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User interface (UI) techniques, and more particularly to graphical user interface (GUI) techniques providing 3-dimensional (3-D) renditions. A method of displaying one or more graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device having processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising: obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component; performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; using said second image data, displaying the modified form whereby the or each graphical component has the appearance of having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device.
1. A method of displaying one or more graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device having processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising:
obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component;
performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component;
using said second image data, displaying the modified form whereby the or each graphical component has the appearance of having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device.
2. A method of displaying one or more moving graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device including processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising:
(a) obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component;
(b) for each of one or more instants during a predetermined time period,
(b1) performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; and
(b2) using said second image data, displaying the modified form;
thereby at one more of said instants generating a rendition of the or each graphical component so as to appear to having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device, whereby the two-dimensional object appears to move within a three-dimensional space.
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
(a) initialising a region list from bounding boxes of all elements shown in the preceding video frame;
(b) adding a region to the region list for the bounding box of each element contained in the new frame;
(c) sorting the bounding boxes into order of distance from the plane of the display (z-order); and
(d) discarding regions that are hidden behind others or are outside the periphery of the display.
7. The method of
(e) using the region list, searching for any intersection between a dirty and non-dirty region; and
(f) if an intersection is found, marking the non-dirty region as dirty.
8. The method of
if an intersection is not found in (e):
(g) searching for an intersection between two dirty regions.
9. The method of
if an intersection is found in (g):
(h) determining whether merging the regions would be more efficient;
if the determination in (h) is positive:
(i) determining whether the merged region would intersect a non-dirty region;
if the determination in (i) is positive, merging the regions; and
repeating step (g).
10. The method of
if no intersection is found in (g),
painting the 2D background into each dirty region; and
painting all dirty elements in Z-order to a memory buffer.
11. A method processing user interactions with a GUI, comprising:
a hit testing procedure for deriving (i) a user's interaction or selection related to a graphical component, and (ii) to which graphical component the interaction or selection relates; and
displaying that is carried out independent of the derived user interaction or selection and the derived graphical component.
12. (canceled)
13. A recordable, rewritable or recorded medium having recorded or stored thereon machine readable data defining or transformable into instructions for execution by processing circuitry and corresponding to at least the steps of the methods set out in
14.-16. (canceled)
The present invention relates to user interface (UI) techniques, and more particularly to graphical user interface (GUI) techniques providing 3-dimensional (3-D) renditions.
This invention concerns GUIs employed by users to interact with electronic devices having a display, in particular but not limited to hand-held devices with small screens (see
In prior art systems, users interact with such devices via input mechanisms, with visual feedback provided via interactive and non-interactive graphical elements (such as controls, data, icons, text) presented and laid out on the display in a two-dimensional manner. The use of 3D effects in prior art has mainly been limited to giving an impression of depth to otherwise 2D elements through the use of shadows or shading.
GUI technologies such as Microsoft MFC or Java Swing consider a device's display to be analogous to a flat surface, upon which components are laid out in two dimensions. This approach generally imposes two significant constraints on how components can be arranged:
These restrictions result in strictly hierarchical and inherently �flat� GUI layouts.
The restrictions of current 2D GUI approaches may have proved acceptable in the context of desktop computers, but they are too limited to deliver the kinds of visual and interactive experience demanded by users of the new classes of electronic device that are now becoming commonplace.
Issues such as small screen size, increasing complexity (and range) of features, and raised consumer expectations, all conspire to make it difficult to design effective user interfaces within the constraints of 2D.
The present invention provides a method of displaying one or more graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device having processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising: obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component; performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; using said second image data, displaying the modified form whereby the or each graphical component has the appearance of having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device. In other words, the graphical component, post-transformation, of extending at least partially in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the display.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of displaying one or more moving graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device including processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising: (a) obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component; (b) for each of one or more instants during a predetermined time period, (b1) performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; and (b2) using said second image data, displaying the modified form; thereby at one more of said instants generating a rendition of the or each graphical component so as to appear to having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device, whereby the two-dimensional object appears to move within a three-dimensional space.
Preferably, steps (b1) and (b2) are carried out at a plurality of instants, thereby giving the appearance of gradual natural motion. The predetermined period may be any suitable length to give satisfying appearance, for example k hundredths of a second (where 1<=k<=10), m tenths of a second (where 1<=m<=10), or n seconds (where 1<=n<=10). During the predetermined period, the transformation operation and display step may be carried out p tens of times (where 1<=p<=10), q hundreds of times (where 1<=q<=10), or r thousands of times (where 1<=r<=10), depending on design constraints, so as to give an acceptable appearance of movement.
The invention further provides an electronic device, comprising: processing circuitry, memory, one or more user input devices and a display device; wherein, in use, the processing circuitry is interoperable with said memory for executing instructions corresponding to the methods defined in any of the appended claims 1 to 11, or according to any of the particular embodiments described herein.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a recordable, rewritable or recorded medium having recorded or stored thereon machine readable data defining or transformable into instructions for execution by processing circuitry and corresponding to at least the steps of the methods set out in any of the appended claims 1 to 11, or according to any of the particular embodiments described herein.
Using techniques according to the invention, electronic devices with displays, and/or their UIs are modified, so that the primary way in which users interact with them involves giving the graphical elements on the display a three-dimensional appearance, and the impression of having being laid out in three-dimensional space. In so doing the invention enables devices to offer much more sophisticated user interfaces.
The invention enables the kinds of advanced visual effects normally only associated with high-end 3D games and simulations�such as lighting, depth effects and 3D model rendering�to be employed in any GUI-based application. Moreover, because the invention is grounded in the same concepts as existing 2D GUI technologies, such capabilities can be exploited with little or no programming effort over that ordinarily required.
The techniques employed by the invention to achieve a three-dimensional effect include but are not limited to the use in a GUI of 3D models, rotation, perspective, occlusion, lighting, shading, shadows, fogging, and movement.
The key differentiator between the present invention and existing GUI technologies is the incorporation of advanced 3D concepts to enable the delivery of much more sophisticated user experiences.
The present invention fulfils all the roles required of any modern GUI technology, and it can thus be applied in any situation where a 2D GUI might otherwise be employed. In particular:
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a 3D GUI framework, which existing developers may use in place of 2D GUI technology to deliver far more compelling 3D GUI's.
The use of 3D graphics on electronic devices with displays has conventionally been exploited primarily in the context of realising 3D �worlds��for example in games or flight simulators�where the aim is to give the user the impression of being immersed in a three dimensional environment, and where the modes of interactivity afforded to the user are highly constrained by the nature of the simulation (e.g. steering a car, walking from room to room, or picking up objects).
In contrast, the present invention employs 3D concepts in a much different sense, to enhance the experience afforded by any software program with a graphical user interface (as defined in section 1.5 below).
Particular differences between the present invention and 3D simulations include:
Thus the invention enhances the experience offered by any software application with a graphical user interface.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the current context, applications of the techniques according to the invention include software programs that possess their own Graphical User Interface (GUI)�such as menu systems, browsers, word processors, spreadsheets and agendas�as opposed to those that do not (such as command-line tools, or server software controlled over a network by �thin� browser-based interfaces).
There exist many technologies for creating advanced GUIs (e.g. Microsoft MFC and Java Swing). The following concepts are fundamental to all such methods:
The present invention enables the delivery of much more sophisticated GUIs than current approaches allow, but it is grounded in these same three concepts. Thus a new GUI framework implemented as an embodiment of the invention should prove to be readily usable by any current GUI developer.
The present invention modifies devices so that the primary way in which users interact with them involves giving the graphical elements on the display a three-dimensional appearance, and the impression of having being laid out in three-dimensional space.
The invention is completely independent of any specific hardware, operating system, or graphical rendering capabilities. It incorporates processes designed to maximise performance so that even devices with relatively low processing power can benefit from it. Thus it is possible to conceive of an embodiment of the invention for any electronic device with a graphical display that would in the absence of the invention be capable of displaying a 2D GUI. It will be appreciated that the technology is independent of the type of display (LCD, plasma, CRT, projector, etc.) Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the platform upon which techniques according to the invention may be based include IBM PC/Windows, Apple Mac/Mac OS, PDA/WindowsCE/PalmOS/SymbianOS, or (smart) mobile phone/SymbianOS, among many others. PC architecture is well known in the art, and details of the hardware are omitted here, for brevity. Details of hardware/OS considerations in the case of a Symbian OS based mobile phone implementation are available in the white paper Creating Symbian OS phones, by Peter Sanders, April 2002 (http://www.symbian.com/technology/create-symb-OS-phones.html, a copy of which was filed with the present application). In the latter case, techniques according to the present invention may be integrated, for example, with the hardware and system software as set out in that white paper, using techniques known to persons skilled in the art.
