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As his full-time job at Microsoft comes to an end, Gates opens up about his future role at the company and what he'll miss the most
Perhaps no business leader is more iconic and better-known worldwide than William H. Gates III. He helped pioneer an industry, became one of the world's wealthiest men along the way, and subsequently launched the biggest philanthropic foundation ever. As he steps back from his full-time work at Microsoft (MSFT) on June 27 to devote the bulk of his time to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an era ends as well.
Gates isn't prone to sentimentality. He struggles at trying to determine his own legacy. In many ways, he's more comfortable talking about the one day a week he'll continue to work at Microsoft. In a conversation with BusinessWeek Seattle Bureau Chief Jay Greene, Gates talked about what he'll continue to do at the company, as well as how he will miss working alongside his friend, Microsoft CEO Steven A. Ballmer. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow:
You've witnessed so much change in technology since starting Microsoft. What are the next big breakthroughs?
Well, the most important breakthroughs are those whose work has been going on in labs, including Microsoft Research, for more than a decade. The idea of a computer that can see and watch your gestures, and know who you are, that can understand your speech—all that leads to a very interactive environment where your desk is an intelligent surface. Your whiteboard is an intelligent surface. We're seeing glimpses of that. It's amazing that today we are so keyboard- and mouse-oriented. All those new ways of interacting, from ink to speech to vision, will get into the mainstream in the next decade. I would say that's the single thing that's the most dramatic. If you walk into this office 10 years from now, you'll say: "They just wrote stuff up on that board, and they just laid the papers out on the desk. That's really weird."
You've been bullish on the natural-user interface for years. With this shift, what role will you play in helping the company address those kinds of opportunities in the future?
Well, the interest in those investments and the incredible progress we've made are not at all confined to me. The great people in Microsoft Research, and in Office, and the other groups are full speed ahead on those things. Steve may ask me to look in on some particular projects to help spur them on, because he knows I love the stuff. But I don't think that's a necessary thing. These are among the big, big, big bets that over the past 10 years we've had a lot of people working on.
Does the fact that you love the stuff suggest it will be something you will play a future role in?
It means there's a chance. Steve and [chief technical officers] Ray [Ozzie] and Craig [Mundie] will just have to decide which things. Do they pick things that are going super well, and have me push them even more? Do they take things that are in trouble and have me help out with those? They get to decide, and I love software pretty broadly, I've got history with all the different projects. The only one that's known for sure, that's actually laid out in a very concrete way, is how I'll continue to help the search team.
And that's the one area that they've mapped out for you? Nothing else?
We're going to pick a couple other ones. We've got some candidates, but that's the only one that's for sure.
You said you'll spend one day a week working on company projects. Have you figured out how that is actually going to work?
No, we haven't figured that out, and it's kind of a novel thing that we'll definitely learn as we go. I'll try to group it all together into a single day; I think that will be convenient for people. So I'll have regular meetings that I'll do with the top guys, and some of the things they'll ask me to follow up on will come out of that.
With the one-day-a-week schedule, will it be possible to dive deep on projects, or will it be more dabbling and offering advice?
I'll actually be more in-depth than I am today. Today I give guidance, but I do it across such a vast number of projects. The number of individual projects in which I get to say, O.K., I'll take a couple of days and write a memo about that, are very few. I enjoy doing that. It forces you to make your ideas more concrete. Sometimes you find there are some flaws, and you have to write it all down. So these ones I work on, they'll just get more of that.
Are you worried that as you work on projects like search, but also have your plate full with foundation work, that product development could get delayed?
No, I'm not a critical path for any of these things, not today. Understand, none of the product groups have worked for me for eight years. When Steve became CEO, all the product groups—with the exception of research and some incubation things—were working for Steve. So people don't sit around waiting for me, and I'm not in the management chain; I'm just an adviser. Where they brainstorm, I can reinforce some good stuff. I can seed some ideas. But that's very similar to how I work now.
While you say you're not a critical path, has that seeped into the organization?
You bet. They go full speed ahead. That's the way it has to work, because the number of things going on in this company at any one time is huge. Now, if I send out mail saying, "Hey, I don't think you should ship this product without solving such and such a problem," then there might be a dialogue about the trade-off. I don't force them to do it. If I thought it was supercritical, I might say to Steve, "I think you should tell them to do it." But they don't work for me. They do listen. So it works.
Have you sorted out how you think your role is going to work, or do you think it's going to be a work-in-progress for the next several months?
Parts of it are very clear. I've always given pieces of time to different projects, so that's really no different. What will be hard to understand the impact of is that I have a ton of context for all the other things going on in the company, and I know the people very well. But as time goes by, will I maintain enough knowledge about those things? On the other hand, it could be that my distance and independent thinking would create a new type of value that I'm not so much part of the groupthink, or even the head of the groupthink, that can take place on campus. So this thing will evolve over time.
Do you worry about losing touch with technological breakthroughs as you focus on philanthropy and other areas?
In terms of science broadly, I'll actually probably be more up-to-date than I am now. There will be some specific things about what's going on in Microsoft that I won't be as up-to-date on. But if I'm good at one thing, it's probably staying up-to-date.
Fair enough. But I suspect you'll spend more time thinking about issues at the foundation, such as education and global health. And time is not infinite.
Yes, but software is an interest of mine. I've had 33 years in it. I won't be as broadly up-to-date on things, but you can still know a heck of a lot, and you can take the areas that you're being asked for advice in and make sure you get up-to-date. The tools to do that—in terms of sitting and talking to people, browsing the Internet, trying out software products, writing some code—this is what I've been doing my whole life. So I'll have to make sure that I don't give advice on anything that I'm not well-versed in.
What do you think you're going to miss most about not working full time?
Oh, there are some interesting decisions that I get to brainstorm with Steve about, and I'll get less of that. I love working with the top people here, and I love working with Steve in particular, and that will be substantially reduced. I like working with the top researchers, but the most poignant thing for me is that Steve and I for 28 years have built this thing. We made a lot of mistakes together, we did a lot of brilliant things together, and we enjoyed doing that.
A lot of folks have opined in the past few weeks about your legacy as a business leader. What do you think your legacy at Microsoft is?
I'm going to have to look up the word "legacy" and see what the definition is. You know, just look around you. Here's a company. Were there personal computers before? Are there personal computers now? Was there a software industry? It's nothing personal to me, but Microsoft has gotten a chance to play a central role in something that's very dramatic. It has become the tool for making jobs effective and interesting, and education being done in a new way, and science being done in a new way. It's a phenomenal thing. And it goes on.


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Police look for suspect in Wallingford store holdupNovember 29,2013PROVIDED IMAGE
Vermont State Police released this image of the suspect in the Wallingford robbery.WALLINGFORD Vermont State Police are looking for a man suspected of robbing a Cumberland Farms store in Wallingford.
Police said the man was dressed in a dark green poncho, sunglasses and a bandanna as he approached the clerk at about 11:50 p.m. Thursday at the Route 7 store and demanded money.
The man did not display a weapon, but kept his hand under the poncho, indicating he had one.
A police dog tracked the suspect behind the store, finding the bandanna and some cash on the railroad tracks.
Separately, police are looking for man who forced his way into a Circle K store on Route 12 in Weathersfield early Friday and took several items before fleeing.MORE IN This Just InPSB orders Full StoryBOYS BASKETBALL Full StoryPROCTOR The Phantoms wouldnt win titles if they couldnt handle a little pressure. Full Story -
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- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Maple syrup standards revised to match international standards; city must decide how best to use $300K in leftover sewer project money; Bryanna Allen reports on funding proposal for solar projects; local agency gets HUD money.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1393, quick thinking teen girl saves King Charles IV of France from burning alive at masquerade ball; in 1760, Vermont town of Pownal created by N.H. Gov. Benning Wentworth; Canuplin, Filipino movie star, born.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day, 1700, Cascadia Earthquake, Magnitude 9 plus, strikes West Coast with tsunami effects felt as far away as Japan; in 1885, troops loyal to Sudanese Mohammad Ahmad conquer Khartoum; in 1992, Boris Yeltsin untargets U.S.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 971 AD, Southern Han war elephant corps defeated by Song Dynasty troops bowmen; in 1870, Montana, Marias massacre, U.S. kills 173 Native Americans; in 1941, Charles Lindbergh recommends neutrality pact with Nazis.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Bryanna Allen reports Castleton Downtown hosts open house, fire in Springfield leaves family without a roof of their own, suspected Bosnian war criminal trial goes to jury, Brent Curtis reports Rutland Town budget set to rise.

