise is to get Linux installed on the SD card for the Beagle and boot it up. All these exercises are designed to be run completely on the Beagle, so there is no need to install anything on the host computer. Follow the instructions to download and install the SD image.
- General Purpose I/O, Flashing an LED
- This exercise shows how to flash an LED and read the User button from the command line of the Beagle. It's a nice way to explore the gpio since it's all command driven and no need to compile anything.
- gpio Polling and Interrupts
- The command is a rather easy ways to work with gpio; however it tends to be slow and require a lot of the CPU. In this exercise we explore using sysfs via C. We also see how using interrupts can greatly reduce the CPU usage and increase our max output speed.
- Pulse Width Modulation
- Toggling a gpio pin takes a lot of CPU time. Many embedded processors have hardware that can toggle a pin continuously without CPU interaction. This exercise shows how to use the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) hardware to do this. Another topics that is introduced is Pin Muxing. The Beagle's processor has more internal I/O lines than it has output pins. A given pin can be attached to one out of eight internal lines. This exercise shows how to set the Pin Muxes to the PWM lines.
- There are a number of serial standards for processors to talk to peripherals. I²C is a "two-wire interface" standard that is used to attach low-speed peripherals to an embedded system. In this exercise we wire up a couple of I²C temperature sensors (TC74) and learn how to read their values.
Embedded Linux - Development Topics
The following exercises start the transition to Linux based approaches. They introduce Linux-based tools, but we're not working with the kernel yet.
- git - Revision Control
- As the exercises get more involved it become important to use some revision control software. git is a distributed revision control system with an emphasis on being fast. It was initially designed and developed by Linus Torvalds for Linux kernel development. This exercise shows how to setup git on both the host computer and the Beagle and takes you through some of the basic commands.
- gdb - Debugging Tools
- As the code becomes more complex, more powerful debugging tools are needed. The GNU Project debugger (gdb) is the granddaddy of all debuggers. In this exercise you will learn how to install and use it on the Beagle.
- make
- As your programs become more complex they will spread over multiple files. make is a utility that tells which files depend on which and how to compile them all together into an executable. This exercise walks you through how to create a Makefile.
- make with variables
- In this part, we will add some user-defined variables and built-in variables to simplify and help the makefile more readable. You will also have a chance to build a "test' rule to help debug your makefile.
Embedded Linux - Processing Audio and Video
At this point in a traditional embedded class one starts working with more complex interfaces such at A2D's and D2a'a. We do the same here, but differently. In a traditional class you learn which registers to use to setup and run the A2D. Here we learn to use ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) a standard sound interface for Linux. What is learned will also work on a Linux host computer.
- Using ALSA for Audio Processing
- This is a three part lab. Part a shows how to use ALSA to input sounds and save them to a file. Part b reads that file and plays the sound. Both parts are inspection labs, i.e., you just look at them. In part c you combine parts a and b to create a program that inputs a sound from the line in and outputs to the line out.
- Using the DSP for Audio Processing
- In the previous exercise you saw how to bring audio into the Beagle and send it out again. You also did some processing on the audio. All this was done on the ARM processor. The DM3730 on the BeagleBoard has both an ARM processor and a C64x fixed-point DSP. This exercise shows you how to use the DSP via C6Run. C6Run is a set of tools which will take in C files and generate either an ARM executable, or an ARM library which will leverage the DSP to execute the C code.
Embedded Linux - Kernel Topics
It's time to start looking into what the kernel does and how it does it. Here we move from completely Beagle-based development to setting up the host for cross-development. Soon you'll be compiling your own kernel!
The text I use is the Embedded Linux Primer by Christopher Hallinan, published by Prentice Hall. You can see a chapter here. The text does a good job of describing what happens from the moment power is applied to the processor until you have a full blown Linux running. It is not BeagleBoard specific, so there is sometimes a little foot work needed to see how things apply to the Beagle. This isn't a bug, it's a feature. The text has several listings from various processor reproduced throughout the book. I have my students reproduce the listing for the Beagle. It's a good way to see if they really understand what they are reading.
Additional Topics
Here are a few additional topics I have covered in the past, or plan to cover next time.
- Audio I/O. I give an example of how to capture audio from the line in and send it to line out.
- Display Sub System (DSS). The DSS on the OMAP supports 3 frame buffers, one for graphics and 2 for video. I give them the c code needed to pull a frame of video from a web cam via Video 4 Linux (v4l2) and store it in a file. I also give the code to take the frame from the file and put it in a video frame buffer. Their task is to combine the two programs to pull live video from the camera and display it on the monitor.
- DSP. Next time I plan to have my students use the DSP via c6run (ECE497 Lab13 Using the DSP via c6run). c6run is a slick system that runs code on the DSP via the ARM without having to know all the details of how the two interact. I plan to give details of how memory is shared between the two processors (ARM with virtual memory and the DSP without) and show how cmem manages it.
- OpenCV. There is a port of the Open Computer Vision Library openCV. I plan a one day overview of it with some demos.
- GStreamer. There is also a port of GStreamer, the open Multimedia Framework. It even has a plugin that uses the DSP.
- Speech Recognition. TI has an embedded speech recognizer that has been ported to the Beagle. I'll present it and suggest projects that might use it.
I'll present other topics based on what the class is interested in.
Course Projects
A major part of the course grade is based on a major project. Here are some of the projects that have been done, or that I'm proposing: ECE497 Project Ideas


