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Spilling: Expanding Hand held Interaction to Touch Table Displays Dan R. Olsen Jr., Jeffrey Clement, Aaron Pace Computer Science Department, Brigham Young University olsen@ cs. byu. edu Abstract We envision a nomadic model of interaction where the personal computer fits in your pocket. Such a computer is extremely limited in screen space. A technique is described for " spilling" the display of a hand held computer onto a much larger table top display surface. Because our model of nomadic computing frequently involves the use of untrusted display services we restrict interactive input to the hand held. Navigation techniques such as scrolling or turning the display can be expressed through the table top. The orientation and position of the hand held on the table top is detected using three conductive feet that appear to the touch table like three finger touches. An algorithm is given for detecting the three touch positions from the table's sensing mechanism. 1. Introduction There is a great attraction to carrying a personal computer in your pocket. It enables a nomadic style of computing that is not feasible with desktop machines or even with laptops. There are now many hand held devices that are less than one cubic inch in volume and yet have much more storage and processor power than the original Macintosh. However, the user interface to such devices is unacceptable for many applications because of display size. The XICE project ( eXtending Interactive Computing Everywhere) seeks to address the problem of very small personal computers by annexing screens where we find them in the world. XICE shares many of the goals of the Personal Server [ 13, 7] project as well as our own Join and Capture [ 6] system. Our approach stands in contrast to Pebbles [ 5] which uses hand held devices as controllers for applications running on other machines. In the XICE world the hand held computer is the personal computer and other devices are simply interaction servers. The advantage of this approach is that compatibility issues are sharply diminished. X-Windows [ 10], Virtual Network Computing ( VNC) [ 8] and the web have all shown the compatibility advantages of standardizing interaction services. Fig 1. Hand held / Table top relationship There are two specific challenges in this vision that we will address in this paper. The first is the integration of the hand held computer with the display services that it has annexed. We will show how the display of a hand held can be " spilled" onto a table top display to create a Focus- Plus- Context [ 1] expansion of any hand held application. The second issue is the security of the hand held computer. In a nomadic model of computing that uses devices encountered " in the wild" it is not safe to assume that such devices can be trusted. In this work we resolve this problem by performing most interaction locally within the hand held personal computer. We only accept navigation inputs, such as scrolling, from foreign devices. Accepting full user input from a foreign device essentially cedes control to that device with all of the accompanying dangers. Figure 1 shows the relative relationships between hand held personal computers and table top servers. Figure 2 shows our Spilling prototype with the hand held laid on the surface of a Diamond Touch table. In this figure the application is a spreadsheet that the user is scrolling by dragging their finger across the surface. The entire application is displayed on the table surface with the interactive focus of the application displayed on the hand held. In terms of usability we Hand held Applications Data User Input Table top server Display Scrolling Hand held iti Display information Scrolling and positioning Editing Input Second Annual IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human- Computer System 0- 7695- 3013- 3/ 07 $ 25.00 © 2007 IEEE DOI 10.1109/ TABLETOP. 2007.11 163 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. compare Spilling to what is possible on a hand held alone as opposed to what might be possible on a desktop computer. The table top context of Spilling greatly enhances the ability of a user to interact with the hand held. Fig 2. Hand held on table top display Fig 3. Repositioning hand held Spilling draws its inspiration from Focus- Plus- Context displays [ 1]. The focus is on the hand held where the user can safely interact using the same interactive techniques normally used on the hand held. The context is provided by the table top display with a touch sensitive surface providing a mechanism to scroll information into the focus region. The idea is that this is a hand held computer that behaves as it always did, but it has been supplemented by this large table top display. Unlike Focus- Plus- Context which has a rather rigid configuration, the user can move the hand held around the surface and position it in whatever place is comfortable to work. Figure 3 shows the user rotating the hand held to work more comfortably on a " sticky note" application for organizing ideas. This would be similar to tipping a sheet of paper in order to write more comfortably. When the hand held moves, the work moves with it. When the user scrolls with their finger the work moves beneath the hand held. This is different from Ubiquitous Graphics [ 9] where the wall display is fixed with the smaller device moving relative to it. This fixed- world approach is also found in Peepholes [ 15] where the hand held device is moved relative to a large fixed display that is only shown through the hand held device providing no peripheral context. The problem with fixed- world display models is that the user can be forced to work in awkward physical positions, such as the extreme top of the display. In Spilling the user can move the work to where it is most comfortable regardless of the physical size of the contextual display. This hand held centric approach also allows the user to rotate the hand held so that the display can be seen by someone across the table as in DiamondSpin [ 11]. In the remainder of this paper we will address Spilling's architectural and security issues. First issue is distributing the display from the hand held to the table top. This is mostly handled by the XICE architecture. The second issue is the geometry synchronization between the hand held and the table top. Third there is the problem of sensing the location and orientation of the hand held personal computer. Lastly the UI security threats are addressed. 2. XICE Architecture The full XICE architecture is beyond the scope of this paper. What are presented here are the essentials for implementing Spilling. The goal of XICE is to explore the software architectures that can make highly nomadic computing possible without sacrificing display or interactive capabilities. Because we wanted to rethink mobile interaction architectures we have abandoned any support for legacy software. We feel that nomadic computing is compelling enough to warrant rewriting applications to a new platform. Using XICE we have implemented a text editor, a " sticky notes" idea organizer, a presentation tool ( like PowerPoint), a drawing application, and a spreadsheet as well as the games of checkers, tic- tac- toe and Risk. These give us a rich application base for exploring architecture ideas. XICE applications are organized around sheets, which are similar to traditional windows. A sheet is either local or remote. A local sheet is drawn on the screen of the same computer where the application is 164 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. running. A remote sheet is drawn on some machine that is accessed over the Internet. Associated with each sheet is a presentation tree that represents everything to be drawn on that sheet. These presentation trees are like the scene graphs in 3D systems and the drawing architecture of Piccolo [ 2]. Rather than implementing the damage/ redraw technique of most interactive graphics, XICE applications interact by modifying the presentation tree. Tree modifications propagate up the tree to the sheet. If the sheet is local then XICE handles the necessary damage/ redraw activity to get the screen redrawn. If the sheet is remote then presentation tree changes are serialized to the remote machine where they are used to update a copy of the presentation tree. That copy is then redrawn on the remote display In Spilling all Internet access is via a wireless 802.11g connection from the hand held. The change propagation and serialization algorithms are beyond the scope of this paper. The key feature is that modifications to a transformation require just a few bytes of network traffic to modify the corresponding remote transformation node rather than the traffic for the complete redraw required in X or VNC. Since most of Spilling is transformation modification this makes the whole technique very network- friendly. The distribution of presentation trees is hidden from and irrelevant to XICE applications. There are two points in the XICE drawing model that are key to the Spilling implementation. As in 3D scene graphs some interior nodes in a presentation tree can be geometric transformations ( scale, rotate, translate or any combination). A transformation node modifies the way in which all of its children are drawn. A second feature is that all drawing is defined in View Independent Coordinates ( VICs). VICs are defined to deal both with differing screen resolutions and with differing viewing distances. The informal definition is that readable text should be at least 10 VICs high. The scaling of VICs to actual pixels is handled deep in XICE where the actual display configuration is known. For each display XICE is configured with the parameters pixels per inch and viewing distance in inches. From this the VICs- to- pixels scaling is computed. This will be important in coordinating table geometry with hand held geometry. Figure 4 shows how Spilling is implemented in the XICE architecture. At the heart of the implementation is the application's presentation tree. This embodies everything that is to be drawn in the application as well as its input event processing. Directly above the application's tree is the scrolling transformation node S. This node positions the application work in response to the user's dragging with their fingers. Above the S node is a special multi- parent node that is responsible for synchronizing the hand held display with the table top display. Fig 4: Spilling's XICE implementation Also above the multi- parent node is the transformation node P that manages the position and orientation of the hand held. The node P is connected to the remote sheet for the table top context. This remote context sheet synchronizes over the Internet with the table top display's version of the presentation tree. The entire application is presented to the hand held, where most is clipped away, and also to the table top, where a more global view of the application