subset: commoncrawl


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on October 29, 2012The Giants won the World Series, and actually, yeah, you do get something for it. On Tuesday, as part of Taco Bell's "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion, the fast-food outlet will be giving out free Doritos Locos Tacos, thanks to Angel Pagan and his eighth-inning, second-base steal. In order to redeem your free taco, visit a Taco Bell location on October 30, some time between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Consider it another chance to celebrate, or to figure out what this whole Doritos-shelled taco thing is all about.
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Mary Lisbeth D'Amico | May 1, 2013 | Comments
Twitter's self-serve ad platform is now available to all U.S. users, rather than just on an invitation-only basis.
Twitter's self-serve ad platform is now available to all U.S. users, rather than just on an invitation-only basis. The social media platform has also added enhancements designed to help advertisers better analyze and manage their ad campaigns.
In an online statement, Twitter said it has widened reporting on user engagement with Promoted Tweets - the sponsored tweets that appear at the top of its news feed - to include not just paid media but also earned media, or those that are voluntarily retweeted or commented on by other Twitter users.
"This change gives marketers more complete insight into the impact Promoted Tweets have in driving engagement and exposure on Twitter," the company says.
Twitter also made changes in its ads center that it claims gives advertisers more detail on audience segments, allowing them to view their audience, for example, by device, location, gender, and interest.
Twitter has been slowly phasing in Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts over the past few years, and in March announced the availability of a self-serve ad platform to a limited number of companies by invitation only. For some marketers, the wider availability of Twitter's ad platform comes none too soon.
"People have been salivating for an ad platform on Twitter for quite a while. If they had launched this one or two years ago, it would have been rolling along by now," says Maciej Fita, SEO director at Brandignity, a Naples, Florida-based agency that helps small-to-medium-sized companies with digital marketing efforts.
Fita, who said a few of his clients have tried out the platform in beta, welcomed the new analytics abilities but said that Twitter still had a long way to go in terms of offering a mature ad platform. "I don't think the conversion tracking is that good and maneuvering though the ad platform is somewhat confusing," he says, noting that it would take Twitter a while to approach the level of Google AdWords or Facebook in allowing companies to see precisely where conversions were coming from.
Twitter is not the only social media or content company scrambling to court advertisers by integrating promoted material and analytics into its site. Yahoo, for example, this week also announced the launch of Yahoo Stream Ads, performance-based native advertisements that are embedded in the personalized content stream on the new Yahoo home page. It also introduced Billboard, an ad positioned at the top of the Yahoo home page designed to "enhance the user experience with rich and immersive interactions," according to Yahoo. Finally, it also launched a new video ad buying method that blends its own topical video channels with distribution partners' video content, promising greater contextual relevance for advertisers.
Tumblr also this week announced plans for mobile advertisements in the form of sponsored posts, about a year after it began introducing ads on its Internet platform. The company said it is trialing sponsored posts in its mobile through the end of May, featuring ads from GE, Pepsi, Warner Bros., ABC Entertainment, and ABC Family.
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Mary Lisbeth D'Amico is a freelance writer based in Jersey City who frequently covers digital marketing, social media, tech startups, and venture capital. She has contributed to a wide range of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Red Herring, and Real Deals. Find her on Twitter at @mldamico.
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Posted: 3 years 4 weeks ago(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed) Although conventional Christian wisdom teaches us that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," this slogan has only relative value to try to motivate us to make sure we are on the right path. This idea, as far as I can tell, grew out of the concept that one has only one life to obtain salvation, and if one gets it wrong, then eternal suffering in hell will be the consequence. I have often been told by well-...3 Comment(s)1,762 Reads
Posted: 3 years 4 weeks agoDec 26 Sankirtan at the mall, originally uploaded by NityanandaChandra. At the mall. Tons of fun. Bringing a tray of maple cake today.0 Comment(s)602 Reads
Posted: 3 years 5 weeks agoThe devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Krishna consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with the Lord as it is described in the Brahma-samhita (5.38): premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hridayeshu vilokayanti. The santas, being always in a compact of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda (the giver of all pleasures), or Mukunda (the giver of liberation), or Krishna (the all-attractive person), cannot accept...0 Comment(s)709 Reads
Posted: 3 years 5 weeks ago(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed) It is said that Christmas time "is the most joyous time of the year," which seems to be a double edged sword with some trying to be kinder and generous, while others feel bad, and become depressed that they're supposed to be happy, but feel miserable. While it is doubtful that Jesus was actually born on this day it is still a spiritual celebration of Divinity's appearance in the world, so when it becomes materialistic...0 Comment(s)854 Reads
Posted: 3 years 5 weeks ago0 Comment(s)745 Reads


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Gab Baitha, i.e., "the ridge of the house" = "the temple-mound," on a part of which the fortress of Antonia was built. This "temple-mound" was covered with a tesselated "pavement" (Gr. lithostroton, i.e., "stone-paved"). A judgement-seat (bema) was placed on this "pavement" outside the hall of the "praetorium" (q.v.), the judgment-hall ( John 18:28 ; 19:13 ).
high; elevated
(elevated; a platform ) the Hebrew or Chaldee appellation of a place, also called "Pavement," where the judgment-seat or bema was planted, from his place on which Pilate delivered our Lord to death. ( John 19:13 ) It was a tessellated platform outside the praetorium, on the western hill of Jerusalem, for Pilate brought Jesus forth from thence to it.
Given (John 19:13) as the name of a special pavement (to lithostroton), and is probably a transcription in Greek of the Aramaic gabhetha', meaning "height" or "ridge."
Tradition which now locates the Pretorium at the Antonia and associates the triple Roman arch near there with the "Ecce Homo" scene, naturally identifies an extensive area of massive Roman pavement, with blocks 4 ft. x 3 1/2 ft. and 2 ft. thick, near the "Ecce Homo Arch," as the Gabbatha.
This paved area is in places roughened for a roadway, and in other places is marked with incised designs for Roman games of chance. The site is a lofty one, the ground falling away rapidly to the East and West, and it must have been close to, or perhaps included in, the Antonia. But apart from the fact that it is quite improbable that the Pretorium was here (see PRAETORIUM), it is almost certain that the lithostroton was a mosaic pavement (compare Esther 1:6), such as was very common in those days, and the site is irretrievably lost.