Wherever advanced capabilities are available on a particular device, it is envisaged that an embodiment of the invention for that device could take advantage of them. Furthermore, the invention is inherently suited to exploiting the advanced 3D graphics capabilities of new consumer devices as they become available.
For example, an embodiment of the invention designed for a smart phone that is optimised for OpenGL ES rendering (this being an open standard for mobile 3D graphics) may put texture-mapped 3D models and anti-aliased fonts at the GUI developer's disposal. In contrast, an embodiment designed for a less powerful device may provide support only for bitmapped text and graphics.
The present invention enables GUI's to incorporate a wider range of graphic types than most 2D GUI technologies. Supported types of component include:
A GUI component may be built up by combining any number of elements of type (a) and (b). For example, a checkbox component may comprise a 3D model that animates between two states (checked and unchecked), together with a text-based caption.
The invention is designed such that, in a specific embodiment, it may be chosen to implement one, some or all of the above graphic types. This ensures that the invention can be realised on any hardware platform, tuned so as to deliver GUI's with performance commensurate with the capabilities of that platform.
Fundamental to the present invention is that a device's display is now not considered to be a flat surface on which graphical elements are arranged in 2D, but rather as a viewport on to a 3D coordinate space.
These four properties of a component�location, orientation, scale and opacity�are collectively referred to here as its placement. A component's placement affects its ultimate on-screen appearance, but it does not change the intrinsic visual characteristics of that component (e.g. the fonts, icons and colours used to portray it).
Each component's 2D appearance on screen is ultimately affected by:
The current invention includes processes for translating between 3D component placements and the 2D display and vice versa. These processes are key to the invention, since they enable both the rendering of the 3D GUI and the appropriate routing of UI events due to pointer-based user interaction (e.g. via a mouse or stylus). They also enable a user of an embodiment of the invention to exploit the flexibility of working with a GUI in three dimensions, without having to understand or handle the complexities associated with 3D rendering, occlusion, and so forth.
Section 1.5 introduced three attributes common to 2D GUI technologies. The present invention has been designed to meet the same criteria, to ensure that its benefits could be brought to bear in any software program and on any device where a 2D GUI technology might otherwise have been used. This section describes embodiments of the present invention in the context of these common GUI technology attributes.
Embodiments of the present invention incorporate a component architecture that will be familiar to anyone in the GUI field due to its similarity to that provided by 2D GUI technologies such as Microsoft MFC and Java Swing. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide the means to construct user interfaces through the creation, customisation, aggregation and layout of components (other terms that are used in the literature to refer to same include �widgets� and �gadgets�).
GUI technologies generally realise components as software objects that share at least the following five attributes:
According to embodiments of the present invention, a component architecture is implemented using techniques that will be familiar to anyone in the GUI field, so it is discussed hereinafter only insofar as it has been fundamentally altered to achieve the advantageous effects of the invention.
As described in section 1.1 and illustrated in
The potential for laying out GUI components with these new properties is far greater than permitted by standard 2D layout properties: by using them in combination, a component may be positioned and oriented anywhere in 3D space, and this can result in radically different on screen appearances even for components that are essentially flat in nature.
According to embodiments of the present invention, means are provided for any arbitrary collection of components to be grouped together to form an aggregate. Aggregates are just another form of component, so nesting to any depth is possible. In fact, in preferred embodiments, the invention enforces a strict hierarchy on all components in a user interface, by imposing the constraint that every component must be �parented� by exactly one aggregate, or parented directly on the global space itself (see
The aggregate model preferably employed by the current invention is similar to the grouping models employed by 2D GUI technologies, but two points are worth noting. Firstly, any components may be grouped to form an aggregate, irrespective of how and where they are placed in 3D space. This is far more flexible than most 2D GUI technologies, which enforce rigid notions of containment that require grouped items to occupy the same rectangular region of the display (see section 1.1).
The second point is that a component's placement is considered to be relative to that of its immediate parent. Although such behaviour is common among 2D GUI approaches, its implications are more profound here, because of the extra degrees of freedom afforded by the current invention's use of three dimensions: by changing an aggregate's placement (location, orientation, scale, and opacity)�particularly over a period of time�complex effects such as spinning, zooming and pivoting can be achieved (see
1.8.3 Detection of User Interaction Events, and Routing them to the Parts of the Software Responsible for Handling them
According to embodiments of the present invention, there is implemented the range and kind of event handlers expected by a 2D GUI technology. There are two primary types of user interaction event�events resulting from stylus taps or mouse clicks, where the event contains information about a particular pixel on the display at which the event occurred, and other events such as hardware key presses, which do not occur at a specific pixel on the display. In both cases two steps are required to process the event: firstly, identify the GUI component to which the event pertains, if any, and secondly, notify the application software of the event so that it may be processed.
Suitably, once it has been determined which if any GUI component each event pertains to, the hierarchical structure of the user interface (see section 1.8.2) is used to route the event to that part of the software that should handle it. This is known as �event bubbling� and is a widely used approach within GUI frameworks (see
Firstly, consider events that occur at a particular pixel on the display. Preferably, it is required that the hardware system and its system software will identify the exact pixel and pass the information as input to the subsequent process. It is necessary to determine which GUI component is associated with the specified pixel�that is, which GUI component if any contributed the most to determining the actual colour of that pixel, when the display was last updated. The process required to do this is called �hit-testing�, and in the preferred embodiments of the invention this process is different compared to the simple case of a 2D GUI framework. In the 2D case, GUI components are usually rectangular, opaque, a fixed size, and usually do not overlap, so it is a relatively simple task to determine to which component the pixel belongs. In the case of the 3D UI supported by the invention, the process is not so stralghfforward.
Referring to
A single point (pixel) on the 2D display, will correspond to a straight line, or ray, through the 3D space. The process of testing which GUI component has been �hit�, involves determining which of those components intersected by this ray is closest to the viewer. Testing for such intersections can be a relatively computationally expensive task, especially on limited resource devices, because it involves testing for intersection with each polygon in each component, and because the ray needs to be translated into the local coordinate space of each component since their polygons are configured in local coordinates. However, two key facts about the structure of the user interface enable this process to be optimised beyond what is possible in a generalised 3D application (such as a 3D game).
Firstly, as part of the process for rendering the 3D GUI to the 2D display (section 1.10), a set of bounding boxes in 2D pixel coordinates is derived which correspond to each UI element (see
Secondly, as part of the rendering process, the GUI components are sorted into depth order. The resulting information can also be used to determine the order in which hit tests are made on individual components, from front to back. The first component for which the hit test succeeds, must therefore be obscuring any other components which also lie under the given pixel, and therefore that component is the one to which the UI event should be routed.
Optimisation is fully automated, as the process and the derived information needed to perform it are independent of the application. However, allowance is made for individual components to perform their own ray intersection tests if required. This allows components some flexibility to define what constitutes a �hit��for example, a partially transparent object may or may not ignore �hits� so that they are passed through to components that lie behind.
First (step 601) a search is made of the list of bounding boxes in the current frame from front to back, to determine (step 602) whether one of the bounding boxes contains the current pointer (e.g. mouse cursor) position. If none of the bounding boxes does, this part of the process discontinues (as the user has selected a point in the background, or a �don't care� location; step 602 a).
Of course, if the point lies within a given bounding box, it may still not be a �hit� on the component because the components are not rectangular and thus do not completely fill their bounding boxes. The benefit of this process is that once again it exploits the component-based nature of the GUI to improve efficiency: by using the list of regions built when rendering the current frame, step 602 efficiently filters out many hit tests that could never succeed, therefore drastically reducing the number of expensive full ray intersection tests that need to be done (see below). The net result is improved responsiveness in the user interface.
If a bounding box is found (step 602 containing the pointer position, it is then determined (step 602 b) which 3D GUI component corresponds to that bounding box. Then (step 603), the point is mapped though space in the region of the component found. A test is made (604) to determine whether the ray intersects with the component. For some components such as planar images or text, detecting an intersection may be easy, whereas for others it may be more expensive. If it is found at 604 that a ray does not intersect a component, processing returns to step 601. If it is found at 604 that it does intersect, relevant event is routed to the component and this part of the processing discontinues.