appears. As figure 4 shows, almost everything about the application and its relationship to Spilling is contained in the hand held. The only part that is controlled by the foreign table top server is a copy of the presentation tree and the scrolling/ positioning inputs. When a change is made to the presentation tree by the application it is propagated up the tree to the multi-parent node. The multi- parent node sends the change notification both to the hand held's sheet and to node P where it is propagated to the context sheet and serialized to the table top display service. Both the hand held and the table top have presentation trees that reflect the current visual state of the application. When the hand held needs to redraw its sheet for whatever reason it recursively traverses the tree down through the multi- parent node, bypassing node P but Handheld Sheet Context Sheet P Application S Presentation Tree Internet Multiparent 165 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. passing through node S. The position of the hand held on the table top has no effect on what should be drawn on the hand held. When the context- sheet is serializing it does pass through transformation P so that the hand held's position is taken into account when drawing on the table top. The multi- parent node makes the whole display structure technically a directed- acyclic graph. However, the multi- parent node localizes the non- tree behavior that is required to get different displays drawn in different places without the application knowing about the duplication. The application is oblivious to the existence of the Spilling implementation above it in the tree. When the user interacts with the application itself through the hand held, all input events are distributed downward and transformed by S- 1 before being sent to the application for processing. The scrolling of the display performed by Spilling is thus invisible to the application. 3. Table top interaction When the user moves the hand held, as shown in figures 3 and 5, its location and orientation must be sensed by the table top server. This location and orientation is sent back across the Internet to the context sheet and transformation node P is modified appropriately as shown in figure 5. This change to P is serialized and returned to the table top display server which causes the table top display to update. Fig 5. Changing hand held position When the user scrolls the work under the hand held as shown in figure 2 a translation is sensed by the table top server. The change between the start and end points of the scroll is sent to the hand held and is propagated from the context sheet down through P- 1 and used to modify transformation S as shown in figure 6. This change to transformation S is below the multi- parent node. Thus its modification is propagated to both the hand held sheet for redrawing and to the context sheet for serialization to the table top. XICE's parsimonious network usage makes these changes much more efficient than VNC or X. In neither of these table top interactions has the presentation of the application been sent over the network. That would only happen if the application itself changed its presentation tree and then only the relevant changes would be sent. This allows spilling to move both displays at interactive speeds. Fig 6. Finger scrolling 4. Table top technology The table top server needs to support three tasks: display, scroll sensing and hand held position sensing. Display can either come from below or above. Display from below has many advantages in terms of installation, occlusion and elimination of shadows. Spilling is largely agnostic about the display choice except that dragging a hand held across a transparent screen may lead to excessive scratching. Projection from above would not have the scratching problem, but does create shadows. Users might express scrolling using either a finger or a stylus. For a stylus- based technique a tablet is perfectly adequate. However, for scrolling we do not need the precision of a stylus and we would prefer not to incur the usability burden of finding and manipulating a stylus. Fingers rarely get lost. The key sensing requirement is the location and orientation of the hand held computer. For this there are several competing technologies: cameras, structured light, pen tablets and the Diamond Touch. It would be possible to place fiducial marks on the back of the hand held computer so that a camera from below could sense the location and position. Two unique marks would clearly identify the location and orientation of the device. Camera from below poses the same surface wear problems as projection from below. However, fiducial marks can readily be painted or stuck on the bottom of the hand held to provide the S P- 1 Internet P S Internet 166 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. necessary two points. PlayAnywhere [ 14] describes a set of such fiducial marks. Camera- from- below is a strong candidate for Spilling. It is possible to place fiducial marks on the top of the hand held and put a camera above to sense the necessary three points. PlayAnywhere demonstrated that an oblique camera angle can be effective with little interference. However a quick glance at figure 3 shows that most fiducial marks would be obscured by the user's hand at exactly the time when we want to sense the hand held position. Camera from above would not be a good choice. A structured light solution is also possible such as that proposed by Lee, et. al. [ 4]. This would require light sensors at the corners of the hand held device that could sense the position from the projected light signature. There are several problems here. The sensors must be manufactured into the hand held device which would make it more expensive and require a lot of cooperation between table top and hand held manufacturers. Structured light would interfere with the table top projection unless infra- red was used. Lastly the hand would obscure the sensors just as with top- side fiducial marks. Ubiquitous Graphics [ 9] uses acoustic pen technology to sense the location of the focus display. Again this requires the manufacturers of hand held devices to include special hardware. The ultrasonic emitters are also large enough to add significant bulk to the hand held. It would also be possible to use Wacom [ 12] tablet technology for sensing location and orientation. Embedding Wacom stylus hardware in the hand held would provide the necessary input. The passive stylus hardware could also be constructed as a " stick on" that could be attached to any hand held. This would provide an effective and accurate mechanism that would work on any of Wacom's tablet displays. Our Spilling prototype uses the Diamond Touch table [ 3] as its sensing device. It has a wear resistant surface coupled with very simple user devices ( fingers). Scrolling is easy by sensing the movement of a finger on the touch surface. The sensing of the hand held is more problematic. The Diamond Touch functions by sensing capacitance changes from users sitting on a conductive pad. If the chair pad causes installation difficulties we have placed it at the edge of the Diamond Touch table where it can be touched with the non- dominant hand. Fig 7. VAIO prototype with conductive feet In figure 7 we show a conductive frame which we have attached to a Sony VAIO- UX hand held computer. When the user grasps the frame it becomes part of the Diamond Touch sensing circuit for that user. The result is that the three conductive feet appear to the Diamond Touch as if three of the user's fingers were touching the surface. In a real product the hand held's case would be conductive with one nonconductive and three conductive feet on the back. This would be inexpensive to manufacture into a hand held device. The VAIO is larger than we envision for most hand helds, but it was much simpler to program for this prototype. 5. Detecting hand held position/ orientation The remaining challenge is to locate the three conductive feet from the VAIO and convert their locations into the translation and rotation transformation P. The Diamond Touch is a projective sensing device. The locations of the touches are not sensed directly, rather a histogram of touch strength is produced for the individual X and Y coordinates. For a single touch the high points in the X and Y histograms are detected and the touch location is known. Projective sensing is not unique to the Diamond Touch. Most tablets are projection sensed through vertical and horizontal wires. Many IR- based optical tablets are also projection sensed. Projection sensing is economical because its cost grows with the perimeter length rather than the area of a sensing surface. Projective sensing works great for single points, but it leads to ambiguity when sensing multiple points. For sensing the hand held's size, location and orientation we need to sense three unique points. However, the X, Y projections of those points are not unique. We resolve this using three techniques: 1) a known starting orientation, 2) the rigid configuration of Insulated Foot Conductive Feet 167 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. the hand held's three conductive points and 3) continuity of motion. Figure 8 shows the 4 possible sensing cases that must be considered in resolving the X, Y projections into the positions of 3 points on the handheld. Each case is identified by the number of peaks in each of X and Y. There are several variations of each of these cases. The numbered points for Case 1 indicate the identity of the three conductive feet on the bottom of the handheld device. Fig 8. Cases for projection of 3 points There is underlying software that examines the histograms from the Diamond Touch hardware and identifies the peaks that correspond to touches on the surface of the table. This histogram analysis layer returns the positions of 1, 2 or 3 peaks in each of X and Y. For the handheld device there are always 2 or 3 peaks in each of X and Y. 5.1. Case 1 Case 1 shows as 2 peaks in X and 2 in Y. Case 1 is the most ambiguous alignment and also the position for the hand held when the system is initialized. In the initial position the locations of feet 0, 1 and 2 are easily derived from the histogram information. From this position the width and height of the handheld can also be measured. It is essential that the device not be square. Having a distinct difference between width and height is critical in resolving the point positions in the other cases. Fig 9. Variations on Case 1 Case 1 not only applies to the initial position, but also four other variations as shown in figure 9. Each of these shows as 2 peaks in each of X and Y and might occur in the course of the user moving the handheld around. Variations a and b can be distinguished from c and d by the known width and height of the handheld. Further ambiguity ( a vs. b, or c vs. d) can be resolved by storing the previous position of foot 0 and the previous orientation angle. Knowing the previous position of foot 0 and the orientation angle we can pick the closest alignment to the previous position. 