E. W. G. Masterman
Copyright Statement These files are public domain. Bibliography Information |


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Hello I have a doubt, and I would like to know opinions about this problem. On my country, Argentina, there are some human implanted populations of various species of pines, of European origin. I don't know what species they are. They are cultivated for commercial purposes (I are not one of these peoples). Those pines are implanted on some rocky, mountainous areas, with rare or not naturally occurring trees (probably due to frequent fires). Some of these artificial forest are many decades old. I had a doubt long time ago, which bugs me and I never solved. The question is why these pines do not naturally reproduce, and disperse. I would expect for these trees to spread his seeds in the wind, and populate the surrounding area, but even as many of these plantations are dozens of decades old, is frequent to see that not a single tree grew outside of the plantation, and the surrounding area is totally wild, never farmed, many never owned by anybody. What do you think? Do these pines probably need some specific type of insect to pollinate? Do seeds may need to be eaten by some animal to be fertile? May these trees be some sterile hybrid? May these pines have 2 sex, and being all males or females? |
Follow-Up Postings:
Most likely, they are a species which is poorly adapted to the climate and competition from other plants, and the seedlings do not survive. Resin |
- Posted by lazygardens PhxAZ%3A Sunset 13 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 3:40
Do these pines probably need some specific type of insect to pollinate? No, pines are wind-pollinated Do seeds may need to be eaten by some animal to be fertile? No, although being buried by squirrels spreads some pines, and others actually need a forest fire. Probably they aren't finding any good spot for seedlings to survive and sprout, or they sprout and are eaten immediately by something. |
- Posted by ken_adrian MI z5 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 9:25
the link states: The main pine species are Pinus taeda,P. elliottii,P. caribaea and P. caribaea x P. elliottii. i googled 'pine forest in Argentina' could Resin interpret his comment in regard to this info??? .. i am simply curious... as i never heard of any of them .... perhaps if they are growing this fast ... there wont be many seedlings inside the plantation ... as they would be shaded out.. by the time the trees get to cone bearing age ... so then they would have to look to the periphery for seedlings ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: pdf link
- Posted by unprofessional 5 (My Page) on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 9:54
Despite everybody planting P. abies and P. pungens in this area, I've never found chance seedlings of either. I think Ken has mentioned finding seedlings where he is, only 30 miles from my home. It's interesting the part environment plays on this. |
- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 12:34
At least in the case of P. elliottii, the home range-S. Florida-is a region where pyric plant communities are (or were) the rule. Fire may be necessary to open the cones, to clear away ground-layer competition, or some as yet unspecified function in the landscape. Here in Wisconsin are many non-native spruce, most typically Picea abies and P. pungens. It would be false to state that these species never regenerate on their own, but it is a rare occurrence. We've discussed this here before, but so far as I remember, no satisfactory answer has been crafted to date. It's a good question you ask, Alienado, and has implications across a wide area of the globe where non-native conifers are being grown-both from the standpoint of those who would like to see regeneration, and those for whom this would represent invasiveness. +oM |
[Quote]Most likely, they are a species which is poorly adapted to [...] competition from other plants, and the seedlings do not survive.[/quote] The only other species present is the grass pictured in the image. I don't know how competitive is that grass, but it may explain why there are no other native trees. Any tree planted, grows very well, with little or no care, and yet the mountains run for hundreds of kilometers without any tree on view. [Quote][...] or they sprout and are eaten immediately by something[/quote] The place has wild guinea pigs, some deer and guanacos. But it would be weird that not a single tree grows nearby, after decades. Someone should survive. [Quote]could Resin interpret his comment in regard to this info??? [/quote] Sure. I don't know what specific species they are, but I want to hear theories. I'm also leaded by curiosity. [Quote]Despite everybody planting P. abies and P. pungens in this area, I've never found chance seedlings of either[/quote] I googled 'Picea Pungens', and found that that species only reproduces after 20 years old!, and that the seeds only reproduce with more than 16 hours of light per day. Maybe these light conditions are more common near of the poles (the (south) latitude here is comparable to Miami, Florida, or North of Africa. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Picea pungens
- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 8:18
Alienado, I would suggest researching the original vegetation and plant community types of the region you describe, then look into the history of what has taken place there-most usually since European settlement-if that applies to the area. It can be difficult to trace backwards through time when all or virtually all of the original vegetation has been long gone. Also, are there any preserves at all, to help indicate what might have been growing there before? Then too, grasses are often very tough competitors for tree seedlings. Around here for example are large stands of reed canary grass-Phalaris arundinacea-which all but precludes colonization by pioneer tree species, at least for a time. Land I own where this is the case is being slowly captured by balsam poplar-Populus balsamifera-albeit it takes time for this to happen. Grasses can be very staunch competitors. +oM |
- Posted by unprofessional 5 (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 8:40
Not a conifer, but do any of the Puya genus grow where you are? Patagonia is an amazingly fascinating place, biologically. |
- Posted by pinetree30 Sierra Westside (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 18:57
The specific questions you ask all have the answer "No" for practical purposes. But they are good questions, because planted trees grow well: therefore the problem is in the reproductive system. A short-cut to your basic question of "why no seedlings" can be gotten by answering the following questions from observation: 1. are there mature cones at any time of year? 2. if so, are there filled seeds in those cones? 3. do the cones open, to allow escape of the seeds? If any of these answers are "No", then there is a breakdown in the normal reproductive system. A simple experiment would be to harvest filled seeds (if any) and plant them 2 cm deep in soil from which the grass cover has been scraped away. Do this with some directly from the cone, and some that have been chilled 30 days in a refrigerator wrapped in a moist cloth or sand. Check frequently to look for germinants. Protect the seeds with metal screening. Of course you also must find out what species you have. You should post good photos of cones and seeds, if you find some, needles, and bark. This forum can help. Verify your basic observations of the absence of seedlings. I am skeptical about your statements about "dozens of decades" [really?], "not a single tree", and "totally wild". Don't accept impressions from years ago; make fresh observations to see if you can falsify your current beliefs. Find out if there are seed-eating rodents or ground birds present all over the area.You will have fun. |
- Posted by duluthinbloomz4 zone 4a (My Page) on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 23:33
I get chance seedlings of Picea Abies - our summers tend to be somewhat cooler and the humidity fairly low which I read does help with germination rates. It's a pretty common yard tree here but many of them are now reaching the end of their useful life. I have them in all stages in abandoned soil filled pots left out on my patio. I've transplanted a few which are doing quite well - best when I don't uproot them but simply cut away the pot and plant the entire intact dirt ball - less impact on the environment they were used to. Have a perfectly shaped two footer in a crack in my retaining wall steps. Can't get it out so it'll be a table top Christmas tree this year. |
- Posted by fireweed22 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 14, 14 at 8:42
Some common pine wood I've seen sold here, grown in I think Chile, is Radiata pine. May be the same there being close neighbors? |
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Many Scientists Using Performance Enhancing Drugs
Re:What's the problem? (955 comments)
It is possible to be coerced by the structure of the problem. See "prisoner's dilemma".
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Re:What's the problem? (955 comments)
It is possible to be coerced by the structure of the problem. See "prisoner's dilemma".
I support IP laws because innovation drives our economy, they support the little inventors by giving their ideas real value, and mostly because they have been demonstrated to work in practice. There are many things about them that suck, granted, but there is no evidence whatever that the alternative represents an improvement.
*I support reform of IP laws, but not abolition.
"As long as we are dreaming big dreams about colonies on the moon and Saturn's moon Titan, how about making a cloud city into reality? Not on Earth, of course, but floating high among the cloud tops of the outer gas giants such as Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, where there is no solid ground to stand on.
The idea is more feasible than you might think. One surprise is that gravity turns out to be a non-issue -- even though these planets have many times more mass than the Earth, the fact that they are gas giants makes them much less dense than our planet, reducing the force of gravity at the "surface". For instance, at the altitude where the air pressure is at one atmosphere, the gravitational force is a benign 0.9 G on Saturn and Uranus, and 1.1 G on Neptune. (This is unfortunately not true of Jupiter, where the gravitational force in the cloud tops is around 2.4 G.)
Right now, nobody is planning any balloon missions to the gas giants. But I wonder how hard it would be to construct a large "cloud base", suitable for permanent habitation. Obviously you would start with unmanned balloon probes, which would find each other and link up to create a platform. One of the early "pioneer" balloons would have to contain a massive power source, preferably a sizeable nuclear reactor -- with the distances involved, solar power is not an option.
At some point the balloon platform could only grow by producing its own materials, as "importing" them from outside is ridiculously expensive. The atmospheres of the outer planets are abundant in hydrocarbons, mostly in the form of methane, so synthetic materials could be produced in conjunction with the energy from the nuclear reactor. From this perspective, Saturn might be more attractive, as its atmosphere contains significant amounts of nitrogen (in ammonia), oxygen (in water vapor), and phosphate (in phosphine), allowing the creation of more complicated plastics. Robotic labs in the balloon platform would separate out the required elements from atmospheric gases, react them into plastics, form the plastics into structural elements, and construct the station -- all of which would have to be automated processes.
As the mass of the station grows, the automated construction process would have to produce new balloons. And before the first humans arrived, the automated construction process would have to produce pressurized living spaces, including life support systems. Humans could travel to the station in a special space vehicle that converted into a blimp after entering the atmosphere; the blimp could maneuver into the station and dock with it for personnel transfer, like the Goodyear Blimp. Getting away would be a little trickier. It is possible to extract rocket fuel from atmospheric gases, but the rocket would have to be enormous to achieve escape velocity, which is 2-3 times that of Earth (the lower density does not help you here). Sending humans away from Earth is a challenge even for the largest contemporary rockets, much less rockets made out of plastic by an automated robot.
Still -- as fanciful as all this sounds -- it has previously been made as a serious proposal, in a paper entitled "Helium-3 Mining Aerostats in the Atmosphere of Uranus", by Jeffrey van Cleve. Outer gas giants have enormous stores of Helium-3, which is a potential fuel for fusion energy. In the distant future, Helium-3 might be a highly valuable substance, making a permanent mining colony on a gas giant feasible.
Interesting fact for today.
As all good Canadian schoolchildren know, the Province of Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949. What most good Canadian schoolchildren do not know is that, from 1907 to 1934, Newfoundland had the status of an independent Dominion in the British empire, effectively an independent nation, and legally equivalent to Canada at the time.
Newfoundland exchanged British rule for Dominion status on September 26, 1907, simultaneously with New Zealand. Due to the financial hardships and political crises imposed by the Great Depression, the Newfoundland government agreed to suspend its Dominionship on February 16, 1934, and revert to British rule, becoming the only British dominion to surrender its status.
During that time, Newfoundland had ten Prime Ministers, starting with Edward Patrick Morris and ending with Frederick C. Alderice.