The second type of UI event includes those (such as a hardware key presses) that do not occur at a particular pixel. The invention also needs to deal with these in a novel way. When there is no hit pixel to provide a means of identifying the target component, there must be the notion of a �currently active� component that will receive any such events. This concept is familiar from many 2D GUI frameworks, and is usually called focus. In a typical 2D GUI framework, because the layout of the GUI is flat and follows regular conventions of layout (such as containment), focus is usually managed in a way fixed by the framework. For example, in Microsoft Windows, the control with focus is indicated to the user by a dotted rectangle, and this focus can be moved around the GUI by means of keys with consistent functions, for example, the �tab� key always moves the focus to the control considered to be next in the �tab order�.
In a 3D user interface where there is no such regular layout and more degrees of freedom, it is not practical to dictate how focus is visually indicated, or how it is transferred between components. The invention therefore preferably provides a modified way of dealing with focus, which allows individual components to choose how to modify their appearance when focused, if they are able to accept focus. Changes of focus between components are handled by the aggregate parent of the currently focused component. When a UI event occurs that a component does not wish to handle directly, that event bubbles to the parent, and the parent can decide whether that event should trigger the transfer of focus to a different component. This approach provides maximum flexibility in terms of representing and controlling focus, while still allowing the core framework to determine where to route an event such as a key press.
The key feature of this invention is that it uses techniques from general 3D graphics, to produce user interfaces with a 3D appearance, in such a way that they can function effectively and efficiently as user interfaces even on devices with limited memory and processing power and small displays. This is suitably achieved by constraining the configuration of the interface to be a set of discrete self-contained 3D objects (components) positioned and oriented in a space, thereby allowing a number of simplifications and optimisations which make both the implementation practical, and the resulting interfaces easier to design and use. Enclosing or surrounding forms such as walls, rooms, sky etc, as seen in game or simulation software, are disallowed. Without surroundings, these 3D objects are floating in space, and therefore the invention allows an optional immovable �background� to be rendered behind all components. (Note that in the context of the current invention the terms �3D object� and �GUI component� are effectively equivalent, but in this section we specifically use the �object� terminology simply because it is more familiar in the domain of 3D graphics.)
Without surroundings or enclosed environments, there are two key aspects of a GUI constructed using embodiments of the present invention that give it its three-dimensional appearance. Firstly, an individual object itself may look three dimensional, either by way of a static appearance, or due to movement. Secondly, the spatial layout and movement of objects may give them a 3D appearance. These will each be addressed in turn.
1.9.1 Enabling GUI Components to have a Three Dimensional Appearance
In many modern 2D GUI systems with adequate display hardware, some impression of 3D can be achieved for individual graphical elements by producing 2D images of 3D objects, using techniques such as shadows and shading to give a 3D appearance. However, to show the element from a different angle requires a new image. To achieve anything more than minimal dynamic 3D effects is impractical. Because our invention preferably allows graphical elements to be structured in three dimensions and then manipulated in three dimensions, more sophisticated 3D effects are possible.
Regarding structuring elements in 3D, an element can be defined using a 3D �mesh� of polygons, as commonly used in 3D graphics applications (and as constructed by software such as 3D Studio). This means that the object has �true� depth, and not just depth implied by creative use of shading on a 2D image. The invention allows a 3D mesh element to be oriented at, and thus viewed from, any angle. When combined with dynamic manipulation, such as rotating the object, this gives a much stronger impression of 3D than the 2D improvisation. Also, because the invention preferably uses a 3D coordinate system for positioning and orienting elements, even elements that are defined in two dimensions can take on 3D appearance, and be subject to dynamic orientation in 3D, such as rotation. One example would be an image or video clip, which by its nature is two-dimensional, but in our invention can be oriented at an angle to the plane of the display, so that it appears to the viewer that they are looking at the image or clip from an angle (see
The spatial layout of objects is important in giving the interface a 3D appearance. The present invention preferably allows objects to be positioned and oriented in a 3D space, which is then rendered to the 2D display in such a way that it appears three-dimensional.
There are two key aspects of the rendering process that contribute to this 3D impression: projection, and depth cueing. Projection is the most important�it is the process by which points in the 3D space are mapped to points on the 2D display, and is responsible for the impression of perspective. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, projection is used in a way that renders the 3D content to 2D as if it is viewed from a �camera point�, with one important modification specific to GUI construction.
Sometimes when constructing a 3D user interface that does not contain surroundings or enclosures like rooms, a consistent impression of 3D across the display is not necessary and in fact can make interface design awkward. Therefore, the camera position can be effectively changed for certain parts of the scene. This feature is referred to as local perspective.
An example is an aggregate of components forming a message box. This message box may be animated across the screen, and as it moves, it may look odd to view it from a changing angle. This is a consequence of the way visual perception works in that in lieu of peripheral information such as surroundings or walls, the eye focuses on just that block of information of interest. Local perspective allows the message box to be moved sideways across the 3D interface layout whilst appearing to always be viewed from directly in front. The rest of the interface on screen is unaffected.
The second aspect of rendering that contributes to the 3D impression is depth cueing, which means using visual techniques to emphasise the distance of objects, such as making them darker or more �fogged� the further away they are. Again, the present invention preferably uses familiar methods of depth cueing, but can do so in ways that would not work in a 3D scene that was not constructed according to the specific composition constraints imposed within the current invention.
As with the appearance of individual elements, dynamic movement of elements emphasises the 3D nature of the interface. As an item moves towards or away from the viewer and its apparent size and tint changes due to perspective and depth cueing, the impression of 3D is greatly enhanced. For this reason, the present invention preferably provides a sophisticated framework for easily, or even automatically, animating GUI components, both in response to user events, and as �drift�, where certain components may be made to spin around very slowly even when the user is �idle�, to maintain the impression of three dimensionality.
By promoting the effective design of 3D GUI's through the exploitation of configurable features such as depth cueing, local perspective and animation, the present invention preferably more completely delivers on its promise to not just enable 3D GUI's to be constructed, but to enable the 3D capability to be fully taken advantage of, resulting in more impressive and engaging user experiences.
A device's display is updated as a series of frames. The process shown in
Whenever the placement or visibility of a GUI component is changed, it is preferably marked as dirty to indicate that its constituent graphic elements need to be repainted when the next frame is displayed. By incrementally altering the placement of a component within 3D space over a series of frames, it is possible to achieve complex animation effects.
The process illustrated in
At step 701 a region list from bounding boxes of all elements shown in the preceding frame is initialised. A bounding box is the minimum rectangle on the display that will fully enclose a graphic element when it is drawn. Preferably a list is maintained of all graphical elements that make up the GUI components being displayed. The bounding box for each of these is calculated by projecting 3D coordinates into 2D coordinates. The process works preferably by analysing bounding boxes because rectangles are faster to work with than irregular shapes.
Next, at step 702, regions for all bounding boxes of all elements contained in the new frame are added (note that each GUI component contributes information to enable its bounding box to be calculated�see section 1.10.1 for details). At step 702 (i.e. current frame) regions are dirty only if their graphic elements have moved or changed (e.g. �Button 1� in
At step 705, a search is made for any intersection between a dirty and non-dirty region. A dirty region is one that needs repainting. At step 701 (i.e. previous frame), regions are dirty unless their graphic elements remain unchanged in the current frame (e.g. �Title Bar� in
If no intersection was found at step 706, a search is made (steps 708, 709) for any intersection between two dirty regions. If an intersection between two dirty regions is found in step 709, a test is made (step 710) to determine whether merging them would be more efficient. The decision on whether merging the regions would be more efficient is based on area: if the resulting merged region has an area less than the sum of the areas of the two regions multiplied by a threshold factor, typically 1.4, it will be more efficient to update these regions as one. If the determination at step 710 is negative, processing returns to step 708. If the determination was positive, it is then determined (step 711) whether a merged region would intersect with any dirty region. If merging the regions causes other regions to become dirty, it would negate the efficiency advantage of merging them. If the determination at step 711 is positive, then processing returns to step 708. If not, processing moves to step 712, where the regions are merged. Merging the regions means replacing two regions with one that is their geometrical union.
Referring back to step 709, if no intersection between dirty regions is found, the next step (713) is to paint the 2D backdrop into all dirty regions, effectively erasing those areas in preparation for the 3D components to be rendered onto them.
Thereafter (step 714) all dirty elements are painted in Z-order to a memory buffer (see section 1.10.1 for more detail), and the final process (step 715) is performed to transfer the contents of the memory buffer to the screen to complete the new frame.
Because this process exploits the constrained nature of the 3D scene when used as a GUI to reduce to the number of GUI components rendered in each frame, the total cost of the paint and display update operations required in steps 713 and 715 is reduced. Such optimisation ensures that the process works as efficiently as possible, maximising the range of devices on which it can be useful embodied.