5.2. Resolving ambiguity The rigid dimensions of the hand held resolve most of the ambiguity problems. The remaining problems we handle by continuity of motion. As the user drags the hand held around the surface as well as rotates it, the position and orientation at time t is very similar to time t- 1. In general we find orientation a stronger predictor than position, but we use both for more robust performance. For a single user scenario there are only a few orientations that make sense. It is unlikely that a user will frequently want to turn the work upside down. In the single user case continuity of orientation works quite well. In a multi- user scenario more drastic rotations occur when sharing the work with someone seated at a different position. Continuity of motion still works in this scenario, but there are cases where it breaks. In a multi- user scenario, the Diamond Touch can sense each user individually. A default orientation range could be associated with each user. The active user would grasp the frame and ambiguity would be resolved using the identity of that user. In our usage, continuity of motion has worked well. There are two failure cases. The first is if the user moves very fast so that the orientation between time t and time t- 1 is very different. This problem is readily resolved by processing of the points so that the sampling rate exceeds human hand speed. A more fundamental problem is when the user picks up the hand held ( eliminating sensory contact) and then puts it down in a very different location and orientation. This is resolved through user instruction. Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case 4 0 1 2 a b c d 168 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. " If you pick it up rather than slide it, it may get confused." " If it gets confused, pick it up, put it down in alignment with the image and then slide from there." In our experience users had no difficulty in understanding the correct way to use the device and the work flow was not impeded. 5.3. Cases 2, 3 and 4 Cases 2, 3 and 4 all have a similar treatment. A discussion of case 4 will illustrate what is necessary. Given the 3 peaks in X and the two peaks in Y, in case 4, there are six possible locations for a conductive foot, as shown in figure 11. There are 120 possible assignments of the possible points to the three conductive feet. However, only a few of these possibilities will explain all of the data. Each foot must be assigned to a different X peak or one of the X peaks will be unexplained. Similarly both Y peaks must be used. For example, the combination a, b and d would leave the third X peak unexplained and therefore is not a valid combination. Fig 11. Points derived from X, Y peaks For case 4 there are 6 possible point/ foot assignments that use all of the histogram peaks. Given one of these possible assignments, we can test to see if the assignment is consistent with the known width and height of the handheld device. The distance between foot 0 and foot 1 must be equal to the handheld width. The distance between foot 1 and foot 2 must be equal to the height. This check will eliminate all but one possible configuration in cases 3 and 4. In some situations case 2 can have multiple configurations that are consistent with the data. The final ambiguity of case 2 is resolved using continuity of motion. 6. Display alignment The handheld display and the context display on the touch table need to correspond in size and location. In XICE all coordinates are specified in view independent coordinates ( VIC). When a display device is configured its pixels per inch are specified as well as the preferred viewing distance. This configuration information is sufficient to convert VICs into pixels. If the handheld and the touch table projector have their pixels per inch set correctly and have the same viewing distance then their coordinate systems are automatically consistent when application information is drawn in VICs. There are other systems besides XICE that account for variations in pixels per inch, but the viewing distance is also critical in this focus plus context technique. The resolution of the Diamond Touch for sensing the conductive feet can lead to some misalignment between the hand held and the table top. However, the hand held bezel provides enough of a break in visual continuity that this is not noticeable. 7. User experience We have not done formal usability studies on Spilling. We have, however, learned some things by watching people try to use the system. Our first observation was that fixed location widgets are problematic when interacting with a Spilling table. Using the non- dominant hand users freely scroll around their workspace. However, items like menus and tool bars that are at fixed locations require that the user scroll away from their work context to bring such widgets into the focus region of the hand held. The user must then scroll back to the original work area. This is very awkward. Similar problems have been noted with very large displays where substantial effort is required to move from a work location to some distant widget group. We have dealt with this problem by providing access to all widget actions through pop- ups at the work site. A second issue is interactions that require dragging across a distance larger than the hand held's display size. At first we believed that this was something that just could not be done. That did not concern us because such techniques are very difficult with hand helds anyway. However, users quickly learned to hold the dragged item in the hand held view and then simultaneously scroll the work with the non-dominant hand. Once a user has seen the technique it works very well and is much better than trying to do the same thing on the hand held alone. The fact that the hand held, with larger mass and sliding friction, holds still while the work is moved is also more effective than dragging by moving the hand held as in Ubiquitous Graphics or Peepholes. a b c d e f 169 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply. 8. User interface security threats We do not presume to deal with all possible security threats to network- connected computers. However, we have tried to avoid introducing any new threats when distributing the user interface to foreign machines. In Spilling there are three security threats in the user interface. The first and most dangerous is the acceptance of input from untrusted machines. Spilling resolves this by only accepting scrolling information and by isolating that input from the application, as shown in figure 1. The second is that a table top display server has access to all of the information being presented on the table. This threat is fundamental to distributed UI architectures and cannot be removed. Any information displayed by a computer for humans to see can be stolen by the display computer. There is one more subtle UI attack that is possible. A rogue table could lie about scrolling information and about the context while scrolling a different part of the application under the hand held and thus deceiving the user about where their input is going. The table top cannot introduce any new interaction to the hand held, it can only scroll existing elements around. For such a threat to succeed there would need to be a deep understanding of the application by the table top and an application so designed that the user could be deceived by the context. This is a very obscure threat that is easily thwarted by appropriate application design. 9. Summary We have created an architecture where users can bring hand held devices with small screens to a table top display and " spill" their user interface onto the table. The table provides a large context to the normal interactions of the hand held device. We have also shown how the hand held and the table can be visually synchronized. Lastly we have presented an algorithm for sensing hand held position and orientation through a projective sensing devices such as the Diamond Touch. 10. References [ 1] Baudisch, P., Good., N., Stewart, P., " Focus Plus Con-text Screens: Combining Display Technology with Visualization Techniques", User Interface Software and Technology ( UIST ' 01), ACM ( 2001), pp. 31- 40. [ 2] Bederson, B. B., Grosjean, J., Meyer, J., " Toolkit De- sign for Interactive Structured Graphics." Software En- gineering, IEEE ( 2004), pp. 535- 546. [ 3] Dietz, P. H.; Leigh, D. L., " DiamondTouch: A Multi- User Touch Technology." ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology ( UIST ' 01), ACM ( 2001), pp 219- 226. [ 4] Lee, J. C., Hudson, S. E., Summet, J. S., and Dietz, P. H., " Moveable Interactive Projected Displays using Projector-based Tracking," User Interface Software and Technology ( UIST ' 05), ACM ( 2005), pp 63- 72. [ 5] Myers, B. A., " Using Handhelds and PCs Together", CACM, 44( 11), ACM ( Nov 2001), pp 34- 41. [ 6] Olsen, D. R., Nielsen, S. T., and Parslow, D., " Join and Capture: a Model for Nomadic Interaction," User Interface Software and Technology ( UIST ' 01), ACM ( 2001), pp 131- 140. [ 7] Pering, T., Ballagas, R., and Want, R. " Spontaneous Marriages of Mobile Devices and Interactive Spaces," CACM, 40 ( 9), ( Sept 2005), pp 53- 59. [ 8] Richardson, T., Stafford- Fraser, Q., Wood, K. R., Hopper, A., " Virtual Network Computing", IEEE Internet Computing, 2( 1), 1998. [ 9] Sanneblad, J. and Holmquist L. " Ubiquitous graphics: combining hand held and wall- size displays to interact with large images." In Proceedings of AVI 2006, ACM, ( 2006), pp 373- 377. [ 10] Scheifler, R. W. and Gettys, J. " The X Window System" ACM Transactions on Graphics, 5( 2), ( April 1986), pp 79- 109. [ 11] Shen, C., Vernier, F. D., Forlines, C., and Ringel, M. " DiamondSpin: an Extensible Toolkit for Around- the- table Interaction," Human Factors in Computing Systems ( CHI ' 04), ACM, ( 2004), pp 167- 174. [ 12] http:// wacom. com/ [ 13] Want, R., Perins, T., Danneels, G., Kumar, M., Sundar, M., and J. Light. " The Personal Server: Changing the way we think about Ubiquitous Computing." Ubiquitous Computing ( UbiComp ' 02), Springer Verlag, ( 2002). [ 14] Wilson, A. D., " PlayAnywhere: a Compact Interactive Tabletop Projection- vision System," User Interface Software and Technology ( UIST ' 05) ¸ ACM ( 2005), pp 83- 92. [ 15] Yee, K.- P. " Peephole Displays: Pen Interaction on Spatially Aware Handheld Computers." Human Factors in Computing Systems ( CHI ' 03), ACM, ( 2003), pp 1- 8. 170 Authorized licensed use limited to: Brigham Young University. Downloaded on August 09,2010 at 17: 14: 10 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
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6/19/12-present: The Most Trusted Team in Sports Talk Radio Today, Bronwyn C. and Jim the Poet, present all things sportsish and sportly and take your calls.