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Les Autres - Backwards (Jigsaw Records)
Artist: Les Autres
Title: Backwards
Label: Jigsaw Records
Catalogue: Jigsaw – PZL101
Date: 19 Feb 2016
Country: US
Style: Indie Rock, Post Rock
1 Letterboxes Symmetry (rough mix)
2 Outside My Ken (rough mix)
3 Who Knows (alt. mix)
4 Chapels Bay (rough mix edit)
5 My Friend Henry
6 Instrumental
7 Tu M'ennuies
8 Today I'm Burning
9 Ce Moment-Là
10 Leave Me Alone (demo)
11 Kill The Girl I Love (single version edit)
12 Hoppy (single version edit)
13 Helene K (demo)
14 My Funny Life (studio demo)
15 I've Lost Everything I Held (studio demo)
16 Always (studio demo)
17 Behind The Church (studio demo)
18 Something Will Never Fade (studio demo)
19 Le Jardin (live)
20 Megrim (demo)
A collection of alternate versions, unreleased demos and a live track.
Les Autres existed for the first half of the '90s, and in their time, gave us an album and a couple singles, as well as numerous compilation tracks (back when the European comp tape scene was going strong). This is not a collection of those works. No, instead, we have a disc full of alternate versions from the album, re-edits of a couple 7" tracks, and a whole bunch of unreleased songs, including demos and even a live track. Presented in mostly reverse chronological order (a few tweaks were made to the timeline to improve the album's flow), this disc captures a rawer side of the band than you've (probably never) heard before. They didn't get much recognition outside of France, but if they had, they would've fit perfectly alongside contemporaries such as Lorelei, Bugskull and Hood (circa early/mid '90s), as well as the Lavender Faction before them. The sound quality varies as the disc goes on, from the re-mixes of studio tracks from their album and unreleased EP to a number of 4-track demo recordings, but remains relatively decent throughout. Overall, this is an interesting artifact of top-quality French '90s indie rock.
released February 19, 2016
Last bumped by Anonymous on Thu Dec 08, 2016 7:35 pm.


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This video of the Alice In Wonderland eBook for iPad is visual proof of how apple will kill the kindle and probably all paper based books over the coming years. Yes, it's a big call from someone who reads 99% non-paper material, but I'm sure after you watch this video you'll see the very start of the iPad eBook potential.
I can see encyclopedias with video examples and animated diagrams, kids books with interactivity just like Alice In Wonderland above, student text books with instant quiz's, sifi novels with background music and flashes of interaction… or am I wrong?! and we'll continue to publish paper based books forever?
It's also the very first time I've ever seen a hype video for a book too! Want it, get it here. ($9)


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Interview with Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Star Chef Keri Moser of IvyWild – Sewanee, TN
Meha Desai: What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally?
Keri Moser: I've always wanted to be a chef, ever since I was little (along with a ballerina and a veterinarian), but my first restaurant job in college was so terrible I got scared off from the industry. I was a hostess at a steak house. Managers were sleeping with … well, everyone; the kitchen crew was stoned out of their gourd on much more than weed and they treated me like a piece of meat. And I thought, "I don't want to spend my life working with idiots." So I went into book editing. After several years I realized I was miserable anyway. I hated sitting at a desk all day, and decided that I might as well give cooking another try. It was terrifying to go from making a professional wage to making $7 an hour as a commis.
MD: Where have you worked professionally as a chef?
KM: My first kitchen job was at Keswick Hall in Virginia—that's where I learned about fine dining. I worked with people who came from Marco Pierre White and Alain Ducasse. It blew my mind, I couldn't wait to do more, but I was married and my husband was offered a job in Sewanee. You can't exactly say no when you're contributing $7 an hour to the family income.
In Sewanee I worked as a cook in the dining hall for many years. It would have been much easier if I'd never known what I was missing, but I have to admit it was hard. The money was good, but there was no room for a woman to have autonomy in the kitchen in that corporate culture, not then. And Nashville was not the food scene it is now. I couldn't run off and do a stage with a family and a household to maintain. So I just tried to be the best damn cafeteria worker there was.
Between dining hall stints, I spent a year as a sous chef at Pearl's Foggy Mountain Café. It was fun, but again, the restaurant culture was off the deep end. Some people thrive on that chaos, but I don't. That's when I started reading about Alice Waters and how she was insisting that restaurants didn't have to be terrible places to work. She really planted a seed—it was either believe her or get the hell out, so I started incubating an idea for a restaurant with a different set of values.
MD: Would you recommend culinary school to aspiring cooks? Do you hire chefs with and without a culinary school background?
KM: I do not recommend culinary school unless you're wealthy. Not because the education isn't helpful, it definitely is—but because I think the cost of higher education, not just at culinary schools, is outstripping the income potential of its students. These schools are selling a myth that students will go out and make a ton of money. They won't. They'll be slogging in the trenches for $9 an hour like everyone else, but they'll have crippling student debt to boot.
MD: Who are some of your mentors? What have you learned from them?
KM: Most of my mentors have been business mentors. I haven't really had a kitchen mentor since I left Keswick, and I only spent 8 months there. The chef then at Keswick, Ricky Small, definitely opened my eyes to what was out there and taught me that the difference between a good cook and a bad cook was basically whether you care or not.
MD: What question gives you the most insight to a cook when you're interviewing them for a position in your kitchen?
KM: "Tell me about your relationship with food." That question immediately separates the applicants with serious curiosity and passion from the tourists. I ask everyone, front or back of house, that question. If I'm going to succeed I need people who buy in to the idea that food is something more than just sustenance.
MD: What advice would you offer young chefs just getting started?
KM: People will teach you a lot, but if you really want to learn how to cook, pay attention to the food—it's going to tell you how to handle it, what it likes, how to bring out its best.
MD: What ingredient do you feel is underappreciated or under utilized? Why?
KM: Lard. Lard has been the victim of a malicious smear campaign. If you're not using it in certain applications, then you aren't producing the best product possible.
MD: What's your most indispensable kitchen tool?
KM: My staff. I'm nothing without them. If all the equipment blew up, they'd still be making and serving great food, saying, "Look at how awesome the char is from this campfire!"
MD: Where do you like to go for culinary travel? Why?
KM: Chicago. I'm just so excited about what's going on there. Curtis Duffy, Paul Kahan—I can't get enough of what they do. I'd give anything to get into Schwa, but, so far, no dice.
MD: What is your philosophy on food and dining?
KM: Food is so much more than sustenance—it can be an experience, it's exciting, it's art, it's community (both in and outside the restaurant) and I want to share that.
MD: Which person in history would you most like to cook for?
KM: The victims of Katrina. I still regret not going down there when the need was so great.
MD: How are you involved in your local culinary community?
KM: We have an amazing community of restaurants and food service professionals in Sewanee. We get together once a month to discuss what we can do to support each other and promote dining in the Village. We plan events together. It's truly a community effort.
I'm on the board of directors for the Cumberland Farmers Market (www.rootedhere.org), which is the umbrella organization over a retail online farmers market (Cumberland Farmers Market, sewanee.locallygrown.net/market) and a wholesale food hub (South Cumberland Food Hub, rootedhere.locallygrown.net/market). Our goal is to foster the conditions necessary to create a strong local food economy. It is extremely important to me to know as much as possible about the ingredients I use to feed my friends, family, and community. Having a personal relationship with farmers and food artisans is critical to that goal. Working to provide optimum conditions for those farmers to succeed is one way I can help make sure my community and I have access to a premium, responsible food supply.
I'm also a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, because, while I may not believe all precious things are sustainable, I do believe we should try to preserve what knowledge of them we can.
MD: If you weren't a chef what do you think you'd be doing?
KM: Anything creative: making movies, designing clothes, renovating houses.
MD: Where will we find you five to 10 years from now?
KM: I definitely hope that one day I'll have some measure of professional and peer recognition—it's hard to work this hard without wanting some outside affirmation of your work. (Thank you, StarChefs!) However, ultimately success means keeping the doors open and drawing a paycheck so I can keep doing this amazing job.
- 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Star Chef Keri Moser
- 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Star Chef Keri Moser
- Cold-smoked Salmon, Cracked Wheat, Black Barley, Elberton Blue Cheese, Tomatillos, Romanesco, and Chamomile-Lemon Aïoli
- 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Stars
- Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Stars: Why They Shine
Chef Keri MoserIvyWild
36 Ball Park Road
Sewanee, TN 37375