As part of the rendering process described above and illustrated in
There are two reasons that the paint action is split into two steps. Firstly, if the display needs to be repainted again and the component hasn't moved or changed appearance, the first step is skipped for the repaint. The work done in the first step stays valid until the component next moves or changes appearance. Secondly, the output from the first step (step 702) is required by the rendering process before reaching the point where components can be painted (step 714). These two steps are described in more detail below.
In the first step, the component can do any preparatory work that may be useful to it internally, but it must at the very least provide details of its own bounding volume. The bounding volume is illustrated in
No part of the 3D component can extend outside this bounding volume in local space, so the 2D bounding box is derived from the bounding volume, as it is the smallest rectangle that could completely contain the bounding volume once projected. Depending on the placement of the component, it may be scaled, rotated, or positioned in such a way that results in varying degrees of perspective, and thus the bounding volume must be equivalently scaled, rotated and projected to derive the correct bounding box. In the first step, therefore, the component must provide a set of points in its local coordinate system that describe the corners of the bounding volume. There are usually 8 corners for a non-planar element such as a 3D mesh, or 4 for a planar element such as an image or text fragment. The rendering process then fully maps each point in turn from local 3D coordinates to 2D display coordinates, and takes the bounding box to be the minimum rectangle that encloses all of these 2D points.
The mapping from local space to display space may involve a summation of two or more other mappings. At the root level of the GUI there is a �global� 3D coordinate space, and components positioned directly in the 3D space (rather than within other aggregate components), are positioned relative to this global space. The mapping from this space to 2D display coordinates is derived from various global configuration parameters, and accounts for projection (perspective) and scaling. Also, each aggregate component defines a local coordinate space within which its child components are positioned and oriented, and so on, to an arbitrary level of nesting. To correctly position an element on screen, therefore, the coordinates of its vertices must be mapped into the parent coordinate space, and its parent's parent's space, and so on, until it is expressed in global 3D coordinates, from where it can be mapped to 2D display coordinates. In practice, this is achieved with matrix mathematics, in ways that are familiar from 3D graphics programming.
Each mapping is expressed as a matrix, and sequences of mappings can be combined into single matrices for efficient mapping. Each component stores (caches) a matrix to map from its local space to global space, and these cached matrices are re-calculated only when necessary due to the movement or re-orientation of the component or one of its parents.
In the second request to the component, it is asked to paint itself to the display buffer. This can happen in one of two ways. Firstly, if the embodiment of the invention has available to it a 3D graphics library such as OpenGL, this will provide functions which can be used to draw the component by passing in 3D coordinates. In this case, the mapping matrices calculated and cached during the previous step must be passed into the graphics library to configure it. Typically, for OpenGL, the mapping from global coordinates to display coordinates is passed as the �projection� matrix, and the summation of the local coordinate mappings is passed as the �model-view� matrix. The result is that the OpenGL functions can be used to draw the component by passing in local 3D coordinates, and the library will do all the mappings from local 3D coordinates to 2D display coordinates internally.
If the embodiment has available to it only a 2D graphics library, or in the case that a certain type of element must be rendered using 2D screen coordinates even if a 3D graphics library is used for other elements, then the mappings must be made explicitly because there will be no provision for this in the library. One example of this is where an external component such as a text entry box needs to be imported and shown in the GUI. Assume that the text entry box can only be drawn in 2D, using display coordinates. It can still be positioned within the 3D GUI using 3D coordinates, at any level of nesting, in a consistent manner with other components (provided of course that no rotation is applied to it). Fortunately, these required mappings will usually have already been done, in building the bounding box. As part of the first rendering step, the bounding volume, which will be a flat rectangle, will be mapped to screen coordinates to give a bounding box, and in the second step these same 2D coordinates can be used for positioning and sizing the 2D component so that it appears at the correct location and scale within the rendered 3D interface. This technique has been used by the inventors with an entirely 2D graphics library to achieve quite effective 3D impressions using only a 3D spatial layout of 2D images with perspective and depth cueing.
As described, current GUI technologies impose a number of constraints on GUI design that arise from the fact that the layout of components is constrained to the two dimensional surface of the screen.
According to embodiments of the invention, a device's display can be treated as a viewport onto a 3D space, in which GUI components can be placed at any position, at any orientation, and at any scale. The net result is to offer a far greater degree of freedom in terms of GUI design, both from a visual and an interactive perspective.
There are discussed below some examples of how embodiments of the invention might exploit this increased flexibility to deliver more sophisticated GUI's on a device.
One way the invention's novel capabilities might be exploited is via the creation of new GUI components that are far more engaging than (though functionally equivalent to) existing 2D components.
Embodiments of present invention enable any GUI components that are functionally related�regardless of their relative positions in 3D space�to be grouped together and manipulated (e.g. faded, spun, zoomed) as a coherent whole (an aggregate). As an example of how this might be applied in practice, consider a �message box�, comprising some kind of panel, a caption, and an �OK� button, and often used in the context of GUI design as a way to alert the user to a particular occurrence.
2D GUI technologies generally offer ways to display a message box, but there is usually no way to control how it appears on (and disappears from) the display. In contrast, embodiments of the present invention enables advanced transition effects, achieved by altering the message box's placement over a short period of time. Thus it might be faded on to the display, spun towards the user from the distance, or pivoted on to the display from one side like a hinged door (see
The relative placements of graphical elements may be used to provide meaningful visual feedback to users in ways that are not easily possible with 2D GUI technologies.
For example, an instant messaging client may display icons representing each of a user's contacts. Selecting an icon (e.g. via a stylus tap) might result in that person being sent a request to talk. Icons representing people who are actively engaged in conversation with the user might drift towards the screen, with others fading away. Icons representing two contacts in active dialogue with each other might slide across the display to become adjacent, with others sliding away to accommodate them.
The overall effect would serve to offer the user an overall view of their contacts, the spatial layout of which would itself immediately convey meaningful information that might be difficult to achieve within the constraints of 2D GUI technologies.
The above examples serve to illustrate some of the ways in which the invention enables the production of 3D GUI's that offer far more sophisticated user experiences, with little or no additional programming effort over that ordinarily required.
As detailed above, the present invention enables electronic devices to be modified such that their displays show a graphical user interface which gives the visual impression of being constructed of a mixture of 2D and 3D graphical elements, which appear to be laid out, structured, animated, and interacted with, in three dimensions. The invention enables arranging the user interface in three dimensions, although the invention may be used to create a wide range of different GUI's.
An embodiment of this invention typically comprises a software system, installed and executed on the device, which necessarily includes the following functions:
The remainder of this section describes a specific exemplary embodiment of the invention, to illustrate how the invention may typically be realised by deployment of software. The invention may be usefully applied to any type of device with a display comprising a grid of many pixels. These devices may have different sizes and resolutions of display, different user input mechanisms, and different purposes. Examples could be TV set-top boxes, PDAs, in-car systems, and so on.
The example embodiment is designed to run on a mobile telephone, operated by one hand using a 4-way joystick, numeric keypad and some additional function keys. The device display is a typical size and resolution for a mobile phone as of 2005.
On a mobile phone, software may be deployed in a number of ways. Software may be pre-installed on the device at the time of manufacture. This may be application software, which is run on demand by the user, or it may be system software, which is always running. Examples of application software would be a contact management application, or a game. Examples of system software would be the telephone dialing functionality, or the menu system used to choose functions on the device. The distinction between system and application software is not always clear when the software is pre-installed, but often the application software uses only part of the device display for its GUI, with the system software reserving another part of the display for status information such as battery and signal strength meters.
Alternatively, application software may be downloaded �over the air� by the phone user and installed for use. Some phones, often called smart phones, allow users to install software by transferring it from a PC via a cable or wireless connection.
All of these types of software may benefit from the invention. System software may use a 3D GUI for all functions of the device, with the user navigating 3D menus, and being notified of incoming calls by 3D animations. Alternatively, system or application software, however installed, may use the invention by presenting the user with a 3D user interface while using only certain applications or functions, even if the usual phone interface is 2D. The 3D user interface may occupy all or only part of the screen�for example, an application could show a 3D user interface, with the system software showing a 2D status area above it.
All of these permutations are valid applications of the invention, including those that combine the 3D user interface that uses techniques according to the invention with other elements of 2D user interface. In the example embodiment, the 3D user interface may be applied to any rectangular region of any application or system software, and thus may be combined with standard 2D user interface elements provided by the device platform.