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April 10, 2012: In which much poetry is read and intellectual waxing about aesthetics occurs
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Artist | Track | Album | Approx. start time |
thunk tank | intro | 0:00:00 () | |
stAllio | Bust a Groove | Cut Party | 0:17:31 () |
Bad Brains | How Low Can a Punk Get? |
Listener comments! | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:09pm
Joe Corrao:
don't be snobby | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:16pm
For what it's worth, the eustachian tube goes from the pharynx (near the soft palate in your throat) to your middle ear. When you have a cold, bacteria from your throat can go up it to your ear, and if the eustachian tube gets inflamed, it can close up, leaving the bacteria etc. to further inflame your ear. Since kids' eustachian tubes are smaller, they close up more easily, which is why kids get ear infections very easily. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:18pm
Didn't Thomas Kinkade paint that picture of Davy Crockett wrestling a bear in front of a lady unicorn? | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:20pm
Stop making sense. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:20pm
miss cheri:
hi caryn,,what have you been up to? | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:21pm
At least, I *think* he was wrestling the bear. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:21pm
oh, running around busy... or sleeping | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:23pm
Speaking of Hummel figurines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyDq9Dj2dII (meh scene, but "Not the Littlest Hobo!" is a classic line) | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:30pm
miss cheri:
ohh caryn--are you going to see that new movie "TED" comming out july 13th? it stars mila kunis ,,seth mcfarlane & mark whalberg. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:32pm
oh my fucking god enough with the mila kunis already. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:36pm
miss cheri:
glenn if you can't take the heat stay out of the goddamn kicthen! | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:37pm
miss creepi | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:37pm
Tue. 4/10/12 7:38pm
mark whaleberg is GREAT -- a bigger dick than moby! | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:39pm
greg from the detroit:
who was the squirrel poet? and is that soundcloud page public? | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:40pm
i'm not sure i would refer to delusional craziness as heat. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:40pm
Will probably wait for the dvd release. Can't afford to go to the movies. Enjoyed the poem. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:41pm
Squirrels mainly eat acorns | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:50pm
miss cheri:
g'night caryn see ya soon.. | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:57pm
soon? when are visiting hours in the closed ward? | |
Tue. 4/10/12 7:59pm
Jay is super smart | |
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subset: commoncrawl


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ICYMI, make sure you have a look at the Cubs' tentative 2014 schedule; perhaps they'll do better against the Reds next year than they have this year (4-13 coming into tonight's action).
The Reds begin today's action two games behind the Cardinals and a game behind the Pirates. As noted elsewhere, all three teams are likely headed to the postseason, but the division champion gets to avoid the wild-card play-in game.
If there's a three-way tie? Go watch the steam come out of Bud Selig's head.
Cubs lineup:
Castro SS, Barney 2B, Rizzo 1B, Murphy 3B, Lake LF, McDonald RF, Castillo C, Sweeney CF, Jackson P
Insert your choice of "other split-squad" joke here.
Reds lineup:
Choo CF, Phillips 2B, Votto 1B, Ludwick LF, Bruce RF, Frazier 3B, Cozart SS, Hanigan C, Cingrani P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
Edwin Jackson has faced the Reds just once this year, May 5 at Wrigley Field. If you were to be asked what a typical Jackson start looks like, you could point at that game. Three good innings, then a blowup in the fourth, and a struggle to even finish five. At this point, I expect nothing good from Jackson, so anything positive would be an improvement. He should have three more starts; if he loses all of them, he would become just the second Cubs pitcher to lose 18 games since 1974 (Steve Trachsel in 1999).
Tony Cingrani, who went to high school at Lincoln-Way (New Lenox), has been really good this year at age 23 for the Reds. Since the All-Star break he has a 2.08 ERA in seven starts, and current Cubs are just 3-for-34 against him. Clearly, we are doomed.
Today's game is on CSN Chicago.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter. Be careful over there, though.
Here's the scoop on game threads for 2013. You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.
You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.


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Sprint officially outs new Unlimited plans
Not to be outdone by T-Mobile's big cellular pricing shake-up, Sprint just made its rumored Unlimited phone plans official. Essentially customers can now purchase all-you-can eat voice and text for one phone line starting at $50 per month. Prices decrease though as you add additional lines, but of course there's a catch. … Read more


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November 2011 |
Did you know?
In Hillsborough County, financial services accounts for 7.7 percent of all employment, compared to the national average of 4.4 percent. Do you need resources to Start, Expand, or Relocate your business?