The precise legal definition of "Dominion" leaves some question as to Newfoundland's true independence. Dominions were self-governing entities that were entitled to organize their own militaries and pursue their own trade relations, but that were not entitled to pursue an independent foreign policy from Great Britain. Over time, the definition evolved to the point of the Balfour declaration of 1926, which stated that the dominions "are autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth". Although the Balfour declaration left little doubt about the independence of the Dominions, formal de jure independence was finally realized by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, but Newfoundland never ratified it before reverting to British rule.
Thus, de facto if not de jure, Newfoundland was an independent nation prior to confederation with Canada, making it the only Canadian provice that was at one time a nation. How do you like them apples, Quebec?
And finally, a trivia question. Which US states were independent before achieving statehood? I can think of three; there might be more. (My answer is in the comments.)
I'm an assistant professor of computer engineering at a large public university. I'm also the department newbie, having been hired over the summer, so my first class as a real, live, full-time, tenure-track, daddypants-wearing prof wrapped up on Friday. I was teaching a digital logic design course, which was assigned to me randomly, and outside my area of specialty. Still, I was very pleased when I found out I would be teaching it - I liked it as an undergrad, and was a lab assistant for a similar course as a graduate student.
(As an aside, I should mention something for those who have never been on the salaried side of the desk at an institution of higher learning. At my school, the sum total of the direction I received was to be told what course I would be teaching, and to be given the calendar description of that course. Nobody ever asked to see my course notes, my handouts, my exams, or my assignments; nobody in the administration ever sat in on a lecture. I could have been teaching Faust or talking about my dog and nobody would have been the wiser. That's not to say that support was unavailable: the department bends over backwards to give help to faculty who want it, but they stay completely out of the way unless you ask. It's an exhilarating amount of freedom for someone fresh off of the PhD-postdoc treadmill.)
I thought I would do something a little different from those professors who had taught the class before, and borrow an idea from the prof who taught it when I was a lab assistant. I decided it would be a great experience for the students to take the last three weeks of lab periods and do a design project, where they would build something interesting such as a digital clock, a game, or something else similar. Using the in-house FPGA board (we use the Altera UP2, which is standard for a lot of computer engineering programs), it should have been easy for the students to come up with some interesting, non-trivial design problem, giving them design experience and reinforcing the lessons from the class. And everyone would be in awe of my pedagogical greatness.
Should have been. I forgot the most important rule of engineering design, which is that designs never fail in theory, they fail in practice.
The students had no end of problems, most of which were the university's fault for having poor equipment (and mine for not anticipating their needs). For example, the UP2 board has two chips: an EPM7128 for small projects (perfectly suitable for simple lab-bench stuff), and a Flex10K for larger projects (which most of the students ended up having to use). I guess nobody had ever used the Flex10Ks before, because nobody had soldered the appropriate headers onto the boards. After some scurrying around to get that problem fixed, there were no ribbon cable connectors to attach to the headers, meaning that an ad-hoc and very inefficient solution had to be found.
Then the Flex10K was found not to provide enough current to power external seven-segment displays. There were voltage problems with externally-attached chips - some students wasted their money buying external components that did not end up working, which surprised me in a lot of cases. There was a shortage of boards: three boards were left for the students to sign out after hours; because of the lack of ribbon-cable connectors, it was basically impossible for them to share, because they couldn't just unplug their circuit and hand the board to their friend.
And then - because I underestimated the difficulty of the project - I only assigned it to be worth 10% of the students' grade, in spite of the fact that everyone was putting in long hours in the lab for a solid week or more before the due date.
In the end I was very impressed with what the students produced: a couple of clocks, a "slot machine", an LCD text display, a tic-tac-toe game, and so on. A lot of the projects achieved their main objectives, in spite of the problems, and I marked leniently to acknowledge the long hours that everyone put in.
In the wrap-up class on Friday, I asked for feedback on the project, and got a host of these complaints. I am dreading my course evaluation results (but hey: get a low mark in the beginning and then move up; it's all about the improvement).
I'm having the students write up a list of hardware problems they encountered, and with the benefit of this experience, I think I will do the project again next time. But we professors learn things every day, too.
I support IP laws because innovation drives our economy, they support the little inventors by giving their ideas real value, and mostly because they have been demonstrated to work in practice. There are many things about them that suck, granted, but there is no evidence whatever that the alternative represents an improvement.
*I support reform of IP laws, but not abolition.


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So, I'm planning on brewing this on Tuesday or Wednesday, possibly for entry into the AHA competition. It reflects some lessons I learned from the first time I attempted a smoked porter (which was an abysmal failure): 3 gallon batch (Edited 2/6/13)Malt Bill: 2 lbs liquid sorghum extract (@flame-out) 1 lb rice solids (@start) 1 lb roasted sweet potato (steeping)12 oz burnt honey (@start)4 oz dark brown sugar (@start) 8 oz D-180 candi syrup (@start) 8 oz maltodextrin (@start) 2 oz carob powder (@15 min)Hop Schedule: 0.5 oz Willamette (5.5% AA) (@start) 1.5 oz Willamette (@10 min)Other Additions:0.5 oz Numi Chocolate Pu-erh Tea, steeped at flame-out1 tsp Yeast Nutrient (@15 min)Safale S-33 Specialty Ale Yeast (Edme) --- What I'm hoping is that the burnt honey, maltodextrin, and sweet potato help give the beer some body; most of my dark beers, even those with oats or other steeping grains, seem to lack the appropriately-thick body. My all-grain batches also so far haven't seem to have any more body. However, the three or four beers I've brewed with sweet potato have seemed to have pretty good body, so I'm going to try that. I'm also reducing the candi syrup, because I worry that having so much of such a high fermentable is thinning the body as well. What do you guys think?
What does flame out mean? Do you add all the malt bill ingredients at once mixed together in a nylon sock? I'm really interested in figuring out the lingo, process, all that nonsense. Sounds like a delicious beer I hope it tastes great!
NJ Beer Connoisseur
Don't see anything that would yield smokyness
Have not had it.....thanks for clearing that up
Ha ha, yeah, it's kind of rare in most parts of the U.S.A., but it's tasty stuff. It smells like a campfire. Last time I threw in 2 oz of it and it was WAAAAY too much, it contributed a lot of tannins and an unpleasant acrid flavor, which was not properly balanced by the malt bill (which was too thin and had too much sugar). I dumped that batch. But we'll see how this one goes...I'm cautiously optimistic, but I'm really curious how the carob works in it. I could not find ANY information on adding carob powder. I may go with dutch cocoa powder instead, but I like that carob has more sugar and less fat than cacao.
I have used tea in a couple batches of beer and I would recommend a long steep, 12-24 hrs, in room temperature water as opposed to subjecting the tea to heat. Less chance of tannins that way. Your recipe sounds intriguing though.
Thanks for the tip! I'll steep it in the brewing water overnight instead.
The recipe looks good. Have you considered Cocoa Nibs instead of Cocoa powder. I just bought a large bag that I plan on using for creme brulee but may use some for brewing as well. They smell phenomenal!! Also, when smoking food, softwoods like pine are usually avoided. They provide more of an astringent flavour. What you may want to consider doing is instead of roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven, is chop them into 1/2"x1/2"x2" slivers and then place them on a grill over indirect heat. Place a pack or two of apple juice soaked oak or hickory chips over the heat and smoke the sweet potatoes until they are soft. You coud start with this and if there isn't enough smokiness, add the tea with bottling.
Pipeline is dry until that stupid ship arrives All Gluten Free Blog: Thirsty Engineer
Excellent tips, BrewCanuck. Unfortunately I don't have access to a grill, but if I did, I would absolutely take that route instead (I don't have access to a yard, let alone a grill--apartment living is LAME). I didn't know that about softwoods causing astrigency when used to smoke foods, that's really interesting! I'm hoping that because I'm using such a small amount of tea (about 1/4 of what I used last time) that the astringency will hardly be noticeable. I'm really going for erring on the side of subtlety with the flavoring this time; I want a nice chocolatey porter with just a hint of smoky complexity. If it still turns out to be too much, then I will hunt down a friend with a grill next time and try smoking the sweet potatoes. Also, I've decided to go with carob. I tasted some of the powder and think it will be stellar in a dark beer. Plus, it's got some sugars in it, which could be a nice treat for the yeasties.


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US 4561203 A Abstract An illuminated sign with an opaque sign plaque employs a light source overlying the sign plaque embraced by a concave downward facing reflector, and a flat lower reflector underlying the sign plaque, providing both direct and reflected illumination over the face of the sign plaque. In its preferred form, the concave reflector is compoundly curved over the ends of the sign plaque and the flat lower reflector is tilted toward the sign plaque.