Typically, the software embodying techniques according to the invention are delivered as software in the form of a library of binary code. The library would be used by applications or system software on the device in the usual way, by �linking� to it. The library may be pre-installed on the device (a requirement if used by system software) or installed along with applications that use it. Often if the library is used by more than one application, or pre-installed on the device, the software that uses it links to it �dynamically� when run. However, an embodiment could also be �statically linked�, whereby the code that embodies the invention is linked directly into the software that uses it at the time the software is built. All of these methods are typical methods of delivering software of this type.
If software embodying the invention is supplied to the end user of the device, the libraries and the applications or other software that use them should be all that is required to be delivered. However, because the invention pertains to the design and construction of 3D user interfaces, including the programming of software that employs such an interface, it may sometimes be necessary to provide 3rd party software developers with a tool embodying techniques according to the invention that enables them to use it in their own software creations. Typically this is done by providing them with libraries plus additional �header files� which enable them to write software that links to those libraries and makes use of the 3D user interfaces that the libraries enable. In this case, the invention may be embodied both in the technology which enables it, namely the libraries and header files, and the resulting software constructed with that technology.
In the case of the exemplary embodiment, the software is suitably written in C++ and compiled for the Series 60 smart phone platform. The embodiment therefore comprises C++ header files, C++ source files (which are not usually distributed for reasons of protecting intellectual property), and compiled binary libraries for both Series 60 smart phones and Series 60 emulator software used by 3rd party developers. This package, along with documentation and other supporting material, would be sufficient for 3rd party developers to deploy the 3D GUI invention in their software for Series 60 smart phones. The Series 60 platform and the underlying Symbian OS provide low-level services required for construction of the embodiment, and also provides OpenGL software for performing low-level 30 functions such as rendering polygons, texture-mapping, and projection. To deploy the invention on different platforms or devices, different software packages may need to be prepared.
The techniques required to realise the invention in software comprise a mixture of techniques from 3D graphics, 3D software development and GUI application framework design, plus some novel enhancements.
The exemplary embodiment uses OpenGL software to render 30 objects from the user interface into two dimensions for display on the device. Objects within the user interface are sorted according to their �depth� in the scene, and drawn from back to front, so that items at the front are drawn over items at the back. An alternative approach would be to use a �depth buffer� to ensure that items in front always appear in front, therefore obviating the need to sort the objects, and this is a more common approach in 3D software systems. The back-to-front approach is used in the example embodiment because the particular structure of a 3D GUI lends itself to being broken into individual items and sorted, and the approach consumes less device memory than using a depth buffer. Conserving device memory is an important objective on the Series 60 devices targeted by the example embodiment.
Other optimisations may use the layout of GUI objects within the scene to minimise the number of objects drawn to only those which need to be drawn because they have moved or otherwise changed. This minimises the amount of computation (and therefore time) required to render each frame, resulting in smoother animations. Similar characteristics of the interface can be used on stylus-based devices to efficiently detect which object was tapped by the stylus, something which is much more computationally intensive in general 3D applications such as games where the structure of the scene is not as constrained as in a GUI.
These are all examples of how the specific characteristics of the 3D user interface described, as compared to a general 3D scene, can be exploited to optimise the software to a particular device, platform or purpose, or indeed to provide general optimisations that would not be suitable for rendering a general 3D scene. Other embodiments may use different approaches to rendering 3D user interfaces due to different device parameters or constraints�for example, an embodiment that targets a less resource-constrained device may use depth buffering rather than drawing objects back-to-front, to achieve better graphics effects in certain situations at the expense of requiring more memory to operate.
On other platforms, OpenGL or similar 3D graphics libraries may not be available. In this case, the invention can still be realised, albeit maybe with limitations in effect. A feature of certain embodiments of the invention is the structure and layout of the user interface, and this can be realised in part without any underlying 3D graphics libraries at all. The coordinates of the 3D space may be mapped to display coordinates by the software, and 2D graphics APIs may be used with these mapped coordinates to render images, text, or even polygons of colour to build up 3D models. The coordinate mapping still allows projection and depth cueing to be achieved. Again, the specific characteristics of the 3D user interface can be exploited and this makes implementation on a 2D platform much more practical than it would be for a general 3D application. Limitations that may typically result include the inability to rotate certain objects such as images or text out of a plane parallel to the display.
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Lloyd Classic Loop Cargo Liner 12f3-140-14051-CL19
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Russia likely to remain important European gas supplier, report says
Oct 15, 2014
Europe's natural gas supply mix likely won't change much without drastic policy interventions despite recent renewed concern over instability in Ukraine, a new Brookings Institution policy brief concluded. This effectively will ensure a continuing significant market share for Russia, it said.
TGP concludes open season for South System line, starts one for Lone Star project
Oct 15, 2014
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC (TGP) completed a successful binding open season for its South System flexibility project for 500,000 dth/day of north-to-south natural gas transportation capacity on its system.
KMEP to expand Houston Ship Channel terminals
Oct 14, 2014
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMEP) plans to expand its Pasadena and Galena Park terminals on the Houston Ship Channel to provide additional refined product storage and dock services.
Contract let for TAPI gas pipeline feasibility study
Oct 14, 2014
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has awarded a contract to Penspen Ltd., London, to conduct a technical feasibility study for the proposed 1,820-km, 56-in. OD pipeline from Turkmenistan's 16-trillion cu m Galkynysh gas field, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (TAPI).
Northeast Australia gas line link contemplated
Oct 14, 2014
The Northern Territory government has put its weight behind a proposal to build an Alice Springs-to-Moomba natural gas pipeline. This would link the Northern Territory fields with the Moomba hub in South Australia that already has connections to Queensland, New South Wales, and (indirectly) Victoria.
Santos coal seam gas pipeline gets first gas
Oct 14, 2014
The Santos Ltd.-led Gladstone LNG project in Queensland has introduced natural gas from its Surat-Bowen basin coal seam gas fields into the 420 km pipeline linking them to the LNG plant on Curtis Island for the first time.
Gazprom, CNPC sign technical agreement on cross-border section
Oct 14, 2014
OAO Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corp. have signed a technical agreement for the cross-border section Power of Siberia natural gas trunkline.
Two energy progress stories
Oct 13, 2014
US President Barack Obama quickly cited the country's improved oil and gas outlook when he declared that his administration and congressional Democratic leaders have rebuilt the US economy on a new foundation for growth and prosperity.
NGSA forecasts lower winter gas prices on a combined analysis
Oct 13, 2014
In its 14th annual Winter Outlook assessment of the natural gas market, the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) expects downward price pressure on the natural gas market compared with last winter.
Oil, rail groups comment on DOT's proposed crude-by-rail regulations
Oct 13, 2014
Proposed federal crude-by-rail regulations should focus more on accident prevention and mitigation than tank-car redesigns and retrofits, two major oil industry trade associations separately said in comments submitted to the US Department of Transportation on Sept. 30.
US refiners could process more light, tight crudes, study finds
Oct 13, 2014
US refiners will have the capacity by 2020 to process 3.1-4.3 million b/d more of light, tight crude oil (LTC) than in fourth-quarter 2013, according to a Baker & O'Brien Inc. study commissioned by Consumers & Refiners United for Domestic Energy (CRUDE).
US should reexamine Jones Act, Tesoro's CEO recommends
Oct 13, 2014
Tesoro Corp. Chief Executive Officer Gregory J. Goff called for a review of the Jones Act, a federal law dating from the 1920s that requires US-produced goods moving between US ports to do so aboard US-flagged vessels.
National Fuel Gas CEO becomes INGAA's 2014-15 chairman
Oct 10, 2014
National Fuel Gas Co. Chief Executive Officer Ronald J. Tanski was elected as chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America for a 1-year term during the trade association's annual board meeting on Oct. 10. He succeeds David J. Devine, president of Kinder Morgan Inc.'s central regional gas pipelines.
AER approves 84 of 90 Grand Rapids pipeline applications
Oct 10, 2014
Alberta Energy Regulator reported it has approved, with 26 conditions, "the majority" of applications by Grand Rapids Pipeline GP Ltd. to construct two pipelines carrying diluted bitumen and hydrocarbon diluents.
Spectra proposes Wyoming-Illinois crude line
Oct 10, 2014
Spectra Energy and Spectra Energy Partners have proposed a pipeline that would add an initial 400,000 b/d of capacity to carry crude oil from growing supply areas in the US West to the Midwest and Gulf Coast.