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Districts Place High Priority on 1-to-1 Computing
Putting a computing device in the hands of every student requires a willingness to take risks and an understanding of what has worked in the past
Peter Sanchioni likes to joke that he has five years to prove the 1-to-1 laptop program his district recently put in place is a resounding success. Either that, or he's out of a job.
Sanchioni is the superintendent of the Natick public school system, a solidly middle-class district of about 5,000 students in Massachusetts. He first started looking into 1-to-1 programs, in which each student is paired with a school-issued laptop or tablet computer, a few years back.
At the time, the district was home to an antiquated high school that was barely equipped to provide Internet access to its teachers, let alone to stream content simultaneously on thousands of devices. But when the construction of Natick's new high school came in significantly under budget, the school board voted to spend the extra money on 1,500 MacBook laptops—first for the 8th grade class, then for the entire high school during the program's second year of implementation, at a total cost of $1.8 million.
"So many kids were going home and doing their homework on their laptops, and then in school, we'd hand them an old textbook and a piece of paper and a pencil to take some notes on," says Sanchioni. "We had to change that."
For the Natick schools, like hundreds of other districts around the country, the goal behind the digital conversion was simple: increase academic achievement. Despite the difficulty of investing in a costly program at a time when many districts are also facing tighter budgets, a growing number of districts like Natick are beating the odds by adopting cost-effective 1-to-1 programs—and seeing results.
"The bottom line, at least in the areas of writing and [English/language arts], is that laptop programs have a benefit, and they result in measurable student improvement," says Mark Warschauer, an education professor and associate dean of the education school at the University of California, Irvine. He recently completed an analysis of more than 50 studies that examined the effectiveness of school laptop initiatives.
While many districts have yet to take the 1-to-1 plunge, Warschauer was hard-pressed to think of a single district that wasn't piloting something, somewhere.
"It's largely been a cost issue," he says, noting that "laptops started to take a big dive in price ... around the same time the country went into a major recession, making the investment in 1-to-1 computing still beyond the reach of many districts. Warschauer recently was the author of Learning in the Cloud: How (and Why) to Transform Schools With Digital Media, which includes several chapters on 1-to-1 computing.
Investigating What works
Costs aside, Sanchioni saw a need to shake things up in his district.
While a review of Natick's SAT and Advanced Placement scores, the percentage of students on its honor roll, and the dropout rate didn't reveal any major achievement problems, Sanchioni recalls seeing a certain "flatness to everything."
At first, he began by investigating a handful of districts that had already started 1-to-1 initiatives, and he even ventured across the country to Cupertino, Calif., to tour the Apple Inc. headquarters to learn more about how the company was working with districts putting 1-to-1 computing initiatives in place.
Despite the best of intentions, he soon discovered that districts commonly fall short during the implementation stage by mistakenly believing that simply buying the hardware is enough.
Sanchioni vowed to make it a four-year vision—first issuing the $900 MacBooks to his teachers and administrators. During professional development, he trained the middle school and high school teachers on best practices before finally unleashing the laptops on the 8th grade. Last fall, the program expanded to include grades 9-12.
While Sanchioni cautions that it's still too early to assess the program's ultimate success, the district has already seen an increase in the number of students who made the honor roll, with an increasing number of Natick's 8th graders receiving A's and B's. Qualitatively, teachers are reporting their students are more engaged and excited about being in school, with attendance up and discipline problems down.
Still, many experts caution against equating the use of laptops with higher rates of student achievement.
"Can you show me the report that shows the pencil or the overhead projector increased test scores?" says Jill Hobson, the director of instructional technology for the 39,000-student Forsyth County schools, an upper-middle-class district in Georgia.
"It isn't the device that creates an improvement in achievement," says Hobson. "It's the changes in instructional strategies that make improvements."
Rather than issue laptops or other devices to students, the Forsyth County district opted for another, increasingly popular alternative. Three years ago, the district instituted a "bring your own technology" (or BYOT) program, also known as "bring your own device" (or BYOD).
Each day, more than 11,000 student-owned devices—from laptops to tablets to smartphones—connect to the district's wireless network.
The BYOT initiative is attracting national attention: By the end of this school year, about 900 visitors will have cycled through the district in hopes of replicating its program.
According to Hobson, administrators observed that when every student in a classroom used an identical device, the teacher often kept teaching the same way that he or she had before the technology was available.
But, she says, "the exciting thing about BYOT is that it's pretty near impossible to teach the way you have always been teaching. It forces conversations about differentiation and the personalization of learning."
Whether a district opts for a BYOT approach or an initiative that uses school-issued devices, Damian Bebell, an assistant research professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education, cautions that there's nothing magical about technology suddenly landing on student desks that causes test scores to go up.
iPads in Kindergarten
Since the late 1990s, when school districts began spending more heavily on computers and other technology, Bebell has studied the outcomes of such initiatives. Through his work, he has helped schools document the evolution of teaching and learning into the 21st century.
In addition to measuring impact, much of his research has underscored the importance of combining traditional indicators of success—teacher quality, professional development, and effective leadership, for example—with the use of technology. Technology alone will not have a measurable impact, he says.
During the 2011-12 school year, Mike Muir, the multiple-pathways leader who executes districtwide projects for the Auburn school system in Maine, approached Bebell with the promise of a compelling experiment: What would happen if you gave every kindergartner in an entire school district an iPad? The 3,600-student district wanted to see whether, by providing early access to such technology, they'd see a spike in early literacy scores as a result.
As part of the experiment with the district's 16 kindergarten classrooms, half received randomly assigned iPads at the start of the 2011-12 school year. The remaining classes received them 12 weeks later, allowing for a perfect randomized controlled trial.
According to Muir, the pupils with the first cycle of iPads outperformed their non-iPad peers on all 12 district literacy measurements.
The instructional strategies for the two cohorts were not much different. Muir believes that part of the success was due to the fact that the students using the iPads received immediate feedback and more time was available for independent work.
"The district was able to use that information, making it a point of pride in the community," says Bebell. "It's given this district a new breath of life."
Because of its success, the district recently footed the bill to expand the iPad program to 1st grade this past fall and to 2nd grade in September 2013.
"It's really exciting to see kindergarten kids walk up to adults and explain what they're doing. We have classrooms that would knock your socks off," says Muir, who has hosted visitors from all over the state and the world who hoped to see how they might replicate the Auburn program.
"Just last week, we had a group visiting from Japan, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Australia," Muir says. "And we're grabbing a ton of data all along the way."
Vol. 32, Issue 25, Pages 12-15Published in Print: March 14, 2013, as 1-to-1 Building BlocKs
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text:
Entries with no category
Can you believe that even though we work on games every day, we still spend our free time playing them? With a lot of great games coming out this season, we asked the team about their current gaming obsessions.
Here's what they had to say...
What games are you currently playing?
Angela Emory - Candy Crush, Bejeweled Blitz, Letterpress, 4 Pics 1 Word, Sudoku, Pocket Backgammon
Mike Yoo - Rust, Battlefield 4, Bastion