Claims(10) 1. An illuminated sign comprising
A. a single central upstanding flat sign plaque with display indicia on at least one exposed display face, B. a sign plaque-supporting housing assembly having (1) a bottom wall underlying and supporting the sign plaque, (2) upstanding sidewall means adjacent to the sign plaque joined to the bottom wall, forming a U-shaped plaque-embracing sub-frame, (3) a bulb enclosure overlying both faces of the sign plaque to which the sidewall means of the sub-frame are resiliently detachably latched, said sub-frame and bulb enclosure having outer exposed faces positioned in flush relationship forming a plaque-framing housing assembly, (4) lamp bulb means above the sign plaque embraced within the bulb enclosure, positioned to directly illuminate the indicia on the exposed display face of the sign plaque, (5) synclastic compoundly concavely curved reflector means overlying the lamp bulb means, (6) a substantially flat lower reflector underlying the sign plaque, and (7) both said reflector means supplementing the direct illumination with reflected illumination directed toward the exposed display face of the sign, and C. with the sidewall means defining, with the bottom wall and the overlying bulb enclosure, display aperture means through which the sign plaque framed within the housing assembly is presented for view and through which direct and reflected illumination is also delivered downward from the lamp bulb means to the surrounding and underlying area beneath the illuminated sign. 2. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1, wherein the sign plaque has display indicia on both its front and reverse faces, and wherein the housing assembly incorporates two display apertures through which the plaque faces are respectively presented to view.
3. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1, wherein the bulb enclosure portion of the housing assembly includes front wall portions above the aperture means substantially blocking direct level view of the lamp bulb means.
4. The illuminated sign defined in claim 3, wherein the lamp bulb means comprises two elongated lamp bulbs arrayed lengthwise along the upper edge of the sign plaque.
5. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1, wherein the concavely curved reflector means includes an elongated cylindrically curved portion with its axis substantially parallel to the plane of the flat sign plaque.
6. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1, wherein the concavely curved reflector means includes a compoundly curved spheroidal sector near each sidewall edge of the sign plaque, positioned to reflect light rays from the lamp bulb means toward the central portion of the sign plaque.
7. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1 wherein the substantially flat lower reflector is tilted toward the sign plaque receiving descending light rays grazing the sign plaque and reflecting these rays upwardly and inwardly to illuminate the lower portion of the display face of the sign plaque.
8. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1 wherein the housing includes spare bulb storage means including a ledge and a juxtaposed resilient clip, positioned to embrace a spare bulb, resiliently supporting a spare bulb for convenient bulb replacement.
9. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1 wherein the upstanding sidewall means joined to the bottom wall comprise a U-shaped disengagable sub-frame whose uppermost ends are releasably latched to the bulb enclosure by resiliently depressible terminal stud-clips for convenient disengagement of the sub-frame, the central sign plaque and the lower reflector from the bulb enclosure.
10. The illuminated sign defined in claim 1 further including a translucent diffuser lens spanning the bulb enclosure between the lamp bulb means and the sign plaque.
Description This invention relates to illuminated signs such as "exit", "elevator" and "escalator" signs, mounted on the walls and ceilings of public buildings or their corridors above the viewers' heads for maximum visibility. Such signs are normally illuminated by one or more light bulbs which may be powered by emergency lighting circuits to assure public access to exits in the event of a power failure. These illuminated signs often employ translucent panels illuminated from behind, with colored transparent glass or plastic material emitting a portion of the illumination, and with a large part of the light energy being absorbed and lost behind the translucent panel. Significant savings in energy costs can be achieved if light losses behind translucent panels can be eliminated Externally illuminated sign boards such as billboards or tradesmen's store front signs, with flood lights or foot lights supplying direct illumination to the sign face, have been conventional since the introduction of electric lights. Overhead floodlighting illumination of such signs is illustrated in Monheim, U.S. Pat. No. 1,871,073, issued in 1932 and Frederick, U.S. Pat. No. 1,735,040, issued in 1929. Backlighted translucent signs are equally conventional, as shown in Willey, U.S. Pat. No. 1,724,243, issued in 1929. More recently, edge lighted signs have been proposed, as shown in Buc, U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,438, issued in 1970; Mellyn, U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,493, issued in 1968 and Decaux, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,231, issued in 1981. Overlying floodlighting bulbs illuminating flat reflector surfaces are shown in the 1929 Frederick U.S. Pat. No. 1,735, 040 and also in the 1933 Harvey U.S. Pat. No. 1,915,666. Light bulbs arrayed along the top edge of an opaque sign are shown in Kettles U.S. Pat. No. 802,646, issued in 1905, which also shows a similar array of bulbs along both the top and bottom edges and along all four edges of a rectangular sign embraced by outlying curved reflectors of semi-cylindrical shape, with light rays being thrown equally on opposite sides of the sign board. Such semi-cylindrical reflectors approximate a parabolic cylinder in shape, and tend to gather and converge entering parallel light rays by reflecting them toward a focal line, rather than diffusing them over the face of an opaque sign plaque. A polygonal array of flat mirror surfaces, directing a series of flashing light spots across the face of a sign board is shown in Monheim, U.S. Pat. No. 1,871,073, issued in 1932. Conventional opaque illuminated sign plaques have suffered from the common fault of uneven illumination, being brightly lit near the bulbs along one edge of the sign plaque and unlit or dimly lit along the opposite edge. Indeed the 1905 Kettles patent suggested illumination along all four edges of a rectangular opaque sign plaque, in an effort to overcome this unequal illumination problem, and the resulting energy costs for illuminating such a sign make it highly uneconomical. The opaque externally illuminated sign plaques of the present invention achieve high visibility and bright illumination with a minimum of electrical power. Because of the unique arrangement of reflectors employed in these devices, one or more small electric bulbs, positioned near a first edge of an opaque sign plaque, are embraced by a curved, highly reflective surface trapping and directing their illumination downwardly, both toward and past the indicia-bearing face of the opaque sign plaque. Some of this illumination travels directly to the sign plaque, and some is reflected from the curved reflector to the sign plaque. The rays of illumination passing the sign plaque are also partially trapped by a smooth, flat, slanting reflective surface extending along the opposite edge of the sign plaque, remote from the electric bulbs, assuring reflected illumination delivered to the lower face of the sign plaque at the precise area where direct illumination fades, and thus equalizing the illumination of the entire visible face of the sign plaque. Some untrapped passing light rays are directed out through the open face of the sign's housing enclosure, to illuminate the walls and floors of the surrounding area for the convenience and safety of the public using the building. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, two small bulbs above a rectangular opaque sign plaque illuminate both sides of the sign plaque with substantial uniformity, making the sign bright and easy to read from considerable distances with a minimum cost for electric power consumed, while also illuminating the surrounding area. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide illuminated signs employing opaque sign plaques economically lighted by a minimum number of light bulbs whose illumination is directed to the external face of the sign plaque by two cooperating reflector surfaces to distribute the illumination evenly over the face of the sign while minimizing the electrical energy required to power the device. A further object of the invention is to provide illuminated signs of this character presenting an upstanding opaque sign plaque to the observer with one or more lamps above the sign plaque providing direct and reflected illumination employing a curved reflecting surface above the lamps to direct the illumination downwardly, cooperating with a flat, slanting, reflective surface underlying the lower edge of the sign plaque and serving to re-reflect light rays from the lamps upwardly toward the lower portion of the sign plaque, thus distributing the illumination uniformly over the entire exposed face of the sign plaque. Another object of the invention is to provide illuminated signs of this character delivering a portion of their illumination to light the surrounding area for the convenience of the public. Still another object of the invention is to provide such illuminated signs incorporating light diffuser lenses for uniform light distribution over the length and width of the sign plaque presented to public view. Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illuminated exit sign comprising a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front elevation view, partially broken away in section, of the exit sign shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional end elevation view of the exit sign of FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along the line 3--3 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional end elevation view of the same exit sign taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged exploded perspective view of the upper left portion of the exit sign shown in FIG. 2, illustrating the diffuser lens panel and two housing components, showing their interfitting mode of engagement. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is exemplified by the sign unit 8 shown in FIG. 1, with a three-part housing 9 incorporating an upper wiring enclosure housing 10, a central bulb housing 11, and a depending frame 12. Wiring housing 10 is provided with top, end and rear mounting faces 10A, 10B and 10C (FIGS. 2 and 3) for securing the fixture to a wall or ceiling, each with a central mounting aperture which may be closed by a snap-in cap 10D if not used for mounting the unit. Bulb housing 11 is a box-like bulb enclosure 13 with front walls 14 forming the "proscenium arch" of lower edge 18 beneath which the illuminated sign is displayed. Depending from the ends of bulb housing 11 is a U-shaped frame 12 having upstanding sidewalls 16 with their lower ends joined by a bottom wall 17. The depending sidewalls 16 extend downward from lower edge 18 of the front walls. Bottom wall 17 spans the width of housing 9 and is spaced well below lower edge 18, forming with sidewalls 16 and lower edge 18 a rectangular viewing aperture within which an illuminated sign plaque is displayed. Opaque "EXIT" sign plaque 19 shown in the drawing is formed as a rectangular panel with sides corresponding to the rectangular opening formed by sidewalls 16, bottom wall 17 and lower edge 18 of front wall 14, and spans the housing internally between guide ridges 25 protruding inward from the facing inner surfaces of the two sidewalls 16, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, being thereby exposed and presented to public view through the open lower front aperture portion of housing 9. Sign plaque 19 is preferably marked with suitable indicia on both its front and reverse faces, and housing 12 is preferably symmetrical about its vertical central plane, assuring that the sign unit 8 is usefully viewed by the public from either direction, and thus utilizing both sides of sign plaque 19 to maximum advantage. If desired, two opaque one-sided sign plaques 19 may be displayed back-to-back. Within the bulb enclosure 13 forming the upper portion of housing 11 in the preferred embodiment of the invention are a pair of incandescent lamp bulbs 21, positioned centrally above the upper edge of sign plaque 19. If desired, an optional diffuser lens panel 22 extends laterally across the width and depth of the housing 12, between the lower edge 18 of front walls 14 and the sidewalls 20 of bulb enclosure housing 11 directly above sign plaque 19, to diffuse the light descending from bulbs 21 equally and uniformly across the exposed faces of sign plaque 19. Diffuser lens panel 22 may be formed of lightly frosted sheet plastic or glass, or if desired, it may be formed of molded plastic sheet material having fresnel lens ridge formations in its upper surface, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,347. As indicated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the edge of diffuser lens panel 22 may be embraced within notches 23, formed in the adjacent interior surface of each side wall 20, and thus providing captive support for both ends of lens panel 22, which may be flexed for insertion engagement with notches 23. If lens panel 22 tends to sag, its entire central span will be supported by the upper edge of sign plaque 19, as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, thus assuring that lens panel 22 is secured in its desired and intended position between bulbs 21 and sign plaque 19. A reflector partition 24 overlying bulbs 21 extends across the width of the bulb enclosure portion 13 of housing 11, and a suitable depressed socket mounting zone 26 formed in its central portion is apertured to accommodate and mount bulb sockets 27 positioned to receive lamp bulbs 21 extending from the mounting zone 26 in opposite directions towards the opposite ends of bulb enclosure 13. Concave overlying reflector zones 28 form the remaining portions of the reflector partition 24, and their interior surfaces are arched in configurations designed to trap and reflect downwardly light rays originally delivered upwards from the filaments of bulbs 21 toward the reflector zones, rays marked by the arrows 29 and 30 in FIG. 3. In that figure it will be noted that a portion of the reflected light rays 30, originally delivered upward by bulb 21 are reflected inwardly toward the exposed face of sign plaque 19, illuminating its upper portion. Another part of the reflected light rays 29 from reflector zones 28 travel downward to impinge upon an underlying flat lower reflector 32. This may be formed as a flat slanting floor of bottom wall 17, and if frame 12 is molded of white or light-colored plastic or metal, this can provide satisfactory reflectivity. If desired, lower reflector 32 may be formed as an inwardly slanting substantially specular mirror surface, which may be formed for example of metalized aluminum foil 31, adhesively bonded to the interior flat surface of bottom wall 17 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3, from which the light rays 29 are reflected upward and inward toward the lower portion of the exposed face of sign plaque 19. The sign plaque is thus illuminated by direct and reflected illumination along its upper edge and also by reflected illumination from lower reflector 32 along its lower portion, supplementing the reduced intensity of direct illumination and thus providing widely diffused and substantially uniform illumination of the entire exposed surface of sign plaque 19. It will also be noted that light rays 33, travelling directly downward from bulbs 21 toward lower reflector 32, are also reflected upward and inward by lower reflector 32 toward the lower portion of sign plaque 19. A still further portion of the illumination from bulbs 21 is represented by the diverging arrows 34, shown at the lefthand side of FIG. 3, and escaping outward from housing 12 between lower edge 18 of front wall 14 and the outer edge of lower wall 17 and between sidewalls 16 through the viewing aperture in which sign plaque 19 is exposed. These diverging light rays 34 are employed to illuminate the region surrounding the sign unit 11 so that its floor and nearby walls are thereby lighted for the convenience of the public. Additional light rays 35 emitted in directions nearly horizontal from bulbs 21 striking the inner faces of front walls 14 are reflected inwardly toward the upper portion of sign plaque 19, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3. The diffused scattering of these various groups of light rays over the entire face of sign plaque 19 is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 2 and 3. The interior reflector surfaces of reflector partition 24 and front walls 14 as well as bottom reflector 32 may all be formed with highly reflective polished surfaces, which may all be coated with metalized aluminum foil, for example, or may be supplied with other special reflective film, paint or finish. From FIG. 2 it will be noted that the end portions of the reflector zones 28 closest to sidewalls 16 and 20 are formed in a compoundly curved or spheroidal sector 36 blending smoothly at its lower edge with the sidewalls 20. Light rays 40 delivered in an endwise direction from bulbs 21 toward the sidewalls impinging upon this spheroidal sector 36 of the upper reflector partition 24 are reflected both downward and away from the side wall 16 toward the center of the sign unit 11, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, thus enhancing the illumination of the upper portion of sign plaque 19. It will be understood that the wall mounting or ceiling mounting fastenings and the electrical wiring have been omitted from the drawings for clarity, and the illuminated signs of the present invention are mounted flush against or depending from the ceiling or projecting from the wall in a conventional manner. In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the incandescent or fluorescent bulbs 21 are arrayed under a substantially semi-cylindrical reflector section 28 of the reflector partition 24 while the ends of bulbs 21 are embraced or cupped within the compoundly curved concave spheroidal sector 36 of the partition 24. Thus the portions of the sign plaque immediately below bulbs 21 are directly illuminated by the bulbs and also illuminated by reflection from the cylindrical reflector regions 28 of the reflector partition, while all portions of the sign plaque receive reflected illumination delivered by bulbs 21 to each spheroidal sector 36 of the reflector partition 24. Downward travelling rays of light grazing the sign plaque are reflected up and inward toward the lower portions of the sign plaque by the flat, smooth intilted lower reflector 32. Except for the optional diffuser lens 22, the light illuminating the sign plaque is not absorbed by any translucent material, and it falls either on sign plaque 19 as direct or reflected illumination or is emitted through the aperture of housing 12 to illuminate the surround. Thus, almost all of the light emitted by the incandescent bulbs 21 is usefully employed in the sign units of the present invention, minimizing the power consumption required for their operation. Directly behind front walls 14 of bulb enclosure housing 11 are spare bulb storage clips, preferably formed by a ledge 38 protruding inwardly from the inner surface of front wall 14, and a resilient clip 37 depending from socket mounting zone 26 of partition 24 (FIGS. 2,3). Clip 37 readily flexes to receive or release a spare bulb 39 which it resiliently urges onto ledge 38 for storage. The three component parts 10, 11 and 12 of housing 9 are preferably molded of engineering flame retardant thermoplastic material. Bulb enclosure housing 11 is provided with one or more captive screws 41 releasably securing housing 11 to wiring enclosure housing 10. Resilient inwardly depressible upstanding end clips 42 surmounting sidewalls 16 of frame 12 are each provided with an outwardly projecting stud 43 latchable in a latch aperture 44 formed in sidewall 20 of bulb enclosure housing 11 when frame 12 is juxtaposed in abutting engagement beneath housing 11, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. Inward flexing of clip 42 disengages stud 43 from aperture 44, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, releasing frame 12 for disassembly. It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. Patent Citations
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Welcome to Richmond Cricket Club
Richmond Cricket Club is a vibrant and progressive club which boasts one of the largest junior sections in Middlesex (according to the MCB's analysis) with around 400 youngsters, runs five Saturday league sides and stages Middlesex T20 fixtures.
It has always been a club where the social side of the club game is hugely important and this remains true to this day as we celebrate 150 years of great cricket and great friendships.
Winter nets will start early in 2015. All membership enquiries please email the Chairman at email@example.com.
The recently formed Ladies Section is also looking for new members for the forthcoming season. For further information, please contact Lucinda Springett by emailing : firstname.lastname@example.com
Prospective Junior members should contact Doug King, the Colts Chairman, by emailing: email@example.com and you can download a junior registration form by following the 'Registration forms' link below.