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MSU Bobcat 2014 Football Schedule
8/30/14 @ Arkansas State, 5PM
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Kimchi power will make Terengganu invincibleKUALA LUMPUR: There were no major surprises upon completion of the opening week's matches in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL). As expected defending champions KLHC remain a major force as they won both matches with relative ease. They defeated ... TheStar.com.my, 3 weeks ago
Hermanpreet hat-trick helps India down Malaysia in Johor Cup
Hermanpreet Singh did the star turn with a hat-trick of goals as India enhanced their chances of qualifying for the final of the Under-21 Sultan of Johor Cup with a convincing 4-2 victory over hosts Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, on Thursday. In top form after thrashing Pakistan 6-0 on Wednesday, the Harjeet Singh-led side notched its third win in four games. India, though, had some tough moments in the game after the hosts overcame a 2-0 deficit to draw level after half-time. But two late strikes ...Rediff.com, 1 month ago
Champs India leave Malaysia winless with a 4-2 win
*Great Britain destroy Australia with 5-1 win to remain unbeaten Harmanpreet Singh … Two sets of dummy anti-tank weapons were found beside a transformer box at the junction of Old Chua Chu Kang Road and Sungei Tengah Road on Thursday. … The ...Yahoo! Singapore, 1 month ago
Malaysian squad take 2-4 beating from India at Sultan of Johor Cup
The national junior squad lost 2-4 to India at the 2014 Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 International Hockey Championship at the Taman Daya hockey stadium in Johor, October 16, 2014. — Bernama pic JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 16 — Malaysia continued to slump ...Malay Mail, 1 month ago India beat Malaysia 4-2 in Sultan of Johor Cup IBNLive India News, 1 month ago U-21 Indian hockey team beats Malaysia 4-2 ProKerala.com, 1 month ago Johor Cup Hockey: India Score Thrice from PCs, Beat Malaysia 4-2 to Stay Unbeaten NDTV, 1 month ago
New experience for Malaysian players, says Arulselvaraj
Malaysia coach A. Arulselvaraj did not mince his words when he voiced his disappointment … Additional screening measures will be set up at arrival halls in Changi Airport starting Wednesday 15 October, said the Ministry of Heath (MOH). … ...Yahoo! Singapore, 1 month ago
Hockey players want coach Arul to stay on
INCHEON: The national hockey players have unanimously called for interim coach A. Arulselvaraj to be retained for the Olympic qualifiers next year. Skipper Azlan Misron said all 16 players in the Asiad team were happy with the work done by ...TheStar.com.my, 1 month ago Incheon bound hockey squad working hard on penalty corners Malay Mail, 2 months ago
Labuan schools win praise for innovative teaching
LABUAN: Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching hailed SK Pantai and SMK Pantai for their groundbreaking application of research in teaching. She visited the two schools prior to officiating at the Labuan International Conference on ...Sabah Daily Express, 2 months ago
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Karimganj: Five days after a youth went missing from a railway station in Bihar, his parents are running from pillar to post to look for him here in Assam.
Twenty-five-year-old Pritam Bhattacharjee, who was on the way to New Delhi from Guwahati in Avadh-Assam express, went missing from Naugachia railway station in Bihar on July 9.
Pritam`s father, Shankar Bhattacharjee, said, "Family members, including uncle Rohan Bhattacharjee, have gone to Naugachia and are in constant touch with the state police and GRP to trace out my son."
"Our agony continues but we are making all efforts and running from pillar to post to find him out," he said here.
Pritam, who doing PhD in New Delhi, had boarded the train from Guwahati on July 8. A group of miscreants snatched his laptop, camera and important documents at the station when the train halted there for two minutes.
Pritam, hailing from Karimganj town, chased the miscreants but soon contact between him and his family members were lost.


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Offers case summaries of Delaware court decisions in business-related litigation. By Morris James.
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Covers news, strategy and legal services of businesses and entrepreneurs. By inVigor Law Group PLLC.
Covers mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds, venture capital and law. From The New York Times.
Covers business issues.
Edited by C. Steven Bradford, Joshua P. Fershee, J. Haskell Murray, Marcia L. Narine, Stefan J. Padfield and Anne Tucker.
Covers business transactions, start-ups, and mergers. By Structure Law Group, LLP.
Covers practice tips and new legal developments of particular interest to California legal professionals. The CEB blog covers a wide range of practice areas from estate planning to civil litigation, along with posts relating to the practice of law generally.
Covers Texas business law. By Leiza Dolghih.
Covers labor and employment, tax, employee benefits and healthcare law issues associated with the Affordable Care Act. By Balch & Bingham LLP.
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Covers news about and opinions issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the sixth Circuit with an emphasis on business cases. By Squire Sanders.
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This Month's Really Fast Book Reviews
In which we skim through new releases to help you out figure out what to read
Byon November 4, 2013
The Dinner
(Crown, Paperback available October 29, 2013)
By Herman Koch
Premise: Two couples meet for dinner and grapple with how to handle their sons' involvement in an unthinkable act.
One-Sentence Review: Engrossing and morally challenging, though the food descriptions get tedious.
Memorable Line: "Would the smell of happiness I inhaled from my wife's hair still have smelled only like happiness, and not, as it did now, like some distant memory like the smell of something you could lose just like that?"
The Isle of Youth
(FSG Originals, November 5, 2013)
By Laura van den Berg
Premise: Seven short stories about women, secrecy, deceit, and identity.
One-Sentence Review: A master of the short story creates seven elaborate worlds with beautiful and haunting characters at a time when it feels like most short story collections are pretty thinly plotted.
Memorable Line: "I saw myself vibrate and glow before all my particles scattered like pollen in the air."
The Valley of Amazement
(Ecco/Harper Collins, November 5, 2013)
By Amy Tan
Premise: Mother and daughter search for their identities across 40 years and two continents.
One-Sentence Review: Men are encouraged to buy this for their mothers or wives.
Memorable Line: "Over the next few years, I discovered that men are alike in many ways. They enjoy flatter of their character and their expression of that in bed. Their leadership. Their hardwork. Their generosity. Their persistence and diligence. Their superiority."
Sylvia Plath: Drawings
(Harper, November 5, 2013)
By Sylvia Plath
Premise: Never-before-seen artwork from Sylvia Plath.
One-Sentence Review: Unless you're a die-hard Plath fan or want to look at 45 sparse drawings of wine bottles, boats, churches, and cats keep on moving.
Memorable Line: "I keep seeing Infinity in a grain of sand."
Undisputed Truth
(Blue Rider Press, November 12, 2013)
By Mike Tyson and Larry Sloman
Premise: Mike Tyson tells all.
One-Sentence Review: It's a familiar story arc celebrity endures a tumultuous childhood, early success, a public breakdown, and finally, redemption but still, it's raw and very entertaining.
Memorable Line: "My mother knew I was up to no good, but by that time she knew it was too late. The streets had me."
Bonus Reviews:
This Land Was Made For You And Me (But Mostly Me): Billionaires in the Wild (Blue Rider Press (November 5, 2013) By Bruce McCall and David Letterman
Both hilarious and beautiful to look at.
The Bully Pulpit (Simon & Schuster, November 5, 2013) By Doris Kearns Goodwin
A big (like, really big), badass book.
Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture.
Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture.
What To Read Next
0183 Things Every Man Should Do Before He Dies
02A Few Billion Dollars, Over 400 NBA Players, And The One Woman Who Can Bring Them Together
0325 Skills Every Man Should Know
04How Your Office Became A Middle School Chat Room
05Christina Hendricks Has 10 Pieces of Advice for Men
06There's A New Technology That Encourages You To Scream At Your TV To Skip Commercials
07The State of The American Dog
08The 50 Best Manly Movie Quotes
0910 Things Men Need to Stop Wearing to the Gym Immediately


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We are totally excited to announce that Ms. Sheena Brooks from the Accent Inn Vancouver Airport in Richmond BC won the 2014 Extra Mile Award. Sheena was presented the award at gala event at the River Rock Resort hosted by Tourism Richmond. "A crowd of over 325 guests enjoyed a fun-filled evening of entertainment, speakers, awards, prizes and a feast of delicious canapés, deserts, wines and ales prepared by local businesses" (more…)
Posts Tagged 'accent inn vancouver airport'
Accent Inn Richmond- Sheena Brooks wins Extra Mile Award 2014Thursday, May 15th, 2014
Vancouver Airport Hotel Wins Arts AwardWednesday, May 14th, 2014
This month (May 2014), the Accent Inn Vancouver Airport Hotel won the prestigious 'Business & Arts Award' from the City of Richmond. The award was presented by the Mayor of Richmond, His Honor Malcolm Brodie, at the Richmond City Hall at a presentation ceremony attended by a large number of people. Accent Inns was a finalist selected from over 87 businesses/ nominations. Sincere thanks go to the Gateway Theatre, their board of directors, staff and supporters who nominated us. (more…)
Go horse or go home?Tuesday, April 1st, 2014
Equip rooms for horses, BC hotel group says, and lower the stress of separation
VICTORIA, BC – Accent Inns is once again at the forefront of innovation in the highly-competitive world of hospitality, with the addition of one more offering to their already-specialized services: equi-accommodation, aka the provision of rooms for people and horses, together. For many years, the BC-based, family-owned hotel group catered to guests travelling with their pets, their bicycles and motorcycles. Now, horses – whether for show, racing, riding or just companionship – will be shown the same outstanding service that travellers have come to count on at Accent Inns since 1986. (more…)
April is Daffodil MonthThursday, March 27th, 2014
The daffodil is a symbol of strength and courage in the fight against cancer.