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JVM Languages
Associated article: Eclipse & Custom Class Loaders
Published source code accompanying the article by Greg Bednarek in which he examines class loaders in Java. Also see CLASSLOD.ZIP.
Eclipse & Custom Class Loaders by Greg Bednarek Listing One try { //Instantiate ClassLoader, passing the location (directory) of the class to //load and the parent class loader ClassLoader loader = new MacroClassLoader(classLocation, this.getClass().getClassLoader()); //Load the class with the ...


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Zimbabwe: Councillors commend ERF-supported project
TitleZimbabwe: Councillors commend ERF-supported project
Just a few months ago, 42-year-old Anna Nyarienda could not afford to feed, clothe or educate her family. She had lost hope for a better life.
"I used to do odd jobs in exchange for a plate of food," she says. Limited employment opportunities in rural areas of Masvingo province often force productive young people to migrate to urban areas or neighbouring South Africa, but Anna could not leave her children.
However, Anna is now delighted because she finally has a source of income and can take care of her family through a community garden project supported by the Emergency Response Fund (ERF). The project has enhanced food security for over 4,800 households in the traditionally arid area of Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
"People in the community are now getting food easily," says Mrs. Evelyn Mugadziwa, a ward councillor in Masvingo province. Another councillor, Mr. Philemon Chigamba, echoes her sentiment, noting that the community is no longer solely dependent on food aid.
This is one of 21 projects that ERF has funded since the beginning of 2010. ERF-supported projects in agriculture, health, capacity building and water, sanitation and hygiene total $3.9 million in Zimbabwe alone.
The market gardens project helps people harvest food in 63 community gardens across Masvingo province, which ensures domestic food security and a steady income from excess food sold in markets. The intervention aims to improve water access and management of the gardens. In partnership with Care International, ERF has supported initiatives to ensure community gardens have a constant water supply throughout the year.
The project involved the installation of pipe networks and construction of elevated tanks, among other activities. Prior to ERF support, communities had to fetch water manually from water sources, which took up most of their productive time. By incorporating technologies like treadle pumps, a pipe network was created and people can now connect hosepipes to the nearest tap and water their gardens.
These well-irrigated gardens will cushion against shocks induced by recurring drought and crop failure in the future. Furthermore, people can now sell excess produce in markets, afford school fees for their children, provide for their families and interact with neighbours.
"It has unified the community," says Mr. Chigamba. "There is now greater demand for such projects and as a councillor my challenge is helping more people start."
More>> OCHA's Pooled Funds