Visit www.FLVEC.com for a comprehensive list of Local, Statewide, and National resources available in 23 counties across the Florida High Tech Corridor. November's Quote
"My favorite part of my job is knowing the products we've developed have the potential of saving lives." Stan Van Meter, United Efficiency, in this month's Faces of Technology. |
UF Forges Statewide Partnership with SpainWhat all began with a simple interest in Spain's small-satellite programs is growing into a much deeper and intertwining partnership, as the Kingdom of Spain and the state of Florida unite for the sake of research and economic growth. Researchers from the University of Florida's Department of Astronomy led the collaboration that is bringing together scientists in both regions to work in small satellite technology, as well as in agritechnology and the science of aging. UCF Simulations Bring Science to Life in Florida MuseumTechnology provides an opportunity to teach science and math skills in a way that students perceive as "fun and cool." That trend was not overlooked by the University of Central Florida (UCF) team that created unique exhibits for the new EcoDiscovery Center in Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Discovery and Science. USF Physicians Develop a First in Simulation TechnologyMedical simulations technology is a rapidly advancing field that is creating a better trained medical force, however the development of a medical simulation device for one of the most common major operations among women in the United States has not been a priority-until now. Drs. Stuart Hart and Larry Glazerman of the University of South Florida (USF) Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology are the principal researchers of an international team creating a suite that simulates minimally invasive hysterectomy procedures. INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTFinancial Services FACES OF TECHNOLOGYStan Van Meter First Job: Project manager in the civil construction industry Advice: Take a chance - if you don't, nothing will happen. Accidental Discovery: Timing is everything-our first product was a device that trained drivers to achieve better fuel economy. We were at the peak of development as fuel prices were tumbling. View Stan's Faces of Technology video interview at www.facesoftechnology.com. TAKE A BOWMaureen Brockman, Former Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission FACES OF THE COUNCILDr. Anthony Catanese, President, Florida Institute of Technology A core tenet of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council's mission is to develop the workforce that supports our high tech industry. Without skilled talent, our region's high tech companies would lack the ability to compete in an ever-increasing global marketplace. This month's "Faces of the Council" recognizes a Council member who is dedicated to educating the future workforce of tomorrow: Dr. Anthony Catanese, President of Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). TECH BUSINESS PARTNER NEWSSave the Date for Next Meeting of bioOrlando Tampa Bay Partnership Helps Tampa Shine For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/Tampa-Bay-Shines. Florida Space Institute Hires NASA Veteran BioFlorida Conference Focuses on Creating Jobs in Florida Sanford-Burnham Partnership with UCF Produces Promising Cancer Research Results Tampa Bay Innovation Center Presents 2011 Florida Defense and Technology Showcase ACCOLADESIRX Therapeutics Relocates from NYC to St. Petersburg UCF-led Team Earns National Green Challenge Grant New Seed Capital Accelerator Program Offers Support for Early Stage Companies Governor Recognizes Clearwater High Tech Manufacturer CALENDAR NEWSThe following events are taking place across the Corridor's 23-county region or in the surrounding area: 2011 Business Growth Conference Eighth Annual Industry Achievement Awards Gala Florida Defense & Technology Showcase Florida High Tech Corridor's Entrepreneurial Resources TECH Talk Session for Technology Entrepreneurs Second Annual Space Coast Energy Symposium I/ITSEC CORRIDOR INDUSTRY NEWSTechXpo Puts New Emphasis on Space Coast's Potential MELBOURNE - A snapshot of business growth in Brevard County might be Ken Brace's prototyping company, whose customers for his thermoplastic models now include unemployed space industry engineers hoping to turn their dream projects into reality. Biotech Company IRX Therapeutics Relocating from New York to St. Petersburg IRX Therapeutics, a New York cancer research firm that had its genesis at the University of South Florida a dozen years ago, is coming home. IHMC Partners with USF |
Inside Florida's High Tech Corridor is published by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council Inc. (FHTCC) and its economic development partners. FHTCC is an initiative of the University of Central Florida (http://www.ucf.edu), the University of South Florida (http://www.usf.edu) and the University of Florida (http://www.ufl.edu). For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.floridahightech.com, or contact one of the region's economic development partners listed at http://www.floridahightech.com/region.php. Florida High Tech Corridor Link Library To Subscribe: ** Please do not reply to this message. If you want to contact someone directly, send an Grace O'Neal, Inside Florida's High Tech Corridor coordinator ©2011, Florida High Tech Corridor Council Inc. All rights reserved. |


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Audio Books
Read reviews about Audiobooks - Narrations or dramatisations of stories either on CD or cassette. Compare prices and buy online. Search for fiction, non fiction or language courses, and read opinions on each of these audiobooks. You can also add your opinion to the database, and suggest new
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Twilight Zone The Lonely
by Jake Speed "On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man's life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them; all of Mr Corry's machines -- including the one made in his image, kept alive by ... love, but now obsolete -- in the Twilight Zone." The Lonely is a 2010 radio drama based on the classic 1959 episode of The Twilight Zone written by Rod Serling. The year is 2046 (or something) and on a desolate asteroid nine million miles from Earth convicted convict Corry is all alone and serving a fifty year sentence for murder - although he insists it was self-defence and considers himself to be innocent. The asteroid is a barren dungeon of mountains and salt flats that stretch to infinity, Corry's residence an old metal shack that bakes in the searing heat and is surrounded by endless as far as the eye can see alienating vistas of dust and rock. This interstellar solitary confinement punishment has driven Corry to the very end of his tether and he is literally dying of loneliness. Corry's only contact with other people comes when the supply ship from Earth does its periodic rounds and brings him fresh supplies of food and water. During the latest (and as usual brief) visit of the supply ship, the captain takes pity on Corry after informing him that his legal appeal has been refused a hearing again and leaves him a gift in the form of a large box. When Corry opens the box later he finds a female android who looks (on the outside anyway) and sounds exactly like a real woman. Corry is angry about the gift at first and feels as if he is being mocked. It seems pathetic and distasteful. But over time he comes to cherish the company of the android (which is named Alicia) and even starts to fall in love. To Corry, Alicia has become a real person. The Lonely is one of the most highly regarded Twilight Zone stories and an interesting meditation by Serling on the need for human contact and the effect that isolation can have on the mind and soul. This could just as easily have been set on Earth but it was an inspired move to base the story on the desolate asteroid and use it as the absolute physical manifestation of loneliness. "Every morning when I get up I tell myself this is my last day of sanity. I can't stand this loneliness one more day, not one more day! I know when I can't keep my fingers still and the inside of my mouth feels like gunpowder and burnt copper. Down deep inside my gut I get an ache that's just pulling everything out. Then I force myself to hold on for one more day, just one more day. But I can't do that for another 46 years. I'll go right out of my mind." There are many interesting themes in this story and the premise is far more complex than it appears to be on the surface. What constitutes a person? Alicia might not be made of flesh of blood but she is unique and even proves to be capable of emotion when Corry hurts her feelings. Corry comes to see Alicia as an individual and individuality is something we think of as a very human trait. The television episode made good use of Death Valley as a location but having to use your imagination here is no bad thing and with the atmospheric use of sound effects you can picture the asteroid as an altogether more alien (although no less barren) environment than 1959 television budgets could stretch to. The music in these radio adaptations always feels nicely judged and the restrained and vaguely jazzy sound feels like a nice nod back to the late fifties/early sixties aura of the originals. Jack Warden was fantastic as Corry in the original and is almost impossible to beat but Mike Starr (our narrator here) has a valiant stab at stepping into his Twilight Zone shoes and does manage to convey some of the gruff humanity that Warden brought to the part in spades. Starr is not the most well known guest star to grace these Twilight Zone radio dramas but you'd probably recognise him if you saw his face. He was the mobster heavy in Dumb & Dumber. Stacey Keach is the one constant in this series and is on hand here again to provide the opening and closing monologues and intro ("There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow...) that were performed so famously by Serling in the original television series. I love Stacey Keach but he does sound a trifle sedated here sometimes. Wake up Stacey! The story is nicely developed because Corry is resentful of Alicia at first for looking so human and reminding him of his tragic predicament. "Why didn't they build you to look like a machine? Why didn't they build you out of metal with bolts and wires and electrodes and things like that? Why'd they turn you into a lie, cover you with something that looks like flesh, give you a face? You're just like this heap. A hunk of metal with