Buy a daffodil pin and wear it in April to show Canadians living with cancer that they are not alone.
For more information, visit www.cancer.ca
Pins are available at every Accent Inn in BC as of Friday March 28;
Victoria, Vancouver Airport (Richmond), Burnaby, Kelowna, Kamloops (more…)
Accent Inns will be at the Vancouver Bike ShowTuesday, February 25th, 2014
Come visit the Accent Inns booth at the Vancouver Bike Show March 8 , 9 2014.
The Bike show is connected with the Vancouver Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show Happening at the Vancouver Convention center.
As BC's Bike Friendly Hotel Chain why wouldn't we be there! (more…)
Motorcycle Friendly Hotel Manager Races in the 46th Baja 1000 #2Thursday, January 30th, 2014
Pre running the course is so important for the race. It allows you to see all the hazards before race day so you can ride your fastest when it matters. The course also changes so much during the 2 weeks leading up to the race as you have 300 plus vehicles doing the same thing as you. So nice sandy roads turn into torn up, whooped out, silt infested trails. Good times. (more…)
Happy New YearWednesday, January 1st, 2014
Get your tourist hat and your walking shoes on!Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013
Vancouver is a fun city, there is always lots going on, and some of the free activities include Stanley Park, a stroll along the picturesque sea wall or a picnic in the park (just watch out for those sneaky squirrels). When in Vancouver, a must-see is Granville Island. There's so many unique shops and you'll want to visit the Public market for fresh fruits and vegetables. There's also several delis and restaurants – slurp Japanese noodles, grab a slice of pizza, nosh on Greek gyros or sit on the wharf and enjoy Pajo's Fish & Chips (the best). Oh and don't get me started on all the many, many yummy sweet treats "to die for". (more…)
Travelling By RV in BC – A Sales Manager's PerspectiveWednesday, June 26th, 2013
When you work for a hotel company you get used to customers coming to your place of business so it was a very nice change for the Accent Inns Sales Team to visit some of our customers at their place of business. We also had the chance to experience what many of our RV rental guests do as they leave our hotel at Vancouver Airport to take on the trip to northern BC and beyond.
On May 8th 4 of our Sales Team and 4 of our ducks took to the road in 2 campers from Fraserway RV Rentals. We travelled from Vancouver to Whitehorse visiting a number of towns along the way. What we discovered it that we live in a very big province filled with amazing scenery and incredibly friendly towns and villages. (more…)
Support Adoption this JuneWednesday, June 19th, 2013
A reprint from AFABC
The Adoptive Families Association of BC is a registered nonprofit organization that has supported adoptive families for over 35 years. Our mission is to promote and support adoption with a greater vision of finding a permanent loving family for every child. AFABC's province wide services ensure that adoptive families are educated and supported before, during, and long after their children come home. We also serve children and youth across the province by facilitating permanency planning and child specific recruitment programs aimed at finding forever homes for the over 1,200 children in BC's foster care system that are waiting to be adopted. (more…)


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Book Description:Archaeological digs have turned up scuiptures in Inuit lands that are thousands of years old, but "Inuit art" as it is known today only dates back to the beginning of the 1900s. Early art was traditionally produced from soft materials such as whalebone, and tools and objects were also fashioned out of stone, bone, and ivory because these materials were readily available. The Inuit people are known not just for their sculpture but for their graphic art as well, the most prominent forms being lithographs and stonecuts. This work affords easy access to information to those interested in any type of Inuit art. There are annotated entries on over 3,761 articles, books, catalogues, government documents, and other publications.
Buyback (Sell directly to one of these merchants and get cash immediately)
One fine body…
Content Copyright © 1999-2014 Terms and Conditions of Use, Security and Privacy Policy | Resources: 1 2 3 | Site Map


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David Johnson spent fifteen years as a Youth and Family Minister. He then went back to school and received a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. For the past twenty years he has been a Marriage and Family Therapist.
He has had positions as the Clinical Director at the Christian Counseling Center of Western Kentucky; the Treatment Director at Spirit Lake Recovery; and is presently a counselor at the McKenzie Medical Center.
David is Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist and as a Master Social Worker.
He has conducted numerous marriage retreats and workshops. He's been interviewed on both radio and television.
David has been married for thirty nine years and has two daughters and six grandchildren.
He is also the Director of the David Johnson Chorus http://davidjohnsonchorus.com/
Review by:
sandy wait
on Dec. 02, 2012 :
(no rating)
what a heartwarming story!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
John Forgy
on Oct. 29, 2012 :
Enjoyed the book very much. Could not stop reading until I finished it. I guess some of it reminded me of a mostly gone generation of simple, everyday (but tough as barbwire) country people I knew while growing up in West Tennessee. I could picture every scene. Thanks for your effort to write the book.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)


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1-10 of 44 flats for sale found
£119,950 Guide Price
Guide Price £119,950
3 bedroom flat for sale Marlborough Terrace, Beckett Road, Dewsbury, WF13
Rare to the market, this superb example of a fully renovated 2/3 bedroomed Victorian ground floor apartment with converted cellars provides extremely well proportioned accommodation over 2 floors which has been sympathetically restored to show a wealth of original features. Ideally situated for a... More details ›
2 bedroom flat for sale Halifax Road, Dewsbury, WF13
Set within one of Dewsbury"s historic buildings is this extremely well presented ground floor apartment. The apartment benefits from two off road parking spaces directly outside the property and is accessed via electronic gates (not tested). The high standard accommodation briefly compri... More details ›
- Photos: 19
- Floorplans: 0
2 bedroom apartment for sale Boothroyds, Halifax Road, Dewsbury
Whitegate Estate Agents are delighted to offer for sale this STUNNING and immensely spacious two bedroom first floor apartment with an amazing 23 x 22 lounge offering charming and desirable living space with contemporary fixtures and fittings and original period features throughout. Retaining a... More details ›
- Photos: 10
- Floorplans: 0
- Media tours: 1
2 bedroom apartment for sale Boothroyds, Halifax Road, Dewsbury
Two bedroom second floor apartment located close to Dewsbury town centre and train station. Briefly comprising: entrance into lounge, kitchen/diner, two bedrooms- master with en-suite and bathroom. With two allocated car park spaces enclosed by security gate. More details ›
2 bedroom apartment for sale Boothroyds, Dewsbury
A two bedroom first floor apartment being part of a listed building with views over Dewsbury. Comprising: lounge area, kitchen area, two bedrooms and bathroom. Off street parking and gymnasium. Viewing recommended. More details ›
£100,000 Offers in Region of
- Photos: 10
- Floorplans: 0
- Media tours: 1
Offers in Region of £100,000
2 bedroom apartment for sale Tolson Street, Ossett
Offered for sale with No Upper Chain is this modern and well presented two bedroom Ground Floor Apartment situated in a cul-de-sac location. Having off street parking for 2 cars to the side and located a short distance from M1/M62 motorway network. Viewing Essential. More details ›
2 bedroom apartment for sale Lemans Drive, Staincliffe, Batley
Brick built 1st floor, 2 bedroom self contained apartment handily situated for required local amenities, shops, schools & transport services yet handy for access to surrounding towns. Accommodation enhanced by PVCu sealed unit, double glazing & gas central heating comprising:- Communal re... More details ›
£97,000 Offers in Region of
Offers in Region of £97,000
2 bedroom apartment for sale Elsham Meadows, Dewsbury
Attractively priced & presented 2 bedroom modern apartment, own stairs and GARAGE large below. Extra parking and allocated too. Popular David Wilson development built around 2007. Well positioned easy access to centre. Viewing well recommended More details ›
Added on 11/11/2014 by Austin Brooks (Ltd), York. Call: 01904 200097 Local call rate
2 bedroom apartment for sale Elsham Meadows, Dewsbury
This two bedroom first floor apartment is perfect for the professional couple or first time buyer looking to gain access onto the property market. The property is situated close to local amenities and schools, and benefits form UPVC double glazing and gas central heating throughout. EPC rating C... More details ›
3 bedroom apartment for sale Highfield Chase, Dewsbury
A well presented three bedroom first floor apartment in this popular development. Comprising: entrance hall, lounge/diner, kitchen, three bedrooms and bathroom. Off street parking bay and being located close to Dewsbury District Hospital and local amenities. More details ›
Thank you.