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In this, the final post in my eight-part series on the three systems that mark a healthy advisory business, we'll conclude with a discussion on the role of your custodian in running a healthy independent advisory business.
Your choice of custodian is very important. After all, your custodian runs the platform by which you (and your clients) will access their portfolios. Perhaps more important is the functionality of the custodian's site.
Does the platform increase your efficiency? For example, what type of trading system does it offeroffer? Can you do a position trade where you select a certain holding and sell it across all accounts? What about a model trade? Can you enter a model portfolio, assign it to an account, and instantly create a "sell" and a "buy" basket whereby you can execute the trades in each basket with one click? Can you rebalance, by model, across all accounts at the same time? Can you assign multiple models to a single account? What about a position swap? Can you sell one holding and replace it with another with only a few clicks? All of these are important factors in building an efficient practice.
What about the custodian's offerings? A custodian will have "selling agreements" with various fund families. Does the custodian offer enough funds (i.e.; families) to meet your needs? And if it lacks some fund families that you desire on behalf of your clients, will the custodian pursue an agreement with these funds?
This brings me to another key point, the custodian's service personnel. How helpful are those people and are they available when you need them? Are they knowledgeable? Remember, we are in the advice business.
Many of you have asked how I like TradePMR so far. I began using TradePMR in February 2009 when the firm was much smaller than it is today. Over the past few years, TradePMR has grown substantially, and with that comes growing pains. Yes, there have been a few bumps along the way, such as paperwork getting lost which we needed to resubmit. Being told one thing and learning that we have to do something a different way. Things like that.
There is no perfect custodian, I suspect, and I am a tough grader, but all in all, I am well pleased with my choice. I think as long as TradePMR continues to improve I will be with them for a long time. I suppose you could say the positives far outweigh the negatives.
What about your custodian? Let me hear from you.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!


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Variety reports that Jim is onboard to headline a movie provisionally named 'me time' for 20th Century Fox.
Principato-Young is producing with Carrey. Fox picked up the spec script from writing duo Ian Roberts and Jay Martel to develop into a feature for Carrey to topline.
The story revolves around a writer penning a book about his great-great-grandmother, a frontier woman. When his pregnant wife has to go on bed rest, leaving him to care for the house and their other child, his confidence is shaken as he reads his ancestor's diary, in which she describes raising a family, plowing the fields and taming the wild environs.
we'll await official confirmation-
check it out-