arms and legs, instead of wheels. But this heap doesn't mock me the way you do. It doesn't look at me with make believe eyes or talk to me with a make believe voice. Well, I'm sick of being mocked by the memory of women. And that's all you are. A reminder to me that I'm so lonely I'm about to lose my mind." He softens when she proves to be capable of conversation and simple basic companionship. Having someone to go for a walk with etc. I think this is not a bad story at all to adapt into an audio drama from the television series because the tone is low-key and thoughtful and relies on dialogue rather than visual cues or revelations. You don't actually have to make too many changes. The most important thing is that you capture some of the atmosphere of the original and they manage to do that here fairly well. The fundamental themes of Serling's original text are fairly timeless and still work well. Not just his recurring theme of the need for human contact and the nature of individuality and humanity but also the concepts of freedom and punishment and what they actually mean. This is one of the better audio adaptations in the radio series and just about different enough to be worthwhile - even for those familiar with the television series - without feeling as if it has strayed too far from the pen of Serling and the essential premise. Some of these Twilight Zone audio dramas are a bit jarring when they deviate from the source texts or try to update them slightly but The Lonely has such a simple and effective premise that you'd have to be fairly inept to lose the essential complexity and emotion of the story. The third act is also strong and it becomes more compelling when Corry is forced to make a very important decision. This radio version of The Lonely runs to just over 40 minutes and is on The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas Vol 4 collection (which was unavailable last time I looked and also a trifle expensive at £20) but can also be downloaded individually for £1.19. This is a decent adaptation of the television story and not bad at all. Read the complete review |
Puff, the Magic Dragon (Book & CD)
by broxi3781 Puff the Magic Dragon was one of my very favourite songs as a child, so when I saw a book based on the popular song - I couldn't wait to add it to our collection. My husband immediately started trying to wind me up, claiming I had bought our child a book about drug abuse, but in all honesty, I think too much has been made of this. The ... poem, Puff the Magic Dragon was originally written in 1959 by Leonard Lipton, then a student at Cornell University. The author has repeatedly denied any connection between the poem and drug abuse, and at the time it was written, I do not believe there was a significant drug culture in American Universities. The author claims the poem is solely about the loss of innocence and imagination as a child grows up. This poem was later set to music, and recorded by Peter Paul and Mary, and is a beautiful children's song and story, that has sadly fallen into disrepute. The song has been banned in several countries, but to the best of my knowledge the book has not been banned or challenged. The main selling point to this book is the illustrations. These are absolutely beautiful and perfectly capture the innocence of childhood. There are no words to this book other than the lyrics to the song, so you can choose to read or sing the story. Because the words of the chorus are repeated at times, this may seem confusing if you are simply reading, but you can always choose to read the passages only once. I find it hard to believe anyone could possibly be unfamiliar with the words to this song, but I have to realise it isn't nearly as popular as when I was young so will have to try to recap briefly. The lyrics tell of a little boy and his best friend, a magical dragon. the child and dragon have magical adventures, until the boy grows to old for magic and abandons his faithful friend. Without a child to believe in him the dragon slips into his cave in sorrow. Much of the protests against this song stem from the fact that the child is named Jackie Paper, which some will claim refers to the rolling papers used to smoke marijuana. This who wish to view this as a hidden message promoting drug abuse will also claim the dragon's name refers to puffing on a joint and the autumn mist refers to the cloud of smoking resulting from smoking - or perhaps the foggy state of the brain after a few joints. I prefer to see the story simply as the author claims it to be, a story depicting the loss of innocence and magic as we grow up. Even this doesn't sound much fun for a child though. I always found the ending of the original song very sad. Thankfully, although this book has not changed the lyrics to the song in any way, the illustrator has crafted a much kinder and more gentle ending, with joy and hope coming back into Puff's life rather than leaving him in despair in cave. My oldest son enjoyed this book for some time before outgrowing it. My youngest enjoyed this as an infant and has rediscovered it and loves it even more now than he did when he was younger. The illustrations in this book take a child into a world of fantasy with a beautiful gentle dragon, royalty and pirates, dolphins in striped jumpers, sailing ships, climbing trees and all the magic of an imagination filled childhood. The illustration cover all of the pages, with the lyrics written over the pictures, and are lovely and full of colour. The copy I purchased also includes a short CD. This has the original Peter Paul and Mary song, which is a brilliant accompaniment to this book. For those of us who remember the song, it is very much a trip down the Cherry Lane of childhood memories. For those who have not yet heard the song, it will give you a chance to really appreciate the magic of it all. Of course the book would be lovely on it's own still, but I would really recommend buying the one with the musical CD as well. It really is a wonderful song for children. In addition to the original Puff the Magic Dragon, there is also and instrumental version, and two American folk tales : Froggy Went A Courtin and the Blue Tail Fly. Froggy Went a Coutin is a rather odd song about a frog ( armed with a pistol) who wants to marry a mouse. The Blue Tail Fly is also known as Jimmy Crack Corn. This is played in a much more somber tone on this CD. I have heard it played in a much more upbeat tone, which I preferred. It's another odd song , meant to be the words of an American slave, somewhere between a lament and rejoicing at the death of his master. I can't say that I would really bother to listen to these songs, but they might be of more interest to others. Still, the CD is worth having in my opinion just for the Puff the Magic Dragon song. We have listened to this several times and still enjoy it every time we hear it. I think this is a beautiful book and song and would recommend this for children as young as age 1 1/2 with a parent carefully turning the pages, and believe it would still be a lovely book as long as a child is old enough to enjoy picture books. although the text is printed over illustrations and at times in reverse print ( white text on a dark background), I think this could still be useful as a child is learning to read as well as songs are very easy to learn by heart and a child could follow along with the text while singing the song. The text is of a good size and well spaced, but parents should be aware that white on dark, or text over illustration is not recommended for children with dyslexia. Read the complete review |
Armageddon - Max Hastings
by Jake Speed Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45 was written by Max Hastings and published in 2004 (I think). This is an audio version read by John Sessions. The book covers ground that is very familiar by now (perhaps too familiar really given the extensive literature already available) but is still nonetheless darkly compelling as the ... momentous and often harrowing story of the the last desperate stand of Nazi Germany is told yet again. I find Hastings a rather stodgy and dull writer sometimes in comparison to contemporaries like Antony Beevor and Andrew Roberts (and I would certainly recommend Ian Kershaw's The End and Beevor's Berlin over this book) but his research is always exhaustive enough to illuminate a few areas in a manner the reader may well have not encountered before. One thing about Hastings I do find irritating sometimes is his penchant for lacing the narrative with his own personal subjective thoughts more than many history writers do. This is of course a strength at times but it does make him seem a bit pompous now and again. An armchair expert. The book begins as the Allied operations in Normandy have proved to be successful. The Anglo-American invasion force is firmly established in France and with their huge material superiority (most crucially in air power) over the Germans it appears highly likely that the war could be over by the end of 1944. This optimistic hope fails to transpire though and Hitler's increasingly shattered armies grimly fight on well into 1945. The main themes of the book are essentially why the Allies couldn't end the war early and advance more quickly (as a consequence of this Eastern Europe was condemned to Soviet satellite status until the 1990s) and why the Germans continued to fight on when it was long since apparent that the war was lost and their military situation was hopeless. As Hastings reminds us, the once invincible German war machine had been blunted with catastrophic losses in the frozen wastes of Russia and never again regained its equilibrium or strength. After the launch of Operation Barbarossa, two thirds of the Wehrmacht was always engaged on the Eastern Front fighting the Red Army and so it was the Soviet Union that did the Lion's share of the heavy lifting when it came to thwarting Hitler's plans for a Nazi Empire that would last for a thousand years. In the other books by Max Hastings I've read I was somewhat taken aback by his obstinate refusal to give Britain any (military) credit whatsoever for anything it did during the war and he seems to rope the United States into the same bracket in Armageddon. Hastings suggests that the United States romantically inflates its own combat role in the European theatre of World War 2 and that its huge industrial resources were more important than its military contribution. The Americans were shipping large quantities of material to the Soviet Union and although Stalin and the Soviets never gave them much thanks for it those supplies were