Your information has been sent to 0 out of 16 agents who have property to sell in the area you specified.


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Business type: Services ×
Keyword: environmental management ×
Industry: Chemical & Pharmaceuticals ×
Location: Canada ×
Location: Saskatchewan ×
Green Lights Environmental Solutions Inc.
based in Sudbury, ONTARIO (CANADA)
We are a Hazardous Materials Management Company for a number of different industries which enables us to not only provide exemplary service, but to ensure the end user is receiving the service at the best possible price.Along with our ECA, all of our partner companies have the required licensing and Certificate of Approvals where needed and all are well respected in the ...
Marshall Environmental Training and Consulting Group, Inc., (METC Group)
based in Corvallis, OREGON (USA)
Marshall Environmental Training and Consulting Group, Inc., (METC Group) is a small company that works extensively with wastewater treatment facilities - operator training, aerobic and anaerobic treatment system/process troubleshooting, treatment system audits, operations manuals and SOPs, and training workshops in activated sludge operations, activated sludge ...
Europe UZ Grupe S.A. de C.V.
based in Metepec, MEXICO
Certification, zertifiezierung, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, HACCP, EMAS, Mexican Industria limpia, calidad ambiental turistica, inspection, verification, begutachtung, überprüfung, second part audits.
based in Geneva, SWITZERLAND
SGS is the world's leading inspection, testing, verification and certification company. From testing for micropollutants to ensuring compliance with new greenhouse gas emissions regulations, SGS can help your business optimize its relationship with the environment. SGS is accredited to certify US, EU, Australian and many other local environmental standards including JI, ...
IMSM Ltd
based in Malmesbury, UNITED KINGDOM
IMSM adds value to businesses by attracting new clients and improving efficiency, through quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001), and Health & Safety (BS OHSAS 18001) management systems, providing a fixed fee, fixed timescale, integrated solution. ISO 14001 is an international standard which recognises the actions of responsible businesses in management and ...
3E Company
based in Carlsbad, CALIFORNIA (USA)
3E Company's comprehensive suite of data products and information services enable improved compliance with global Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) requirements related to the safe manufacturing, distribution, transportation, usage and disposal of chemicals and hazardous products. This full chemical lifecycle approach enables in-house EH&S staff to reduce cost, risk ...
NSF International
based in Ann Arbor, MICHIGAN (USA)
National Sanitation Foundation, we changed our name to NSF International in 1990 as we expanded our services beyond sanitation and into global markets. The letters in our organization`s name do not represent any specific words today.NSF International for the development of public health standards and certification programs that help protect the world's food, water, ...
Affygility Solutions
based in Broomfield, COLORADO (USA)
Affygility Solutions provide EHS services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. Key services include potent compound safety, industrial hygiene, occupational toxicology, occupational safety, OSHA compliance, environmental compliance, EHS auditing, on-site EHS services, and more. We`ve provided these services to small, mid-size and large ...
LRQA Limited
based in Coventry, UNITED KINGDOM
Lloyd`s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) is the world`s leading provider of independent assessment services including certification, validation, verification and training across a broad spectrum of standards and schemes, with recognition from over 50 accreditation bodies.
Northstar Recycling
based in East Longmeadow, MASSACHUSETTS (USA)
At Northstar Recycling, everything we do starts with one simple fact: waste has value. By working with us, you not only make money, you also send a strong message to your customers and staff that you care about doing what's right. It's a win-win for your business and the environment.
Related Terms for environmental management
Need help finding the right suppliers?
Let the XPRTs do the work for you


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Posted| Updated
Use our weather dashboard to monitor temperatures in your area as the mercury rises.
Posted| Updated
A man aged in his 20s has survived a 30-metre fall down a cliff in inner-Brisbane.
Topics: emergency-incidents, new-farm-4005
Posted| Updated
Several fires are burning across NSW. Find coverage details and live streams for your local area.
Topics: cooma-2630
Posted| Updated
Police are trying to find a serial sex predator who has targeted women on bike paths in Melbourne's north.
Topics: sexual-offences, epping-3076, mill-park-3082, reservoir-3073, coburg-3058, thomastown-3074
Victoria CFA Chief Officer Euan Ferguson says they are moving resources north to high-risk areas and to help NSW if need be.
Posted| Updated
The fire danger is not over in Tasmania where crews are still trying to contain three blazes at lake Repulse, Forcett and Montumana.
Posted| Updated
Two people have been injured and two homes have been destroyed by a fire at Chepstowe west of Ballarat in central Victoria.
Firefighters have now contained the fire, which broke out late this afternoon and burned through 1,100 hectares.
Topics: bushfire, emergency-incidents, emergency-planning, portland-3305, nelson-3292, winnap-3304, dartmoor-3304
The galling truth for Paul Keating is that his predecessor Bob Hawke and successor John Howard were the greater reformers.
Topics: government-and-politics
Posted| Updated
Battalions of straw men sprung to life last week, conjured to defend the heretofore-unassailable political edifice known as Australia's compulsory voting system.
Many expressed horror at the thought of Campbell Newman oxymoronically taking away someone's freedom by no longer forcing them to vote.
But aren't we missing the point? If our citizens were truly engaged, they would genuinely value their vote and vigorously exercise it.
Topics: elections, government-and-politics
ABC Weather
Posted| Updated
Former moderate Republican senator Chuck Hagel has been named as the next US defence secretary.
Topics: world-politics, united-states
Police in Western Region say they're concerned by the increased number of drink-drivers detected on the region's roads during the Christmas holiday period.
Topics: police, road, tamworth-2340, armidale-2350, moree-2400, gunnedah-2380, narrabri-2390, quirindi-2343, glen-innes-2370, tenterfield-2372
An overgrown, disused fuel depot in Nyngan has sparked concerns it could become a bushfire threat.
Topics: industrial-fires, local-government, nyngan-2825
State forests across the region are closed today because of the high fire danger.
Topics: bushfire, orange-2800, dubbo-2830
Posted| Updated
Sam Basham from Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment says fire crews have been back-burning in south-west Victoria overnight.
Posted| Updated
Hunter Valley dairy farmers head into 2013 in desperate need of rain.
Topics: dairy-production, weather, agricultural-subsidies, agricultural-prices, aberdeen-2336, muswellbrook-2333, newcastle-2300
Posted| Updated
Lionel Messi added yet another record to his stellar list of achievements over the past 12 months when he won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Ballon d'Or at a FIFA gala in Zurich.
Topics: sport, soccer, switzerland, argentina, spain
Posted| Updated
Six local districts in the state's central and far west have pre-emptively declared bushfire emergencies, ahead of today's dangerous fire conditions.
Topics: bushfire, orange-2800, dubbo-2830, bourke-2840, forbes-2871
Posted| Updated
Smoking in selected outdoor public places becomes illegal from Monday, January 7.
Topics: smoking, laws, armidale-2350
Posted| Updated
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons warns of extraordinary, catastrophic fire conditions in the state today.
Animal welfare officials say they cannot believe a dog left in a hot car near Cessnock did not die.
Topics: animal-welfare, cessnock-2325, newcastle-2300, muswellbrook-2333
Posted| Updated
Former moderate Republican senator Chuck Hagel has been named as the next US defence secretary.
Topics: defence-and-national-security, world-politics, united-states
Posted| Updated
More than 140 fires are burning across NSW as dangerous fire conditions remain prevalent across much of southern Australia, including Victoria and Tasmania. Look back at how the crisis unfolded on Tuesday.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, fires, bushfire, states-and-territories, weather, emergency-planning, emergency-incidents, nsw, gunning-2581, tas, vic, australia, nowra-2541, sydney-2000, wagga-wagga-2650, wollongong-2500
As the State braces to face its worst bushfire danger in history, the Rural Fire Service fears an arsonist is at work in the Hunter Valley.
Topics: fires, weather, courts-and-trials, arson, howes-valley-2330, singleton-2330, rankin-park-2287, newcastle-2300, maitland-2320
Posted| Updated
Hunter health officials are urging people to stay indoors ahead of today's heat wave.
Topics: weather, health-administration, healthcare-facilities, newcastle-2300, muswellbrook-2333