If you don't want to join as a playing member, the Club also welcomes social members at a reasonable subscription of just £25. An application form can be obtained from the bar at Old Deer Park.
Latest News
20 Jul
A hugely disappointing Saturday for Richmond as the 1's, 2's. 3's and 5's all failed to chase down gettable totals to lose important league matches whilst the 4's picked up 1 point as their match is cancelled. Read more -
13 Jul
Richmond 1st XI nearly pulled off a remarkable victory against Ealing, failing by just one run to take victory and having to settle for a Winning Draw. Meanwhile Richmond 2's lost for the second week running whilst both the 3's and 4's won. The 5's, damaged by two late and unavoidable withdrawals from the higher sides, also lost. Read more -
22 Jun
Richmond returned, largely, to winning ways on Saturday 21st June with four wins and one defeat. Read more -
2 Jun
Richmond enjoyed its most successful League Saturday of the season to date with wins for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI's and a winning draw for the 4th XI. Only the 5th XI suffered a defeat. Read more


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Big article : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304563104576355310423496054.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
Yes. It's happening, folks. Today Activision revealed to the Wall Street Journal that Modern Warfare 3 will launch with a subscription service this fall. Called 'Call of Duty Elite', the service aims to provide extra content and services not available in the game proper–such as map packs, tools to analyze personal performance and more. Though a price point has not been concretely set, they're thinking it won't cost more than services such as Netflix which can charge about 7.99 a month. It also sounds as if the content and services the subscription will provide have also not been set in stone just yet.
On the subject, Bobby Kotick says he is not worried about backlash from gamers because everyone "will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service."
Hours ahead of the agreed-upon embargo for the news, the Wall Street Journal is the first to report on Call of Duty Elite, the long-reported "digital platform" in development at Activision's new Beachhead studio. Designed to complement this fall's Modern Warfare 3, Elite will be a paid service though "portions of the service will be free" including a Facebook-inspired Groups feature.
Other features of the service include the Bungie Pro-like ability to display stats to analyze player performance, "gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies." If you're worried that you'll suddenly have to pay for online multiplayer in Call of Duty titles, don't be. The Journal reports that "players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service."
Activision hasn't yet pinned down a price point, though it does expect the cost to be less than comparable "online-entertainment services" like the $8/month Netflix. Part of that fee will go towards a "customer-service operation that will be needed to support it." It will also include the year's map packs, which cost $15 each, taking some of the sting out of any annual charge.
TL;DR - A subscription for exclusive extra content (map packs, stats [lol] and more) and a social digital platform shindig. For less than 8$
The only thing that concerns me about this is that it's gonna be successful, which will cause EA to do the same, and i'm gonna have to subscribe to Battlefield 4 in order to fully enjoy it...
Edit: Why the hell am i the top poster for this game? Where are the hyped up MW3 fans who should be up there? DETHRONE me damn you! ;p


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GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) | New International Version (NIV) |
10 Then Joshua ordered the officers of the people, | 10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: |
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (God's Word Translation -Online Bible) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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Or should that be "method for using nastygrams to assert what isn't really a valid patent?" [Lowering the Bar]
Posts tagged as:
A House panel approves a bill aimed at patent demand letters that are in bad faith or based on invalid patents [Reuters]
- "Cato Went 10-1 at Supreme Court This Term" [Ilya Shapiro; on merits cases] Yesterday I spoke to a private policy gathering in Annapolis, Md. with a retrospective on the Supreme Court term, especially its lessons for state government. If you're looking for a speaker on Court issues, I or one of my colleagues at Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies may fit the bill;
- "CrossFit Sues 'Competitor' For Revealing Its Injury Rates" [DeadSpin]
- New Jersey court rules for casino in unshuffled baccarat deck case [Elie Mystal/Above the Law, earlier]
- Family rescued from 1000 miles offshore plans to sue over nonworking satellite cell phone [ABC 10 News]
- Tartly worded response to third-party-subpoena demand in Sherrod/Breitbart case [attorney Robert Driscoll]
- Legal academia: Prof. Bainbridge takes on law-and, empirical legal studies crowds [Bainbridge, TaxProf and reactions] George Leef on reforming law schools [Pope Center]
- "Uber Agrees to End Surge Pricing During NY Emergencies, And Why That Means You'll Never Find a Ride" [Gary Leff; Peter Van Doren, Cato]
- Supreme Court tackling patent law in several cases this term [Sartori and Aga, WLF; Richard Epstein; Kristen Osenga/Prawfs] New fee-shifting regime announced in Octane Fitness already bringing relief to litigants [Ars Technica on Lumen View/FindTheBest case]
- Copyright claims on intrinsically newsworthy material: curious claim concerning suicide note [Eugene Volokh] "Is it copyright infringement to post a lawyer's cease-and-desist letter?" Australian university seems to think so [same]
- Fate of Prenda Law model spirals downward [Ars Technica, Volokh, EFF]
- Comedian Adam Carolla has "decided to make himself the focus of the Personal Audio suit against podcasters." [Steven Malanga]
- Why, as a textbook author, Alex Tabarrok has concluded copyright law is out of control [Marginal Revolution]
- Remembering when patent examiners were celebrities (in the 19th Century) [Slate]
- Someone sends Jim Harper a dubious DMCA takedown notice, and this is his response [Cato]
"Tom Goldstein's letter for rich client who threw porn star off roof for video" [@RandyEBarnett] is an "instant classic" [@adamliptak]. Goldstein is a prominent member of the Supreme Court bar and co-founder of SCOTUSBlog. [Josh Blackman] Concluding passage of letter:
If she sues, the complaint will be sanctionably frivolous. Your client should just box up almost every last bit of her property (please exclude all videos and photographs, as well as the seemingly inevitable small yappy dog) and drop it off with you in safe-keeping for Mr. Bilzerian. After he receives the judgment in his favor, he will have it all delivered to him. Then he will probably blow it up with a mortar in the desert.
I enjoyed our brief correspondence.
{ 3 comments }
But put aside whether Spin Master can win this infringement claim on the merits, consider what they asked for in their demand letter, as explained on You Rather's blog:
1. Stop using "You Rather" and any other phrases that are similar to "Would you rather". This includes one (yes, really) or more of the words "Would", "You", or "Rather".
2. Hand over our yourather.com domain immediately
3. Tell them how much money You Rather has made (presumably to ask for that too)
4. Pay for their lawyers"One or more of the words 'Would,' 'You,' or 'Rather.'" Presumably this is meant to prevent You Rather from just rearranging words, but this is a demand letter, not a contract. There's no need to get cute and ask the website to agree to abandon any use of the word "you." This is why people hate lawyers.
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- Taxpayers on hook: "N.J. boy left blind and brain-damaged after being beaten by father awarded $166M by jury" [Newark Star-Ledger]
- "Psychic Love Spell Center stole my money, lawyer alleges in lawsuit" [Houston; ABA Journal]
- "You can't win these suits… Move on with your life." Good advice for someone falsely accused of rape? [Roxanne Jones, CNN]
- Critical look at California judge's lead paint ruling [Daniel Fisher/Forbes, earlier here, here]
- $6 check and apology over "F-word": "Pub owner's sarcastic response to Starbucks cease-and-desist letter goes viral" [ABA Journal]
- Suburb doesn't want to accept public transit, but feds force its hand by use of controversial disparate impact theory [Dayton Daily News]
- Randy Barnett: libertarianism as a vehicle for moderation, toleration and social peace [Chapman Law Review/SSRN; one of my favorite academic papers from last year]
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Users have been known to complain that Tumblr, the immensely popular microblogging site, is not always as communicative as it might be about the periodic outages it has suffered. Zach Inglis put up a site called IsTumblrDown.com which gave users a clue whether an inability to connect was just them, or the whole system being down. There was little likelihood that it would be confused with an official site, especially since it took a bit of a mocking tone toward the platform giant (and had no revenue). Lawyers representing Tumblr nonetheless fired off a nastygram demanding the site's removal.
The story has a rare happy ending, though. Tumblr sent a second letter saying that the cease and desist letter had been sent by mistake [Daily Dot]:
We deeply apologize for our mistake. Our legal department very recently started using a third party vendor to assist us in pursuing trademark infringers and, due to an error in our new process, your domain was mistakenly caught in the cross-fire.
To paraphrase Eric Turkewitz, when you outsource your trademark enforcement, you might just find yourself outsourcing a chunk of your customer goodwill at the same time.