crucial. The Red Army was never too impressed by the planes and tanks they recieved from the West and used them sparingly because their own weapons were often superior (the Soviets produced the best tanks in the war) but with the vast size of their army they desperately needed things like jeeps and lorries, canned foods and sturdy boots. It was the United States who supplied most of these much needed essentials and plugged the shortfall that would otherwise have existed. Just to put the two theatres in perspective, the author says that the Allies killed 200,000 German soldiers in the course of their operations while the Soviet Union killed four million. One can of course bear in mind that the Soviets had been fighting the Germans non-stop since 1941 but the statistics still illustrate the unimaginable scope of the war in the East. Hastings, like many, believes the Germans were pound for pound the best soldiers of the war but he also suggests the Red Army were superior to the Allies too. He praises the Red Army generals to the rafters while the Allied commanders are incessantly criticised for being slow and cautious. Hastings seems to loathe Montgomery (I find criticism of Montgomery in these types of books is so predictable as to be tedious by now) and is also highly critical of Eisenhower. This again is nothing new as Eishenhower is lauded more for his extraordinary diplomatic skills (he was of course in charge of a multi-national army) rather than his military acumen. After Normandy, Eishenhower steadfastly refused the "single-thrust" approach favoured by some (most notably Montgomery because he wanted to be in charge of it) whereby the Allies would attack in a single concentrated point of impact as the quickest way of entering Germany and ending the war. Eisenhower decided it was too risky a strategy and preferred the "broad front" approach. They would "break" the Germans and keep them strung out by steadily advancing across a long front. Hastings is quite interesting in this section. He believes that the Germans were too weak to threaten long Allied flanks by this stage of the war anyway and so Eisenhower was far too conservative in his strategy. The author remarks at one point that Montgomery achieved no great encirclements of the German armies that opposed him - as if this was some great damning assessment of his ability. To the best of my knowledge Montgomery was never asked or required to "encircle" any German armies in his sector of Western Europe. Anyway, Hastings believes the Soviet generals (Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Konev etc) were much better than their Allied counterparts because they were bolder and more daring in staging operations. That is true of course but the Soviets were much harsher and more unemotional when it came to accepting causalities. The Soviet High Command were desperate to reach Berlin before the Western Allies and so decided to use their numerical superiority to bludgeon their way to the German capital, sacrificing vast numbers of men in suicidal attacks until the inevitable moment of breakthrough arrived. To use a boxing analogy, the Red Army was like a fighter prepared to take three or four punches just to get into position to land one themselves. Hastings accepts that this brutal approach would never have been stomached by the Allies and that any American or British commander who sacrificed lives on such a scale would have been sacked in disgrace. Similarly, the ferocity of the German and Red Army soldiers was a result of coming from totalitarian systems (a very militaristic one in the case of Germany) and the conscripted "citizen" armies of Britain, America and Canada could never be expected to replicate the bestial fanaticism of war in the East. So, like Ian Kershaw's The End (great book but he did end up chasing his tail), Armageddon is somewhat circuitous at times with the author repeatedly hammering at a theme that both he and the reader can already explain. Hastings doesn't have too much new to say about the reasons why Germany fought for so long but then I don't think there is much more to say on this matter. Fear of Soviet occupation and revenge of course was the primary motivation but he does tend to remind us of the first World War more than Kershaw did in his book (if memory serves). One of the fundamental pillars of the Nazi movement was the belief that Germany had remained undefeated on the battlefield of World War I and been betrayed by traitors (and then an unfair peace settlement). This time the Nazi High Circle (or what was left of it by 1944) was determined to fight to the bitter end - until "one minute after midnight" if necessary. What the author does really well is to present the war from the ground up rather than reduce it to a series of battle maps. There are many, many accounts from ordinary people caught up in the storm of the conflict and the atrocities committed are harrowingly told to us in unflinching fashion. In particular, the Red Army rampage through Eastern Europe and into Germany. Things that tend to be glossed over or hardly mentioned in many books I've read are addressed by Hastings here. For example, the population of Holland nearly starving to death and the futile and bloody attempt of Polish guerilla fighters to usurp the Red Army. It's one of the great ironies of World War 2 that Britain and France declared war on Germany because Poland was invaded and yet Poland ended the war as a puppet state of a dictator who was every bit as evil as Hitler. Once the Red Army had reached Eastern Europe in their millions there was really nothing that could be done to shift them. This of course doubles back to the question of whether the Allies should have made more of an effort to reach Germany before the Red Army and prevent them from dominating the East. Churchill certainly felt they should have done this but the Americans were never much interested. They probably should have been in light of the Cold War that would soon descend but at the time they were more concerned with defeating Japan and getting their troops home than European geopolitics. One other thing Hastings is good on too is the intensive Allied bombing campaign. He believes it was not only morally dubious (Dresden etc) but also a misguided strategy that took money and resources that might have been better spent elsewhere. It's a sober book naturally but there are a few moments of levity and some good anecdotes. I like the story of a Canadian Brigadier who took a German surrender near the end of the war and was asked what his background was by the German general who was surrendering to him. The Canadian officer suspected that the German wanted to make sure he had an extensive and decorated military background so at least he would be surrendering to a long serving professional soldier. The Canadian did have a long and distinguished military background but told the German officer that he had no military experience and sold ice creams before the war started. Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45 is an impressive volume but I think the wide range of literature in this field is an unavoidable drawback and while I admire the obviously huge amount of knowledge and research that Hastings brings to his work I must admit to finding him a bit dull sometimes compared to some of the countless writers who inhabit this well worn territory. I got this out of the library but at the time of writing you can buy it used for about seven pounds. It's worth considering the printed version but I would read Beevor's Berlin first if you haven't already done so. Read the complete review |
Audio Book |
Paperback: 414 pages / Audio Book / Publisher: Avon / Published: 4 Aug 2011 |
1 review Publisher: Macmillan Digital Audio / Audio Book / 2nd Edition: 21 April 2006 |
2 reviews Genre: Languages / Audio Book / Author: Margaretha Danbolt Simons / Contains: 2 Audio CDs & book / Published 2005-04-16 by McGraw-Hill |
9 reviews Author: Michel Thomas / Audio Book / Genre: Languages / Narrator: Michel Thomas - Michel Thomas's approach to language learning aims to provide in a few hours a functional working knowledge of a language without books, note-taking or conscious memorizing. This CD provides an eight-hour course in French... |
1 review Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks / Audio Book / Published: May 2012 |
1 review Listening Length: 13 hours and 26 minutes / Audio Book / Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd / Release Date: 21 Sep 2012 |
1 review Listening Length: 41 minutes / Audio Book / Publisher: Falcon Picture Group / Release Date: 6 Aug 2010 |
1 review Listening Length: 24 minutes / Audio Book / Publisher: Renaissance E Books / Release Date: 27 May 2009 |
1 review Publisher: Brilliance Corporation / Audio Book / Published: 15 July 2009 |
1 review Publisher: BBC Audiobooks Ltd / Audio Book / Published: 23 Feb 2012 |
Audio Book recommendations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... next | ||
dooyoo Results 1 - 10 of 801 |


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This Purr-ific set of feline ears and plush tail set is the perfect accessory for any serious kitty gal costume! The special cuddly ears appear to grow out of your hair and the attachable action tail is completely bendable!
- Construction: Polyester/Plastic/Wire
- One size fits most
- Size: ears - 3.5 x 2 x .5 each, tail - 18 inches long
Comments about Black Cat Ears and Tail:
The tail was fine, except the velcro loop that was supposed to enable the tail to stay on would only fit into a belt loop - so I had to go scrounge around for a safety pin to pin it to the back of my dress. Not a big deal, but inconvenient. My biggest issue was that the ears were spaced too close together and they looked more like mouse ears than cat ears... not the look I was going for. However, it was comfortable and the elastic holding up the ears stayed hidden in my blonde hair.
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
Comments about Black Cat Ears and Tail:
i love these ears!! they stay on without a problem,and the tail you just attach with a safety pin. if you do it right it looks great. and mary from oklahoma? they HAVE other ears and tails to choose from. maybe the reason the ears didn't FIT is because they are NOT made to be worn by a small child! it isn't fair to whine about that.


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better options elsewhere
Posted on 07 / 24 / 2012The menu is very small for vegans and the prices are higher than some other nearby restaurants. The idea of all organic is great but for vegans, there was only a very few choices.