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Pensions: Why forecasts suggest millennials should invest
PUBLISHED: 10:33 21 September 2018
Following an extended summer break, Peter Sharkey returns with his popular personal finance column – and some good news for millennials.
You may have seen a raft of gloomy reports a few weeks back following the release of figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which suggested that by 2066, around 25% of the population will be 'retired'. Commendably, most reports urged 20-year-olds to start saving for retirement, although the problem with the ONS forecast is it assumes the official retirement age won't budge over the next 48 years, a supposition which can only be described as flawed.
In all probability, by 2066, today's 30-year-old will have been officially retired for three years, although most people currently in their twenties will still have a few years to go before they too can call time on their full-time working careers.
Yes, I'm afraid you can expect the official retirement age to continue its inexorable upward march, while for those optimistically expecting the state pension to exist in anything like its current format half a century hence, I have some bad news: it won't.
We already know that, according to the government's own advisers, the National Insurance fund will run dry in 2032-33. We also know that if the state pension is to exist at all 15 years from now, successive governments will have to:
a)Increase NIC – perhaps finally admitting that it's an income tax by another name.
b)Inject billions of pounds every year to keep the National Insurance fund afloat.
c)Continue moving the official retirement age upwards.
Sobering thought, eh?
Perhaps mindful of this rather cheerless scenario, the people behind the MoneyMapp.com website have come up with an innovative feature. They've created a Pension Clock providing a countdown to April 2033, the point at which the National Insurance fund balance is currently expected to fall to zero.
Site visitors type in their current age to see how old they'll be when the money has been spent, after which they may calculate how much they could accumulate if they start investing as soon as possible. Simply type in what you can afford each month and MoneyMapp.com does the rest, simultaneously highlighting the miracle of compound interest.
The figures below show that a 25-year-old saving less than £50 a week could build a savings pot, in an ISA perhaps, valued at £59,854 by 2033. Someone who is currently aged 45 and able to save £400 a month could have accumulated £119,709 by the time they're 60.
The totals provide an idea of what can be saved in the space of 15 years simply by setting aside relatively modest sums each month and letting compound interest do the rest, but where to start investing?
If you're an investment beginner, the prospect of investing can appear a little daunting.
Indeed, you may have heard that the process is complicated because it involves accepting enormous risks, but such views are misguided. It can be complex; it can be risky, but it can also be very simple and provide you and your family with financial security for life.
As if to emphasise the point, you may, for instance, invest in an ISA with just £1. Granted, saving £1 a month won't get you anywhere fast, but once you've opened an ISA account, you've effectively created an investment platform. Moreover, you can have your savings invested in a ready-made portfolio that matches your attitude towards risk.
It's important to acknowledge that whatever category of investor you consider yourself, the process of investing involves taking on some degree of risk.
However, it's also worth noting that keeping your savings in cash can prove costly, even when inflation appears relatively benign.
Insurance company RL360 calculate that if annual inflation averaged 3% over the next decade, today's cash savings of £1,500 would be worth just £1,116.14 in 2028. Even if inflation remained steady at its current rate of 2.5%, someone with £2,500 in cash savings would find they were worth almost 31% less (£1,726.16) in 15 years' time.
These stark reminders of inflation's corrosive effects strengthens the case for investing.
The next step? Find a company that seeks to avoid the most volatile stock markets and offers a range of investment portfolios designed to suit everyone from cautious or ethical investors, to others who willingly apply the 'adventurous' label to their attitude towards investing.
Whichever type of investor you are, as the NI fund is scheduled to run dry in 2033, you're likely to find that the when that happens, your decision to invest today has paid enormous dividends.
The week in numbers:
Despite our glorious, extended summer, the UK is home to 3,116 fewer bars and restaurants than it was 12 months ago. Sad.
•$100 billion
Uber, the taxi-riding app, is expected to be worth around $100 billion when it floats on the US stock market next year. The firm currently operates in 785 cities, has 12,000 staff and more than 2 million freelance drivers.
According to the BBC, the 2007-08 financial crisis has left people aged 30-39 worst off. Compared with a decade ago, their wages are, on average, £2,100 lower than they were in 2008.
•£275 million
Sum offered to Premiership Rugby by private equity group CVC for a 50% stake in the business. Commentators believe the figure is at least £125 million too low.
For further financial advice take a look at Peter's column,The Week In Numbers.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Eastern Daily Press. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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Five years ago they said the iPhone would be a flop ... Now?
Pundits who got it wrong explain why ... or deny that they did
Before the iPhone was a smash
When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone in January 2007, not everyone came away thinking that he held in his hand the future of the mobile phone. In fact, before the iPhone hit retail stores on June 29 -- five years ago Friday -- pundits had written scathing assessments that predicted the iPhone would be a failure, a flop, a messy egg on the forehead of Apple and Jobs.
Over the past few days, I've reached out to some of these prognosticators via email and asked: "What do you have to say for yourself?" The good sports replied -- including a colorful mea-culpa-tinged, Apple-bashing rant from John ("Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone") Dvorak.
(Hat tip to "iPhone Death Watch" on AAPLinvestors.)
David Platt: author, teacher, wrong about the iPhone
David Platt has written 11 programming books and teaches Programming .NET at the Harvard University Extension School. On June 21, 2007, he wrote a blog post, "Apple iPhone Debut to Flop, Product to Crash in Flames." It begins:
"The forthcoming (June 29) release of the Apple iPhone is going to be a bigger marketing flop than Ishtar and Waterworld (dating myself again, aren't I) combined. And it's not for reasons of price, or limited cell carrier options, or lack of corporate IT support, which are the mainstream media's main caveats when they review it. (See the June 19 issue of the Wall Street Journal for the latter). … Instead, the iPhone is going to fail because its design is fundamentally flawed."
Platt explains
Asked the other day what he has to say for himself, Platt offered what I consider to be the group's best reply: "Often mistaken, never in doubt."
Seth Porges, (then) TechCrunch columnist, wrong about the iPhone
In 2007, Seth Porges wrote a column called The Futurist for TechCrunch and the headline on his June 7 entry couldn't have been more clear ... or critical to its inclusion here: "The Futurist: We predict the iPhone will bomb." It begins:
"Until June 29, it's hard to tell too much about the iPhone, but I can tell you with near-certainty one thing: the product was almost certainly rushed to market before Apple's engineers would have liked."
You can read the entire column here.
Porges explains
Even before I heard back from him, I strongly suspected that I knew what Porges was going to say in his defense. I've said it myself. And I've had it said about me by writers claiming similar injustice. His reply:
"Hah! The editor slapped on that title without telling me. It never reflected my [point of view] -- which was that the second-gen iPhone would be less expensive and fill in the feature gaps."
Accept his account or not -- I do -- but what he did write was no vote of confidence for Apple or its new phone.
Al Ries, marketing consultant, author, wrong about the iPhone
Al Ries is a marketing expert and prolific author who with his daughter, Laura Ries, runs the Ries & Ries consultancy in Roswell, Ga. An AdAge blog post by Ries on June 18, 2007, carried the headline: "Why the iPhone will fail." It began:
"When Apple introduces its iPhone this month, will it pass the acid test?
"In my opinion, no.
"Prediction No. 1: The iPhone will be a major disappointment."
You can read the entire post here.
Ries explains
He acknowledges the obvious, while making a case for a split decision. And, since that case won't fit on this slide, it will be continued on a separate Buzzblog post. Ries writes:
"Well, I was certainly wrong about the iPhone, which turned out to be a miracle of engineering. But my larger point was the issue of divergence versus convergence."
You can read his full reply here.
Brett Arends, financial writer, wrong about the iPhone
On June 29, 2007, financial writer Brett Arends -- then a columnist for The Street, now a writer for The Wall Street Journal -- authored a piece that was headlined, "Five Reasons Not to Buy an iPhone." It begins:
"There is much to admire about the new iPhone. The hardware looks beautiful and the product is apparently smooth and easy to use. It's a terrific achievement for Steve Jobs and the Apple team. So give them their moment in the sun.
"But beyond all the iHype and iMania, let's get one thing clear. The iPhone isn't the future. It isn't a revolutionary mobile device ushering in a new era."
You can read the whole piece -- all five reasons -- here.
Arends explains
It seems he wasn't wrong; I am.
"Regarding my iPhone piece, I must point out that over the past five years it has been vindicated. The article was prescient.
"It was written in June 2007, when the initial iPhone was released. People were lining up around the block to pay $500+ for the new products. I criticized it for what I considered five big flaws. And I went five for five: Apple later addressed all of them, along the lines I had suggested."
But there's the little matter of his unambiguous conclusion -- namely that the iPhone "isn't the future" and "won't be ushering in a new era."
His full explanation wouldn't fit on this slide, so you can read it here.
Todd Sullivan, investment adviser, wrong about the iPhone
A co-founder of Rand Strategic Partners, Sullivan on May 15, 2007, authored a column on Seeking Alpha with the headline: "The iPhone: Apple's First Flop." It starts this way:
"Apple (AAPL) begins selling its revolutionary iPhone this summer and it will mark the end of the string of hits for the company.
"The company has had a string of hits since it introduced the iPod and its shareholders have benefited sending shares from $7 in 2003 to the $100 they sit at today. The introduction of the iPhone will be the first miscue for the company and send its shares, priced for perfection tumbling. 'Why?' -- you ask."
You can read the complete column here.
Sullivan explains
"I was wrong about everything on it except for the price drop to $299. -- Sent from my iPhone"
Nice touch that last part.
Tero Kuittinen, VP sales & marketing, wrong about the iPhone
Now a Forbes contributor, then a writer for The Street, Tero Kuittinen on Jan. 18, 2007, authored a piece that carried this headline: "Apple's Dangerous Contempt." It begins:
"Much has been said about Apple's first phone -- most of it tainted with feverish hyperbole.
"But a week after the grand announcement, it is striking how limited the device seems at a second glance. The iPhone's willful disregard of the global handset market will come back to haunt Apple."
You can read the whole thing here.
Kuittinen explains
What does Kuittinen have to say for himself?
"Well, that is easy -- I underestimated Apple's ability to coax operators to grant it massive subsidy support. The lack of 3G support also wasn't as limiting to the first edition of the iPhone as I expected. Apple was able to get the operators to subsidize the price of the iPhone massively -- that reshaped the whole industry."
Mitchell Ashley, IT executive, blogger, wrong about the iPhone
Lest anyone accuse me of going easy on my employer. ... On Jan. 11, 2008, IT professional and former Network World contributor Mitchell Ashley, writing on his "Converging on Microsoft" blog, authored a post with the headline: "Apple iPhone Doomed To Failure." It begins:
"I've blogged in the past about Apple's remarkable ability to innovate and set new directions in our industry. But as much as Apple is able to innovate, they are just as inept at dominating markets they enter. The iPod is really the only exception, and iPhone will fail to dominate as so many other Apple products have failed to in the past.
"The iPhone is certain to fade into history ..."
You can read the whole thing here.
Ashley explains
Seems it was a personal thing. His email to me reads:
"Never say anything out of spite -- just get over it. My blog post received massive page views but it was an epic fail. I wanted the iPhone to fail out of anger for all those difficult years prior to Apple adopting Intel and the Mach OS kernel. Now we support Macs alongside PCs where I lead IT and my family sports iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs. Apple was big enough to admit they were wrong, and now so am I. Through it all, Steve Jobs never stopped being one of my tech heroes."
John Dvorak, MarketWatch columnist, wrong about the iPhone
John Dvorak is not known as an Apple fan, so it wasn't exactly a surprise when on March 28, 2007, he wrote a column for MarketWatch that carried this double-barreled headline: "Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone ... Company risks its reputation in competitive business." It begins:
"The hype over the unreleased iPhone has actually increased over the past month despite the fact that nobody has seen or used the device. This, if nothing else, proves the power of branding and especially the power of brand loyalty.
"It's the loyalists who keep promoting this device as if it is going to be anything other than another phone in a crowded market."
You can read the entire column here.
Dvorak explains
You'll want to read the whole thing, which is on Buzzblog here, but Dvorak's reply -- a screed headlined "Getting it Wrong About the iPhone" -- primarily blames Apple for forcing him to opine about a device he had not held. This is how it ends:
"When I actually got to see the phone I was enthralled like everyone and regretted getting screwed over by the Apple 'machine.' But it was an entertaining exercise and a lot of Apple fans think it's hilarious I could be so wrong. But these people never liked me in the first place. And as for my prediction that this phone would be a bad idea for Apple to pursue, anything can still happen. Time is a cruel mistress."
Copyright © 2012 IDG Communications, Inc.