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In a menacing letter that included the draft of a complaint, well-known entertainment lawyer Martin Singer informed his target that "I have deliberately left blank spaces in portions of the complaint dealing with your using company resources to arrange sexual liaisons with older men such as 'Uncle Jerry,' Judge ——, a/k/a 'Dad' (see enclosed photo), and many others. When the complaint is filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court, there will be no blanks in the pleading." Now California appeals court judge Steven Suzukawa has ruled that the threatened disclosure was appropriately related to the financial dispute at issue and did not constitute extortion as a matter of law. [Hollywood Reporter, earlier]
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Texas: "I'd never trust a dentist who reacts to negative online reviews by having his lawyer threaten the reviewer with criminal charges. Would you?" Complete with a vigorously worded letter, explaining why his client is not planning to take down the review, from attorney Leif Olson of the admirably named Olson Firm in Humble, Texas. [Ken at Popehat]
The Underbelly restaurant in Houston offered a "Double Double" burger. When chef Chris Shepherd got a letter from lawyers for the California-based In-N-Out chain, saying it infringed on their similarly named sandwich, he promptly changed the name to "Cease and Desist Burger." It has sold well, says the restaurant's marketing manager. [Erica Ho, Time]
{ 1 comment }
The township of West Orange, N.J. sends a cease and desist letter to a local political activist who runs the domain westorange.info and gets the following response from attorney Stephen Kaplitt (via Above the Law):
Dear Mr. Trenk:
I am pro bono counsel to Jake Freivald and write in response to your "cease and desist letter," dated May 13, 2013, regarding his domain westorange.info. Obviously it was sent in jest, and the world can certainly use more legal satire. Bravo, Mr. Trenk! ….
Oh, and just to play along, had you intended for your letter to be taken seriously, even in some small measure, we would have sent in response something along the following lines: …
[several legal points follow about municipalities' general lack of a right to exclude others from using their names as part of domains]
If you manage to produce supporting authority that even remotely passes the laugh test, I will donate $100 in your honor to the American Civil Liberties Union — N.J. chapter. I plan to make the donation online, assuming the state of New Jersey has not shut down aclu-nj.org.
Sent to Gawker by a lawyer who represents controversial Toronto mayor Rob Ford, it affords Ken at Popehat much delight: "First, nobody ever governed themselves accordingly based on a threat from a hotmail account."
- "Robo-litigation": ethical issues of the mass-foreclosure mess [Dustin Zachs, SSRN, via Legal Ethics Forum]
- Roger Parloff on Chevron counterclaims against Patton Boggs [Fortune] "Judge Grudgingly Lets Donziger's Lawyers Out Of Chevron Case" [Daniel Fisher; Reuters]
- Should Australia dilute or abolish the "cab rank" rule? [John Flood via LEF]
- "Ethical Limits on Civil Litigation Advocacy: A Historical Perspective" [Carol Andrews (Alabama), SSRN; Legal Ethics Forum]
- "When Is a Demand Letter (Arguably) Extortion?" [John Steele, more, ABA Journal (Martin Singer demand letter threatening to expose target's sexual indiscretions]
- Fifth Circuit denies Dickie Scruggs's latest appeal [YallPolitics]
- When crowdfunding meets litigation finance, watch out world [Richard Painter]
- "Judge Orders Prenda Law Group Beamed Out Into Space" [Lowering the Bar, TechDirt]
Ken at Popehat to the rescue, with a pledge to "do everything in my power to find pro bono representation for the Buckleys to (1) prevent you from extorting and retaliating against them through the cost of defense, and (2) empower them to cockroach-stomp you righteously."
How to be gentlemanly in a cease-and-desist. [Mashable, Popehat]
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- Courtesy Stanley Fish, Prof. Jeremy Waldron gets a long, favorable hearing in the New York Times for his let's-suppress-hate-speech proposals [Opinionator]
- On the other hand, free speech scores huge victory in Canada as parliament mostly along party lines votes to repeal notorious Section 13 of Canadian Human Rights Act, authorizing private federal complaints over alleged hate speech [Jonathan Kay]
- "Christian Nation" historical writer and Texas curriculum reshaper David Barton sues critics; don't let him find out what Ed Brayton keeps writing [Reason]
- Pennsylvania bill: "Crime for Minor to Post or Send Messages That 'Emotional[ly] Distress' Another Minor?" [Volokh]
- Norfolk, Va. business puts up a big sign protesting eminent domain scheme to seize its property; guess what happens next [Marc Scribner, Open Market]
- Chris Evans nastygram to Lipstick Alley: Has Hollywood already forgotten about the Streisand effect? [Paul Alan Levy, Mike Masnick/TechDirt] Also at Public Citizen, the dispute over a boilermaker union official's effort to unmask an online critic has now been settled (earlier);
- Interesting bank case: "Employer SLAPPed for Suing Ex-Employee" [Shaw Valenza]
{ 3 comments }
And Matthew Inman's retort to attorney Charles Carreon is already assuming mythical Internet status. [Popehat, BoingBoing and more, Kennerly, Ars Technica, Lowering the Bar]
{ 3 comments }


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When mountain biker Michael Turner came into the Valley's only Level 1 trauma center at Community Regional Medical Center, physicians knew this was going to be a special case. Turner had a tree branch impaled through his neck — pressing on his carotid artery — that penetrated all the way into his skull. See how two ear, nose and throat surgeons used a military model to give Turner the best outcome from his injury.
Back to VideosFresno Heart & Surgical Hospital is one of two hospitals in California to receive HealthGrades® Outstanding Patient Experience Award for five consecutive years at the top 5% level.
Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital bariatric surgeon Saber Ghiassi led a study through Stanford University that found morbidly obese patients who had gastric bypass surgery were able to significantly reduce their medications for hypertension and diabetes at a year after surgery – which led to a big drop in health care costs. Forty-year-old Paul Ferguson of Fresno's story serves as an example of real results. He lost more than 200 pounds through gastric bypass surgery more than a year ago, and no longer needs his medications for diabetes and hypertension.
Community Regional Medical Center has been selected by Blue Shield of California to be the Central Valley's Preferred Center for CalPERS HMO plan members who need non-emergent knee or hip replacement surgery. To be designated by Blue Shield as a Preferred Center for Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery, a facility and surgeon must also provide high-quality care cost-effectively. Community Regional was the only Central Valley hospital selected in its service area.
Physician assistants are a valuable resource when it comes to patient care at Community Medical Centers. However, not many people know what this job entails and what a P.A. does. Here's a little insight into the job and how our P.A.s work to give our patients the best of care.
Physician assistants are a valuable resource when it comes to patient care at Community Medical Centers. However, not many people know what this job entails and what a P.A. does. Here's a little insight into the job and how our P.A.s work to give our patients the best of care.
Back to VideosIt's not common knowledge, but when it comes to surgery, knowing your blood volume could be critical. Until recently there hasn't been a quick or easy way to measure blood volumes right before surgery.
A. It depends on your age and ovarian status. After a hysterectomy, most women take hormones until their early fifties, but the number drops to about 10% after that. The decision for or against HRT is an individual one, and your surgeon will help you make that choice.
For a third year in a row, more than 30 surgeons from around the nation and from overseas came to Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital to learn the latest techniques in bariatric revision surgery from pioneers in bariatric and metabolic surgery. Since the surgical technique has been around several decades, more and more patients with more historical surgeries are considering resurgery.
Back to VideosLibrado Heredia Villegar has a complicated bariatric history – too complicated for his local surgeon in Ensenada, Mexico, who recommended Dr. Kelvin Higa at Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital.


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A Simple Gospel by Barbara Greenhow • January 31, 2015 • 0 Comments As a small child I believed in God. I didn't know much about Him, but I certainly believed He existed as a kind grandfatherly figure, somewhere up in the sky, and that somehow He watched over me. As a little… Read more →
Psalm 11 ~ The Lord is our Refuge by Piper Green • January 28, 2015 • 0 Comments In the Lord I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain; For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at… Read more →
"I Dreamed a Dream of Time Gone By…" by Guest Writer • January 24, 2015 • 1 Comment By Kristen Wells Les Miserables ~ a beautiful and poignant book that became an unforgettable musical. I remember seeing the play for the first time in 7th grade. I still have the shirt I bought from that performance! It captivated… Read more →
Waiting Here For You by Christie Lambert • January 21, 2015 • 3 Comments Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah ~ not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the… Read more →
Honoring Courage… by cwoadmin • January 19, 2015 • 1 Comment Quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." "The function of… Read more →
The Ravens… ? by Rhea B. Riddle • January 15, 2015 • 0 Comments The winter sky and the scraping winds on this early January morning send shivers of doom and foreboding through my cold, cold bones. Even though I am warm and toasty in my home, and have piled on my sweats, socks,… Read more →