Pros: all organic, decorCons: miniscule vegan menu, prices


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- Photos: 4
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£1,595 pcm
6 bedroom detached house to rent The Compa, Kinver, DY7
Modern detached house in a quiet location, reception hall, four receptions, breakfast kitchen with integrated appliances, gfwc, six bedrooms three with en-suites, house bathroom, snooker room, rear garden with block paved patio area, garage, c/h (EPC Rating - E) More details ›
- Photos: 5
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£800 pcm
3 bedroom semi-detached house to rent Meddins Lane, Kinver, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY7
An Extended & Improved Semi Detached Residence Situated In This Sought After Village Tenants Fee £205 +Vat. Open Plan Reception Hall/Kitchen/Dining Room, Study, Shower Room, Sitting Room, Conservatory, Landing, Three Bedrooms, House Bathroom, Rear Garden. EPC = D. More details ›
- Photos: 6
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£650 pcm
2 bedroom apartment to rent High Street, Stourbridge
A larger style two double bedroom apartment benefiting in brief from gas central heating, refitted kicthen/ breakfast room, refitted bathroom with shower, lounge/ diner, private roof garden and off road parking for two cars. The property is available immediatley, unfurnished. More details ›


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When the humidity outside drops, our home environment often gets so dry that we develop dry, itchy skin and nasal/sinus problems that are associated with low humidity. The pureguardian 100-Hour Ultrasonic Humidifier from Guardian Technologies can help adjust the humidity to a comfortable level again…almost silently. All you have to do is enjoy a more comfortable home environment.
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Life Underground
Herve Cohen Life Underground is a wandering across borders, interconnecting the lives of metro riders of several cities around the world. From Buenos Aires to Moscow, Tokyo to New York, Calcutta to Paris, this poetic and engaging film explores modern social issues of these diverse metropolises such as homelessness, exile, unemployment, xenophobia, but also romance, through pertinent stories of these underground transient dwellers. | When making a fiscal sponsorship donation with a credit card, 3% is deducted from the donation amount to cover the merchant account processing fees. This deduction is waived when donating with a check. Checks can be made out to "San Francisco Film Society" and mailed to: San Francisco Film Society ATTN: Finance Dept. 39 Mesa St. Suite 110 San Francisco, CA 94129 Please indicate "FSP 1441" in the memo of the check. |


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Ushering in a new era of firearms transfer technology, eKiosk by Coloseum Software Corp. enables any Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer using AIMI eBook Pro to have their customers electronically fill out the required Form 4473 over the Internet using AIMIEBOOK.NET. eKiosk technology reduces time spent completing firearms purchases, enabling FFL dealers to manage multiple sales simultaneously.
Developed in response to the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA Pub. L., Title XVII), and in response to requests from the firearms industry, eKiosk eliminates the hassle of tedious handwritten records while contributing to the annual reduction of over 13 million industry-specific forms. Used in conjunction with Coloseum Software's firearms management software, eKiosk transforms the FFL business model.
eKiosk 4473 Firearm Software
Product From COLOSEUM SOFTWARE CORP.
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- Product From Meggitt Training Systems
Meggitt Training Systems BlueFire Wireless Weapon Simulators use commercial wireless Bluetooth technology to communicate with the training system in the same manner as our System Controlled Weapons. For weapons with recoil, this is achieved with a rechargeable magazine of compressed gas. This is significant in that, while not tethered, Meggitt Training Systems BlueFire weapons still retain the full sensor feedback. These BlueFire weapon simulators can be used in conjunction with other System Controlled Weapon simulators without requiring any modification. Meggitt Training Systems has already released BlueFire versions of Chemical Spray, Taser, the Glock 17 pistol, and BlueFire configurations of the Sig P226, Beretta M9, Walther P99, M4 and SRS Rifle (M16 type) simulators.
XVT Portable Law Enforcement Simulator
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In today's volatile urban climate, judgmental training is more important than ever in the law enforcement field. Meggitt Training Systems introduces a revolutionary portable system that makes judgmental and marksmanship training more accessible to law enforcement officials than any system on the market.
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- Product From ENVISAGE TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Envisage's Acadis Readiness Suite is an enterprise software application that automates the management of complex, high-risk training environments such as law enforcement, public safety and the military. The modular system architecture allows organizations to customize the software by implementing modules as needed, including Scheduling, Registration, Housing, Compliance, Testing, and Document Management. The optional Acadis Portal Framework allows decentralization of In-service training reporting, class registration, and instructor availability.
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Military snipers are heading into combat with sophisticated ballistics calculators to help them hit targets at 2,500 yards and beyond. Horus ATragMX software considers atmospheric conditions, gun data, ammunition, range, speed and muzzle velocity to calculate precise aiming solutions with "come-up" results – and even accounts for Coriolis and spin drift effects. ATragMX, loaded on a handheld computer made by TDS Recon, is easy to use and lightning-fast. The Recon meets the rigorous MIL-STD-810F military standard for drops, vibration, humidity, altitude and extreme temperatures. ATrag software is compatible with numerous handheld PDAs and PocketPCs and is also available in professional and sporting versions.
IES 3D Interactive Cinematic Training Scenarios - 2010 Innovation Awards Winner
Product From MILO Range, powered by IES Interactive Training -
IES Interactive Training and Live Sight Target Systems announce new Cinematic 3D scenario training
The Immersive 3D training scenario package from IES Interactive Training is a set of high-quality HD scenarios that have been filmed and rendered in 3D video for use on the IES MILO training simulator product line. Officers wear a pair of stereo 3D sunglasses provided by IES, and are immersed in a 3D training scenario that pulls them into the action. Officers see angles, depth and distance from richer and more realistic perspectives, allowing them to have a more effective simulator training session. This new product from IES is a result of our teaming with Live Sight Target Systems, a well-known provider of 3D targets and training media, and was designed to give officers training on our systems a more immersive and realistic training experience. This product leverages widely popular and proven 3D technology from contemporary media sources like movies and games and brings it into the law enforcement firearms training simulator world for the first time. IES holds an exclusive license for development of 3D training scenarios from Live Sight Target Systems for 3D training scenarios, and is the only authorized provider of this content on firearms training simulators for law enforcement officers. All sworn and armed law enforcement officers can benefit from immersive 3D training scenarios on our simulators, including patrol, SWAT, military personnel and corrections officers.
- Product From NIGHTFORCE OPTICS INC.
The Nightforce Ballistic Program includes tools that allow firearms users to maximize long-range rifle accuracy while minimizing time and money spent at the range. Precise bullet drop, lead and windage corrections, even at ranges to 2,000 yards, that otherwise would require many hours and hundreds of shots are quickly and easily calculated. Two versions are offered; one for a Pocket PC and on for Windows. Both versions work in tandem, and can be purchased individually or as a bundle. The program's capabilities include recording and recalling of sight-in data for location and conditions, profiles of rifle/ammunition/atmospheric condition scenarios, all necessary calculations for ranging reticles and much more.
- Product From CORNERSTONE APPLICATIONS
CornerStone Applications's RangeMaster Pro II firearm record tracking system manages all information relating to firearm training while protecting officers and departments from litigation. RangeMaster Pro II makes it easy to store and retrieve officer, firearm, firearm qualification, maintenance, equipment and training information. Features are custody log tracking, 33 customizable reports, powerful data mining tools and system reminder notices for firearm maintenance, qualification courses, training courses and license to carry permits.
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Charge your Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone with the high-capacity 5200mAh Battery. Designed to deliver immediate backup power, the UrgentPower DX 5200 comes with a USB Cable, Micro USB, Mini USB and an Apple 30-pin connector. An LED battery level indicator signifies battery charge, and has a
- Product From CyanLine
CyanLine's free software grants law enforcement agencies the power to capture and unlock never-before-seen bonus data. Inspired by CyanLine's Fast Disk Acquisition System (FDAS), MiniDAS allows investigators to obtain critical metadata, also known as "data about the data," and collect a forensic image, and is available for free to all law enforcement agencies worldwide.


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Maine ski resort hosts skiing Santas
Nearly three hundred skiers and snowboarders clad in red and white Santa outfits gathered at a ski resort in Maine on Sunday. They were all participating in the annual "Santa Sunday" event for charity.
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We are so excited to announce our first virtual book club, hosted […]
by Elrod Susan , Stansfield William , Susan Elrod
Hello, I'm an eBook! ATTENTION: This item is an eBook. It can be read on iOS, Android, MAC and PC's with a supported eReader. It is not a physical book. eBooks are available via download immediately after you've checked out.
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Tough Test Questions? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time?
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