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On a break. Next post mid-July 2013. C-ya!
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Civil War in Russia (2)
Download price-list (Excel)
Contact Us
The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) was originally a Czech tank of pre-World War II design. After Czechoslovakia was taken over by Germany, it was adopted by the German Army, seeing service in the invasions of Poland and Russia. Production ended in 1942, when its armament was deemed inadequate. In all, over 1400 were manufactured. The chassis continued to be produced for Hetzer and Marder III tank destroyers, turretless assault guns, anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns.
The (t) stands for tschechisch, the German word for Czech; the Czechoslovak military designation was LT vz 38. Manufacturer's designations included TNH series, TNHPS, LTP and LTH). The special vehicle designation for the tank in Germany was Sd.Kfz. 140.


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Facebook Bought 750 Patents From IBM [REPORT]
The patent war between Facebook and Yahoo may be only just starting.
A new report says Facebook has acquired 750 patents from computer-systems giant IBM. The news comes shortly after Yahoo sued Facebook for patent infringement over 10 of its software patents.
A "person with knowledge of the transaction" tipped the news to Bloomberg Businessweek, though the deal hasn't been made public yet.
Compared to other tech companies, Facebook's arsenal of patents is rather meager: The company has just 56 patents compared with the thousands stockpiled by the likes of Microsoft and Apple.
However, the report says, Facebook has applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for at least 500 more. Apparently it didn't want to wait for those to be approved and chose to take a shortcut in stocking up its patent portfolio.
The lawsuit from Yahoo, which has recently had a wholesale change in management and is expected to announce layoffs, likely provided the motivation.
Many tech companies are now using patents strategically to both generate revenue and discourage competition. For example, Google licenses many patents from Microsoft in the making of the Android platform, which provides a steady cash flow for Microsoft. In other cases, such as the many patent lawsuits between Apple and Samsung, patents are used to shut competitors out of entire regions (though that's rarely the outcome).
IBM has been friendly in selling patents to younger tech companies in the past. In January, Google bought 217 patents from IBM, including one for a "semantic social network."
Reps from Facebook didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. An IBM rep declined comment.
What do you think of Facebook's patent grab? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, stuartbur


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Bovis Homes is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. The information supplied will only be used for providing information on Bovis Homes.


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Austin, Texas, United States
About Freshly Cut Cards
Hello! My name is Stephanie, and I confess - I *love* creating invitations! It's my passion! I draw inspiration from everything from magazine ads to random, everyday things. I take great pride in creating unique designs that you can't find anywhere else and spend loads of time drawing. Custom orders make me smile, so feel free to request just about anything! Print my creations yourself or let me handle the printing for you! All of my invites are professionally printed and shipped with envelopes.


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Pictures and Reports of past events attended by Members
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NBC has ordered drama pilot from West Wing's Mark Goffman and House's Katie Jacobs, TVGuide.com has learned.
Get the latest news on pilot season here
Based on Jo Nesbo's upcoming novel of the same name, I Am Victor's titular character is a high powered divorce attorney with a unique view on relationships.
Goffman (Studio 60, White Collar) will pen the pilot, while Jacobs will executive-produce alongside Meghan Lyvers, Daniel Rappaport and Nesbo.


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Majestic and beautiful pyramid dominating the skyline from basecamp in the Ishinca valley.
Shaped like a beautiful pyramid and surrounded by glaciers, Tocllaraju (6,032m/19,790ft) will immediately catch your attention already in basecamp as it towers over the Ishinca valley. This majestic mountain with its ice mushroom peak catching the final soft sunset colours, will keep you captivated as it has the many climbers aiming for the summit. As a popular objective for many climbers entering the Ishinca valley, it's also one of the most climbed 6,000m peaks.
US$ 0-.00 /person
Huaraz /Details coming soon
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Trail/Route Note
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The program includes:
- Professional and bilingual, internationally certified mountain guide
- All meals during the expedition
- Private transportation round trip
- Camping equipment (Tent & sleeping mattress)
- Cooking equipment
- Entrance fees to Huascarán National Park
- Cook & assistants
- Donkeys and muleteers / mountain assistants/porters
The program does not include:
- Climbing equipment
- Personal equipment
- Personal expenses & tips
- Travel Insurance
- Items not mentioned above in "Includes"
|No. of Persons
|US$ /person
Many of the access roads to and from the Huascarán National Park are dirt roads and some sections of these road might be very bumpy in addition to winding sections in the ascents/descents.
Trekking Trail & Climbing Route Notes
- There are no toilets along the trail at any point.
- Be aware that there may be some crossings of small rivers and streams that do not have any bridges but only large rocks serving as stepping stones.
For all climbs it's imperative that you are well acclimatised, both for your enjoyment of the climb and your health. Speak to us about a suitable acclimatisation program before the climb which can be done via various 1-day treks and lower, less technical climbs.
Recommendations for Best Seasons
All year around. The best time is from mid-April to late September or early October. April, May and June are the best months for lovers of flowers and green landscape. July through August are the best months for blue sky & also an excellent period for photographers (warm colours and clear blue skies are great!). From September to April you get a mixed sunny and pretty cloudy landscape.
The entire Cordillera Blanca has a semi-dry and semi-cold climate, with an average maximum temperature of 23.9° C (75.0° F) and a minimum of 1.1° C (33.98° F). The climate is very unpredictable, even in the dry season it can rain. During the days it can vary from hot to very frigid temperatures, included rain and strong winds or snow over 4800 meters above sea level. It usually starts getting cloudy more often in early September. October and November are the months when after 2-3pm you can count on afternoon showers.
**Note: List of required equipment for the climbing expedition and includes items for the trek to and from the mountain. Please confirm with us which items are included in the price.
**For more equipment lists and the Equipment Rental Catalogue – click on EQUIPMENT
Climbing Gear
- Crampons
- Mountaineering boots
- Gaiters
- Ice axe/tool
- Ice Screw
- Rope
- Quickdraws
- Slings
- Carabiners
- Pulley & figure-of-8
- Descenders & Ascenders
- Helmet
- LED headlamp
- Harness
- Summit backpack
Trekking Gear
- Trekking poles
- Trekking backpack
- Duffel bag
Camp & Cooking
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping bag liner
- Sleeping mattress
- Tent
- Kitchen/dining tent
- Stove & gas/fuel
- Cooking utensils
- Expedition crates
- Hard-shell trousers
- Softshell trousers
- Fleece jacket
- Down jacket
- Hardshell jacket
- Beanie/wool hat
- Light liner gloves
- Mid-weight gloves
- Heavy insulated gloves
Available for purchase
*subject to availability
- Headlamp
- AA and AAA batteries
- Water bottle
- Water purification tablets
- Cooking gas
- Light liner gloves
- Beanie/wool hat
- Stainless steel flask